"The Avengers" in theaters May 4 (MARVEL)

Full disclosure, I’ve already seen this film. But after seeing it, I have been waiting for the release of this quirky movie. “The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best,” written by, directed by and starring up-and-comer Ryan O’Nan (“The Dry Land,” “The Unusuals”) is a unique mix of comedy and drama. The film follows singer-songwriter Alex (O’Nan) and newfound friend Jim, played by Michael Weston (“Garden State”) as they journey west to find themselves. Although the plot itself sounds overdone, “Brooklyn Brothers” is both exciting and offbeat with the soundtrack to match.                       

9. “Ruby Sparks” (July, 2012)           

The trailer for “Ruby Sparks,” a film where Paul Dano writes up a dream girl, who ends up becoming real, looks imaginative and whimsical. The film, directed by the Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (“Little Miss Sunshine”) has a great cast that fits the “indie” quality of the film. Representatives from “It’s Complicated,” “Arrested Development,” “The Kids are All Right” and even “True Blood” come together in what will hopefully be a harmonious fashion. It will be interesting to see what happens, as the trailer leaves out most of the plot.                       

8. “To Rome with Love” (June, 2012) 

Yes, it’s another Woody Allen movie where a great combination of Hollywood’s oddest and most popular actors find love in a foreign city. But there are two reasons why I find Allen’s newest film to be intriguing. One, unlike “Midnight in Paris,” this film seems to follow a lot of eclectic characters and doesn’t just focus on one man or woman’s struggle to find themselves in a foreign city. The trailer has a lot going on, and I think it will be interesting to watch so many stories unravel. Two, Allen is back on camera. It’s been six years since we saw Allen play eclectic magician Sid Waterman in “Scoop,” which is the longest Allen has been off-screen since his first acting role in 1965.                       

7. “The Avengers” (May, 2012) 

Although I’m admittedly a lot more excited for a possible sequel to “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers” looks amazing. Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), who is no stranger to the paranormal or hero figure, is known for pushing boundaries of traditional genres and stereotypes. However, with this big almost-summer blockbuster with a star-studded cast (Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson), it will be interesting to see what liberties Whedon took with both the directing and writing.                      

6. “Skyfall” (November, 2012)

After the news broke that Daniel Craig would be exchanging his martini, shaken not stirred for a Heineken, my desire to see the newest Bond film lessened. However, as this is the last film stemming from the storyline started in “Casino Royale,” I have no choice but to see what director Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”) has in store for the series. To join Craig and Dame Judy Dench, will be Javier Bardem (“Biutiful”) and Ralph Fiennes (“The Reader”). Let’s hope that Mendes’ vision for “Skyfall” follows with the same dark, gritty Bond films that Craig has done previously.                       

5. “Moonrise Kingdom” (May, 2012) 

Wes Anderson returns with his second film to be co-written by Roman Coppola (“The Darjeeling Limited”). Along with his favorite actors to use in films (Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman), Anderson has gotten Bruce Willis (“Die Hard”), Edward Norton (“American History X”), Tilda Swinton (“Burn After Reading”), Frances McDormand (“Almost Famous”) and Harvey Keitel (“Reservoir Dogs”) to act in the film. All of these stars will be members of a search party following a boy and a girl, who fall and love and then leave their 1960s New England town.

4. “Liberal Arts” (September, 2012)

Although the film stars Zac Efron “The Lucky One,” Joshua Radnor’s first film that he directed, wrote and starred in (“HappyThankYouMorePlease”) has left me wanting to see his sophomore effort at filmmaking. Equally as exciting is the fact that Radnor’s love interests are Elizabeth Olsen (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”) and Allison Janney (“Juno”). The film, which screened at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, follows Jesse (Radnor) in a trip back to his college where he falls for a current college student (Olsen), who has read and enjoyed “Twilight” without a hint of irony.                       

3. “Looper” (September, 2012) 

Despite a lack of monetary success for his second film, “The Brothers Bloom,” University of Southern California film school alumn Rian Johnson is back with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Inception”) with “Looper.” Gordon-Levitt plays a hitman from the year 2042 that assassinates people for a mob, who are sent back from year 2072. One day Gordon-Levitt is faced with the task of killing his future self (played by Bruce Willis). Johnson’s newest film, which also stars Emily Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada”), looks to have a lot more action than his previous films, and it seems that it already is growing to be more popular now that Gordon-Levitt and Johnson have both received more fame. If you haven’t seen Johnson’s first film, “Brick” (also starring JGL), please go rent it.

2. “Safety Not Guaranteed” (June, 2012) 

Dead-pan actress and comedienne Aubrey Plaza (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) seems to take on a more serious role with “Safety Not Guaranteed.” The film, based on an ad-turned-Internet-meme, was a Sundance favorite. It is the first feature film for both the director (Colin Trevorrow) and writer (Derek Connolly). “Safety” is about three journalists who investigate the writer of a wanted ad from a man who needs someone to go back in time with him. The film also stars Jake M. Johnson (“New Girl”) and Karan Soni, in his first feature film.                    

1. “The Dark Knight Rises” (July, 2012)

Despite my disappointment for the casting decision of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Christopher Nolan’s (“Memento”) “Dark Knight Rises” is still number one on my list of upcoming films to see. Christopher Nolan, who wrote the film along with brother, Jonathan Nolan, and David S. Goyer (both of whom worked on “The Dark Knight”), has received notoriety as a director for most of his films, so it will be interesting to see if he can top his previous projects. To join the cast from the prequel (Christian Bale, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman) will be Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Mysterious Skin”), Tom Hardy (“Warrior”), Marion Cotillard (“Nine”) and Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List”). Nolan has worked with a majority of the cast on past projects (three were used in “Inception”), so it could be hard for Nolan to differentiate this film from his other blockbusters. Anne, I’m giving you a chance as Catwoman (the trailers looked good). Please don’t blow it!                    

Honorable Mention:

“Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012)

Even though Kristen Stewart (“Adventureland”) is too awkward for my taste, this film looks worth a watch. Charlize Theron (“The Italian Job”) makes an incredible evil queen.                     

“The Evil Dead” (2013)

Since there are no trailers out, I can only hope that writer Diablo Cody “Juno” will add her quirky style that made her famous to this remake. Her work on “Jennifer’s Body” showed her skills in the horror genre, even though her jokes were often lost on those who actually saw it. It will also be interesting to see how she does as a first-time director in her 2013 untitled project. “The Great Gatsby” (2012)

Baz Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge”) directs another classic-book-turned-film. Let’s see if his work on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is as warped as his direction of “Romeo + Juliet.” I’m glad Di Caprio (“Catch Me if You Can”) is back. Love the casting of Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) as Daisy.

Reach writer Lindsay Berg here