2011 was a good year for film. Good, but not great. One would think that the widespread fear of the end of the world would hustle some film-makers into their masterpieces. Some (The Artist director Michel Hazanavicius for instance) were able to make their marks before 11:59 tonight, but it seems that next year has more surprises in store than just the apocalypse.

I share many of these with my fellow movies editor Jeremy Baril, so if you haven’t yet read his list, we suggest reading it now. Ready? Okay, now you’re prepared for something slightly different.

First, we’ll begin with the Honorable Mentions:

Now for the PLATINUM Honorable Mentions:

#10 Ted

Seth McFarlane has gotten some flack over the past few years about the inevitable unfunniness of his brainchild Family Guy. Now Fox has milked his brain for all it is worth with American Dad and The Cleveland Show. There is no denying that Seth McFarlane is a very funny guy. Anyone who grew up watching the first few seasons of Family Guy and the more recent seasons of American Dad could tell you that.

In fact, Family Guy stopped being funny the moment American Dad starting really getting laughs. Coincidence? I think McFarlane can only throw his magic touch into one project at a time, and it might be safe to say that his first upcoming feature film, written and directed by himself, might have a taste of that old school Seth McFarlane humor.

Ted, according to creator Seth McFarlane, will follow a demented teddy bear (voiced by McFarlane) as it torments it’s owners Mila Kunis and Mark Whalberg. It sounds a little cliche, but here’s to hoping that the most successful comedian of our generation will make a glorious return to true comedy next year.

Ted will come alive on July 13th, 2012.

#9 The Hunger Games

Okay, before I get flamed from every possible angle, you should all know that I am still on Chapter 4 of The Hunger Games. Those of you following my “Read The Hunger Games With Jimmy” series have been incredibly patient and I thank all of you for that. I plan on continuing the series, and I still plan on fulfilling my promise to finish my analysis of the book before the premiere.

The trailer alone is enough to peak anyone’s interest in the film. The thought of something so brutal, so young, so modern and yet so frighteningly imaginable stirs the imagination. I already know that the book doesn’t shy away from what would actually happen in the circumstances that these characters are placed in, and I can only hope that the film version has the balls to do justice to the source material.

The cast looks magnificent, the visuals presented in the trailer sold the ideal, and even though director Gary Ross has a past of soft and fluffy films like Big and (to a lesser extent) Seabiscuit, fellow screenwriter Billy Ray (State of Play, Breach, Suspect Zero) is sure to bring on the violence the way author Suzanne Collins (also credited as a screenwriter) intended.

The Hunger Games will begin on March 23, 2012.

#8 Seven Psychopaths

Following his 2008 critical hit In Bruges (which, aside from being a Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire reunion also happens to be my own personal favorite movie of all time) long-time playwright Martin McDonagh has finally decided to follow his masterpiece with another film, again starring Collin Farrel who won the Golden Globe for his last partnership with the writing genius.

The script leaked early last year, and although I haven’t read it (I intentionally spoil every other movie for myself by working at Hypable, why would I want to spoil this one?), those that have read it have chosen it to occupy a place of honor on their lists of the most anticipated movies of 2012.

The photo I’ve used above has nothing to do with Seven Psychopaths and is actually a screenshot from In Bruges. If that’s not an indicator of exactly why I’m excited to see McDonagh and Farrel team up again then I don’t even know what to say. Last time it was about hitmen, this time it is about a screenwriter, a psychopath, and a dog.

Seven Psychopaths will be released whenever it feels like it. (The actual date has not been set, but it is slated for a 2012 release.)

#7 The Great Gatsby

It has been years since I’ve opened The Great Gatsby, but the way that it portrayed the roaring twenties has stuck with me through the years. This will be a special treat for me, because with the exception of a few shocking events near the middle and end of the novel, I don’t very well remember every single event.

In an instance of perfect casting, Leonardo diCaprio and Carey Mulligan have been cast as Gatsby and Daisy. To be honest, half of the reason I am so excited for this adaptation is to see Mulligan as Daisy. She has been knocking her roles out of the park for the past three years and no one could have cast the essential character better, although the choice of director (Baz Luhrmann) is a little peculiar to me even though I am an enormous fan of his.

I seem to remember hearing reports early last year that he was planning to shoot the film in 3D, and that seemed to indicate that he would indeed be using his standard ostentatious directing method with this interpretation of the classic novel. The photos that have emerged from the set have looked perfect so far, but here’s to hoping that we wont see any green absinthe fairies in West Egg.

The Great Gatsby will roar into theaters on December 25th, 2012.

#6 Django Unchained

No official artwork for Quentin Tarantino’s next film has yet been released, but artists all over the internet have given a poster for Django Unchained the good ol’ college try. This just goes to show that people all over the world are waiting for the follow up to Inglourious Basterds, which Tarantino had dubbed as his “masterpiece”.

One could say that Tarantino has been slowly building up his fan base with every film that he makes, the landmarks being Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds. Now with Django Unchained, Tarantino takes an all-star cast (with the likes of Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Cristoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sacha Baron Cohen and Kurt Russel) and sets them in what he calls a true Southern tale.

According to Tarantino, the world is full of Westerns, but this will be an authentic Southern that tells the story of a liberated slave that, with the help of a German bounty hunter, will try to rescue his wife from the cruel owners of the plantation.

I would have seen this movie if you had just given me the cast list, but after Tarantino finally won me over with the masterful Basterds (we’ve had a love hate relationship for the past decade or so), the fact that he wrote and directed this just makes me all the more excited to see it on opening night.

Django Unchained will be released on December 25th, 2012.

#5 Les Miserables

Not even musical theater nerds can agree on Les Miserables. Believe it or not, there are some out there that just don’t like it. Personally, it is the most powerful musical I have ever seen. It masterfully weaves several stories, each dealing with love and sacrifice, during the wake of the French Revolution. Although the book has been adapted into a non-musical form fairly recently, many a film-maker has glanced at this daring gargantuan musical and has swiftly said “no thanks”.

It’s a daunting task, adapting what can be arguably called the greatest musical of all-time to the screen. Recent Best Director winner Tom Hooper seems to think that he has the chops to make people all over the world sob hysterically in their local theaters. He took the job, hired an all-star cast including Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, and reports now indicate that he may film the required singing live on-camera, a move that has earned him accolades not only from me, but from musical theater buffs everywhere.

There are some that think that it simply can’t be done. Yes, there is a very distinct possibility that the three hour musical might not live up to expectations, but as of now I can’t think of a team that I would rather have than Hooper and company.

Les Miserables will flood theaters on December 7th, 2012.

#4 The Hobbit

The Hobbit was my favorite book for four solid years. Before I got my hands on the Harry Potter series, I found myself getting lost in Middle-Earth every couple of months or so. I was (at the time) unable to penetrate Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, so I found it particularly awesome when The Fellowship of the Ring came out before film-makers really thought about giving The Hobbit a try. It was truly indescribable to have a world I was so familiar with suddenly come to life on the big screen, and it was even more fascinating that it told a story that I legitimately had never heard before.

As soon as whispers of The Hobbit started echoing through Hollywood, my inner child had to be stifled. What if they ruin it? What if it doesn’t live up to The Lord of the Rings? What if it doesn’t live up to it’s paper and ink counterpart? All of these questions were running through my head until evil genius Guillermo Del Toro signed on to direct. Frankly, I was curious how Del Toro’s vision would fit into Jackson’s pre-established Middle-Earth. Would it change, and if so would the changes be justified? I love Guillermo, so when his vision hit troubled waters I was understandably worried.

Enter Peter Jackson, cape billowing in the wind, to take the reigns of Middle-Earth once again. Under Jackson’s rule, 90% of the original LOTR cast agreed to come back for cameos, and every Hobbit fan breathed a heaving sigh of relief knowing that they would return to Middle-Earth the same way they did back at the turn of the millenium. Now the trailer has come out, and most Tolkien-philes can rest easy knowing that their baby is safe in the hands of Jackson.

The Hobbit will leave the Shire on December 14th, 2012.

#3 Lincoln

No, I’m not just excited for Lincoln because Daniel Day-Lewis bears a freakishly uncanny resemblance to my favorite president. I’m excited because: A) Daniel Day-Lewis is simply and mathematically the best actor to grace the silver screen since Marlon Brando, B) Stephen Spielberg is widely known as the best director of the past 40 years, C) It is based on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln written by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Goodwin, and D) The screenplay was penned by Emmy, Tony and Pulitzer prize winning playwright Tony “he wrote freaking Angels in America” Kushner, John “The Gladiator” Logan, and Paul “this is my first screenplay, I’m just a FREAKING ABRAHAM LINCOLN HISTORIAN” Webb.

Also, this picture of Daniel Day-Lewis wearing the Abraham Lincoln hat.

As if this wasn’t enough reason to get excited, we already know that this project has been in Spielberg’s brain for over a decade. He was always talking about it, has worked his mind around every possible angle of it, and now he’s finally working on it and has cast every single good actor in the world to work with him on the project.

So I guess now one question remains: Will Lincoln win every Oscar or just a handful?

Lincoln will conquer the South on December 25th, 2012.

#2 The Dark Knight Rises

Unless Gone With The Wind is planning on releasing a sequel anytime soon, it might be safe to say that The Dark Knight Rises could be the most anticipated sequel of all time (now that the Harry Potter movies are done with). Fans ofThe Dark Knight were devastated when director Christopher Nolan straight up said that unless he was possessed by a truly worthy idea, the Dark Knight legacy would fall one movie short. According to Nolan, he would have rather it end at The Dark Knight if the alternative was a half-hearted threequel.

Just as many fans justifiably jumped out of their skins when Nolan announced that not only was he planning on making a sequel, but that fan favorite Bane would be the last villain to terrorize Gotham in Christopher Nolan’s vision. Although there are still bat-fans out there that are questioning his casting choices (remember when we weren’t sure about that Brokeback Mountain actor playing the Joker?), it might just be safer to sit tight and trust that Nolan (like Batman himself) will do Gotham City justice. ‘

As if we weren’t already excited, the six minute prologue released in IMAX convinced this writer that Nolan may have hit another one out of the park, and the trailer released shortly thereafter showed the world exactly how Bane could top The Dark Knight‘s diabolical Joker.

The Dark Knight Rises will appear in theaters on July 20th, 2012

#1 The Avengers

Yes, my two most anticipated movies of the year are comic book movies. Big whoop. Wannafightaboutit? Before I am disbarred and excommunicated from the film critic society (an actual thing), take these words into your brain.

First. Time. In. History. That’s how many times in cinematic history four major characters from four separate movies have come together for one gigantic megafilm. Fanboys were worshiping this movie before they even knew it was being made, half of them still can’t even believe that it’s actually happening, and this was all before nerd-deity Joss Whedon was crowned as writer/director of the beastly project.

I have often called Joss Whedon the most creative person in Hollywood. Anyone who loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer can tell you that if there is someone who can write and direct the shit out of a movie about super-humans, it’s this guy. Who wasn’t angry through the roof when his genius brainchild Firefly was unjustly cancelled? Who among us has seen Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog more than eighteen times? I’m not saying the guy can do no wrong (I’m looking at you, Dollhouse), but if there is someone we can trust with the Avengers, it’s this guy. I mean, nerds, he’s one of us.

Then the trailer came out, and anyone that doubted if the lead characters of four distinctly separate films would mix well were quickly shut up by an awesome 8 second exchange between Captain America and Tony Stark. Listeners of HeroHype know that just seeing the characters occupy the same space was enough to make true fanboys wet their pants with excitement.

I still can’t believe it’s actually happening.

The Avengers will assemble on May 3rd, 2012.

So what do you think? Was there anything I missed?  What are your most anticipated films of 2012?