My Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

Every year has its fair share of big-name blockbusters that are sure to fill seats with eager fanboys and curious newcomers, but 2012 arguably has an unfair share.  Never before has a year been so chock-full of tentpole releases sure to make geeks' hearts skip many beats.  In addition to the sure-to-be-high-grossing flicks that we've all been looking forward to, 2012's potential Oscar race is also a little more in focus that is usual this far out.  Overall, it looks like one of the most exciting cinematic years in recent memory, and here are the movies that have me most excited.

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films make up the best trilogy in movie history, and his return to Middle-earth couldn't have me more excited.  The Return of the King was my first midnight showing, and it represented both a sort of culmination and proper birth to the nerdiness that I now so proudly brandish.  The recently released trailer promises a film just as sprawling and beautiful and detailed as its predecessors, and the story is a simpler, but just as thrilling tale as that of Frodo and the Fellowship.  Getting to see Ian McKellen in grey attire and the return of Andy Serkis's Gollum are reason enough to be excited, but those are only two elements of what is sure to be one of the best and most successful films (critically, commercially, and on the awards circuit) of the coming year.  The best part?  The film is (perhaps unnecessarily, but I'm not complaining) in two, meaning we have even more to look forward to in 2013. (December 14)

2. The Avengers - Of all the high-profile comic book flicks coming to the big screen next year, none has more geek cred than The Avengers.  In addition to being built on the wildly successful foundation laid by the Iron Man movies, (sorta) The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger, the movie is written and directed by Buffy and Firefly mastermind Joss Whedon, meaning that one can expect a brilliant wit in addition to well-drawn characters and exciting set-piece moments.  There is no better way to kick off the summer. (May 4)

3. The Dark Knight Rises - Christopher Nolan is one of the most consistent writer-directors in Hollywood, and his handling of Batman over the past seven years has not only given new life to the character, but has reinvigorated the superhero genre as a whole.  With The Dark Knight, Nolan proved that masked, caped characters could participate in substantial stories with weight and more complex morality than the cartoony dichotomies common in the genre.  With The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan ends his trilogy of films by jumping ahead eight years to an older Batman (Christian Bale) who has met his match in the burly, brainy Bane (Tom Hardy).  Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marion Cotillard also join the cast in a story that - if the grim poster is any indication - will plumb even darker depths than its predecessors.  (July 20)

4. Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino's Southern (his take on the western genre but set in the plantation-era South) boasts a mighty impressive cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Jamie Foxx.  Tarantino has such a distinctive, unifying style, yet he manages to make every movie its own unique world.  Expect great dialogue and grisly violence in this oddly-timed Christmas release. (December 25)

5. Lincoln - Steven Spielberg's movies tend to fall into two camps: sci-fi/genre pictures and more realistic historical fare.  Lincoln falls squarely into the latter category, and with best-modern-actor Daniel Day-Lewis taking on the titular role, it's one of the most exciting potential Oscar contenders of the coming year.  Instead of an all-encompassing biopic, the film focuses on Lincoln's political interactions with his cabinet during the Civil War.  The cast reads like a dream, including Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (yup, he's in no fewer than five movies next year), Lee Pace, Jared Harris, James Spader, Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes, Hal Holbrook, and Jackie Earle Haley.  (December)

6. The Amazing Spider-Man - I'm pretty vocal about my burning hatred for Spider-Man 3, so I've been squarely in the supportive camp regarding this upcoming reboot of the character.  While it seems odd to have this relaunch coming only five years after the last film, it's fitting both because of how bad Sam Raimi's final Spidey flick was, and because it reflects the multiple threads that weave into a character's history in the world of comics.  With (500) Days of Summer helmer Marc Webb taking over, and Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Rhys Ifans among the cast, this darker take on Peter Parker's backstory should be a refreshing new start.  At least I hope so, as a sequel is already in the works. (July 3)

7. Brave - While this year's Pixar offering, Cars 2, may have been a bit underwhelming following a string of masterpieces culminating in last year's Toy Story 3, the studio brings forth its first original project since Up with next summer's Brave, a Scottish tale about a feisty princess who attempts to break a curse after she defies an ancient custom.  The fairy tale looks like a change of pace for Pixar, both for its apparently darker tone and the studio's first female lead, and I expect the result will be magical.  (June 22)

8. The Great Gatsby - I've been following Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel (my favorite book of all time) with great interest since it was announced, and while recently released images looks promising, it's hard to be completely optimistic about the project.  The thematically complex but narratively slim novel is tough to bring to the big screen, as demonstrated by the disastrous Robert Redford version of yesteryear.  But with a strong director and a great cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio, I'm hopeful Gatsby will be brought to the vivid life he so deserves. (December 25)

9. Les Miserables - The King's Speech director Tom Hooper follows up his awards darling with an adaptation of the classic mega-musical.  I've only just begun listening to the original cast recording, and as a sucker for musicals, I couldn't be more excited for this movie.  Hugh Jackman finally brings his musical prowess to the big screen, accompanied by Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Eddie Redmayne.  The question is how much of the musical will be intact - such a massive production is likely to undergo some massive cuts, but hopefully Hooper's vision allows room for the sort of lavish, lengthy musical that is such a rarity in theaters today. (December 7)

10. Life of Pi - Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) brings Yann Martel's beloved novel about a boy who survives the sinking of a freighter only to find himself sharing a lifeboat with a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and tiger.  It will be interesting to see how Martel's beautifully written story translates to film, especially with newcomer Suraj Sharma taking on the title role in what will likely be a largely one-man show.  Lee is a talented filmmaker who should ably bring out the humanity that is so key to this story full of wild animals. (December 21)

Special Mentions: Two movies that would've made this list but will likely not make it to theaters in 2012: Charlie Kaufman's Frank of Francis, my most anticipated movie, about internet bloggers, the Oscars, and a machine that writes the perfect screenplay (and it's a musical, to boot!) and Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, about a charismatic founder of a religious organization starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix.  Look for them both on next year's list.

Honorable Mentions: Woody Allen takes on Rome (and appears onscreen for the first time since Scoop) in Nero Fiddled (TBA); Alfonso Cuaron's space odyssey Gravity starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock (November 21); seeing Katniss on the big screen in The Hunger Games (March 23); a double dose of Tim Burton with Dark Shadows (May 11) and a feature-length take on Frankenweenie (October 5); another kid-friendly laugher, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (August 3); Wes Anderson's latest, Moonrise Kingdom (May 25); Broadway comes to the big screen with '80s flair in Rock of Ages (June 1); Sam Mendes does Bond with Skyfall (November 9); Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, and Josh Brolin star in Reuben Fleischer's (Zombieland) Gangster Squad; and Kathryn Bigelow reteams with The Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal for Kill Bin Laden (December 19).