Here we are, practically in the 2000-teens! Aside from the tremendous relief knowing for certain how to refer to the decade will bring when 2012 is over (I mean…we can’t really call it the teens right now, can we? Is it the pre-teens?), there are many, many reasons I look forward to its progression. Namely, some exciting stuff is due to hit the geek-world this year. Here are the one’s I’m most looking forward to.
The Avengers – Finally, all the continuity building between plots from Iron Man, The
So freakin' cool
Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America pays off. These heros, along with Black Widow and Hawkeye, are brought together by Nick Fury to combat Thor’s little brother gone wrong, Loki as he tries to, you know, destroy the world. If I’m being honest, this is the only movie slated for release in 2012 that has me feeling giddy. The origins movies for each character were varying degrees of fantastic, Chris Hemsworth is my new against-type crush, and it will give us all the chance to hear Robert Downy, Jr. (my totally on-type crush) read words penned by Joss Whedon. All of these things are all combining to make my head thump with excitement. Note: This is not an exaggeration. Sometimes, I can’t sleep at night because I’m playing that teeny tiny trailer over and over again in my head.
The Dark Knight Rises – Eight years later, things get bad enough in Gotham for Batman to resurface, having previously fled after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s unfortunate actions. I am not one of the Dark Knight enthusiasts who think it was the Best Movie Ever, but I am a big fan of the Nolan Batman franchise. Both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were tremendously well done and I’m looking forward to see how the final installment of the trilogy compares.
From the cover of Entertainment Weekly
The Hunger Games – You know, I’m a little surprised I’m so looking forward to this. I read and enjoyed the first two books and I certainly plan to read the third, but until recently I couldn’t say I was all that hot on the movie. The closer it gets to the release, however, the more I realize this could in fact be a very, very cool movie. The premise is phenomenal and I’m not enough of a rabid fan of the series to care that Liam Hemsworth doesn’t have dark enough skin to play Gale, or Josh Hutcherson is too short to play Peeta. This dark, political-sci-fi drama about teenagers forced to battle to the death by a tyrannical central government as punishment for past wrongs committed by their respective colonies has “hey, that was pretty cool” written all over it. It also has a heroine who avoids being either cliched in how cool and collected she is all the time or in how fragile and vulnerable she is all the time. It’s nice to see.
Cautiously optimistic:
Prometheus - I don’t know a lot about this sci-fi/horror flick other than my friend Dieter is wicked excited about it and the trailer looks cool. If it’s a hit, it will be the exact kind of hit I like. I’m still a little scarred at the tremendous disappointment of Event Horizon, so I’ll be waiting for the reviews before heading to the theater.
Underworld: Awakening - What can I say? The ever-so-2000-oughts sensibility of the black-clad vampires and giant, drooling lycans in various battles never gets old for me. It’s just cool.
Resident Evil: Retribution – this is my shout-out for Bex. I know she’s a big fan of the franchise, and sometimes tells me this one is going to be good.
The Bourne Legacy - Not so much a sequel as a parallel story taking place in the universe created by Robert Ludlam, this story about a new CIA operative facing danger and intrigue piques my interest almost exclusively due to the casting of Jeremy Renner in the role. He is one of my favorite “new” stars on the rise.
Wrath of the Titans – Despite my substantial disappointment with Clash of the Titans, I hold out hope for this sequel which takes the audience through Perseus’ quest to rescue Zeus from the Underworld. Again, if it is a hit, it’s the kind of hit that I would really love.
Books
Broken Harbour by Tana French - Ever since reading her 2008 release, The Likeness, I have been on constant watch for new releases. While none of her other books (2007’s In the Woods, or 2010’s Faithful Place) have managed to strike the perfect combination of suspense building, character development and totally satisfactory resolution that The Likeness does, they all have excelled at least in two out of three and that’s enough for me. As usual, the story is set in Ireland and revolves around an unsolved murder, a detective to whom we were introduced as a side character in a previous French novel (she changes narrators in every book so far), and more than likely lots of twists and turns.
For the record, I have no idea if this is the real cover. Looks sort of fan made...?
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole - not so much prequel or sequel to the
fantasy-meets-sci-fi-meets-horror series from Stephen King, this novel is marketed as a story-within-the-story of Roland Deschain, also known to millions of fans as The Gunslinger. From what I have read, it can stand alone, but as a fan of the series I am chomping at the bit to get to see Roland again.
Returning TV
To be honest, there isn’t much due for release in 2012 that strikes me as all that compelling. There are some shows coming back from mid-season hiatus or for new seasons that have got me excited, however.
The Walking Dead – There seems to be something of a divide amongst Walking Dead fans as to which is better, season 1 or season 2. I’m firmly in season 2 camp. The characters are taking form, the tensions are now on both a personal and a “hey, man, don’t get killed by a zombie” level and the mid-season finale was an absolute home-run. Not only was the ending shocking, it was honest and poignant. It also shut Shane up for a goddamn minute. What more could you ask for?
Doctor Who- I’m always ready for Amy and Rory and the Doctor and all their adventures.
Sure thing, Doctor.
Once Upon a Time - I know OUAT suffers from the “I like it, but it’s no LOST” blessing/curse, but I think in time it will find its own following and its own rhythm. It is really a very clever show and while it does bare strong resemblance to Lost in format (namely, flashbacks), it has a decidedly unique vibe. It is also another example of a story that portrays women as complicated entities, not just a means to an end. Ironic, given that it is based on fairy tales, but true. We’ve already written two posts about this show, so suffice it to say both Bex and I like it quite a bit.
Game of Thrones- Part fantasy, part political drama, part supernatural thriller, A Game of Thrones was by far my favorite book of 2011 (yes, I know it came out in 1997….It just took me a while to get to it). Never have I so loved a character as Ned Stark, nor a family as all those Stark/Snow children. Never have I been so on edge while reading a fantasy novel. Just truly amazing stuff. So far, I have not seen the first season of the HBO series, but I have it pre-ordered and if I am to trust my friends, it is amazing. Maybe not as amazing as the book (really, how could it be), but still amazing. I look forward to watching season 1 on DVD and then season 2 as it airs. 
That’s it for me, folks.
What about you? What upcoming movies, books and television has got you all excited?
We’d love to hear all about ‘em!
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happy new year GGGG!
Avengers is going to be awesome, and amen to the Chris Hemsworth hotness. Has the Dr Who xmas special screened in the US? I’m married to a Dr Who obsessive so basically the whole afternoon of our xmas day revolves around when it’s coming on
You might not be able to see it yet, but did you know that Steven Moffatt (who as you will know writes Dr Who) has written an update of Sherlock Holmes? Pilot was on last year and new series is just airing now. He just does 3 stories at a time – this series includes Hound of the Baskervilles – so excited to see it! There’s some very clever re-working while remaining remarkably faithful to the spirit of the original stories; as an example, there’s a funny little aside where Dr Watson names one of his blogs, about comic book fans who notice certain stories are coming true, “The Geek Interpreter”. Benedict Cumberbatch (War Horse) is great as Sherlock and scored highly in a “weird crush” poll in a recent popular magazine poll, even though as they put it “He looks like something that might haunt a tree”. Recommended!
Hi Rachel! So glad to see you here in the New year.
The Christmas special did air here. Bex saw it, but I missed it. I’ll have to hope for a re-air pretty soon, because I heard it was awesome.
Will DEFINITELY be on the look-out for Sherlock Holmes. I think we generally get shows about six months to a year after they air in the UK.
I was lucky enough to see Moffatt’s Sherlock last year on our PBS (Public Broadcasting Station) channel. It was amazingly done. I just adore Martin Freeman. -B
I was not looking forward to The Hunger Games until I saw the preview on the big screen. Now I’m dying in anticipation for it. It was not how I envisioned it while reading, but I think it looks awesome anyway. And I can’t wait to see Katniss & Peeta’s flaming costumes.
I am also very much looking forward to more Game of Thrones.
I have a thing for Games, I guess.
Ha! I was just making a mental list of all the titles with “game” in them the other day. We think alike.
Prometheus is Ridley Scott’s (hopefully triumphant) return to science fiction. It takes place in the same universe as the Alien movies, but isn’t really connected to them in any other way. As far as I know the aliens don’t even show up in it.
I’m pretty psyched for Dredd too, though I worry it’ll be all dark and gritty without any of the humor of the comic. The initial pictures of Karl Urban as Dredd look great…his scowl is perfect.
Yeah, Dredd is one I’ll really have to wait and see what folks say when it comes out. I have no background with the comics and obviously the Stallone movie didn’t leave me wanting more.
Thinking about the Joss Whedon character deaths in my latest post-do you think Joss will kill off an Avenger?
Hmmmm. I think his hands are probably a little tied by the franchise, you know? Did he write the script, too?
Co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn.
Seems unlikely, but then again there was a long stretch in the comics where Tony Stark was not the one wearing the Iron Man armor.