Volume 43:
Space Jam
Gravity
Dir: Alfonso Cuarón – Planned release
date: October 4
It feels like
Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity has been in
production for ages now, but finally this fall it will be seeing the light of
day. Based on the early previews and the new trailers that were released this
week, it looks like it will be more than worth the wait. It’s all fairly simple
from a plot standpoint—two astronauts played by Sandra Bullock and George
Clooney float through space after a horrific incident with debris—but Gravity seems like just the vehicle for
Cuarón to show off his technical mastery. We’ve seen him compose many long,
showy shots in movies like Children of
Men, but this appears to take things to a whole other level. Both Gravity trailers released this week
consist of but one shot, and of the two the one posted above is easily the most
impressive. I’m still slightly skeptical that this type of thing will be able
to sustain itself for feature length, but it makes for some ridiculously
thrilling trailers. If nothing else, Gravity
is setting up to be a movie unlike anything else released this year. Whether or not it’s actually better than everything else is another question entirely.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Dir: Francis Lawrence – Planned release
date: November 22
Just last year,
filmgoers went out in droves to see Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen win The Hunger Games. Even people who didn’t
read the book probably could have predicted that outcome. This fall, the fun
will really start with The Hunger Games:
Catching Fire, and while there’s a lot to be excited about I have to say
I’m most pumped about the appearance of Philip Seymour Hoffman as… oh good
lord, these names… Plutarch Heavensbee. Seriously, this series would be a whole
lot easier to take seriously if these characters were just called “Bob” or
something. Anyway, as someone who liked the first film just fine, I’m anxious
to see how the sequels handle the escalation of the material. Really, the first
film felt more like a prologue or pilot than anything. Now this series can get
down to business. Oh, and Stanley Tucci’s still around, in case you were
wondering.
12 Years a Slave
Dir: Steve McQueen – Planned release
date: October 18
Steve McQueen is
not one to make things simple on the viewer, and depending on your point of
view that could either bode well or poorly for 12 Years a Slave, which looks both amazing and incredibly hard to
watch. A big reason for that could be the use of the song “Time” from Hans Zimmer’s Inception soundtrack in the trailer; a piece of music
that could bring me close to tears even if it was used in a Happy Madison
production. From there, McQueen handles the subject of slavery with his typical
bluntness, and in many ways this film seems like an unintentional response to
Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
There’s no fantasy element to the story of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Solomon Northup,
and 12 Years a Slave will depict him
as he is abused by the likes of McQueen regular Michael Fassbender, Benedict
Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, and Paul Dano looking as punchable as ever. If
you’re looking for an early awards contender, the search can end here.
The Fifth Estate
Dir: Bill Condon – Planned release date:
October 18
Speaking of
Benedict Cumberbatch, here he is playing Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate. Besides being director Bill Condon’s first taste
of post-Twilight freedom, many are
wondering just how the film is going to depict one of the more divisive media
stories of the past few years. The film may be best off trying to find some
kind of middle ground, but it also has to be careful to not back off. It’s a
tricky task Condon has in front of himself, and already the film has been
taking fire from all sides, including Assange. From this trailer, it’s still a
bit unclear what the film’s overall arc is going to be, but it’s a promising
enough start. Also, it’s nice to see Daniel Brühl back on American movie
screens. Between this and Rush, it
seems like he’s finally getting the break he deserved immediately after Inglourious Basterds.
The Grandmaster
Dir: Wong Kar-wai – Planned release date:
August 23
It’s been six
years since we last heard from Wong Kar-wai, the man behind such gorgeous films
as Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love. Now he is back
with the martial arts biopic The
Grandmaster, which looks nothing like what we’ve seen from him in the
past. Even so, it looks as visually stunning as you might expect; so much so
that the story probably won’t even have to be that interesting. This is
definitely a case of a director getting me interested in a film I could
otherwise care less about, and the flashy trailer should more than win over any
skeptics. It may not resemble Wong Kar-wai’s past work, but his stylish
signature can still be seen in every frame.
BONUS TRAILER!!!
Kids Police
Dir: Yuichi Fukuda – Planned release
date: All day every day
I know almost
nothing about this movie. I don’t understand what the characters are saying. I
can’t read any of the title cards in the trailer. But I do know it is a cop
film featuring a cast of adorable children, and it is glorious. I don’t have
anything else to say on the matter. I just thought I should do you all a favor
and show this to you. You’re welcome.
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