Intrigued, but with reservations
The following films all have potential, and a some could have made it to my 20 most-anticipated list, but there are lingering doubts.
Anchorman: The Legend Continues
Will Ferrell improv-ing can be a beautiful
thing. And while I’d rather see him do this than another sports comedy, I
suspect that one Ron Burgundy movie was sufficient.
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
Phil Alden Robinson gave us Field of Dreams more than two decades
ago. Since then we’ve not seen much of him (most recently he directed The Sum of All our Fears) but the premise of a lawyer misdiagnosed
with 90 minutes to live, who then goes all out to right all the wrongs in his
life, has potential. Everything depends whether it becomes a Robin Williams
schmaltz-fest or has the balls of the original Israeli movie, or indeed some of
Williams more recent indie fare.
Dom Hemingway
(Pictured) Richard Shephard’s The Matador is a black comedy gem, and this tale of a just-released-from-prison
safecracker out to get what he’s owed will likely have a similar tone. The iffy
side is Jude Law in the lead, and the iffier is Richard E Grant. But they
certainly look like they’re fully embracing their roles.
The Double
For his sophomore effort, Richard Ayoade adapts Dostoyevsky’s novella.
Jesse Eisenberg’s stars, helped along by the great Wallace Shawn. Submarine didn’t completely work for me,
but Ayoade’s clearly a talented director and he deserves credit for pushing
himself (none for The Watch, though).
The East
Follow-up to Sound of My Voice sounds a little too similar thematically
(infiltration of a group leads to the undercover protagonist questioning him/herself).
Brit Marling is investigating eco-terrorists rather than playing a cult leader
from the future. Hopefully fruitful ideas will be yielded byu Zai Batmanglij’s
film.
Ender’s Game
Long in development, but is Gavin Hood the
man to bring Orson Scott Card’s novel to the screen? There are already mutterings of discontent over the apparently aged-up youngsters the story revolves around. Much may depend on whether
he becomes a studio punching bag like he did on X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The Europa Report/Last Days on Mars
Two low budget sci-fi pics. Europa concerns astronauts searching for
evidence of life on Jupiter’s fourth moon. Mars sounds like a standard
thriller/horror, whittling down the protagonists. Both could be interesting, or
Ghosts of Mars/Apollo 18. Sharlto Copley and Liev Schrieber are the respective
leads.
47 Ronin
Much-delayed Kean Reeves samurai movie, the
directorial debut of Carl Rinsch. The budget reportedly went through the roof
and news of reshoots has added to the air of disaster surrounding it. I remain
curious, and hopeful that if it is a failure it will be more John Carter than Battleship.
42
Brian Helgeland’s Jackie Robinson biopic
gets its star wattage from Harrison Ford’s supporting turn. Helgeland’s had
mixed fortunes as a writer, even more so as a director, but this could be one
sports movie that’s worth a look.
Foxcatcher
Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) is
again inspired by a real life story, this time concerning the heir to the du
Pont fortune who established a gym for the Olympic wrestling team to train in.
He ended up murdering his friend and Olympic wrestler David Schultz. The cast
includes Steve Carrell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum. It will be interesting
to see how Miller tackles it.
The return of Spike Jonze to more Charlie Kaufmann-esque territory following Where the Wild Things Are, in this self-penned story of a man who falls in love with a computer system. An enviable cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Samantha Morton and Rooney Mara.
Her
The return of Spike Jonze to more Charlie Kaufmann-esque territory following Where the Wild Things Are, in this self-penned story of a man who falls in love with a computer system. An enviable cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Samantha Morton and Rooney Mara.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
An
Unexpected Journey suffered from a director having
too much rope and no one standing over his shoulder telling him when to gather
it in. I see no reason for that to change with part two, although the title
at least suggests this will be dramatically meatier.
Teen-fic adaptation, of Meg Rosoff's novel, with teen du jour Saoirse Ronan. What sparks interest is the involvement of Kevin Macdonald, whose directorial career has been mixed since moving from documentaries into fiction films. His State of Play was a pretty good version of the BBC TV series, but The Eagle was ignored. This one concerns a teenager on holiday in the English countryside when war breaks out. The script may have too many cooks but Tony Grisoni and Jack Thorne are both promising inclusions.
Jason Reitman looks a lot like Edgar Wright, doesn't he? All four of Reitman's features to date have been intelligent dramedies with a heart; to that extent he's a bit of more commercially-inclined, less nuanced Alexander Payne. The title makes it sound like an inspid romcom, but this seems straighter skewing than his previous efforts, as Kate Winslet and her son offer a wounded man a ride as the police close in on him.
How I Live Now
Teen-fic adaptation, of Meg Rosoff's novel, with teen du jour Saoirse Ronan. What sparks interest is the involvement of Kevin Macdonald, whose directorial career has been mixed since moving from documentaries into fiction films. His State of Play was a pretty good version of the BBC TV series, but The Eagle was ignored. This one concerns a teenager on holiday in the English countryside when war breaks out. The script may have too many cooks but Tony Grisoni and Jack Thorne are both promising inclusions.
Labor Day
Jason Reitman looks a lot like Edgar Wright, doesn't he? All four of Reitman's features to date have been intelligent dramedies with a heart; to that extent he's a bit of more commercially-inclined, less nuanced Alexander Payne. The title makes it sound like an inspid romcom, but this seems straighter skewing than his previous efforts, as Kate Winslet and her son offer a wounded man a ride as the police close in on him.
Man of Steel
My first concern was the lack of
underpants. To be fair, the trailers have been good and positioning the movie
as a question mark over whether Superman can work in the modern world is quite
savvy. I’m sure Zach Snyder will ensure it is dynamic, but I really need
convincing that Supes can be a dramatically interesting character.
Anton Corbijn's third film, an adaptation of a John Le Carre novel, stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright and Rachel McAdams. Le Carre used his 2008 novel to critique the Us's rendition policy. It's not as if films haven't trod this ground before, but Corbijn brings something special to the table.
Alexander Payne's quirky character pieces are an actor's dream, and he's yet to come a cropper with them. I can't say they stay as strongly with me as (say) Wes Anderson's films, but they are always superior entertainment worth seeking out. This time out, a drunken father makes a journey from Montana to the state of the title with his estranged son to claim a $1m prize. Knowing that Bruce Dern is taking leading man duties makes this a must-see.
A Most Wanted Man
Anton Corbijn's third film, an adaptation of a John Le Carre novel, stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright and Rachel McAdams. Le Carre used his 2008 novel to critique the Us's rendition policy. It's not as if films haven't trod this ground before, but Corbijn brings something special to the table.
Nebraska
Alexander Payne's quirky character pieces are an actor's dream, and he's yet to come a cropper with them. I can't say they stay as strongly with me as (say) Wes Anderson's films, but they are always superior entertainment worth seeking out. This time out, a drunken father makes a journey from Montana to the state of the title with his estranged son to claim a $1m prize. Knowing that Bruce Dern is taking leading man duties makes this a must-see.
Now You See Me
Around the time of Transporter 2 I thought that Louis Letterier had potential as an
action director. He seemed to know his choreography and geography. Then came Clash of the Titans. The trailer for Now You See Me is very flashy, as is the
cast; I’d love for this to be as tricksily clever as the
illusionists-pull-bank-heists premise suggests.
Oblivion
The trailer looks so-so, and Cruise is
clearly not stretching himself. I have confidence in Joseph Kosinski as a
director, less so in him as a (co-) writer. If the premise holds up, this could
be a brainy sci-fi hit.
Only God Forgives
Nicholas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling’s
bromance yielded dividends with Drive
but the premise of OGF seems faintly silly. Gosling’s character runs a
Thai boxing club (a drug smuggling front) and is charged with revenging his
brother’s death. No doubt chock full of
lovingly-photographed violence.
Only Lovers Left Alive
Jim Jarmusch hasn’t been especially
prolific since the twenty-first century began, although Broken Flowers was a
big hit by his standards. It likely wouldn’t have been without the
crumpled charm of Bill Murray. His collection of shorts, Coffee and Cigarettes,
was well-received but not raved about while The Limits of Control sank without
trace. 2013 brings a vampire love story starring Tilda Swinton and Tom
Hiddleston. The last time Jarmusch played overtly with supernatural themes we
were rewarded with his best film (Dead Man) so hopefully this will hit the
spot.
Paranoia
I sense a developing theme here; Harrison
Ford pictures with potential. This story of corporate espionage boasts a strong
cast; Ford, Gary Oldman, Richard Dreyfus, Josh Holloway, the Hemsworth who
isn’t called Chris. The question mark is
lightweight-director-wanting-to-be-taken-seriously Robert Luketic. 21 held some promise, so let’s hope he’s
aiming toward that rather than Monster-in-Law.
R.I.P.D.
An appealingly batty premise based on a
comic book property (dead cop is introduce to a team of deceased officers, then searches
for his murderer) and I’ll watch Jeff Bridges in anything. I’m less convinced by
Ryan Reynolds lately, however. Director Robert Schwentke is riding high from
the success of Red. I can smell audience disinterest no matter how good it is, though.
It was likely Joob-ho Bong's The Host that snared Hollywood's attention. Like the Europa/Mars flicks mentioned above, this will succeed or fail on the director's chops, as the premise is pure B-hokum (based on a French graphic novel); a class system has developed amongst future Earth's survivors on the train of the title, and revolution beckons. An interesting cast is headed up by Chris Evans.
Most people agree that Sexy Beast was a triumph, and its reputation has only grown since it came out. Jonathan Glazer's follow-up, Birth, received a very mixed reception but the director is laudably set on follow his own idiosyncratic path with his third feature. Scarlett Johansson as a (Man Who Fell to Eath-esque?) alien travelling through Scotland.
Snowpiercer
It was likely Joob-ho Bong's The Host that snared Hollywood's attention. Like the Europa/Mars flicks mentioned above, this will succeed or fail on the director's chops, as the premise is pure B-hokum (based on a French graphic novel); a class system has developed amongst future Earth's survivors on the train of the title, and revolution beckons. An interesting cast is headed up by Chris Evans.
Under the Skin
Most people agree that Sexy Beast was a triumph, and its reputation has only grown since it came out. Jonathan Glazer's follow-up, Birth, received a very mixed reception but the director is laudably set on follow his own idiosyncratic path with his third feature. Scarlett Johansson as a (Man Who Fell to Eath-esque?) alien travelling through Scotland.
Welcome to the Punch
Intriguing premise (detective and former
criminal discover a larger conspiracy) and a strong cast (James McAvoy, Mark
Strong, David Morrisey). Can director Eran Creevy deliver?
Winter’s Tale
Akiva Goldsman has committed enough crimes
against cinema that this should be in “the pits” section. Batman & Robin, A
Beautiful Mind, Angels & Demons.
But he did some okay work on Fringe,
even if his directing gigs for it were patchy. Maybe he can go that extra mile
for what is clearly a passion project (an adaptation of Mark Helprin’s novel) or
maybe he’s the next Mark Steven Johnson.
He’s pulled together an interesting cast (Will Smith, Russell Crowe,
William Hurt, any-role-will-do Colin Farrell).
The Wolverine
When it was Darren Aronofsky directing I
had no doubts, and the knowledge that everyone raved about Christopher
McQuarrie’s script is positive… So why has James Mangold messed with it to the
extent he’s got a writing credit? Mangold’s a solid pair of journeyman hands but I’m
not flipping somersaults in anticipation of this being a First Class shot in the arm for the franchise.
World War Z
I thought the trailer had promise, even if
it was highly derivative of the flashback sequence in I Am Legend. That said, Marc Foster made a hopeless mess of Quantum of Solace and Brad Pitt doesn’t
seem to quite gell with the material.
Why am I not feeling it?
There's pedigree to many of the runners below, but I can't escape the feeling that disappointment awaits.
Broken City/2 Guns
Mark Wahlberg has four films coming out in
2013. I’m in little doubt that the best of these will be the most unlikely, his
Michael Bay collaboration. Wahlberg can be cast well or end up hanging there like a listless plank. I’m unsure how these two will play, but I’m not
overly optimistic. He’s squared opposite the much more charismatic Russell Crowe
in Broken City, and has a strong
director in Allen Hughes (flying solo), but cop vs NYC mayor could just
translate as lots of glowering if the plot isn’t there. 2 Guns is from Wahlberg’s Contraband
director and has Denzel Washington taking pole position. It sounds like a
highly generic thriller (the mob sets up a DEA agent and a Naval Intelligence
officer), which would fit with the stars of recent highly generic thrillers Contraband and Safe House.
Captain Philips
I think I prefer Paul Greengrass when he
isn’t trying to “say something” as his adaptations/inspirations based on true stories scream of heavy-handededness. With his Martin Luther King Jr
biopic stalled, he moved quickly to
this. Tom Hanks is the titular character, whose ship was hijacked by
Somali pirates in 2009. I’m sure there will be talk of Oscars.
The Counselor
For all its flaws, Prometheus was the most interesting
Ridley’s been since his Roman rebirth. But it established once and for all that he’s tone deaf as far as script
quality is concerned. I don’t believe he can take a Cormac McCarthy and do a
Coen Brothers with it. He’s blessed with a dynamite cast, but that wasn’t enough
for his Alien prequel.
Dead Man Down
Original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo director Niels Arden Oplev reunites
with Noomi Rapace for a crime thriller set in New York. Hmmm. Colin Farrell
co-stars. Hmmmm.
Gangster Squad
Ruben Fleischer wants a bit of “serious
filmmaker” credibility after comedy hit
Zombieland. But everything about this has looks fake and forced, from the
title down. Another great cast (Penn,
Gosling, Stone, Brolin) but possibly a botch job.
Kick-Ass 2
I didn’t think Kick-Ass needed a sequel, certainly not one without Matthew Vaughn.
Who the hell is Jeff Wadlow? But the main players are back, and Jim Carrey’s on
board. Hey, maybe it will justify its existence.
Oldboy
How long did this take to finally enter
production? (Whispers) I wasn’t the greatest fan of the original, but Spike Lee has pulled
together an interesting cast and hopefully the result will be divergent enough
from the decade old Korean film stand on its own.
Oz: The Great and Powerful
(Pictured) Having James Franco as your lead doesn’t
necessarily spell disaster (look at Rise
of the Planet of the Apes) but it isn’t a good sign. It isn’t even clear
how Sam Raimi ended up calling the shots on this (Spider-man blues?). If Disney is hoping they’ve got another Alice in Wonderland brewing they’re
going to be disappointed.
Pacific Rim
More controversially, I’m calling an early
foul on Guillermo Del Toro’s bid for bankability. Giant robots versus giant
monsters with a bit of Cthulu? I just don’t care. I’m sure it will be
technically competent and visually awesome but nothing about the premise grabs
me. Fanboys will tell me this is because I have no soul. Which may be true.
Rush
Biopic documenting the rivalry between
Formula 1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Sounds full of potential. What’s
that? Ron Howard’s directing it? Oh.
Trance
The plot sounds potty, but it represents an
overdue reteaming with John Hodge for Danny Boyle; a fine art auctioneer and a
hypnotherapist attempt to recover a lost painting. Boyle’s been watchable but
erratic since his ‘90s heyday, but he’s an official national treasure now due
to the Olympics. Apparently.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Scorsese reunites with DiCaprio in the
story of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who was implicated in a huge securities
fraud in the ‘90s. The problem is, Scorsese doesn’t dazzle any more. He churns
them out in much the same manner as Ridley Scott. Always technically accomplished,
but rarely passionate and often unable to see the flaws in the scripts he takes
on. Scripter Terence Winter is a Sopranos
and Boardwalk Empire veteran, so
maybe he has what it takes.
Dumb but full of Fun?
If you don't expect miracles, you won't be disappointed.
GI Joe: Retaliation/Fast & Furious 6
One sequel was delayed to exhume the box office dynamite that is Channing Tatum. Possibly unnecessary since The
Rock and Bruce make it look more appealing than the first one anyway. The other
reaches an unbelievable sixth outing and also stars Dwayne. Fast Five was very agreeable, so this
may be too.
The Hangover Part III
I was one of the few who admits to having
enjoyed Part II (it seems) and I am
even a little concerned about the eschewing of the memory loss formula for the
finale. Did we need two sequels? No. But the cast have great chemistry and I’m happy to go back for thirds.
Incredible Burt Wonderstone
The trailer wasn’t bad at all. I like the
idea of Steves Carrell and Buscemi as a magician stage act. And this could be
Jim Carrey’s come back year if his supporting turn as a David Blane-type is
anything to go by.
The Internship
Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell in
a generation gap comedy channelling job market angst. The latter might make it
a tough sell, but I don’t doubt Shawn Levy’s unerring eye for mass
audience endorsement will take effect.
Jack Ryan
I would never have countenanced the fledgling
director who couldn’t put his twirling camera down (Dead Again, Frankenstein)
becoming the competent action-stager of
Thor. So maybe Ryan isn’t such a
baffling gig. The make-or-break is the story and with four credited writers there’s
the danger of a stink.
Non-stop
Wait, Neeson’s made an action movie with a European
director?! He reteams with Unknown’s
Jaume Collet-Serra as an air marshall who has to take no doubt bone-crunching action
on a flight. With Julianne Moore. Chances are it’s better than Taken. And Taken 2.
Pain & Gain
Wahlberg plays dim (yay!) and stars with always-good
sport Dwayne Johnson in Michael Bay’s story of bodybuilders turned kidnappers.
It’s based on fact, and no doubt there will be numerous articles on how the
actual events are even less salubrious than this comedy-tinged version.
Nevertheless, this might be Bay’s first watchable movie since… Bad Boys 2?
The Seventh Son
(Pictured) More Moore, reuniting with the Dude
himself. It’s anyone’s guess if this teen-orientated fantasy will be any good,
but it is reassuringly medieval in setting and there are worse bland young leads out there than
Ben Barnes.
Thor: The Dark World
Game
of Thrones veteran Alan Taylor got the gig, which
promises to more fully embrace the Asgardian strangeness. It looks like pretty
much everyone’s back. And Christopher Eccleston.
The Tomb/A Bullet to the Head
Arnie and Sly together in prison, trying to
escape. Stallone’s been in some solid behind bars flicks (Tango & Cash, Lock Up).
Then there’s Stallone as a hitman directed by Water Hill. Both strictly B-movie
fare, and if they do their job probably solid entertainments.
White House Down/Olympus Has Fallen
Competing terrorists-attack-the-White House
flicks. Antoine Fuqua’s Gerald Butler starrer (Olympus) arrives first, but I’m betting on Channing Tatum saving
Jamie Foxx’s President. Mainly because of Roland Emmerich’s instinct for
popcorn fare.
Blah-blah
A selection of so-so prospects, some of which are likely to great guns at the box office but underwhelm where it counts.
The Croods/Epic/Turbo/Frozen
None of the CGI properties for 2013 have
instant “must-see” appeal, but on the up-side there is some emphasis on
original material. The Croods is a Dreamworks
comedy about a Stone Age family from How
to Train Your Dragon’s director. With Ryan Reynolds. The trailer makes it look fairly
missable (it had a bumpy production history). Turbo (pictured),
from the same studio, also boast Ryan Reynolds (… ) as a lead (do they have
some special deal with him?), this time as a speedy snail. It’s an obvious gag,
so the question is can they stretch it to a full feature. It’s Dreamworks, of
course they can, with as many pop hits to help you through as they can
shoehorn in.
Epic has aspirations to,
well, epicness, if the self-important trailer is anything to go by (but with a
funny slug!). It comes across as Honey I
Shrunk the Ferngully Avatar; I’m not sure it will be “fun” enough to become
a big hit (the source material comes from the same author as Rise of the Guardians) but it might be
interesting for daring to be different. Frozen
sees Disney adapt The Snow Queen.
Rapunzel worked well for them, and no
doubt they will bring the same irreverence to this. And musical numbers.
Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire/The Host/The Mortal
Instruments/Beautiful Creatures
The deluge of post-Twilight “young adult” adaptations will continue as long as a new
one finds an audience. Hunger Games
did that last year. It was a reasonable movie, afflicted by gaps in logic than
were no doubt present in the source material but blessed by Jennifer Lawrence
on lead duties. The sequel will no doubt build on the original’s success
(especially internationally, where it trailed the US love) and with Francis Lawrence picking up Gary Ross’
discarded megaphone the action should be more coherent.
Of the rest, The Host comes from Twilight’s
Stephanie Meyer, adapted by wannabe intellectual Andrew Niccol. Alien take-over
sci-fi, maybe it will end up possessing a brain, or possibly it will fall
between two stools and please no one. The
Mortal Instruments concerns teenage demon slayers (a bit like Buffy but without the self-reflexivity,
then?) and boasts Phil Collins’ impressively-eyebrowed offspring Lilly. Beautiful Creatures appears to be
Southern Gothic, but much more chaste than True
Blood. Richard LaGravenese directs. If there’s a new break-out hit, Mortal Instruments will likely take the
prize.
Jack the Giant Killer
Bryan Singer’s film got shunted back a year
for no discernable reason. Rumour suggested this is because it’s crap, but more
likely it's just a competent fantasy movie that got the greenlight purely
because fantasy is “in”. And the miserable box office will reflect this. It certainly doesn’t have a Kristin Stewart or Chris Hemsworth to pull in the kids (Ewan
McGregor doesn’t sell tickets). Singer’s career has become a mess since he
jumped X-Men’s ship for Superman. Next he returns to X-Men. His choices seem addled. Perhaps he just smokes a lot of
weed.
Monsters University
Why, Pixar, why? Of course! You don’t care
about quality any more; all you want is a sure return. Also expect Despicable Me 2, Smurfs 2,
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Planes (a Cars spin-off). None of them needed sequels so it will be
interesting to see which ones are ignored.
Saving Mr Banks
Tom Hanks is Walt Disney. It’s all about Mary Poppins, you know. I’m vaguely
interested to see Kristopher Kyer’s take on Dick Van Dyke but that’s as far as
it goes.
Sin City 2
Robert Rodriguez’ 2005 original at least
stood out stylistically, which is more than can be said for his cheap-and-cheerful churn ‘em out
approach to kid’s movies and adult exploitation fare. I doubt this will be
anything special (the first one was overrated), but there appears to be a
built-in audience.
The Third Person
Paul Haggis has been all over the place as
a director, so it’s hard to know what to expect from him. Crash was as subtle as a brick, but In the Valley of Ellah was as contrastingly nuanced. The Next Three Days was an unabashed
thriller with nothing meaningful to say. A return to interlinked stories might
ring warning bells but it’s a wait and see one, this.
The Young and Prodigious Spivet
Jean-Pierre Jeunet has underwhelmed
following the rather wonderful Amelie.
His first film in four years, based on Reis Larson’s novel, concerns a
12-year-old prodigy who travels across country to receive an award from the
Smithsonian. Sure to be odd, but whether it’s unpalatably cute too is the
concern. Helena Bonham Carter and, naturally, Dominique Pinon are among the
cast.
The pits
It may be that several of these struggle agains the odds and emerge as solid entertainments, but I'm not holding my breath.
About Time
Richard Curtis attempts to prove Love, Actually and The Boat that Rocked weren’t flukes and that he can make three lousy
films in a row.
After Earth
Will Smith shows off Jaden. Again. Possibly
not completely horrible, but the trailer suggests otherwise.
Diana
Oliver Hirschbiegel directs Naomi Watts as The People’s Princess. Likely to be as
profound and insightful as The Iron Lady.
The Great Gatsby
(Pictured) You either think Baz Luhrmann’s shit smells
like roses or you don’t. I’ll admit the most recent trailer for Gatsby was arresting, but it suggests
exactly the same kind of undiscerning assault on the senses that afflicted Moulin Rouge! From the director of Australia…
The Last Stand
The trailer’s make this look like a sub-Commando era Arnie cheese machine,
fumblingly directed with a withered, ill-fitting Austrian Oak. Comeback stalled?
Lone Survivor
Mark Wahlbeg in another Peter Berg
flag-waving piece of shit. Berg isn’t a completely untalented director, but he
has his head firmly lodged up his patriotic arse. Unfortunately he didn’t get
laughed out of town following Battleship,
so maybe he has friends in highly decorated places.
Robocop
Everything about this remake looks
horrible, so something even half-watchable would be a result.
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