Chronicle is a sci-fi film that finds three teens acquiring super powers from a crater. The film seems to “chronicle” their discovery, development and eventual misuse of the powers. I believe this will have a strong emphasis on the characters and their spiral into darkness.
9. Casa de mi Padre
This Spanish-language comedy stars Will Ferrell as Armando Alvarez. “Who is Armando Alvarez?” the trailer asks. It promptly replies to itself, “Rancher…Son…Lover…Vigilante.” Will Ferrell can certainly be hit or miss, but I like the idea of this. The movie also co-stars the stars from Y Tu Mama Tambien (Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna) as well as Nick Offerman (Parks and Rec’s Ron Swanson) and Efren Ramirez (Napoleon Dynamite’s Pedro).
8. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Though I did enjoy the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the films worked their way to the back of my mind. When I watched the trailer for The Hobbit, I found myself wanting to return to Middle-Earth. I have no doubt Peter Jackson will put together another epic film, and I love the casting of Martin Freeman (British series The Office and Sherlock) as Bilbo Baggins.
7. Wanderlust
This was on my most anticipated list of 2011 (at #15) but it was pushed back to a 2012 release. Here’s an excerpt from my preview one year ago:
From the minds of Ken Marino and David Wain (The State) comes a new comedy about an urban couple who leaves the big city to explore a different lifestyle. This film stars Paul Rudd, who has appeared in all three Wain/Marino films prior to this (Wet Hot American Summer, The Ten, Role Models), and Jennifer Aniston.
6. The Raven
I have always been a fan of John Cusack. I believe his work in thrillers like Identity and 1408 are a bit underrated. This new thriller has Mr. Cusack in the role of Edgar Allen Poe near the end of his life. A killer is on the loose and is taunting Poe by murdering people in ways directly taken from Poe’s stories. I think this is a great casting choice for Poe and could turn out to be a great thriller.