The Playlist's 50 Most Anticipated Films Of 2012

Features

by Oliver Lyttelton
January 4, 2012 12:02 PM
58 Comments

“Looper”
Synopsis: In a future where time travel exists, but is outlawed, hitmen are enlisted to eliminate mob targets sent back from even further in the future, so as to leave no bodies then. However, the system falls apart when Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) fails to pull the trigger on his older self (played by Bruce Willis).
What You Need to Know: Writer-director Rian Johnson has already put an inspired spin on both film noir with the high school-set “Brick” and the con-man caper with “The Brothers Bloom.” To see him tackle heady sci-fi action with a cast that includes “Brick” lead Gordon-Levitt (who will be coming right off “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Premium Rush”), Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Piper Perabo, Paul Dano and Garret Dillahunt is an exciting prospect indeed. Plus, Johnson managed to get “Primer” filmmaker Shane Carruth off the bench as a visual consultant, so bonus points for that. While we’d normally be wary of test screening reviews -- and still, taken with a grain of salt and such -- last month’s feedback was fairly enthusiastic across the board. Let’s face it: we could always use an R-rated action flick that’s as brainy as it is bloody, so here’s hoping that this fits the bill as heir apparent to “The Terminator” and Willis’ own “12 Monkeys” come its release next fall. (No pressure or anything.)
Release Date: September 28

“Magic Mike”
Synopsis: A young male stripper is taken under the wing of his older coworkers. There Will Be Skin.
What You Need To Know: Finally, Steven Soderbergh makes his “Showgirls.” The prolific filmmaker is embarking on his farewell tour, and, as always, it’s significant to acknowledge that every film from here on out becomes something of an event for the young retiree. What’s interesting is how he attached himself to this project, which looked like a vanity effort doomed to remain in development hell. In fact, this is Channing Tatum’s own early life story, as he long wanted to adapt his years as a male stripper into a movie. He’ll be playing one of the older mentors, helping Alex Pettyfer learn the ropes of the meat trade. The cast intrigues, with a combination of colorful personalities that give us no real hint as to what kind of movie this is going to be. Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Olivia Munn and Matt Bomer fill out the cast, so we really have no idea as to whether we’re going to be seeing some steamy crowd-pleaser, a low-budget bump-and-grinder, or a “Shame”-like spiral into sad debauchery. Knowing Soderbergh, he’ll keep us guessing to the very end, though it's interetsting to note that Warner Bros. has hopped aboard as distributor, giving this beefcake parade a plum summer release date against the blockbuster behemoths.
Release Date: June 29

“The Master”
Synopsis: After returning home from WWII, a charismatic intellectual (Philip Seymour Hoffman) launches a faith-based organization and taps a young drifter (Joaquin Phoenix) as his right-hand man.
What You Need to Know: With just five films spread out over the last fifteen years, Paul Thomas Anderson has become one of the most celebrated American directors working today. It’s been nearly half a decade since his masterpiece “There Will Be Blood” became the directors highest-grossing and most critically acclaimed film -- his longest gap ever -- but the wait seems worthwhile. His latest reteams the director with former muse Hoffman who portrays a man who starts his own religion during the 1950s and becomes the "master of ceremonies," supposedly with strong parallels to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Phoenix, in his first post-"retirement" role, plays the drifter he recruits, with Amy Adams and Laura Dern along for the ride too. Despite being less than 12 months from release the film is still shrouded in secrecy with even the title still up in the air. We reviewed an early rough draft of the script all the way back in February of 2010 and after several stops and starts (eventually being rescued by every cinephile's favorite heiress Megan Ellison), the film is finally on its way, though the script has surely evolved since that minimal sketch was leaked. Initially hailed as a disciple of Scorsese and Altman, Anderson’s now finding himself being compared to another auteur whose films grew more masterful as well as increasingly further apart: Kubrick. All of this makes “The Master” quite possibly our most anticipated film of 2012.
Release Date: Assume a late fall release

"Moonrise Kingdom"
Synopsis: Set during the 1960s, a young boy and girl (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) run away together and their small New England town is turned upside down looking for them.
What You Need To Know: Though technically Wes Anderson's first period piece, his films have always seemed set in a indeterminate point in history. Mixing disparate influences from Martin Scorsese to Satyajit Ray has always been part of the director's playbook but no matter where he sets his stories -- a fairytale NYC, the high seas, a train in India -- they always seem to take place in diorama-like Anderson-land. His latest takes place on an island off the coast of New England during the 1960s and from the looks of the set photos, will sit very close visually his previous work. Assembling perhaps his most star-studded cast since "The Royal Tenenbaums," including first-time Anderson colaborators Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Harvey Keitel alongside Anderson regulars Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, the film will likely rest on the shoulders of its two leads: two virtually unknown 12 year olds. For a director often criticized with staying within his comfort zone, this sounds like a commendably risky move to us, and the script (co-written with Roman Coppola) promises something a little different from recent work. After a bit of a career slide that saw audiences and critics starting to turn on their formerly celebrated auteur, Anderson put himself back on top with his stop-motion fable, "Fantastic Mr. Fox." How will his fans receive his first live action film since "The Darjeeling Limited" in 2007 is yet to be seen.
Release Date: May 25, which suggests an out-of-competition bow at Cannes may be hoped for.

“Mud”
Synopsis: An unlikely friendship is formed between a fugitive and a 14-year-old boy who helps him escape off an island in Mississippi, evade the law and bounty hunters, and reunite him with his sweetheart, Juniper.
What You Need To Know: “Mud” will see a director and a star each meeting at a high in both of their careers. Director Jeff Nichols is coming off a great year thanks to the excellent “Take Shelter” and combined with the continuing word-of-mouth praise for his debut feature “Shotgun Stories” (a must-see) he is one of the most exciting new voices currently working. As for Matthew McConaughey, he’s been revitalized of late taking a diverse array of roles in films like “The Paperboy,” “Bernie,” “Magic Mike,” and “Killer Joe” (he’s gonna have a helluva 2012), and this is another leftfield choice from an actor suddenly challenging himself. Wrap that all up in a film described as a “fairytale about love” with supporting turns from Reese Witherspoon, “The Tree of Life” star Tye Sheridan and Nichols’ regular collaborator Michael Shannon, and it’s a recipe for something potentially delicious.
Release Date: None yet, but filming wrapped last fall, and a festival premiere seems inevitable.

“Nero Fiddled”
Synopsis: Not based on Boccaccio's novellas, as originally reported, the film will feature four unconnected vignettes, two of which involve American characters in Rome, the other two involving Italian cast members.
What You Need To Know: Well, it’s a Woody Allen, which either means you’re on board or you're not. And judging by the box office receipts for the biggest success of his career, “Midnight In Paris,” the director’s career is peaking when most are hanging it all up. The usual ingredients of Allen’s late career renaissance are here including another European locale, perhaps the most perfectly suited and neurotic Allen surrogate ever (Jesse Eisenberg), an A-list cast (Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Greta Gerwig and Ellen Page) and some local talent to round things out. But the big question here is if Woody will keep up his winning streak or if he’ll drop a dud like “You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger” or “Cassandra’s Dream.” You never can tell.
Release: Picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, the film will be released next summer. And considering how well the strategy of Cannes premiere, followed quickly by a platform release worked in 2011, we presume the arthouse shingle won’t mess with the formula and stick to the playbook. And a Best Director or Best Picture Oscar nomination for Woody in February certainly wouldn’t hurt either.

“On The Road”
Synopsis: A long-time-coming adaptation of Jack Kerouac's famous Beat Generation novel. Drifter poets Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty travel across the country in search of themselves, colliding with a rigid and impermeable society along the way.
What You Need To Know: Over thirty years in the making, director Francis Ford Coppola has been trying to get this picture made since the mid 1970s. Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles signed on to make the picture in 2005, with Coppola exec producing, but none of it became a reality until early 2010 when casting and financing finally coalesced. Starring Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley as the two leads and Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi and more, rounding out the colorful cast, “On The Road” has been a labor of love for both Salles and Hedlund who has also been involved for years, biding his time for when funding would finally arrive. Having directed “The Motorcycle Diaries,” and other striking Foreign-language films, Salles has had an unlucky streak of late. After 2005’s semi-successful “Dark Water,” his 2008 co-directed film “Linha de Passe" failed to ever score distribution in North America. But having worked on ‘Road’ on and off for six years, we’re hoping this one is a major comeback.
Release Date: TBD, but we’re guessing a Cannes bow in May would make sense.

"Only God Forgives"
Synopsis: A gangster (Ryan Gosling) lives in exile in Bangkok where he runs a Thai boxing club as a front for his family's drug smuggling operation. After his brother is killed by a retired Thai police lieutenant, his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) forces him to track him down and seek revenge.
What You Need To Know: Gosling reteams with his "Drive" director/hetero life partner Nicolas Winding Refn for this existential action film which he called "the strangest thing he's ever read." And if advance word is to be believed, that description is pretty accurate. After a half dozen features in arthouse semi-obscurity, the Danish filmmaker broke through in a big way with his neo-noir fairy tale “Drive” this year. But part of the reason that film was such a success is that no one saw it coming, not even those that had seen Refn's earlier work. So the question is whether Refn and Gosling will be able to pull off the same trick now that all eyes are focused on them. But all the elements certainly seem to be in place: the screenplay is an original by Refn, "Bronson" cinematographer Larry Smith will shoot the picture and "Drive" composer Cliff Martinez will once again score. For those who might be expecting some more ‘80s tinged electronic tunes, prepare yourselves for something a little different. Refn has been listening to a lot of Thai "country and western" music so get ready for hipster dance parties to be blasting those tunes nonstop around this time next year.
Release Date: Unknown, but shooting's underway, so sometime in late 2012.

“A Place Beyond the Pines”
Synopsis: A motorcycle stunt rider (Ryan Gosling) 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 (Bradley Cooper).
What You Need To Know: “Brother Tied” put filmmakere Derek Cianfrance square on the indie map in 1998, but another feature would not coalesce for some time (instead he made documentaries). That all changed in 2010 with Cianfrance’s re-breakthrough film, “Blue Valentine,” and ‘Pines’ will see him reunited with that picture’s star Ryan Gosling. Called a “generational crime flick about fathers and sons” by the director, the film also stars Ray Liotta, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, and up-and-coming Aussie actor (and star of another generational crime film in “Animal Kingdom”) Ben Mendelsohn, to name a few. The director’s thrown some lofty comparisons around (“The Deer Hunter,” “The Godfather”), but hopefully these are simply tone comparisons rather than a suddenly inflated ego talking.
Release Date: TBD, but “Blue Valentine” played Cannes even after having its worldwide debut premiere at Sundance, so if Cianfrance is ready, the Croisette is a good bet.

“Prometheus”
Synopsis: Producers are trying their best to keep details under wraps on this project, which began as a prequel to Ridley Scott’s “Alien” series. As far as we can tell, it’s about a a team of explorers who discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.
What You Need to Know: Scott is finally getting back to his roots after taking a serious hiatus from science-fiction to explore the depths of drama. Some were wary of “Prometheus” after hearing of its “Alien” prequel DNA, fearing Scott had run out of good ideas. But then "Lost" chief Damon Lindelof came onto the project to re-write Jon Spaihts’ original screenplay, and now both Scott and Lindelof claim the project has evolved into something much more epic and standalone. Starring It-actors Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace in leading roles, the former as an android and the latter as a doctor akin to Sigourney Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley, Charlize Theron is also involved as the semi-villainous corporate figure, with Idris Elba, Guy Pearce and newcomer Logan Marshall-Andrews also among the top-billed names. . While there's a lot of mystery and mystique surrounding this project, a recent trailer delivered the goods, demonstrating what appears to be a frightening and intense thriller in the making. Whether it can live up to all the hype -- Scott arguably hasn’t made a great movie since “Gladiator” in 2000 -- remains to be seen.
Release Date: June 8

Features

More: Features, Anticipated 2012, The Master, The Dark Knight Rises, Moonrise Kingdom, Cogan's Trade, Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, The Bourne Legacy

58 Comments

| Reply
Connor | January 7, 2012 1:27 PMReply

MUST SEE
Argo
The Dark Knight Rises
Gangster Squad
The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
Lincoln
A Place Beyond The Pines
Prometheus
Frank Or Francis (2013 ?)
Untitled Spike Jonze/charlie Kaufman Project (2013 ?)

LIKE TO SEE
Cogan's Trade
Cosmopolis
Django Unchained
A Glimpse Inside The Mind of Charles Swan
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
He Loves Me
Hyde Park On Hudson
Inside Llewyn Davis
Looper
The Master
Nero Fiddled
On The Road
Only God Forgvies
Red Hook Summer
Untitled Terrance Malick Project
The Wettest Country

MILDLY INTERESTED
Anna Karenina
Brave
Cloud Atlas
Magic Mike
Mud
Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World
Seven Psychopaths
Under The Skin
Untitled Kathryn Bigelow Bin Laden Project
Welcome To The Punch

NO THANKS
The Bourne Legacy
The Company You Keep
The East
The Five Year Engagement
The Grandmasters
Lay The Favorite
Life Of Pi
Moonrise Kingdom
Rust And Bone
Savages
Sightseers
The Silver Linings Playbook
Stoker
This Is Forty
Untitled David Chase Project
Labor Day (2013 ?)
Huffy | January 7, 2012 10:32 AMReply

Pretty impressive-looking collection of films. I gotta say that I'm impressed by McConaughey's recent career choices. Its like he got tired of just taking off his shirt and smirking at Kate Hudson in every single role and decided to be an actual actor again.
One thing you guys left out is Beyond the Black Rainbow. Technically it was released last year in the festivals but most of us won't get to see it until a few months down the road, and judging by the trailer it looks orgasmically good assuming that you like hallucinogenic Kubrick sci-fi with a strong 80's aesthetic.
Gena | January 6, 2012 6:39 AMReply

Definitely so much to look forward to. What you need to know about Cosmopolis: No, there will be no head explosions or genital mutilations. For those who get Eric Packer, it might only make their heads implode...in the best of ways, Cronenberg style.
Gena | January 9, 2012 9:52 AM

@Kanerwa: kill all the rats,don't deal with garbage, sh@t piles up, rats reappear. This rat implodes the system that created him, much more dangerous. Makes head explosions/mutilation so passÃ©.
Kanerwa | January 8, 2012 1:48 PM

Spoiler.
Every f@king Wall Street rat ( very symbolic in this movie) responsible for world financial crisis should finished like Packer.Head explosion or genital mutilation are very welcome.:)
Misha | January 5, 2012 4:29 PMReply

Very nice list with the added value of "What You Need to Know" segments. Some refreshing titles added compared to other "2012 titles to watch" lists I've read. Still...the offerings for Sci-Fi titles are lacking for my taste.
Gena | January 9, 2012 9:45 AM

You kill all the rats, don't deal with garbage, it piles all up, rats reappear.
Obliterating Packers without dealing with the system solves nothing. It is about imploding the system, not simply dealing with what it produces. Implosion...much more dangerous, makes head explosions and mutilation kinda passe :)
isabella | January 5, 2012 3:42 PMReply

What about 47 Ronin - - I think 47 Ronin will be awesome; you did not include it probably because Keanu Reeves' on it . . . Keanu is so underrated as an action star. He is better than Tom Cruise!!
padre | January 5, 2012 4:58 PM

YES! BOOYAH! 47 Ronin will rule in triumph, with Superstar Keanu Reeves!
Brandon | January 5, 2012 12:23 PMReply

So why is The Expendables 2 not up here? I assure you every straight man and dyke in America wants to see it.
Georgeann | January 5, 2012 11:38 AMReply

What about Carlo Carlei's Romeo & Juliet, said to be released in 2012, with Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth in the leading roles?
Kanerwa | January 5, 2012 10:33 AMReply

I wait only for Cosmopolis.
Kotomi | January 5, 2012 4:00 AMReply

Great job,Playlist! It's very good list.But no Ashes? No Upside Down? I'm bit disappointed..(there is very little info about Ashes though..)I think Jim Sturgess will finally break this year.
Padre | January 5, 2012 3:33 AMReply

"Blake Lively as the girl" <--- touche, Playlist. I don't even know if that was intentional (since the girl has a name... Opehlia) but it made me LOL. Blake Lively will most likely play her as one-note and bland as she does everything so "the girl" is an appropriate description. Regardless I hope the movie is good. Glad to see Uma T. and John T. in a film together again.
padre | January 5, 2012 4:55 PM

You gonna swipe my handle dude? Seriously? Of course I may have started posting here in my sleep, and just don't remember it in the morning. Sleep-posting is real.
42nd comment | January 5, 2012 3:29 AMReply

Also Labor Day is one of my favorite books that I've read recently so I'm stoked Reitman is adapting it. Killer cast with Winslet and Brolin. I can totally picture Brolin in the role as the drifter. The key here is casting a really talented kid. The entire story is told from the kids perspective so lets hope Reitman doesn't pull a Daldry and cast the most annoying kid to grace the big screen (I'm looking at you, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close). I think the kid from Super 8 would be perfect- Joel Courtney I believe is his name. I wonder if he will stick to the same ending as the book... that was the only part I didn't like. A bit lackluster but nonetheless a solid read and hopefully a damn good movie. I'm sure Reitman can pull it off-- Young Adult proved Up in the Air and Juno were no flukes.
41 comment | January 5, 2012 3:25 AMReply

Where's the Tim Burton film? Can't remember the name... Johnny Depp, draculas, the usual suspects...??
jingmei | January 5, 2012 2:23 AMReply

Awesome list!
Jordan | January 4, 2012 6:44 PMReply

I'm happy, but surprised to see that ONLY GOD FORGIVES is on this list, as I would assume that with Gosling already having two films set for release in mid-to-late 2012, that holding this one back until 2013 would help spread things out (though Gosling did have three films out as well last year)
Finn | January 4, 2012 5:51 PMReply

Am really looking forward to director Eran Creevy's second film, "Welcome to the Punch" (James McAvoy, Mark Strong, Andrea Riseborough, David Morrissey). Perhaps executive producer Ridley Scott can help secure a U.S. distributor!

Also want to see writer Ol Parker's ("Imagine You & Me") "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" with an amazing cast--just pushed from February to May 2012.
cirkusfolk | January 4, 2012 4:22 PMReply

Good list but the hypocrisy of leaving off most of the blockbuster type films such as The Avengers, Snow White and Skyfall while including The Dark Knight, Prometheus and The Hobbit bugs me. You can't have it both ways. The Dark Knight is still a comic book movie like The Avengers no matter how you spin it. Sure you will cover those films in your escapism piece but why play favorites?
Carson Wells | January 4, 2012 11:55 PM

I side with The Playlist on this one. It's clearly The Playlist staff 's most anticipated and, if they don't care so much for fluff like Avengers, well, all the more reason for me to read this site over others. Thanks for a great list The Playlist, keep up the good work. As for me - even though no one asked nor likely cares - my most anticipated are 1) Cogan's Trade 2) The Master 3) Mud. Looks certain to be a good year regardless.
Tyrannosaurus Max | January 4, 2012 7:33 PM

Thanks Playlist. I actually really appreciate your including those films on this list while excluding The Avengers and Snow White. Mainly because Prometheus, TDKR, and The Hobbit all look at the very least quite decent or exciting and have a respectable director to their name. The Avengers looks like shit. Who cares about Snow White? Probably not most of the people other than Cirkusfolk reading this article. Sorry Cirkusfolk. Thank you, The Playlist.
Christian | January 4, 2012 5:34 PM

EDIT: Lol, won't deliver... :)
Christian | January 4, 2012 5:33 PM

...(continuing) Without sounding pretentious, I think the purpose of the article was to give an overview on some of the not so obvious anticipated films. But I agree that it's kinda elitist/hipster to justify TDKR, but not Spidey or Avengers? Sure, those films are not directed by Chris Nolan, but that doesn't mean the films will deliver.
Christian | January 4, 2012 5:30 PM

I agree that Skyfall is one of the most promising films of 2012; Sam Mendes, Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Roger Deakins, etc. The elements are in place, that's for sure. The Avengers could also be great or at the very least very fun and entertaining. But this blog is for people who are so interested in more than JUST mainstream films. I visit this blog to expand my horizons.
The Playlist | January 4, 2012 4:48 PM

We can have it any way we want because it's our burger. :)

Plus there's a few more lists in the next few days. Keep those pants on.
Snag | January 4, 2012 4:11 PMReply

No On The Road or Paperboy??
Edward Davis | January 4, 2012 4:45 PM

On The Road is there son, open your eyes.
cirkusfolk | January 4, 2012 4:41 PM

They mentioned it in the Mud article as well as Killer Joe and Bernie but apparently two McConaughey movies was all they could muster despite Ryan Gosling getting three.
Lenz | January 4, 2012 4:00 PMReply

Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt)
While We're Young (Noah Baumbach)
Lotus Community Workshop (Harmony Korine)
Post Tenebras Lux (Carlos Reygadas)
Love (Michael Haneke)
Holly Motors (Leos Carax)
Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski)
Open Five 2 (Kentucker Audley)
Meanwhile (Hal Hartley)
Something in the Air (Olivier Assayas)
The End (Abbas Kiarostami)
The Playlist | January 4, 2012 4:47 PM

Good ones, but While We're Young isn't even solidified let alone shooting this year. You'll be seeing a foreign film and indie list as well and some of those clips will be included. It's unclear whether Night Moves has funding yet (or has shot yet), but it might be on our indie-er list.
Marcel | January 4, 2012 3:57 PMReply

Great List, Great Site ! Keep up the good work!
rodie | January 4, 2012 3:34 PMReply

This is a pretty good list, but I don't like the premise because 50 Most Anticipated Films presupposes that, essentially, any given week there will be one new movie worth watching. I don't think that is the case. Maybe 35 or 40 max.
Chris | January 4, 2012 7:59 PM

If you really think only 35-40 movies per year - MAX - are worth seeing, then you really must not get to the movies very much. Or you just go to the wrong movies. Hundreds of films come out every year - a lot more than 35 prove to be worth seeing.
Belgian | January 4, 2012 3:07 PMReply

"French character actors Matthias Schoenaerts, Bouli Lanners and Celine Sallette".

Aargh, Matthias Schoenaerts is a Belgian actor!! For crying out loud, it's the only Belgian mentioned in this article - which is very informative by the way, many thanks - and you mistake him for a Frenchman... Please rectify or no more Belgian chocolates for you!
Sven | January 5, 2012 3:04 AM

Bouli Lanners is also a Belgian actor!
Christian | January 4, 2012 2:01 PMReply

Impressive list and well-done research, guys, as always! This is what seperates you from other film blogs. All the other film blogs goe on and on about blockbuster sequels/reboots/prequels/spin-offs like The Avengers, Twilight: The Shit Is Ending,Wrath of the Titans, The Hunger Games, Men in Black 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Bourne Legacy, G.I. Joe 2, American Pie: Part 117, Ghost Rider 2, etc. Maybe some of them will surprise? I don't want to sound like an elitist hipster, but I think there are going to be some much more original films this year directed by some truly visionary masters (Chase, Malick, Dominik, Refn, Nolan, PTA, Tarantino, Hillcoat, etc) This site is truly a film fan's site! Great job, Playlist!
Mark | January 4, 2012 1:58 PMReply

Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut was pretty close to a masterpiece. If you can ignore Orlando Bloom's performance.
Edward Davis | January 4, 2012 2:01 PM

I can't disagree more with that statement. More like Extra ZZZZZZZZZZZ..........
hank | January 4, 2012 1:48 PMReply

do we all understand that no one officially involved with the film has ever referred to it as "The Master"? That stupid title is really starting to get on my nerves. I don't see you referring to "Untitled Terrence Malick Project" as "The Burial" be a journalist for Christ's sake.
Mikael | January 4, 2012 1:30 PMReply

Caught a test screening of David Chase's film last fall, and it's a big disappointment. It's an entirely autobiographical coming-of-age story, and honestly plays more like Outside Providence than Almost Famous. Anyone telling you Gandolfini "shines" is spinning things (his character is a one-note oppressive father, save for one late-in-the-film scene), and unfortunately, the main kid lacks any gravity and smirks his way through the film. Some clever moments recall the Sopranos (particularly his use of T.V. clips and music), but otherwise, it's a cliche-riddled post-war bildungsroman.
jajko | January 4, 2012 1:06 PMReply

Sam Rockwell won't be in Cogan's Trade! Also The Master is set for 2013 release isnt it ? Anyway this is a pretty great list , i really hope 2012 delivers some future classics.
Cory Everett | January 4, 2012 1:10 PM

'The Master' finished principal photography almost 5 months ago, so unless he's taking a Malick-ian amount of time to edit, we're hoping it'll be out by end of the year.
[A] | January 4, 2012 12:55 PMReply

wow, I knew nothing about MUD or SAVAGES before reading this article so....thanks for the tip
Chris | January 4, 2012 12:49 PMReply

Zoe Kazan was not in "Midnight in Paris."
HombreGato | January 4, 2012 12:37 PMReply

Pretty close to my own list but for the blockbusters I'm a lot more excited for The Avengers and Star Trek than Batman, Brave, or The Hobbit.

Pretty curious to see what happens with the untitled Luc Besson thriller as well.
HombreGato | January 5, 2012 12:13 AM

(Forgot that Trek was moved to 2013)
kure | January 4, 2012 12:29 PMReply

its nice to see bruce willis has 3 films on this list
[A] | January 4, 2012 12:28 PMReply

Why would anyone anticipate something from Judd Apatow or The Wachowskis is beyond me..
HombreGato | January 5, 2012 12:15 AM

Wachowskis plus Tom Twyker, plus a best selling novel.
Paul | January 4, 2012 4:45 PM

Co-sign - Apatow lost his touch eons ago
Bobhoff | January 4, 2012 12:25 PMReply

Great list, as always each year, but no Skyfall?
k. | January 4, 2012 12:23 PMReply

Where is Dark Shadows? It'll probably suck but I doubt it'll suck more than Great Gatsby so it should be on here!
alish | January 4, 2012 12:19 PMReply

Searching for a Friend is one of the greatest scripts I have ever read.
JM | January 4, 2012 12:41 PM

I second that... amazing script. ARGO has a *really* strong script as well.

I have a friend who worked on HE LOVES ME that said it was hilariously bad and features the most annoying Manic Pixie Dream Girl of all time.
anna | January 4, 2012 12:12 PMReply

I was waiting for this, thank you! Great list.
Glyrics | January 9, 2012 2:44 PM

I'm waiting for Total Recall. I can't believe you included a couple on here that should go straight to video, but Anna Karenina? With Keira "Lockjaw" Knightley? I can't beieve she still gets work, much less as a fictional icon. Sex appeal??? She has no figure at all! Blasphemy!