4th Quarter Preview: October, November, December - Part 2/2

4th Quarter Preview: Part II

09. 127 Hours dir. Danny Boyle - November 5 [Limited/Wide?]

Why?:

• Based on the reviews out of TIFF and Telluride, Danny Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy have turned hours of James Franco stuck between some rocks into a compelling and engaging piece of work.
• Reviews claim that Franco gives an astonishing, career-best performance.
• Parts are so intense, one festival audience member fainted. Now that sounds like strong film making right there.

Why Not?:

• We already know how the story ends, more or less. Will that kill some of the dramatic tension?
• Will Boyle's somewhat hyperactive style be too much when the main character is rendered virtually immobile?

08. Biutiful dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - November or December

Why?:

• Generally good reviews out of Cannes.
• Great reviews for Javier Bardem, back in a front-and-center leading role.
• Inarritu knows how to tell emotionally powerful, gritty stories.
• Mexico officially chose it as their Foreign Language Film entry.

Why Not?:

• Inarritu's first time working without a script from Guillermo Arriaga after their personal falling out.
• Some find Inarritu's films to be to reliant on contrivance to create overly wrenching drama, and this one, though linear, seems pretty stacked with unrelenting misery.

07. The Way Back dir. Peter Weir - December 3 [Limited]/January 21 [Wide]

Why?:

• An allegedly triumphant comeback for director Peter Weir.
• Strong reviews for the cast, which includes Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, and Saoirse Ronan
• Even with its tough subject matter, Weir has apparently refrained from sugar-coating anything. It may not all be 100% historically accurate, but it will still be gritty.
• Strong reviews for the cinematography and use of landscape photography.

Why Not?:

• Reviews have been kinder to the first half, and some say the second grows repetitive.
• Is it too bleak for its own good?

06. Another Year dir. Mike Leigh - December 31 [Limited]

Why?:

• Rave reviews out of Cannes for the celebrated writer/director's latest, especially for star Lesley Manville.
• The lovely trailer gives the impression that this is serious, mature, limited, and understated film making at its finest.

Why Not?:

• Leigh simply isn't for everyone, and I have no doubt that this will rub some the wrong way.

05. Somewhere dir. Sofia Coppola - December 22 [Limited]

Why?:

• Coppola returns to more familiar territory after her not-as-warmly-received departure (Marie Antoinette).
• Generally strong reviews which have called it subtle, smart, and beautifully acted.
• A comeback for Stephen Dorff, and a breakthrough for Elle Fanning, younger sister of Dakota.
• Oh, and it kind of won the Golden Lion in Venice last month.

Why Not?:

• Like Mike Leigh, Coppola is divisive. Some either find her work totally empty and pretentious, or simply "good but not that good."

04. The King's Speech dir. Tom Hooper - November 26 [Limited]

Why?:

• Raves out of Toronto and Telluride, including a handful of standing ovations for Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.
• Last year, we saw Colin Firth make his first run at an Oscar. This year he's back and really gunning for it, and is pretty much the front-runner (along with Franco).
• A very good cast, a respected director, and interesting subject matter.

Why Not?:

• Have the festivals overrated it?
• It could be a very limited performance showcase with little else to offer other than acting.

03. True Grit dir. Joel and Ethan Coen - December 25 [Wide?]

Why?:

• That gorgeous, haunting trailer.
• The Coens reportedly stayed closer to Charles Portis' novel than to the John Wayne-led original.
• The Coens usually inject a healthy does of ironic nihilism into their films, usually treating people and events with a wink. But when they want to be serious (No Country for Old Men), they can be brilliant at it, and True Grit certainly looks quite serious.
• Hailee Stanfield, in the trailer at least, seems like a good, grounded casting choice for Mattie Ross.

Why Not?:

• Will the Coen's style mix as well with Portiss' work as it did with Cormac McCarthy's?

02. Black Swan dir. Darren Aronofsky - December 1 [Limited]

Why?:

• Have you seen the so-insane-it's-good trailer. If not, treat yourself.
• Strong reviews out of Venice and subsequent festival screenings.
• Career-best reviews for Natalie Portman.
• Said to contain a unique way of photographing its thrilling dance sequences.
• Compared to classic women-going-mad flicks like Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby.
• Natalie Portman pulls a feather out of her arm. Let me say that again: Natalie Portman PULLS A FEATHER out of her arm.
• Clint Mansell's score is based on part of the Swan Lake score.

Why Not?:

• There's a small minority who aren't impressed, and label it a piece of Grand Guignol nonsense.

01. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I dir. David Yates - November 19 [Wide]

Why?:

• The beginning of the end is here.
• David Yates helped the series really grow up, so it's fitting that he gets to take the series through its often dark finale.
• Two great trailers showcasing appropriately grown-up, dark, and grim footage.
• Warner Brothers seems to have pulled out all of the stops for this one, and with good reason; the source material has plenty of full-blown EPIC moments, and it seems that most of them have been preserved.
• It's better than Twilight.

Why Not?:

• If you've never been a Potter fan, don't expect this one to change your mind.
• Remember, after those credits roll, we still have to wait EIGHT MONTHS to see the full completion of this film series. Couldn't they have just put Part II in December to totally dominate the Christmas market?