If we are to believe history, the majority of this year’s Best Picture Nominees will come from among this eclectic list, featuring two films from the great Steven Spielberg.
Film: Coriolanus
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain, Paul Jesson
MPAA rating: R
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2 December
Coriolanus
Hurrah! Someone has finally decided to plunge beyond the basic Shakespeare tragedies to take on something few outside of college have ever considered. Based on the life of Roman leader Gaius Marcius Coriolanus, it marks the directorial debut of famed British actor Ralph Fiennes. Making the wise decision to update the war torn tale to our modern battlefields, we get the typical tale of resolve and revenge as filtered through our tech savvy times. While the baroque language remains the same, Fiennes has found new artistic life in what many might see as a forgotten bit of the Bard.
Film: We Need to Talk About Kevin
Cast: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, Ashley Gerasimovich
MPAA rating: R
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2 December
We Need to Talk About Kevin
With the amazing Ratcatcher, director Lynne Ramsay became a filmmaking force to be reckoned with. Many still can’t forgive her decision to leave the adaptation of The Lovely Bones. Now, she returns with a ripped from the headlines family horror story based on the novel by Lionel Shriver. Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly are parents of the title teen, a troubled youth who goes on a school wide killing spree. The movie deals with the consequences after and the excuses/insights before. With Ramsay behind the lens and these two remarkable actors in front, the result should be some significant end of the year fireworks.
Film: The Sitter
Cast: Jonah Hill, Sam Rockwell, Ari Graynor, Method Man, Max Records, Chris Collins
MPAA rating: R
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9 December
The Sitter
Jonah Hill used to be fat. Used to be. Check out a Google search of him now and you’ll see a slimmer, svelte, shadow of his former funnyman self — which begs the question: can a comedian who used to trade on his size and shape remain viable at only half the heft? It remains to be seen, since this scatological slamdunk was made while Hill was still tipping (and testing) the scales. They don’t call it a belly laugh for nothing. The trailer is indeed hilarious (little kids swearing — works every time) and all references to Adventures in Babysitting need to stay in the ’80s where they belong.
9 December
Film: Young Adult
Cast: Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, Patton Oswalt, Elizabeth Reaser, Hettienne Park
MPAA rating: R
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9 December
Young Adult
The team that brought you Juno is back again, this time giving Charlize Theron a chance to go all hipster with Diablo Cody’s certified geek speak screenplay. It’s the standard “you can’t go home again” histrionics as a successful writer tries to reconnect with her hometown high school flame. When that doesn’t work, she bonds with the class nerd. With costars including Patrick Wilson and comedian Patton Oswalt, this has a lot of potential. And Reitman is no slouch either. Still, Cody can be her own worst literary enemy. Here’s hoping she tones down the jargon and remembers to add some heart.
Film: New Year’s Eve
Cast: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jon Bon Jovi, Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher, Hilary Swank, Abigail Breslin, Katherine Heigl, Jessica Biel
MPAA rating: PG-13
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9 December
New Years Eve
Apparently, we are being punished. Thanks to the unlikely popularity of the dull, derivative romantic comedy Valentine’s Day, the studios and director Gary Marshall believe that more of the same is in order. So a new holiday has been picked and another all star cast (who should know better) has been assembled. Of course, that’s the only thing fresh about this otherwise pain inducing idea. Like Irwin Allen, who overloaded his disaster films with all manner of celebrity, Marshall belies in the prestidigitation power of fame…all other aspects of the cinematic art be damned.
Film: W.E.
Cast: Abbie Cornish, Oscar Isaac, James D’Arcy, Andrea Riseborough, Richard Coyle
MPAA rating: R
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9 December
W.E.
Who keeps saying “Yes” to Madonna? While she remains a viable recording artist and cultural presence, her decades of deliberate motion picture meaninglessness should have informed any decision to let her back in the business. And behind the lens, no less. Apparently, the producers forgot about the god-awful comedy she helmed in 2008 — Filth and Wisdom — and allowed the wannabe auteur another shot at celluloid shame. In this case, it’s the story of Wallace Simpson, the divorcee who came between Prince Edward and his throne. There is a parallel modern story as well. All we can say is NEXT!
16 December
Film: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry
MPAA rating: PG-13
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16 December
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
On the plus side: Rachel McAdams is nowhere to be seen. On the plus, plus side: the brilliant Noomi Rapace is the new female lead. On the plus, plus, plus side: UK wit and wonder Stephen Fry is onboard as Holmes’ smarter brother Mycroft. In fact, there is very little negative to say about this success mandated sequel to the hit from a few Christmases back. By using the devilish Dr. Moriarty as the main villain and keeping with Guy Ritchie’s stylized violent proclivities, our heroes — Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law — look ready for another legendary go-round.
Film: The Iron Lady
Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head, Richard E Grant
MPAA rating: PG-13
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16 December
The Iron Lady
British critics have been savaging this film ever since a special invite sneak preview. Calling it everything from patently false to borderline defamatory, the story of Margret Thatcher’s rise to UK political prominence apparently boasts a bravura performance from Meryl Streep… and little else. Complaints center on events that have been composited and characters created so that a certain anti-Conservative Party bent would benefit. Of course, by putting the untried (and untalented) filmmaker Phyllida Lloyd in charge, you’re bound to get something insufferable… just like her last movie, the moronic Mamma Mia! Still, here’s hoping that history can overcome suspect storytelling and even more concerning creative choices.
Film: Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol
Cast: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Vladimir Mashkov, Jeremy Renner, Josh Holloway, Simon Pegg, Tom Wilkinson
MPAA rating: PG-13
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16 December
Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol
Just call this the Tom Cruise film fallback position. Whenever he needs a solid domestic hit, the iconic actor jumps back into the spy shoes of Ethan Hunt — and he usually brings along an iconic filmmaker to flesh out the action and adventure. Previously, Brian DePalma, John Woo, and J. J. Abrams sat in the director’s seat. Now, two time Oscar winner Brad Bird takes the reins, and while skilled in animation originally (he made the magnificent The Incredibles as well as Ratatouille and The Iron Giant) he seems more than capable of bringing the chaos. The terrific trailers bear this out.
Film: Carnage
Cast: Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly
MPAA rating: R
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16 December
Carnage
Four people, sitting around, talking. Doesn’t sound like the set-up for a searing drama or a clever comedy. But in the hands of controversial (if still classic) director Roman Polanski and starring Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz, and Kate Winselt, this adaptation of French playwright Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage looks amazing. The story centers on two sets of parents who meet up to discuss the recent fight between their sons. Naturally, their desire to have passive, civil conversation on the subject devolves into utter chaos. Considering the cast, the concept, and the man behind the lens, we are nothing but excited.
Film: Alvin and the Chipmunks — Chipwrecked
Cast: Jason Lee, David Cross
MPAA rating: PG
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16 December
Alvin and the Chipmunks — Chipwrecked
Hey, parents. Want to know why your kids don’t have better taste in cultural entertainment? It could be because you drag them to dross like this, inferring to the bean counting suits in Tinseltown that you want more of the sloppy, saccharine same. So after infesting theaters with two previous installments of these once beloved rodents, we get yet another trek through the CG silliness of this electronic babysitter. The spin this time is that Alvin and his pals, along with the girl Chipmunks, all end up stranded on a desert island. Here’s hoping there’s some animal cannibalism involved.
23 December
Film: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Cast: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Embeth Davidtz, Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Plummer
MPAA rating: R
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23 December
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Having already won the award for most intriguing trailer and superb catchphrase (“The Feel Bad Movie of December”) of the season, we can’t wait for David Fincher’s take on the internationally acclaimed novel by the late Stieg Larsson. Of course, the brilliant director has a lot to live up to, considering the great work already done by Swedish filmmaker Niels Arden Oplev. For his part, Fincher seems prepared to prove the doubters wrong. Maybe he will finally win the Oscar he so obviously deserves (having been unfairly unseated by Tom Hooper and Danny Boyle previously). Even without the accolade, he remains one of the few must see artists currently making movies.
Film: The Adventures of Tintin
Cast: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Daniel Craig
MPAA rating: PG
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23 December
The Adventures of Tintin
He’s incredibly popular in Europe, his action adventure comics being a major part of growing up on the Continent since the mid ’40s. Of course, said popularity waned in the ’80s and ’90s, but longtime fans Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are hoping to revive the character’s fortunes, and raise his US profile in the process. Of course, with these two behind the scenes, we should have a major blockbuster on our hands. Arguing against said statement — the use of motion capture animation to realize the film’s visual aims. So far, all seems well. We’ll have to wait until opening weekend to see if the boy reporter’s fame carries across the pond.
Film: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Cast: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, John Goodman, James Gandolfini, Zoe Caldwell
MPAA rating:
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23 December
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
It’s amazing how little has been done with 9/11 in the last ten years. Aside from the occasional affront — the hideous reference to that tragic day in the depressingly awful Remember Me — we’ve had nothing but documentaries and dissertations. This, however, sounds like the proper combination of reverence and revelation. A young boy is left a key to a strong box by his father, a victim of the terrorist attacks. The journey allows filmmaker Stephen Daldry to explore that fateful day, as well as lingering aftereffects. With a creative canon including The Hours and The Reader, he seems like the perfect choice.
Film: The Darkest Hour
Cast: Olivia Thirlby, Emile Hirsch, Rachael Taylor, Max Minghella, Joel Kinnaman, Greg Kinnear
MPAA rating: R
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23 December
The Darkest Hour
Oh great. Another alien invasion movie. Haven’t filmmakers learned that, unless you decide to bring a novel angle to the subgenre — say the hilarious gang goof that is Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block — you should really bother. Skyline and Battle: Los Angeles is proof enough of this truism. In this case, Russian revisionist Timur Bekmambetov is taking a decidedly Soviet stance with the concept, using a group of invisible invaders set against the backdrop of a dour, depressed Moscow. The trailer looks terrific. Of course, we will have to wait and see if audiences will risk another lame evil ET on the loose experience.
30 December
Film: We Bought a Zoo
Cast: Matt Damon, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning, Colin Ford, Scarlett Johansson, Desi Lydic
MPAA rating: PG-13
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30 December
We Bought a Zoo
It happened around the time of Vanilla Sky. Cameron Crowe was riding high, having earned an Oscar for his Almost Famous screenplay and accolades for his slice of life cinema. Then came the Cruise vehicle, and the less than favorable reviews for his exasperating Elizabethtown. Now, the newly divorced writer/director is tackling the family oriented effort about a harried husband who uproots his clan to run the title enterprise. As with anything he’s involved in, Crowe guarantees a smart and savvy script. The subject matter, on the other hand, could be a harder sell for his geek elite fanbase.
Film: In the Land of Blood and Honey
Cast: Goran Kostić, Zana Marjanović, Rade Šerbedžija
MPAA rating: R
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30 December
In the Land of Blood and Honey
Apparently, all you need to make a movie is a good idea, a pretty face, and a baffling amount of international box office. While some seminal artists as Terry Gilliam and David Lynch struggle to get financing for their brilliant back catalog of ideas, Angelina Jolie steps up, flashes her tabloid tempting smile, and gets to sit behind the lens. Granted, her choice of subject matter is noble, but for someone whose onscreen presence is little more than splash over substance, the gritty realism required by this movie argues for Jolie sense of self, and possible proficiency in the director’s chair.
Film: War Horse
Cast: David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Tom Hiddleston
MPAA rating: PG-13
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30 December
War Horse
How did we get so lucky to get two, count ’em two, Steven Spielberg movies in one year, let alone one month. Of course, the two titles couldn’t be more different, with this being the most awards-oriented of the pair. It might also be the easier sell, since it’s based on a celebrated play seen round the world. In the hands of a master like Mr. Blockbuster, this tale of a special animal and its travails through history should be a slam dunk. Of course, depending on the competition, this otherwise earnest effort could get lost in all the pre-Oscar hype. With Spielberg in charge, we’re guessing that won’t happen.