#28
Nymphomaniac
TBA
Do I want to see Nymphomaniac or not? Do I want to see it just to say I saw it or will I regret ever sitting down in the theater? The only draw to this film for me is the controversial winds that blow wherever Lars von Trier roams, but I guess that’s enough for me.
Described as a wild and poetic story of a woman’s erotic journey from birth to the age of 50, the story follows the self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg). On a cold winter’s evening the old, charming bachelor, Seligman (Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd), finds Joe beaten up in an alley. He brings her home to his flat where he cares for her wounds while asking her about her life. He listens intently as Joe over the next 8 chapters recounts the lushly branched-out and multi faceted story of her life, rich in associations and interjecting incidents.
Shia LaBeouf is among the cast and he discussed the film with MTV and said the “[explicit sex acts that are] illegal [von Trier will] shoot in blurred images” and when it comes to how far he’ll go LaBeouf responds, “Whatever is asked.” You can watch the interview below and watch as Jessica Chastain‘s face get redder and redder.
#27
Jack Ryan
December 25
Between Alec Baldwin‘s The Hunt for Red October and Harrison Ford‘s turn as the character in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, I’m ready for Chris Pine to have his chance in the latest film based on Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the film’s villain, the story goes back before the days of the previous Jack Ryan features to where Ryan is a young covert CIA analyst who uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack. In addition to those already mentioned, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner and Colm Feore co-star.
#26
Fast & Furious 6
May 24
Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain is the unknown piece of mindless popcorn cinema while I feel I pretty much know what to expect from The Fast and the Furious 6, though as someone that wasn’t a huge fan of Fast Five, I’m hoping this one isn’t quite so cartoony and overstuffed.
There isn’t too much else to say other than we are still limited in what we know about the plot, which apparently will take Dom (Vin Diesel), Brian (Paul Walker) and the rest of the crew to Europe and the fact Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) didn’t actually die in the fourth film. Otherwise, I assume the first trailer, which is expected to play during the Super Bowl on February 3, will give us a little more information to go from.
#25
Monuments Men
December 20
As of right now, all that’s known of Monuments Men is that it will be directed by George Clooney who also stars with Daniel Craig, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban and Matt Damon in a story that confronts the final chapter of Germany’s rule, which came down to the absolute destruction of everything that makes a culture keep its standing, including the lives that are lost and the sacrifices that are made. All of this is in danger of being lost forever as Hitler and the Nazis try to cover the tracks of a murderous regime. A crew of art historians and museum curators unite to recover renown works of art that were stolen by Nazis before Hitler destroys them.
The cast and director is enough for me to be intrigued. You?
#24
Runner, Runner
September 27
Set in the $30 billion world of illegal online gambling, Runner, Runner is directed by Brad Furman (The Lincoln Lawyer) and stars Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie.
Affleck plays a businessman who owns an offshore gambling operation who eventually finds his relationship with his protégé (Timberlake) reaching a boiling point. The film was scripted by Rounders co-writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien.
