Now that the Summer blockbuster season has been laid to rest, the Fall awards-focused season is taking over. Studios looking to win Oscars for their films like to bundle up as many of their movies late in the year so that they are fresh on the minds of Academy voters. These are films that focus more on developing stories and characters, rather than being a visual spectacle.
Even though the Summer season provided an excellent start with “Iron Man 3”, it didn’t really end up wow-ing much in terms of bombastic blockbusters like in previous years. Besides “Iron Man 3”, there was “Pacific Rim”, which was a lot of fun and the hilarious “This is the End”, which relied more on the idea behind the caricatures of the people involved than any sort of blockbuster tropes. But that’s pretty much the notable Summer deliveries. It doesn’t bode well for a season known for its explosive distribution when its best movie is less a blockbuster, and more a fun, sharp romp in “The World’s End”. That’s not surprising, considering its EDGAR WRIGHT at his very best.
That being said, the final two months of 2013 are looking like they’re going to provide the best string of movies in a long time. “Gravity” has already led the way for a lot of what we have to look forward to this Awards season, and “The Counselor” along with “Ender’s Game” are making waves at the end of October. However, it’s November and December that are going to deliver a big punch when it comes to movie quality. There’s so much to pick from that whittling them down to ten has been a taxing effort. Though, things were made a bit easier when it was announced that “The Monuments Men” was getting pushed to 2014. With so much quality, I felt obliged to include the top 5 that didn’t quite make it into the Top 10 here in quick succession and in no particular order:
5. “Nebraska” (Nov. 15th) – ALEXANDER PAYNE’s follow-up to “The Descendants” and includes BOB ODENKIRK in the cast. Odenkirk played Saul Goodman on BREAKING BAD and he’s following that up with a role in the film “Nebraska.” All BREAKING BAD fans must get a kick out of that one.
4. “Frozen” (Nov. 27th) – Disney’s latest non-Pixar animated effort loosely based on the fairy tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.
3. “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug” (Dec. 13th) – The sequel to last year’s “The Hobbit” is gonna bring more epic adventuring to the big screen. I’ve never really been a big fan of this series. I know. I’m the worst.
2. “Out of the Furnace” (Nov. 27th Limited, Dec. 6th Wide) – Directed by SCOTT COOPER (“Crazy Heart”), this film has an excellent cast with the likes of CHRISTIAN BALE, CASEY AFFLECK, WOODY HARRELSON, ZOE SALDANA, and WILLEM DAFOE. A gritty and solemn film to get you in the holiday spirit.
1. “Saving Mr. Banks” (Dec. 13th) – Disney’s latest non-animated effort provides us with the story of how “Marry Poppins” came to be produced at Disney in 1961. EMMA THOMPSON plays P.L. Travers (the author of Mary Poppins) and TOM HANKS plays Walt Disney. As if you need any other reason to see this already.
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Given that crop of films, this should really give you an idea of how loaded these next two months are going to be.
Without further ado here are the Top 10 reasons to look forward to the upcoming films of 2013.
[tps_title]10. The Dallas Buyers Club (Nov. 1st)[/tps_title]
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Kicking everything off is “The Dallas Buyers Club”, another movie in the on-going saga of MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY and his journey to being taken seriously as an actor. And given his recent body of work, it’s certainly happening. The film is directed by JEAN-MARC VALLEE (“The Young Victoria”) and is based on the true story of Ron Woodroof (McConaughey), a homophobic drug addict that gets diagnosed with HIV and given a thirty day death sentence. When taking the only legal drug available in the United States doesn’t work, Woodroof decided to start smuggling in drugs from other parts of the world. Due to the increased amount of cases from the AIDs epidemic, Woodroof saw a business opportunity and began selling the illegal drugs through a group he founded called The Dallas Buyers Club. Once the FDA caught wind of this, legal battles ensued. The film co-stars JENNIFER GARNER, STEVE ZAHN, and JARED LETO as a transvestite named Rayon.
[tps_title]9. Thor: The Dark World (Nov. 8th)[/tps_title]
After the success of “The Avengers” and “Iron Man 3” (both reaching seven digit financial returns) you just know that this “Thor” sequel is going to absolutely destroy its competition. Most of the cast returns, including TOM HIDDLESTON as Loki, who ended up having to go back to the set to shoot extra scenes because the world needs more Loki. In this sequel, after the events of “The Avengers”, Thor (CHRIS HEMSWORTH) must unite with Loki and Jane (NATALIE PORTMAN) to stop a mysterious enemy older than the world itself from attacking the Nine Realms. Early reviews have been mostly positive, so expect quite a thriller here. And of course there will certainly be more post-credit Avengers shenanigans and possibly a look at the upcoming Captain America sequel.
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[tps_title]8. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Nov. 22nd)[/tps_title]
“The Hunger Games” kind of let me down. I felt like it took to long to set-up, and didn’t have enough, well, Hunger Games. However, the premise is strong and lends itself to some great storytelling. I have it on good authority that this book is much better than the previous one, so I’m excited to see what the film has to offer. JENNIFER LAWRENCE, whose star has truly taken off in Hollywood since “The Hunger Games”, is back as Katniss Everdeen returning to her home in District 12 after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games with Peeta Mellark (JOSH HUTCHERSON). Seeing as Katniss and Peeta broke the rules and ended up both winning the tournament, President Snow (DONALD SUTHERLAND) is really angry. This year is the 75th Hunger Games, thus, it is the Quarter Quell, a special Hunger Games that dips in the victor pool to use as tributes. This means that Katniss and Peeta are pitted against some of the very best and fiercest competitors, and it is Snow’s hope that they do not make it out of the Games alive. Pretty much the whole cast (or, at least, the ones that survived) return for this one along with 100% more PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN playing the part of Plutarch Heavensbee.
[tps_title]7. Oldboy (Nov. 27th)[/tps_title]
I wasn’t going to include “Oldboy” for two reasons: I do not like SPIKE LEE (“Do The Right Thing”) as a filmmaker, and I felt that this movie did not need a remake. However, the more I think about it, the more I’m glad that this is getting made for American audiences because it’s a film that absolutely everyone should see. Based on the South Korean film of the same name, Oldboy is part of PARK CHAN-WOOK’s Vengeance Trilogy, a series of movies that aren’t connected by narrative, but have the same theme of revenge and salvation. All three are excellent, and are recommended viewing for everyone that likes strong storytelling and character portrayals. In “Oldboy”, Joe Doucett (JOSH BROLIN), an advertising executive, is kidnapped and placed in a hotel room-like prison all by himself and with no explanation for the kidnapping. His only information regarding the outside world is provided for him via a television set that provides news reports. Over the 20 years that he is imprisoned, Joe plots his revenge until the day that he is mysteriously let out. The film also stars ELIZABETH OLSEN, SHARLTO COPLEY, and SAMUEL L. JACKSON.
[tps_title]6. Inside Llewyn Davis (Dec. 6th Limited, December 20th Wide )[/tps_title]
The Coen Brothers are my favorite contemporary film directors. After having seen all of their movies, I could say that their weakest effort was at least solid in execution. “Inside Llewyn Davis” looks like it will be no different. The story takes place in 1961 and follows a folk singer for a week played by OSCAR ISAAC’ (“Drive”, “The Bourne Legacy”) named Llewyn Davis while he navigates Greenwich Village music scene. It’s a down-to-earth story of a man struggling to make his music dreams come true. The film co-stars JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, CAREY MULLIGAN, GARRETT HEDLUND, and a Coen Brothers regular in JOHN GOODMAN.
[tps_title]5. American Hustle (Dec. 13th Limited, December 25th Wide)[/tps_title]
DAVID O. RUSSELL’s follow-up to the excellent “Silver Linings Playbook” looks to be an incredibly fun, and stylish piece of cinema. Set some time in the 1970s, “American Hustle” forcibly places, the brilliant con-man, Irving Rosenfeld (CHRISTIAN BALE) along with his lovely partner Sydney Prosser (AMY ADAMS) as assistants to FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper in a the greatest of perms). The trio are pushed deep into the trenches of the Jersey underworld where they find that even a life of lavishness can be incredibly dangerous. The incredible cast is rounded out by JEREMY RENNER, who plays a political operator named Carmine Polito that gets caught between the con-men and the authorities, JENNIFER LAWRENCE who plays Irving’s unpredictable wife Rosalyn, and roles for both ROBERT DeNIRO and LOUIS CK, as well. This film is part of the absolutely stacked Christmas day releases and will pit Christian Bale against himself as “Out of the Furnace” will also be playing in theaters that day.
[tps_title]4. Her (Dec. 18th)[/tps_title]
SPIKE JONZE is an incredible visionary director. He’s a man that takes great care of the films he puts out, and always shows inventiveness and compassion in his storytelling. His last output was the delightfully sweet and bizarre “Where The Wild Things Are” based on the popular Maurice Sendak children’s book. He’s only released a few movies, but that just goes to show how dedicated he is to getting the movie done right. From what I’ve seen of “Her”, it looks like it’s going to be another winner for the talented director. Set in the not-so-distant future, the film follows Theodore Twombly (JOAQUIN PHOENIX), a passionate, timid man whose profession is that of writing personal letters for other people. He is recovering from heartbreak due to the end of a long relationship he had with a woman named Catherine (ROONEY MARA). A new, advanced operating system is brought to his attention. It comes with promises of an intuitive Artificial Intelligence that is catered only to the individual user. Thus, “Samantha” (voiced by SCARLETT JOHANSSON) is born. As Theodore continues to get to know the computer, his feelings and, surprisingly, hers grow from friendship to romance. An intriguing, somewhat twisted, but sweet concept to say the least.
[tps_title]3. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Dec. 20th)[/tps_title]
WILL FERRELL movies are my guiltiest of pleasures. I have no shame to say that I love most of his body of work and find it all absolutely hilarious. When paired with director ADAM McKAY, they’re unstoppable. “Anchorman” was, and still is, their strongest effort by the pair and still holds up almost a decade later. So, it seemed only right to revisit that well and see what the characters are up to in the cable news surge of the 1980s. All the familiar faces are back: PAUL RUDD as Brian Fantana, STEVE CARRELL as Brick Tamland, DAVID KOECHNER as Champ Kind, and CHRISTINA APPLEGATE as Veronica Corningstone. And while that’s excellent news, perhaps, even better news is the sheer amount of cameos that were clogging up every newswire before and during filming of the movie. Ron Burgundy’s glorious mustache will be paired up with the likes of seemingly everyone in entertainment, from returning cameo cast members such as the armless LUKE WILSON to the egotistical circus of a man known only as KANYE WEST. The bar has been set quite high for this one, but after seeing the trailer, I think it’s in safe hands.
[tps_title]2. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Dec. 25th)[/tps_title]
Much like ADAM SANDLER in films like “Punch Drunk Love” and “Spanglish”, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” shows us a side of BEN STILLER that I wish we got to see more often. While “Greenberg” was a movie with a lot of unrealized potential, Stiller was excellent in it. The big difference, I guess, between Sandler and Stiller is that Stiller is a bit more conscious of the movies he chooses to put out to the public. Stiller directs this film, and if you need an example of how good he is behind the camera, just look at the other movies he’s directed: “Reality Bites”, “The Cable Guy”, “Zoolander”, and “Tropic Thunder”. All of those movies are great in their own right. In this film he plays Walter Mitty, a LIFE Magazine writer that lives inside a world full of adventures in the hopes of finding a missing picture needed for the final issue of LIFE in order to save his job and the job of his co-worker, Cheryl Melhoff (KRISTEN WIIG), which just so happens to be the woman he pines for. The film also co-starts SEAN PENN and ADAM SCOTT (PARKS AND RECTION). This is another one of the movies coming out on Christmas day, and may just be the perfect fit for anyone looking for something beautiful and uplifting to pair with their holiday spirit. I am very much looking forward to this.
[tps_title]1. The Wolf of Wall Street (Dec. 25th)[/tps_title]
My holiday spirit, however, demands something with a bit more edge. My holiday spirit craves some crime and corruption, and nobody does that better than MARTIN SCORSESE. To say that “The Wolf of Wall Street” has been my most anticipated movie of the year is an understatement. I don’t even know where to begin with this movie. Let’s start with the story. It is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort (LEONARDO DiCAPRIO, Scorsese’s favorite son), a wealthy stock broker who refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption in Wall Street and corporate banking, as well as mob infiltration. There is also a lot of sleazy, 80s corporate lingo and little people tossing. If that isn’t enough to whet your appetite, check out this cast: JONAH HILL, JEAN DUJARDIN (“The Artist”), JON FAVREAU, KYLE CHANDLER, ROB REINER, JON BERNTHAL (THE WALKING DEAD), and the next stop in the MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY act-well tour. This is perhaps the biggest juggernaut at play as far as Christmas day releases go, and is certainly my top choice looking ahead.
Which of these movies are you looking forward to? Which ones do you think belong on the Top 10? Let me know in the comments, folks!
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