Thursday, January 3, 2013

13 Movies to Watch in 2013


 13 Movies to Watch in 2013
 
The time has come once again to look forward into the next year and the films that will be released in order to weed out the good from the bad.  There are a lot of interesting looking films coming out from well-known, as well as from some lesser known, directors.  So, let's just get on with it and see what we should be looking for next year.


Honorable Mentions

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For 


I don't care what anybody thinks of Frank Miller's graphic novel on which this movie (as well as the original Sin City), I enjoyed the hell out of it.  The feel of the film, the use of the same techniques that were used by Miller in the graphic novel but in movie form, it all felt like it fit perfectly.  Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller team up once more in the shared director's chair.  Hopefully they can make this movie as enjoyable as the last one.  One thing that might hurt it is that some of the characters had to be recast because of death or pregnancy.  Luckily, none is one of the important roles.  Jamie Chung (Battlestar Galactica) will now play the role of Miho that Devon Aoki used to play, and Dennis Haysbert (The Unit, 24) will replace Michael Clarke Duncan who sadly passed away.  I'll be hoping this is at least as entertaining as the first one.
The Lone Ranger


This is a strange one for me.  I'm not looking too forward to it because I love the original or anything of the sort.  I guess I'm just interested in seeing the two main characters together on screen.  Armie Hammer was probably the breakout star of The Social Network and I guess I just want to know what he can do.  Having Johnny Depp besides you playing Tonto is not too bad either.  I also want to see Depp do something other than another lame Tim Burton movie and while I'm not the hugest Gore Verbinski fan, I want to see what Verbinski's take on these characters is.

 

13. Zero Dark Thirty




Katheryn Bigelow killed at the Academy Awards a few years ago with the movie The Hurt LockerWhile I am not a huge fan of that movie, I understand why it was universally lauded as the best of that year.  There is something gritty and grimy about that movie and I am hoping that it will be the same when Bigelow tackles the spy genre.  I'm not sure exactly how much spy it will have, but it being about the search and death of Osama bin Laden, we can be sure that it will be controversial either way.  The movie stars the beautiful Jessica Chastain in a role that I didn't expect.  I'm hoping to see if she can pull off this kind of movie.  Alexandre Desplat will be working on the music, which is pretty awesome as he can do some really fantastic stuff.





12. Elysium


A few years back South African director, Neill Blomkamp, came out of nowhere with a little sci-fi film that really seemed to catch the attention of the masses.  District 9 was an incredibly interesting take on the alien invasion film while also touching on topics like racism and apartheid in an entertaining way.  This new flick stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster and it deals with a future in which the divide between economic classes has really stretched incredibly and one man's battle to try to bring equality.  The blurb doesn't really give us much information about anything other than the setting, so I'm interested to see more news about this movie, or better yet, go in completely blind.



11. Gangster Squad


The director of one of the funnest zombie flicks this side of Shaun of the Dead begins January with the period mafia film Gangster Squad.  With a pretty damn interesting cast comprised of actors like Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, and Robert Patrick, this definitely might be a surprisingly good movie.  I also liked Ruben Fleischer's stylish take on the zombie flick, so I am looking forward to what he can do with the gangster movie.  He is lucky to be working with such an ace cast.  My only worry about this film is the music.  Of course, trailer music doesn't constitute the whole of what we will see when we go to the theater, but I think this kind of film needs a specific kind of music.  Either way, I'll be looking to see this one next month.



10. Trance





While I know that some people dislike Danny Boyle's style, but I am a very big fan of his work.  Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, and 127 Hours are all movies that I enjoy to different degrees.  What I mean is that I look forward to seeing whatever Boyle is coming up with next because he is not afraid to take chances and he will always try different things.  The story of Trance is pretty interesting but pretty vague.  Apparently it deals with a fine art auctioneer joining forces with a hypnotherapist to recover a lost painting.  In between, it seems to deal with the effects of hypnotic suggestion and reality. The three main players Boyle will be working with are James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel which is an interesting mix and one I will be looking forward to seeing.  I believe this movie is expected to come out on March of 2013.


9. Los amantes pasajeros (I'm So Excited!)

 
Any time that Pedro Almodovar is about to release a film, I get excited.  He always has a way of getting some amazing performances from the actors he works with and his movies are always different and interesting.  This one specifically interests me because I have no idea what it is about.  All that I have seen is that it looks like a comedy or at least it looks like it will be a lot more comedic than his last few films.  Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Paz Vega seem to be the big players here and also Argentinian actress Cecilia Roth seems to be making an appearance as well.  Even without knowing what the film is about, I definitely want to check it out.



8. Oz: The Great and Powerful


Although at first sight this probably isn't my cup of tea, Sam Raimi is a director that I always try to give a chance with every new film he releases.  Although I absolutely loathe his Spider-Man franchise, I think he is a pretty good director that can work well when given the opportunity to do his schtick.  This particular movie has James Franco playing a magician that gets sent to the land of Oz where he meets three witches played by Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis.  Basically it is the story of the way the Wizard of Oz began.  I'm afraid that it will be looking too much like the really terrible Alice in Wonderland.  Hopefully Raimi's fantastic sensibilities will make this a really interesting film to watch.



7. Ender's Game


I have been hearing for years that one of my favorite science fiction books from when I was younger was being turned into a movie.  I have always been incredibly leery about this project, because of one simple reason: I worry that the kid actors wouldn't give Orson Scott Card's story justice.  The movie deals with Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a really gifted kid who is sent to an advanced military training program in space in order to prepare for invasion.  From what I remember from the book, this is a bloody story with a  lot of violence between the young kids.  While I think that Butterfield is a great young actor, I'm not sure his look feels right.  The same goes for Abigail Breslin, who plays Ender's sister.  Rounding the cast are Harrison Ford, Viola Davis and Ben Kingsley.  I do worry that this movie won't live up to my expectations, and I especially worry that director Gavin Hood will come out with another X-Men Origins: Wolverine instead of a Tsotsi.


6. Kick-Ass 2


I tried as much as humanly possible to refrain from putting too many sequels on my list.  This one I just couldn't help.  I really loved the first Kick-Ass.  It was a breath of fresh air when it came to superhero movies.  So it makes sense that I am really excited about this film.  One of the things that freaks me out a little bit is the new director.  Matthew Vaughn, who directed the original, is not back at the helm and instead of him, we get Jeff Wadlow.  Wadlow has directed Cry Wolf and Never Back Down.  These are two movies that I never cared for.  So, I am definitely worried about this.  Most of the cast is back, though with some interesting additions.  I'm looking forward to seeing Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes.


5. Pacific Rim


I admit that I am a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro.  Ever since I first saw Hellboy, I began my mission of trying to watch everything he has released.  Then I saw Pan's Labyrinth and I was hooked on his style and his storytelling.  While this one is certainly not Pan's Labyrinth, I'm still excited over the film.  I'm guessing that anyone with a mecha fetish (I'm looking at you Fefi!) will also be interested.  As far as I know, it deals with an alien invasion and humans defending themselves with giant robots.  Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) will be part of the cast along with Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and motherfuckin' Heimdall himself Idris Elba (Luther).  Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones) will be working on the music, which is pretty interesting as well.  I'm looking forward to this one.




4. Oldboy


Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not expecting this movie to be a fantastic film.  It could even be that the movie sucks balls.  Spike Lee has always been a very hit or miss director to most people.  Add to that the fact that the original Oldboy directed by Chan-wook Park has become a cult classic in the United States and you have what most people believe is a recipe for disaster.  I find it hard to believe that Lee could in any way surpass the greatness of Park's film.  So, why is it on my list?  This is not a list of which movies I think are going to be the best, but of movies I think people should see.  I am interested in seeing Lee's interpretation of this film.  I am looking to see if the gritty violence and more unsavory plot points survive the transfer to American audiences.  I'm also not sure about the rest of the cast except for Josh Brolin.  While Elizabeth Olsen was fantastic in 2011's Martha Marcy May Marlene, I'm not sure how she will fit here and Sharlto Copley (District 9) seems like an odd choice as well.  All we can do is wait for this now and hope that Lee brings his A game.


3. Stoker


We were just talking about director Chan-wook Park and who else could I have put at number three other than that directors new film?  This is Park's first film without a Korean cast.  It deals with India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) and how she deals with the death of her father, her estranged mother (Nicole Kidman) and the arrival of her uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode).  At first glance it doesn't seem like a Chan-wook Park film, but I'm sure that he has some surprises up his sleeve that will throw everyone off.  At first glance, it seemed like the plot was pretty similar to Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, but either way, I'd watch it.  After watching the trailer, you can tell that there is something there brimming that we will not figure out until Park wants us to. I'd like to see what Park can do here.



2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


Ever since the Lord of the Rings came out, people have become enthralled by the world that J.R.R. Tolkien built many moons ago.  People really couldn't get enough, so they decided to make Tolkien's children's book, which took place in the same world and had a couple of the same characters as his adult series, to turn it into a movie.  I already saw the first part, An Unexpected Journey and I have to say that it really did meet all my expectations.  Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins was a revelation.  Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Hugo Weaving as Elrond and Sylvester McCoy as Radagast were all their fantastic selves.  This is the second part of the trilogy and I can't help but be incredibly excited to see this film.  I am sure this one will be just as great and might even be greater than the first one.  Trust Peter Jackson.


1. The World's End 


What do you get when you mix actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost with writer/director Edgar Wright?  Pure, unadulterated awesomeness.  Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are favorites of mine.  They are great as parodies, comedies, buddy movies (series), and just about anything they set out to do.  So, seeing them tackle the end of the world is pretty cool and I just can't wait to check it out.  Add to the cast Paddy Considine and Martin Freeman and I imagine more of Britain's best will make some cameos to make this a really entertaining cast.  This is the third one in what Pegg and Wright have called "The Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy" and it will be their homage, parody, whatever you want to call it, to science fiction.  This is the film I am most looking forward to seeing next year and even if it is not yours, you need to go see it when it comes out!

There you have it.  The list of 13 movies I think people should watch next year.  There will be a lot more interesting films to check out, but these are the ones I want to see.  Got a movie you think should be considered?  Let me know!

HM: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
HM: The Lone Ranger
 
13. Zero Dark Thirty
12. Elysium
11. Gangster Squad
10. Trance
9. I'm So Excited!
8. Oz: The Great and Powerful
7. Ender's Game
6. Kick-Ass 2
5. Pacific Rim
4. Oldboy
3. Stoker
2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
1. The World's End

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