Saturday, November 3, 2012

Weekend Weigh-in: What Movies are You Still Looking Forward to Most in 2012?

There's still two months left in 2012, and we're already in "awards season" (not that you would know it) and heading into the holiday movie season. What are you most excited about seeing in the final weeks of the year?

42 comments:

  1. There are still four big movies I'm stoked to see for the rest of the year.


    Skyfall: It seems like it is going to be a return to the greatness of Casino Royale for Daniel Craig's Bond after the disappointment of Quantum of Solace, and I'm hoping that proves to be the case.

    Django Unchained: A Q.T. western?! Count me in! I have pretty high expectations for this movie, and I think it will probably deliver on those expectations. It looks great!

    The Hobbit: I think Peter Jackson definitely knows what he's doing with these adaptations, so I doubt it will be anything but awesome.

    Les Miserables: I'm quite interested to see how this turns out. I think it has all the elements of a potentially great movie: An award-winning director, a stellar cast, good source material, and I think the way they are approaching it looks fantastic.

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    1. Oh, I forgot Hitchcock and Lincoln were coming out this year! I have to throw those in, as well.

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  2. Django Unchained and Les Miserables are the big ones for me.

    Im not a Bond guy and Im not a fan of the first three ring films so Im not planning on seeing The Hobbit.

    I do like the look of Wreck It Ralph, (big nostalgia kick there), the trailers for Life of Pi and Hitchcock both look good (thanks Doug), and Lincoln is bound to be good so ill probably see that but I wouldnt say im excited for it or anything.

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  3. Top 5

    Django Unchained
    Skyfall
    Silver Linings Playbook
    Killing Them Softly
    This is 40

    I saw Flight last night and would recommend it. It's top 5 Zemeckis.

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    1. I'm going to try and see it this weekend. Just out of curiosity, what are the other four and where does Flight rank?

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    2. Back to the Future
      Cast Away
      Forrest Gump
      Flight
      Who Framed Roger Rabbit

      I might like it more than Forrest Gump actually but it's too new to tell.

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    3. I saw Flight. I...did not love it. But that's ok, and the world is a rainbow, and I'm glad you dug it. Denzel Washington was very good, because Denzel Washington.

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    4. It's all good. What were your criticisms?

      I'm a big Denzel Washington fan so seeing him in a great performance is more than enough for me. I also thought Zemeckis seemed energized by the material and the enthusiasm made the movie very lively and entertaining. I read in some reviews that the movie is obvious oscar bait or it's punishing but I didn't feel that way at all. I just thought it was a really well made drama without pretentions of being more important than this guy's story.

      Did you see Cloud Atlas? I'm curious what you thought since it's so ambitious. I thought it worked better than it had any right to but it's definitely overstuffed and the message didn't resonate at all. I liked it for the spectacle.

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    5. I definitely didn't think the movie was Oscar baiting. I think Denzel Washington will be nominated, but I don't think the performance was designed for that. And I wouldn't call the movie "punishing," either. There were certainly aspects that I didn't like only because I don't enjoy movies about addiction (my fault, not the movie's). Then there were other things I didn't like that were the result of filmmaking or story choices.

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  4. Most definitely-

    Skyfall
    Hitchcock
    Django Unchained

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  5. Must see...
    Django Unchained
    The Hobbit

    Want to see...
    Life of Pi
    Zero Dark Thirty
    Promised Land
    Killing Them Softly

    Looks Interesting..
    Hitchcock
    Wreck it Ralph
    Man with the Iron Fists

    Guilty Pleasure:
    Red Dawn, It looks awful but I'm nostalgic for the original and want to see how they completely screw this up. Will probably wait till it's on netflix.

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  6. Django Unchained
    Skyfall
    Lincoln
    The Hobbit
    Killing Them Softly
    Hitchcock

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  7. Looking forward to NOT being dragged to Les Mis.

    I'll still see Hobbit, but he needs to stop the overwrought new age music ridden, headache commercial acting montages (like how he ended every previous/sequel). I know I just opened a can of worms #justmyopinion

    ACTUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO:
    Lincoln
    Hitchcock
    Killing them Softly

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    1. Corbin - Totally agree with you about The Hobbit; I love Lord of the Rings, and initially loved the movies, but I think I've liked them less over time, not because of anything particularly bad that Jackson did, but just from being fatigued of his style.

      If I were to rank:

      1) Django Unchained
      2) Skyfall
      3) Lincoln
      4) Killing Them Softly

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    2. I left The Hobbit off my list for many of the same reasons. Even though I'm a big LOTR fan, I'm afraid Peter Jackson won't be able to walk the 'tightrope' and make three more excellent movies. If they fall anywhere short of the 3 LOTR movies, everyone will say The Hobbit is a MASSIVE disappointment and tarnish the first trilogy which would be sad.
      Also, the trailers are either bad (too much singing/slapstick, there's no 'wow' factor left) or we've gotten too much LOTR-type stuff since the LOTR trilogy to make a new entry exciting.

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  8. Hitchcock and Flight are the only ones I'm really interested in...

    But then I thought The Hobbit was coming out next year.

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  9. Skyfall
    Hitchcock
    Cloud Atlas
    (just to see what it is about)
    Wreck It Ralph (used to be a hardcore gamer)
    Flight (saw it today and it was about what I expected: a grown-up "Castaway")

    Everything else I might see if I read crazy good reviews about them. I'd also be curious what everyone thinks of two "big" movies that came out in October and got lost in the "Scary Movie Month" craziness: "Seven Psychopaths" and "Looper.". I was looking forward to seeing these and they have grown on me way above my already-high expectations.

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    1. I thought Looper was good. Some people criticize it for falling off during the second half, which I guess I can see, but I still found it to be an enjoyable sci-fi movie. I also like all the main talent in the movie: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt...great cast, in my opinion. I haven't seen Seven Psychopaths yet, though. I really want to.

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    2. I liked Looper too. I'm one of the people who thought it fell off in the second half. It became a movie about a thing that is not as interesting as all the stuff set up in the first half of the movie. I thought it was interesting in the first half of the movie how it was sort of a 'how cool is Bruce Willis' performance celebration which I am absolutely fine with. Looper is also the best terminator movie since T2.

      Seven Psychopaths was funny and entertaining. I did not like it as much as In Bruges and have forgotten it mostly since seeing it but it's a good time while you're in the theater. Christopher Walken stands out from the cast.

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  10. Skyfall, Django Unchained, and The Hobbit are the only things on my must list right now. I'm sure I will end up at more, but those are the ones that I can't wait to see.

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  11. I would like to see Hitchcock as well but after watching The Girl on HBO.....yuck. Hitch was one creepy perv....did anyone else see that movie?

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    1. I have it on the DVR, but haven't watched it yet. The few minutes I saw did not inspire confidence.

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  12. Killing Them Softly
    Django Unchained
    Not Fade Away

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  13. There are alot of potential "Oscar" movies left this year: Anna Karenina, The Great Gatsby, Les Miserables, Great Expectations, Lincoln. Some of which look good and some of which not so. Probably the top 8 I'm looking forward to, in no particular order:

    Django Unchained
    Lincoln
    The Hobbit
    Killing them Softly
    On the Road
    Hitchcock
    Life of Pi
    This is 40

    Though I'm excited for a Peter Jackson directed Hobbit, the trailer looks like he's trying to do something jokey or slapstick with the dwarves, but to me it just looks out of place and unneeded, still excited though. This year has actually been better than the last couple of years, which isn't saying much, but at least there were some interesting things and the occasional really good movie. I'm interested to see what's nominated for Oscars this year, though I already know they will be insufferable.

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  14. Pretty much everyone has said most of the movies I'm looking forward too towards the end of the year. I'll just add "The ABCs of Death" because it seems to be an interesting variation of the horror anthology. Yes, I know that what most people thought "V/H/S" was going to be.

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  15. I'm in agreement with everyone. I thought there was a ton of stuff to still look forward to, but it seems like we're all excited about the same five or six movies. I guess in a two month period, that's no so bad.

    And I'm definitely with everyone who is struggling to be excited about The Hobbit. I want to see it in theory, but there's nothing I've seen or felt yet that has me actually looking forward to it. And that bums me out.

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    1. I think having spent damn near 12 hours in Middle Earth watching various creatures cover nearly every square inch of it has something to do with it. Don't get me wrong, I think Lord of the Rings is great - I've seen them a few times and will see them again - but it certainly didn't leave me wanting more, you know? Anyway, I bet The Hobbit turns out great as well but I'm not particularly excited to see it either.

      That, Django Unchained and maybe Cloud Atlas are probably the only movies I'll go to the theatre for. I'm not a huge Bond fan, but I might rewatch Casino Royale and watch Quantum of Solace for the first time and see if it gets me psyched for Skyfall...

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    2. Casino Royale will get you excited for Skyfall. Quantum of Solace will not.

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  16. Does the lack of enthusiasm for The Hobbit come from the fact that it is a super short kid's book that is being turned into a three movie mega-epic? Because while I love Tolkien and the LOTR series (and have watched every second of bonus material in the Extended editions, which took weeks), I'm not sure this is what anyone needed. I'm sure he has a great story that he mined from the appendices, but I didn't need it. I'm looking forward to it and I will be there on opening day, but I also think that it feels like Peter Jackson returning to his money maker with his tail between his legs after failing to find much success with his other recent projects. Just like I love Star Wars, but don't think we needed a prequel trilogy to flesh out the backstory. Having said that, I'm super amped about the recently announced VII, VIII, and IX. Like, going crazy. But as a general rule, if you have a blockbuster movie or series, don't go back and film prequels. Move forward.

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    1. You got it spot on for me there, Triple H. Although, I should say that out of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books I much prefer The Hobbit anyway, I was really looking forward to it until I saw they were doing three films. I was hoping it would just be one, but could understand splitting the story into two parts. A trilogy just seems ridiculously excessive, especially if they all have enormous running times, which I assume they will.

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  17. Okay, I'll be the asshole here. I didn't love the LOTR movies. They wore me down. Overly wrought with forced emotion. Every movie ended w/ a new age montage, with the actors posing for a christian rock band cover. I'm sorry, I am not a Jackson fan. Never liked one movie by him. Those are fighting words, I know.

    I have SUCH a neat little place for the Hobbit in my heart (favorite childhood book), but even the LOTR books bored me as a child. I remember my dad telling me what LOTR was an analogy for, and then I think I responded with, "Oh, I hate war crap, thats probably why I hate these."

    The trailer blows. You have a pad synth with actors trying to sing a simple melody, with bad makeup and essentially pulling on nostalgia. Is it nostalgia if its less then 10 years? ... I'm gonna say yes. If I can look back to my personal life 10 years ago & feel nostalgia, then yes. The joke in Forgetting Sarah Marshall about movie music is true...look to the Hobbit trailer's music.

    On a lighter note: never liked Bond, please help me to understand why I should. I love Quentin, but please tell me why I should trust Jamie Fox (nope didn't like Ray--I know, I know, bring it on).

    Patrick said it best, a couple movies in 2 months ain't bad. No siree bob. Especially before the end of the world (I'll be the kirsten dunst depressed character--oh wait, I already am).

    ;)


    PS WAS looking forward to Wreck it Ralph. Saw it. Still a kids movie, but I did like it. Look for bad Ed Wynn impersonations. If you liked the trailer, you'll like the movie.

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    1. You're not alone. A couple people on the FTM crew are not fans of LotR. And I wasn't a fan of Ray, but I'm withholding judgment on Django Unchained until I see it (Jaime Foxx's casting did not excite me, but I've been wrong about Tarantino's movies before).

      If you're not a fan of James Bond, you might just not be a fan. We're going to be putting out some articles on past Bond movies this month that explain why we like the movies (some of them, anyway). Maybe those will inspire you to revisit them. Maybe not. But hopefully Skyfall is good enough to appeal even to non-fans.

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    2. I wasn't a fan of Jackson's LoTR either. There were things I liked, but far more things I disliked. All my favorite things from the books were the things Jackson decided to change, which drove me nuts. And of course, the pace was so slow that it became uninteresting.

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    3. Corbin, as a guy who grew up in a strict Christian household and listened to way too many, many Christian rock bands (I've rebelled against my upbringing by doing tons and tons of blow) I think your point about the actors looking like they were posing for a Christian rock band cover is hilarious and spot on. They totally do. I guess technically they'd need about 70% more soul patches, but that's absolutely hilarious. In a strange way, reading that made my day.

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    4. mutual admiration society Hollywood Heath Holland.

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  18. I was hyped for Skyfall as soon as it was announced. I know a lot of people didn't like Quantum of Solace, but I thought it was a peppy little film that didn't waste a lot of time. I'm even more excited now that I've read some of the reviews.

    I'm not worried about Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained. Tarantino has gotten amazing performances out of actors that never gave anything like that good a job in anything else. He's got some special magic when he directs people, I don't know that I've ever seen any actor not give a good performance in his movies.

    There is a movie that's going to play at our local art house called The Flat that looks sort of interesting.

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    1. Several critics have already called Skyfall the best Bond movie ever made. I'm trying to temper my expectations, because there's not much that could live up to that hype.

      Agreed on Jamie Foxx. I was indifferent when he was announced, but Tarantino has a history of getting great performances. In many cases, actors are better than they've ever been in his movies. I'll keep hoping the streak continues.

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    2. I feel the same way - I'm not a Jamie Foxx fan and I think Will Smith would have been far more interesting, but I have a lot of faith that Tarantino can make me a Jamie Foxx fan as he has with so many others.

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  19. Am I the only one that is looking forward to Les Miserables?
    Well, that's a thing, isn't it.

    *skips away whistling castle on a Cloud*

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    1. I'll see it because I'm intrigued, but I don't think it falls under the category of "excited to see" for me. The cast is good and I'm interested in the idea that all the singing is being done live on camera. But between just the trailer and The King's Speech, I'm already sick of Tom Hooper's style. But I'll see it for sure.

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    2. My mum loves the musical so I grew up with the soundtrack being played a lot so i have a particular fondness for it. And in defense of my balls that was the only musical I was fond of.

      Also, unrelated, the latest episode of How Did This get Made is on "Sleepaway Camp". thought everyone might be interested.

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