Discussion on:

The first 25 geek movies of 2012

There are really only 3 movie seasons:

1) Pre-Summer Movie Season, which runs from New Year's Day through March.

2) Summer Movie Season, which officially begins the first weekend in May (but has grown to unofficially include April as the build-up for May) and officially ends with Labor Day weekend (but has unofficially grown to include the rest of September).

3) Holiday Movie Season, which begins in October, peaks with Thanksgiving releases and has one last bang for Christmas.

Oscar contenders flood the market during Holiday Season (also known as Awards Season) to capture voter attention right before the end of the year, but in time to make an impression before nominations are due in January. It's where all the "serious" films crop up alongside the kid-friendly stuff for family outings during the holidays.

Summer is popcorn and eye-candy season, where blockbusters roam free. Towards the end, failed blockbusters that cost millions but stink even by Hollywood standards get dumped, particularly in mid to late August, with the quirky "we don't know how to sell this" stuff popping up post-Labor Day (for parents celebrating the start of school) or pre-May (for weird stuff the studio hopes will catch audiences jonesin' for something to watch before the blockbusters start).

Pre-Summer is a bit of an anything-goes season, and usually the weakest, where risky big-budget experiments are tried free of direct summer competition (John Carter is this year's candidate) and a strange glut of horror films appear, both as an antidote to the family-friendly fare of the Holiday Season and to ensure that the subsequent six-months-hence DVD releases hit just in time for Halloween.

Pre-Summer is also Date Movie Season, both for Valentines Day and because (Cold Weather) + (Lack of Holidays) = (Great Time to Market Indoor Activities to Couples). Thus, Perfect Sense and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, where even geek movies get the rom-com/chick flick treatment.

I also find it interesting, but not encouraging, that Hunger Games was pinned into pre-summer. If it really is the new Twilight, I'd have thought we'd see it in June. It's possible the studio is hoping for a Spring Break breakout, which is not a bad attack plan for teen/tween demographic, but it doesn't bode well for expectations of mass audience appeal.

What's your take on the 2012 pre-summer season? Any must-see movies, or are you going to wait this one out until Summer?

That is a pretty good overall assessment. I have never heard of that "Hunger Game" book but the trailer looks interesting. The only one I don't agree on is "The Secret World of Arrietty" just because I don't like the look of anime and have never understood the appeal or attraction of anime. That said I still might catch it on cable if the reviews are good and the story sounds interesting.

...but there are some standouts in the genre, notably Akira.

I wasn't fond of scotch when I first tried the bad stuff.

I was a fan in the 70s of Battle for the Planets and Robotech.

I like Akira, and Ghosts in the Shell for some of the older stuff.

I started off in Miyazaki with Princess Mononoke, and my kids have seen every Miyazaki since. They will be more excited no doubt than I, I think Spirited Away was one everyone should see, but the subsequent films have been good, but not the same standard.

And he brought along his ten-year-old female protagonist, as expected. With his name on Arietty I don't expect it to be any less successful than anything else he's put his mind to. The man, IMHO, can do no wrong!

Anyone interested in taking their children to see some entertaining family fun should definitely see this movie!

This is the second time (that I know of) that you have not given the proper respect to the Underworld movie series. Great films, all of them. "Awakening" will be opening day for sure!

...but then, I'm an old-school 2nd Edition World of Darkness roleplayer, so I know the source material the franchise cribs from, and they don't do it much justice. I will say Kate Beckinsale is big improvement over Rhona Mitra.

I wonder how this will stack up to the live action version of "The Borrowers". I recall this was a two-parter with John Goodman as the 'heavy', and possibly from the BBC. In any case, I enjoyed it.

I'm a sucker for anything from Aardman. I own only two movies, and 'Chicken Run' is one of them. ('Good, Bad, Ugly' is the other.)

The Curse of the Were Rabbit is better than Chicken Run.....

The only one I'd go see is Arriety, and that only because it's a classic story, and Miyazaki is amazing. I typically hate anime, but I decided that I liked his stuff after seeing "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle"

Edited to Add: I forgot that I'm sort of looking forward to "John Carter" from Edgar Rice Burroughs series. It will either be horribly cheesy and a massive flop, or will be absolutely brilliant.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/

It's hard to take the list seriously without it - seriously. How could you miss it?

Could the absence of "The Hobbit", not to mention "World War Z", be due to these movies having December 2012 release dates, and this list being for the /first/ 25 geek movies of the year?

It's somewhat difficult to put it into a list of the First 25 geek movies...

Since filming doesn't finish until March, this movie will be released much later in the year. I'd guess summer at the earliest, but more likely a holiday release.

Since the list is for movies being released in the first quarter of the year, the Hobbit doesn't qualify. I'm sure it will show up in a future list.

Oops...you failed to read the intro. This list is only for the movies coming out in the first quarter. The Hobbit is not due out until November.

I am still going to see Phantom Menace. Yell at me, hate me, I do not care, I am going to waste my money. Deal with it

Here's to Lisbeth Salander, you may beat her and her mother but she will get even and be your best friend or worst enemy! Secure your electronic devices and information, dream on, Lisbeth will help you or make your life miserable, fast connection or slow. My heroine in Geekland, you Go! Lisbeth. Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a terrible omission Mr Geekdom!, with all due respect!
Errol Tyrone Olson

and I love the rating system.

I will be awaiting KoB with baited breath! The others? Not so much.
http://knightsofbadassdom.com/

The list is great and I express my heartiest gratitude for compiling it. But as far as I remember last year tech republic published the list for the complete year of 2011. Was very helpful in keeping tabs on my fav movies!

Please do let us know if you are planning for movie lists for the rest of the year!

http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-363017-3554511

Can't delete my comment.... Never mind.