The Top Ten is here as my countdown of my Top 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2013 comes to an end. Each day this week I have featured ten new films I'm looking forward to over the coming 12 months. They've ranged from the mindless (Pain and Gain) to the art house (Twelve Years a Slave).
The list has included directors such as Paul Greengrass, Jason Reitman, Baz Luhrmann, the Coen brothers, Steve McQueen, Won Kar Wai, Michael Bay, Alexander Payne, Lars von Trier, Kenneth Branagh, George Clooney, Ron Howard, Anton Corbijn, James Gray, Chan-wook Park, Steven Soderbergh, Edgar Wright, Danny Boyle and Susanne Bier. The stars of these films are too many to name and today's final ten is no different.
I'm happy to say the talent behind the camera in my top ten is not only gender diverse, but racially diverse and they come from all corners of the globe. Today's batch of films include a trip where no man has gone before, a revenge remake, a drug dealing lawyer, securities fraud, a group of teenage burglars, a wrestling paranoid schizophrenic, a new ice age, the silence of space, murder in Bangkok and romance in Greece.
If you missed any of the previous installments you can use the navigation below to explore them all and I have also included the same navigation at the bottom of page three of this top ten.
Most Anticipated 2013 Navigation
With all introductory formalities out of the way, let's dig into the top ten and see what kind of potential 2013 has to offer near the top...
#10
Oldboy
October 11
I wasn't an instant fan of Chan-wook Park's original Oldboy, but over time his entire Vengeance Trilogy has grown on me and now with Spike Lee directing a remake I can't help but be fascinated by how that will turn out.
The original was incredibly violent and the nature of the film itself is dark and disturbing and I just wonder how much of that will remain. The fact it's being distributed by FilmDistrict and not one of the major studios is a great sign, so here's to hoping for the best.
For those not in the know, here's a brief synopsis that will give those familiar with the original a feel for who is playing whom and the rest of you something of an idea as to what to expect.
Oldboy follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement without any indication of his captor's motive. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment. His quest for revenge leads him into an ill-fated relationship with a young social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and ultimately to an illusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation.
#9
The Counselor
TBA
Ridley Scott turned things around quickly after Prometheus and his next film, The Counselor, is already in post-production. The script was written by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) and centers on a present-day Southwest lawyer (Michael Fassbender) who thinks he can dip a toe into the drug business without getting sucked down. A bad decision. He tries his best to survive it and get out of a desperate situation, but can he?
The film co-stars Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, Penélope Cruz, John Leguizamo, Natalie Dormer and Goran Visnjic.
Even though Scott tends to have a few misfires here and there, his work is always something I look forward to and considering the cast and the fact we're talking about a script by McCarthy, this one sounds too good not to keep near the top of the anticipation list.
#8
The Wolf of Wall Street
TBA
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are together yet again, this time with an adaptation of Jordan Belfort's tell-all autobiography adapted by "Boardwalk Empire" and "The Sopranos" scribe Terence Winter.
The Wolf of Wall Street centers on Belfort (DiCaprio), a Long Island penny stockbroker who served 20 months in prison for refusing to cooperate in a massive 1990s securities fraud case that involved widespread corruption on Wall Street and in the corporate banking world, including mob infiltration.
Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin, Rob Reiner, Julie Andrews, Jon Favreau, Matthew McConaughey and Shea Whigham co-star.
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I know, I don't know what I will do if Before Midnight is disappointing!
Damn - that "Oldboy" premise sounds interesting. Debating whether or not I see the original before this one (original has a very strong 8.4 rating on IMBD).
Watch the original.
Oh my, I almost forgot that Before Midnight was coming out! I hope it doesn't take forever long for me to see it. Those characters and the storyline is one of the greatest achievements, I think, ever in filmmaking.
Gravity and Only God Forgives are the other ones I'm looking forward to the most as well. I really hope that 2013 is just as great as 2012!
Surprised you left off August: Osage County... not anticipating it?
It was a contender, but left off the list in the end... I am going to be doing an Oscar-y type preview as well and it will definitely be mentioned.
When can we expect this? Sounds awesome
Of this final list I have interest in The Counselor (maybe), Gravity (if it ever turns up) and Star Trek Into Darkness is my blockbuster pick for 2013.
Cool, I thought I was the only one anticipating Snowpiercer.
I'm looking forward to all of these, specifically Gravity, Star Trek, Foxcatcher, Wolf of Wall Street, and The Counselor (because I love Ridley Scott).
I just hope Oldboy is good because the original is fantastic. I just don't think it could be better, but if it is... This will be a good year.
Wow, this is actually almost the same as my top ten.
The ones I'm looking forward to here are Wolf of Wall Street, Foxcatcher, Gravity, The Counselor, and Star Trek Into Darkness. Star Trek 2 and Man of Steel are my two most anticipated blockbusters this year.
No man of steel in your top 50?
Not much of a Superman fan, though it does look intriguing.
I'm looking forward to Only God Forgives, Star Trek. The Place Beyond the Pines, The Counselor (also dreading it being fucking awesome but having a disastrous ending where a main character is killed off screen in an epic gun fight that I won't see)
That's about it.
Bunch of comicbook films & sequels I don't care about. Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Anchorman 2, Hunger Games 2, Hobbit etc
2013 is the year, more so in particular the year of the sequel-reboot-spinoff-remake-re-releases
Great Top 10 Picks. And cherry on the top is just fantastic. Nothing more exciting than Before Midnight.
100% on your #1.
Great list and lots to look forward to, but how is Man of Steel not in your top 50?! To each their own I guess. Thanks for the list Brad!
Also, are you a big fan of Joon-ho Bong or more the concept?
Like the list a lot mine are
1. Anchorman 2
2. This is the End
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
4. The Foxcatcher
5. We're the Millers
At the beginning of the year I usually am most excited for comedies.
My top most anticipated movie is Gravity.
1. Gravity
Y Tu Mama Tambien is now one of my favorite films and I'm also a fan of Children of men too, I can't wait to see what Alfonso Cuaron and Emmanuel Lubezki can do with this
2. Only god forgives
Drive was one of my favorite movies of 2011 only behind Shame and The Descendants and if this can deliver the style and a good story as that did it could also be one of the best movies of this year if not the best
3. Oldboy
I'm a fan of the original and I feel this has great potential, kind of like The Departed
4. Star Trek
I loved the first one
5. Man of Steel
I know Sucker Punch was pretty bad, but Watchmen is my favorite superhero movie of all time and I hope this one is even better
1. Only God Forgives
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
3. The Counselor
You a Ridley Scott fan?
Not really. The only film of his I've given a 4/5 to was American Gangster, but I do like him and with a cast like that and a screenplay by Cormac McCarthy... how could you go wrong?
Wow, this is a quality top ten. The highlights for me (most of which will probably be on my top ten most anticipated) are Gravity, Only God Forgives, Star Trek, The Counselor, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Some very good picks here. Thought I'd post my top ten:
1. Spring Breakers -- Harmony Korine hasn't made a truly great film since Gummo. I'm hoping that Spring Breakers will change that.
2. Twelve Years a Slave -- Shame was my favorite film of last year, and I've stated before that Steve McQueen is the best director working today.
3. Only God Forgives -- Nicolas Winding Ren and Ryan Gosling teaming up again is enough for me to be excited. The atmosphere to this story looks very intriguing.
4. The Place Beyond the Pines -- I loved Blue Valentine, the previous film by Derek Cianfriance, and the year-spanning story to this film seems rather interesting.
5. The Grandmaster -- Haven't seen much Wong Kar Wai, but I'm really excited for this one for some reason. Just looks like great, entertaining cinema.
6. Gravity -- Don't know much about this one, but with Cuaron directing and the original sci-fi plot, I'm instantly excited.
7. To the Wonder -- Excited for this one simply for the Malick factor, even if my expectations aren't the highest.
8. Side Effects -- Soderbergh's an interesting director (really liked Contagion and Magic Mike), so I'm instantly excited for his latest. Pretty cool to see his teaming up with Channing Tatum again.
9. Oldboy -- Another film I'm interested to see, solely to see how it turns out. My expectations aren't too high, and the original Oldboy was already good as it was. Maybe this will be even better though.
10. Nymphomaniac -- New Lars Von Trier film, plus the whole explicit nature of the film should make for an interesting watch.
My Top 5
1) The World's End- Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are two of my favorite comedies of the last ten years. Scott Pilgrim isn't too shabby either, so Edgar Wright is three for three in my book. As for why I anticipate this the most, it might just be because I've been anticipating it the longest. It's been 6 years since Hot Fuzz came out.
2) Elysium- I loved District 9 and the plot intrigues me. I'd argue this has more potential than any other film to come out this year.
3) The Wolf of Wall Street- I tend to love whatever Martin Scorsese makes (yes even Hugo), so with a cast like this I have to be excited.
4) Foxcatcher- Channing Tatum has been on a roll as of late. The plot seems a little cooky, but Bennet Miller made Moneyball entertaining so this should be a breeze. Also I would really like a reason to love Steve Carell again.
5) Gravity- Alfonso Cuaron.
One that I'm also very excited before, but haven't seen anyone mention is The Way, Way Back. Jim Rash and Nat Faxon are both hilarious on their respective television shows and The Descendants script was one of the best of that year. The two are directing a pretty great cast from a script they penned so I'm excited to hear reactions out of Sundance. Also I would really, really like a reason to love Steve Carell again.
HM: Labor Day, Only God Forgives, The Counselor, Trance, Iron Man 3
Wow, I completely forgot about The World's End, Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite movies, its going to be awesome to see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost together in a movie that isn't Paul.
Shaun of the Dead is my all time favorite comedy.
Ughh Paul was sorely missing that Edgar Wright edge. Some of its jokes landed but the story lacked the cohesion and quickness of a Wright film. I actually like Greg Mottola, but he needs stronger characters to work with.
I think 2013 will be Carell's come back year. With The Way, Way back, Burt Wonderstone, and yes, even Anchorman 2.
You have some great ones here that I totally forgot about like 'Only God Forgives.' Drive was my favorite film of 2011 and I really can't wait for their follow up.
Here's my top 40:
40. Pain and Gain
39. 300: Rise of an Empire
38. Ender's Game
37. The Lone Ranger
36. White House Down
35. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
34. Mad Max: Fury Road
33. Gangster Squad
32. The Hangover: Part 3
31. Monsters University
30. World War Z
29. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
28. R.I.P.D.
27. After Earth
26. Carrie
25. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
24. Now You See Me
23. Jack Ryan
22. Oz: The Great and Powerful
21. Man of Steel
20. Oblivion
19. Side Effects
18. Old Boy
17. A Good Day to Die Hard
16. Pacific Rim
15. Thor: The Dark World
14. This is the End
13: The Wolverine
12: The Great Gatsby
11. Iron Man 3
10. Inside Llweyn Davis
9. Kick Ass 2
8. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
7. The Place Behind the Pines
6. Anchorman: The Legend Continues
5. The Evil Dead
4. Star Trek into Darkness
3. Elysium
2. The World’s End
1. Gravity
My top ten here: http://smartfilm.blogspot.com/2013/01/most-anticipated-films-of-2012-10-1.html
I'm really starting to get REALLY excited about 'Gatsby', as well as the two end of the World comedies: End of the World, and This is the End. That, and, if it DOES get released this year, Rapturepalooza, with Anna Kendrick
Just wondering as to why Man of Steel and The Wolverine were omitted?
I'll have to agree with you completely on Before Midnight. The first two are just so endlessly watchable.
My TOP 10:
1. Lowlife (dir. James Gray)
2. Inside Llewyn Davis (dir. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)
3. Only Lovers Left Alive (dir. Jim Jarmusch)
4. Only God Forgives (dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)
5. Twelve Years a Slave (dir. Steve McQueen)
6. The Grandmasters (dir. Wong Kar Wai)
7. Gravity (dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
8. The Place Beyond the Pines (dir. Derek Cianfrance)
9. The Wolf of Wall Street (dir. Martin Scorsese)
10. Oldboy (dir. Spike Lee)
1. Star Trek 2
2. Twelve Years a Slave
3. Gravity
4. The Great Gatsby
5. Anchorman 2
6. Ender's Game
7. The Counselor
8. Pain and Gain
9. Jack Ryan
10. The Wolf of Wall Street
Hey Brad, when will you be posting your annual RopeofSilicon Awards?
My Top 20:
1. The Wolf of Wall Street
2. Before Midnight
3. Gravity
4. The Counselor
5. To the Wonder
6. Foxcatcher
7. Only God Forgives
8. Elysium
9. Twelve Years a Slave
10. Blue Jasmine
11. Monuments Men
12. Lowlife
13. American Bulls**t
14. The Zero Theorem
15. Her
16. Captain Philips
17. A Most Wanted Man
18. Nebraska
19. The Place Beyond the Pines
20. Star Trek Into Darkness
Some very interesting films in your top ten, several of which I'd put high on a list of my own. Most promising is "Snowpiercer," since I'm a great admirer of Joon-ho Bong ("Mother" was high on my "best" list a couple of years ago and I thought "The Host" was genius). Also especially tantalizing are "Old Boy" (Josh Brolin rules!), "Foxcatcher" and "The Counselor" (what a cast!). I'll pass on "The Bling Ring."
1. Man of Steel
2. 12 Years a Slave
3. Counselor
4. Gravity
5. This is the End
6. Anchorman 2
7. Wolf of Wall street
8. Foxcatcher
9. Only God Forgives
10. Her
Ugh! Forget to add Labor Day! Reitman is one of my favorite filmmakers working!
My top 15 in order of release date
1) Stoker
2)Upstream Color
3)Star Trek
4) The Great Gatsby
5) Only God Forgives
6) Man of Steel
7) Elysium
8) You're Next
9) Gravity
10) The World's End
11) Frozen
12) 12 Years a Slave
13) 2 Faces of January
14) Snowpiercer
15) Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
I already saw Place Beyond the Pines and 42.
Read the script to the Counselor didn't like it.
The Wolf of Wall Street looks like typical Oscar Bait.
ONLY GOD FORGIVES-I CAN WATCH ANY WINDING REFN FILM AS LONG AS THEY´RE REWARDING AS DRIVE WAS AND WITH RYAN GOSLING...COUNT ME IN!
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
STAR TREK:INTO DARKNESS
There was an article about Before Midnight on Indiewire not too long ago and it mentioned that early buzz on the film was really good. I love the first two films so I'll definitely check this one out.
1. Only God Forgives
2. Anchorman 2
3. The World's End
4. Sin City 2
5. Oldboy
6. Man Of Steel
Not really looking forward to much else.
My most anticipated films that Brad didn't mention:
1. Jane Got a Gun (Western; dir. Lynne Ramsay; with Fassbender, Natalie Portman)
2. Maps to the Stars (Hollywood Satire; dir. David Cronenberg; with Viggo, Pattinson, Rachel Weisz)
3. Blonde (Marilyn Monroe Biopic described as polanskiesque horrorfilm; dir. Andrew Dominik; with Naomi Watts)
4. The East (Drama about an Earth Liberation Front Cell; dir. Zal Batmanglij; with Ellen Page, Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgard)
5. Zero Theorem (Sounds similar to Brazil; dir. Terry Gilliam; with Christoph Waltz)
6. Queen of the Desert (Biopic about Gertrude Bell. Sort of a companion piece to Lawrence of Arabia; dir. Werner Herzog; with Naomi Watts, Jude Law, Pattinson)
7. Frances Ha (Described as Allen's Manhattan for a new generation; dir. Noah Baumbach; with Greta Gerwig, Adam Driver)
8. At Swim-Two-Birds (As meta as it gets; dir. Brendan Gleeson; with Fassbender, Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy)
9. Her (Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with a computer; dir. Spike Jonze; with Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Samantha Morton)
10. Night Moves (Another ELF film; dir. Kelly Reichardt; with Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard)
11. The Last Voyage of the Demeter (Horror film about the ship that transports Dracula to England; dir. Neil Marshall; with Viggo, Noomi Rapace)
12. The Two Faces of January (con men thriller; dir. Hossein Amini; with Viggo, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac)
13. Much Ado About Nothing (modern Shakespeare adaptation; dir. Joss Whedon; with Amy Acker, Clark Gregg, Nathan Fillion)
Before Sunset was a godawful boring piece of crap. If I wanted to see two people walking around talking I'd hang out with one of my friends.
my top 10 most anticipated movies of 2012
1. Only God Forgives
2. The Wolf off Wall street
3. Twelve years a slave
4. Monuments Men
5. The Counselor
6. Calvary
7.The Foxcatcher
8. Captain Phillips
9. Out of the Furnace
10. Prisoners
11. The new terrence Mallick film
12. Oldboy
13. Gravity
14. Lowlife
15. Blood Ties
DiCaprio looks like he's channeling his inner Mark Whalberg in the image from 'Wolf of Wall Street'
DiCaprio looks freakishly like Mark Whalberg in that image from 'Wolf of Wall Street'
My most anticipated:
(yes, there ARE some ties.. Sorry)
1: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire/The Hobbit pt. 2
2: Iron Man 3/ 12 Years A Slave
3: Man of Steel/ Oz: The Great and Powerful
4:Now You See Me/ Star Trek
5: Rush/Oz: The Great and Powerful
6: Ender's Game/Great Gatsby
7: Serena/Elysium
8: Foxcatcher
9: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
10: Nebraska
I'm also looking forward to 'Gravity' and 'Inside Llewyn Davis' if they DO show up this year.
I'd COMPLETELY forgotten about 'The Bling Ring.' I LOVED Emma Watson in'The Perks of Being A Wallflower', and the character she plays in this film looks unlike anyone she's ever played. Should be amazing
A tough one, but i'm definitely looking forward to the non-sequels of 2013, rather than the endless stream of tent poles.
The 10 films I have the highest expectations for are:
Steve McQueen’s Twelve Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street
David O. Russell's Abscam
Nicolas Refn's Only God Forgives
Scott Cooper's Out of the Furnace
Neill Bloomkamp’s Elysium
Bennett Miller’s The Foxcatcher
Jean-Marc Vallée’s Dallas Buyers Club
Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity
James Gray's Lowlife
Close to making the cut:
George Clooney’s The Monuments Men
Ridley Scott's The Counselor
Alexander Payne’s Nebraska
Brad,
"Gravity" now has a release date of October 18, 2013.
That's not official. IMDb has the wrong date
My top 10:
1. Untitled David O. Russell/Abscam Project
2. Ain't Them Bodies Saints
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
4. Out of the Furnace
5. Elysium
6. Stoker
7. Gravity
8. Twelve Years a Slave
9. Untitled Terrence Malick Project
10: The Monuments Men
(honorable mentions: Her, Trance, The Counselor, A Most Wanted Man)
Now obviously those will shuffle around when I start to see trailers, but so far.. that's it for me. I think Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is the best outta Park's revenge trio, but Oldboy really does have a really good twist. I usually predict those things, but that was truly unexpected... so obviously Hollywood would cling to it. They like that "mind blowing" stuff. I'm curious to see how bloody it'll be too. Sometimes Park's gore can get a little ridiculous. But Spike Lee? I hate that guy, so we'll see.
The Counselor would be in my top 10 if Ridely Scott wasn't directing it. I think Scott is a better production designer than he is a director. His choices for music is always incredibly intrusive and annoying, and his pacing is always tedious and boring. I don't like one motion picture he has directed. His visuals are usually spectacular though... it just seems like a huge injustice for McCarthy, whom I regard as one of my favorite writers. So again, we'll see.
Here's my most anticipated list. Many films are the same but my reasons to anticipate are different,
http://www.cinemaconfessions.com/2013/01/the-list-13-most-anticipated-films-of.html
My top 10 most anticipated movies of 2013 are:
10. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
9. Star Trek Into Darkness
8. The Hangover Part 3
7. Grown ups 2
6. Thor: The Dark World
5. RED 2
4. The Heat
3. Identity thief
2. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
1. Iron Man 3
Honourable Mention:
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Warm Bodies
I forgot about Anchorman 2 so I'm going to replace Catching Fire with Anchorman.
I am surprised that two movies didn't even make the top 50.. what about Man of Steel and The Place Beyond The Pines? I can see you were a big fan of Drive (not only my favorite movie of 2011, but one of my all-time favorites) because you have Only God Forgives on the list, and I agree it should be great just like Drive, but The Place Beyond The Pines looks like it could be right there with Drive too.