Preview: The Book Thief (2013)

Director Brian Percival | Cast Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson 

Release Date November 15, 2013 (USA) 

Preview: Her (2013)

 

Director Spike Jonze | Cast Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Scarlett Johansson | Release Date December 18, 2013 (USA, limited)

Preview: Dear Mr. Watterson (2013)

 

Documentary | Director Joel Allen Schroede | Featuring Berkeley Breathed, Seth Green and Stephan Pastis | USA | 89 minutes

 

The Wind Rises (2013)

Animation | Director Hayao Miyazaki | Release Date July 2013

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's (2013)

Documentary | Director Matthew Miele | Featuring Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi

Preview: The Kings of Summer (2013)

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The Kings of Summer hits theaters in the US on May 31st.

I'm So Excited (2013)

After almost 20 years, Pedro Almodóvar goes back to his roots. His 19th film, Los amantes pasajeros (2013), is as camp as camp can get. 

The English title of his new movie is I'm So Excited. The trailer features a trio of flight attendants lip-syncing a Pointer Sisters song. 

An Almodóvar film brings about a sense of familiarity. Actors you've previously seen in his early movies somehow resurface in his latest project. For Los amantes pasajeros, there's Cecilia Roth (All About My Mother), Penélope Cruz (Volver) and Antonio Banderas (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!).

More than Cruz and Banderas, it's the Pointer Sisters synchronized dancing that got me excited.

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Los amantes pasajeros premieres in Spain on March 8th.

Les Misérables (2012)

As the release date of Tom Hooper's onscreen adaptation of Cameron Mackintosh's mega musical draws near, here are 10 things you need to know before belting along Anne Hathaway's gut-wrenching showstopper, "I Dreamed a Dream."

1. All the songs in the film were sung live during filming. The cast wore earpieces which played live piano accompaniment. Orchestral music was added later during post production.

2. A new song not originally in the musical was added in the movie. Composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg, "Suddenly" tells how Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) took care of Cosette after rescuing her from the Thénardiers.

3. This is director Tom Hooper and Helena Bonham Carter's second film. They first worked together in The King's Speech (2010)

4. Anne Hathaway had her hair cut short for her role as Fantine. The latter originally has blonde locks. In the film adaptation, Hathaway is nowhere near blonde.

5. Samantha Barks plays the love-struck Éponine, the very same role she had in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables (2010).

6. This is English stage actor Eddie Redmayne's (Marius Pontmercy) breakthrough movie. Expect his career to skyrocket next year.

7. Colm Wilkinson, who originated the role of Jean Valjean in the West End and Broadway, has a minor role as the Bishop of Digne. Tony-winning actress Frances Ruffelle (the original Éponine in Broadway and West End) will have a cameo as a prostitute.

8. Character actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter play the Thénardiers. They previously worked together in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

9. Keep your eyes peeled for cameos by producer Cameron Mackintosh and composer Claude-Michel Schönberg.

10. Don't expect the cast's singing to be as good as the original Broadway and West End recordings. Hugh Jackman is no Colm Wilkinson.

Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013)

After the fluffy Alice in Wonderland (2010), Disney turns its eyes to the The Wizard of Oz. James Franco stars as Oscar Diggs with Rachel Weisz as the Wicked Witch of the East. 

It's going to be one long amusement ride—every bit as fake and CGI-heavy as Alice. Here's hoping Spider-Man director Sam Raimi injects a much needed tonic to Disney's pedestrian. overwrought movie. 

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Oz: The Great and Powerful hits theaters March 2013.

Man of Steel (2013)

I grew up playing with Superman toys. Superman had bad taste in clothing then. His skin-tight costume looked like something someone would wear in the gym.

The Zack Snyder film hitting theaters next year features a dapper Man of Steel. The costume has been revamped with wrist guards and embossed lines along the waist.

Purists will be disappointed. Superman's iconic red underpants is nowhere to be seen. In an effort to make Superman look Kryptonian, the producers ditched it. Wearing undies, after all, is something only Earthlings would do.

4 New Films for November

Daniel Craig returns as Bond in Skyfall (2012). He's up against Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), a cyber terrorist out for blood. Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road) directs what could potentially be the best in the Daniel Craig series of Bond films. 

It's a reunion of sorts for director Joe Wright and his muse Keira Knightley. They're joined by actors Matthew Macfadyen and Jude Law in a period drama adapted from Leo Tolstoy's epic novel. With frequent Wright collaborators Dario Marianelli (music) and Jacqueline Durran (costume) on board, expect Anna Karenina to be lush and pitch perfect.

Rust and Bone received rave reviews when it premiered in Cannes. Based on a series of short stories by Canadian writer Craig Davidson, French director Jacques Audiard plumbs the depths of love, family and depression. Acting dynamo Marion Cotillard stars as a woman who falls in love with an animal trainer (Matthias Schoenaerts). Forget Cotillard. Keep your eyes peeled for the pod of tumbling killer whales.

Andrew Dominik's thriller competed for the Palme d'Or in France. Dominik previously worked with lead star Brad Pitt in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Killing Them Softly is their second collaboration. It's going to be raw and gritty.

Sneak Preview: July

1. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Release date: July 20, 2012 (US) / Directed by Christopher Nolan / Featuring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Liam Neeson, Anne Hathaway

Despite memorable scenic locations (Jodhpur, London, Nottingham, Glasgow) and ear-splitting special effects, Dark Knight's cast of actors is its crowning glory. Expect the ensemble to bring the house down with style and substance. Joining Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman are Joseph Gordon-Levitt (John Blake), Anne Hathaway (Selina Kyle) and Tom Hardy (Bane). Hardy's ruthless, heavy-handed Bane is expected to eclipse Batman (Bale) as much as The Joker (Heath Ledger) stole the limelight from Mr. Wayne in The Dark Knight (2008). Don't underestimate Hathaway's feline charm, though. This cat has bite.

2. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Release date: June 29, 2012 (Philippines) / Directed by Marc Webb / Featuring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary

When Sony opted to write off Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4, the biggest challenge the studio faced was finding an actor to fill in for Tobey Maguire. The eternally boyish 36-year-old actor is strongly identified with the role, having played Peter Parker three times in the silver screen. A bevy of actors—including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Robert Pattinson, Aaron Johnson and Jim Sturgess—were considered before the producers settled for Andrew Garfield: a promising actor known for his breakthrough role as Eduardo Saverin in David Fincher's The Social Network (2010). Growing up, Garfield strongly identified with Peter Parker's strong sense of alienation. It's a role he wanted badly that when he got the part and he first tried on his Spider-Man costume, he broke down and started weeping.

3. The Imposter (2012)

Release date: July 13, 2012 (US) / Directed by Bart Layton / Featuring Adam O'Brian, Anna Ruben, Cathy Dresbach, Alan Teichman

Frédéric Bourdin claims that his name is Nicholas Barclay: the missing son of a family living in San Antonio, Texas. He invites the Barclay couple to meet him in the US embassy in Spain. Frédéric Bourdin has brown eyes and a French accent; Nicholas Barclay has blue eyes and an American accent. Despite the odds stacked against him, he is able to convince Mr. and Mrs. Barclay that he is, indeed, their missing son.

The Imposter has a gripping narrative and an intriguing premise. A Grand Jury Prize in the Miami Film Festival, a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize in Sundance and a knockout trailer boost the movie's pre-screening buzz.

Sneak Preview: June

1. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Release date: June 1, 2012 (Philippines) / Directed by Rupert Sanders / Featuring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron and Ian McShane

After the less than palatable Mirror Mirror with Julia Roberts comes another retelling of the Brothers Grimm's dark tale. Snow White and the Huntsman is director Rupert Sanders feature debut and it promises to be more sinister than your standard bedtime fairy tale. 

Charlize Theron is Queen Ravenna, a vain megalomaniac out for blood. Last seen as the god of thunder in The Avengers, Aussie actor Chris Hemsworth is back as Eric: a woodsman with questionable loyalties. Aiding Snow White are eight—not seven—dwarves (Ian McShane, Johnny Harris, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Brian Gleeson, Ray Winstone and Nick Frost). 

The plot sounds familiar, but Theron's icy Queen Ravenna makes braving the long lines and weekend traffic worth it.

2. Prometheus (2012)

Release date: June 8, 2012 (Philippines) / Directed by Ridley Scott / Featuring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce

A group of scientists comes across an ancient star map leading to what they believe is the genesis of mankind. A thirst for the unknown leads to conflict, bloodshed and unforeseen consequences.

Originally meant as a prequel to Alien (1979), Prometheus evolved into a standalone movie with its own "mythology and ideas."  Interest in the film was bolstered by a marketing campaign that went viral. It also helped that Ridley Scott assembled a fine cast of actors led by Noomi Rapace, a Swedish actress best known as Lisbeth Salander in the original version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009). Rapace is joined by Michael Fassbender as David (an android) and Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers, a shady character the actress describes as "pragmatic" and "suspicious."

3. To Rome with Love (2012)

Release date: June 22, 2012 (US) / Directed by Woody Allen / Featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penélope Cruz and Alec Baldwin

Last year, Woody Allen had Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris) find love and inspiration on the streets of France; now it's Jesse Eisenberg's turn to do so in Rome. Sounds familiar? 

Allen is on repeat mode; the day he steers clear of his favored theme of dorks in distress will be a day of fireworks and celebration. His new film for 2013 looks good. There's talk that non-geeks Cate Blanchett and Bradley Cooper are in it.  .

Sneak Preview: May

1. The Avengers 

Release date: April 25, 2012 (Philippines) / Directed by Joss Whedon / Featuring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner 

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) brings together an elite group of superheroes in an attempt to fend off Loki, a deranged Asgardian sorcerer. Egos collide as Iron Man (Tony Stark), Captain America (Steve Rogers) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) suit up and go mano-a-mano with Thor's errant half-brother. There's too much testosterone in this movie you can almost smell it.

2. First Position 

Directed by Bess Kargman / Featuring Aran Bell, Gaya Bommer Yemini, Michaela Deprine and Julues Jarvis Foarty     

It's Billy Elliot (2000) meets "So You Think You Can Dance." Documentary filmmaker Bess Kargman follows six aspiring dancers ages 9-19 as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix: an international ballet competition. Good buzz from the festival circuit makes this kiddie treat the must-see documentary of the season.

3. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 
Release date: May 4, 2012 (US)  / Directed by John Madden / Featuring Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson 

A group of British retirees moves to an elderly home in India only to realize that the place is not as good as they thought it would be. Director John Madden rebounds after a string of disappointments (Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Proof, Killshot), giving us what could possibly be this year's best British ensemble. 

4. Dark Shadows  
Release date: May 11, 2012 (US) / Directed by Tim Burton / Featuring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green and Helena Bonham Carter 

Director Tim Burton and writer Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) remake Dan Curtis' 1960s horror/sci-fi TV series, "Dark Shadows," for 2012. Johnny Depp, a fan of the series, is Barnabas Collins, an 18th century playboy who, after ditching a witch (Eva Green), is turned into a vampire. 

Keep your eyes peeled for Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Lee and Helena Bonham Carter.

5. Moonrise Kingdom 
Release date: May 25, 2012 (US) / Directed by Wes Anderson / Featuring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis and Bill Murray

Wes Anderson steers clear from his usual fare with Moonrise Kingdom: a period drama set to open this year's Cannes festival. Two lovers elope (Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman), prompting the girl's parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) and the local sheriff (Bruce Willis) to organize a search party. I don't get it. If people don't want to be found, why bother?

Sneak Preview: April

1. Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan's Hope  
Release date: April 6, 2012 (US) • Documentary • Directed by Morgan Spurlock • Featuring Kevin Smith, Stan Lee, Eli Roth and Seth Rogen

After spewing chewed up Chicken McNuggets in Super Size Me (2004), Morgan Spurlock is back with Comic-Con Episode Four. Armed with a camera, he trails several fans from around the US as they inch their way to the very navel of geekdom on earth: Comic Con. Expect oddballs, nerds and some of the entertainment industry's most prominent geeks (Kevin Smith, Stan Lee, Seth Rogen) to show up in full force.

2. The Hunter  
Release date: April 6, 2012 (US) • Drama • Directed by Daniel Nettheim • Featuring Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill and Morgana Davies

Willem Dafoe and his member last made an impression in Antichrist (2009), Lars von Trier's Cannes gorefest. In The Hunter, the 56-year-old actor returns to leading man territory, playing a mercenary sent to Australia to investigate reported sightings of the long extinct Tasmanian tiger.

3. To the Arctic 3D
Release date: April 20, 2012 (US) • Documentary • Directed by Greg MacGillivray • Featuring Meryl Streep

March of the Penguins (2005) made nature documentaries cool. This year, it's the polar bear's turn to face the limelight. In director Greg MacGillivray's documentary, a female polar bear and her two cubs deal with snow storms, dwindling food supply and the looming threat of global warming. You think you're having a hard time? Try living in the North Pole.

4. Bernie 
Release date: April 27, 2012 (US) • Comedy • Directed by Richard Linklater • Featuring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey

Director Richard Linklater is reunited with Jack Black (School of Rock) and Matthew McConaughey (Dazed and Confused) in Bernie, a hodge-podge of dark comedy, drama and courtroom mayhem. Bernie Tiede (Black), a gay mortician, kills the town's wealthy 81-year-old widow (MacLaine). McConaughey, echoing his glory days in A Time to Kill (1996), is a district attorney.

If McConaughey plays it right, this could offset his intolerable Dolce & Gabbana ads. (Fingers crossed.)

Film Preview: September 2011

Drive

Release date 09.16.2011 (U.S.) Director Nicolas Winding Refn Cast Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston Plot If 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) only had substance, this is how it would look like. What's the 411? Gosling was given his choice of director when he signed up for Drive. He chose Nicolas Winding Refn, a Danish filmmaker best known for Bronson (2008). Buckle up. Kudos Although it didn't win the Palme d'Or in this year's Cannes, Drive clinched the Prix de la mise en scène for Refn. First impression Drive is a gearhead's wet dream fully realized. Adrenaline will be oozing down their nostrils.

Contagion

Release date 09.09.2011 (U.S.) Director Steven Soderbergh Cast Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law Plot A viral epidemic sets a team of doctors scampering for a cure. Star wattage As if Damon, Winslet and Law are not enough, Contagion also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard and Laurence Fishburne. It's more than your regular burger: it's a Big Mac. First Impression Wolfgang Petersen's Outbreak (1995) and M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening (2008) drove people away from the cineplex and got critics gagging. They want a reenactment for 2011 with Contagion.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

Release date 09.09.2011 (U.S.) Director Göran Olsson Cast Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale Plot Swedish filmmaker Göran Olsson strings together various footage of the Black Power Movement into a well-crafted documentary. What's the 411? Footages used in the movie were taken from the spools of film discovered by Olsson in the dusty basement of a television building in Sweden. First impression Trippy. An eye-opener. You'll like.

50/50

Release date 09.30.2011 (U.S.) Director Jonathan Levine Cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick Plot Twenty-seven-year-old Adam doesn't smoke, he doesn't drink and he recycles, so life decides to throw him a curveball: he gets cancer. What's the 411? James McAvoy was originally set to play Adam. The role eventually went to Gordon-Levitt. McAvoy must be grinning right now. Annoying factor Seth Rogen and his big voice Saving grace Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall provide a much needed respite from Rogen's vexing vibe. First impression Looks anemic and sappy. Call 911.

Moneyball

Release date 09.23.2011 (U.S.) Director Bennett Miller Cast Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman Plot Held back by lack of funds, Oakland's general manager resorts to non-traditional means of scouting players for his baseball team. Why should we care? Moneyball is Miller's first movie after he directed Hoffman in his breakthrough movie, Capote, six years ago. Level of predictability High. Watch the trailer. Saving grace Philip Seymour Hoffman First impression Moneyball is this year's Jerry Maguire. Like we need another Jerry Maguire?

The Beaver (2011)

Release Date TBA (Philippines) Director Jodie Foster Cast Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Riley Thomas Stewart

Walter's chronic depression is taking its toll on his domestic life. It prompted his wife to throw him out of their house, and his son to call him life's biggest "nut job." Desperate, he uses a toy beaver to reconnect with his family, his peers, and most importantly, with himself.

Time has done nothing but strengthen Jodie Foster's bond with Mel Gibson. It's been 17 long years since Maverick (1994) — their first onscreen partnership — and Foster is standing by Gibson despite the latter's predisposition for controversy.

With Gibson, talent goes hand in hand with bravado and offhand eccentricities. These didn't prevent Foster — who acted in, as well as directed The Beaver — from getting an earnest performance from the 55-year-old actor. Although predictable and hopelessly sappy, Gibson's Walter Black makes an otherwise cliché domestic drama, worth your buck.

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* This piece was written with Raft3r in mind, the world's most persistent Jodie Foster fan.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Release Date June 2011 (USA) Director Matthew Vaughn Cast James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto), Kevin Bacon (Sebastian Shaw), January Jones (Emma Frost/White Queen)

English producer and director Matthew Vaughn directs X-Men: First Class, giving the 11-year-old franchise a new beginning. Since Layer Cake (a crime caper featuring bombshell Sienna Miller and a pre-James Bond Daniel Craig), Vaughn has been slowly making his mark in mainstream filmmaking. He got his first taste of Hollywood with last year's Kick-Ass, a crowd-pleasing, fist pumping popcorn flick he directed and co-wrote.

If Kick-Ass is of any indication, X-Men: First Class is going to be an in your face, no holds barred roller-coaster ride.

Looks good.

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Release Date 5 March 2010 (USA) Director Tim Burton Cast Mia Wasikowska (Alice Kingsley), Johnny Depp (The Mad Hatter), Helena Bonham Carter (The Red Queen), Anne Hathaway (The White Queen)

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"Downal wyth Bluddy Behg Hid."

Loosely translated, that's "Down with the Red Queen."

In Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, a ragtag group of misfits revolts against The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) who — since overthrowing The White Queen (Anne Hathaway) — has been ruling with an iron fist.

Alice returns to Wonderland 10 years after her first visit, reuniting with familiar faces.

"Alice, you're terribly late," the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) coos. "Naughty."

CGI and motion capture technology helped Tim Burton recreate Wonderland's curious environs. Twenty-year-old Australian actress Mia Wasikowska (Alice) found herself hobnobbing with characters both tangible (The Knave of Hearts played by actor Crispin Glover) and virtual (the March Hare, entirely computer generated).

As for the Mad Hatter and The Red Queen — two of the more memorable characters in Alice in Wonderland — Burton turns on the sympathy button, showing us the very things that make them human. The strange hue of the Mad Hatter's hair and eyes is attributed to mercury poisoning while The Red Queen's temper is said to be caused by a tumor growing in her head.

With Burton's penchance for wit and flair and the film's superb cast of supporting actors (Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit; Alan Rickman as Absolem, the Caterpillar; Christopher Lee as the Jabberwocky), Alice in Wonderland may just be this year's most promising movie.