The Great Gatsby
DIR. Baz Luhrmann /May 10
Baz Luhrmann‘s Moulin Rouge! was released in June of 2011 and went on to score eight nominations at the 2002 Oscars, including Best Picture alongside A Beautiful Mind, Gosford Park, In the Bedroom and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Yes, Luhrmann hasn’t given us much since. Yes, that wasn’t a particularly great Best Picture line-up, and yes, The Great Gatsby has already been delayed with not-so-nice rumors swirling around its post-produciton. Nevertheles, I’m not ready to count out an adaptation of one of the greatest books of all-time featuring a cast such as this one, even if I believe Luhrmann has turned into a visual director more than anything else.
STUDIO: Warner Bros.
CAST: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Isla Fisher and Gemma Ward
SYNOPSIS: The Great Gatsby follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
DIR. Peter Jackson /December 13
It’s chances for Best Picture are slim to none, but I don’t really see any blockbusters this year with much of a chance and so I’m going with the one I feel is most likely. On top of that, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug is certainly open for several craft categories so still worth a mention.
STUDIO: Warner Bros.
CAST: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Richard Armitage, John Callen, Stephen Fry, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Aidan Turner, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly, Barry Humphries, Benedict Cumberbatch and Billy Connolly
SYNOPSIS: The Hobbit follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild (Richard Armitage). Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum (Andy Serkis).
Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
Inside Llewyn Davis
DIR. Joel and Ethan Coen /TBA 2013
CBS Films has not yet set a release date for the Coens’ latest outing, but a Cannes Film Festival premiere seems likely. Is CBS the right place to usher in a potential Oscar nominee considering their track record is largely filled with second-tier actioners? The fact this is a film from the Coens certainly helps its chances no matter where it is, Oscar Isaac is another one of those up-and-comers people ought to pay attention to and Bruno Delbonnel‘s black-and-white cinematography certainly won’t be overlooked.
Additionally, Justin Timberlake, Marcus Mumford and the Punch Brothers all worked on the film’s soundtrack, which is being produced by T Bone Burnett. I haven’t read particulars about original songs, but there has to be at least one or two… right?
STUDIO: CBS Films
CAST: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, Alex Karpovsky, Adam Driver, Justin Timberlake, F. Murray Abraham
SYNOPSIS: Inside Llewyn Davis follows an aspiring singer-songwriter (Isaac) as he navigates the 1960s folk-music scene in New York City’s Greenwich Village.
Labor Day
DIR. Jason Reitman /TBA 2013
Jason Reitman has himself another adaptation and this time it’s the Joyce Maynard novel Labor Day starring Kate Winslet. Yeah, this is an Oscar contender.
STUDIO: Paramount Pictures
CAST: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, James Van Der Beek, Gattlin Griffith, Brighid Fleming, Tom Lipinski, Maika Monroe, Clark Gregg, Alexie Gilmore, Brooke Smith and Tobey Maguire
SYNOPSIS: Based on Joyce Maynard’s novel of the same name, Labor Day centers on 13-year-old Henry Wheeler, who struggles to be the man of his house and care for his reclusive mother Adele while confronting all the pangs of adolescence. On a back-to-school shopping trip, Henry and his mother encounter Frank Chambers, a man both intimidating and clearly in need of help, who convinces them to take him into their home and later is revealed to be an escaped convict. The events of this long Labor Day weekend will shape them for the rest of their lives.
That does it for this installment. Tomorrow we begin with James Gray‘s Lowlife and end with The Place Beyond the Pines with another eight films in-between.
If you missed Part One of the preview click on the link below and stay tuned for even more tomorrow.
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