Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Movies Intriguing 2012 films include 'Butter,' 'Hunger,' 'Cabin'
Posted by Curt Holman @Curt_Holman on Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 3:58 PM
Here's a quick look at some of the most interesting-looking films of 2012, up until summer starts with the release of The Avengers on May 4. First, a film that hasn't generated much buzz so far, but has an appealing premise and cast. Butter (March 16), set in small-town Iowa, depicts the ambitious wife (Jennifer Garner) of a champion local butter sculptor ("Modern Family's" Ty Burrell) who expects to win her first stint in the butter-sculpture contest until the entry of a 10 year-old African-American contender. Compared to Alexander Payne's Election, this satirical comedy is reportedly rife with parallels to the 2008 primary race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Here's a clip:
The Secret Life of Arrietty (Feb. 17) A family of miniscule people have adventures in and around a country house, particularly when tiny, teenage Arrietty befriends a normal-sized boy. This adaptation of The Borrowers is the latest film from Studio Ghibli, home of such modern-day animation classics as Spirited Away.
Wanderlust (Feb. 24) Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston star in this comedy about overworked yuppies who flee their fast-paced lived in New York for a remote Southern commune. This comedy from David Wain (Role Models, ) features Justin Theroux, Malin Akerman, Kathryn Hahn, Lauren Ambrose and Ken Marino.
John Carter (March 9) This expensive adaptation of beloved series of swashbuckling pulp novels by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs looks very much like Avatar, only on a red planet with green aliens, instead of a green planet with blue ones. Will WALL-E director Andrew Stanton make the transition to live-action as effectively as his Pixar colleague Brad Bird, director of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol? And why did they drop the words "of Mars" from the title?
The Hunger Games (March 16) This almost goes without mentioning. Jennifer Lawrence stars in the adaptation of the first book in the best-selling YA trilogy about a gladiator-style competition (with reality tv flourishes) in a post-apocalyptic America.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (March 30) Fresh off their underappreciated but highly entertaining CGI film Arthur Christmas, the animators of Aardman Animation return to their stop-motion roots with this slapstick adventure on the high seas. Hugh Grant provides the voice of the Pirate Captain, and the trailer has lots of great gags.
The Cabin in the Woods (April 13) Five friends take a vacation at the remote cottage of the title and experience spooky goings-on in this horror flick co-written by Joss Whedon and from the director of Cloverfield. The scariest thing about the film may be how long it's sat on the shelf, but maybe it'll turn out to be worth the wait.
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