Fall Flick Picks

Oscar season is finally upon us. After a flat summer of movies, we look toward the Fall to pick up the slack. Glancing at some of the titles being released in the coming months, one could almost guarantee that disappointments will be few and far between. This is one of the more interesting fields we’ve seen in years just based on sheer talent and genre diversity. Strong Best Picture contenders Argo, The Master, and Killing Them Softly have already been screened at festivals and reactions to them have been extremely positive to say the least. Let’s hope that the other seven films follow suit.

The Master [Limited; Expands September 21st] (September 15th)
In terms of pure curiosity, The Master is probably the most anticipated film of the year. Until recently, nobody had any idea what this project was or what is was about. Writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia; There Will Be Blood) kept a tight lip just before an early release of the script suggested that it revolved around Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986) even though the studio vehemently denied it. We now know that the movie does in fact deal with Scientology, but not Hubbard himself despite Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s character bearing a striking resemblance to the controversial man. More than anything, I’m excited for Joaquin Phoenix’s return to the big screen. He’s an incredible talent and this could be his year to win Best Actor. Early festival screenings of the film suggest that it’s the sure-fire Oscar contender we all thought it would be.

Looper (September 28th)
The biggest reason to get excited for Looper is writer and director Rian Johnson, who gave us Brick and The Brothers Bloom; he’s also directed a couple episodes of the hit television series Breaking Bad. He takes risks as a storyteller which is why everything he touches is so fascinating. Brick is a modern day noir set against the backdrop of a high-school; The Brothers Bloom is an eccentric crime caper that plays like a Wes Anderson feature; and Looper is a futuristic science-fiction thriller that deals with time travel. The most interesting aspect of this movie is its cast, where Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a younger version of Bruce Willis. Instead of just playing Willis, they made him look like the action star as well by applying his most recognizable facial features through the use of prosthetics. Buzz for Looper is at a fever pitch and at this point, you can only pray that it’s as good as expected. It has a possible outside shot of getting a Best Original Screenplay nod.

Sinister (October 5th)
This is probably the only film on the list that won’t be competing for any awards—that’s not to say it isn’t or won’t be any good. Sinister is a small horror-flick starring Ethan Hawke that has already been generating a strong word-of-mouth thanks to the select screenings it’s already had. Hawke has played everything from a drug chasing agent to a vampire hematologist so it’ll be interesting to see what he’ll do in this traditional horror story.

Argo (October 12th)
Before Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, his acting career was floundering. He followed that film with the critically acclaimed The Town and solidified himself as a serious talent behind the camera. Now he’s back with his third feature, Argo, based on the true story of the greatest movie that was never made. It boasts one of the strongest casts of the year—which include the likes of Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, and Ben Affleck himself—and has already been screened to unanimous praise at various festivals. Some are saying that this could be the film to get Affleck his golden statue.  

Killing Them Softly (October 19th)
My excitement level for Killing Them Softly piqued after a tidal wave of rave reviews followed its debut at Cannes this past May. Most of the critics agreed that it would stand as one of the year’s best. Brad Pitt hasn’t been in many films where he plays a ruthless badass killing machine, so it should be a lot of fun to watch.    

Cloud Atlas (October 29th)
Cloud Atlas is either going to be an absolute train wreck or a beautiful mess. There are more than ten characters in the movie, with each playing about three different variations of that character. So really, you’re looking at about thirty personalities. It’s a largely ambitious project, so who better to helm it than the Wachowski’s (The Matrix Trilogy; Speed Racer)? I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but one thing is for certain, it’ll be the talk of the town for quite some time.

Skyfall (November 9th)
I’m a huge fan of Daniel Craig’s Bond and an even bigger fan of the series. No more are the cartoonish antics of the 90s’ 007. We’ve finally gone back to Bond’s hardened roots and given him a real sense of character. And with this third installment in the rebooted franchise, we finally have a villain that looks to be more than just another bad guy. As Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, Javier Bardem crafted one of the most sinister characters in recent cinematic memory. If in Skyfall, he’s half as evil as Chigurh, we’re in for a treat. That, along with director Sam Mendes (American Beauty; Road to Perdition) being on board, I can’t help but play with the idea that this may be the first James Bond movie to garner Oscar consideration. The Academy dropped the ball with Casino Royale so it seems like this would be the opportune time to make amends.

Lincoln [Limited] (November 9th)
Steven Spielberg hasn’t been at the top of his game in quite some time—more than six years—and this is why I’m reluctant to give Lincoln any kind of preceding expectations. Last year’s War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin weren’t exactly homeruns so it’s not easy to imagine this being any different. Daniel Day-Lewis will be playing the Great Emancipator so there’s some relief there. I just pray that Spielberg stays away from his over melodramatic trademark and plays this one straightforward.  

Anna Karenina [Limited] (November 16th)
English filmmaker Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice; Atonement) is no stranger to period dramas and actress Keira Knightley; this is their third collaboration. Atonement is one of my favorite films of all time, so I watch any movie that Wright makes with intense concentration. What’s really intriguing about this movie is that it was mostly filmed on a single soundstage in a dilapidated theatre. Even without the story, going to see Anna Karenina for its unique set production will alone be worth the price of admission.

Life of Pi [Wednesday Release] (November 21st)
I haven’t read the book, but from what I’ve gathered, it’s very spiritual and delves into a lot of important themes. Hopefully, director Ang Lee is able to keep the context of the book intact while still giving us a compelling film. One thing is for sure, the movie will look absolutely gorgeous just based on what we’ve seen from the trailers and clips.