Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” is a love story full of tragedy, betrayal, and dark, brooding passion, set against a backdrop of a moody Yorkshire moor. Director Andrea Arnold brings to us the newest adaptation of the novel, giving intensity to the story with raw cinematography and an edgy cast—Kaya Scodelario, of “Skins” fame, plays Catherine Earnshaw, and newcomer James Howson takes on Heathcliff.

Release Date: October 5, 2012

Taken 2

The chilling French film “Taken” (2008) found protagonist Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), a former CIA operative, saving his daughter from a kidnapping during a trip to Paris. In “Taken 2,” Mills’s ex-wife Lenore is abducted—surprise!—by a gang whose ringleader Mills had murdered. Neeson once again plays the cunning savior to keep the ones he loves safe in what looks to be a high-stakes, heart-racing action flick.

Release Date: October 5, 2012

Pitch Perfect

Few things are more quintessentially collegiate then a cappella groups, but any ensemble of aspiring stars is bound to have its drama. In “Pitch Perfect,” Beca (Anna Kendrick) joins an all-female group still struggling after a disastrous show the previous year. Though they insist on sticking to tradition—old songs and tired routines—Beca, an aspiring music producer, is determined to shake things up. However, their rivals aren’t looking to give up their title any time soon, and their new member and Beca’s co-worker Jesse (Skylar Astin) won’t leave her alone. From previews alone, though, Rebel Wilson, of “Bridesmaids” and “Bachelorette” fame, is primed to steal the show.

Release Date: October 5, 2012

Argo
During the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, six Americans escaped, finding shelter in a Canadian ambassador’s house. In order to get them out of the country, the United States government convinced the Iranian government that the hostages were scouting crewmembers for an in-progress film titled “Argo.” Joshuah Bearman’s 2007 Wired Magazine article “How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran” has been adapted as a “based on a true story” script, so some creative license has been taken. But “Argo” looks to be a thoughtful political action drama, and the story it tells is undeniably affecting.

Release Date: October 12, 2012

Seven Psychopaths
Some of the best and strangest character actors alive enter Hollywood’s underworld in writer/director Martin McDonagh’s “Seven Psychopaths.” Colin Farrell, who previously worked with McDonagh on “In Bruges” stars as Marty, a struggling screenwriter whose best friend Billy (Sam Rockwell), along with Hans (Christopher Walken), kidnap local dogs in order to collect the reward money. But then the shih tzu hits the fan when Billy and Hans kidnap mobster Charlie’s (Woody Harrelson) beloved pet dog. Raunchy and weird, the comedy has already won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

Release Date: October 12, 2012.

Cloud Atlas

Based on David Mitchell’s novel of the same name, this movie weaves threads through human history. Six souls, centuries apart, read the stories of those who came before. The movie aims to show how “the actions and consequences of our lives impact one another throughout the past, present, and future,” according to its official synopsis. The film has already come under fire for its use of “yellow-face” in portraying a futuristic Korean society; rather than cast Korean actors, the film chose to use makeup and prosthetics on the stars. However, it was screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival to a standing ovation, promising, if nothing else, a provocative show.

Release Date: October 16, 2012

Paranormal Activity 4
The “Paranormal” series is back! B-movie fans unite! “Paranormal Activity 4” will be the fourth movie documenting the strange and frightening events that occur in the home of a young couple. This installation takes place five years after “Paranormal Activity 2” (the third movie was a prequel), and will focus on the neighbors of the protagonists. The franchise took off due to its found-footage style, selling itself as the couple’s home movie. “Paranormal Activity 4” will continue the trend, delivering similarly, eerily familiar scares. As the tagline on the website says, “It’s closer than you think…”

Release Date: October 19, 2012

Fun Size
This Halloween, treat yourself to a night of chuckles, rather than Chucky, at a showing of ”Fun Size.” Setting itself apart from the usual hack-and-slash fare, “Fun Size” is a comedy about sarcastic teen Wren’s (Victoria Justice) attempts to attend a Halloween party hosted by her crush. When her mother foists her younger brother onto her, Wren decides to go anyway, but loses him in the shuffle. And of course, it wouldn’t be a teen movie without the classic struggle to fix everything before the parents find out.

Release Date: October 26, 2012

Skyfall
Daniel Craig returns as the iconic superspy in the latest James Bond film. Following 2008′s “Quantum of Solace,” this adventure—marking the series’s 50-year anniversary—stars Javier Bardem as the mysterious villain Bond pursues after an attack on MI6. Here, everyone’s favorite spy searches the globe, visiting China, Turkey, and Japan in his endless search to rid the world of evil while wearing a custom-made tux. Also joining the Bond crew is Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, who has worked with Craig in the past. For die-hard fans of Bond, or even of espionage flicks in general, this is the season’s must-see.

Release Date: November 9, 2012

Breaking Dawn – Part 2
It’s been a long journey, but after five films in five years, the “Twilight” Saga comes to a close, with “Breaking Dawn – Part Two” marking the end of an era for “Twi-hards.” This finale focuses on newly created vampire Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who is forced to protect her newborn daughter from the bloodthirsty Volturi clan. While the series itself has provoked extreme reaction from all areas of the spectrum, the popularity of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) cannot be denied. With many fans thirsty for its release, opening weekend will be a packed event.

Release Date: November 16, 2012

Lincoln
Take director Steven Spielberg, Daniel Day Lewis, who might as well wear Academy Award-scented cologne, and historical biopic script written by Tony Kushner, award-winning writer of “Angels in America” and “Munich,” and what do you get?  Can someone say “Oscar bait”? Yet with all the talent involved, even if this shapes up to be a straight statue-grab, it’ll be a quality one. An American historical epic is a rare beast, and the names alone hint at a good fate for this one.

Release Date: November 16, 2012

Anna Karenina
If there’s one thing director Joe Wright does well, it’s adapting classic novels for the screen—both his “Pride and Prejudice” (2005) and “Atonement” (2007) won multiple awards. Now, he takes on Leo Tolstoy’s Russian mammoth novel of the same name. Interweaving the lives of several families at the end of the Russian Empire, “Anna Karenina” promises to show how “every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” as the famous opening line reads. Keira Knightley plays the titular heroine in her 12th period role, a career that includes two previous turns with Wright, in “Pride and Prejudice” and “Atonement.”

Release Date: November 16, 2012

Les Misérables

“Les Misérables,” the newest adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name, tells the story of 19th-century paroled prisoner Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who lives in France while trying to raise his adopted daughter Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and evade a vengeful and honor-obsessed police officer named Javert (Russell Crowe). Fantine, Cosette’s unwed mother, is played by Anne Hathaway, and both she and Seyfried will likely bring the necessary innocence and youth to their characters. Though director Tom Hooper doesn’t stray far from the source, each actor brings their own brand of intensity to their role.

Release Date: December 14, 2012

The Hobbit

A prequel to director Peter Jackson’s beloved “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is only the first part in a new duo of films based on “The Hobbit,” J.R.R. Tolkien’s first book. Martin Freeman, of “Sherlock” fame, will play the titular halfling Bilbo Baggins, and Ian McKellen returns to play the wizard Gandalf. If this can match the sweeping fantasy of the main trilogy, then any fantasy fan worth their weight in trivia should check this out.

Release Date: December 14, 2012

Amour
After winning the Palm D’Or at Cannes in 2009, Austrian director Michael Haneke is back with another depressing award-winner. As the title suggests, Haneke sets his camera’s eye on love, bringing to the screen the story of an elderly couple forced to deal with death. Haneke’s films are nothing if not philosophical and subversive, so expect to brood over and contemplate life’s banalities after viewing this surely worthwhile piece of European arthouse film.

Release Date: December 19, 2012

On the Road
An adaption of Jack Kerouac’s classic tale, “On the Road” is based on his four cross-country trips that defined the Beat Generation. The film stars Sam Riley as Sal Paradise (Kerouac’s alter-ego), Garrett Hedlund (“Friday Night Lights,” “Tron: Legacy”) as Dean Moriarty, and Kristen Stewart (“The Twilight Saga”) as Marylou. While the visual imagery will attempt to capture “American Beauty” of the 1950’s, the prevailing factor in this film will be Hedlund’s portrayal of Dean. If he can capture the novel Dean’s raw energy and passion, the film will live up to the novel’s grand expectations.

Release Date: December 21, 2012

Django Unchained

For his eighth feature-length film, Quentin Tarantino brings his considerable talents to previously uncharted territory: where the Wild West meets the Deep South. Christopher Waltz, who won an Oscar for his role in Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” plays bounty hunter Dr. King Schulz, a talented and charming killer who partners up with Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave he frees, to track down the Brittle Brothers gang. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tarantino veteran Samuel L. Jackson also guest-star in this long-awaited film.

Release Date: December 25, 2012