9.
Immortals
November 11
This could be an all out disaster or a gem misunderstood by a studio that simply didn’t know what to do with it. Whatever it ends up being, at this point I really want to see it.
The marketing has presented something of a 300 meets Clash of the Titans film made with the minimalistic filmmaking style of director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall). On paper that may sound great, but the marketing has been, for the most part, unconvincing and it wasn’t until only recently that images started emerging to show it was more than just a gold and brown green screened epic.
Should be interesting.
8.
Hugo
November 23
Martin Scorsese‘s latest film sounds so unlike anything he’s ever done it is impossible not to be intrigued. I’ve managed to avoid the marketing even though those of you reading this post the day I publish it will notice the site is slathered with advertising for the film. Yet, I haven’t watched a single trailer and have only been building up anticipation as people that saw an early screening refer to it as “a film for film lovers” and an “ode to silent film.” All of this within a 3D children’s film is just too much.
As for the story, it is an adaptation of Brian Selznick‘s best-selling children’s novel, centering on an orphaned boy (Asa Butterfield) who secretly lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station and looks after the clocks. He gets caught up in a mystery adventure when he attempts to repair a mechanical man.
Alongside Butterfield the cast is as eclectic as the material with the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Frances De La Tour, Richard Griffiths, Mathieu Amalric, Emily Mortimer and Michael Stuhlbarg all playing a role. At first I wasn’t too interested, but now I really can’t wait to see what kind of magic Scorsese has to offer.
7.
The Adventures of Tintin
December 21
War Horse is likely to be Steven Spielberg‘s big Oscar contender with Tintin vying for Best Animated Feature scraps, but audience interest, early reviews and big box-office overseas have me curious to learn what all the fuss over Georges Remi‘s iconic comic character is all about.
Using performance capture and 3D to tell the story, Tintin centers on the title character (voiced by Jamie Bell), his dog Snowy and Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock’s ancestor, but someone else is in search of the ship.
6.
The Muppets
November 23
I really want this film to be good, but I have my doubts. They are doubts based on nothing really other than the fact it’s not the same creative crew bringing Jim Henson’s classic characters to life.
It’s been a long time since I last saw anything Muppet-related, though I did review the first season of “The Muppet Show” on DVD back in 2005. Other than that, I’m left to wait like everyone else as the team that brought us Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, bring Kermit and the gang into the modern era.
5.
Young Adult
December 9 (Limited; Expands on 12/16)
Jason Reitman‘s Young Adult would have probably been in my “Just Missed” list had I made this top ten a week ago, but after new buzz from a recent Los Angeles screening my ears have perked up and I’m liking what I’m hearing.
We already knew Charlize Theron had the chops and to hear Patton Oswalt earning some praise is great. My biggest concern, however, was whether or not Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer’s Body) were going to be trudging previously worn territory or if they were breaking new ground. The good news is it appears they have both stepped up their game and delivered a film well worth our while.
For more on the film including the synopsis and images click here.
