13. Beowulf - so yes, despite my hatred for what they've done to the story, I'm still really interested in how this will turn out. Robert Zemeckis is a great director and Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary is a really interesting pairing for screenwriting, but I'm nervous that my recent study of Beowulf will keep me from enjoying it too much. Starring: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, and Angelina Jolie.
12. El Orfanato (The Orphanage) - A woman buys the orphanage where she grew up, but soon strange events start happening around the old mansion. Looks like a mix between The Others and Pan's Labyrinth (coincidentally, Pan's director Guillermo Del Toro is the head producer, which is a nice touch). Early word of mouth is good, and this could be the surprise thriller/spook fest of the winter. Also, the poster is GREAT.
11. Love in the Time of Cholera - a beautiful, sweeping romance with great production values. Though it's based on an acclaimed novel, I'm just as excited to hear the three original songs performed by Shakira. I've heard snippets from two of them, and they sound awesome. This also has the honor of the most romantic poster of the year.
10. The Savages - two estranged siblings must come together to take care of their senile father. Awkward family dramedy ensues. Early reviews are very strong, and it looks wonderful. Starring: Laura Linney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Phillip Bosco.
9. There Will Be Blood - easily the most provocative title of the year. Now that early reviews are trickling in, it seems like quite a masterful and unique (no speaking for the first 20 minutes) achievement on all fronts. And of course, there's this guy named Daniel Day-Lewis. Starring: DDL and Paul Dano.
8. I'm Not There - sure to be the strangest of the possible Oscar contenders. Six different actors (including a black kid and Cate Blanchett) portray....Bob Dylan.....sort of. This looks bizarre, but so fun all the same... Starring: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus carl Franklin.
7. Margot at the Wedding - I hated director/writer Noah Baumbach's critically hailed "The Squid and the Whale". So why am I excited about his next dysfunctional family dramedy? For starters, the trailer seems promising, and the three leads seem like quite the combination (I never thought Jack Black and Nicole Kidman would ever share the screen, much less in an indie film..). The characters seem pretty unlikeable here, but this time there actually appears to be some HUMOR to lighten the mood whereas TSATW was just dreary and insufferable. Though the initial buzz was for Jennifer Jason Leigh, the buzz seems to have shifted to Kidman, with many calling it one of her best performances ever (which makes sense, seeing as she's at her best in the darker/offbeat roles). Starring: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, John Turturro, Ciarin Hinds
6. Juno - I've been in love with this film ever since I saw the trailer. Ellen Page looks brilliantly dead pan as the title character and the film as a whole (written by a former stripper...wow) looks to be hilarious. Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney, Jason Bateman, JK Simmons
5. Sweeney Todd - the cast? Love it. The director? Love him. The original show? Never seen it. The nice thing though, it that it doesn't look like Tim Burton compromised his vision even though the production budget seems larger than on most of his films. I just wish that they would release more pictures to the public.. Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Sacha Baren Cohen.
4. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - based on the amazing true story of a man who had a stroke that left him trapped in his own body, and only able to communicate with his left eye lid. Through a painstaking process, he blinked out his autobiography, which included the fantasies he invented to distract himself. The direction looks dazzling based on the trailer, and the director seems to have an interesting eye for color (which would make sense seeing as he used to be a painter). Also, this has got the be the flat out BEST TITLE OF THE YEAR.
3. Atonement - Director Joe Wright worked magic with Keira Knightley for 2005's Pride and Prejudice, and he looks to do the same again here (although a lot of the magic seems to have been transferred to co-stars James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan). Wright brought back the same Art director, cinematographer, costume designer, and composer (Dario Marianelli, whose P&P score got robbed at the Oscars) for Atonement. This is one hell of a team he's got going for him. Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, Vanessa Redgrave.
2. The Golden Compass - ending "shift" aside, I still think this looks wonderful. I can't help but smile every time Kidman appears in the trailers, because she is just so unbelievably perfect for Mrs. Coulter. Every cent of the big budget is up on that screen and the film looks drop dead gorgeous. Also, this probably has the most impressive cast of the year, even though some of them are doing voice work and/or have little screen time. Starring: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Sam Elliot, Eva Green, Ian McKellan, Kathy Bates, Christopher Lee, Kristin Scott Thomas, Freddie Highmore, Ian McShane, and Daniel Craig.
1. No Country For Old Men - because it the story is incredibly intriguing, the acting looks phenomenal (Bardem looks delightfully deranged and evil), and the film as a whole looks intense, harsh, and wickedly dark (as well as darkly funny). Starring: Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Kelly MacDonald, Woody Harrelson.
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