10. Men in Black 3 – Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in black in one of the few sequels we’re looking forward to seeing in 2012. Men in Black 3 goes Back to the Future when an alien targets a young Agent K and the future of the Men in Black organization. Agent J goes back to the 1960’s where he must save Agent K and preserve the present day. While we still would have loved to have seen Smith shake up his career a bit and starred in Django Unchained (see #4), we are still pleased we’ll see him brainwashing people’s minds in the 60’s on May 25.
9. Argo – Don’t laugh but Ben Affleck is acting, co-writing and directing this film. Look at the man’s track record behind the camera: Gone Baby Gone, The Town and a little film called Good Will Hunting (where he co-wrote the screenplay). There’s no arguing the man’s skills. Now give him the keys to a true story about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis along with some of the best actors in modern day television including Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), John Goodman (Community), and Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) portraying a group of hostages and their clever escape. Hits theaters on September 14.
8. Avengers – Whether you’re a fanboy whose dreams are nearing completion or just the average Joe who wants to get some satisfaction out of watching both Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor; all will get what they want in the film that will kick off the 2012 summer movie season. Never before has the stars of their own movie joined together to form a colossal team of superheroes but that’s exactly what Marvel had in mind when they knew they struck gold with Iron Man. There is sure to be a lot of winking to the camera, especially by Robert Downey Jr. but if your cup of super hero films has not been filled after 2011, then it will be super-sized and running over on May 4.
7. Skyfall – While most of the big blockbusters joust for the box office in the summer, James Bond is stealthily waiting until the fall to complete his mission. Can director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) help us forget about Quantum of Solace? You bet, and with Javier Bardem playing the villain, and Dame Judi Dench this is the one fall time film that we want to see over most summer films. M will be front and center in this third Daniel Craig-Bond film as her past is revealed, we can’t wait for November 9.
6. World War Z – This zombie film based on Max Brooks’ best-selling novel stars Brad Pitt (Moneyball), James Badge Dale (Rubicon), Mireille Enos (The Killing) and Matthew Fox (Lost) in a war against the undead. The screenplay is co-written by J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) and is directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland). This could be the biggest budgeted zombie film we’ve seen ever and by the time December 21 rolls around, horror fans will be buzzing during the third season of The Walking Dead breaks for the holidays.
