This year is shaping up to be a real treat at film theatres, with a wealth of new releases across all genres. Here’s our selection of must-see movies for 2012.
In the picture: The Dark Knight Rises – more details below
Prometheus
Few recent films have been as masked in secrecy as Prometheus. It’s been mooted that it’s a prequel to the Alien series or a distantly connected but largely autonomous sci-fi adventure in which the aliens themselves may or may not play a role. The official synopsis describes it as ‘a journey to the darkest corners of the universe’, which isn’t exactly giving much away. Either way, the prospect of Ridley Scott’s return to sci-fi 30 years after Blade Runner has us mightily intrigued. Stars Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender as the resident android.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Strictly speaking, this is two films: An Unexpected Journey, due out in 2012, and There and Back Again, planned for 2013. Directed by Peter Jackson, the plot is well known, but it’s the modern treatment it receives that makes it so special. Cast includes Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Stephen Fry, Benedict Cumberbatch, James Nesbitt and Evangeline Lilly and Cate Blanchett.
The Dark Knight Rises
Director Christopher Nolan and his screenwriting brother Jonathan close the circle with the last in their globe-conquering series of Batman movies. Plot details remain sketchy, but we know that Anne Hathaway has joined the cast as Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, riding a pretty funky wide-wheeled motorbike. Marion Cotillard is to play potential new love interest Miranda Tate, Joseph Gordon Levitt has signed on as Gotham cop John Blake and rising star Tom Hardy is on board as musclebound psycho Bane. Unmissable.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Spidey gets another (potentially big money) runabout with Brit golden boy Andrew Garfield donning the red spandex bodysuit as your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman. Directed by Marc (500) Days of Summer Webb and scripted by Steve Kloves (his first non Harry Potter-based gig for nearly a decade), expectations are high.
The Great Gatsby
This $125 million version of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel – directed by Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann – started shooting in Sydney in September 2010 with a cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire. Expect a grandiose level of splendour and glamour from this adaptation, with Luhrmann creating a rich depiction of New York City and Long Island in the jazz age.
Skyfall
Details of the new James Bond movie have been leaking gradually. Daniel Craig will be back for more as 007, which is good news as, even if Quantum of Solace was a disappointment for many, most Bond fans agree that Craig has brought new energy to the world’s oldest film franchise. We also know that the series’s third director in as many films: British film and theatre director Sam Mendes and Craig have worked together before on Road to Perdition and are known to have a good rapport. Known locations are Shanghai, Turkey and Duntrune Castle in Argyll, Scotland, while Judi Dench will join Bond newbies Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Ben Wishaw, Albert Finney and Ralph Fiennes in the cast.
Bourne Legacy
It’s difficult to image this series without Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, but that’s just what we’re in for with the fourth installment. As writer/director Tony Gilroy explains, “This is not a reboot or a recast or a prequel. No one’s replacing Matt Damon. There will be a whole new hero, a whole new chapter… this is a stand-alone project.” Jason Bourne will not be featured in the film – Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) will play another assassin trained in the same programme as Bourne.
Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino returns to the big screen with another idiosyncratic, star-studded action-comedy. His new film takes place in the time of American slavery, but, like its wartime predecessor Inglourious Basterds, it will no doubt contain the same blend of intricate dialogue scenes, sudden violence and in-jokey movie references. Originally set to star Will Smith as a slave-turned-bounty hunter, the role is taken by Jamie Foxx along with Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell and Christoph Waltz, plus new boy Leonardo DiCaprio. Could this be a return to form for the cult director?
Snow White and the Huntsman
In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen, played brilliantly by Charlize Theron. Also starring Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth (Home and Away).
Brave
Disney’s latest animated movie is set in mythical Scotland and focuses on strong-willed Merida, daughter of royalty, who makes some reckless choices in her desire to be recognised for her own skills. Chaos erupts in her father’s kingdom and Merida is forced to make some very difficult decision. The film features the voices of Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Julie Walters.
One to watch for 2013
The Master
PT Anderson, arguably America’s finest living filmmaker, returns with a film that has already become 2013’s most controversial release. When reports began to trickle in that Paul Thomas Anderson’s follow-up to There Will Be Blood would focus on a portly WWII veteran in the 1950s who decides to start his own religion, eyebrows were raised, particularly at the headquarters of a certain sect popular with Hollywood actors. It wasn’t long before the film’s original backers had pulled out citing ‘script problems’, leaving the door open for one-woman film studio Megan Ellison to step into the breach. Filming began in June 2011, with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Joaquin Phoenix and Laura Dern in the cast – and still very few details about the plot.
For trailers and more information, visit IMDB
1 Comment
Pretty excited about The Hobbit and the new Bourne movie (I was a big fan of the Matt Damon series of films). Recently saw The Ides of March, which was fantastic. This week, the J Edgar Hoover movie.