[Delta]

This is the first time I saw Night & Day and Roadie videos. Shame on me.

[Dr. Spaceman]

Originally posted by Red

Seeing as I have not seen any of these videos but will see them soon enough (I especially must see FIFA 2000: Now With Absurdity!), so allow me to comment on some of the awesome band/artist names. I'm especially a fan of OFF! (there better be an artist named ON!), Nude Beach, and, of course, JEFF The Brotherhood.

You'll love the Hot Chip video! And i'm glad you'll watch some of them. I especially want to know your opinion of the Lambchop video, since I know you are a hardcore wrestling person. You'll appreciate it, I think. And haha, we are in a great age of band names. OFF! is Anthony Kiedis approved to the point where I think the only clothes he owns are OFF! related.

Originally posted by Delta

This is the first time I saw Night & Day and Roadie videos. Shame on me.

As the old saying goes, better late than never! No shame needed! As long as you enjoyed them, whether it's the day they are released or 10 years from now, that's all that counts.

I'm glad we are on the second page! I apologize for the thirty YouTube videos making my thread incredibly slow for some computers, but I wanted to make it easy for people to preview all of the content that I talked about. Luckily, the next list will basically be all text (with some images), so it'll be less of a strain on your poor ol' computers.

Speaking of, the 2013 movies list - COMING SOON! Tomorrow, maybe? Until then, thank you to everyone who has commented so far!

[Nico...]

Oh, God, I need to see those videos because I've just seen one out of twenty

Anyway, the one that I've seen is Hot Chip's video, and if you liked it you should see this.

Hot chip could never LOL.

[Adr]

night and day and especially simple song are having amazing video

glad to see them on your list

[Dr. Spaceman]

Note before I begin:

There won't be pictures for movies 50-21. In the past, i've included pictures for all of the upcoming movies (usually on set paparazzi photos), but for my own sanity, I decided to not do that this year. Sorry, I know just having plain text isn't very exciting, but I hope the movies selected, and what I have to say about them, brings at least some enjoyment to you.


50. The Bling Ring
Release Date: Cannes 2013?
Directed and Written by Sofia Coppola
Starring Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Gavin Rossdale, Erin Daniels

Whether you are a fan of her work or not, Sofia Coppola's distinctive style makes the film world more exciting, not less. An interesting cast (Emma Watson! The great Leslie Mann! The Dude Who Sang "Glycernie"!), and an interesting concept ("Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers, known as the Bling Ring, use the Internet to track celebrities' whereabouts in order to rob their homes") makes this movie a definite curiosity. A sad note: This was the final film shot by the incredible cinematographer Harris Savides, who passed away on October 9, 2012. His work with Gus Van Sant (Gerry, Elephant, Milk, etc), David Fincher (Zodiac, The Game), Ridley Scott (American Gangster), Noah Baumbach (Greenberg), and on Sofia Coppola's previous movie Somewhere, was some of the best DP'd work of its era, and the filmworld will miss him greatly.

49. The Look of Love
Release Date: Sundance 2013 premiere, March 8, 2013 (UK release date)
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Written by Matt Greenhalgh
Starring Steve Coogan, Anna Friel, Imogen Poots, Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Chris Addison

Winterbottom/Coogan are the UK's answer to Scorsese/DeNiro or Scorsese/DiCaprio, in that they have partnered together for multiple films and they help bring out the best in each other. I'm a hardcore Steve Coogan fan (you'll see further proof later on in the list), and The Look of Love has him playing real-life figure Paul Raymond, "a ****ographer, strip club owner and impresario who managed to accumulate a fortune of close to £650 million (or just over a billion dollars) after buying up property in the central London area of Soho." A mix between comedy and tragedy (certain characters reach certain fates which I won't reveal, though it was a true story, which you can easily look up on your own), The Look of Love should be another Coogan/Winterbottom smash. And to quote Steve Coogan, "Oh, and there are lots of naked ladies in it."

48. I Give It a Year
Release Date: February 8, 2013 (UK)
Directed and Written by Dan Mazer
Starring Anna Faris, Rose Byrne, Simon Baker, Rafe Spall, Jason Flemyng, Minnie Driver, Stephen Merchant, Olivia Colman

Dan Mazer, a constant partner with Sacha Baron Cohen throughout his career (he was a co-creator on Da Ali G Show, and is credited as a producer on Borat, Bruno, and The Dictator), has finally made a movie on his own, the romantic R-Rated comedy I Give It a Year. It follows a pair of newlyweds during the first year of their marriage, and all the trials and tribulations that endure during that period. The trailer is out, and it is quite funny, and it is aiming to be a big sleeper hit in the UK. If it's the hit that I expect it to be, I bet it'll hit North American theaters by September. I like Mazer's work, and I look forward to checking it out.

47. Pain & Gain
Release Date: April 26, 2013
Directed by Michael Bay
Written by Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne “duhRock” Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Anthony Mackie, Ed Harris, Ken Jeong, Rob Corddry, Tony Shahloub, Kurt “Eurocontinental Champion” Angle

From people who have already seen the trailer (which will likely premiere within the next couple weeks), i've heard two lines on Michael Bay's Pain & Gain: "A Coen Brothers movie on steroids" and "Michael Bay's most ignorant and outlandish movie since Bad Boys II." Whichever one you go with, I say sign me up! Based on a true story about a pair of bodybuilders in Florida who get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong (sounds like a Coens movie to me!), Pain & Gain will be a very different movie from Bay, following three PG-13 tentpole Transformers movies. Bay works OK in that mode, but I much prefer him when he gets to wave his R-Rated freak flag, and gets to be as obscene and ridiculous as he wants to be. Could the movie be bad? Yes! It's Michael Bay! Could it be great? Yes! It's R-Rated Michael Bay! Either way, it's on my radar in a big way.

46. Kick-Ass 2
Release Date: June 28, 2013
Directed and Written by Jeff Wadlow
Starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jim Carrey, Lyndsy Fonseca, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, John Leguizamo, Lindy Booth, Donald Faison, Clark Duke, Morris Chestnut, Yancy Butler

There's some trepidation about Kick-Ass 2, since Matthew Vaughn is not the director (though he is still on board as a producer), and it is instead being handled by a person named Jeff Wadlow, whose credited movies include Cry_Wolf and Never Back Down, but i'm just happy that a Kick-Ass 2 is happening at all. Apparently Vaughn gave Wadlow his blessing, and he handpicked him to do it, that plus the addition of Jim Carrey (!!) makes this movie quite intriguing. I really doubted that a Kick-Ass 2 was going to happen at all, and yet here we are, with the sequel getting a major summer release date. I am hoping for the best.

45. Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers
Release Date: September 27, 2013
Directed by Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn
Written by John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein
Starring Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Neil Patrick Harris, Andy Samberg, Terry Crews, James Caan, Will Forte, Kristen Schaal, Benjamin Bratt

Again, like Kick-Ass 2, the original directors aren't doing the sequel (the team of Phil Lord, Chris Miller, who did a really wonderful job on 21 Jump Street this past year), but i'm very excited for the sequel, anyway. The original Cloudy was a big surprise for me, and I found it to be as funny as any comedy that came out that year. With much of the cast returning (including Will Forte!), and with new addition Kristen Schaal (You could not pick a better person to join this team. Her sensibility will fit perfectly), i'm just excited to spend some more time with these characters again.

44. Monsters University
Release Date: June 21, 2013
Directed by Dan Scanlon
Starring Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Joel Murray, Dave Foley, Julia Sweeney, Peter Sohn, Jeff Pidgeon

The original is one of my top favourite Pixar movies. I like the idea of seeing Mike, Sulley, and the rest of the gang back in their University days. I just think it's going to be a lot of fun. But everyone is sold on this movie, already. I don't need to say more about it!

43. The Way, Way Back
Release Date: SXSW 2013?
Directed and Written by Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Starring Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Amanda Peet, AnnaSophia Robb, Toni Collette, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Allison Janney, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

The directorial debut from the Academy Award winning screenwriting team that wrote the screenplay for The Descendants, Jim Rash (Dean Pelton on Community!) and Nat Faxon's (Ben Fox on Ben & Kate!) The Way, Way Back is a personal coming of age film for them. The plot being "Over the course of his summer break, a teenager comes into his own thanks in part to the friendship he strikes up with one of the park's managers." With this great cast, and the great Faxon & Rash, I expect great things out of The Way, Way Back.


42. Can a Song Save Your Life?
Release Date: SXSW 2013?
Directed and Written by John Carney
Starring Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, Adam Levine, Cee-Lo Green, Mos Def, James Corden, Aya Cash

John Carney's follow-up to the smash-hit ONCE, Can a Song Save Your Life? is about "A dejected music business executive who forms a bond with a young singer-songwriter new to Manhattan." The unusual cast is great and intriguing, and I expect this to be another great music-driven film from Carney. Bonus: Judd Apatow is involved with this movie, as an executive producer. Meaning, it is not an official Apatow Productions movie, but Apatow is involved with it in some way, which I find to be fascinating.

41.The Counselor
Release Date: November 15, 2013
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Cormac McCarthy
Starring Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, John Leguizamo, Natalie Dormer, Dean Norris

I know Ridley Scott can be hit-or-miss, but Scott working on an original Cormac McCarthy written screenplay (meaning, not based on any of McCarthy's books! An original screenplay by Cormac McCarthy!!), with that great cast, and that it's about "A lawyer finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking." I mean, that has to be great, right? It has to be!


40. Trance
Release Date: March 14, 2013 (Europe), TBA North America
Directed by Danny Boyle
Written by Joe Ahearne, John Hodge
Starring James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel

In between Danny Boyle directing one of the best Olympic opening ceremonies I have ever seen, Boyle directed an entire movie this year! It took me by a surprise, as well! It's a UK based crime/drama (taking him back to his Shallow Grave days, working again with Shallow Grave/Trainspotting screenwriter John Hodge), that has this plot synopsis:"A fine art auctioneer mixed up with a gang joins forces with a hypnotherapist to recover a lost painting. As boundaries between desire, reality and hypnotic suggestion begin to blur the stakes rise faster than anyone could have anticipated. " TRANCE, BE THERE! Sounds great! You may not like a Danny Boyle movie, but he never does boring work. His movies always leave an impression, and I look forward to Trance quite a bit.

39. Joe
Release Date:TBA 2013
Directed by David Gordon Green
Written by Gary Hawkins
Starring Nicolas Cage, Tye Sherdian, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Heather Kafka, Sue Rock, Brenda Isaacs Booth

David Gordon Green directing a Nicolas Cage movie!!! DGG is one of my all-time favourite directors. and him working with such a dynamo like Nic Cage should yield some fascinating results. The logline is that Joe is "An ex-con, who is the unlikeliest of role models, meets a 15-year-old boy and is faced with the choice of redemption or ruin." It should allow Cage to do some great dramatic acting (which he is absolutely capable of), on top of him possibly doing the great gonzo Cage work that we all know and love. I can't wait.

38. Twelve Years a Slave
Release Date: September 6, 2013
Directed by Steve McQueen
Written by Steve McQueen, John Ridley
Starring Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Quvenzhane Wallis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Scoot McNairy, Taran Killam, Michael Kenneth Williams, Garrett Dillahunt, Alfre Woodard, Sarah Paulson

I love how great and weird that cast is. Heavy hitters, including Pitt, Fassbender and Cumberbatch, and also people like SNL's Taran Killiam! Garrett Dillahunt! I love it! Steve McQueen is a very talented director, who previously did Hunger and Shame, and Twelve Years a Slave is about "A man living in New York during the mid-1800s is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the deep south." It should be a powerful movie, filled with great acting, and great style by McQueen.

37. Oz The Great and Powerful
Release Date: March 8, 2013
Directed by Sam Raimi
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire, Mitchell Kapner
Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Abigail Spencer, Zach Braff, Joey King, Bill Cobbs, Martin Klebba, Ted Raimi, Tony Cox, Bruce Campbell

In Sam Raimi I trust. I'm the type of person who will defend the majority of Spider-Man 3 (the only parts I feel don't work are the stuff involving Venom, which Raimi didn't want to do in the first place, and you can tell. The stuff involving Sandman, Franco, and especially the crazy dancing and emo Peter Parker stuff are all things I loved about the movie and will defend until the end of time), so I always look forward to whatever Raimi has up next. And it says a lot about what I think of Raimi that I am interested in a movie like Oz, which really isn't in my wheelhouse at all. But from the trailer materials that I have seen, the great cast (including a Bruce Campbell cameo!), and everything else, I am excited for it. I hope it's a big hit, so Raimi can get free-reign to do whatever crazy project he wants to do next, as I know Oz is a director-for-hire project.


36. Admission
Release Date: March 8, 2013
Directed by Paul Weitz
Written by Karen Croner
Starring Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Michael Sheen, Lily Tomlin, Wallace Shawn, Sonya Wagner

Tina Fey and Paul Rudd are finally in a movie together! The full log-line from Focus Features:

"Straight-laced Princeton University admissions officer Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school overseen by her former college classmate, the free-wheeling John Pressman (Paul Rudd). Pressman has surmised that Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), his gifted yet very unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago. Soon, Portia finds herself bending the rules for Jeremiah, putting at risk the life she thought she always wanted -- but in the process finding her way to a surprising and exhilarating life and romance she never dreamed of having. "

While I wish that the first movie that Fey and Rudd starred in together was more of a full-on comedy, as opposed to a comedy/drama, Admission will certainly do!

35. Labor Day
Release Date: Fall 2013
Directed and Written by Jason Reitman
Starring Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Tobey Maguire, James Van Der Beek, Clark Gregg, Jacki Weaver, Dylan Minnette, Sarah Fischer, Brooke Smith, Alexie Gilmore, Maika Monroe

I like Jason Reitman's movies, especially his last one Young Adult, which I thought was a great departure from him. Labor Day, which is adapted by Reitman from a Joyce Maynard book, is about "Depressed single mom Adele and her son Henry offer a wounded, fearsome man a ride. As police search town for the escaped convict, the mother and son gradually learn his true story as their options become increasingly limited." Reitman has been talking about this movie since Up in the Air, and he's clearly passionate about it. I like the cast, I trust Reitman's instincts, and I look forward to seeing it next year. He hasn't let me down yet.

34. Before Midnight
Release Date: Premieres Sundance 2013
Directed by Richard Linklater
Written by Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Richard Linklater
Starring Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

SO EXCITED!!!!!!!! BRING IT ON LINKLATER!

33. Untitled David O. Russell/ABSCAM Project
Release Date: Fall/Winter 2013
Directed by David O. Russell
Written by Eric Singer
Starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams

I have no idea if this movie will be ready for next year, as it is said to start shooting probably in February. I believe I read that Russell wants it for next year's awards season, so i'm putting it here, based on his word. First off, that cast! That's your starring cast! And while I haven't seen Silver Linings Playbook yet, I really love Russell's work, and I think he is an incredibly talented director. This movie (originally titled American ********) is based on the true-life FBI sting operation in the 1970's called ABSCAM, that led to the conviction of United States Congressmen. Juicy material, that is different from the stuff that Russell has done in the past. But Russell's strength is in nailing character dynamics and moments, no matter the genre, so I think this will be yet another DOR triumph.

32. Captain Phillips
Release Date: October 11, 2013
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Written by Billy Ray
Starring Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Max Martini, Yul Varquez, Chris Mulkey, John Magaro

This is one of those movies that, in researching this 2013 movies list, I had no idea existed. But am I glad that it does! Chronicling Captain Richard Phillips and his crew's encounter with Somali pirates, Captain Phillips has the great director/star pairing of Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks. What more do you want? Why would you ever doubt this movie?

31.Untitled Nicole Holofcener Project
Release Date: TBA 2013
Directed and Written by Nicole Holofcener
Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone, Michaele Watkins, Amy Landecker

For my money, Nicole Holofcener is one of the most underrated writer/director talents in all of film today. She has a unique voice, and I am always excited to hear when she has something new coming out. This untitled project is set to star the great Julia Louis-Dreyfus as "A divorced woman who decides to pursue the man she's interested in learns he's her new friend's ex-husband." I'm not 100% certain if James Gandolfini is the man in that plotline, but if he is... holy moly. JLD and Gandolfini are two of my all-time favs, and to have them starring in a movie together? Under the direction of Nicole Holofcener? This **** will be tremendous!

30.Elysium
Release Date: August 9, 2013
Directed and Written by Neil Blomkamp
Starring Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, William Fichtner, Alice Braga, Sharlto Copley, Diego Luna

Am I the only one who sings the title of this movie to the tune of Rihanna's "Disturbia"? Don't answer that. Neil Blomkamp's long-awaited follow-up to the surprise critical, commercial, and award winning smash District-9, Elysium is more smart Sci-Fi from Blomkamp. "Set in the year 2159, where the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth, a man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds." Matt Damon shaved his head for this movie! And yeah, there's some obvious commentary going on in the plotline for the movie, and I really look forward to seeing how the concept plays out. I love Blomkamp's voice as a filmmaker, and am hoping he knocks it ouf ot the park yet again.

[Dr. Spaceman]

29. In a World...
Release Date: World Premiere at Sundance 2013
Directed and Written by Lake Bell
Starring Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, Alexandra Holden, Nick Offerman, Geena Davis, Stephanie Allynne, Jeff Garlin

We all know Lake Bell as a very talented and funny actress, right? She's so great on Childrens Hospital! She directed a few episodes from this past season of Childrens, and now, poof! She has directed and written her own feature film! And it sounds incredibly awesome. Read this full log-line, and tell me that this doesn't sound like a fun movie:

"Carol Solomon is a struggling vocal coach. Propelled by the hubris of her father, Sam Sotto, the reigning king of movie-trailer voice-over artists, Carol musters the courage to pursue her secret aspiration to be a voice-over star. Her fiery sister, Dani, becomes a trusted confidante, and Carol engages the skills of a charming sound techie named Louis. Armed with renewed confidence, Carol lands her first voice-over gig—a primo spot—nabbing the job from industry bad boy Gustav Warner. And then the real trouble begins. Carol becomes entangled in a web of dysfunction, sexism, unmitigated ego, and pride."

Now you understand the title, right? Genius. I hope the movie lives up to the inspired concept, and great cast assembled, but I have faith in Lake Bell to really nail it. I'm rooting for her.

28. Hell Baby
Release Date: World Premiere at Sundance 2013
Directed and Written by Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant
Starring Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb, Riki Lindhome, Paul Scheer, Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Rob Huebel, Keegan Michael Key, Michael Ian Black, Kumail Nanjiani, Dave Holmes (the Dave Holmes), Alex Berg, Jenny Robertson, Cathy Shim

Another Sundance premiere, this one from The State/Reno 911! team of Tom Lennon and Ben Garant. I have always been huge fans of those guys, and I am excited for Hell Baby. Here's the synopsis for that one:

"Expectant couple Jack and Vanessa move into the most haunted fixer-upper in New Orleans—a house with a deadly demonic curse. When things soon spiral out of control, it’ll take the help of Vanessa’s Wiccan sister, a nosey “neighbor” who lives in their crawl space, two local detectives, and a pair of elite Vatican exorcists to save them—or is it already too late?"

If it lives up to the premise, the amazing cast, and Lennon/Garant, this will be a total R-Rated blast. Like In A World..., I am rooting for it.

27. Spring Breakers
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Directed and Written by Harmony Korine
Starring Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Heather Morris, Rachel Korine, James Franco, Gucci Mane

To a certain crowd, this movie is The One With All The Teen Starlets In It. To another crowd, it's The Movie That Has James Franco Looking Like Riff-Raff. In my world? it's The New Harmony Korine Movie. Korine is a piece of work, known for his insane movies such as GUMMO, Mister Lonely, and Trash Humpers (friends of mine saw Trash Humpers in the theater, and they told me that nearly the entire audience walked out by the end of it, and they didn't much enjoy it, either), and absurdly legendary David Letterman appearances. The idea that a new movie of his is getting so much attention, and, from what I understand, a big marketing push (Spring Break release date!) is so ****ing hilarious to me. I've heard that the movie is kinda great, and I hope it ends up making a billion dollars, so we can see what happens when Harmony Korine has leverage in Hollywood. I want to see his name on the next director short-list for whatever the next big superhero movie is. Anyway, the point is, I can't wait for Spring Breakers, and I don't care if I end up loving it or hating it. I bet either way it will still be really entertaining.


26. Fast Six
Release Date: May 24, 2013
Directed by Justin Lin
Written by Chris Morgan
Starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne “daRock” Johnson, Luke Evans, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Gina Carano, Gai Godot, Sung Kang, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Joe Taslim (AKA, The Dude from The Raid)

Oh boy oh boy, FAST SIX. Leading up the release of Fast Five, I was not the least bit interested in it. I was never a big fan of the franchise. Until I saw Fast Five, opening weekend on IMAX. Holy moly. I say this with complete sincerity when I say that Fast Five is maybe one of the greatest all-pleasure summer movie blockbusters in recent memory, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. I could not be more excited for Fast Six! The whole gang is back again (including Michelle Rodriguez), and it also includes new cast members such as Haywire's Gina Carano (YES!), and Joe Taslim, the dude from THE RAID. Justin Lin is a very talented action movie director (he directed three episodes of Community, including the first paintball episode. He knows his stuff), and I bet Fast Six will be yet another joyful blast of ridiculous insanity.

25. Her
Release Date: TBA 2013
Directed and Written by Spike Jonze
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Olivia Wilde, Rooney Mara, Amy Adams, Samantha Morton, Sam Jaeger, Portia Doubleday, Laura Meadows, Luka Jones

This is another surprise movie, that I had no idea that it existed prior to researching for this list. Apparently it has completed production? I have no idea. If there were more concrete facts about this one, it would be much higher, as i've adored Spike Jonze forever. The music videos, Jackass, the movies, to his skateboarding video YEAH RIGHT, the stuff that Jonze has done has shaped much of my life. Her has an excellent cast, and the premise for it sounds like typical Spike Jonze brilliance: "A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly-purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need." Can. Not. Wait.


24. Foxcatcher
Release Date: Fall 2013
Directed by Bennett Miller
Written by Dan Futterman, E. Max Frye
Starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Anthony Michael Hall, Vanessa Redgrave, Tara Subkoff

Bennett Miller's follow-up to Moneyball is another movie based on a true story set in the world of sports (sort of). Foxcatcher is about the story of John du Pont, a person who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and killed Olympic wrestler David Schultz. Steve Carell plays John du Pont (can you picture Steve Carell killing someone??? Inspired casting!), the great Channing Tatum plays wrestler Mark Schultz, and Mark Ruffalo plays Mark's brother David. Miller is reteaming with Dan Futterman, the person who wrote the screenplay for Miller's Capote. Miller is a very talented director, and this sounds like a great story that should make for a great movie.


23. Untitled Woody Allen Project
Release Date:
Directed and Written by Woody Allen
Starring Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Louis C.K., Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Dice Clay, Michael Emerson, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard

Here's what I love about Woody Allen. Without fail, he gets to work and makes a brand new movie every year. Basically since 1977's Annie Hall, he has made one movie every year (with only one year break, in 1981, but that's it). Are all of them great? Of course not! Some of them are awful! But he still writes, casts, directs, edits, one entire full-length movie every year. That is inspiring, and what every creative person should look up to. Yeah, sometimes you might end up with a dud, but at least you are DOING THE WORK. Allen's next movie was shot in both New York and San Francisco, and includes a really great cast, most notably Louis C.K. I can't wait to see Louis acting in a Woody Allen movie, and that alone makes this movie one worth watching. Also, apparently Louis told Woody Allen about Tig Notaro's Largo set, when they were at lunch on the set of the movie. Louis asked for Allen's opinion of whether he should ask Tig if he could release it on his site, and Woody agreed, saying that it should be heard by everyone. So, if you enjoyed Tig's spectacularly brave Largo set this year, you have Woody Allen to thank.

22. Star Trek Into Darkness
Release Date: May 17, 2013
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Peter Weller

I am very excited for JJ Abrams' sequel to his great Star Trek movie. Is the title for the sequel dumb? Yeah! Is the released poster too much lke Nolan's The Dark Knight? Yeah! Does it look a bit too serious, not showing the fun side, which is what made the first one so special? So far, yeah. But all that aside, I know JJ, Kurtzman/Orci/Lindelof are going to rock it, and I have faith in them to do a killer sequel. I mean, Benedict Cumberbatch is the villian!! Yes!!!

21. Almost Christmas
Release Date: TBA 2013
Directed by Phil Morrison
Written by Melissa James Gibson
Starring Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti, Sally Hawkins, Amy Landecker

ALMOST CHRISTMAS: Better Than Star Trek 2. In all seriousness, as much as I am looking forward to Star Trek: Into Darkness, I have been looking forward to a new Phil Morrison movie for far longer. Morrison is the incredible director behind the wonderful movie Junebug (known as Amy Adams' Oscar-nominated breakthrough). He hasn't directed a movie since then (though he did direct and create the Mac vs. PC ads for Apple, and directed the "Consider Helen" episode of Enlightened, one of the best episodes of television i've seen in the last 3-5 years). So I am very excited for Almost Christmas, and especially happy since it stars Paul Rudd, one of my favourite actors. The logline for it is that it is about "Two French Canadian Christmas tree salesmen travel to New York to sell trees." Simple, yet enticing. Rudd and Giamatti should play off each other great.

------------

COMING UP: Movies 20-1! These ones will have pictures! Probably on Sunday, though I may post 20-11 tomorrow, and 10-1 on Sunday. I won't confirm that, though, so just expect everything on Sunday.

Until then, thanks for all the comments!

[Calvin McHobbes]

Always one of my favorite lists. Its amazing to see something like Monsters U so low, and then shutting up after seeing 44 legit movies above it. Win!

[I Got Soul]

Your movie knowledge is incredible. Awe-struck to be honest.
Always one of my fav lists because it gives me so much to look forward to
Great show as always Ben.

[AshleeSimpsonFan]

Kick-Ass 2 didn't know about this movie, I want to watch it now
Monsters University

[D/X]

Monsters University

[Nico...]

I hardly ever watch films, so I can't say much about this set

[Sunderland 4ever]

Talking about movies is something I don't do a lot, if never. The reason? The same Nico mentioned above. I have seen only two new movies this year. How embarrasing.

However, your updates leave me astonished. You have so much to say about videos, movies and songs. I'll be there to leave a comment regarding the comments you make as soon as I'm familiar with one item from your lists.

[Dj.]

I'm not a film watcher
can't wait for your music list tho!

[Delta]

I'm excited about some movies already.

[Dr. Spaceman]

20.Thor: The Dark World
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Directed by Alan Taylor
Written by Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Anthony Hopkins, Zachary Levi, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo, Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje

While I know some people were tepid on the first Thor movie (I wasn't), it seems basically everyone has come around on Thor, due to Hemsworth's great performance in The Avengers. I feel he showcased a lot of that in the Thor movie, but he was definitely looser and more comedic in The Avengers, and Hemsworth is very impressive in the role. The Avengers, in a way, was basically a stealth Thor sequel , as Loki and Stellan Skarsgard's Dr. Selvig play pivitol roles in the movie. In general, I love what Marvel has built with these superhero movies, in that they feel like actual comic books, where events will continue into the next movie, and we can continue to watch the relationship between Thor and Loki go on through these three movies. The Thor and Loki relationship in general, I feel, is as strong as anything in any of the Marvel movies, with Hemsworth and Hiddleston really delivering great performances.

Thor: The Dark World will be directed by TV Drama vet Alan Taylor, who is responsible for directing some of the best ever Sopranos episodes, the Mad Men pilot and other big episodes of the series, and most recently many episodes of Game of Thrones. I liked Kenneth Branagh's work on the first Thor, but I am very curious to see what Taylor brings to it, especially with him rumoured to bring some of his GoT sensibility to the movie. The main villian in this movie is Malekith (played by Christopher Eccleston), ruler of the Dark Elves, who is a fan favourite from the comics. Natalie Portman's Jane Foster (who wasn't featured in The Avengers, which will likely be touched on in Thor 2 to comedic effect) is said to play a major role in Thor: The Dark World, as well as Kat Dennings' Darcy Lewis, whose role will be greatly expanded. I love what Marvel has done with these movies, and I really like the Thor universe built from the movies, so I greatly look forward to returning to Asgard in November 2013.


19. The Monuments Men
Release Date: December 20, 2013
Directed by George Clooney
Written by George Clooney, Grant Heslov
Starring George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban

Look! At! That Cast! Holy moly! Based on history, George Clooney's The Monuments Men is shaping up to be a terrific film. I've always found Clooney to be an underrated director (If you haven't, watch The Ides of March. Divorced from all the award season BS, you'll find a really sterling political thriller, with across-the-board stellar performances), so i'm glad he will direct a movie of this size and importance. He is definitely capable of it. If you aren't aware of the story behind The Monuments Men, let me paste the book synopsis, to give you an idea:

"As Hitler was attempting to conquer the western world, his armies were methodically pillaging the finest art in Europe, from Michelangelo and Da Vinci to Van Eycks and Vermeers, all stolen for the Führer.

The Monuments Men had a mandate from President Roosevelt and the support of General Eisenhower, but no vehicles, gasoline, typewriters, or authority. In a race against time to save the world’s greatest cultural treasures from destruction at the hands of Nazi fanatics, each man gathered scraps and hints to construct his own treasure map using records recovered from bombed cathedrals and museums, the secret notes and journals of Rose Valland, a French museum employee who secretly tracked Nazi plunder through the rail yards of Paris, and even a tip from a dentist during a root canal.

These unlikely heroes, mostly middle-aged family men, walked away from successful careers into the epicenter of the war, risking—and some losing—their lives. Like other members of the Greatest Generation, they embodied the courageous spirit that enabled the best of humanity to defeat the worst."

Now tell me after reading that and looking at that cast, don't you want to see that right now. It will begin production in January in Europe, and is set for a December 20 release date. I have faith in you to nail it, Cloons.


18. Frances Ha
Release Date: Spring 2013
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Written by Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig
Starring Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegen, Patrick Heusinger

Noah Baumbach has always been one of my favourites. Known for his movies such as Kicking & Screaming (the '90s one, not the Will Ferrell soccer coach movie), The Squid & The Whale, and the incredibly underrated Greenberg (as well as co-writing the scripts for Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic and The Fantastic Mr. Fox), Baumbach is back with Frances Ha. The movie stars and was co-written by Greta Gerwig, who previously was in Greenberg, and was tremendous in it. The premise is that it's about "Frances, a 27 year old dancer who lives with her best friend Sophie, but Sophie decides to move out and live with another friend, leaving Frances to figure out how to live her life." The movie, which screened at some fall festivals this year like TIFF, has been compared to Lena Dunham's HBO series Girls. Those comparisons likely came very easily, since one of the main stars of the movie is Adam Driver, who played Adam on Girls. Shot in black & white (as a tribute to Woody Allen's Manhattan), and getting great reviews from those fall festivals, I cannot wait for Frances Ha. I want Baumbach to get his long-overdue moment.


17. Man of Steel
Release Date: June 14, 2013
Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by David S. Goyer (story by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan)
Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni

There are a lot of things interesting and intriguing about Man of Steel, and chief among them is that Zack Snyder is directing a movie produced by Christopher Nolan. Snyder and Nolan are people you would not expect would work with each other, as Snyder's style has been music-videoy/video-gamey/comic-booky slo-mo tentpoles, while Nolan has always been deadly serious, with his realistic and gritty takes on dreams inside dreams and Batman. I love both of them, so I am just interested to see how this collaboration works out (which also has Nolan credited with coming up with parts of the story). And judging by the two trailers released for it, I think the movie is shaping up to be very, very cool and different. Taking a different angle on the Superman legend (though still doing his origin story, which I am not entirely thrilled with, but whatever, it'll be fine. It worked on Batman Begins), and making it believable in this day-and-age, Man of Steel looks like a great mix between serious drama with stakes, as well as having really cool action scenes (the brief action scenes shown in the most recent trailer are not in slo-mo, which is quite the switch from Snyder's usual style).

Newcomer Henry Cavill was cast as Superman, and he looks convincing in the brief footage we've seen with him, and Amy Adams is Lois Lane, while Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are Pa and Ma Kent. To me, the most exciting bit of casting is that of Michael Shannon as General Zod. As people may or may not know, I am a huuuuuuge Michael Shannon fan. I think he's one of the five best actors working today, and I could watch him in anything. So the idea of him playing Zod, in this huge superhero summer blockbuster, could not be more exciting for me. Shannon definitely has the chops to nail it, so I just hope the script offers him plenty of opportunities to go ******* crazy and be an all-time great comic book movie villian, which he is easily capable of.


16.Gravity
Release Date: TBA 2013
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron
Written by Alfonso Cuaron, Jonas Cuaron, Rodrigo Garcia
Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

I had this movie listed last year, at around the same spot, using the exact same picture. Nothing has changed, except that it went from having a November 2012 release date, to a TBA 2013 release date. I have no idea what is going on with it, but I really hope we get to see it. It is still slated to open in IMAX 3D, whenever Warner Bros decides to release it. Since, I have nothing else to say about it, since I said much of it last year, here's the plot synopsis to get you excited for a movie that has no release date in sight.

"Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone--tethered to nothing but each other and spiralling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth, and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space."



15. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Release Date: December 25, 2013
Directed by Ben Stiller
Written by Steve Conrad
Starring Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn, Sean Penn

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty would have charted on my 2013 movies list regardless, but the reason it is charting this high is because I read a tremendous New Yorker article on Ben Stiller last June. It is among one of the best things i've ever read on the machinations of Hollywood, and the process of getting a big studio movie made, with all the complications that arise from that.Sadly, The New Yorker doesn't have the full article available for free users, so I can't link or C&P any of it. I'll try my best to tell you why i'm excited for it, from memory.

Ben Stiller is an underrated comedy director. To quote one of the available passages from the New Yorker story, Judd Apatow said this:

“Ben is ground zero for everything in modern comedy,” Judd Apatow said. “With ‘The Ben Stiller Show,’ he created the way modern sketch shows are shot, by employing the visual style of the thing he was parodying. And there’s not a stronger comedic director.”

Stiller's first passion was in directing, and if it wasn't for the huge success of There's Something About Mary, Stiller would much rather be able to direct movies only, as opposed to starring in movies. His track record as a director (Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder) is as good as it gets, and i'm very excited to see him make another movie. Stiller's vision for Walter Mitty (which has been a long-gestating project for decades, with many different comedic stars and directors/writers attached to do it at some point) is that of a comedy/drama, with some shades of Frank Capra. His vision for it is very ambitious, and the only reason 20th Century FOX agreed to make it at all was if Stiller would be the star of it (which Stiller initially didn't want to do). The cast he has assembled is very strong, and I have faith in Stiller to really make a great movie. Because, know this over a year before its release, this will not be an easy, conventional film. Stiller is really going for it, swinging for the fences. He spent a couple months shooting it in Iceland, he filmed a big comic setpiece in New York that involves Stiller fighting with Adam Scott into the streets, as they grab a Stretch Armstrong doll. It may not work (and FOX may muck up Stiller's vision), but from reading the article, Stiller has very high ambitions for this movie. And judging from his past track record, I would not doubt him.


14. Pacific Rim
Release Date: July 12, 2013
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Written by Travis Beacham, Guillermo del Toro
Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Ron Perlman, Charlie Day, Clifton Collins Jr., Rinko Kikuchi, Burn Gorman, Max Martini, Larry Joe Campbell

I could talk about why this movie is exciting, and why I can't wait for it, but instead, i'll only say two things:

1) Here's the trailer, released just this past week.

2) Guillermo del Toro's quote about it: "It's Giant ****ing Monsters vs. Giant ****ing Robots."



13.Iron Man 3
Release Date: May 3, 2013
Directed by Shane Black
Written by Shane Black, Drew Pearce
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Ben Kingsley, Jon Favreau, James Badge Dale, Stephanie Szostak, Chris Gethard

I of course would always be excited for another Iron Man movie (read the Thor: The Dark World write-up). But a new Iron Man movie, co-written and directed by Shane Black?!?!? That's how you turn it into my most anticipated blockbuster of the summer.

Shane Black, if you aren't aware, is the great writer behind the original Lethal Weapon movie (the other Lethal Weapon movies barely had any involvement from Black, which is why they aren't as good), The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Last Boy Scout, and the writer/director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, one of the most underrated movies of the 00's, which also co-starred Robert Downey Jr. This was RDJ before Iron Man, before he was one of the biggest moviestars on the planet, and he got one of RDJ's best performances ever out of him. So, Iron Man 3 is basically a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang reunion of sorts, on the largest scale! I really loved the first trailer, which showed a darker side then what we have seen from the previous two movies. It looks dark in all the right ways, and with Black's touch, there will definitely be some really hilarious moments. I know, everyone is already sold on this movie. I don't need to say much about it, but I just thought i'd shine a spotlight on the new director of the Iron Man franchise, and i'm confident we will be getting the best Iron Man movie yet.



12. Prince Avalanche
Release Date: World Premiere at Sundance 2013
Directed and Written by David Gordon Green
Starring Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch

David Gordon Green, one of the all-time favs as previously stated in the first part of the 2013 movies list, wrote and directed a secret movie in the spring, starring Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch. It is set to world premiere at next year's Sundance festival. I could not be more excited. I love DGG's comedies, I love his dramas, I love everything he has done. Prince Avalanche is the first movie he has written himself since Snow Angels, and it sounds wonderful. The plot synopsis from Sundance's site:

"An odd couple of sorts, meditative and stern Alvin and his girlfriend’s brother, Lance, dopey and insecure, leave the city behind to spend the summer in solitude repainting traffic lines down the center of a country highway ravaged by wildfire. As they sink into their job in the remarkable landscape, they learn more than they want to about each other and their own limitations. An unlikely friendship develops through humor and nasty exchanges, leading to surprising affection."

Another interesting thing about Prince Avalanche: Explosions in the Sky and David Wingo are credited with writing the score for the movie! I am all about this movie.


11. Side Effects
Release Date: February 8, 2013
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Scott Z. Burns
Starring Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, Vinessa Shaw, Mamie Gummar, David Constabile, Greg Paul, Andrea Bogart, Kerry O’Malley

Side Effects is set to be the final movie that Steven Soderbergh releases theatrically. His final movie, Behind The Candelabra (a Liberace biopic, starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon), is set to air on HBO in the spring of 2013. So, 2013 is set to be the year where we get the final two movies from Soderbergh, for at least quite a while. Some people don't believe his retirement, but i've listened to plenty of Soderbergh interviews over the many years since he first announced this, and I absolutely believe him. He announced a timetable back when he was promoting The Informant! and in the most recent interview i've heard with him (when he was promoting the great Magic Mike), he has said that the plan that he set years ago is going perfectly. This isn't a guy that backs down from what he says, and in talking about his retirement, he's not talking about a retirement from everything. Just movies. He has stated an interest in going back to television, which is at least pretty close to movies and him directing things again, and he'll also likely write books, as well as try to finally get that Cleopatra musical off the ground and onto Broadway (a musical that he was going to direct as a movie with Catherine Zeta-Jones, and songs written by Guided by Voices' Robert Pollard).

All that preamble aside, what is Side Effects? It's a thriller, in which he is reteaming with Scott Z. Burns, the screenwriter behind The Informant! and Contagion. To show how meticulous Soderbergh's retirement plan has been, he was originally set to direct a movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. with George Clooney in the lead role, but that fell apart (partly due to Clooney being too old to handle the action scenes, and also the studio stopping it). Burns wrote the script for that Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie, so when that fell apart, he had the script for Side Effects sitting there, as he was planning to direct that himself. But once he handed it to Soderbergh, everything moved quickly, and it slid into the U.N.C.L.E. slot in his schedule. I'm very excited for Side Effects, as I think Soderbergh and Burns make for a great team, and Soderbergh's run as of late (from The Informant! to right now) has been incredible, and maybe the best run of consecutive movies of his entire career. What's Side Effects about?

"A woman turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety concerning her husband's upcoming release from prison."

Soderbergh has described this movie as his first thriller, and he watched movies such as Basic Instinct and Jagged Edge in preparation for directing it. The previous Soderbergh/Burns collaboration Contagion was Soderbergh's take on the horror film, so I can't wait to see what his take on a thriller is like. I'm also happy that he's working with Channing Tatum for one last time, as Soderbergh's direction of Tatum in Haywire and Magic Mike really converted me to the Church of Channing Tatum (and this has nothing at all to do with his looks! Really!). I'm also interested to see what Soderbergh does with Rooney Mara, who I think is a very talented actress, and this role should be a very good showcase for her talents. While Soderbergh's run as of late has been second-to-none, and he is one of my all-time favourite directors, I understand Soderbergh's decision to retire from filmmaking. At least for right now. I'm sure many years from now, he might get the urge to direct a movie again, but until then, I think both Side Effects and Behind The Candelabra will be great stopping points in the filmmaking career of one of the best directors of the last 25 years.


Bonus: Look at the Side Effects poster in high definition. It's one of my favourite movie posters in quite a while, and it deserves to be inspected from top to bottom. I'd love to hang that on my wall.

[Dr. Spaceman]

10. The Heat
Release Date: April 8, 2013
Directed by Paul Feig
Written by Katie Dippold
Starring Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demian Bichir, Bill Burr, Tony Hale, Kaitlin Olson, Taran Killam, Michael Rapaport, Jamie Denbo, Jessica Chaffin, Nate Corddry, Michael McDonald, Dan Bakkedahl, Spoken Reasons

I'm not sure if people realize it right now, but The Heat could very well be one of the funniest movies of 2013. Why?

- Paul Feig: This is the first movie Feig has directed since he did a little movie you may have heard of called BRIDESMAIDS. I don't need to tell you why Paul Feig is the best (creator of Freaks and Geeks, director of many classic TV comedy episodes, Bridesmaids, his really funny memoirs such as Kick Me), so knowing that Feig is behind this movie should make you understand why I think The Heat has lots of potential. What else?

- Katie Dippold: Dippold is a very talented UCB Theatre performer, a great improviser, and she wrote for many seasons on Parks & Recreation. Follow her on Twitter @KatieDippold.

- Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy teaming up for a cop movie: This is inspired. To my knowledge, there hasn't been a buddy cop comedy like this with two female leads, and it is about damn time. While Bullock may star in her fair share of crap, she is a very talented actress, and i'm sure she will do a great job, especially acting alongside dynamo McCarthy. Feig directed McCarthy to an Academy Award nomination for Bridesmaids, so they clearly work together very well and get the best out of each other.

- The supporting cast: Including Academy Award nominated actor Demian Bichir, one of the best living stand-up comedians Bill Burr, Arrested Development/Veep's Tony Hale, Always Sunny's Kaitlin Olson, SNL's Taran Killiam, Rapaport, Jamie Denbo and Jessica Chaffin (AKA, Ronna & Beverly), Nate Corddry, MadTV's Michael McDonald (while I was never a MadTV fan, McDonald is clearly funny), and many others. It's a stacked cast of filled with ringers and comedic actors.

So, if this movie wasn't on your radar before, i'd suggest that it should be now.


09. Inside Llewyn Davis
Release Date: Cannes 2013 world premiere?
Directed and Written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring Oscar Isaac, Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, F. Murray Abraham, Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, Ethan Phillips, Ricardo Cordero, Max Casella

Here's the odd thing about Inside Llewyn Davis. This movie completed production last spring, yet there's no word if it had any distribution or any release date. It's a movie by the ****ing Coen Brothers! I'm betting on a Cannes 2013 premiere, as they took No Country For Old Men there to great success.

So what is Inside Llewyn Davis? It's a 1960s set comedy/drama set around the New York Greenwich Village folk music scene, with Oscar Isaac's singer songwriter being the lead character. I love Oscar Isaac, and am glad he's getting a big movie like this. The cast for this one is pretty surprising, including Tron Legacy's Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake (10 years ago, would you have guessed that Timberlake would act in movies by both David Fincher and The Coen Brothers? I certainly wouldn't have!). It also includes old Coens standby John Goodman, the great F. Murray Abraham (so good on Louie this year), as well as GIRLS' Adam Driver and Alex Kapovsky (Ray from Girls). It is certainly going to be a unique film, but i'd see The Coens direct anything, as they are, depending on the day, maybe my favourite directors ever.



08. The Wolf of Wall Street
Release Date: Fall 2013
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Written by Terence Winter
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Jon Bernthal, Jean Dujardin, Rob Reiner, Jon Favreau, Matthew McConaughey, Shea Whigham, Ethan Suplee, Gene Hackman (opening narration)

First, the film-nerd news about this movie: The Wolf of Wall Street will be the first movie that Martin Scorsese has ever directed digitally, as opposed to with film. It's a huge blow to film, but Marty apparently felt that, despite being a huge champion for it (film preservation was basically what Hugo was all about), he didn't really have a say in it, anymore. Oh, well.

The good news about the movie: Everything else! The Wolf of Wall Street was written by Terence Winter, creator of Boardwalk Empire and writer of many of the classic Sopranos episodes, and it includes a tremendous cast of Leo, Jonah Hill, Kyle "Coach Taylor" Chandler, Jon "Shane from The Walking Dead" Bernthal, Jean Dujardin, Rob Reiner... and well, you can read the names above. And yes, Gene Hackman may very well do the opening narration for the movie, coming out of retirement! It was written in the script, though it is uncertain if it actually will happen. I hope by writing it on this 2013 movies list, that I helped will it to happen.

What's the movie about?

"A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration."

Aww yeah, that sounds fun! Sign me up!


07.You Are Here
Release Date: TBA 2013 (though, i'm betting on a TIFF 2013 world premiere)
Directed and Written by Matthew Weiner
Starring Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, Melissa Rauch, Laura Ramsey, Peter Bogdanovich

Who's that balding man, standing between Amy Poehler and Owen Wilson? He's one of the best TV drama writers of the last decade. Yes, that's Matthew Weiner, creator of Mad Men, and writer (like Terence Winter) of many of the classic Sopranos episodes. You Are Here is his theatrical directorial debut (he directs the finales of Mad Men every year). There's been talk of this movie for many years, at least since season 2 of Mad Men, but Weiner finally found time to actually make it in between Mad Men seasons (he literally wrapped on his movie in the summer, and went back into the Mad Men writers room the next day). He's working with much of the same crew that works on Mad Men, so you will likely find a lot of the same attention to detail that you find on that show. What is You Are Here about, besides it having an amazing cast, and a great person directing and writing it?

"A comedy centered on two childhood best friends who embark on a road trip back to their hometown after one of them learns he has inherited a large sum of money from his recently deceased estranged father."

It is apparently going to be a comedy (Weiner started out in sitcom rooms, such as Becker and Andy Richter Controls the Universe), and I look forward to watching it sometime next year.

Funny note: last year I put Sopranos creator David Chase's Not Fade Away in my Top 10 of 2012, and this year it features another Sopranos vet writing and directing a feature, as well as Chase's former #2 guy on The Sopranos Terence Winter writing a Martin Scorsese movie. The point: Watch The Sopranos. Some of the best TV drama talent ever came from that show.


06. Alan Partridge: The Movie
Release Date: August 16, 2013 (UK)
Directed by Declan Lowney
Written by Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci
Starring Steve Coogan

A-HA!!!!!!! KNOWING ME ALAN PARTRIDGE, KNOWING YOU *INSERT NAME HERE*, A-HA. BACK OF THE NET! JURASSIC PARK! KISS MY FACE! MONKEY TENNIS!

I know what you are saying. "Is Ben having a stroke?" No! I am just quoting a bunch of my favourite Alan Partridge lines. It's funny, in North America, Alan Partridge is basically unknown, a cult item at best. Yet, in the UK and other parts of Europe and around the world, it is one of the most beloved and popular comic creations of the last 20 years, with Coogan starting the character on Chris Morris, Armando Iannucci's On The Hour (which lead into the TV show The Day Today, where Partridge filed in Sports Reports). I love Steve Coogan a lot, but Alan Partridge is his greatest creation. It is endlessly funny to me, a fully living and breathing person that he inhabits.

Alan Partridge has had a revival of sorts, ever since the release of Alan's "Autobiography" I, Partridge: We Need To Talk About Alan. It is one of the funniest books I have ever read (and heard, as well, as the audiobook version is even funnier). The success of that book has led to the birth of the Alan Partridge Movie, set for release in UK theaters in August. Young British comedy writers Neil Gibbons and Rob Gibbons (the two chief architects of this revival, who wrote a lot of the I, Partridge book, as well as the SkyTV special "Welcome to the Places of My Life" that aired earlier this year) are writing the script, along with Coogan and genius Armando Iannucci (who North American audiences may know better as the creator of HBO's VEEP). Father Ted director Declan Lowney is directing it, and I cannot wait. I am not a rich person by any means, but I am considering saving up money to fly to the UK when the movie hits theaters. I probably won't, but that's how much I am dying to see it. I hope it gets a decent North American release afterwards, as if it lives up to Partridge's legacy, it will easily be one of the funniest movies of the whole year.


05. The End of the World
Release Date: June 14, 2013
Directed and Written by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Starring Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Rihanna, Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Kevin Hart, Michael Cera, Martin Starr, David Krumholtz

Judd Apatow is not involved with this movie in any way, even with those directors/writers, and that cast. Weird, right?

Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg's directorial debut The End of the World is based on the 2007 YouTube video Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse, that had Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen in a room arguing with each other during... I don't need to spell it out for you. The End of The World takes that even further, as it has the starring cast of Rogen, Baruchel, Franco, Hill, McBride, Robinson (the rest of the names listed are basically smaller roles or cameos, from what I understand), with everyone playing themselves. The logline says as much:

"While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse."

This movie is going to be hilarious, without any doubt. A total R-Rated blast of insanity. We should be getting the first trailer for it sometime this week (both Rogen's The Guilt Trip and Apatow's This is 40 are out this week. A prime time to put out a trailer). If I told 2007 me that a movie like this, with all of these people, was about to come out, I would be LOSING MY MIND. And even 2012 me is pretty close to freaking out, as well. And well, 2007 me would also be freaking out by the #1 movie on this list, but we'll get to that later (no peeking!).


04. Nebraska
Release Date: November or December 2013
Directed and Written by Alexander Payne
Starring Will Forte, Bruce Dern, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach, Devin Ratray

Alexander Payne follows up the success of 2011's The Descendants with a black & white road comedy starring Will Forte and Bruce Dern. That is why Alexander Payne is the ****ing best.

Before we go any further, the plot of the movie:

"An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes prize."

Apparently Alexander Payne wanted Gene Hackman to come out of retirement to play the role of the aging, booze-addled father (though I would have been more impressed if he played the estranged son), but that didn't happen. Instead, Payne cast the great Bruce Dern in the part, and I have to say that I prefer this. Yes, it would have been amazing to see Hackman come out of retirement to play this past, which he would have done a tremendous job with, but Bruce Dern deserves a big role like this. The last thing that I saw him in was his recurring role on HBO's Big Love, which was a ridiculous role on a ridiculous show. He deserves better. I'm hoping Nebraska is that film, and i'm happy that he's back to toplining movies again. I really love his work, especially in 1972's The King of Marvin Gardens, and he deserves a nice big role like this again.

Which now brings us to Will Forte being the other co-lead of the movie. If you know me outside of ATRL (or maybe even in it, I can't remember if i've ever mentioned it), I am a HUGE Will Forte fan. Like, a fanatical Will Forte fan. He has the power to make me laugh instantly, and I just love his instincts as a performer. He is fearless, he is goofy, he is likable, he's as good as it gets. So the idea that he's co-lead in a movie with Bruce Dern, directed & written by Alexander Payne, is insane to me.This is the guy who co-wrote and co-stars in maybe my favourite SNL sketch of the last however many years, "Potato Chip," the guy who sang about "Spaceships, Toddlers, Model T Cars, & Jars of Beer" with Kristen Wiig,, the guy who sang "Fly High Duluth" like if he was Robert Plant. In a big-time Alexander Payne drama/comedy! And from Payne's track record, there will of course be awards talk, which means Will Forte could very well be nominated for an Academy Award, even though he should have been nominated for MacGruber. That's not a jokey line, by the way. He really should have been. Last time I checked, I haven't seen Daniel Day-Lewis stick a piece of celery up his ass, and dance around.

Oh yeah, and on top of all that, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach, and Buzz from Home Alone are also in it. What other awards contender can compete with this thing next year???? None of them! Just wrap up the 2013 Oscars ahead of time, and give all the awards to Nebraska.



03. They Came Together
Release Date: TBA 2013
Directed by David Wain
Written by David Wain, Michael Showalter
Starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Max Greenfield, Jason Mantzoukas, Ed Helms, Noureen DeWulf, Michael Ian Black, Cobie Smulders, Christopher Meloni, Melanie Lynskey, Randall Park, Michael Shannon

When 2012's Wanderlust came out this year, I felt grateful that not only did I just witness the best comedy of 2012, but I witnessed the latest movie from David Wain, and i'll have to wait another few years until the next one. Not so fast! Because David Wain has completed another movie, titled They Came Together, starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Schmidt from New Girl, Raffi from The League, and many, many other wonderful actors.

From what I understand, They Came Together was written in roughly the same period that Wain and Michael Showalter wrote Wet Hot American Summer, but they couldn't get They Came Together made at the time, for some reason. Hooray for 2012 then, as they secured the funding for it, as an indie comedy (ala Wet Hot and Wain's The Ten), and they scored this excellent cast. Apparently Wain and Showalter had a live tableread of the script at this year's SF Sketchfest, and by all accounts it brought the house down. The movie is about "A small business owner is about to lose her shop to a major corporate development," and it is said to tackle You've Got Mail-esque romcoms in the same way that Wain's Wet Hot tackled the camp movie genre. And I mean, seriously, this movie could have been directed in tandem by Uwe Boll and Paul W.S. Anderson and it would still be top five, since it's a movie starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler as a couple.

Oh yeah, and at some point, Michael Shannon is like this in the movie.


02. The World’s End
Release Date: October 25, 2013
Directed by Edgar Wright
Written by Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg
Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan

We have been waiting since 2007 for the final movie in The Blood & Ice Cream trilogy, and finally, The World's End is upon us! No, not that December 21st thing, the new Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movie! Here's the plot synopsis:

"20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hell bent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King, a 40-year old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their home town and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub, The World's End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind's. Reaching The World's End is the least of their worries."

Come on, that's gonna be good. What I love about what Edgar Wright has done with this movie is that, following Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and signing on to do Marvel's Ant-Man, he could clearly get the biggest names he could ever want to do his movie. But, nope! Since it's about about five childhood friends from the UK, he has cast wonderful people such as Rosamund Pike, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, and Eddie Marsan as the starring cast. Yes, Freeman's profile is going up a little bit from both The Hobbit and Sherlock, but still, that's a cast mainly of smaller, beloved actors. And I love it! Staying true to what they did before in both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

What else is there to say about this, beyond that Edgar Wright is one of my favourite directors, and that I love Spaced, Shaun and Hot Fuzz, and i'm sure i'll also really love The World's End.



01. Anchorman 2
Release Date: Christmas 2013
Directed by Adam McKay
Written by Adam McKay, Will Ferrell
Starring Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Kristen Wiig (not confirmed)

I cannot believe this is finally happening. After Paramount rejected Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's pitch for Anchorman 2 back in 2010, in 2012 they changed their minds, and now we are about to get a ****ing sequel to Anchorman!!

Some things to say:

- "OHHHH, THERE'S HARDLY ANY GOOD SEQUELS FOR COMEDIES WAHHHHHHH." Here's why Anchorman 2 is different: no one was asking them to make it, I mean, look at the story that I just mentioned above. Adam McKay and Will Ferrell and the whole cast were desperate to make it happen, so much so that all of cast slashed their usual salaries by tons to try to make it happen. This isn't a sequel forced by a studio (like a certain Todd Phillips movie), this is a sequel that is born out of creativity, and a desire to make it happen. Something that people forget: Anchorman wasn't really that successful in the theaters. It didn't open at #1 at the box office, and it didn't really get heavily quoted until the DVD hit that December. That's not ********, that is true. I saw Anchorman in the theater opening night, and loved it. No one at my school really had seen it, until we went for Christmas break, and that January, everyone was quoting it. Like, POW! (Whammy!).

- Adam McKay is the greatest comedy writer/director alive today: That is my opinion, and I believe it to be true (else why would I say it?). He's a big 4/4 with all of his feature films, and if this movie was just a movie that starred only two people from this cast, and wasn't in any way tied to Anchorman, it would still very likely be my #1, as McKay is one of the true comedy geniuses alive today. On top of his movies being some of the funniest you have ever seen, his movies are actually about something (To use Anchorman as an example, not only is that movie really funny, but it also deals with Veronica Corningstone trying to make it in a male-dominated news station, with tons of misogyny thrown at her), and he casts his movies perfectly, from the starring roles, to the people with one line (to use Anchorman as an example again, Seth Rogen plays "Eager Cameraman," as well as quick cameos by people like Paul F. Tompkins, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Ian Roberts, Jerry Minor, Jay Johnston, and many others).

I could really go on and on about Anchorman 2, as this movie is my Hunger Games, my Twilight. I want to camp out for weeks to see this movie. As a die-hard comedy nerd, Anchorman 2 is the stuff that dreams were made of. I can't think of a better way to end this write-up, then by quoting from Judd Apatow (a producer on Anchorman 2, just like he was on the first one) in this month's issue of Vanity Fair. In a caption tied to a photo of Will Ferrell:

"Will makes me laugh. Hard. Last week we did a table read of Anchorman 2 - written by Will and his longtime writing partner Adam McKay - out loud for a group of friends, and the laughs were so big for the first hour that we all got so exhausted. People were truly losing it. Pants may have been shat. As excited as I am for the movie, that live show is something i'll never forget."

If they can even bring an ounce of what made that tableread so great, we are going to get something very, very special.

"NEWSTEAM. ASSEMBLE!!"

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NEXT: I'll start the TV list. Earliest it'll start is on Tuesday. I know I said I would originally start the albums list this week, but I think it would be better if I just got all the other lists out the way first, and then just did the top 40 albums uninterrupted.

Once again, THANK YOU to everyone who has commented, even if the current part of the year-end isn't your thing. I greatly appreciate it.

[Adr]

you introducing me some movies that i didn't know will released for 2013
thank you, now i can prepare my popcorn for most of the movies next year

[Jeiboy]

Havent seen any of these ones, hopefully someday!

[AshleeSimpsonFan]

Neven been a big fan of the Superman movies, I don't know yet what to think about Man of Steel
and I'm not here for Iron Man 3, neven been a fan of those movies....
the rest seems nice

[Calvin McHobbes]

So much to talk about! However we've already discussed most of these movies. Mitty and The Heat are the ones that stand out to me though, as I'm not very familiar with them. The directors are so great though it automatically makes them must sees!