This is what I call the super obvious section.
Before I list off the 5 films I’m dying to see, here are the previous 20.
And now to finish the list!
5. Looper
Release: 9/28
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt
Why: Time travel!!! I fucking love time travel.
4. Lincoln
Release: 11/9
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones,
Jackie Earle Haley
Why: Daniel Day-Lewis in full method-mode in a film directed by Steven Spielberg. The whole project oozes prestige and import, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be amazing.
3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Release: 12/14
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis
Why: Peter Jackson returns to Middle Earth. If you don’t like The Lord of the Rings, then you can stay home while the rest of us go on an amazing adventure.
2. Django Unchained
Release: 12/25
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz
Why: Tarantino doing a western (or a “southern” as he calls it).
1. The Master
Release: 9/14
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
Why: Three things. First, I love Paul Thomas Anderson films. They are some of my all-time favorites. Second, every bit of footage I’ve seen so far looks tremendous. And finally, on a nerdier note, the film was shot on and is being projected in 70mm.
This is kind of a big deal. I’ll leave the whole film vs. digital debate for another time, another post. Just know that film is holding on for dear life and a handful of filmmakers are keeping it alive. It just so happens that Looper, Lincoln, and Django Unchained were all shot on 35mm. Today, a movie shot on film is rare, but it’s even rarer to find a theater that still projects film. But 70mm! That’s super fucking rare. The format is expensive and these days typically only used for special documentaries or special effects sequences. The last movie shot completely in the format was Hamlet back in 1996!!! If you’ve seen a 70mm film projected in 70mm then you know it’s a treat. Why? You can Google that for yourself, but simply put, it’s big and beautiful. And miraculously, The Master is actually going to be released at several theaters nationwide in 70mm. It might be the last time something like this happens, or maybe it will be another 16 years. For more info I recommend checking out Cigarettes & Red Vines. I’ve actually bought my ticket already and so should you.
What are you looking forward to most? Was it on my list or did I forget to mention it?
