The Top Ten is here as my countdown of my Top 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2013 comes to an end. Each day this week I have featured ten new films I’m looking forward to over the coming 12 months. They’ve ranged from the mindless (Pain and Gain) to the art house (Twelve Years a Slave).
The list has included directors such as Paul Greengrass, Jason Reitman, Baz Luhrmann, the Coen brothers, Steve McQueen, Won Kar Wai, Michael Bay, Alexander Payne, Lars von Trier, Kenneth Branagh, George Clooney, Ron Howard, Anton Corbijn, James Gray, Chan-wook Park, Steven Soderbergh, Edgar Wright, Danny Boyle and Susanne Bier. The stars of these films are too many to name and today’s final ten is no different.
I’m happy to say the talent behind the camera in my top ten is not only gender diverse, but racially diverse and they come from all corners of the globe. Today’s batch of films include a trip where no man has gone before, a revenge remake, a drug dealing lawyer, securities fraud, a group of teenage burglars, a wrestling paranoid schizophrenic, a new ice age, the silence of space, murder in Bangkok and romance in Greece.
If you missed any of the previous installments you can use the navigation below to explore them all and I have also included the same navigation at the bottom of page three of this top ten.
Most Anticipated 2013 Navigation #1-10 | #41-50
With all introductory formalities out of the way, let’s dig into the top ten and see what kind of potential 2013 has to offer near the top…
#10
Oldboy
October 11
I wasn’t an instant fan of Chan-wook Park‘s original Oldboy, but over time his entire Vengeance Trilogy has grown on me and now with Spike Lee directing a remake I can’t help but be fascinated by how that will turn out.
The original was incredibly violent and the nature of the film itself is dark and disturbing and I just wonder how much of that will remain. The fact it’s being distributed by FilmDistrict and not one of the major studios is a great sign, so here’s to hoping for the best.
For those not in the know, here’s a brief synopsis that will give those familiar with the original a feel for who is playing whom and the rest of you something of an idea as to what to expect.
Oldboy follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement without any indication of his captor’s motive. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment. His quest for revenge leads him into an ill-fated relationship with a young social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and ultimately to an illusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation.
#9
The Counselor
TBA
Ridley Scott turned things around quickly after Prometheus and his next film, The Counselor, is already in post-production. The script was written by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) and centers on a present-day Southwest lawyer (Michael Fassbender) who thinks he can dip a toe into the drug business without getting sucked down. A bad decision. He tries his best to survive it and get out of a desperate situation, but can he?
The film co-stars Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, Penélope Cruz, John Leguizamo, Natalie Dormer and Goran Visnjic.
Even though Scott tends to have a few misfires here and there, his work is always something I look forward to and considering the cast and the fact we’re talking about a script by McCarthy, this one sounds too good not to keep near the top of the anticipation list.
#8
The Wolf of Wall Street
TBA
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are together yet again, this time with an adaptation of Jordan Belfort’s tell-all autobiography adapted by “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Sopranos” scribe Terence Winter.
The Wolf of Wall Street centers on Belfort (DiCaprio), a Long Island penny stockbroker who served 20 months in prison for refusing to cooperate in a massive 1990s securities fraud case that involved widespread corruption on Wall Street and in the corporate banking world, including mob infiltration.
Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin, Rob Reiner, Julie Andrews, Jon Favreau, Matthew McConaughey and Shea Whigham co-star.
