10 movies to keep on your radar for the 2013 Oscars
Yup, you read the title of this post correctly. The 2013 Oscars. Today may be the day of the 2012 Academy Awards, but that doesn't mean we can't start talking about next year. These films aren't even out yet, so you'll have plenty of time to schedule viewings of the ten over the next 12 months. (While it's not on this list, you should go see The Grey though. Liam Neeson's latest isn't on this list, but we might find ourselves talking about it again next February.)
Brave
In theaters June 22, 2012
IMDB synopsis: Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
Guys, it's Pixar. Yeah, they screwed up bad with Cars 2, thinking that a movie focused on a Larry the Cable Guy character belonged in the same esteemed lineage as Toy Story 3, Up and Wall•E, but I won't can't count Pixar out until they prove they don't belong. Since the Best Animated Feature category was created, eight of Pixar's last nine films have scored nomination, with six of them winning the prize. In fact, before Cars 2, Pixar had a four-year win streak going. Brave will hopefully get Pixar back on track.
The Dark Knight Rises
In theaters July 20, 2012
IMDB synopsis: Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's crimes.
When the Academy expanded the Best Picture field to ten films in 2009, the widely held belief was that it was due to the snub of The Dark Knight the previous year. This will be Batman's chance to avenge that snub. With an expanded field, The Dark Knight Rises should be able to capitalize on the goodwill from its last installment, the accomplishments of the trilogy (think Lord of the Rings) and the fact that its director, Christopher Nolan, saw his past two directing gigs go ignored by the Academy (The Dark Knight and Inception). This sequel has a huge amount of hype to live up to, but then again, so did The Dark Knight. In addition to Best Picture and Best Director, keep an eye on Christian Bale and Tom Hardy for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations, respectively.
Django Unchained
In theaters Dec. 25, 2012
IMDB synopsis: With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
Quentin Tarantino's last outing, Inglourious Basterds, gave us Brad Pitt as a Nazi hunter, introduced American audiences to Christoph Waltz and earned eight Oscar nominations. Django Unchained will reunite Tarantino with Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson and bring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt into his universe. Moviegoers will see DiCaprio in his first role as a villain (unless you count Titanic, seeing as how he did steal Rose from her fiancé). Best Picture and Best Director nods should be expected, in addition to acting noms for Foxx and DiCaprio.
Gravity
In theaters Nov. 29, 2012
IMDB synopsis: The lone survivor of a space mission to repair the Hubble telescope desperately tries to return to Earth and reunite with her daughter.
Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men was just about a masterpiece, but it was released too late in 2006 to gain enough momentum to break into the Oscars. His work on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the film that most fans recognize as the beginning of a more mature cinematic version of Harry Potter, was ignored too. In fact, Cuaron has never received a Best Director nomination. With Gravity, there's the chance that may change. It helps to have George Clooney (America's favorite actor?) and Sandra Bullock in your corner. It'll be interesting to see how this pairing works though, as Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman and Robert Downey Jr. all passed on the project at some point.
The Great Gatsby
In theaters Dec. 25, 2012
IMDB synopsis: Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
Baz Luhrmann, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire — if you were having an Oscar film fantasy draft, this would be a pretty damn good team. There are two big questions that are still answered about this adaption of The Great Gatsby. The first is how will Luhrmann, a director known for musicals like Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet, handle turning one of the great American novels into a film. Luhrmann has never received a Best Director nomination, but Moulin Rouge! was a Best Picture nomination. There aren't many bigger American novels out there (although I will argue that a The Natural adaption that is faithful to the book remains untouched). The second big issue is how will the film being shot in 3D affect the story. Reading The Great Gatsby in college, I didn't really picture the story in 3D. Hopefully it will be done carefully, much like Martin Scorsese's use of 3D in Hugo.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
In theaters Dec. 14, 2012
IMDB synopsis: Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug.
Peter Jackson's last journey into Middle Earth resulted in a trilogy of three Best Picture-nominated films, with Return of the King finally winning. The trailer gives the feel that Jackson is ready to pick off where he left off (or, considering that this a prequel, before he left off). Providing Jackson can recapture the magic he had with the original trilogy, will Academy voters bestow upon this film, the first of two prequels, Oscar gold too?
Lincoln
In theaters sometime after November's presidential election
IMDB synopsis: The sixteenth President of the United States guides the North to victory during the Civil War.
If I had to pick a favorite for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Director a year out without even seeing any of these films, this would be my choice. America's greatest president, a director whose films almost always garner accolades and an actor whose mere casting brings with it talks of Oscar glory make Lincoln the 2013 heavy weight. Oh, and throw in Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones and a score by John Williams. This film does't even have a trailer or official stills yet, but it should definitely have your attention.
The Master
In theaters ???
IMDB synopsis: A 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as "the Master" whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man.
We'll get to the director and cast in a second, but first things first. Odds are that you're going to come to know this film as the one that ticked off Scientology. There are apparently more than just a few similarities to L. Ron Hubbard and the religion he founded. Getting past the upcoming controversy, The Master boasts a cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, in addition to Joaquin Phoenix's return to acting. I personally felt that Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood was 2007's best film, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes here.
The Surrogate
In theaters ???
IMDB synopsis: A man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest.
John Hawkes, who has been on the rise over the past few years with Winter's Bone and Martha Marcy May Marlene, might finally crack through to a Best Actor win with his upcoming portrayal of a man stuck in an iron lung seeking to lose his virginity. We'll have to see how the Academy reacts to the subject matter.
Untitled Osama bin Laden Film
In theaters ???
IMDB synopsis: An account on the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the battled on his compound that resulted in his death.
Besides it being about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, there's very little know about this film. We do know that Kathryn Bigelow can director a war film (and take down Avatar, if she needs to). We do know that Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler, Joel Edgerton and Mark Strong are in the cast. And that's about it. This is going to be a wild card. How will the film deal with bin Laden being killed? And how will the Academy deal with that portrayal?
Brave
In theaters June 22, 2012
IMDB synopsis: Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
Guys, it's Pixar. Yeah, they screwed up bad with Cars 2, thinking that a movie focused on a Larry the Cable Guy character belonged in the same esteemed lineage as Toy Story 3, Up and Wall•E, but I won't can't count Pixar out until they prove they don't belong. Since the Best Animated Feature category was created, eight of Pixar's last nine films have scored nomination, with six of them winning the prize. In fact, before Cars 2, Pixar had a four-year win streak going. Brave will hopefully get Pixar back on track.
The Dark Knight Rises
In theaters July 20, 2012
IMDB synopsis: Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's crimes.
When the Academy expanded the Best Picture field to ten films in 2009, the widely held belief was that it was due to the snub of The Dark Knight the previous year. This will be Batman's chance to avenge that snub. With an expanded field, The Dark Knight Rises should be able to capitalize on the goodwill from its last installment, the accomplishments of the trilogy (think Lord of the Rings) and the fact that its director, Christopher Nolan, saw his past two directing gigs go ignored by the Academy (The Dark Knight and Inception). This sequel has a huge amount of hype to live up to, but then again, so did The Dark Knight. In addition to Best Picture and Best Director, keep an eye on Christian Bale and Tom Hardy for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations, respectively.
Django Unchained
In theaters Dec. 25, 2012
IMDB synopsis: With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
Quentin Tarantino's last outing, Inglourious Basterds, gave us Brad Pitt as a Nazi hunter, introduced American audiences to Christoph Waltz and earned eight Oscar nominations. Django Unchained will reunite Tarantino with Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson and bring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt into his universe. Moviegoers will see DiCaprio in his first role as a villain (unless you count Titanic, seeing as how he did steal Rose from her fiancé). Best Picture and Best Director nods should be expected, in addition to acting noms for Foxx and DiCaprio.
Gravity
In theaters Nov. 29, 2012
IMDB synopsis: The lone survivor of a space mission to repair the Hubble telescope desperately tries to return to Earth and reunite with her daughter.
Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men was just about a masterpiece, but it was released too late in 2006 to gain enough momentum to break into the Oscars. His work on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the film that most fans recognize as the beginning of a more mature cinematic version of Harry Potter, was ignored too. In fact, Cuaron has never received a Best Director nomination. With Gravity, there's the chance that may change. It helps to have George Clooney (America's favorite actor?) and Sandra Bullock in your corner. It'll be interesting to see how this pairing works though, as Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman and Robert Downey Jr. all passed on the project at some point.
The Great Gatsby
In theaters Dec. 25, 2012
IMDB synopsis: Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
Baz Luhrmann, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire — if you were having an Oscar film fantasy draft, this would be a pretty damn good team. There are two big questions that are still answered about this adaption of The Great Gatsby. The first is how will Luhrmann, a director known for musicals like Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet, handle turning one of the great American novels into a film. Luhrmann has never received a Best Director nomination, but Moulin Rouge! was a Best Picture nomination. There aren't many bigger American novels out there (although I will argue that a The Natural adaption that is faithful to the book remains untouched). The second big issue is how will the film being shot in 3D affect the story. Reading The Great Gatsby in college, I didn't really picture the story in 3D. Hopefully it will be done carefully, much like Martin Scorsese's use of 3D in Hugo.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
In theaters Dec. 14, 2012
IMDB synopsis: Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug.
Peter Jackson's last journey into Middle Earth resulted in a trilogy of three Best Picture-nominated films, with Return of the King finally winning. The trailer gives the feel that Jackson is ready to pick off where he left off (or, considering that this a prequel, before he left off). Providing Jackson can recapture the magic he had with the original trilogy, will Academy voters bestow upon this film, the first of two prequels, Oscar gold too?
Lincoln
In theaters sometime after November's presidential election
IMDB synopsis: The sixteenth President of the United States guides the North to victory during the Civil War.
If I had to pick a favorite for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Director a year out without even seeing any of these films, this would be my choice. America's greatest president, a director whose films almost always garner accolades and an actor whose mere casting brings with it talks of Oscar glory make Lincoln the 2013 heavy weight. Oh, and throw in Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones and a score by John Williams. This film does't even have a trailer or official stills yet, but it should definitely have your attention.
The Master
In theaters ???
IMDB synopsis: A 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as "the Master" whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man.
We'll get to the director and cast in a second, but first things first. Odds are that you're going to come to know this film as the one that ticked off Scientology. There are apparently more than just a few similarities to L. Ron Hubbard and the religion he founded. Getting past the upcoming controversy, The Master boasts a cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, in addition to Joaquin Phoenix's return to acting. I personally felt that Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood was 2007's best film, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes here.
The Surrogate
In theaters ???
IMDB synopsis: A man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest.
John Hawkes, who has been on the rise over the past few years with Winter's Bone and Martha Marcy May Marlene, might finally crack through to a Best Actor win with his upcoming portrayal of a man stuck in an iron lung seeking to lose his virginity. We'll have to see how the Academy reacts to the subject matter.
Untitled Osama bin Laden Film
In theaters ???
IMDB synopsis: An account on the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the battled on his compound that resulted in his death.
Besides it being about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, there's very little know about this film. We do know that Kathryn Bigelow can director a war film (and take down Avatar, if she needs to). We do know that Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler, Joel Edgerton and Mark Strong are in the cast. And that's about it. This is going to be a wild card. How will the film deal with bin Laden being killed? And how will the Academy deal with that portrayal?
10 movies to keep on your radar for the 2013 Oscars
Reviewed by Bill Kuchman
on
2/26/2012
Rating:
Reviewed by Bill Kuchman
on
2/26/2012
Rating:
No comments: