This is the type of thing you have to get out of the way quickly, otherwise half the films you want to mention have already come and gone. I could have possibly put GANGSTER SQUAD on this list at the beginning of the year, but I guess that's one time where waiting a bit to put your list out helps. That being said, WOO 2013! This year looks like it's going to be packed with awesome movies! Granted, every year looks like that in January. So, let's list out these bad boys before 2013 starts proving me wrong! Yeah! MOVIES!
Bonus) NYMPHOMANIAC: Just a qualification to this. I hate Lars von Trier’s movies. He makes generally horrific films that will more than likely either completely unnerve you or simply just gross you out. However, while they don't do much for me and while I don't think they're necessarily good films, he does make incredibly personal movies that reflect his deep psychological pains and struggles. As such, although he doesn’t necessarily make good movies, he makes some of the most interesting pieces of cinema today. NYMPHOMANIAC (as if the title wasn’t a hint) will be no exception. It stars Charlotte Gainsbourg as Joe, a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, who is found by Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård) beaten in an alley. Seligman takes her home to care for her, and Joe recounts the story of her life, from birth to the age of 50. It also stars Shia LaBeouf and is controversial for its reported use of unsimulated sex. It’s not going to be pretty or popular, but if you’re interested in cinema whatsoever, Lars von Trier’s films can’t be missed because of how much they continue to push the envelope on what you can and can’t do.
13.) STOKER: Jesus, look at Nicole Kidman's face!! In all seriousness, STOKER is particularly interesting because it is the first English language film by Korean director Park Chan-wook (THE VENGEANCE TRILOGY). And apart from hopefully being a platform for a more widespread acknowledgement of some amazing Asian filmmakers, the film seems incredibly interesting. After her father dies, an enigmatic uncle (Matthew Goode) moves in with a girl, India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska), and her emotionally unstable mother (Nicole Kidman). Although India has suspicions about her uncle’s motives, she finds herself drawn to him. Apart from the amazing cast, the trailer makes the film seem like a strange mix of horror, family drama, and psychological thriller. It seems almost Hitchcockian and even the smallest glimpses of the film are magnetizing.
12.) PACIFIC RIM: BRHAMMMMMMMMMM!!!! PACIFIC RIM is just the latest entry into the newest sound trend for big, Hollywood action movies. However, this time it's about giant robots fighting giant sea-creature, monstery, CLOVERFIELD, Kaiju Big Battel things! And it's directed by Guillermo del Toro, one of the most visually talented filmmakers working today! In all (well, semi) seriousness, the film is about giant monsters that rise out of a crevice/portal to another dimension deep in the Pacific Ocean and start terrorizing literally everything. And instead of lying down and dying, the humans create these massive robots called Jaegers to essentialy battle the giant sea creatures and CANCEL THE APOCALYPSE!!! This film isn't due out until around mid-July but the trailers are already getting tons of play in theaters and on TV and while I really doubt this will be an amazing film thematically or performance-wise, I do anticipate it will be non-stop, big-budget action hopefully filled with mesmerizing visuals by del Toro and some awesome B-movie fun.
11.) SIDE EFFECTS: It seems like Steven Soderbergh makes a new movie every year (sometimes two). That being said, all of his films are unique while still holding onto his hard to define genre style. “Side Effects” chronicles the perils of prescription drug abuse as Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) begins to experiment as she waits for her husband’s (Channing Tatum) release from jail. Riding a fantastic string of films including HAYWIRE, CONTAGION, and MAGIC MIKE, Soderbergh will undoubtedly create a psychological thriller that will use and subvert genre conventions in order to delve into the dark depths of addiction in a way that could be cold and surgical or deep and personal. Regardless, it will be incredibly gripping. And with his retirement looming after the completion of this and his Liberace biopic, BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, you can bet that Soderbergh will be pulling out all the stops.
10.) TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE: Experimental
artist, Steve McQueen is sort of like Lars von Trier in the way he pushes the
boundaries of cinema. His last two films, HUNGER and SHAME, both employ experimental
camera techniques and shots in order to a produce a raw and unique look at the human
condition. Like the films of Lars von Trier, they also do not skimp on
graphically depicting the horrific acts perpetrated within their frames;
whether it be the ravages of hunger and both physical and emotional abuse, or
the often violent and disturbing actions of a sex addict. 12 YEARS A SLAVE,
which tells the true story of Solomon Northrup, a New York state citizen who is
kidnapped and sold into brutal slavery, and made to work on a plantation in
Louisiana in the 1800s as he desperately struggles to return home to his
family, promises to continue McQueen’s streak of telling and harsh depictions
of human nature. It’s not easy cinema, but it’s the type of cinema that really make you question our actions and who we were, are, and will be as people. And with an all-star cast including Brad Pitt,
Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Paul Giamatti it should be
fantastic.
9.) THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES: The newest film from BLUE VALENTINE director, Derek
Cianfrance, THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is
the
multi-generational story about motorcycle stunt rider, Luke Glanton (Ryan
Gosling), who considers committing a crime in order to provide for his newborn
child, an act that puts him on a collision course with a cop-turned-politician,
Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper). We already know from BLUE VALENTINE that
Cianfrance knows how to do human emotion right. Likewise, I will be very
intrigued to see what he does with father-son relationships and the hefty
themes that go along with them. Also starring Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta, and Dane
Dehaan, THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES has a strangely similar feel to
another Gosling movie (and my favorite film of 2011), DRIVE which could be a
very good sign.
8.) IRON MAN 3: Whatever you feel about writer/director Shane Black (I have mixed emotions, myself), it's clear from LETHAL WEAPON and KISS KISS BANG BANG that he knows how to expertly balance humor with often times dark and depressing subject matter. Given this fact, I am excited to see what he does with the latest installment of the IRON MAN franchise, in which Tony Stark faces a powerful enemy, The Mandarin, when he embarks a quest to find those responsible for destroying his private world. If the trailer and synopsis are any indication, this will be a notably darker and most intense Tony Stark than we have seen in the past. Supposedly playing close to many aspects of the character found in the comics, and could chronicle Stark's problems with alcoholism (a problem Robery Downey Jr. has faced in real life) and/or some of the existential issues of the character. Regardless, it will be exciting to see what mood IRON MAN 3 (the first film since the crossover) will take and what direction THE AVENGERS franchise will consequently move in. I'm am also really looking forward to Downey Jr. and Black teaming up again and for RDJ to have the spotlight to himself again (not that I don't like the other guys, they're also amazing), with another opportunity to really show that he is one of the finest actors working today.
7.) UPSTREAM COLOR: This is probably the smallest of all these films. The sophomore effort by Shane Carruth (after his amazing debut, PRIMER, which is on Netflix and is the closest thing to “correct” time travel that there is in film), UPSTREAM COLOR might have the vaguest synopsis I've ever read. To quote, “A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism.” I don’t know what that means, but it sounds awesome. And the trailer is utterly encapsulating. I've literally seen it 15 times and still don’t know exactly what’s going on. A former software engineer, Carruth makes some of most intelligent and consequently hard to wrap your head around films today. But because of this, they are also some of the most rewarding. I don’t know when or where this will be released, but in the mean time please check out PRIMER. It’s amazing and even though you probably won’t completely understand it right away, I guarantee you'll want to see it again. Along with everything Carruth comes out with subsequently.
6.) MAN OF STEEL: It's the superhero version of TREE OF LIFE! Like the "BRHAMMMMMMMM!!!!!" trend I spoke of earlier, Hollywood also seems to get off on making their movies seem super-artsy and mysterious -- not divulging much if any of the story and leaving the audience with an overwhelming sensation of, "...Huh?" And while this style often leaves me feeling cold and scoffing at it's pretentiousness, something seems different about MAN OF STEEL. Is it that Christopher Nolan is producing or the Zack Snyder (WATCHMEN, 300) is directing? Is it the amazing cast including Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane? Maybe. However, I think it's the fact that it just looks so different from any other superhero movie I've seen. Sure THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy was "gritty and real" (and it was awesome), but it still doesn't seem like MAN OF STEEL has many comparisons. It seems like something completely new and refreshing (again, maybe that's just me). And no matter how it turns out, you can bet that it will two things: 1.) Absolutely gorgeous to look at and uniquely (if not impeccably) shot. And 2.) That it will most certainly be better than the 2006 abomination that was SUPERMAN RETURNS (and the poor, poor rotting corpse of Brandon Routh). And I think those are two things that we can all get firmly behind.
5.) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS: Admittedly I wasn't a huge STAR TREK fan. In fact, I wasn't a fan at all. Not that I disliked the series, I simply hadn't actually seen any of it. That all changed with the trailer for STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. I don't know if it was Benedict Cumberbatch's strange and imposing presence or what, but I knew I had to see this film and its predecessor. So I watched 2009's STAR TREK by J.J. Abrams. And it was amazing! How had I been missing out on this wonderful series and especially this fantastic movie? Needless, I gushed about it for a week and have been incredibly excited for STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (even despite its horrific name) ever since. To quote, "After being called back home, the crew of the Enterprise find a seemingly unstoppable force which has attacked Starfleet and left Earth in chaos. Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are tasked with leading the deadly manhunt to capture the party responsible and settle an old score." Needless to say, it looks as good if not better than the previous film. Look for Abrams to bring his patented visual sensibilities to the film along with his ability to depict fantastically organic human (or not-so-human) relationships. And with such an enigmatic and quietly threatening villain in Cumberbatch's character, this film could be the explosive start to a summer of amazing movies that THE AVENGERS would have been if the summer of 2012 would have had any amazing movies. That being said, it looks like a film that could blow away both fanboys and casual cinema goers.
4.) GRAVITY: Most
of you will know Alfonso Cuarón for his contributions to the Harry Potter
universe with 2004’s HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (my personal
favorite of the series). However, what you should know him for are his two other films, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN and CHILDREN OF MEN. Cuarón has an absolutely incredible visual
sense (there’s a continuous steadicam shot in CHILDREN OF MEN that is one of
my most breathtaking things I’ve ever seen) and a knack for emotional
storytelling. Needless to say, there’s reason to be excited about his return to
filmmaking after an 8 year absence with GRAVITY. Written and directed by
Cuarón, GRAVITY stars Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical
engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky
(George Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a
seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed,
leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone–tethered to nothing but each other
and spiraling out into the blackness. Cuarón’s visuals in space? A story about
isolation and the struggle to survive? An amazing duo to carry the film? What
more do you need?!
3.) ONLY GOD FORGIVES: I
spoke of DRIVE earlier as being my favorite film of 2011. I love Nicolas
Winding-Refn as a director and I love Ryan Gosling being one cool mofo. I got
it in DRIVE and if all the signs are correct, I’m going to get in again with
ONLY GOD FORGIVES. Set in Thailand, the film follows Julian (Gosling), who
runs a Thai boxing club as a front organization for his family's drug smuggling
operation, as he is forced by his mother Jenna to find and kill the individual
responsible for his brother's recent death. The film seems to have the same
kind of brutal violence mixed with that weird, neon-y 1980s vibe with the
strong, silent hero that made DRIVE amazing. But this time it’s in Thailand!
And if THE HANGOVER PART 2 taught us anything (crazy, I know), it’s that Thailand
is an amazing backdrop for a film. With DRIVE and 2009’s VALHALLA RISING,
ONLY GOD FORGIVES looks to be the final part of a trilogy that progressively
gets more and more violent, more and more strange, and more and more amazing. And I for one can’t wait!
2.) THE WORLD'S END: Speaking of unofficial trilogies, Edgar Wright’s newest
film, THE WORLD'S END, finishes his “Three Flavours Cornetto” or “Blood and
Ice Cream” trilogy along with SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ. SHAUN was
his take on the horror genre, HOT FUZZ his take on the buddy cop/procedural
genre. Now, with THE WORLD'S END, he has his end of the world/sci-fi film.
Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (stars of the previous films), the film
tells of the story of five childhood friends who reunite after twenty years to
repeat a legendary pub crawl from their youth, returning to their hometown once
again to attempt to reach the fabled pub "The World’s End". Over the
course of the night, they begin to realize that the real struggle is "not
just theirs but humankind’s", and completing the crawl becomes the least
of their worries. Edgar Wright has such a unique and kinetic editing style and
his films are so uproariously funny that I would gladly watch them no matter
what. However, with the return of Pegg and Frost along with Rosamund Pike,
Paddy Considine and the now white-hot Martin Freeman, I wouldn’t miss this one
for the world (pun intended?).
1.) INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS: Everyone
knows some film by the Coen Brothers. Whether it be NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN or
O' BROTHER WHERE ART THOU or TRUE GRIT or whatever, everyone knows at least
one. That being said, the Coens have made quite a few movies and many times
their smaller ones get overlooked by the general public in favor of the larger,
more widely available ones like the three I’ve listed. Likewise, I feel like
it’s my duty to make sure you all know about their newest film, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS. Starring Oscar Isaacs and Carey Mulligan (also, crazily enough, from DRIVE) and the ubiquitous Justin Timberlake, the film tells the story of a
singer-songwriter who navigates New York’s folk music scene in the 1960s (and
is based loosely on Dave Van Ronk’s posthumous memoir THE MAYOR OF MACDOUGAL STREET). Now that might seem kind of boring to some of you, but apart from the
New York folk music scene in the 60s being absolutely fascinating, you should
see everything the Coen Brothers do because they’re two of the most unique
minds making movies today and are arguably today’s (along with Tarantino in my opinion)
greatest living American directors. Couple that with the Coens talking about
creating naturalistic dialogue that “creates the sense of being right in that
world” along with shooting the film in an older format (i.e. 16mm) to emulate
old-school documentaries AND a cast that also includes John Goodman and F. Murray Abraham and you have what sounds like a potentially amazing
piece (we’re talking Oscar-level) with a very different feel from their
“normal” films.
Notable Others: CAPTAIN AMERICAN: THE WINTER SOLDIER, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, R.I.P.D., THOR: THE DARK WORLD, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, THE WOLVERINE
...But while you wait for these potentially amazing movies, go watch DRIVE. It's a really great movie, guys. Really.
