It’s going to be a good year for movies.

If you’ve read any of my previous blogs and columns, I’m sure you know I’m a bit of an enthusiast. It’s been a tradition in my family since I can remember and movies have always been my escape and my comfort during bad times.

Well, that and books. And that is exactly why I’m excited about this year in movies.

Last year, “The Rum Diary” finally came to theatres after years of being “in the works” and I was fit to be tied when the end result, after so long waiting eagerly for the adaptation, was completely and utterly unsatisfactory.

I love “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” The movie was exactly what I pictured while reading the book even if a few things had been changed, and I still pop it in every now and then, especially if someone mentions they have never had the pleasure.

“The Rum Diary,” on the other hand, was a mockery of its epic inspiration. I really felt that it tried too hard to be another “Fear and Loathing” and anyone who’s read the book knows that it has a completely different feel. Not to mention Depp completely wrote out one of the main characters and some of the most memorable scenes.

Now, there are three books that I have read more times than I can count: “The Rum Diary,” “On the Road,” and “The Great Gatsby.”

In 2012, I will have the opportunity to see the two on that list on the big screen.

First, there’s “On the Road.” Jack Kerouac wrote this book in three weeks almost immediately following the adventures represented in its pages, so it’s not surprising no one has jumped at trying to adapt it for audiences. It’s bawdy, belligerent and quite often falls into pure train of thought.

However, the themes present in the book - the search for “it,” the crazed youth seeking adventure, love and friendship and the disillusionment that often follows - are making a comeback in this day and age when everyone’s trying to figure out what defines us.

I think I can even look past Kristen Stewart as Marylou, primarily because I think it will be easier for her to play a drug-addled, ahem, promiscuous woman than the innocent teen she’s been trying to force for the last four years.

More importantly, if you haven’t seen the preview for “The Great Gatsby,” stop reading this for a minute and jump on a computer: it’s amazing.

I’ve always appreciated Baz Lurhmann’s work ( “Moulin Rouge” is in my top five movies of all time) and I’m interested to see what he’ll do with this next endeavour. He’s already adapted one piece of writing - “Romeo + Juliet” ) in which he presented a modern interpretation while using the original dialogue.

With “The Great Gatsby,” he has an entirely different challenge, and already critics have jumped at the chance to ridicule the preview.