Fall Movies 2012

Summer is about chases, explosions, and superheroes.  In the fall, things get a little more serious, and there are some promising prestige films coming out in the next few months.  Some I am especially excited about are:

Looper This trippy time-travel story has Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing a younger version of Bruce Willis.  He, or I should say they, are assassins who get sent back in time to kill their targets. Gordon-Levitt and writer-director Rian Johnson previously worked together on the brilliant noir film “Brick.”

Frankenweenie Tim Burton made a short live action film called “Frankenweenie” in 1984.  It is the story of a boy who brings his dog back to life like Frankenstein, and it is available on the The Nightmare Before Christmas Two-Disc Collector’s Edition.  Now Disney has invited him to remake it as a full-length, black and white, stop-motion feature and, based on the designs I saw at Comic-Con, I can’t wait to see it.

Wreck-It Ralph Disney’s story of a video game villain who wants to be a hero stars John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman — and a host of classic video game characters.  Think of it as the “Roger Rabbit” of the digital world.

Anna Karenina Kiera Knightley stars in this classic Tolstoy tale of a woman who gives up everything for love.  Let’s hope is is as well done as Knightley’s previous literary adaptions with director Joe Wright.

Skyfall James Bond is back and this time it is personal as M herself is at risk.  Sam Mendes directs.

Rise of the Guardians Dreamworks Animation’s latest is the story of some unexpected heroes.  Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, and Jude Law provide the voices for familiar characters like Jack Frost, the Tooth Fairy, and Santa, who find themselves called upon for some extraordinary heroics.

Hyde Park on Hudson Bill Murray plans Franklin Roosevelt in this fact-based story of a visit by the King and Queen of England (yes, the same royals from “The King’s Speech”).