After highlighting the 20 best features we’ve already seen, our 2013 fall preview continues with a look at the films which we, personally, have yet to see, but are nevertheless greatly looking forward to. With a mix of remakes, major studio tentpoles, smaller dramas, and a few from our favorite directors, there should be something for everyone below. Unlike our other fall previews, this one is a countdown leading to our most-anticipated — and, if you’re wondering about the placement of films such as Inside Llewyn Davis or Blue is the Warmest Color, we once again suggest heading over to this feature. One can also come back later in the week, when we’ll highlight the festival titles we hope get acquired, right in time for the launch of TIFF.
20. Jack Ryan: Shadow One (Kenneth Branagh; Dec. 25th)
Cinema does not necessarily need another Tom Clancy adaptation, yet the opportunity to combine his old-school espionage plots with some modern (which, yes, can still equal “non-abrasive”) excitement is a fine one; after Kenneth Branagh equipped himself relatively well with Thor, the more grounded origins of a different Paramount-distributed hero should be right in his wheelhouse, too. Chris Pine, now inheriting action roles established decades prior, is a commendable choice for this titular role, though the promise of Branagh and Kevin Costner as his foe and mentor, respectively, is nothing to scoff at. As far as Christmas blockbusters go, we could do a lot worse — but here’s hoping this one satisfies on its own terms. – Nick N.
19. The Fifth Estate (Bill Condon; Oct. 11th)
Following Alex Gibney‘s WikiLeaks doc from this past summer, DreamWorks will be delivering a dramatized spin on those same events with The Fifth Estate, Bill Condon‘s bid to get a bit more serious after the final two Twilight films. Led by Benedict Cumberbatch, playing the role of Julian Assange, the trailer has pointed toward a worthy retelling of these recent events; with a TIFF premiere just around the corner, we’ll soon find out if that’s the case. – Jordan R.
18. Rush (Ron Howard; Sept. 20th)
Since donning his Thor costume, Chris Hemsworth has more or less stuck with major blockbuster options, but this month will see him take on biopic material with Rush, a look at the rivalry between Formula One stars James Hunt and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). It comes from Ron Howard and, somewhat accordingly, the previews have yet to convince yours truly that it’ll deviate from standard awards fare, but, with a Toronto premiere on the horizon and some strong early buzz, perhaps that won’t be the case. – Jordan R.
17. Oldboy (Spike Lee; Nov. 27th)
How does one remake the most memorable, jaw-dropping, deliciously icky revenge saga the 21st century has seen thus far? If you’re Spike Lee, you cast a brooding Josh Brolin in the lead, surround him with actors like Sharlto Copley and Elizabeth Olsen, and make clear your intentions to avoid a slavish adaptation of Park Chan-wook’s 2004 original, and instead use the hammer-swinging masterpiece as inspiration. While there are reasons to be weary — the release date recently moved back one month — the film’s eye-popping poster and ultra-violent red band trailer indicate that Lee’s Oldboy will, at the very least, be one hell of a ride. We’ll have to wait and see whether that ride includes a squid. – Christopher S.
16. Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc Vallée; Nov. 1st)
If 2012 was the emergence of Matthew McConaughey, serious actor, then 2013 may just be the next stage. Following Bernie, Magic Mike, and an especially twisted turn in Killer Joe, the actor recently defied box office expectations with Mud — and, before his lead role in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, he’ll get a chance at some awards glory with this performance. Starring as famed Texan Ron Woodruff — a man who took it upon himself to smuggle alternative medicine into the US when his own government didn’t know how to handle the ’80s AIDS crisis — it looks to be another remarkable, meaty part for the man, not to mention one for his supporting star, Jared Leto. – Jordan R.
15. Anchorman: The Legend Continues (Adam McKay; Dec. 20th)
The original Anchorman, having now accumulated nine years of cult adulation, leaves a high standard for a sequel to hit. How can it be expected to recapture the pure non-sequitur glory? While, likely, the only excuse for making a sequel was simply to get a group of friends back together and get paid to make each other laugh, the one-upmanship of their improvisation often manages to reach such absurd heights that, while alienating the majority of mainstream audiences, at least inspire endless quoting by the weirdos like us. – Ethan V.
14. Enough Said (Nicole Holofcener; Sept. 18th)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini star as empty nesters who fall in love once their children go off to college. All is well until her new pal (Toni Collette), who just happened to be married to Gandolfini’s protagonist, creates an awkward situation by pointing out his apparent flaws. The second-to-last performance of the late, great Sopranos star, Enough Said appears to bring the insightful and carefully observed comedy of writer-director Nicole Holofcener to a broad audience. – John F.
13. Captain Phillips (Paul Greengrass; Oct. 11th)
While his last effort, the overwrought Green Zone, was more or less dumped back in early 2010, Paul Greengrass is returning some three-and-a-half years later with a project in which we can invest much more faith. Telling the true story of the 2009 Somali pirates hijacking of the MV Maersk Alabama, Captain Phillips finds Tom Hanks in a major leading role as Greengrass uses his go-to docu-style to capture the events. As it’s set for a New York Film Festival premiere at the end of the month, you can check back for our take. – Jordan R.
12. Labor Day (Jason Reitman; Dec. 25th)
Jason Reitman’s last film — the acerbic arrested development story, Young Adult, from 2011 — was greeted with solid reviews but poor box office, and felt like a step backwards after the success of Up in the Air (and, before that, Juno). Reitman’s adaptation of Joyce Maynard’s acclaimed novel, Labor Day looks to be a return to the more traditionally dramatic vibe of his George Clooney-starrer. Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet lead, respectively, as an escaped convict and the single mother whose lives intersect in the summer of 1987. Sounds like fertile ground for Reitman’s mix of poignancy and humor. – Christopher S.
11. Prisoners (Denis Villeneuve; Dec. 20th)
Although its trailer would seem to reveal the entire film in a matter of 150 seconds, early reviews for this WB drama hint that many more surprises are in store for what, it turns out, would run 150 minutes-plus. Following his acclaimed Canadian drama, Incendies — nominated for an Oscar back in 2010 — Denis Villeneuve will officially unveil Prisoners at Toronto this week, following a Telluride preview. Early buzz also indicates it’s one of the finest character-driven thrillers coming out of Hollywood in some time, and with cinematography from Roger Deakins, it’s shaping up to be one of the fall’s first must-see films. – Jordan R.
10. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller; Dec. 25th)
We already have one remake on the list, but this title comes with a bit more anticipation. Having already carved an unexpectedly impressive resume as director, Ben Stiller looks to be tackling his most expansive, emotional work yet with this update on a 1947 Danny Kaye vehicle (itself an adaptation of the eponymous James Thurber short story). Following Stiller as a daydreaming magazine photo manager who embarks on an adventure to find a missing negative, the debut trailer — along with an NYFF premiere coming over two months before it hits theaters — has greatly increased its prospects. Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Sean Penn, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley MacLaine, and Patton Oswalt also star in Walter Mitty, which we’ll have a review of next month. – Jordan R.
9. The Monuments Men (George Clooney; Dec. 18th)
As a director, George Clooney chooses projects that revolve around unconventionally passionate real-life men, a quality apparent in his playfully dark adaptation of Chuck Barris’ autobiography Confession of a Dangerous Mind and quiet Edward R. Murrow drama Good Night and Good Luck. It only makes sense, then, that the World War II story he chooses to tell focuses on a group of historians, museum directors, and curators going behind enemy lines to save priceless works of art from the Nazis. Based on a true events, the work boasts an appealing cast, including his Ocean’s co-star Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, and Bob Balaban, not to mention the welcome return of Artist star Jean Dujardin. Imbued with Clooney’s good-natured sense of humor, this might prove one of the more entertaining and historically rich heist films in ages. – Amanda W.
8. Out of the Furnace (Scott Cooper; Dec. 6th)
Months before its wide December release, Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart follow-up has already generated some Oscar buzz, which comes as no surprise when considering the film’s stellar cast. The blue-collar thriller stars Christian Bale as a steel mill worker seeking justice for his brother (Casey Affleck), who goes missing after taking up with a local drug ring, and features performances from Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker, and Willem Dafoe. To add an authentically gritty feel to the story, Cooper even chose to set and shoot the film in Braddock, PA, an economically collapsed steel town located outside Pittsburgh. Verisimilitude must count for something. – Amanda W.
7. American Hustle (David O. Russell; Dec. 13th)
If it weren’t for a certain trailer for an upcoming Martin Scorsese film, David O. Russell‘s American Hustle would certainly win an award for the most entertaining-looking feature of the fall. (If someone decided to invent such a thing, though that’s not something we’d at all encourage.) Backed by Led Zeppelin, our first preview featuring Christian Bale and Amy Adams facing off against Bradley Cooper and crew was intoxicatingly electric; we know the director can actually deliver that vibe, so let’s hope his latest period drama, surrounding a ’70s / ’80s FBI sting operation, is no different. – Jordan R.
6. Foxcatcher (Bennet Miller; Dec. 20th)
People like a juicy scandal, especially when it involves rich people. But the real story behind Foxcatcher involves so many strange details that it truly warrants a big Hollywood movie to unravel its mystery. For Bennett Miller’s biographical thriller, funnyman Steve Carell takes on another dramatic role as millionaire John Eleuthère du Pont, a schizophrenic who, in 1996, killed Olympic wrestler and friend David Schultz (played by Mark Ruffalo). Supporting players Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave, and Anthony Michael Hall help round out the shocking tale of murder, but the focus should remain on Carell, who underwent a physical transformation for his role as the older character. – Amanda W.
5. The Counselor (Ridley Scott; Oct. 25th)
To be genuinely excited for a Ridley Scott movie has not been paying off as of late: the concepts, casts, and initial marketing materials promise something truly special, but the final result, for whatever reason, is almost always… not. And, yet, here we stand, asking how The Counselor — led by Michael Fassbender and crazy-haired Javier Bardem, these two talents reciting from a screenplay by Cormac McCarthy, himself no less than One of the Planet’s Greatest Writers — ends up outright poor, much less something of little relative value. Even if the Pulitzer Prize winner has opted to craft something a little pulpier than what his most-lauded work would otherwise suggest, the odds on this one remain too high for us to wind up completely regretting the placement. Right? – Nick N.
4. Her (Spike Jonze; Dec. 18th)
Having yet to let us down, Spike Jonze‘s fourth feature is easily one of our most-anticipated of the fall bunch. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, in-between two Paul Thomas Anderson movies, Her follows his character’s relationship with a computer operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The first stellar trailer showcased a gorgeously composed look into romance and loneliness — and, with a score coming from Arcade Fire, we can’t imagine a better collaboration between helmer and composer, if nothing else. Although it won’t arrive until the tail-end of the year in limited release, check back for our review from NYFF next month. – Jordan R.
3. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen; Oct. 18th)
Whether or not this is all some larger pre-judgement on the whole enterprise, I don’t know, but about half this writer’s curiosity for the project at hand would pertain directly to its helmer, Steve McQueen. His tight, austere manner doesn’t at all match your typical awards-season drama about racial conflict, especially after actually reading the memoirs of its central subject, Solomon Northup. How does he tackle the material? If first reactions are any indication, “exceptionally” might prove a suitable answer. – Nick N.
2. The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese; Nov. 15th)
The “Black Skinhead”-fueled trailer from earlier in the summer promised this much: streams of information communicated through rapid-fire montages set to classic rock (or hip-hop, this time?) — simply put, Scorsese in Goodfellas / Casino mode. With Spring Breakers, Pain & Gain, The Bling Ring, and the Leo-starring Great Gatsby having made seemingly every member of film culture deem “materialism, the pursuit of fame, the American dream, etc.” as 2013’s dominant theme, so to speak, leave it to one of the American masters to offer what could be, if not the definitive take, then maybe, at least, the most entertaining. – Ethan V.
1. Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón; Oct. 4th)
Since Cuarón delivered one of the finest science-fiction films, period, with 2006’s Children of Men, it’s been a long road coming for his follow-up. Thankfully, it seems like Gravity was worth the wait: following an ecstatic reception at its Venice Film Festival premiere and Telluride, the film will be arriving in just a month. By tracking two astronauts (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) on a mission gone wrong thousands of miles above Earth, we can’t imagine there will be a more thrilling film this year. – Jordan R.
What’s your most-anticipated films of the fall?
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