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Getting Buzzed - RFP’s 30 Most Anticipated Fall Films

Thank God Good Movie Season is Here!

After a disappointing summer of movies, I’m quite excited about the fall “good movie” season to start this year. With the scheduled releases and the crop of potential releases coming out of the Toronto Film Festival, there could be a lot of the year’s best. But you never know until the credits roll. Nonetheless, here is what is really piqued my interest.

On the Look Out (In Alpha Order)
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Fernando Meirelles, director of the amazing Brazilian gangster film CITY OF GOD, working from a script by FROST/NIXON writer Peter Morgan, creates a hyperlink drama about love spanning various cities around the globe. Film stars Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz and Ben Foster.

CHICKEN WITH PLUMS
Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud follow up their masterful animated feature PERSEPOLIS with this tale of a celebrated violinist whose instrument is broken, which makes him think back over his life of love and music.

DARK HORSE
Todd Solondz is a savage filmmaker. His latest casts Justin Bartha (THE HANGOVER) and Selma Blair (HELLBOY) as two thirtysomethings suffering from arrested development that fall in love. But in a Solondz film, love always leads to tragedy in the end.

JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME
Jay and Mark Duplass made the wonderful comedy from last year, CYRUS. Starring Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer and Susan Sarandon, the film follows a man who finds the meaning of life while heading out to buy wood glue.

KILLER JOE
William Friedkin helms this twisted crime drama. Emile Hirsch (INTO THE WILD) plays a drug dealer who hires a contract killer (Matthew McConaughey) to murder his mother after she steals his stash. In order to pay the hitman, he offers up his younger sister (Juno Temple). Thomas Haden Church and Gina Gershon also star.

THE LADY
Luc Besson is more of a producer these days than a director, so it’s worth noting when he steps behind the camera. The film is the story of Aung San Suu Kyi and her husband, Michael Aris who fought for democracy in Burma. Stars Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis.

PEACE, LOVE, & MISUNDERSTANDING
Directed by two-time Oscar nominated Bruce Beresford (DRIVING MISS DAISY), Jane Fonda plays a hippie who takes in her granddaughter when a weekend trip turns into a summer stay. Catherine Keener, Chace Crawford (TV’s GOSSIP GIRL) and Elizabeth Olsen (MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE) star.

SHAME
Steve McQueen follows up his harrowing and artistic Irish prison film HUNGER with this drama about a man whose life spins out of control when his sister moves in with him. Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale and Nicole Beharie star.

TAKE THIS WALTZ
Actress Sarah Polley (DAWN OF THE DEAD) steps behind the camera dealing with the issue of long-term relationships. The cast includes Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen and Luke Kirby.

TWIXT
Francis Ford Coppola has been making artsy indie releases for a couple years now. This time he brings his twisted eye to horror. A writer whose career is in the crapper gets wrapped up in a small town murder mystery while on a book tour. Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern, Elle Fanning and Ben Chaplin star.

TYRANNOSAUR
Actor Paddy Considine (HOT FUZZ) makes his feature directing debut with this drama about a violent man who gets a second chance when he meets a Christian charity shop worker. Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman stars.

Honorable Mentions

David Frankel’s THE BIG YEAR (OCT. 14), George Miller’s HAPPY FEET TWO (NOV. 18), Tarsem’s IMMORTALS (NOV. 11), Marc Forster’s MACHINE GUN PREACHER (SEPT. 23), J.C. Chandor’s MARGIN CALL (OCT. 21), Lars von Trier’s MELANCHOLIA (NOV. 11), Simon Curtis’ MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (NOV. 4), Cameron Crowe’s PEARL JAM TWENTY (Sept. 20), Chris Miller’s PUSS IN BOOTS (NOV. 4), Shawn Levy’s REAL STEAL (OCT. 7), Kevin Smith’s RED STATE (OCT. 19), Gus Van Sant’s RESTLESS (SEPT. 16), Bruce Robinson’s THE RUM DIARY (OCT. 28), David Gordon Green’s THE SITTER (DEC. 9), Pedro Almodóvar’s THE SKIN I LIVE IN (OCT. 14), Brett Ratner’s TOWER HEIST (NOV. 4), Madonna’s W.E. (Dec. 9) and Lynne Ramsay’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (Dec. 2).

Most Anticipated Films of the Fall
30) IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY (Dec. 23)
Angelina Jolie makes her directing debut with this film. This is what has me interested primarily. It’s a cause film for her, showing the effects of the Bosnian War. The cast is Bosnian actors. Jolie has starred in political themed film before, but this is all her. Let’s hope this is closer to A MIGHTY HEART and less like BEYOND BORDERS.

29) ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (Nov. 23)
Teaser Trailer
Aardman Animations, the creators of Wallace and Gromit, now brings us the true story behind Santa Claus’ operation. How does he deliver all those presents in one night? The jolly old guy has a son, Arthur, who is a Christmas junkie and when it seems the presents might not get out this year, Arthur has to step up. From the test footage I’ve seen it looks really funny.

28) 50/50 (Sept. 30)
Trailer
The buzz is high on this cancer comedy. Directed by Jonathan Levine (THE WACKNESS), the film follows Adam, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a 27-year-old dealing with the disease. What a cast this film has – Seth Rogen, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anna Kendrick, Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall.

27) MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (OCT. 21)
Trailer
Sean Durkin won the directing award at Sundance for this, his debut feature. Star Elizabeth Olsen became the hot actress out of the festival. She plays a paranoid young woman who struggles to rejoin the world after fleeing from a cult. Her co-stars include Oscar-nominee John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson (SERENITY) and Hugh Dancy (TV’s THE BIG C).

26) LIKE CRAZY (Oct. 28)
Trailer
This romance won the dramatic grand jury prize at Sundance. Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones, who won the dramatic acting prize at Sundance, star as an American and a British student in love. It gets complicated when she is deported for overstaying her visa. Cast also includes Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence and TWILIGHT’s Charlie Bewley. I’m a sucker for a good romance; the problem is they come so far and few between.

25) CONTAGION (Sept. 9)
Trailer
A flu mutates and threatens to kill millions as it spreads across the world. It feels like I’ve seen this before with Dustin Hoffman. But this one is directed by Stephen Soderbergh. In my opinion, the cast alone gives reason to see this one. It includes Oscar-winner Matt Damon, Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard, Emmy-winner Bryan Cranston, Oscar-winner Kate Winslet, Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow, Oscar-nominee Jude Law, Oscar-nominee Laurence Fishburne, Oscar-nominee John Hawkes, Oscar-nominee Elliot Gould, Jennifer Ehle, Sanaa Lathan and Demetri Martin. Definitely want to catch this one. Couldn’t help myself.

24) WE BOUGHT A ZOO (Dec. 23)
It’s been six years since Cameron Crowe made the disappointing, but not awful, ELIZABETHTOWN. Matt Damon plays a man who moves his family to South California where he buys a failing zoo in hopes of bringing it back. The cast includes Scarlett Johansson, Elle Fanning, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert and ALMOST FAMOUS’ Patrick Fugit. Crowe is a good filmmaker and I trust he can make this material work. Family drama and animals could be too sappy, but this is from the man who made ALMOST FAMOUS and JERRY MAGUIRE so my hopes are it will be just the right amount of sap.

23) DREAM HOUSE (Sept. 30)
Trailer
A psychological thriller from Jim Sheridan (IN AMERICA, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER) really has me intrigued. A family moves into a new house and discovers that a terrible crime was committed there. The film stars Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz. The trailer seems to give a lot away, but it certainly piqued my interest, because it doesn’t seem like material that this filmmaker or these actors would take.

22) MARGARET (Sept. 30)
Finally! After years on the shelf due with a lengthy editing process and lawsuits, we finally get to see Kenneth Lonergan's follow-up to his great 2000 film, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME. Anna Paquin stars as a young woman who witnesses a bus accident and how she gets involved into whether the accident was actually intentional. Cast also includes Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, Allison Janney, Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Kieran Culkin, Olivia Thirlby and Rosemarie DeWitt. The buzz for those who have actually seen the film say it's brilliant. I hope so, because it's been a long wait.

21) EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE (Dec. 25)
Stephen Daldry (THE HOURS) takes on this 9/11 themed drama. A nine-year-old amateur inventor, jewelry designer, astrophysicist, tambourine player and pacifist searches New York for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father who was killed in the terrorist attacks. Thomas Horn, the Teen Jeopardy champion, plays the kid. The cast also includes Oscar-winners Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, Oscar-nominees Viola Davis and Max von Sydow, Emmy winners James Gandolfini, John Goodman and Jeffrey Wright. Eric Roth (FORREST GUMP) adapted Jonathan Safran Foer's novel. Looks good in the details, but without a trailer and the dubious record of 9/11-themed films thus far, my anticipation isn't as high as might be in December.

20) CORIOLANUS (Dec. 2)
Trailer
Ralph Fiennes makes his directorial debut with this modern-set adaptation of William Shakespeare's play. In the turmoil of Rome the Tarquin kings were kicked out, Caius Martius Coriolanus is a general who has only contempt for the common people. Fiennes stars as the military leader and he faces off against Gerard Butler's Tullus Aufidius. They are joined by the 2011 breakout star Jessica Chastain, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave and James Nesbitt. This is a Shakespearean work that I'm not particular familiar with, so I'm excited to get introduced to it by such a powerful performer both in front of and behind the camera.

19) THE MUPPETS (Nov. 23)
Trailer
It's the Muppets, what else could you need? Self-described puppet nerd Jason Segel stars and co-wrote this new Muppet adventure where Kermit and the crew come back together in order to save a failing movie studio, which is under threat from an oil tycoon. Co-stars include Amy Adams and Chris Cooper. As for cameos, you can expect a who's who list of performances including Mila Kunis, Emily Blunt, Neil Patrick Harris, Zach Galifianakis, Jack Black, Katy Perry, Ricky Gervais just to name a few. One of my childhood favs I hope it can stand next to the best of the features THE MUPPET MOVIE and A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL.

18) IN TIME (Oct. 28)
Trailer
Andrew Niccol writes and directs this new sci-fi thriller, which stars Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. The story opens up so many thoughtful possibilities. In the future, people stop age at 25. Time has now become the currency and if you want to avoid death you have to have time. When a rich man commits suicide and gives a century of time to a poor man that man is hunted by the police for murder. Cast also includes Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde, Alex Pettyfer and WHITE COLLAR's Matt Bomer. When you have to be rich to live, what does that say about where society is going? Niccol created GATTACA another thoughtful sci-fi flick, so I expect ideas here as well.

17) ANONYMOUS (Oct. 28)
Trailer
INDEPENDENCE DAY's Roland Emmerich takes a break from destroying the world to tell this conspiracy thriller. Set against Elizabeth I's rise to the throne and the Essex Rebellion, the story proposes that Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, actually penned Shakespeare's plays. The cast features Rhys Ifans (NOTTING HILL) as De Vere, Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Elizabeth I, David Thewlis (HARRY POTTER) as William Cecil and Rafe Spall (HOT FUZZ) as Shakespeare. Do I believe the film's premise in the least? Not at all. But as an alternative history tale this could be really fun.

16) THE IRON LADY (Dec. 16)
Trailer
Meryl Streep is transformed into British Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher. Streep has been nominated 16 times for an Oscar and has won two. But she hasn't won since SOPHIE'S CHOICE in 1983. That was 12 nominations ago. Could this performance snap the dry spell? Streep will be given aid from Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent, BUFFY's Anthony Head and WITHNAIL & I's Richard E. Grant. I do like a good political biopic. This is a big change from director Phyllida Lloyd's previous Streep collaboration — MAMMA MIA! Thatcher is a conservative icon who is called the British Ronald Reagan, so I'm curious who the film handles the politics and personality.

15) YOUNG ADULT (Dec. 9)
The last collaboration between director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody created JUNO. The story follows a recently-divorced writer who moves back to her hometown in order to win back her old boyfriend who is now married with kids. Reitman has said that this is the film where if people are going to hate him for something it will be this film. Charlize Theron stars as what Reitman calls the most unlikable character you will ever meet. She is joined by Patrick Wilson, J.K. Simmons and Patton Oswalt. A dark comedy from these two could be great. I hope Cody brings more bite than her horror flick JENNIFER'S BODY. Give us the trailer.

14) MONEYBALL (Sept. 23)
Trailer
I've heard from people who have already seen it that it's one of the best of the year. Brad Pitt plays Oakland A's GM Billy Beane who under budget constraints uses a computer algorithm to field a winning baseball team. People thought he was crazy and that it would end in a total disaster, but he really changed the game. Cast includes Jonah Hill, Robin Wright and Philip Seymour Hoffman. I actually heard Hill on Oscar contenders list. Director Bennett Miller made the fabulous CAPOTE and doc THE CRUISE. The script comes from Steven Zaillian (SCHINDLER'S LIST) and Aaron Sorkin (THE SOCIAL NETWORK). This just looks like a winning team.

13) DRIVE (Sept. 16)
Trailer
Ryan Gosling plays a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights are a getting away driver. Nicolas Winding Refn won the directing prize at Cannes for this thriller. He meets a young mother (Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan) whose husband gets out of prison and refuses to do another job, so Gosling's driver takes the job. But things don't go as planned. Albert Brooks plays the gangster and there is Oscar buzz for his performance. Cast also includes Emmy winner Bryan Cranston, MAD MEN's Christina Hendricks, Oscar Isaac and Ron Perlman. This looks like an artful and badass actioner, which seems to be contradictory. Makes me all the more excited for it.

12) THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (Dec. 23)
Trailer
America is going to get introduced to Tintin in a big way this holiday season. The rest of the world knows the intrepid young reporter and his dog Snowy. He is as well known as Mickey Mouse in Europe. Via performance capture, Steven Spielberg will bring the first of a planned trilogy of films to the screen. This time Tintin will be introduced to Capt. Haddock and set out at seas for sunken ships and treasure. The cast includes Jamie Bell (BILLY ELLIOT) as Tintin and Andy Serkis (RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES) as Capt. Haddock. We also get Daniel Craig as Red Rackham and the SHAWN OF THE DEAD duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as Inspector Thompson and Thomson. And let’s not forget Toby Jones and Cary Elwes too.

11) THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Dec. 23)
Trailer
This is a great thriller, but I saw it last year. Not this version of course, but the Swedish version. I put that film at #4 on my top 25. Now we get an English language version from David Fincher, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara (THE SOCIAL NETWORK). Can Mara’s Lisbeth Salander hold up to Noomi Rapace’s iconic performance? Will Craig be a distraction because he’s a star? How does Fincher distinguish the film from the foreign language version without going too stylistic? These questions will be answered at Christmas time. It still feels weird to have a “remake” of a great film a year after its release though.

The Ides of March

10) THE IDES OF MARCH (Oct. 7)
Trailer
As a director George Clooney has given us the quirky CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, the powerful true-life drama GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. and the screwball sports flick LEATHERHEADS. Now he brings us a political drama. He stars as a governor running for president. Ryan Gosling (is he in everything this year?) plays an idealistic campaign worker who learns the ropes of dirty politics first hand. Something happens that he can’t just let slide and he is torn about what to do. Cast includes Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Oscar-nominee Paul Giamatti, Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, Emmy-winner Jeffrey Wright and rising young actor Max Minghella. Clooney’s a political guy so this should be interesting.

Carnage

9) CARNAGE (Dec. 16)
Trailer
Roman Polanski has entered a new fabulous period in his career with THE PIANIST, OLIVER TWIST and THE GHOST WRITER. Now the iconic director gets a stellar cast for a savage comedy. Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly play a couple whose son was beat by the son of Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz. Reilly is the only one of those without an Oscar win. Polanski worked with playwright Yasmina Reza to adapt her play. Could be stagey but who cares with these actors? Plus I think Polanski is too good to not make this filmic. The trailer alone had me laughing out loud.

The Descendants

8) THE DESCENDANTS (Nov. 23)
Trailer
Alexander Payne’s last film was 2004’s SIDEWAYS. In this one, a busy businessman tries to bond with his daughters on a vacation meant to recovery after his wife dies in a boating accident. But then he discovers he was cheating on him, so his sadness and guilt shift gears. How is he supposed to feel? Payne’s work always has a dark twist to it that I like a lot. This time he has George Clooney as his star. Cast also includes Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Beau Bridges and Robert Forster. Payne has the right name for the dramedies he does, because his reoccurring theme is to deal with men whose lives are in total disorder.

Hugo

7) HUGO (Nov. 23)
Trailer
Martin Scorsese does a 3-D family fantasy film? That’s right. Based on Brian Selznick’s unique illustrated novel, the story follows an orphan who lives in the Paris train station where he befriends a quirky young girl and down-on-his-luck filmmaker Georges Méliès. It’s this last part that makes sense why Scorsese would want to make this film. Méliès was an early film innovator, who is best known for his TRIP TO THE MOON where a rocket crashes into the man on the moon’s eye. Later in life he was relegated to working at a toy store and selling his films which were turned into shoes. Hugo is played by Asa Butterfield, who was in the devastating WWII drama THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley plays Méliès while KICK-ASS’ Chloe Moretz plays Hugo’s friend Isabelle. Cast also includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Christopher Lee, Michael Stuhlbarg, Emily Mortimer, Ray Winstone and Richard Griffiths. Scorsese, 1930’s Paris, automatons, mysterious keys – this could be a dream.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

6) TINKER, TAILOR, SOLIDER, SPY (Nov. 18)
Trailer
Tomas Alfredson, who made the remarkable vampire film LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, brings a new version of John Le Carre’s classic spy tale to the screen. Gary Oldman is getting big Oscar buzz for his portrayal of George Smiley, a semi-retired British spook who is called back into duty to root out a mole. His suspects range from the likes of Oscar-winner Colin Firth to INCEPTION’s Tom Hardy to John Hurt to Toby Jones to Mark Strong to Ciaran Hinds to the up and comer Benedict Cumberbatch. This is another early Oscar contender and with all this talent put into a story from master thriller writer Le Carre, it’s hard to see it not being that good. Can’t wait to see.

The Artist

5) THE ARTIST (Nov. 23)
Trailer
It’s a modern black & white silent film. The story follows a movie star who falls for a common woman. Over the course of the film, their positions switch. The cast is amazing Jen Lilley, Bérénice Bejo, Joel Murray, Beau Nelson, Missi Pyle, Jean Dujardin, James Cromwell, John Goodman, Beth Grant, Malcolm McDowell and Penelope Ann Miller. The Oscar buzz has already started for this one. French star Dujardin won the acting prize at Cannes, where the film was a favorite. I was just mesmerized by the trailer. This could be a special film.

A Dangerous Method

4) A DANGEROUS METHOD (Nov. 23)
Trailer
A story about Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud from a master mind screw filmmaker David Cronenberg; that alone had me. But it’s Viggo Mortensen playing Freud and Michael Fassbender as Jung. Keira Knightley plays a patient that drives a wedge between the two pioneers in psychology. Vincent Cassel also stars. The trailer is intense. I wanted to see the film the second it ended. Since 2002’s SPIDER, Cronenberg has never disappointed me. He is working at the top of his game with an amazing cast. I might go crazy before Thanksgiving.

Take Shelter

3) TAKE SHELTER (Sept. 30)
Trailer
Jeff Nichols’ debut film SHOTGUN STORIES ranked second on my top 25 for 2008. Reteaming with that film’s star Michael Shannon, he tells a story of a man obsessed with dreams that a tornado is coming to his town. His family questions his sanity. TREE OF LIFE and THE HELP’s breakout star Jessica Chastain plays his wife. Nichols has a beautiful Southern gothic style. Shannon is a master at playing slightly off characters. The film won the Critics Week Grand Prize at Cannes and was up for the Grand Prize at Sundance. Along with all my top five picks, I’m bubbling with excitement for this one.

J. Edgar

2) J. EDGAR (Nov. 9)
Clint Eastwood makes a new film. It appears on my lists. Many are saying this could be Leonardo DiCaprio’s year for his first Oscar win as he plays the controversial FBI director. The most interesting element of this film is the screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for MILK. I’m curious how Hoover’s secret life as a cross dresser will play into the story. DiCaprio gets support from Josh Lucas as Charles Lindbergh, Namoi Watts as his secretary Helen Gandy, Armie Hammer, Lea Thompson, Dermot Mulroney and Jeffrey Donovan. Eastwood might be a better director than he was an actor. His work since 2003’s MYSTIC RIVER has been some of the best of his career. There is no reason to think this will change here.

War Horse

1) WAR HORSE (Dec. 28)
Trailer
Steven Spielberg takes a page from Robert Bresson’s AU HASARD BALTHAZAR and casts an animal as his lead, which allows for various stories to be told as the animal moves from owner to owner. Adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s novel by Lee Hall (BILLY ELLIOT) and Richard Curtis (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL), the WWI story follows a young man who heads to the front lines to recover his beloved horse who has been sold to the cavalry. Newcomer Jeremy Irvine makes his feature debut as the lead Albert. Cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch, THOR’s Tom Hiddleston, David Thewlis, Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan and Peter Mullan. This one is at the top of many early Oscar buzz lists. I can’t wait to see what Spielberg brings to WWI like he brought to WWII in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and SCHINDLER’S LIST. My Christmas present this year is two Spielberg films released within five days of each other.

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Rick DeMott
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