In anticipation of the fall film season, two of the Cardinal’s film writers—Kailee Andrews and Austin Wellens—compiled a list of the five movies for which they’re each most excited to see over the next few months.
Kailee's Picks
1. Gravity: Long delayed in development and post-production, the digital-effects-heavy “Gravity” marks Alfonso Cuarón’s (“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”) first directorial effort since 2006’s acclaimed “Children of Men.” “Gravity” follows the tale of two astronauts who become detached from their space shuttle and are left stranded, helpless, in the vacuum of space. Starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, “Gravity” promises a potent mixture of masterful digital effects and intimate drama. Taking place predominantly in outer space, “Gravity” will likely rival “Life of Pi” and other CGI-extravaganzas in terms of awe-inspiring visual environments, while the emotionally fraught situation in which the astronauts find themselves will provide plenty of meaty dramatic material for Bullock and Clooney. With such a high caliber cast and crew, “Gravity” looks to be a major awards contender and audience pleaser for the coming season.
2. Kill Your Darlings: A darling of early critical reviews and one of the buzziest films at 2013’s Sundance Film Festival, “Kill Your Darlings” focuses on the college years of some of the most famous poets of the Beat Generation, including Allen Ginsberg, Lucien Carr, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. It centers on the relationships between the young writers as well as the 1944 murder that drew them together. Even if you’re not a poetry buff, “Darlings” has a major selling point in its all-star cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Michael C. Hall and Elizabeth Olsen. “Kill Your Darlings,” with its tale of creative rebellion, young love and murder, set against a backdrop of 1940’s academia, is a coming-of-age film to look out for and a breakthrough for first time director John Krokidas.
3. Ender’s Game: The long-awaited film adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s award-winning 1985 sci-fi classic, “Ender’s Game” sends an all-star cast into orbit as we follow the journey of Ender Wiggin as he heads to interstellar Battle School. Ender is a young boy with a prodigious intellect and a talent for battle strategy who is being groomed as a future army leader. In his world, Earth is threatened by an advanced alien race and promising children are sent to the army to be hardened into soldiers. “Ender’s Game” as a book distinguished itself through its political subplots, philosophical underpinnings and an infamous twist that has left readers reeling for decades. If the film version succeeds in capturing these elements, it should be able to maneuver itself into the good graces of both general audiences and critics. Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, Ben Kingsley and Hailee Steinfeld play major roles in the film as some of the friends, mentors and commanders Ender encounters—so yeah, reasons to see it.
4. Catching Fire: Picking up the torch left by mega-hits “Harry Potter” and “Twilight,” the second “Hunger Games” film looks primed to set the box office aflame as devoted fans of the novels, casual movie-goers and people who desperately crave their Jennifer Lawrence fix flock to the theaters for the continuing story of Katniss Everdeen. Thanks to the success of the first film, fans can expect a higher production value, as well as the abandonment of the “shaky-cam” technique that defined much of the first movie. (This has been confirmed by director Francis Lawrence). This, along with a script from veteran screenwriters Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and Michael Arndt (“Toy Story 3”), and the seemingly guaranteed quality that accompanies anything Jennifer Lawrence touches, “Catching Fire” could well be an even stronger entry than its predecessor.
5. The Monuments Men: “The Monuments Men” provides a fresh take on the popular World War II film. It recounts the mission of a group of mostly civilian art historians and museum workers who venture into war zones with the goal of protecting Europe’s cultural treasures. Directed by and starring George Clooney, “The Monuments Men” brings together a distinguished cast to portray rag-tag team of intellectual badasses who devote themselves to defending the collective history and heritage of humanity, which so often becomes collateral damage, or even a strategic target, during war. Besides Clooney, the cast includes Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray and John Goodman, to name just a few. With its acclaimed cast, period setting and emphasis on art as a human accomplishment worth saving, “The Monuments Men” should be a major player come Oscar season.
Austin's Picks
1. Her: Spike Jonze is finally returning to feature filmmaking. For the first time, he’s writing the script as well as directing. It seems that Charlie Kaufman (who wrote the incredible scripts for Jonze’s “Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation”) has rubbed off on him a bit, as the film, which centers on a man who falls in love with his operating system, seems both appropriately bizarre and thematically rich. However, if Jonze’s adaptation of “Where the Wild Things Are” and early “Her” trailers are anything to go on, he may have a script with far more heart and humanity than is found in most of Kaufman’s work. With a stellar cast featuring Joaquin Phoenix—supported by Amy Adams, Rooney Mara and Scarlett Johansson, as the voice of his computer—and featuring an original score by Arcade Fire, “Her” has the makings of a real masterpiece.
2. 12 Years a Slave: British filmmaker Steve McQueen is one of the most interesting artists working today, and “12 Years a Slave,” based on the true story of a free black man wrongfully forced into slavery, has the potential to be his mainstream breakthrough. Michael Fassbender, who’s starred in McQueen’s previous films “Hunger” and “Shame,” with fantastic results, took on a supporting role, with Chiwetel Ejiofor in the lead as Solomon Northup. The rest of the cast, which includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Quvenzhané Wallis and Adepero Odyue, is incredibly deep and likely to break up the brutality McQueen can bring so fearlessly. It may not be for the weak of heart, but it’s an important film; and moreover, a film that needs to be seen.
3. Inside Llewyn Davis: Ok, so… the Coen brothers. Need I say more? How about the Coen Brothers do the ’60s Greenwich Village folk scene? The soundtrack alone, which was recorded live by a cast of artists including Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac, and was produced by T-Bone Burnett (the genius behind their “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack), will make this one worth seeing. And of course, there’s the nearly endless list of other reasons you should see this film. I mean, it’s the Coen brothers. Really. Just do it.
4. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Normally I’d be hesitant to get this enthusiastic about a Ben Stiller film, but a nearly dialogue free trailer that held my attention more tightly than some full films has left me optimistic. Taking on both directing and starring roles in a very ambitious film might seem like a lot for “the Zoolander guy,” but there seems to be every reason to believe he’ll rise to the occasion. I’m excited.
5. The Wolf of Wall Street: So, after “Hugo,” which we won’t talk about, Martin Scorsese looks to be getting back on track with his next film by reuniting with longtime collaborator Leo DiCaprio. With a wickedly funny script, supporting roles from Matthew McConaughey and Jonah Hill, and a freakishly hip trailer featuring Kanye’s “Black Skinhead,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” could be Scorsese’s darkest, smartest and most purely fun film in a long time.
