a trip through the future of film
Now that 2013 is under way I thought I'd do a little research into what films we might end up watching in the coming months... it's always nice to have something to look forward to!
Here I present you with 28 hand picked films that caught my attention and should be worth a watch. I have organised them into chronological order with regards to their UK release dates. There are many films that will be released this year that haven't even been announced... yet 2013 already looks set to be another brilliant year for filmgoers.
Django Unchained - 18th January
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Director: Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino, a man who many love and many love to hate. No matter which category you fall into it is hard to deny that he is a one of a kind director making some of the 'coolest' movies out there. Django Unchained - with its stellar cast and punchy dialogue - looks set to be a fun romp of a movie and a good start to 2013.
Wreck-It Ralph - 8th February
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Director: Rich Moore
From the director of many Futurama and The Simpsons episodes comes an animated film based around video games. I'm proud and happy that gaming has become part of our culture to the point that a referential and perhaps 'niche' film like Wreck-It Ralph can become part of the mainstream. I've heard many great things about this little film and it's sure to be a hit with both the little kids and big kids when it releases in less than a month.
Cloud Atlas - 22nd February
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Directors: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowsky, Lana Wachowsky
Cloud Atlas looks like a cross between The Fifth Element and The Matrix with a splash of Inception on top. It tells the story of lives continuely repeating throughout history, linked together, destined to meet time and time again. Cloud Atlas might not turn out as good as I hope... but the film's plot and old school sci-fi feel intrigues me. At the very least it'll be an interesting blockbuster!
To The Wonder - 22nd February
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Director: Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick returns surprisingly quickly after 2011's incredible The Tree of Life with a film that appears be to centred around love and its many forms and manifestations. From the trailer it seems that what we are in for is a film that is formally similar to The Tree of Life but has some of the soul from an earlier film like Days of Heaven. Malick has a knack for taking big name actors and transforming them and To The Wonder doesn't look to break this trend. I can't wait to see this film.
READ MY REVIEW HERE
Stoker - 1st March
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Director: Park Chan-Wook
Park Chan-Wook makes his English language debut with Stoker. I have to be honest, a lot of Chan-Wook's earlier work rubs me the wrong way, there is a sterile artificial feel to his films that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not a big fan of his Vengeance trilogy and found his latest films (Thirst, I'm A Cyborg) to be hollow and ultimately boring... yet Stoker looks set to change my opinion, it really does look intriguing and has a very distinct visual style which I actually quite like. I hope I like it... I really want to!
Beyond The Hills - 15th March
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Director: Cristian Mungiu
Scooping up both Best Actress and Best Screenplay awards at Cannes 2012 Beyond The Hills finally reaches UK theatres. This Romanian film looks incredibly tense and gripping, beautifully shot and well acted... let's hope it gets a wide release in March.
The Place Beyond The Pines - 12th April
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Director: Derek Cianfrance
Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance pairs up with Ryan Gosling once more for a film that looks to be a blend of two previous Ryan Gosling knockout films, Drive and Blue Valentine. The Place Beyond The Pines sees Gosling playing the part of motorcycle stunt driver Luke who gets caught up in crime in order to provide for his family. Looks sure to be a massive film when it finally releases here in April and to top it all off the trailer features the music of Suicide... nice!
I'm So Excited - 3rd May
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Director: Pedro Almodovar
Pedro Almodovar's previous film The Skin I Live In was one of the highlights of 2011, a tense and unusual tale with brilliant excentriciy and a fantastic trailer to boot. I'm So Excited sees Almodovar in comedy mode and looks set to be a camp and hilarious summer hit... now, I'm off to watch the teaser trailer one more time!
The Great Gatsby - 17th May
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Director: Baz Luhrmann
Big hitting director Baz Luhrmann of Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge fame brings us The Great Gatsby. The trailer absolutely shimmers and glitters on the big screen, it really does 'look' incredible... here's hoping the film underneath has meat to it.
Kick-Ass 2 - 19th July
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Director: Jeff Wadlow
The long awaited sequel to 2010's Kick-Ass will apparently be released this year... I kind of doubt it will better the original but here's hoping it isn't terrible! This could go one of two ways but it's sure to grab a lot of attention when it is finally released.
The Worlds End - 14th August
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Director: Edgar Wright
The trio of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost finally reunite after 2007's Hot Fuzz. Like many many people, I loved Shaun of the Dead, it wasn't simply a film but a phenomena that built on the TV series Spaced and created an incredible and now often imitated cocktail of zombies and comedy. Hot Fuzz didn't do much for me, it was far too long and just not as intriguing or captivating as Shaun of the Dead. Not much is known about the trio's new film, The World's End, but here's hoping the film finds that the funny chaps back in mighty fashion.
Alan Partridge: The Movie 16th August
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Director: Declan Lowney
Aha! Alan Partridge: The Movie... the movie that has been rumoured about for years and years will finally get a release in August... perhaps. Steve Coogan's much loved character has been in the spotlight a lot of late with a book out in 2011 and the series Mid-Morning Matters with Alan Partridge during 2010-2011... so it'd be good to strike while the iron is hot it seems. Something about the concept of an Alan Partridge movie gets me both excited and nervous in equal measures, here's hoping they can pull it off.
Elysium - 20th September
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Director: Neill Blomkamp
District 9 director returns with a new sci fi flick featuring Matt Damon in the lead role. The synopsis goes like this... 'Set in the year 2159, where the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth, a man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.' Elysium is sure to be a high octane action sci fi but will it surpass the mighty heights of District 9?
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For - October
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Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
Another sequel that seems like it has been in the works for aaages will get released this year, Sin City 2. The first Sin City grabbed audience's attention with its brilliant visual adaptation of the graphic novels and its cool sense style. Since then its black and white aesthetic has been imitated so many times that it doesn't really stand out or shock like it first did. Will the second Sin City be able to stand up on its own merits and without the shock factor that surrounded the original??
---Release Date... TBA---
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Director: Ridley Scott
Could we see a Bladerunner sequel this year? Rumours have been spreading that the film will have a female lead and that the film is actually under way. But after Ridley Scott's much debated and criticised attempt at revamping the Alien series with last year's Prometheus the question is, do we really want a new Blade Runner?
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Director: Tony Pemberton
Another film that has been in the works for years, the Kickstarter funded Devo documentary will finally be completed and released sometime this year. I personally put money forward to fund this project so I have a sort personal investment in the project. Here's hoping that upon its release it'll be able to tour cinema theatres in the same way Jeanie Finley's Sound It Out documentary was able to the past year. Really really looking forward to seeing this... Are we not men!?
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Director: Zal Batmanglij
Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling team up once again after the intriguing and sadly overlooked 2012 film The Sound of My Voice. The East is sure to catch more attention for these rising stars as it features Ellen Page (of Juno fame) in the lead role alongside some other rather famous names. The East seems to follow The Sound of My Voice's theme of infiltration and discovery but the question I have is will the film have a strong sci-fi element like Brit Marling's other works? Only time will tell.
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Director: Errol Morris
Legendary documentary director Errol Morris will bring out a fictional work in the form of Freezing People Is Easy, a film around the subject of cryogenics in the 1960's. The film will feature Owen Wilson and the mighty Christopher Walken. Should be one to look out for around the end of the year.
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Director: Wong Kar Wai
Wong Kar Wai returns to the directing chair after 2008's My Blueberry Nights (has it really been 5 years!?) in what looks set to be the big martial arts film of the year. The Grandmasters (or The Grandmaster singular... it seems to vary) is a martial arts drama set in the 1930's and tells the story of master Yip Man who famously went on to train Bruce Lee.
KICKSTARTER
Director: ???
This has to come out this year, it just has to... Lynch Three has been in the making for years and has had so much crowd funding on Kickstarter as well as it's own dedicated website selling tote bags and limited edition Lynch prints... it'd be devastating if it didn't materialise. It's easy to get sceptical about the project but fingers crossed it'll be finished and released in 2013. And, hey, an announcement of a new Lynch film would be nice too...
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Director: David Cronenberg
After last year's Cosmopolis ruffled many a feather Cronenberg is planning a film that dissects the Hollywood lifestyle and our obsession with celebrities. Three actors have been confirmed so far, Robert Pattinson, Rachel Weisz and Viggo Mortensen. Definitely one to look forward to.
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Director: Lars Von Trier
Lars Von Trier's reputation precedes him these days which is kind of sad but it is also hard not to blame the man himself with his confrontational attitude and equally confrontational films. Nymphomaniac completes a trilogy of films started by Antichrist and Melancholia and is about... well nymphomaniacs... I really didn't like Melancholia, I felt it was very weak in almost all respects and was pretty self indulgent and Antichrist, whilst all round much better than Melancholia wasn't any easier a film to swallow. I kind of doubt I will enjoy Nymphomaniac but there is no denying that it will garner a lot attention and controversy on it's release. The film will feature a lot of big names including Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg of Antichrist as well Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell, Christian Slater... the list goes on... oh, and it will also feature real sex. It's hard not to feel that Lars Von Trier is simply seeking attention but I'm sure he'll get his fair share this year.
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Director: Spike Lee
A remake of Korean cult hit Oldboy by director Spike Lee... with the original film's massive reputation and notoriety it is hard to understand why it needs to be remade but nevertheless this is sure to be a massive hit when it is released. The fillm will feature Josh Brolin in the lead role along side Samuel L Jackson, Elizabeth Olsen and Shorito Copley of District 9 fame.
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Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Oh yeah... Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn teams up with Ryan Gosling once again for Only God Forgives, a sort of crime/kick boxing film it would seem. This is sure to be a hit and if it is even half as good as Drive it will be magnificent. Easily one of my most highly anticipated films.
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Director: Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch along with a list of hard hitting actors take on the vampire movie. This is one of the more intriguing oddities that we have to look forward to this year. The question on everyone's lips... could it beat Twilight?
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Director: Bong Joon-ho
Snowpiercer - directed by the highly acclaim South Korean director of Mother, The Host and Memories of Murder - is based on French graphic novel Le Transperceneige which tells the story of the last humans on earth being stranded together on a train after the earth enters an ice age that kills off all other life... yep, should be good!
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Director: Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen, like Lars Von Trier, isn't shy of dealing with big subjects such as life, death, sex and addiction. But whereas it could be argued that Lars Von Trier's films are meant to shock Steve McQeen's films tend to explore these subjects in painful and beautiful detail. Twelve Years A Slave follows the British artist's last two films, Hunger and Shame, and will feature Michael Fassbender in one of the leading roles once more. Sure to be a hard hitting film but also one to look forward to.
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Director: Lukas Moodysson
Not many details have come forward as of yet on this forthcoming Lukas Moodysson film but I'm already exicited. Apparently the title translates as 'we are the best' and is based an a graphic novel Never Goodnight by Lukas' wife Coco. The story centres around a 1980's punk rock band in Stockholm made up of 13 year old girls. Lukas Moodysson has said that Vi Ar Bast! will be a 'feel-good film'... but could it reach the incredible heights of his earlier feel-good film Together? We can only hope.
Posted: 15th January 2013
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