Top 10 Movies We Want to See in 2012

Few films have brought such a lump to the throat, and tears to the eyes this year. Which only makes us excited about the year ahead. The staff here came together and have projected their opinions on the most anticipated releases of 2012. Whether or not the film is just a rumor, in post-production, or scrapped, we have included our full list below. Let’s start with the number 10 joint:

What We Know So Far: The recent casting of Kerry Washington’s according to the leaked script, Broomhilda spends most of her time on screen naked and being raped. Many feel that this role is exploitative, and are disappointed that an actress of Washington’s caliber would resort to taking the part.  With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. Tarantino is notoriously anti-technology). 

Is the N bomb dropped repeatedly? Yes, but the story is more matter of fact about racism, slavery, and racial cruelty than gratuitous or exploitive.There’s an old saying that if it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage, and if you don’t have  a good script going in, it’s not gonna make a good movie.

What We Know So Far: The first film of the Berserk Movie series will be premiered in January 2012. It’s the first chapter of the trilogy “Berserk Film: Golden Age”. Interesting that they are going to start the moves from the Golden Age arc instead of the beginning of the manga. The manga series and the anime are both noted for their brutality and extreme violence used to explore both the good and the evil in human nature. The plot follows his life and adventures as he gradually comes to understand the value of friendships. In the beginning he meets a female friend named Casca as they enroll in a group called Band of the Hawk headed by Griffith, a dynamic leader who has a way of drawing others to him.

What We Know So Far: The Miso Soup tells of Frank, an overweight American tourist who has hired Kenji to take him on a guided tour of Tokyo’s sleazy nightlife. But Frank’s behavior is so strange that Kenji begins to entertain a horrible suspicion—that his new client is in fact the serial killer currently terrorizing the city. The film adaptation is stil under wraps and in early stages of pre-production so we don’t know much else than that. However, if it is anything like the celebrated novel, we are excited.

What We Know So Far: It’s not surprising that Takashi Miike is staying busy. Nor is it surprising that after Thirteen Assassins, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai and Ninja Kids!!!, he has another jidaigeki period piece in the pipeline. What is surprising is that the next one will be scripted by South African writer/director Richard Stanley (2000 AD sci-fi comic inspired Hardware, cult horror movie Dust Devil). Whispers began after Fantasia Festival in Montreal that Stanley would be penning an adaptation of Junichiro Tanazaki’s 1931 novel The Secret Life Of Lord Musashi, which purported to recount the secretly perverse side of “Sword Saint” and Book of Five Rings author Miyamoto Musashi. Needless to say, we are excited about anything Miike if his last few films were an indication. There is no word yet on who is producing or of a firm start date but given Miike’s working habits it is not at all unreasonable to think that he will shoot the Stanley-penned script sometime in 2012.

What We Know So Far: Consider us fools, but being Marcello’s favorite film of all time, Oldboy is still high on our radar. With all the recent cast changes it has failure written all over it though. Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) has been offered the female lead in the film. The part was previously offered to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo starlet Rooney Mara. Clive Owen has been offered the villain role opposite Josh Brolin, who will play the “oldboy” of the title. Owen and Spike Lee have previously worked together on Inside Man. Are we fans of Spike Lee? Sure! We reserve faith.

What We Know So Far: A pipe dream? Perhaps, but in this day and age you never know. Production was recently put to a halt even though studio Madhouse, used Satoshi Kon’s directorial tapes and notes to guide them to completing the film, though the main work such as storyboards and script which were already complete. “In The Dreaming Machine, only robots are there. I want the audience to enjoy the adventures of robots who survived even after their parents – human beings – had become extinct. After Paprika, I ended up taking a vacation for over a year, so we’ve just started development on this. You can see this movie in 2011.” Sadly Satoshi Kon passed away and fate reared it’s ugly head. But Madhouse founder Masao Maruyama recently acknowledged at Otakon that, due to financial pressures at Madhouse, production on the film has been halted with only six hundred of the fifteen hundred total shots from the picture completed. Maruyama says he remains committed to finishing the picture but, clearly, a major influx of cash is needed if they have had to shut it down less than half way through. Here is hoping it sees the light of day in 2012.

What We Know So Far: Ho-Hum, ANOTHER Ip Man film? Oh wait, Zhang Ziyi’s comeback film? Directed by Kar Wai Wong? Yes, please. In our book, he can do no wrong. Tony Leung Chiu Wai trained four hours a day for a year in preparation for his role as Ip Man. Action director is Yuen Woo-ping is attached. Wong Kar-wai consistently puts out quality films that generally score high with critics and international audiences but this film follows a recent flood of Yip Man films and TV series including Wilson Yip’s popular Ip Man and Ip Man 2, both starring leading martial arts actor Donnie Yen. Audiences may be weary of Yip Man biopics while Yen will be a tough act to follow for Leung who trained extensively for the role but lacks a martial arts background. Also, the teaser suggests action will adopt Yuen Woo-ping’s standard, exaggerated wire-fu style rather than grounded Wing Chun, which the action director has never embraced.

What We Know So Far: In the September issue of Cut magazine, director Hayao Miyazaki revealed that he is considering a film of his “Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie” concept. Plot revolves around a concept in which the title character pilots a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bomber from Italy. ”So I want to escape to Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie,” Miyazaki revealed. “I have all its materials. It should be interesting. It is set for Spanish Civil War.” Miyazaki said he wants to depict a forward-looking boy in his next work. “But I can’t assure you anything now. Yet, the protagonist will be a girl again.” There has never really been a direct sequel to any of his movies before so we are definitely hyped at the news. Hopefully 2012 brings together more information or development news!

What We Know So Far: 22-year-old actor Takeru Satoh (Kamen Rider Den-O,Rookies, Beck, Ryōmaden) will star in a live-action filmadaptation of Nobuhiro Watsuki‘s Rurouni Kenshin samuraimanga next year. For those unfamiliar with the title, RUROUNI KENSHIN is set in the Meiji era of Japan. The story revolves around Kenshin Himura, a former assassin who dedicates his life to protecting others in atonement for his ways of the assassin. However, along the way, he meets enemies old and new who challenge him to constant duels. Satoh’s casting was approved not only by producer Shinzo Matsuhashi but creator Nobuhiro Watsuki himself as well. Satoh was a huge fan of the manga and anime and is very excited to be playing the lead role. Satoh recently trained in sword fighting and should be released in the coming months! Excited? Yes sir!

What We Know So Far: 47 Ronin has been a very good movie to our site. Actors Tadanobu Asano and Togo Igawa were gracious enough to give us interviews based on their experiences on the film and we couldn’t be more excited to see their hard work come to fruition. 47 Ronin is a 2012 fantasy-adventure film depicting a fictional account of the forty-seven Ronin, a real-life group of samurai in 18th-century Japan who avenge the murder of their master. The American studio Universal Pictures is producing the adaptation. The film is directed by Carl Erik Rinsch and stars Keanu Reeves and an ensemble of Japanese actors. Filming started in Budapest in March 2011; it moved to Shepperton Studiosin London and will conclude in Japan. The film is scheduled to be released in November 21, 2012. Of course there is a western twist to this tale as Reeves’s character is half-Japanese and half-British; the character was created for the film. The actors’ costumes were designed by Penny Rose, who said, “We decided to base it on the culture and what the shapes should be—i.e., everyone’s in a kimono—but we’ve thrown a kind of fashion twist at it. And we’ve made it full of color, which is quite unusual for me.” So be prepared for something old, combined with something new. It will also be released in 3D! November 2012 can’t some soon enough!