The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - Animated Short Film.

The Fantastic Fly Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

This winner of the Academy Awards' Best Animated Short Film is well deserving of it. And two quotes from it stuck out to me:

“The many varied points of views I have encountered do not confuse, but enrich.”

“If life is enjoyable does it have to make sense?”

This remarkable animated short film is a reminder to us all that we should not only enjoy our lives, but also to take advantage of the vast amount of information out there waiting for us to explore.

15 Films I Look Forward to in 2012

1. The Hunger Games
Directed by Gary Ross
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth

Based on the highly addictive action-packed novel series, Jennifer Lawrence ("X-Men: First Class") brings the fierce main character of Katniss Everdeen to life in this feature film adaptation.



2. Snow White and the Huntsman
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth

Only one word comes to mind when describing this twisted take on the classic Snow White fairy tale: badass.. Kristen Stewart plays the princess who is being hunted down by a huntsman(Chris Hemsworth, "Thor") who was appointed to do so by the Evil Queen, played so perfectly by Charlie Theron.



3. The Avengers
Directed by Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlet Johansson, Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo

It's every comic book nerd's dream, assembling Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America together for this team of superheroes. Whether or not this film will actually deliver in plot has yet to be determined. But one thing that's for certain is that this plenty of epic superhero showdowns that will have you geeking out in the movie theatres.



4. The Amazing Spider-Man
Directed by Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone

It was not long ago when Sam Raimi wrapped up neatly his Spider-Man Trilogy. Now, 500 Days of Summer's Marc Webb takes on the iconic web-sling hero, this time with The Social Network's Andrew Garfield, who seems to have waited for this role for a lifetime.



5. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Dominic Cooper

Based on the novel whose author has also spawned books such as "Pride and Prejudice with Zombies", this film gives a new take to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, adding blood-sucking vampires into the mix. Broadway actor Benjamin Walker ("Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson") stars as the president, driven by his mother's death at the hands of vampires, kills vampires on his path to become the U.S. President.



6. Brave
Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Starring: Kelly MacDonald

After a lackluster sequel of Cars 2 last summer, Pixar Animations returns with its first ever female lead character, a Princess who defies the rules of her kingdom to make her own path for her life.



7. The Dark Knight Rises
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway

The final chapter in Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy is being hyped up as one of the biggest films of the year. Word has it that some of the midnight showings are sold out already. Here's to hoping that this carbon copy cast of Inception will deliver just like the previous installment did.



8. Django Unchained
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio

Tarantino directs this western about a slave-turned-bounty hunter, who with the help of his mentor, sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. Little much else is known about this film but the plot already has me intrigued.



9. The Gangster Squad
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone

If the stellar cast didn't have me hooked already, then I don't know what else will. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone reunite to join Sean Penn in this crime drama set in Los Angeles in the 1940's about the LAPD trying to fight back gang leader Micky Cohen(Penn) who tries to bring his East Coast Mafia to the West Coast.



10. Skyfall
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem

The 23rd Bond film brings Daniel Craig back as the suave and sexy agent, this time facing off against a villain portrayed by Javier Bardem. This film is set to be more emotionally and character driven, but hopefully there will still be plenty of the usual Bond girls and combat action....which is how every Bond film should be.



11. Anna Karenina
Directed by Joe Wright
Starring: Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Aaron Johnson

After lackluster stints with Hanna and The Soloist, Joe Wright returns to direct the kind of period dramas that he is critically applauded for. In this adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel, Keira Knightley stars as the title character, a woman trapped in a loveless marriage who soon finds herself only being caught up in an even more complicated relationship.



12. The Great Gatsby
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Toby Maguire and Carey Mulligan

The classic novel about social class, romance and the American Dream during the 1920's gets a 3-D makeover as DiCaprio will take on the lead role of Jay Gatsby himself. After the recently remarkable and critically praised use of 3-D in Scorsese's film Hugo, let's hope that the 3-D used in this film will enhance and not disrupt this beautiful tale.



13. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen

And just when you thought you'd never see that darn ring again after Frodo got rid of it in The Return of the King, it makes a return in Peter Jackson's two-part adaptation of The Lord of the Rings prequel. The first official trailer proved that this film will boast a lighter tone than the Rings trilogy, but nonetheless I'll take any sort of return to Middle Earth that we can get. And you can also count me in as ecstatic for the return of Ian McKellen as Gandalf.




14. Savages
Directed by Oliver Stone
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson and Blake Lively

Based on the novel about two successful marijuana growers, Ben(Johnson) and Chon(Kitsch), who attract the attention of the Mexican drug cartel. After the drug cartel kidnaps their shared girlfriend(Lively), the two friends must devise a plan to rescue her. You know why I am excited for this film. Gossip Girl's Blake Lively is in it. Need I say more?

15. Les Miserables
Directed by Tom Hooper
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, and Aaron Tveit

Possibly one of the best musicals of all time, Tom Hooper takes on Victor Hugo's classic tale about redemption set in 19th century France. It's the first version of Les Mis told with the songs from the Broadway hit in tact, and I cannot think of anyone better than Hugh Jackman to play the lead role of Jean Valjean. Besides Jackman however, the rest of the cast has me screaming in excitement as well. British rising star Eddie Redmayne and Broadway heartthrob Aaron Tveit also star, along with Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen who are perfectly casted as the money-hungry Thénardiers. Oscar potential? I sure think so.