Spring 2012 movie preview

Jan Thijs | Relativity Media

Lily Collins stars in Relativity Media’s “Mirror Mirror.”

“Red Tails” (January 20)
“Red Tails” is the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first all African-American aviator team. They flew for the country in WWII despite facing racial discrimination both on the home front and in the armed forces. The movie is executive produced by George Lucas (“Star Wars”) and stars Cuba Gooding Jr. (“Radio”), Terrence Howard (“Hustle & Flow”), and singer Ne-Yo. Lucas talked of the difficulty of getting a movie with a predominantly African-American cast made, and given the heroic tale he is trying to tell, let’s hope that “Red Tails” succeeds. – Georgie Morvis

“The Grey” (January 27)
Liam Neeson leads an ensemble cast in this survival tale after an airplane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness. The men must survive the bitter environment, starvation, and attacks by a pack of wolves. Let me dial that down for you: Liam Neeson vs. a pack of wolves. The star of “Taken” vs. a pack of wolves. Qui-Gon Jinn vs. a pack of wolves. The voice of Aslan vs. a pack of wolves. No matter how you spin it, Liam Neeson is awesome, and he is perfect for a movie about fighting a pack of wolves. Joe Carnahan, of “Smoking Aces” and “The A-Team”, directs “The Grey” so the action scenes will probably be top-notch. Let’s hope that Carnahan mostly sits back, though, and lets Neeson do his thing. – Georgie Morvis

“Man on a Ledge” (January 27)
The titular “Man on a Ledge” is Sam Worthington (“Avatar”), who plays an ex-con standing on a ledge, contemplating suicide. But everything is not what it seems, and the whole thing might just be a cover-up for a major diamond heist. Elizabeth Banks (“30 Rock”) plays a crisis negotiator dragged into the mess, and Ed Harris (“The Hours”) is diamond magnate villain. There are sure to be twists and thrills a plenty in the first feature from director Asger Leth. – Georgie Morvis

“The Woman in Black” (February 3)
Daniel Radcliffe makes his return to the silver screen in “The Woman in Black.” Ironically, he attempts to avoid the curse of becoming too associated with one role by playing the main character in a horror movie. It looks to be a fairly typical haunted house movie, with an old mansion on the outskirts of town and all. The director, James Watkins, is relatively new but already has a couple horror/thriller titles under his belt. Hopefully Radcliffe will be able to pull off the role as he discovers the secrets hidden in the house. – Trevor Leuzinger

“The Vow” (February 10)
The trailer to new Nicholas Sparks adaptation “The Vow” is sort of brilliant. It ticks off all the emotional boxes first. Cute romantic couple, check. Unthinkable tragedy, check. Love triangle in which we will continue to cheer for the hero because the other guy is a gigantic douche, check. Uplifting Taylor Swift song, check. Academy Award-winner from an older generation in paycheck role, check (this time it’s Jessica Lange). But the best part is when they give the names of the two stars. It’s “From ‘The Notebook,’ Rachel McAdams” and “From ‘Dear John,’ Channing Tatum.” Middle-aged women and middle school girls everywhere, rejoice! You don’t even have to ask yourself where you remember the actor from, because they tell you exactly where. The marketing team behind “The Vow” really knows their stuff. Props. – Georgie Morvis

“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (February 17)
Who knows why they made another “Ghost Rider” movie? Actually, I do. It’s because Nicolas Cage has never said no to any movie role. So he’s back for “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.” He has two acclaimed foreign actors along for the ride, Ciaran Hinds (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) and Idris Elba (“The Wire”). I’m not sure why they’re in it, either. Hinds plays the Devil, though, so look for plenty of scenery chewing from him. We suggest watching “Nicolas Cage Losing His Sh*t” on YouTube instead. – Georgie Morvis

“This Means War” (February 17)
What do Chris Pine and Tom Hardy have in common? Apparently, Reese Witherspoon. In “This Means War,” Pine and Hardy play two spies and friends who find out they’re dating the same woman, Witherspoon. They decide together to respectfully go after her and let the best man win. But in the actcom (action comedy), their truce is obviously brushed aside and they use all their ninja-like powers to get the girl. Although she is usually at the center of every film she is in, Witherspoon appears to be less of a key player in this film. Chelsea Handler also plays Witherspoon’s friend in the film, which could be a sign that the movie may be funnier than it looks. – Alieza Schvimer

“The Lorax” (March 2)
To some extent, Dr. Seuss was a part of everyone’s childhood. And The Lorax has the added benefit of dealing with environmentalism, and environmentalism is in right now. But, in the minus column, think about previous Dr. Seuss movies. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was only popular because TV networks needed a new Christmas movie to play in December. No one bothered to see “The Cat in the Hat.” “Horton Hears a Who!” was decent, but not really memorable. Turning 20-page kids’ books into feature-length movies is not an easy proposition, and it’s hard to be optimistic about the result this time when we’re relying on the voice acting talents of the likes of Zac Efron and Taylor Swift. – Nora Long

“John Carter” (March 9)
“John Carter” stars Taylor Kitsch (“Friday Night Lights”) as the title character in Disney’s response to “Avatar” (although this film has been in the works for years). The movie follows the Civil War veteran John, who is transported to Mars to lead a war going on there. The director, Andrew Stanton, is on loan from Pixar in his first venture at directing a live-action movie. The story is based on a series by the author Edgar Rice Burroughs. The content seems like an odd choice for a Disney movie, so it will be interesting to see whether it reaches a similar level of success. – Trevor Leuzinger

“21 Jump Street” (March 16)
In this reimagining of Johnny Depp’s late ’80s undercover cop series, police officers Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill, also a co-writer for the film) must pose as high school students to break up a drug ring. Tatum and Hill’s buddy cop “bromance,” coupled with the usual high school movie shenanigans – parties, prom, annoying parents – give this film the potential to be entertaining, especially if Depp makes a cameo. The trailer is definitely worth a watch. – Jordan Weiner

“Mirror Mirror” (March 16)
“Mirror Mirror” reworks the Snow White fairytale in a very dark way. Julia Roberts, playing the Evil Queen, seeks to gain control of the kingdom and win the attention of the prince (Armie Hammer) away from Snow White (Lily Collins). She thus exiles Snow White to the forest where a hungry man-eating beast awaits. Rescued by seven highway robbers (the dwarves), Snow White is determined to regain her birthright. The costumes and set seem perfect to take viewers into this fantasy world. “Mirror Mirror” is poised to attract viewers of all ages and bring them into the live-action world of this beloved animated movie. – Jennifer Goldberger

“The Hunger Games” (March 23)
Though it’s hard to imagine how this film will ever stay within the boundaries of its inevitable PG-13 rating, “The Hunger Games” should prove to be quite the thriller. This film, based on the best selling Suzanne Collins YA novel, tells the tale of Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old who volunteers to fight to the death on national television to save her younger sister from the same fate. The novel weaves action, drama and romance together wonderfully, and the trailer basically promises that the movie will do the same. – Andie Hutner

“Wrath of the Titans” (March 30)
Sam Worthington returns as Perseus to lead a talented ensemble in this sequel to “Clash of the Titans.” Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort in “Harry Potter”), Bill Nighy (Davy Jones in “Pirates of the Caribbean”) and Rosamund Pike (ex-“Bond” girl) also feature in the cast. Most importantly, Liam Neeson also returns as Zeus, whose cry of “Release the Kraken!” became the most iconic part of the first movie. What quote from the sequel will become an Internet meme this time? We hope it is “Go go go Winged Pegasus!” – Georgie Morvis