Daniel Radcliffe faces a new evil in The Woman in Black (2012) trailer

Danielle Radcliffe has stretched his acting legs on Broadway, but now with the Harry Potter franchise finished he must continue his motion-picture career without his wand.  Instead of a snake-faced sorcerer, audiences will see him face an evil ghost out for revenge in his first feature film post-Volde-mortem (sorry had to).

The sensational, must-see trailers for Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (2011) showcase an incredible cast

This is an absolute must-see film; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)  ranks in the top ten of my Most Anticipated Films list, partly because the novel was outstanding as well.  Given its release date, it will have to compete with the mega-blockbuster Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, though if you choose that movie over this one then perhaps this isn’t as appealing to you.  Nonetheless, after watching the two provided previews you should be lining up to buy your ticket(s) already.  The first trailer displays brooding suspicion backed by part of Danny Elfman’s The Wolfman score, which helps elevate the preview to one of the year’s best.  The second trailer ups the intensity and utilizes one of this year’s best scores in Henry Jackman’s “Frankenstein’s Monster” from X-Men: First Class, also one of my favorite films of the year (full review HERE).  Aside from the creative genius found in the trailers, the film features an impeccable cast of British actors.  Hopefully Gary Oldman will finally get the awards-recognition he deserves; this film is a great opportunity for him to do so.

First preview of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s score by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

After winning last year’s Oscar for Best Original Musical Score for The Social Network (2010), David Fincher recruited Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross again for his English-language remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011).  Just a few months away from release, the studio has begun its marketing campaign, first with the teaser trailer (more information found HERE) and now with an early, seven-minute preview of Reznor and Ross’s haunting score.

Patrick Wilson added to the stellar cast of Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel and a first official look at Prometheus (2012)

Nearly completing production, news broke of the casting addition of Patrick Wilson (Watchmen, Insidious).  The legendary director Ridley Scott began working on an original science-fiction story while simultaneously entertaining the idea of an Alien prequel, and Prometheus (2012) is the result.  Reports claim the official synopsis is as follows, along with the first official photograph of the film:

The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire already green-lit and set to be released in Fall 2013

The Hunger Games – starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Toby Jones, and Donald Sutherland – has yet to begin its theatrical run on March 23, 2012, but that hasn’t stopped Lionsgate from announcing the release date for the first of three sequels Catching Fire– set for release on November 22, 2013.  The studio plans to split The Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins, into four films, presumably with the final novel bifurcated ala Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Twilight: Breaking Dawn.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt deals with the cancer diagnosis in the 50/50 (2011) trailer

Don’t be turned off or misled by the inclusion of the oft one-dimensional Seth Rogen, 50/50 (2011) has been regarded one of the year’s best yet-to-be-released films and most compelling dramas; the comedy is a nice touch to the dire situation, but by no means is the film to be considered a straight up comedy.  In actuality, early screenings had many viewers in tears at how well the film depicts the situation and praised Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s portrayal of the conflicted character and Anna Kendrick’s strong performance as well.  Critics have applauded the filmmaker’s ability to smoothly shift between and balance the lighthearted tone with the grave prognosis.  My expectations for the film have steadily risen to the point that it nearly cracks the top twenty-five on my Most Anticipated Films list and may do so in a few weeks.

Spike Lee to direct English-language remake of Park Chan-Wook’s South Korean cult classic revenge film Oldboy (2003)

Well, despite countless concerns and even a failed attempt by Steven Spielberg and Will Smith to remake Park Chan-Wook’s Oldboy (2003), Hollywood will have its English-language remake – Spike Lee is now attached to direct the film of the same name.  It’s happening – fans of the original can only hope for the best now.

Elizabeth Olsen stars in the haunting trailer for Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

This film looks absolutely riveting.  Kudos to the editor(s) who crafted the trailer, as it features creepy music and slowly building yet palpable tension.  Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize (GJP) at and winning the Directing Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) looks like another gem of an independent film thriller in the vein of last year’s GJP and screenwriting winner at Sundance Winter’s Bone (2010).  Similar to “making” Jennifer Lawrence, this indie flick allows Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of the famous Mary Kate and Ashley, to prove her acting chops as her performance has been regarded as one of the year’s best and will likely garner an Oscar nomination.  The other obvious comparison, other than the settings, is supporting actor John Hawkes who appears as a country creeper once again and also should garner awards recognition.  In all, Martha Marcy May Marlene is pretty high on my list of Most Anticipated Films.

Guillermo del Toro promises Alfonso Cuarón’s “completely mind-blowing” Gravity (2012) will “forever change” filmmaking

Alfonso Cuarón not only has deeply entertained audiences with the dark and artsy Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, (2004) arguably the best of the franchise, but also pushed the envelope in filmmaking techniques with his dystopian epic Children of Men (2006) with several unusually long yet fluid single-shot-takes (for a featurette discussing the long takes in the film, click here).  For example, he created a six-minute tracking shot (found here) through a war-torn urban environment as well as a four-minute long take of an attack on the protagonist’s car (found here).  The amount of foresight and control needed to orchestrate the numerous elements for each scene to work is immeasurable; simply, it is filmmaking genius.  Yet Cuarón looks to innovate again in his next feature-film Gravity (2012).

Kathryn Bigelow’s Osama Bin Laden thriller release date set for Fall 2012 amidst early controversy

After news broke about Osama Bin Laden’s assassination, Hollywood studios scrambled for rights to produce a film regarding the events and the terrorist’s notorious life.  Kathryn Bigelow and husband Mark Boal swooped in to take control of the production that has been given a release date of October 12, 2012.