(in alphabetical order)
The Avengers
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and Tom Hiddleston
Synopsys: "Nick Fury and the international agency S.H.I.E.L.D. bring together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his various membered army."
Release date: 4th May, 2012 (USA)
Why is it promising: The biggest Marvel super-heroes in the same movie trying to save the world? Man, how could I not be interested in this one. The lastest Marvel movies were all "very entertaining" movies, real Summer blockbuster quality, and this one is likely to be not less than that. While the movie could easily be a mess, with no major plot line that drives the audiences, I believe it won't happen thanks to Joss Whedon - this man knows how to make a good script and direct an ensemble movie.
The Dark Knight Rises
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard and Morgan Freeman
Synopsys: "Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's crimes."
Release date: 20th July, 2012 (USA)
Why is it promising: After Batman Begins and the amazing The Dark Knight, the batman trilogy ends in The Dark Knight Rises and I'm sure that everybody wants to see how it ends! Nolan is one of the best directors alive and his movies are all above "very good", so I'm sure The Dark Knight Rises will be a damn good action/super-heroe/crime movie and one of the best movies of the year. The cast is great, the franchise is a success, the movie trailer is epic...
Dark Shadows
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnnt Lee Miller and Chloë Grace Moretz
Synopsys: "A gothic-horror tale centering on the life of vampire Barnabas Collins and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts. Based on the cult TV series."
Release date: 11th May, 2012 (USA)
Why is it promising: How could I miss a Tim Burton movie? I forgive you from directing Alice In Wonderland... not because it was a bad movie (it wasn't bad, it was just "entertaining"), but because I just love when you put your TRUE SIGNATURE in a project. Vampires, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter... and Michelle Pfeiffer - I'm excited for this one.
Django Unchained
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Sasha Baron Cohen, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington and Jamie Foxx
Synopsys: "With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner."
Release date: 25th December, 2012
Why is it promising: Tarantino's back and that's a cinematic happening, with a lot of blood, strong language and memorable quotes! The plot is intriguing and the cast is just perfect, making this movie impossible to ignore. While I'm not expecting another Inglorious Basterds, I just say "Surprise me again, Tarantino... I kinda liked it!"
The Great Gatsby
Director: Baz Lhurman
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire
Synopsys: "Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy."
Release date: 25th December, 2012
Why is it promising: Mr. Lhurman is a great story teller, specially when there's romance and tragedy in the same page, that's why The Great Gatsby promises a lot... The previous adaptations of the novel were a kind of "tasteless", but Lhurman's vision and the three leads will surely benefit the movie. Sometimes, we just need a great love story!
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett and Andy Serkis
Synopsys: "Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug."
Release date: 14th December, 2012 (USA)
Why is it promising: What happened before Frodo getting the Sauron's ring? Well... Peter Jackson will tell us the story of Bilbo and how he found the ring and let me say that it sounds more than wonderful. Jackson directed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the result were three little masterpieces, so it is expected from him to do the same with the same kind of source material!
Nero Fiddled
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, Penélope Cruz, Greta Gerwig, Roberto Benigni and Judy Davis
Synopsys: (no synopsys revealed)
Release date: 19th October, 2012 (Italy)
Why is it promising: Woody's latest is the Best Picture Oscar nominated Midnight In Paris and since he worked with such a stealer cast in his upcoming movie, I've some expectations around Nero Fiddled. If the script is fruit of the same level of inspiration that brought us Midnight and if Rome keeps as beautiful as it always was, I bet Nero Fiddled will be "charming" at its minimum.
The Place Beyond the Pines
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn and Rose Byrne
Synopsys: "A motorcycle stunt rider considers committing a crime in order to provide for his wife and child, an act that puts him on a collision course with a cop-turned-politician."
Release date: 26th September, 2012 (France)
Why is it promising: This may sound a lot like Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, but I believe the talented Gosling wouldn't star in the same movie twice. Cianfrance last (and first) movie project was Blue Valentine and I'm just curious about how an action movie directed by him can look.
Prometheus
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba and Patrick Wilson
Synopsys: "A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."
Release date: 8th June, 2012
Why is it promising: Ridley Scott is back to space in what looks like an epic science-fiction movie! I would say that it could easily be one of the highest-grossing movies of 2012, but it looks so good that I think it can easily become of the most acclaimed movies of the year. The cast is composed by true movie stars and having Noomi Rapace as the leading lady only benefits the project.
The Silver Linings Playbook
Director: David O. Russel
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Julia Stiles, Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker
Synopsys: "After spending four years in a mental institution, a former teacher moves back in with his mother and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife."
Release date: 21st November, 2012 (USA)
Why is it promising: After The Fighter, David O. Russel is back with another family-drama and his casting choices aren't less than very curious. It will be interesting seeing Bradley Cooper starring a more "serious" drama, Jennifer Lawrence as an ex-wife (she's only 21) or Robert De Niro in a good movie again. Good family-dramas are welcome and this one sounds like one!
Under the Skin
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Scarlett Johansson
Synopsys: "An alien in human form is on a journey through Scotland."
Release date: 2012 (USA)
Why is it promising: It sounds like a risky project and I love it! Scarlett Johansson stars this "one-woman-show", an adaptation of the acclaimed novel, and I hope it works as an acting showcase for her: she has a really salacious juicy role and Jonathan Glazer was able to pull high-quality acting performances from Ben Kingsley and Nicole Kidman. There's something seductive about Scarlett carrying an abstract sexual-thriller alone, directed by the man who brought us Sexy Beast and Birth...
Wettest County
Director: John Hillcoat
Starring: Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska and Guy Pearce
Synopsys: "Set in the Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a cut of their profits."
Release date: 31st August, 2012 (USA)
Why is it promising: A stunning ensemble cast and a talented director make this adaptation of an acclaimed novel one of the movies of 2012 that must be under our radar. Names like Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams or Paul Dano were already involved in this project a couple of years ago and since it looks like a potential epic western, Wettest County is one of the most interesting cinematic productions of this year (and it stars a couple of the most promising actors and actresses of today).
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