40 Most Anticipated Films of 2012 (Part 4 of 4)

10. The Place Beyond the Pines - Directed by Derek Cianfrance. Starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper -- Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) is re-teaming with Gosling, which makes for a very intriguing film. Gosling plays a motorcycle stunt rider who gets himself into some trouble with the law. Sounds a little like Drive, sure, but I know this film will be a huge success.

9. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12/14) - Directed by Peter Jackson. Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen -- Obviously everyone is excited about this Lord of the Rings prequel. The Hobbit novel is being broken down into two films; There and Back Again comes out December 2013. It's impossible to think these films will be anything but terrific.

8. The Avengers (5/4) - Directed by Joss Whedon. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth -- Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Incredible Hulk all in the same film? Count me in, because I'm a huge nerd when it comes to comic book superheros. I'm really looking forward to some Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Hemsworth (Thor) and Captain America (Chris Evans) banter; should be a riot!

7. The Amazing Spider-Man (7/3) - Directed by Marc Webb. Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone -- I for one loved the first two Sam Raimi Spider-Man films; the third film was quite long and mediocre. This remake seems very, very soon, but I'm extremely intrigued with the cast that Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) has put together. Garfield (The Social Network, Never Let Me Go) and Stone (The Help, Easy A) make for a much better watch than Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (sorry...).

6. Skyfall (11/9) - Directed by Sam Mendes. Starring Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem -- Mendes (Jarhead, Revolutionary Road) is one of the best directors in the world, so I'm more than a little excited for the new Bond film. Craig is obviously back, and Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Biutiful) is in line as the villain...um, yes please!

5. The Great Gatsby (12/25) - Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan -- This is obviously an adaptation of the brilliant F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. DiCaprio stars as Jay Gatsby, and I'm quite excited. I have a bit of a man-crush on Leo. He's the best actor working today. Mulligan (Drive, An Education), Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton (Warrior, The Thing) and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Hot Rod) are also on board.

4. Moonrise Kingdom - Directed by Wes Anderson. Starring Edward Norton, Bill Murray -- The first trailer for this film just dropped yesterday, and it looks fantastic! Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore) is one of my favorite directors, so I'm psyched to see this quirky, little comedy. Norton, Murray, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keitel and Tilda Swinton will all be in on the fun. If you don't like Wes Anderson films, than disregard this paragraph.

3. Django Unchained (12/25) - Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio -- I think everyone is quite eager to see Tarantino's follow-up to Inglourious Basterds. For those of you who don't know, this film has a slavery-driven premise. It's a work of fiction, so don't be shocked if it's somewhat controversial. The cast looks legendary.

2. Prometheus (6/8) - Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender -- I almost put this film at number one; it was a very hard decision. The first trailer looks simply magical. Easily the best trailer I've seen for a 2012 release. The outstanding up-and-coming cast has me excited and eager for Ridley Scott's prequel to Alien (also directed by Scott).

1. The Dark Knight Rises (7/20) - Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy -- No surprise here. Nolan is the best director in the business, and he's coming off a run of films that includes Inception, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins and The Prestige. All of which are personal favorites. The first trailers are so-so, but I have a lot of faith in Nolan and his crew. This third and final Batman film is set eight years following The Dark Knight. I simply can not wait to see how the legend ends.

Honorable Mentions: 21 Jump Street (3/16), Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (6/22), Men in Black III (5/25), Movie 43 (4/13), Premium Rush (8/24), Rampart (2/10), Safe House (2/10), The Grey (1/27), The Raven (3/9), The Woman in Black (2/3)

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