Looking forward to ...

There're many good films coming this year, some already in cinemas, but personally I'm very excited about the following projects:

What Maisie Knew

Still can't believe how incredibly ahead of his time Henry James was! And with rising stars such as Joanna Vanderham and Alexander Skarsgård (and by the looks of the trailer, the next big Oscar hit, Onata Aprile, in the lead role) opposite veterans such as Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan, not to mention the producers from The Kids Are All Right, I hope to be even more intrigued!

(Set for release: April 25, 2013. Already very well received at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival)

Only God Forgives

 I loved Drive, and people might claim that this just looks like a 'Drive 2' with a little bit of Bronson and The Place Beyond the Pines, but I don't think people should underestimate the subtle talent of Nicolas Winding Refn, Denmark's very own frontrunner "over there".

Even better that Refn drags elements from film noirs, westerns and martial arts films into it and uses Blade Runner-looking Bangkok as his background set, with Kristin Scott Thomas joining the cast. What a cocktail!

(Set for release: July 19, 2013)

The Young and Prodigious Spivet

Jean-Pierre Jeunet is far from gone from the cinematic world (thank God!), and this excites me greatly, being an enormous fan of his! And with people such as Helena Bonham-Carter, Cathy Bates and (of course) loyal follower, Dominique Pinon, joining up, this has to come out well! Just the synopsis on Wiki sounds thrilling enough even without the hyped names: "A 12-year-old cartography enthusiast in an eccentric family, who travels across country hidden on board a freight train after being invited to the Smithsonian Institute." Right?!

(Set for release: October 23, 2013)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

 Not that the first one was bad or anything, but boy, does this one look gritty, down-to-earth and realistic in its post-apocalyptic milieu! Like a 1984 for kids! And that is not a small thing to say, given the sudden outburst of grand-scaled sci-fi blockbusters this year with all the male leads running around plugging aliens and bad guys (at least all the trailers portray it so... yuck). 

And I'm just dying to see genius Philip Seymour Hoffman as sleek 'politician', Plutarch Heavensbee (just the name sounds perfect for him) and of course more Lawrence and Harrelson!

(Set for release: November 22, 2013)

Only Lovers Left Alive

Long missed indie-film-master, Jim Jarmusch, returns with a "crypto-vampire love story" (perhaps not so surprising) with a bunch of interesting stars such as Tom Hiddleston (originally Michael Fassbender), Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt and Anton Yelchin. Quite a few not totally unfamiliar with the shady, ambigious roles. How delightful!

(Set for release: December 5, 2013)

The Zero Theorem

A sci-fi collaboration between Christoph Waltz and Terry Gilliam sounds madder than Monty Python and Tarantino combined (okay, that's debatable)... But it can only be a delightful treat to watch!

And the rest of the cast practically combines all my favorite actors - amazing as it is: Mélanie Thierry, David Thewlis, Tilda Swinton, Matt Damon, Peter Stormare, Ben Whishaw, etc.!

(Set for release: December 20, 2013)

12 Years a Slave

Wow. Steve McQueen, Michael Fassbender, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti and Oscar-child prodigy, Quvenzhané Wallis. Based on an autobiography by Solomon Northup - a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the 1850s. Could I be more excited!?

(Set for release: December 27, 2013)