Each year, for better or worse, the entertainment industry continues to cram its biggest releases into the holiday season. Here is a countdown of films that we believe will glitter across autumn and winter. Ready the popcorn for a mix of Oscar-bait, indie surprises, directorial debuts, reimagined classics and surprise casting. Part two comes tomorrow.
10) 'Ain’t Them Bodies Saints'
A modern-day western with great potential to emulate the success of 2012’s 'Lawless'. Set in the 1970s, an outlaw (Casey Affleck) escapes prison to reunite with his wife (Rooney Mara) and the daughter who he has never met. The trailer shows eye-catching glimpses of why it was the darling of this year’s Sundance Film festival, eventually receiving the accolade of Best Cinematography.
UK release date: 6th September 2013
9) 'Mood Indigo'
'Mood Indigo', or 'L’écume des jours', has yet to get a UK release date despite premiering in France earlier this year. Michel Gondry, best known in the UK for 'Eternal Sunshine Of Spotless Mind', is at the helm for this fantasy love story.
A young woman (Audrey Tautou) suffers from a life threatening illness caused by a water lily growing in her lungs. Sporting some of the most heavyweight French actors of this generation (Romain Duris, Gad Elmaleh and Omar Sy), Gondry is back breaking boundaries of visually rich and quirky storytelling. 'I Love You' from Woodkid provides the suitably soaring and achy trailer music.
UK release date: TBC // France release date: 24 April 2013
8) 'Oldboy'
Park Chan Wook’s original 'Oldboy' is in its 10th year anniversary, arguably one of most brutal of revenge mysteries ever created. Though curious about the potential fireworks between leads Elizabeth Olsen and Josh Brolin, I’m certainly not convinced this needed a remake. This is, however, a welcome return from the wilderness for the effusive Spike Lee, who faces an operose challenge to reimagine Park’s timeless creation.
UK release date: 6 December 2013
7) 'Blue Jasmine'
I recently bought a Woody Allen Classics collection that wisely didn’t include any works after 1986. It is hard to believe the wondrous visionary behind 'Manhattan' is also the crazed butcher responsible for 'To Rome With Love'. The heartbeat, however, seems healthy for 'Blue Jasmine'. Cate Blanchett plays a vacuous, social-climbing narcissist coming to terms with her fall from affluence. Critics have lauded 'Blue Jasmine' as a modern day 'A Streetcar Named Desire'.
UK release date: 27th September 2013
6) 'The Monuments Men'
When he isn’t warding away dictators, or raising awareness about noble humanitarian causes, George Clooney is a mighty accomplished actor/writer/director. In fact, my guess is that time will reveal him to be more talented behind the camera than in front of it. Set in WWII, Clooney is assembling a bunch of art-loving, oddball seniors to stop the Nazis destroying pillaged historical and cultural artefacts. John Goodman, Bill Murray, Matt Damon, and Cate Blanchett join the mission, incredibly based on actual events. A very interesting choice of sombre trip-hop soul sounds in the trailer with Ping Pong Orchestra's 'Kiss The Sky'.
UK release date: 9th January 2014
Our top five most anticipated films will appear tomorrow.