It may only be March, but it’s not too soon to speculate what might be the top movies leading up to Oscars 2012.
The past couple of years have been a bit lackluster in terms of quality films, especially with the weak economy forcing major studios to take fewer risks and invest heavily in surefire summer blockbusters --the upside being that independent studios have filled the void, allowing movies like “The King’s Speech,” “The Hurt Locker,” and “Slumdog Millionaire” the opportunity to flourish.
2011 will surely help revive the film industry, as the major studios put forward serious contenders for next year’s Oscars, while the independents continue to churn out critically acclaimed flicks. Big name directors like Spielberg, Scorsese, Polanski and Eastwood all have movies in the works, along with cult favorites like Jason Reitman and David Cronenberg.
10. Meek’s Cutoff
“Meek’s Cutoff” is one of those films that could be really great, or a boring flop. Michelle Williams and Paul Dano star in the indie flick set in 1845 as settlers lost by their wagon caravan and stranded in the Oregon desert. It’s out in limited release in April, and if the critics bite it could be this year’s “Winter’s Bone.”
9. Carnage
9. Carnage
Based on 2009’s Tony Award winning play “Gods of Carnage,” Roman Polanski directs a small but exceptional cast. Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly play two sets of parents forced into a cordial meeting after their sons have a schoolyard fight. The original play was staged on a single set, so a film adaptation may be a challenge, but not impossible for the seasoned director to pull off. Though it’s slated for release in 2012, the film is already in post-production so it may be ready for Oscar season.
Jason Reitman’s follow up to “Up in the Air” will likely be the indie-turned-mainstream choice for the Oscar 10 next year. “Young Adult” stars Charlize Theron as a divorced fiction writer looking to rekindle her romance with Patrick Wilson, her ex-boyfriend who is now married with kids. Oscar winner Diablo Cody, who struck gold with 2007’s “Juno”, wrote the screenplay. The film is in post-production so look for it in the fall.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and until now Hollywood has struggled to make a critically acclaimed and commercially successful movie involving the day's events. Starring Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and James Gandolfini, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is the story of a nine-year-old boy who searches New York for a lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father who was killed in the World Trade Center. Though the movie is still currently filming and scheduled for release in 2012, there is a chance that the studio may push for a late 2011 release so it will not miss out on award season.
6. A Dangerous Method
In his first movie since his increasingly popular violent films, “Eastern Promises” and “A History of Violence,” David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” examines the intense relationship between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and how it gave birth to psychoanalysis. Viggo Mortensen, who has collaborated with Cronenberg twice before, will portray Sigmund Freud. Playing Carl Jung will be Michael Fassbender, who has a total of three movies out this year. Keira Knightley rounds out the cast as Sabina Spielrein, the troubled young woman who comes between the two men. There has been speculation that Knightley has been losing out on roles to fellow Brit Carey Mulligan, but “A Dangerous Method” may be the film that helps her transition from the young, beautiful ingénue into a serious adult actress. There is no set release date yet, but filming finished in August 2010.5. Hugo Cabaret
During 2009 and 2010, Martin Scorsese was busy producing HBO’s hit show “Boardwalk Empire.” This year Scorsese returns to the silver screen to direct “Hugo Cabaret,” which is based on the 533 page Caldecott Medal winning historical fiction novel by Brian Selznick. The film tells the story of an orphan living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. The boy soon becomes wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and a broken robot. It's currently schedule for release during Thanksgiving weekend.
4. The Tree of Life
3. The Ides of March
George Clooney gained recognition as a director with his work on the critically successful 2005 film “Good Night and Good Luck.” Unfortunately, he followed up three years later with the much less popular, “Leatherheads.” This fall, Clooney tries to redeem himself with “The Ides of March,” a story about an idealistic staffer for a presidential candidate, and the lessons he learns about politics on the campaign trail. Clooney stars in the film as the candidate Gov. Mike Morris. Ryan Gosling, who missed out on an Oscar nomination this year, portrays the young press spokesman who ends up getting manipulated by veteran operatives and seduced by a young intern. Rounding out the cast is Paul Giamatti as a rival campaign manager, Marisa Tomei as a New York Times reporter, and Evan Rachel Woods as the intern. The release date is set for October 14.
2. J. Edgar
Currently filming, Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar” stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the infamous FBI director during the bureau’s infancy. Focused on Hoover’s scandalous career and controversial private life as a homosexual and rumored cross dresser, the movie has already received buzz for racy scenes between DiCaprio and “The Social Network’s” Armie Hammer, who plays Clyde Tolston, Hoover’s alleged lover. Filming started last month, but if “J. Edgar” is released in time for the 2012 Oscar noms it could be DiCaprio’s year to take home the Best Actor prize.
The two films that won Steven Spielberg his Oscars for directing were “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan,” both set during World War II in Europe. He has since won Emmys for “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific.” Obviously Spielberg’s greatest strength lies in creating twentieth century war films which illustrate the horror and carnage that influenced the world for the decades to come. Scheduled for release on December 28, “War Horse” is based on a play (which is based on a book) set during the First World War. The story begins with a friendship forged between the horse and the young man who tames and trains him. After the two are forcefully parted, the film follows the horse as he changes hands from the British Calvary, the German army, a French farmer, until he reaches No Man’s Land. My very early prediction gives the Best Picture Oscar to "War Horse."
