Here it is, Part 2b. Nobody seemed interested in the first one, which is a good reason to do the second part! Wait… that’s not right.
See all the movie goodness after the jump.
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18. Twelve Years a Slave – October 18th
A movie that deals with slavery has so many potential pitfalls that can keep it from being any good. However, this film — based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a man kidnapped and sold into slavery, who once being freed again became an abolitionist and worked with the underground railroad — is directed by Steve McQueen, who is an absolutely brilliant director, that and a stellar cast make this a promising film.
19. The Counselor – October 25th
Interesting, unless the dates change that’s two movies in a row starring Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt.
Fassbender, Pitt, Cruz, and Bardem teaming up for a Cormac McCarthy penned film? Yup, I’ll be seeing that!
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20. Oldboy – October 25th
A beloved asian film being remade in America. Will it be great, like The Departed, or awful, like 1998’s Godzilla? Spike Lee has to offer us some reason to be hopeful.
There is more than one reason to adapt a story. Two common reasons: you can do it to simply remake it so stupid white people will be more likely to go see it, or, you can be trying to engage a story you love in a new way, or with a different take. Let’s hope this is a bit more of the latter.
For those who haven’t seen it, the original is an uber-dark, deeply twisted story that plays like a Greek tragedy. It’s a landmark film, so a remake is a dicey proposition.
The cast is great. That’s something.
Here is the very redband trailer.
21. Ender’s Game – November 1st
This is a great story, even if the author is a bit of a nutcase. My primary fear is actually that they will remove the nuance and ambiguity that make this book, and its sequels, so special. If the part in the trailer where Harrison Ford’s Colonel Graff says, “If you succeed, you will be remembered as a hero,” is a nod to those of us who have read past the first book, then we could be in good shape.
I’m just now realizing how skeptical I am sounding about all these movies I am sharing. What’s my deal, anyway?
22. Thor: The Dark World – November 8th
I enjoyed the first Thor much more than others seemed to. Many of my friends really enjoyed Captain America, but thought Thor was just okay. I, on the other hand, thought Captain America was boring and really enjoyed Thor.
I love these sorts of comic books stories, that pull out all the stops and span worlds and dimensions — that’s why I wish WB would stop screwing around and move forward on that Guillermo del Toro Justice League Dark film.
Why not go really big with the Marvel adaptations? These stories are in a comic book world, let’s play! Fortunately, Marvel Studios seems very much to be headed in that direction, eschewing the gritty and “realistic” tone that other industry folks claimed was all that would work following Nolan’s Dark Knight films in favor of The Avengers, and we all saw how that turned out. Cha-ching!
Anyway, Iron Man 3 made clear that things look bright for the post-Avengers Marvel films. The Dark World looks to keep the streak going.
23. The Wolf of Wall Street – November 15th
Yeah, I’m calling this one now: it’s going to be fantastic.
24. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – November 22nd
I was genuinely surprised by the first one. A fan of the books, I was still genuinely impressed by how well made The Hunger Games was as a film. Let’s hope that even with a brand new director, the second film will strike gold again.
Either way, at least we get JLaw.
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25. Out of the Furnace – November 27th
Os·car – \ˈäs-kər\ — one of a group of statuettes awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion-picture production and performance.
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26. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – November 29th
And speaking of Oscars, is it possible that Idris already has this one in the bag? I’m sure Leo is hoping otherwise.
27. Dallas Buyer’s Club – December 6th
I don’t know what switch flipped in Matthew McConaughey’s brain. What made him suddenly leave behind terrible, formulaic RomCom’s in which he played the same character over and over and over, and turn to role after role of genuine acting. By now, it’s clear the dude has chops, and now he’s added another level of commitment by losing over 30lbs to play Ron Woodroof, a man who was diagnosed with HIV and started smuggling illegal, non-FDA approved drugs into the country to treat it because it was the only way he’d survive more than the 30 days he was given in his original prognosis.
No trailer yet.
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28. Inside Llewyn Davis – December 6th
If you need more of a reason to see a movie than, “Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen,” then you are probably on the wrong blog.
29. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – December 13th
I thought the first one was underwhelming. Hopefully, round two will deliver a better film.
30. American Hustle – December 13th
Not only do we not have a trailer for this one yet, but so far there are only set photos from this story of a con artist forced to work with the feds to take down other con artists and whatnot.
Why am I excited? Directed by David O. Russell, the film stars Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Robert De Niro, Louis C.K. and Michael Peña.
I’m not just excited for this movie, I’m excited for a trailer, or a poster… anything!
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31. Saving Mr. Banks – December 13th
I’m sharing this more from confusion than anything else. The trailer makes it seem like the heartwarming story of Travers being won over by Disney to adapt the film, and they all lived happily ever after. Yet, it was my impression that the real story doesn’t have a very happy ending, and that Travers despised the adaptation in its final form and had pretty negative feelings about her experience with Disney. For the record, I still love the film Mary Poppins.
32. The Monuments Men – December 18th
Another film that doesn’t have a trailer or anything yet. It’s based on the true story of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program which was a group of soldiers during WWII charged with going around and saving important art and such before Hitler destroyed it.
The bad news: Daniel Craig dropped out.
The good news: It’s still starring Matt Damon, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Bob Balaban.
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33. Anchorman: The Legend Continues – December 20th
Nothing really needs to be said. The only question is: How many times can we rewatch the original before December?
34. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – December 25th
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” was one of the first stories I read that awakened some part of my brain to the power of fiction. The joy of reading it, the fact that it got so much done in such a short space, the fact that I understood what was going on at multiple levels even as a kid… it was one of the first heartstrings pulled in my love affair with stories and fiction.
That means there is a good chance I will either really love or really hate the movie. The cast is awesome, so hopefully it will be as good as it has the potential to be.
No trailer yet.
