Fall movie preview
After a summer overflowing with high-quality indie films - several of which I still have yet to see - I'm not as starved for good movies as I usually am around this time of year. And surveying this fall's offerings of mostly grim, dark material, I feel a bit like someone who just enjoyed a summer diet of surprisingly tasty salads and refreshing icy confections now being handed a menu full of heavy stews, steaks, and stockpot entrees. It's not that lighter is always better, just that the switch seems to have come without much of a transition. Still, the season isn't totally without hints of fun, like the new "Hunger Games" movie or the Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis"...though maybe "fun" is relative, given that we're talking a dystopian saga about a society that forces children to fight to the death for sport and a Coen brothers flick (read: merciless) about a down-at-heel folk musician struggling and failing to succeed. Still, enjoyment can come in all forms, and I, for one, plan to enjoy seeing some of my favorite actors abuse each other on screen for the greater good of cinema. Here are the ten movies I'm most looking forward to this fall, in order of release date:
PRISONERS (Sept. 20)
directed by Denis Villeneuve
starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Maria Bello, Melissa Leo, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard
Jackman plays a father of one of two missing girls who resorts to desperate (and probably ill-advised) measures when the police hit a wall in their investigation. That kind of plot normally holds little appeal for me, but I'm drawn to the cast and even more to Villeneuve, who previously directed "Incendies," an Oscar nominee for best foreign film and one of the most powerful films of 2011.
GRAVITY (Oct. 4)
directed by Alfonso Cuarón
starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
One of the tougher commercial sells of the year, despite its A-list pedigree, "Gravity" features Clooney and Bullock as a pair of astronauts faced with disaster when an accident leaves them stranded in space and running out of breathable air. Judging from the raptures at Toronto (International Film Festival), it's a gorgeous piece of work. One would expect no less from Cuaron ("Children of Men," "Y Tu Mamá También," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"), and that's enough for me.
12 YEARS A SLAVE (Oct. 18)
directed by Steve McQueen
starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Alfre Woodard, Sarah Paulson, Quvenzhané Wallis and the dude who played her dad in "Beasts of the Southern Wild," others
An adaptation of the true story of a free black man (Ejiofor) kidnapped into slavery in the antebellum South, the film version got raves at TIFF but is reportedly unsparing in its portrayal of the brutal treatment of slaves. Personal squeamishness aside, I also have some reservations about McQueen, an undeniably talented director whose films ("Hunger," "Shame") tend to leave me cold despite starring (and making a name for) the glorious Michael Fassbender. Still, any film that features Fassbender (albeit as Solomon's most sadistic master) AND Cumberbatch (albeit in a small role) AND Ejiofor and has the kind of buzz it's been getting is going to have me there opening weekend. In particular, this may finally be the breakout role for the charismatic Ejiofor, who despite a string of respectable performances in well-received indie and foreign films hasn't yet quite fulfilled the terrific potential he showed in "Dirty Pretty Things."
THE COUNSELOR (Oct. 25)
directed by Ridley Scott
starring Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, John Leguiziamo, Rosie Perez, Goran Visnjic
All I know about this one is that Fassbender plays a lawyer who gets involved - presumably in an extra-professional capacity - with a drug ring. You know this can't possibly end well, especially since the script was written by Cormac "despair and die" McCarthy. Nevertheless, Fassbender facing off against Javier Bardem should be a sight worth seeing.
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (Nov. 15)
directed by Martin Scorsese
starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, Kyle Chandler
based on the book by Jordan Belfort
I like to think Leo took my advice from a few years ago (circa "Inception"/"Shutter Island," or maybe it was "J. Edgar") when I bemoaned his confinement to what I called "furrowed brow" roles (or, in my unkinder moments, "constipated look" roles). Where, I asked, was that boyish charm and intriguing volatility of yore, that million dollar smile with the suggestion of troubled layers beneath it? Lo and behold, he brought it back with a fresh new twist, first as the sociopathic Calvin Candy in last year's "Django Unchained," then as the deluded dreamer Jay Gatsby, and now as another larger-than-life fellow ripe for a fall: real-life Wall Street broker Jordan Belfort, a shady high-flyer in the early '90s who was eventually convicted of massive securities fraud only to serve minimal time and write a best-selling book about the experience. Watching Belfort and his ilk parading their ill-gotten gains may make one want to throw things at the screen, or despair that nothing about Wall Street culture has changed...but I say it's better to be reminded of this cinematically than not at all. And it's Scorsese, so prepare to be reminded with panache.
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (Nov. 22)
directed by Francis Lawrence
starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz
By this point, you're probably either already on the "Hunger Games" train or unlikely to get on now. But if you haven't yet given it a try, I recommend watching the first movie and hopping aboard for the second one. JLaw continues her conquering march through Hollywood, reprising her role as the intrepid Katniss Everdeen. Also returning: most of the cast from the first movie, plus new additions Philip Seymour Hoffmann as the new Gamemaker and a couple of lesser known faces as reader favorites Finnick and Johanna. The franchise has a new director, too: Francis Lawrence (no relation to Jennifer), who directed "I Am Legend."
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (Dec. 6)
directed by the Coen bros.
starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham.
A hit at Cannes, the Coens' latest recounts the travails of a gifted but feckless and unlucky young folk singer-songwriter (Isaac) just scraping by in the early '60s: the anti-Dylan, if you will, or maybe the unsuccessful alternative-universe Dylan if that Dylan were a bit of a loser and more of a dick. The music's apparently pretty good, and for good reason - a reason with three words: T. Bone Burnett. For this and other reasons, the movie's already drawn favorable comparisons to "O Brother, Where Art Thou." Sold!
AMERICAN HUSTLE (Dec. 13)
directed by David O. Russell
starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis CK
After being wowed by "The Fighter," I found myself in the critical minority of those left distinctly underwhelmed by David O. Russell's follow-up, "Silver Linings Playbook," and concluded that I prefer "serious David O." to "comedic David O." (I wasn't a fan of "I Heart Huckabees," either; yet I'd really liked his breakout '90s film, "Three Kings.") This pattern, however, makes me hopeful for "American Hustle," which is based on the true story of an FBI political corruption sting in the late '70s, and stars "The Fighter"'s Bale and Adams as a pair of con artists who team up with an FBI agent played by Cooper. Unfortunate '70s fashions abound, judging from the publicity stills.
THE MONUMENTS MEN (Dec. 18)
directed by George Clooney
starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville
Hmm, is the theme of this fall's movie season "based on a true story"? At least this one seems a bit more upbeat than the others: based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, it depicts the clandestine efforts of a special WWII Allied task force to rescue works of art from destruction by the Nazis. I'm guessing the heroes of the tale aren't quite as cool or dapper as the "Ocean's Eleven" crew, but they seem to have been pretty successful as a historical matter...and let's face it, their cause was far nobler.
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (Dec. 25)
directed by John Wells
starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nichols, Margo Martindale, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin
based on the play by Tracy Letts
I haven't seen the play, but as I understand it's a pretty dark depiction of a pretty dysfunctional Southern family (is there any other kind?) who hash out their grievances while gathered at the home of their (dying?) matriarch, Violet Weston (played here by Meryl Streep, naturellement). The fiercest battle appears to be between Beverly and her oldest daughter, Barbara (Julia Roberts), though I'm sure there are plenty of uncomfortable-making scenes involving all the other characters, too. Films based on plays, even successful and acclaimed plays, are always an uncertain proposition, and early word on this one is inconclusive - but with that cast, how can I not go?
*****
As always, I have no doubt that some of these films will underwhelm, and others that are totally not on my radar right now will creep up and surprise me. That's the beauty of the fall movie season: you never know what you'll end up loving, but chances are you'll find something.
PRISONERS (Sept. 20)
directed by Denis Villeneuve
starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Maria Bello, Melissa Leo, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard
Jackman plays a father of one of two missing girls who resorts to desperate (and probably ill-advised) measures when the police hit a wall in their investigation. That kind of plot normally holds little appeal for me, but I'm drawn to the cast and even more to Villeneuve, who previously directed "Incendies," an Oscar nominee for best foreign film and one of the most powerful films of 2011.
GRAVITY (Oct. 4)
directed by Alfonso Cuarón
starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
One of the tougher commercial sells of the year, despite its A-list pedigree, "Gravity" features Clooney and Bullock as a pair of astronauts faced with disaster when an accident leaves them stranded in space and running out of breathable air. Judging from the raptures at Toronto (International Film Festival), it's a gorgeous piece of work. One would expect no less from Cuaron ("Children of Men," "Y Tu Mamá También," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"), and that's enough for me.
12 YEARS A SLAVE (Oct. 18)
directed by Steve McQueen
starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Alfre Woodard, Sarah Paulson, Quvenzhané Wallis and the dude who played her dad in "Beasts of the Southern Wild," others
An adaptation of the true story of a free black man (Ejiofor) kidnapped into slavery in the antebellum South, the film version got raves at TIFF but is reportedly unsparing in its portrayal of the brutal treatment of slaves. Personal squeamishness aside, I also have some reservations about McQueen, an undeniably talented director whose films ("Hunger," "Shame") tend to leave me cold despite starring (and making a name for) the glorious Michael Fassbender. Still, any film that features Fassbender (albeit as Solomon's most sadistic master) AND Cumberbatch (albeit in a small role) AND Ejiofor and has the kind of buzz it's been getting is going to have me there opening weekend. In particular, this may finally be the breakout role for the charismatic Ejiofor, who despite a string of respectable performances in well-received indie and foreign films hasn't yet quite fulfilled the terrific potential he showed in "Dirty Pretty Things."
THE COUNSELOR (Oct. 25)
directed by Ridley Scott
starring Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, John Leguiziamo, Rosie Perez, Goran Visnjic
All I know about this one is that Fassbender plays a lawyer who gets involved - presumably in an extra-professional capacity - with a drug ring. You know this can't possibly end well, especially since the script was written by Cormac "despair and die" McCarthy. Nevertheless, Fassbender facing off against Javier Bardem should be a sight worth seeing.
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (Nov. 15)
directed by Martin Scorsese
starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, Kyle Chandler
based on the book by Jordan Belfort
I like to think Leo took my advice from a few years ago (circa "Inception"/"Shutter Island," or maybe it was "J. Edgar") when I bemoaned his confinement to what I called "furrowed brow" roles (or, in my unkinder moments, "constipated look" roles). Where, I asked, was that boyish charm and intriguing volatility of yore, that million dollar smile with the suggestion of troubled layers beneath it? Lo and behold, he brought it back with a fresh new twist, first as the sociopathic Calvin Candy in last year's "Django Unchained," then as the deluded dreamer Jay Gatsby, and now as another larger-than-life fellow ripe for a fall: real-life Wall Street broker Jordan Belfort, a shady high-flyer in the early '90s who was eventually convicted of massive securities fraud only to serve minimal time and write a best-selling book about the experience. Watching Belfort and his ilk parading their ill-gotten gains may make one want to throw things at the screen, or despair that nothing about Wall Street culture has changed...but I say it's better to be reminded of this cinematically than not at all. And it's Scorsese, so prepare to be reminded with panache.
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (Nov. 22)
directed by Francis Lawrence
starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz
By this point, you're probably either already on the "Hunger Games" train or unlikely to get on now. But if you haven't yet given it a try, I recommend watching the first movie and hopping aboard for the second one. JLaw continues her conquering march through Hollywood, reprising her role as the intrepid Katniss Everdeen. Also returning: most of the cast from the first movie, plus new additions Philip Seymour Hoffmann as the new Gamemaker and a couple of lesser known faces as reader favorites Finnick and Johanna. The franchise has a new director, too: Francis Lawrence (no relation to Jennifer), who directed "I Am Legend."
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (Dec. 6)
directed by the Coen bros.
starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham.
A hit at Cannes, the Coens' latest recounts the travails of a gifted but feckless and unlucky young folk singer-songwriter (Isaac) just scraping by in the early '60s: the anti-Dylan, if you will, or maybe the unsuccessful alternative-universe Dylan if that Dylan were a bit of a loser and more of a dick. The music's apparently pretty good, and for good reason - a reason with three words: T. Bone Burnett. For this and other reasons, the movie's already drawn favorable comparisons to "O Brother, Where Art Thou." Sold!
AMERICAN HUSTLE (Dec. 13)
directed by David O. Russell
starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis CK
After being wowed by "The Fighter," I found myself in the critical minority of those left distinctly underwhelmed by David O. Russell's follow-up, "Silver Linings Playbook," and concluded that I prefer "serious David O." to "comedic David O." (I wasn't a fan of "I Heart Huckabees," either; yet I'd really liked his breakout '90s film, "Three Kings.") This pattern, however, makes me hopeful for "American Hustle," which is based on the true story of an FBI political corruption sting in the late '70s, and stars "The Fighter"'s Bale and Adams as a pair of con artists who team up with an FBI agent played by Cooper. Unfortunate '70s fashions abound, judging from the publicity stills.
THE MONUMENTS MEN (Dec. 18)
directed by George Clooney
starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville
Hmm, is the theme of this fall's movie season "based on a true story"? At least this one seems a bit more upbeat than the others: based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, it depicts the clandestine efforts of a special WWII Allied task force to rescue works of art from destruction by the Nazis. I'm guessing the heroes of the tale aren't quite as cool or dapper as the "Ocean's Eleven" crew, but they seem to have been pretty successful as a historical matter...and let's face it, their cause was far nobler.
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (Dec. 25)
directed by John Wells
starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nichols, Margo Martindale, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin
based on the play by Tracy Letts
I haven't seen the play, but as I understand it's a pretty dark depiction of a pretty dysfunctional Southern family (is there any other kind?) who hash out their grievances while gathered at the home of their (dying?) matriarch, Violet Weston (played here by Meryl Streep, naturellement). The fiercest battle appears to be between Beverly and her oldest daughter, Barbara (Julia Roberts), though I'm sure there are plenty of uncomfortable-making scenes involving all the other characters, too. Films based on plays, even successful and acclaimed plays, are always an uncertain proposition, and early word on this one is inconclusive - but with that cast, how can I not go?
*****
As always, I have no doubt that some of these films will underwhelm, and others that are totally not on my radar right now will creep up and surprise me. That's the beauty of the fall movie season: you never know what you'll end up loving, but chances are you'll find something.
posted by lylee2 at 11:18 PM
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