2012 Movie Preview

Also appearing in my regular movie/home video section in Mature Living Magazine for the upcoming February issue...all release dates subject to change.

2012 has several promising releases featuring many prominent and rising stars. Jeremy Renner (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) looks at have another stellar year in the superhero-filled The Avengers (May 4), Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (March 2), and The Bourne Legacy (August 3) with co-stars Edward Norton, Rachel Weisz, Joan Allen, and Scott Glenn. Bruce Willis also looks to have a big year with G.I. Joe: Retalliation (June 29), The Expendables 2 (August 17), and Looper (Sept. 28) about a hitman living in a future where his victims are sent to him from the future co-starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Piper Perabo, and Jeff Daniels.

Other high profile sequels will include Wrath of the Titans (March 30), The Dark Night Rises (July 20), Taken 2 (Oct. 5), Men In Black 3 (May 25), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (Aug. 3), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (Nov. 16), and James Bond returns in Skyfall (Nov 9). Other remakes and “reboots” include The Great Gatsby (Dec. 25), The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Dec. 14), Total Recall (Aug. 3), 21 Jump Street (March 16), and the Alien prequel Prometheus (June 8).

Book adaptations include Hunger Games (March 23) and What to Expect When You’re Expecting (May 11) while fairy tales also look to rule the theaters with Jack the Giant Killer (June 15) and the competing films Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1) and Mirror Mirror (March 16). Director Tim Burton remakes the cult classic TV show Dark Shadows (May 11) while the Farrelly Brothers offer The Three Stooges (April 13).

Disney continues their traditional Earth Day nature documentary release with Chimpanzee while Titanic sets sail again in 3D. The Odd Life of Timothy Green (Aug. 15) offers an inspiring story about a couple trying for a baby who find themselves in a unique situation after a visitor lands on their doorstep while Tyler Perry also directs and writes The Marriage Counselor (July 27). Musically themed films include the heavy metal Rock of Ages (June 1), Sparkle (Aug. 10), and Les Miserables (Dec. 7) starring Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, and Anne Hathaway.

Comedian showcases include Eddie Murphy in A Thousand Words (March 23), Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn in Neighborhood Watch (July 27), Kevin James in Here Comes the Boom (Oct. 12), and Adam Sandler in I Hate You, Dad (June 15). Promising romantic comedies include Steve Carell and Keira Knightley in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and Robert De Niro, Katherine Heigl, and Diane Keaton in The Big Wedding (Oct. 19).

Animated films will include Finding Nemo 3D (Sept. 14), Wreck-It Ralph (Nov. 2), Dr. Suess’ The Lorax (March 2), ParaNorman (Aug 17), Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (June 8), Pixar’s Brave (June 22), Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie (Oct. 5), Ice Age: Continental Drift (July 13), The Pirates! Band of Misfits (March 30), and Rise of the Guardians (Nov. 21) featuring the voices of Hugh Jackman and Alec Baldwin where five familiar seasonal/holiday figures battle the Bogeyman.

Holiday films will include the space sci-fi epic Gravity starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney plus Brad Pitt in the adaptation of Max Brooks’ novel World War Z (Dec. 21). Steven Spielberg directs Daniel Day-Lewis in the biopic Lincoln (December), and Quentin Tarantino helms Django Unchained (Dec. 25). Billy Crystal and Bette Midler star as grandparents helping care for their grandkids in the comedy Parental Guidance (Nov. 21). Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carell star in the comedy-drama Great Hope Springs (Dec 14).