2012 – The Geekly Fast Forward (Part 1)

Happy New Year!  Okay, so it’s a few days past New Year’s, but really, we’re only about 1% of the way through the year; that’s not too much time to have passed.  This year is shaping up to be another banner year for geekly stuff, but it’s hard to keep it all straight.  So that’s where ASM comes in — to continue making it hard to make sense of it all.  This list is not all-encompassing, nor do I make any claims as to its accuracy.  Consider it just some ruminations on the year ahead.

Let’s dive in!  This first part will cover January through June.  Part 2 will cover the rest of the year.

JANUARY

January 13 – Beauty and the Beast reappears in theaters in 3-D.  Good movie, not worth the extra cash for the 3-D experience.

January 16 – “Alcatraz” premieres on FOX.  It’s a JJ Abrams show, it’s got Hurley, it’s an island, it’s time travel… it’ll probably be cancelled cause it’s on FOX.

January 20 – Red Tails, a movie that many hope will redeem George Lucas for the Star Wars prequels.  I have my doubts, simply because The Phantom Menace returns to theaters in February, reminding people of the suckage.

January 25 – Kiefer Sutherland’s new FOX show “Touch” airs a special preview.  I probably won’t be the only one shouting at the screen wanting Jack Bauer to shoot someone in the thigh.

FEBRUARY

February 10 – Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace returns to theaters in 3D. Oh, God, oh, God, why?  I’d rather watch the Rifftrax version… hey, maybe I’ll go to the theater with my iPod!… but then I’d still be paying money to see the movie.

February 11 – Toy Fair starts!  My sleep level decreases as the carpal tunnel symptoms increase.  ALL FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT.  I do it because I love.

February 20 – Ghost Rider: Spirits of Vengeance is in theaters.  I have no desire to see this, but you might.

Also in February, “Transformers Prime” returns to The Hub.  I suppose I need to finish watching the first season by then.  Also, I expect the toys to finally hit shelves in great numbers.  Seems odd that it took a year for that to happen….

MARCH

March 9 – John Carter shows up in theaters.  As the first live-action Pixar movie, I’m intrigued.

March 29 – “Touch” premieres even though we already saw it back in January.  Jack Bauer wouldn’t stand for this scheduling weirdness without killing at least three people with his television remote.

March 23 – The Hunger Games premieres.  I just finished reading the book, and I enjoyed it.  It was a quick read but full of action, so the movie shouldn’t have too many dull points.  Hope it’s a good adaptation.

In toy news, we’re supposed to get action figures and other accessories based on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” from Dark Horse Direct.  It’s going to be hard to not buy everything they have.  Let’s hope for some awesome figures and toys.

APRIL

April 5 – If NBC doesn’t have “Community” back on the schedule, there will be much anger.

April 6 – Can American Reunion regain the luster (such as it was) of the original American Pie?  Or is it another sign of Hollywood’s fatigue?

Also, Titanic returns in 3-D.  Come see the most expensive movie made that’s now historically inaccurate!  And yes, feel free to laugh at the guy who hits the propeller on the way down.

April 13-15 – C2E2 2012 returns to McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.  ASM will be there; say hi if you see us!

April 26-29 – BotCon 2012 takes place in Dallas, TX!  Wonder what new stuff we’ll find out.

In addition, no start date has been given, but “Game of Thrones” starts season 2.  This is the reason to get HBO.  Fantastic story, fantastic casting, fantastic directing, fantastic locales — it’s the best show on TV.

MAY

May 4 – Ah, finally we get to the meat of the geek world.  The Avengers premieres, and if I’m not there opening night, it’s because I’m dead.

May 18 – Battleship opens in theatershahahahahahaha.  Oh, God, you would think this was a joke, wouldn’t you?

May 25 – Men in Black 3.  I’m cautiously optimistic.  I still love the first movie, and I’m willing to go back to see more of Agents J and K.  Especially Josh Brolin’s take.

JUNE

June 8 – Prometheus, the non-Alien Alien prequel.  Or is it the Alien/not-Alien prequel? Whatever.  The trailer looked pretty cool, so this hopefully will pan out for sci-fi lovers.

June 22 – A two-fer special today, as both Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pixar’s Brave premiere.  The latter I want to see because it looks absolutely gorgeous, and Pixar’s track record is pretty dang solid.  The former… well, come on.  Abe Lincoln kills vampires.  It might even be good, as opposed to so-bad-it’s-good.

June 29 – G.I. Joe: Retaliation hits the theaters.  I didn’t see the first movie after being warned not to by so many of my friends.  But I became optimistic about this movie after looking at the trailer, and so did a few of my friends who hated the first movie.  Dare I hope that this movie won’t suck?

In the TV world, it’s Summer.  Probably not much worth watching save “True Blood”, although many hope that that show finds its legs again after a somewhat up-and-down season.

And if “Community” is still playing new episodes in June, it’s because NBC is burning off the episodes and won’t renew it.  Speaking of burning, if this happens, get the torches ready.

Later this week – Part 2, covering the rest of 2012!