A Most Wanted Man
DIR. Anton Corbijn /TBA 2013
The lack of a domestic distributor for Anton Corbijn‘s adaptation of John le Carre’s A Most Wanted Man is a bit of a concern, but with the film in post perhaps it can make its way into the Cannes Film Festival, find distribution and set up a path toward Oscar. Otherwise this may end up being a late Toronto Film Festival pick up and get a minor release hoping for an acting nomination or perhaps just find its way into 2014.
STUDIO: No Distributor Yet
CAST: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, Willem Dafoe and Daniel Brühl
SYNOPSIS: When a half-Chechen, half-Russian, tortured half-to-death immigrant turns up in Hamburg’s Islamic community, laying claim to his father’s ill gotten fortune, both German and US security agencies take a close interest: as the clock ticks down and the stakes rise, the race is on to establish this most wanted man’s true identity – oppressed victim or destruction-bent extremist?
Poignant, compassionate and thrilling, A Most Wanted Man prickles with tension right through to its last heart-stopping scene. It is a cerebral tale of intrigue that is both contemporary and deeply human, touching on love, rivalry, politics and the world we live in.
Mud
DIR. Jeff Nichols /April 26
With how much everyone at least year’s Cannes Film Festival and this year’s Sundance Festival loved Jeff Nichols‘ Mud I’m still upset I had to leave France before it screened, but such is life. People are loving this movie and with the recent rise in popularity for Matthew McConaughey we may be looking at an April release that manages to maintain Academy attention throughout the year. However, an acting nod for McConaughey, a possible supporting nod for young Tye Sheridan (The Tree of Life) and a screenplay nomination for Nichols seems most likely.
STUDIO: Roadside Attractions
CAST: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson, Ray McKinnon and Joe Don Baker
SYNOPSIS: Mud is an adventure about two boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and his friend Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), who find a man named Mud (Matthew McConnaughey) hiding out on an island in the Mississippi. Mud describes fantastic scenarios—he killed a man in Texas and vengeful bounty hunters are coming to get him. He says he is planning to meet and escape with the love of his life, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), who is waiting for him in town. Skeptical but intrigued, Ellis and Neckbone agree to help him. It isn’t long until Mud’s visions come true and their small town is besieged by a beautiful girl with a line of bounty hunters in tow.
Nebraska
DIR. Alexander Payne /TBA 2013
Alexander Payne isn’t making us wait as long as he did with his drought between Sideways and The Descendants as he brings Nebraska to theaters this year. The film sounds like a very small feature, but perhaps it will pack just the right kind of punch to score some acting nominations and perhaps screenplay, though bigger things are always likely.
STUDIO: Paramount Pictures
CAST: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Bob Odenkirk and Stacy Keach
SYNOPSIS: Nebraska follows an aging alcoholic father who thinks he’s won a million dollar Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes prize. He is unbowed when his family tries to dissuade him from making the long trip from Montana to Nebraska to cash in his winnings. So his estranged 20-something son — who doesn’t believe the ticket is a winner — is forced to go along with him for the ride to keep him out of trouble, providing an opportunity to bond with his father after years of separation.
