#18
Far from the Madding Crowd
May 1
Director Thomas Vinterberg‘s The Hunt made my Top Ten of 2013, and it’s my love of that film and the cast of this one that has me anticipating it most. Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts are the stars of this adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel and I’ve already heard from some that it’s exactly what I expected, a competently made period piece with what I expect to be lavish cinematography from Charlotte Bruus Christensen. Probably not a top tenner, but a movie to look out for.
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge and Juno Temple
#17
Testament of Youth
June 5
Four films in, three period pieces, with this third one being James Kent‘s Testament of Youth, another summer film starring Ex Machina star Alicia Vikander alongside Kit Harrington (“Game of Thrones”), telling the story of Vera Brittain (Vikander) based on her World War I memoir, exploring the war from a woman’s point of view.
Directed by James Kent
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Taron Egerton, Dominic West, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson, Hayley Atwell, Anna Chancellor and Alexandra Roach
#16
Ant-Man
July 17
I would like to say Ant-Man will be the last time Marvel releases a movie that makes me think “Hmmm, that might be different”, but I must admit to curiosity when it comes to how they’ll handle the Black Panther and Captain Marvel movies. That said, this Ant-Man could be a movie as disastrous as Jurassic World and Terminator Genisys look as Paul Rudd turns into an ant-sized superhero and fights a villain named Yellowjacket. I mean, come on.
Directed by Peyton Reed
Starring: Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd, Michael Peña, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, John Slattery, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer and Tip Harris
#15
Tomorrowland
May 25
Will Brad Bird‘s Tomorrowland simply be a PG-rated children’s outing with little for the adults in the audience, or is it a harkening back to the days when Steven Spielberg made movies for the whole family? I honestly expect the latter, but I haven’t been watching the trailers closely and am working more on hope than anything else.
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Directed by Brad Bird
Starring: George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy, Thomas Robinson, Britt Robertson, Judy Greer and Kathryn Hahn
#14
The Look of Silence
July 17
This is my only documentary on this list and it’s director Joshua Oppenheimer‘s followup to 2013’s The Act of Killing, which took a look at the perpetrators of the Indonesian genocide, and this time he turns his camera on a family of survivors as they discover how their son was murdered and the identity of the men who killed him. The youngest brother is determined to break the spell of silence and fear under which the survivors live, and so confronts the men responsible for his brother’s murder-something unimaginable in a country where killers remain in power.
The buzz I’ve heard on this one is just as, if not more so, powerful than for The Act of Killing.
#13
Regression
August 28
I so want Alejandro Amenabar‘s Regression to bring us back to the director that made The Others, a personal favorite of mine with its wonderful sense of atmosphere and mood and perhaps this is the film to do it. The plot itself has me curious as to what the mystery at the center of it all possible could be:
Minnesota, 1990. Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) investigates the case of young Angela (Emma Watson), who accuses her father, John Gray (David Dencik), of an unspeakable crime. When John unexpectedly and without recollection admits guilt, renowned psychologist Dr. Raines (David Thewlis) is brought in to help him relive his memories and what they discover unmasks a horrifying nationwide mystery.
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar
Starring: Emma Watson, Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis, David Dencik, Dale Dickey and Devon Bostick
