I don’t watch a lot of movies. I’ve got a day job, a night job and an active toddler. Plus I like to read, cook and travel, and every once in awhile I break for sleep. So I’m very selective in what I watch. (Please note that this, as it's often been pointed out to me, is not the same as having good taste.)
Movies are designed to suck you in to a different place, the same as books, the same as any storytelling. Except the price of admission also gets you surrounding darkness and a comfy chair. This is my movie wish list, the roster of places I'd like to go without leaving home, in 2012.
Out Now – Norwegian Wood – This is a Japanese film based on the book by acclaimed novelist Haruki Murakami. I’m a huge Murakami film. His stories are unique, thought-provoking and bewilderingly magical. Or magically bewildering. I’m intrigued to see how this one has been adapted to film.
January – Underworld: Awakening – I will watch Kate Beckinsale in that vinyl/leather suit, as this character, until her husband Len Wiseman stops making these movies. That is all.
January – Haywire – I watch a bit of the MMA, and while Gina Carano isn’t a superstar in the sport, she knows how to fight. Add Steven Soderbergh, a consistently good director, with an amazing cast (including Michael Angarano, whom I adore), and I’m hoping we have a gritty action series with a female lead in the making.
March – The Avengers – Superheroes. Joss Whedon. Need I say more?
May – Brave – This is a Disney/Pixar animated film about Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), the daughter of a Scottish king. She defies an age-old custom, bringing chaos to her lands, and must discover true bravery in order to save her land. It’s your standard hero story, but with a heroine. And she’s accompanied by her triplet brothers, which I assume will be hilarious.
July – The Dark Knight Rises – The darker side of Gotham is fascinating, and this reboot has maintained a good balance of action and character development. And Christian Bale, even when using that throat-rolled-in-gravel Batman voice, is magnetic.
August – Premium Rush – I have a soft spot for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as couriers. While some of his film choices have been questionable, it’ll be interesting to see him in an urban action role in this bike thriller. That's right, a Bicycle Thriller.
What movies took you on a ride in 2011? And what or who are you looking forward to in 2012?
Regan Summers’ electronic novella Don’t Bite the Messenger, starring a vampire courier with a price on her head, debuts on 1.16.12. Order now at: Carina Press Amazon Barnes & Noble
