Since 2013’s been going really slow for me (I still haven’t seen anything this year), and seeing as how my Bond retrospective has finally reached its end, I thought I’d take this time to look ahead, and talk about my top ten most anticipated movies of the year. There are plenty being released that have caught my eye, and plenty that look quite exceptional and entertaining. On the whole, 2012 was a very good year, but 2013 has the potential to be even better, with a lot of juicy projects, highly anticipated sequels, and plenty of talent pre-existing, and yet to be discovered. We don’t even know if many of the movies we’re looking forward to will be any good (For instance, I was excited to see The Host, and now I’m thinking twice about that), but whether they’re disappointing, or whether they exceed expectations, I still can’t wait to see them.
So, here are my top ten most
anticipated movies of the year. If there are any you’re looking forward to that
aren’t on here, it means I either don’t know they exist, that I’m excited for
them, but not enough to put them on here, or that they don’t interest me at all
(I’m tempted to include The Counselor in the latter category).
10. To the Wonder
It’s no secret. I’m a huge fan of
Terrence Malick. He’s directed some fantastic movies, including one of my all
time favorites, The Thin Red Line. I previously brought this one up in two
previous posts last year, and when the film finally got a distributor behind
it, I couldn’t wait. But, much like Malick’s previous films, this one is
divisive. Critics either love this movie, or hate it. I’m hoping I’ll be part
of the former, which includes legendary critic Roger Ebert (may he rest in
peace), as this was the final review he’d ever written.
9. Elysium
Neill Blomkamp took off after
District 9 (which I loved) came out, and he’s finally back with his sophomore
project Elysium, which will star the likes of Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. I’m
not really sure what the film is even about, but I intend to keep it that way.
When I first saw District 9, I didn’t look up on it a whole lot, so I didn’t
know what to expect from it, and I ended up going nuts for it. I’m trying to
recreate that secrecy once more, and I hope I’ll enjoy this movie as much.
8. Serena
This film is directed by Susanne
Bier, and based on the novel by Ron Rash. I’ve never gotten around to much of
Bier’s works, and I’m not at all familiar with the novel, so why am I
anticipating it so much? One reason: Jennifer Lawrence. She’s fresh off an
Oscar win for her incredible performance in Silver Linings Playbook, she’s
teaming up with Bradley Cooper again, and she looks to have another stellar
year (I’m also excited for ABSCAM and Catching Fire), and I hope she delivers
another excellent performance.
7. Saving Mr. Banks
Walt Disney is one of the most
iconic figures in history, and I’ve always wanted to see a biopic about him. I’ve
finally gotten my wish. The film will star Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Colin
Farrell, Paul Giamatti, and Jason Schwartzman. That sounds great. But I wonder
if the film will make Disney look too angelic? When I wanted to see a Disney
biopic, I was hoping to get one that would also cover his vices, such as his
ruthless work habits, and his chain smoking. I don’t know if I’m gonna get the
full Lincoln character study I want, but I’m still excited anyway.
6. The Wolf of Wall Street
Martin Scorsese is a great
director. The Departed is one of my favorite movies ever. And with his next
movie, he’s working with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey,
Jean Dujardin, and Jon Bernthal, and is directing a script written by Terence
Winter, the creator of one of my all time favorite TV shows, Boardwalk Empire.
Need I say more? Moving on…
5. The Bling Ring
I hold the unpopular opinion of
thinking Sofia Coppola’s a better director than her father, Francis. I really
love her movies, especially Lost in Translation, and this looks no less great
than I expect from her. The premise of this movie sounds absolutely
fascinating, and with a talented young cast including Taissa Farmiga (younger
sister of Vera Farmiga) and Emma Watson involved, this just hits all the right
notes for what I expect from Coppola, and I can’t wait to see this.
4. The Place Beyond the Pines
I’ve talked about this movie
before, when I was highly anticipating it after its reception at the Toronto
International Film Festival (Still haven't seen Blue Valentine since then), and though my excitement has sobered quite a bit,
I’m still looking very forward to it. The cast includes Ryan Gosling, Bradley
Cooper, and Ben Mendelsohn, all of whom I love as actors, and the reception
that this movie has received just makes me itch even more. If I don’t see it in
theaters, I’ll be checking it out on DVD.
3. Gravity
This film had been floating in
development and distribution limbo for years, but this October, we’re finally
going to see it. It’s directed by Children of Men director Alfonso Cuaron, it
stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, but what most excites me is to see the
cinematography of this movie. The film is shot by Emmanuel Lubezki, DP of
Children of Men (the best cinematography of the 00-09 decade), and The Tree of
Life. I’m ecstatic thinking about what he’s planned to do for this movie.
2. Side Effects
I never saw this movie in
theaters. I wanted to wait for a DVD release, but I just could never forget
about this one. I’m not the biggest fan of Steven Soderbergh’s most recent
films, but seeing as how this film (apparently his last theatrical
release) is his attempt at a
psychological thriller, and has a cast which includes Jude Law and Rooney Mara
(Honestly, I can’t pass up one of her movies), there’s really no way I can
avoid it. Critics really liked this movie, and I’m hoping I will too. It WAS my
most anticipated of the year. But then I found out about…
Oh, how this movie is so far and away my most highly
anticipated release of the year, mainly for two reasons. It’s directed by
Asghar Farhadi, director of the exceptional Iranian drama A Separation, and it
stars Berenice Bejo, whom I adored to the ends of the earth in The Artist. The
thing that’s interesting about this one is that no one’s entirely sure of what
it’s about yet. Most of what we know is that Bejo plays a married woman whose
husband leaves her and her children to go home to Iran, falling in love with a
French man in the meantime. Elements of the plot have been kept in secrecy, but
you know what, that just makes me all the more fascinated. It sounds like
compelling, gripping drama, and with the acting that is bound to deliver in
spades, it’s simply too much for me to pass up. I can’t wait!
Honorable Mentions: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, ABSCAM, Inside Llewyn
Davis, Frozen
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