Most Anticipated Movies of 2021
This will be another strange and messed up year that has already been started by the the complete scum of america being dangerous idiots. But now we get to try and watch some movies. Good ones are already coming out, check out my previous post, and there’s more coming.
I hope these movies I mention get to come out and we get the opportunity to see them in a theater safely. That isn’t likely but I’m hopeful. My favorite movie experience of 2020 was in a theater right before we all realized how serious this was and nothing touched it after that. Maybe that’s how it would have been anyway but we will never know. Not that any of this matters because millions have died because we don’t value human life enough as a country.
But I want to be positive. Instead of talking about the state of movies and the theater experience I would rather talk about what I love about current at home viewing options.
I have a Roku, which is just a service that compiles all your apps into a home screen. I have a lot of apps but I don’t need to talk about the big ones. I want to mention a few that aren’t as famous.
I tend to worry about the lack of options for art films or films that are trying to do something that isn’t make money. The Criterion Channel does that. If you care about that kind of thing you get a curated catalogue with Saturday matinees, double features, and something new everyday with a theme behind it.
Horror movies are maybe the easiest films to enjoy on a large scale and Shudder lets you see as many of them as you want. I’ll never make it through all the ones I want to see. For anyone who enjoys thriller and horror movies it is perfect. They also have a Shudder TV channel on the app where you can just leave it on like it’s a cable channel.
Speaking of cable, I miss when it was the thing. Netflix is trying to create their version of it because they realize that choice can only go so far. We would like to have something programmed for us. Pluto TV is a good app that is completely free that does live TV with a bunch of channels divided into categories and a On Demand section with even more choices. It is a bunch of free cable channels and movies. I recommend exploring it.
These were not ads. Just apps that I enjoy and wish more people got. I hope you are enjoying your apps. Welcome to 2021.
I will do my 20 most anticipated later on but first I want to point out some of my honorable mentions. I don’t know most of the release dates and why put anything down anyway since it could all change. Yay!
All-Star Weekend
Written & Directed by Jamie Foxx
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Robert Downey Jr. Benicio Del Toro, Eva Longoria, Jeremy Piven, Snoop Dogg, and DJ Khaled
It’s about two buddies forming a rivalry over their favorite basketball player and I don’t know how much actual NBA will be in it but I know there’s some. Somebody is credited as LeBron James that is not LeBron James.
Antlers
Adapted from a short story by Nick Antosca & Directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace, Black Mass)
Starring: Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, and Rory Cochrane
A small Oregon town teacher and her sheriff brother deal with a strange child and a creature. I think Russell and Plemons as siblings is great casting and I will watch this as soon as it is available.
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure
Written & Directed by Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Dazed & Confused, School of Rock)
Starring: Zachary Levi, Jack Black, and Glen Powell.
Coming of age story in the summer of 69 as the moon landing is about to happen. Linklater has been making smaller lighter fare in recent years since Boyhood and this fits that bill I assume.
Armageddon Time
Written & Directed by James Gray (Ad Astra, The Lost City of Z, We Own the Night)
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro, Cate Blanchett, Oscar Isaac, and Donald Sutherland
Pitched as a coming of age story in 1980’s Queens. I’ve heard it’s going to have some trump parallels and I hope that’s not the main thing. James Gray makes good movies and is on a hot streak of showing the limits and tenderness of adventurous brave men who need therapists. I’m sure this one will have more of that.
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) & Directed by Josh Greenbaum
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Jamie Dornan, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Damon Wayans Jr.
The title says it all. It is going to be a weirdo best friends hijinks ensue type movie and I will enjoy it very much I hope. Wiig is great and them writing something together for the first time since Bridesmaids is exciting.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Written by Abe Sylvia & Directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Hello My Name is Doris)
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Cherry Jones
The story of the rise and fall of Tammy Faye Bakker. Televangelist and wife of Jim Bakker. He is known now for being a terrible salesman for rapture bunker people of giant buckets of beans and such. Not much is known of her in popular culture now. She was early on the prosperity gospel front and I would love to see a movie about this. My connection to christianity and my family’s history for falling into that style of televangelism has me locked in. Plus the cast is great and Showalter has only made comedies and this one I assume will be a little less funny.
False Positive
Written by John Lee and Ilana Glazer & Directed by John Lee
Starring: Ilana Glazer, Justin Theroux, Pierce Brosnan, Sophia Bush, Gretchen Mol, and Josh Hamilton
No plot yet but sounds like it could be a comedic Rosemary’s Baby riff or something but also won’t be surprised if it is Glazer going dramatic because A24 picked this up and that gives me hope.
The Forgiven
Written from a book adaptation by Lawrence Osborne & Directed by John Michael McDonagh (The Guard, Calvary)
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith, Abbey Lee, Caleb Landry Jones, and Christopher Abbott
An accident in Morocco causes a lot of consequences for the locals and tourists. The cast and director is the key here. I loved his movie Calvary from 2014 and he hasn’t made anything close to as good since. I’m hoping this is back to form and the cast is good enough to make me believe that.
Gucci // The Last Duel
Gucci written by Roberto Bentivenga, The Last Duel written by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Nicole Holofcener (Good Will Hunting, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) & both are directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Prometheus, Blade Runner)
Gucci is starring: Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, and Lady Gaga
The Last Duel is starring: Adam Driver, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Jodie Comer
Gucci is the story of how the fashion designer’s grandson was the subject of an assassination by his ex. I believe Driver is Gucci grandson and Gaga is Gucci ex. That’s enough for me. Pacino might be Driver’s grandpa. The Last Duel is about french sword fighting and it will be very funny if Damon and other are doing accents. But Scott almost only makes good movies, maybe not great, but usually good. Driver becoming his guy in 2021 is enough.
The Harder They Fall
Written by Jeymes Samuel and Boaz Yakin ( ) & Directed by Jeymes Samuel
Starring: Idris Elba, Zazie Beets, Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield, Jonathan Majors, RJ Cyler and Delroy Lindo
An all black western about revenge. I don’t need much else. This cast is stacked, it’s a pretty new director that is coming off making the Jay-Z video Legacy. The other writer doesn’t have a great track record except he directed Remember the Titans. But I’m excited to see a real western from a perspective that hasn’t been done on a scale this large.
Judas and the Black Messiah
Written by Shaka King and Will Berson & Directed by Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, and Martin Sheen
The story of the Illinois Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and how he was betrayed. It looks great and should be out next month. I’m ready to see something about this that might actually be about something other than civility.
Red, White, and Water
Written by Luke Goebel, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Elizabeth Sanders & Directed by Lila Neugebauer
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Bryan Tyree Henry, Samira Wiley, and Stephen McKinley Henderson
A theater director gets a very dramatic movie to A24 with a huge star and I expect it to be good. It is about a US soldier returning home after suffering a traumatic brain injury. It could be one of those that doesn’t hit the mark but with this talent, and the newcomers involved I trust it.
The Many Saints of Newark
Written by Lawrence Konner, and David Chase & Directed by Alan Taylor
Starring: Michael Gandolfini, Alessandro Nivola, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Billy Magnussen, Leslie Odom Jr., Ray Liotta, John Magaro, and Corey Stoll
The Tony Soprano prequel played by James Gandolfini’s son will be odd to watch but also perfect. No matter what this turns out to be it will be special. The Sopranos is one of if not the best show ever made and I will watch anything the creator David Chase wants to do with it.
Memoria
Written & Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Tropical Malady, Syndromes and a Century)
Starring: Tilda Swinton
A woman travels from Scotland to Columbia and starts to hear strange sounds and starts to think about what those sounds look like. The filmmaker, called Joe by those who don’t want to butcher his name, has a degree in architecture and fine arts. He makes slow cinema with striking images and extreme realism. His films are mood pieces but when they work they sing. This will be his first with a big name in America.
Mission: Impossible - 7
Written & Directed by Christoher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Jack Reacher)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Angela Bassett, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Shea Whigham, Ving Rhames, and Pom Klementieff
The first of two installments coming from this group and thanks to the publicity stunt of Cruise yelling at his crew for violating protocols this will be one of the biggest movies this decade. Cruise is a lot of things good and bad but he loves theaters and this will be seen in one if he has a say.
Mona Lisa & The Blood Moon
Written & Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Bad Batch)
Starring: Kate Hudson, Craig Robinson, Ed Skrein, and Jong seo-Jun
A girl with strange powers escapes a mental asylum and explores New Orleans. Amirpour is one the most promising filmmakers alive. After critical love with her first feature and critical shrugs with her second, she returns with some sure to be weirdness before she heads off to make her Cliffhanger remake.
Nightmare Alley
Written by Guillermo Del Toro and Kim Morgan & Directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, The Devil’s Backbone, The Shape of Water)
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Mary Steenburgen, Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafore, Ron Perlman, Holt McCallany, David Strathairn, Tim Blake Nelson, Richard Jenkins, and Jim Beaver
The remake of an old noir film with a stacked cast and a no doubt beautiful look. No matter if you are into his movies or not they will be creative and look good. I hope this one rules.
On the Count of Three
Written by Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch (Ramy) & Directed by Jerrod Carmichael
Starring: Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, Henry Winkler, J.B. Smoove, and Lavell Crawford
Carmichael’s debut feature sounds like a weird drama. It’s about two friends that make a pact to kill each other before the end of the day. I’m all in.
Passing
Written & Directed by Rebecca Hall
Starring: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Alexander Skarsgård, Bill Camp, and Andre Holland
Two friends reunite and develop a dangerous obsession. One of our great actors Rebecca Hall makes her feature debut behind the camera with a good cast that I’m sure will be at worst solid. It’s a black and white old fashioned film that I look forward to seeing.
Pig
Written by Michael Sarnoski and Vanessa Block & Directed by Michael Sarnoski
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, and Adam Arkin
A truffle hunter that lives in the Oregon wilderness must return to Portland to save his favorite searcher pig after it is pignapped. Nicolas Cage looking for his favorite pig means I am watching this.
The Power of the Dog
Written & Directed by Jane Campion (The Piano, In the Cut, Bright Star)
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Benedict Cumberbatch, Thomasin McKenzie, Jesse Plemons, Keith Carradine, Frances Conroy, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Adam Beach
Brothers who own a farm in Montana are pitted against each other when one gets married. The cast and the great director Campion has me pumped for whatever kind of movie this turns out to be.
Prisoners of the Ghostland
Written by Aaron Hendry and Reza Sixo Safai & Directed by Sion Sono (Love Exposure, Why Don’t You Play in Hell?, Suicide Club)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, and Nick Cassavetes
Tagline olympics kicking in right here with “A notorious criminal must break an evil curse to rescue a girl who mysteriously disappeared. Sono is a famous director in Asia and now he makes his American attempt with some stars a wild film premise.
Rebel Ridge
Written & Directed by Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room, Blue Ruin, Hold the Dark)
Starring: John Boyega, Don Johnson, James Badge Dale, James Cromwell, and Erin Doherty
A thriller about systemic racism with a lot of action. There’s not much more to go on but a good cast, idea, and director is all this needs.
Spiral
Written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger (Jigsaw, Piranha 3D) & Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III, IV)
Starring: Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson
A new chapter of the Saw universe begins with some big name talent and a new style maybe? Not sure how this will be but I am beyond intrigued since these movies stopped being worth watching about one second after the first one’s credits ended.
Things Heard & Seen
Written & Directed by Shari Spinger Berman & Robert Pulcini (American Splendor, Girl Most Likely)
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Karen Allen, Natalia Dyer, James Norton, Rhea Seehorn, and F. Murray Abraham
An artist relocates and realizes her marriage and new home has a sinister element to it. Great tagline and good cast with the people who made the solid Giamatti film American Splendor.
Those Who Wish Me Dead
Written by Taylor Sheridan and Michael Koryta & Directed by Taylor Sheridan (Wind River, Yellowstone)
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Jon Bernthal, Nicolas Hoult, Aiden Gillen, Jake Weber, Tory Kittles and Tyler Perry
A teenage murder witness along with a survival expert are hunted by twin assassins in the Montana wilderness all the while a forest fire threatens to kill them all. This is a pretty high level of stress that might be hard to pull off but I’m all in with this cast and Sheridan, while sometimes screws up good ideas, mostly has a good record by me.
Three Thousand Years of Longing
Written & Directed by George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road, Mad Max, Happy Feet)
Starring: Idris Elba & Tilda Swinton
It has been described as a romance taking place in a dystopian reality and with those two and the director of Fury Road I imagine it’ll rule.
Titane
Written & Directed by Julia Ducournau (Raw)
Starring: Vincent London, and Nathalie Boyer
Plot is unknown but it is the second feature from the writer/director of Raw and that movie was one of the most original impactful movies this last decade.
Tonight at Noon
Written from a novel by Jonathan Lethem & Directed by Michael Almereyda (Tesla, Experimenter, Marjorie Prime)
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lauren Ambrose, Connie Nielsen, Rutger Hauer, Josh Hamilton, Joan Chen, and Ethan Hawke
A troubled relationship with a writer trying to come up with a story. Sounds like a romantic psychological drama. A good cast, a director who always does his own thing that if you get on his wavelength you’ll enjoy it.
Top Gun: Maverick
Written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie & Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Only the Brave, Oblivion, Tron: Legacy)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer, Jean Louise Kelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Ed Harris, and Glen Powell
A sequel to a movie I don’t even care about but it looks amazing. Rarely does a trailer get me GOING like this one did. The director makes good movies and Cruise is in entertain the shit out of us mode recently.
Triangle of Sadness
Written & Directed by Ruben Östlund
Starring: Woody Harrelson and Harris Dickinson
Two models come to a crossroads in their lives and that’s all they have given us. Östlund has made Force Majeure, the avalanche meme movie now, and The Square and both have moved me in different ways. They are fantastic dark comedies. I’m sure this one will be the same.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Written & Directed by Tom Gormican (That Awkward Moment)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Haddish, and Sharon Horgan
The story of Nic Cage, playing himself, needing some money and agreeing to be a guest at his rich “biggest fan’s” birthday party for a large amount of money and things go wrong from there! There’s more to it but that’s the kind of info that sells me on a movie. I love Nic Cage’s self aware movies in recent years. He really is a good actor and no one does quite what he does. Maybe it isn’t your thing but I love when he makes choices. It doesn’t always work for me either, but I always want to see it.
Zola
Written by Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris & Directed by Janicza Bravo (Lemon)
Starring: Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Colman Domingo, Nicolas Braun, and Jason Mitchell
Based on a real tweet thread about a stripper who goes on a road trip to Florida. Bravo has quietly been becoming one of the most fascinating filmmakers today and I can’t wait to see her go bigger with this Sundance darling.
Nic Cage giving us some hope for 2021
My top 20 most anticipated countdown!
20. The Matrix 4
Written by Aleksander Hermon, David Mitchell, and Lana Wachowski & Directed by Lana Wachowski (The Matrix movies, Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas)
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Priyanka Chopra, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, and Yahya Abdul-Matten II
Unknown plot but it’s a 4th Matrix movie so you shouldn’t need much else.
19. Jonty
Written by Eric Bain and Jesse Armstrong (Succession) & Directed by Eric Wareheim (Tim & Eric, Master of None)
Starring: Michael Cera & John Early
A coddled and kid takes off for NYC to produce a terrible play. Sounds great. Cera is perfect for Wareheim’s style of comedy and this being written by guys who do satire rich people comedy sounds like the mix might work great. I hope it gets made and released this year.
18. Benedetta
Written by David Birke and Paul Verhoeven & Directed by Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Starship Troopers, Total Recall)
Starring: Virginie Efira and Charlotte Rampling
A 17th century nun suffers from visions and this disrupts her life in unforeseen ways. Verhoeven has made the best movies about Jesus & religion that aren’t about Jesus or religion and now he actually goes into it. I imagine this movie will be offensive to some and great to others.
17. Annette
Written by Ron and Russell Mael & Directed by Leos Carax (Holy Motors)
Starring: Adam Driver & Marion Cotillard
A stand up comedian and his opera singer wife have a 2 year old daughter with a strange gift. I don’t know exactly what this will be but I read that it was initially a musical and that gets me excited. I don’t need much else than Adam Driver, but if you’ve seen Holy Motors you know this man is capable of just about anything.
16. Don’t Worry Darling
Written by Katie Silberman, Carey Van Dyke and Shane Van Dyke & Directed by Olivia Wilde (Booksmart)
Starring: Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, Harry Styles, Kiki Layne, Kate Berlant, and Timothy Simons
Not sure about the plot yet but it is pitched as an unhappy 1950’s housewife unhappy and there’s psychological thriller aspects. Pugh is the selling point here but Pine is the cherry on top. I don’t care what it is but I hope those two share scenes. Congrats to Wilde and Styles on their new romance.
15. Everything Everywhere All at Once
Written & Directed by Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Swiss Army Man)
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis & Michelle Yeoh
It’s a pretty secret movie and these guys said it’s about a 55 year old woman trying to finish her taxes. I have no doubt that is true, but I am going to use my skills of detection and say there’s a little more to it.
14. No Sudden Move
Written by Ed Solomon (Bill & Ted movies, Men in Black, Now You See Me) & Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s movies, Out of Sight, Logan Lucky)
Starring: Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, Jon Hamm, Noah Jupe, Kieran Culkin, David Harbour, Benicio Del Toro, Ray Liotta, Don Cheadle, Julia Fox, Frankie Shaw, Amy Seimetz, and Bill Duke
One of the easiest loglines to sell me I’ve maybe ever seen? “A group of criminals that are brought together under mysterious circumstances” okay so you got me hooked right here, maybe, but wait, the cast! okay yeah I’m in. Oh, there’s more? “and have to work together to uncover what's really going on” oh yeah cool criminals coming together to become crime detectives! Sounds good. Surely there’s nothing left- “when their simple job goes completely sideways.” YEEEESSSSSSSSS I LOVE WHEN JOBS GO COMPLETELY SIDEWAYS
13. Dune
Written by Jon Spaihts, Eric Roth, & Denis Villeneuve & Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners)
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Oscar Isaac, Dave Bautista, Stellen Skarsgård, Javier Bardem, Charlotte Rampling, David Dastmalchian & Stephen McKinley Anderson
The biggest movie of the year will hopefully be seen in a theater this fall. The cast is great and source material is beloved. I actually like the David Lynch movie from 1984 for it’s oddities and attempt at being interesting. This one will no doubt be respectable and well made but I am not as excited about this as some. But if we get to see it in a theater I may say it’s the best movie I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t super excited about Blade Runner 2049 either and that was great.
12. The French Dispatch
Written & Directed by Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore)
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Lèa Seydoux, Bill Murray, Elisabeth Moss, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Liev Schreiber, Benicio Del Toro, Anjelica Huston, Rupert Friend, Fisher Stevens, Henry Winkler, Cécile de France, Jeffrey Wright, Lois Smith, Griffin Dunne, Denis Ménochet, Tony Revolori, Mathieu Amalric, and Bob Balaban
An outpost of an American paper in a French city and their stories from that paper. This cast is insane as you can see and this trailer looked wonderful. I am rewatching all of Wes Anderson’s movies this month to prepare for this one and I can already feel my fondness for his movies growing.
11. Untitled Jonathan Glazer Movie
Written & Directed by Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Birth, Under the Skin)
Starring: ?????
Glazer, director of the Karma Police video by Radiohead and a delightfully strange short film last year about the 1518 legend of a town being overcome by a disease where they can’t stop dancing called Strasbourg 1518, has made three amazing films that are entirely different. Sexy Beast, his debut, is stylish and exciting and weird gangster movie with Ray Winstone in a speedo. Birth was his strange tragic romance movie with Nicole Kidman falling in love with her dead husband spirit that is in a child. Then he had Under the Skin which featured Scarlett Johansson pranking Swedish men in a big van. All those movies are better (or worse?) then I made them sound but they are all good to great. Under the Skin in particular is my favorite and one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. His new one is a Holocaust movie and that’s all I know. He is usually secret about his cast until it’s done. I will be watching this.
10. The Tragedy of Macbeth
Written & Directed by Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men, Fargo, Inside Llewyn Davis)
Starring: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Brendan Gleeson, Harry Melling, and Corey Hawkins
Obvious stuff here. Another adaptation but this time written by a Coen brother and acted by Denzel and his amazing wife Frances McDormand as the Macbeth’s. I normally am not interested in Shakespearean adaptations, despite there being some good ones recently (Macbeth 2016, Corilanious 2011) but this talent has me fully in.
9. Blonde
Written from a novel by Joyce Carol Oates by Andrew Dominik & Directed by Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Killing Them Softly, One More Time with Feeling)
Starring: Ana de Armas, Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Scoot McNairy, Garret Dillahunt, Julianne Nicholson, Sara Paxton, and Toby Huss
A fictionalized account of Marilyn Monroe’s life with one of the most beautiful people playing her. Armas is a good actor and only getting better each year. Between the new Bond and Blonde it should be a huge year for her. Dominik is a great filmmaker and always brings some innovation to his films so I’m excited to see what he does with a story that is starting from a point of telling you it isn’t true.
8. After Yang
Written from a Alexander Weinstein short story by Kogonada & Directed by Kogonada (Columbus)
Starring: Colin Farrell, Haley Lu Richardson, Jodie Turner-Smith, & Justin H. Min
A near future story about a family dealing with issues when their A.I. helper breaks down. Kogonada’s first feature Columbus was one of the best movies of the last 10 years and is gorgeous. This new one sounds even more emotional and deals with more family this time around. I imagine I will love it, but if nothing else it will be nice to look at the entire time.
7. The Card Counter
Written & Directed by Paul Schrader (First Reformed, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Blue Collar)
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe, Tye Sheridan, and Tiffany Haddish
A gambler and former serviceman tries to help an angry young man bent on revenge. There’s going to be gambling, war vets, mysterious money lenders, casinos, and the World Series of Poker from a great writer. I’m all in and can’t wait to see what he has made.
6. C’mon C’mon
Written & Directed by Mike Mills (20th Century Women, Beginners)
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffman, Jaboukie Young-White, and Woody Norman
An artist does a cross country trip with his nephew and I’m sure it’ll be a little more than that. Mills’ movies usually take a simple idea and expand them out to be so emotionally resonant that I am almost struck by the intimacy. I hope this does the same and having Phoenix should help that. He was so good in The Sisters Brothers in a lighter role and I imagine this role will be a little lighter as well.
5. The Brutalist
Written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold & Directed by Brady Corbet (Childhood of a Leader, Vox Lux)
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Marion Cotillard, Vanessa Kirby, Alessandro Nivola, Sebastian Stan, Stacy Martin, Mark Rylance, and Raffey Cassidy
Corbet has quietly become one of the best indie film directors working to me. His first movie was an intimate portrayal of a future dictator as a kid that features Robert Pattinson. It was good but not quite there yet. Then I saw Vox Lux, the pop star fable of 2018 with Natalie Portman and Jude Law and realized this guy just got a career pass for me. One of the most gripping openings to a movie I’ve ever seen. I was totally transfixed and love that movie. Now he gets an even bigger cast and tells the story of an architect emigrating to the US and creating his masterpiece. Don’t know much else but I’m in.
4. Last Night in Soho
Written by Kristy Wilson-Cairns and Edgar Wright & Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs the World)
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin McKenzie, Diana Rigg, Matt Smith, and Terence Stamp
A young girl passionate about fashion design enters the 1960’s and meets her idol and time starts to slip away. Wright makes good movies and puts so much care and attention to detail in them. Joy is going to have a big year coming off of Queen’s Gambit, and I am excited to see Wright back in England and making a thriller.
the set they built in a valley in Ireland
3. The Northman
Written by Robert Eggers and Sjon Sigurdsson & Directed by Robert Eggers (The \/\/itch, & The Lighthouse)
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgård, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Kate Dickie, Claes Bang, and Björk
A viking revenge saga set in Iceland at the turn of the 10th century that was written with the help of an Icelandic poet with an all star cast shot on location in Iceland. I liked The VVitch and The Lighthouse truly blew me away so I’m in for whatever he does the rest of his life. GIMME THE NORTHMAN.
Martin Scorsese scouting locations in Oklahoma
2. The Killers of the Flower Moon
Written by Eric Roth (under the supervision of Leo) & Directed by Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street, Taxi Driver)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, ????
It is supposed to start shooting soon and will probably be a Christmas, or at least fall release. The book by David Grann is very good, and I hope the script is as much about the story of the Native American Osage tribe and less about the white people who ruined it their lives. But with Leo & De Niro coming on to play the bad guys, who do have much more to do in the story I read, I imagine this will be another Scorsese in depth look at the bad guys. I’m excited and will hopefully be in a theater opening night.
Bradley Cooper looking GREAT on set in LA
1. Soggy Bottom
Written and Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, The Master, Punch-Drunk Love)
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cooper Hoffman, Alana Haim, and Benny Safdie
Done filming earlier this year and is supposedly a sprawling story of a high school kid actor, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son, over the San Fernando Valley. Sounds like it hits the Boogie Nights vein (wink) but I’m sure much less porn involved. Cooper’s look on the set photos was enough for me to be in but I’m not kidding anyone who knows me. PTA is my favorite director and even if this his my least favorite film of his I will still like it. He’s using a smaller and less star studded cast. I’m pumped and it will be very funny if he doesn’t change the working title.