While the year of 2012 is coming to a close, I’ve got to say, I’ve been pretty happy with this years turnout.  There are a lot of movies that came out this year that I fully and whole-heartedly enjoyed, and can’t wait until I can get them on DVD.  But, as 2012 comes to a close, we look toward 2013 as a new year for film.  Now, I give to you my collection of movies that I’m looking forward to in 2013.

Gangster Squad (January 11):  A movie that was originally slated to air for August of 2012, until the unfortunate Dark Knight Rises shooting caused the film makers to recreate one scene, Gangster Squad looks really cool.  It’s the story of how Mickey Cohen attempted to take over Los Angeles in the 40’s and 50’s, and the LAPD’s attempt to stop him.  I love pretty much anything from this time period, and the actors in the movie (Josh Brolin, Sean Penn) look like their going to really sell the time period.

The Last Stand (January 18): Arnold Schwarzenegger is an actor from my favorite genre of film, late 80’s and early 90’s action.  He’s not a good actor, but he’s an actor that you can’t help but like, an actor that just makes you smile.   He hasn’t really been in any films, since he got elected governor, until Expendables 2 finally put a gun back into his hands.  This, however, is going to be Arnie’s first starring role since Terminator 3, and it looks pretty cool.  Arnold plays a small town sheriff who has to try to stop a drug cartel from making it across the Mexican-American border.  Classic.

Stand-Up Guys (February 1):   Christopher Walken and Al Pacino have become jokes over the course of film, Walken for being Walken and Pacino for being the arch-atypical gangster.  But, back in the day, both of these actors won Oscars for their acting in serious movies, and this looks like they are tying to return those days of serious acting.  They both play old “have-been” mobsters, Al Pacino just getting out of prison and Walken forced to kill him.

A Good Day to Die Hard (February 15):  Like I said, I’m a huge fan of late 80’s action, and one of the best is Die Hard, an almost perfect action flick that takes place on Christmas (I watch it around the holiday season every year).  I’m a fan of all four of the Die Hard films, so it’s no surprise that I’m looking forward to the fifth installment.  It even takes place in Russia.  I don’t know how that makes it better, but……… yeah, Russia.

Oz: The Great and Powerful (March 8):  While I was originally opposed to this movie (it was announced at first as a remake), when the trailer came out and I saw it was a prequel, I got interested.  Knowing the story of how the wizard made his way to Oz, and tricked the locals into thinking he could do magic, seems interesting, and James Franco as the wizard is a good choice.

Jurassic Park 3D (April 5):  I get to see the lawyer getting eaten in 3D?  Ticket sold.

Iron Man 3 (May 3):  Riding on the post-Avengers high that has been generated, Iron Man 3 looks pretty good.  It seems like it’s trying to darken up the Iron Man series a little more, by making Tony Stark a little less cocky and little more vulnerable.  The trailer shows his house getting blown up, and his girlfriend getting kidnapped.  I’m just hoping it’s going to be better than the second one.

Star Trek Into Darkness (May 17):  Let’s be fair here, after the movie Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek as a whole has not really been able to make anything good or original.  The movies, T.V. shows, and video games have not met up to the standards of the classic television program or movies (2, 4, 6, 8) before it.  The J.J. Abrams remake of Star Trek that came out in 2009 breathed new life into the series, life that hasn’t been in there for a long time.  This is the sequel, which is rumored to have Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan, which would be awesome.

Now You See Me (June 7):  I only heard of this movie a couple of days ago, when I saw the trailer load up on IMDB.  It’s a movie with a wicked good cast:  Jesse Eisenburg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher, and Melanie Laurent.  The plot also seems really cool; a few magicians use their tricks to rob banks and giving the money to their audience, under the noses of the police.

Man of Steel (June 14):  The Superman movies have had an interesting history, ranging from really good (Superman from 1978), to mediocre (Superman Returns), to horrendous (Superman 4: A Quest for Peace).  This version looks like it’s trying to bring a bit of darkness and edge to a generally lighthearted character, which could either work to it’s advantage or be its utter downfall.  The director, Zach Snyder, usually gets his visionary style correct, but fails in the department of story telling and character development (300, Watchmen, Sucker Ptunch), which causes for a confusing, boring, and unenjoyable film.  I’m both excited and anxious about the direction this one is going to take.

Monsters University (June 21):  While the old classics of Disney, like Lion King and Cinderella, may have been what you grew up on, I grew up mostly of the films of Pixar, stuff like Toy Story and Finding Nemo.  Monsters Inc. is another great Pixar film, with great characters, an interesting world, cool design, and a heartwarming story about a monster who vows to  protect a little girl.  This new film is not a sequel to that, however, but a prequel, about protagonists Mike and Sully when they were in college.  Since I’m a huge Pixar fan, I’m really looking forward to this one.

Kick-A** 2 (June 28):  The original Kick-A** was a very cool look at superhero movies, a gritty look at what would happen if one individual attempted to help his fellow man.  It managed to keep this gritty harsh tone, and include some lighthearted humor as well.  The sequel has me fascinated, as the return of the hero, with some new allies, offers promising ideas.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (October 4):  I’m a huge fan of the first Sin City movie, it was an extremely stylistic comic-book movie, with cool action, cool characters, and cool plots.  Yes, plots.  The film had three different plots, all meshed together into a story of the crime involved in Sin City.  There’s not much more to say, as not much has been released about this film, but it could be pretty good.