Fall Movie Preview

Ah, Oscar season is almost in the air. Here are some movies that you should be looking forward to in the coming months

Sept. 13: Blue Caprice
Critics have been tossing around words like "masterful" and "chilling" to describe Sundance star Blue Caprice and I have no reason to doubt them. The story of the two DC snipers who paralyzed the capital, told in a intimate, nonsensational style, looks to be carried by sensational performances and the trailer is positively gripping.

Sept. 20: Prisoners
Another thriller, Prisoners, is a safe bet to draw audiences, sporting a cast featuring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Viola Davis, and Paul Dano. When two children go missing, cops and parents think they have the abductor only to see him released for lack of evidence. Ever-reasonable Hugh Jackman is having none of that. Yup, I'll see it.

Sept. 27: Don Jon
By some critic accounts, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's writing and directorial debut is a little unpolished, but still humorous and entertaining. I'll be seeing it because of Scarlett Johansson's, er, accent. All about Jersey accents, family, and porn, not necessarily in that order, Don Jon looks to be a lot of fun.

Oct. 4: Gravity
Alfonso Cuaron. In space. Reviewed at the Venice Film Festival as visually stunning, nerve-shredding, and as "restoring a sense of wonder, terror and possibility to the bigscreen." Oh ya.

Oct. 18: Carrie
I haven't seen the original, but I plan to pull it up on Netflix before watching the 2013 version. The 1976 Carrie was notoriously shocking for our parents' generation, I can't help but be interested in this retelling of the girl-with-supernatural-abilities-ruins-prom story (understatement). Chloe Grace Moretz was great in Hugo, and I'm sure that as she's aged she has picked up on some of the awkwardness and angst that drive Carrie. To be honest, from the trailers Julianne Moore looks perfect as a religious-nut mom, so maybe she'll surprise me for once. I'm also just a sucker for supernatual gimmicks and I can't wait to see Carrie go ballistic.


Oct. 18: 12 Years A Slave
Yeah, suck it Django. Hopefully the impeccable Steve McQueen will finally get some Oscar love, as Chiwetel Ejiofor certainly will. At least one can hope the old white men at the Academy will pony up some statuary for this supposedly masterful retelling of the true story of Solomon Northrup. They certainly should, after coughing one up to the loathesome Tarantino last year. Oh, it also stars Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, B. Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Michael K. Williams (oh, indeed), and Paul Dano. I expect this to be the best movie of the year.

Oct. 25:The Counselor
Ugh, do me now Ridley Scott. I don't know if there's any film I'm looking forward to more than The Counselor, starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, and Javier Bardem. Finally the ladies are getting some love in these previews, as I expect Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz to be excellent alongside their typically stellar male counterparts. Will this story of a lawyer caught up in illegal business dealings that spire nightmarishly out of his control finally get Scott his Oscar? I hope so. Oh, what? The screenplay was written by Cormac McCarthy (Blood Meridian, No Country for Old Men)? Yeah, I'm there.

Nov. 8: Thor: The Dark World
I can't help it, I actually enjoyed the first Thor and I am hopelessly in love with Natalie Portman. I'm hooked on Idris Elba (actual acting waiting until January, see below) and I'm intruiged by the premise of the charmingly irascible Tom Hiddleston and hunky Chris Hemsworth fighting Dark Elves on foreign worlds. Sigh. Thor might not fit in with the Oscar buzz of the other films here, but I do think it'll be damn decent. Just save Natalie.

Nov. 15: The Wolf of Wall Street
Scorcese, DiCaprio. Prediction: Leonardo comes out firing after Gatsby and gives another spectacular performance in this high-intensity portrayal of the true story of a stockbroker consumed and eventually devastated by corruption and greed. I like the odd supporting cast choices of Jonah Hill (still not fat), John Bernthal, Jean Dujardin, and Matthew McConaughey, who I'm totally in on. He does one character well, and he'll do it well here. Second prediction: DiCaprio gets his 4th Oscar nom, still doesn't win. Cements him as one of the best never to get a statue (so far, give him 5 years).

Nov. 27: Oldboy
I'm just gonna say it, this looks amazing. I don't really care that Spike Lee is the choice to direct this reboot of the infamous 2003 Korean version. Really violent, really disturbing, and I'm still really excited. Whether you know anything or not about the plot, just know that the trailer doesn't come close to giving away the true horrors of the film. I'm a big Josh Brolin fan and Elizabeth Olsen was great in Martha Marcy May Marlene, can't wait.

Dec. 6: Out of the Furnace
Ah, my requisite Bale-sterbating. This thriller takes place in the impoverished Rust Belt, where two brothers, Christian Bale and Casey Affleck, become entangled with a crime family run by Woody Harrelson. That summary should be all it takes to get you to the theater but if it's not, the cast also features Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Sam Shepard, and Zoe Saldana, led from behind the camera by Scott Cooper who is following up his Crazy Heart directorial debut.

Dec. 20: Anchorman: The Legend Continues
I mean, it's Anchorman 2...

Dec. 25: American Hustle
David O. Russell just keeps getting better and with a cast featuring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, and Amy Adams, how can this go wrong? Loosely based on the true story of the FBI Abscam scandal, American Hustle reeks of the 80's, full of "cash, sex, and swagger" as con men and FBI agents are forced to mingle. I'm not gonna lie, Jennife Lawrence looks pretty sexy in the trailer but I just can't get over my crush on Christian Bale.

Jan. 3: Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
I want to gush over this promising biopic, but I'm worried that lousy director Justin Chadwick will somehow ruin this for Idris Elba. The trailer looks great, and anyone who's seen The Wire or Luther knows Elba can command a room with quiet but intense authority. Can he translate his ability onto a scale as grand as Nelson Mandela's heroic rise through adversity?

Feb 7: The Invisible Woman
I think Ralph Fiennes might be the greatest working actor (Anthony Hopkins is coasting these days) and I would hope he once again gets a shot at an Oscar.* This story of Charles Dickens and his younger, illicit lover is Fiennes' directorial follow-up to Corialanus and all reports out of early film festivals are that The Invisible Woman is an all-around terrific triumph. And it's pronounced Rafe.

Honorable Mention

Oct. 11: The Fifth Estate - Well, we've got hot new Benedict Cumberbatch in a controversial true story directed by the Twilight director. I think it'll be good, if a bit preachy. And look out for a bigger role for Daniel Bruhl, who first broke out with the excellent Goodbye Lenin! in his native German.

Oct. 11: Captain Phillips - this is a layup for Hanks, let's be honest.

Oct. 25: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa - this is gonna be funny, admit it.

Nov. 1: Dallas Buyers Club - I'm buying McConaughey and his 50lb weight loss. He's come a long way since How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days (my first date movie) and I secretly love a lot of his movies.

Dec. 18: The Monuments Men - yup, looks good.

Dec. 25: Jack Ryan: Shadow One - as a huge Jack Ryan fan, they better not mess this up. I'm ok with Chris Pine taking the reigns. Shoutout to all the Spec Ops guys KIA in Clear and Present Danger

Jan. 10: Lone Survivor - love the cast, and in a based-on-a-true-story action movie with a little conscience? I'll probably see it, maybe even in theaters. Go America!

*Fiennes was robbed of Best Actor in 1997 for The English Patient and was screwed even worse in 1994 for Best Supporting when he lost to Tommy Lee Jones in...The Fugitive?! Really? That year TLJ also won over the young but astonishingly good DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Pete Postlethwaite (RIP) in In The Name of the Father. Not to knock Tommy, but he didn't give a really great performance until In The Valley of Elah in '07. Sorry, rant.