Disclaimer: It's inevitable - films will get left off of my list. Good films too. And that's not even including the films that are set to premier at Sundance in a few days looking for a buyer. (That's where The Kids Are All Right, Winter's Bone and Blue Valentine first got notice and were quickly snapped up by a distributor/studio for release.) This is simply just a list of the movies that caught my eye; or have good buzz going for the script/cast/director; or simply ones I am most looking forward to seeing.
First up is part one of the prestige films. As with all of the forthcoming lists the films are arranged in alphabetical order. (This particular category has been split into because of the large number of films. Part two will post tomorrow.)
1. A Dangerous MethodWho: Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fastbender, Keira Knightley, and Vincent Cassel; directed by David Cronenberg
What: Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) vs. Carl Jung (Fassbender): the conflict between teacher (Freud) and his student (Jung) over a disturbed young woman (Knightley) brought in for treatment by her father.
Why: Based on the play by Christopher Hampton, The Talking Cure, which is an impassioned look at the birth of psychoanalysis. This seems to be a great mixture of the perfect director with the perfect cast to tell the story.
When: To Be Announced (TBA)
2. Contagion
Who: Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Bryan Cranston, John Hawkes and Laurence Fishburne; directed by Steven Soderbergh
What: An action-thriller that follows a worst case scenario when a deadly virus spreads to four continents; and the international team of doctors who try to stop it.
Why: This will be Soderbergh’s most high-profile picture since Oceans’s Thirteen, and he couldn’t have picked a better project to come out swinging with. With a terrific script by Scott Z. Burns (The Informant, The Bourne Ultimatum) and an all-star cast I don’t see how this one won’t turn out to be a hit.
When: October 21
3. The Descendants
Who: George Clooney, Judy Greet, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard, Robert Forster, Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller; directed by Alexander Payne
What: The story of an attorney (Clooney) who re-evaluates his life after his wife’s boating accident. He and his two daughters (Woodley and Miller) decide to take a trip to find the man she was having an affair with. According to Payne, “it’s more or less a story about fatherhood.”
Why: Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings and adapted by Faxon & Jim Rash (from tv show Community); the script has been widely praised.
When: TBA (I get a very Up in the Air feeling to this one, meaning an Oscar-bat picture; most likely a late 2011 limited release before going wide in January)
4. Drive
Who: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks and Christina Hendricks; directed by Nicholas Winding Refn
What: A Hollywood stunt driver (Gosling) who moonlights as a getaway driver for thieves ends up on the run after a bank heist goes wrong.
Why: Um, it’s Gosling and Mulligan! Still need more? Based on the James Sallis novel Gosling says “it’s a cross between Blue Velvet and Purple Rain. It’s like a dream version of an action movie. It’s absolutely unique.”
When: September 16
5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Who: Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard and Robin Wright; directed by David Fincher
What: A journalist (Craig) is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing – or dead – for forty years by a young female hacker (Mara).
Why: Based on one of the most popular books of this past decade by Stieg Larsson and going up against the Swedish film not more than two years after its release, I’m excited to see if David Fincher’s version lives up to the hype.
When: December 21
6. The HelpWho: Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sissy Spackey and Viola Davis; directed by Tate Taylor
What: A 1960s period drama set in Mississippi. When a southern society girl (Stone) returns from college determined to become a writer she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives as “the help”. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged as everyone in town becomes caught up in the changing times.
Why: Based on the New York Times bestseller; if done right The Help will be a strong, worthwhile drama.
When: August 12
7. Hugo Cabret
Who: Jude Law, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloe Moretz and Asa Butterfield; directed by Martin Scorsese
What: Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Why: Considering his last movie was horror flick Shutter Island Scorsese is making a decidedly big change with this big-budgeted 3D family friendly film based on Brian Selznick’s best selling novel. Details of the film are being held close to the chest, so I don’t think we’ll really know much about the project until later in the year, but it’s Scorsese with a December release date………
When: December 9
8. The Ides of March
Who: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman; directed by George Clooney
What: The young, idealistic communications director (Gosling) for a new presidential candidate (Clooney) gets a crash course on dirty politics when he becomes embroiled in a battle of dirty tricks with a rival during his stint on the primaries campaign trail.
Why: Based on Beau Willimon’s play Faragut North (wish they would have kept the title for the film, although I guess non-Washingtonians might not understand the meaning) which in turn is based loosely on the 2004 Howard Dean campaign.
When: A limited December release to qualify for Oscars before going wide in January ‘12
9. Immortals
Who: Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas and Luke Evans; directed by Tarsem Singh
What: A mythological tale set in war-torn ancient Greece where the young warrior prince Theseus leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the Gods and Men fighting against the Titans and Barbarians.
Why: Tarsem says of his film, “It’s turning into, basically Carvaggio [the Italian 16th century artist] meets Fight Club, it’s a really hardcore action film done in Renaissance painting style.” If nothing else at least it sounds like it will look good.
When: November 11
10. Jane Eyre
Who: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench and Sally Hawkins; directed by Cary Fukenaga
What: An adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel.
Why: There have been numerous interpretations of Jane Eyre over the years, this time however we are promised a focus on the Gothic elements of the story. The cast is pretty great as well, so that will definitely help.
When: March 11 (This date is somewhat of a surprise. Hopefully it isn’t an indication of Focus Features dumping it. Still, 9 months is a long time to stay relevant.)
11. Live With It
Who: Joseph Gorden-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Angelica Huston; directed by Jonathan Levine
What: The story of Adam (Gorden-Levitt), a 25-year-old who learns he has cancer and the young psychologist (Kendrick) assigned to handle his case despite her lack of real life experience.
Why: The formally titled I’m With Cancer (wish they would have kept that) is from an autobiographical script by cancer survivor Will Reiser. Seth Rogen got wind of the script and along with co-staring in the film as Adam’s best friend he is also acting as producer. Rogen’s proved he has good taste when it comes to scripts; I hope this one is no exception.
When: September 23
12. Melancholia
Who: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgard, Stellan Skarsgard and John Hurt; directed by Lars von Trier
What: A psychological disaster film in which two sisters, one of whom is about to be married, cope in different ways as a large planet looms threateningly close to Earth signifying the imminent end of the world.
Why: As Lars von Trier has shown with his past films, he is not afraid to think outside the box and this new project should be no exception. With a nice mix of indie darlings and Hollywood stars plus murmurings of a Cannes debut, this is one to keep an eye on.
When: TBA (US) / July 1 (UK)
13. Midnight in Paris
Who: Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Marion Cotillard, Owen Wilson, Alison Pill, Adrian Brody and Kathy Bates; directed by Woody Allen
What: A romantic comedy that follows a family traveling to Paris in the 1920s for business. The party includes a young engaged couple who have their lives transformed when they explore the illusion that people that have a different life from their own are better.
Why: It’s time for a Woody Allen comeback (his last few films have been met with less than positive praise) and this is the perfect cast to do it.
When: TBA (This one seems all-to-perfectly suited for a Cannes premiere. If the film is finished in time I won’t be surprised to see Sony Pictures Classic debut it there.)
14. Moneyball
Who: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt and Tammy Blanchard; directed by Bennett Miller
What: The story of Oakland A’s general manager, Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget, by employing computer generated analysis to draft his players.
Why: Based on Michael Lewis’ (The Blind Side) nonfiction bestseller Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. This film was initially set to go before cameras a year earlier and under Steven Soderbergh’s direction, but after his last-minute rewrite caused panic Sony pulled the plug. Months later Aaron Sorkin came on to rewrite and Capote director Bennett Miller took over the reigns. The Sorkin script is supposed to be strong (did you expect anything less?) and the cast is aces. This is one that we’ll be debating it’s Oscar value for months to come, well ahead of its fall release.
When: September 23
15. My Week with MarilynWho: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmaybe, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Watson, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond and Dougray Scott; directed by Simon Curtis
What: The story of the friendship between film assistant Colin Clark (Redmayne), and Monroe (Williams) and her tempestuous relationship with co-star Sir Laurence Olivier (Branagh) set against the backdrop of the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl.
Why: Adapted from Colin Clark’s diary that was published 40 years after it was written, but with one week missing, which was then published some years later as My Week with Marilyn. Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne together is enough for me not to mention Williams’ performance has sparked insider rumors placing her as the early front-runner for the Oscar.
When: TBA
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