The Dark Knight Rises 2012

"But it's July 20 that's the date all movie fans have tattooed onto the underside of their eyelids. That's when Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy concludes with The Dark Knight Rises, featuring Tom Hardy's Bane, Anne Hathaway's Catwoman, and of course returning stars Christian Bale, Gary Oldman et al. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's listed as policeman John Blake, Marion Cottillard's down as "Miranda Tate" – but as it's a Chris Nolan film that could be a cunning bluff to hide a deeper secret or the who"

The Avengers 2012

 

"At first glance, The Avengers (out April 27), seem to have their problems sewn up. The bad guys: Loki. The good guys: Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. No contest, right? Except that it isn't going to be quite that easy. From the trailer and stills we've seen so far, Nick Fury and his band of merry superheroes have a hell of a lot to deal with, from extraterrestrial invaders to, um, each other. Can director and screenwriter, Joss Whedon, balance all these egos a"

The Expendables 2 (2012)

"It's time to talk about The Expendables 2, so start puffing on a massive stogie and/or reassembling your assault shotgun collection. On August 17, Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger return to make your cinema's audio system beg for mercy. Plus, Chuck Norris is on board, as is JCVD and, er, Liam Hemsworth (don't remember him making action movies in the 80s) making this a must-watch for everyone with eyes, ears and a sincere love of wa"

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012

"But perhaps the biggest fantasy gun of all doesn't arrive until December 14. That's the day we finally get to go and see Peter Jackson's take on The Hobbit. The first of two movies, An Unexpected Journey sees Martin Freeman taking on the mantle of Bilbo Baggins as he joins a group of dwarves on a mission to recapture treasure from the terrible dragon Smaug. It's Jackson's return to Middle-earth, so there are few films more anticipated than this one (and 2013's There And Back Again, of course). S"

The Amazing Spider-Man 2012

"Next up to the plate in the summer blockbuster season is The Amazing Spider-Man on July 4. Leaving aside the matter of the short period of time since the first Spider-Man screen outing (2002) and the relative age disparity of its lead to the character her plays (28-year-old Andrew Garfield portraying high schooler Peter Parker), things are genuinely looking promising for Spidey's contentious reboot. After all, Garfield's intensely likeable – even in The Social Network – and the absurdly cute"

Skyfall 2012

"Of all the heavy-duty action movies – outside the comic book capers, at least – undoubtedly the most anticipated of 2012 is Bond 23, a.k.a. Skyfall, out October 26. Still shooting into early next year, Sam Mendes's take on the longest running film franchise around will see Daniel Craig paired up with more classically-trained actors than you can shake a poison-dart-firing pen at. And alongside Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes and Helen McCory there are two absurdly attractive new bond"

Men in Black III 2012

"Staying in outer space, May 25 sees the crash-landing of Men In Black III. While most of the talk to date has been dominated by rumours of script problems, production delays and the size of Will Smith's trailer, there's still lots here to get excited about. Along with Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as our titular heroes, the original creative team are also returning (Barry Sonnenfeld as director; Steven Spielberg as executive producer; Rick Baker with the crazy alien effects) and the plot brings some"

The Bourne Legacy 2012

"The fourth film in the Bourne franchise, and definitely the most controversial, The Bourne Legacy will get its chance to prove its worth, also on August 17. Many still feel that it's only Bourne if Matt Damon is in it, but after his amazing performance in the Oscar-winning Hurt Locker, as well as turns in other actioners like The Town, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and The Avengers, perhaps Jeremy Renner has the chops to prove the legions of naysayers wrong. Offering support is his love int"

G.I. Joe: Retaliation 2012

" Director: Jon Chu Cast: Channing Tatum, Ray Stevenson, Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki, Joseph Mazzello, Ray Park, Arnold Vosloo Plot: TBA Australian Release Date: TBA Cal's Thoughts:I'm looking forward to this because of the cast, because of the writers (they wrote Zombieland), and because I want this to be a good fun movie. I mean, the original G.I. Joe was kinda cool. And it ended on a cliffhanger. So yeah, colour me curious. And the trailer looks surprisingly good. But ap"

The Hunger Games 2012

" up is a film that aims to be the start of a new franchise: The Hunger Games, out on March 23. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss, a girl forced to enter the titular gladiatorial contest to save her little sister. But she is one of 24 teens who will enter the Games arena – and only one can leave. It's a post-apocalyptic story with more than a few hints of Battle Royale and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, but it should turn out more than that. The book on which it's based, by Suzanne Collins, is w"