Minding the Gap
Let’s be edgy and start with a documentary. Bing Liu, the director, has a huge body of work on the Camera and Electrical Department, but critics are raving this debut.
The Little Stranger
From the director of Room (Lenny Abrahamson), another claustrophobic rendition to symbolize the darkness in the human psyche. It has a great cast, with two of my favorite actors today – Ruth Wilson and Domhnall Gleeson.
Fahrenheit 11/9
1 November
Look! Another documentary!
But now from the authority on the genre, Mr. Michael Moore himself. After Trump got elected we all knew the filmmaker behind Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko and Capitalism: A Love Story would have something to say on the matter.
The Sisters Brothers
31 January 2019
A different take from the writer/director of Jacques Audiard, known for cult hits like Un prophète, De rouille et d’os and Dheepan.
A take that is not different is the one from John C. Reilly. People tend to associate him with comedic performances, but he already has a strong portfolio of drama works, like Boogie Nights or Magnolia. This time he isn’t collaborating with Paul Thomas Anderson, but it seems he’s getting some buzz for Acting nominations in the awards’ season.
Colette
24 January 2019
The collaboration of Wash Westmoreland (director of Colette) with Julianne Moore in Still Alice gave the actress the long-deserved Oscar win. Will Keira Knightley get the third nomination of her career?
The Old Man & the Gun
8 November
Speaking of individual awards, you gotta respect Robert Redford. Before this movie screened in the summer festivals, Robert told the press that it was his last film, probably starting a campaign for an Oscar. Well, apparently his performance is good, not great. So, Mr. Redford has already retracted his statement of this being the last hurrah. Well, he tried 😉
Despite all these shenanigans, I’m really curious about this movie, not because of Robert Redford, but other name: David Lowery. The writer/director of A Ghost Story (one of my favorite movies of last year) is also writing/directing this one and these two films couldn’t look more different. Color me intrigued…
A Star Is Born
11 October
Apparently, Oscar season opens on the 11th of October.
Bradley Cooper is debuting as a screenwriter and director, by adapting a story that has already generated 3 movies with the same title (in 1937, 1954 and 1976) and all with plenty of nominations and wins. Additionally, Cooper is also acting, in a role that also got nominations in the past. He is a strong contender for a fourth nomination, and probably win.
And Lady Gaga, who with her amazing voice will engrave this movie in the minds of Academy voters long enough to land double-digit nominations. Let us bet: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Sam Elliott), Best Achievement in Directing (he could be snubbed like Ben Affleck), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, Best Achievement in Film Editing, Best Achievement in Sound Editing, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score). Yup, I count 11.
This is why the Academy doesn’t need an “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film”, like they tried to introduce this year with fear that Black Panther ends up getting the same treatment as The Dark Knight in 09 (in 2010 they decided to expand the slots for Best Picture from 5 to 10).
The Popular Film category was attacked from all fronts (except Disney) and the Academy retracted. I bet A Star is Born will make a lot of money. Like Titanic or Avatar.
First Man
11 October
Like I said, mark your calendars for October 11.
Another prime example of how a film can be popular (make money) and get double-digit nominations.
And I can also confidently state that, if Damien Chazelle gets another nom for picture and director after La La Land and Whiplash, making it his 3rd recognition in his first 4 movies, by the age of 33, we are probably witnessing the best young director of all time.
Bad Times at the El Royale
11 October
Not a contender, but still a great cast and a promising director. 20th Century Fox is making sure that they gave the reigns of the next Deadpool movie to the right person (Drew Goddard).
Beautiful Boy
29 November
Also young is Timothée Chalamet, who, after a riveting performance in Call Me by Your Name, is contending here for his second nomination by the age of 22.
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
We’re back to Fox Searchlight Pictures, which means we’re back in the Oscar race. This time, two ladies: Melissa McCarthy for Best Actress and Marielle Heller for Best Director (it would be with her second movie).
Mid90s
Jonah Hill, of Superbad and The Wolf of Wall Street fame, sat down with Martin Scorsese for 4 hours straight to pick his brain on this script that Hill was writing. The result? Mid90s.
I’m in.
Oh, the soundtrack is by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (the Nine Inch Nails guys who shocked the world by winning an Oscar with The Social Network).
Johnny English Strikes Again
Today
What can I say… I love Rowan Atkinson.
But this movie looks crappy.
Beoning
One of the highlights of the Cannes Film Festival, this South Korean film is following in the recent tradition of that country’s cinema giving us something really refresing.
Lee Chang-dong hopefully can reach the notoriety of names like Park Chan-wook or Bong Joon-ho.
Bohemian Rhapsody
1 November
As an expectation temper, the chatter coming from early screenings makes this movie sound like a disappointment. But, hey, let us hold out hope.
Suspiria
22 November
I can’t wait to see the reaction of people who went to the movies to see the movie from the director of Call Me by Your Name and with the star of Fifty Shades of Grey, and had no idea what type of film they were getting themselves into xD.
To be fair, Luca Guadagnino has shown us in A Bigger Splash that Dakota Johnson can act and be sexy without resorting to cheap fan fiction candy for gullible audiences.
But the more impressive team-up is Luca and Tilda Swinton, since they’ve working together since 1999 – The Protagonists. In this reimagining of Suspiria, Tilda is portraying Madame Blanc and the old man Dr. Josef Klemperer (Oscar for Makeup and Hairstyling?). Tilda is great.
Boy Erased
6 December
Every year needs a Spotlight.
I’m not trying to make a pun. Look: great cast, notorious actor turned director, religion hides a lot of disgusting things…
Hopefully these movies make people think for themselves instead of following a book written by a bunch of hypocrites and rapists in the XVI century.
A Private War
29 November
Notable director of documentaries on conflict zones (Matthew Heineman) is making his debut on acted filmmaking. And already with a great actress (Rosamund Pike)!
You may have heard of his last doc – City of Ghosts – since it is one of the best audiovisual captures of the taking over of a land by ISIS.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web
8 November
It’s ironic that the cast and crew of this movie about a computer hacker were leaked by that massive security breach on Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Still, even with the preemptive strike, nothing prepared me to see Claire Foy this way. It’s not the same as transitioning from Ennis to Joker like Heath Ledger did from 2005 (Brokeback Mountain) to 2008 (The Dark Knight), however, if Foy pulls this off after The Crown, we can safely say that she ARRIVED.
The Front Runner
You know what? This is Oscar bait, and even though I know it, the combination of the current political climate in Advanced Economies and the fact that I always enjoyed every movie I’ve seen from Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking; Juno; and Up in the Air) makes me want to take the bait.
At the same time, I’m happy to have been hearing that this film, despite Reitman also having another good movie this year (Tully), is not being considered as a “front runner” for the Oscars. I would’ve been pissed if The Post had won something last year.
Peterloo
This movie looks boring.
But hey, not everything is for everyone.
And there are a lot of people who really like Mike Leigh’s style.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
15 November
As a proponent of lore before story (I prefer The Silmarillion to The Lord of the Rings), I instantly became so giddy when Warner Bros announced that Fantastic Beasts was becoming a film series written by J.K. Rowling herself, telling the never before told stories of the Global wizarding war, spanning 19 years of myths and conflicts, and engulfing us in an audiovisual tour through a world that had much more to offer than England and Hogwarts.
Widows
15 November
Will this be the movie that finally makes me understand why Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) is one of the most respected contemporary filmmakers?
Well, if it isn’t, I don’t what movie can do it.
Heist, with incredible cast (that makes the poster look chaotic), screenplay by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, this year’s Sharp Objects and 2019’s Utopia), music by Hans Zimmer and film editing by Joe Walker (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and Sicario)?!
I don’t think it will win many awards, but it’s certainly in my Top 5 of anticipation.
Creed II
6 December
I’m a bit disappointed that Ryan Coogler did not come back to direct this sequel. But, it’s understandable since he gave us Black Panther just this year.
Speaking of Panther, if Michael B. Jordan adds to what he has already given us in Creed, we’re probably looking at an Oscar nomination in supporting actor for his role in Black Panther.
Robin Hood
22 November
It’s impressive how there isn’t any good live-action movie based on this property.
And it doesn’t seem we’re getting it this time.
I’m just curious to see the work of director Otto Bathurst (Black Mirror and Peaky Blinders), because he’s be chosen for one of my most anticipated adaptions ever – His Dark Materials TV series by the BBC.
Green Book
6 December
Let’s get this out of the way: the trailer is bad; there’s a lot of sifts in tone, like the Golden Globes that don’t know the difference between comedy and drama.
Still, the movie won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, with past winners being comprised of names like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, La La Land, Room, The Imitation Game and 12 Years a Slave.
So, I’ll put my trust in Mahershala Ali (Moonlight and True Detective Season 3) and Viggo Mortensen (one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood).
The Favourite
Hearing that this film is Fox Searchlight Pictures contender for Best Picture makes me so happy and angry at the same time. Like Searchlight’s #1 contender last year – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – where were the fans of these directors incredible visions for dark humor?
Didn’t people see Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges years before he made Three Billboards?!
And this year… Yorgos Lanthimos. I’m so happy for him, and I bet The Favourite will be his best movie like Three Billboards was McDonagh’s, but I don’t understand the abrupt transitions from 1-2 nominations to 7-8 in just one movie.
And what about this cast of ladies?! Olivia Colman is finally getting the recognition she deserves, Rachel Weisz is inconspicuously building her claim as one of the best dramatic actresses nowadays, and Emma Stone can’t stop showing us new things (she’s only 29 yo!!) and affirming herself as the top A-lister in cinema.
Manbiki kazoku
22 November
Last year’s Palme d’Or winner (The Square) was in my personal Top 10.
And this year’s is a film coming from Asian cinema?!
Can’t wait to see it 🙂
Mary Queen of Scots
2019
Five years ago, a period piece of this magnitude would never start principal photography if it was fronted by two women.
Things are changing… for the better. I can’t think of a better duo of performers to go see in the big-screen than these two immensely talented young actresses: Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) and Margot Robbie (I, Tonya).
Vox Lux
I’ll paraphrase something I’ve heard about Vox Lux:
“If A Star is Born is Natalie Portman in Black Swan, Vox Lux is Mila Kunis in Black Swan”.
Ben Is Back
27 December
Look! Another Oscar bait movie starring Lucas Hedges.
Gotta give the kid credit for knowing how to play the game from such an early age (21). But, am I too much of a cynic if I’m more curious about his performance in Mid90s (above) than this one or Boy Erased (above)?
Oh, like a good father, Peter Hedges is directing this movie 😉
The Mule
Remember when I said that Robert Redford was probably not winning an Oscar with The Old Man & the Gun?
I have a feeling that he might not even get nominated.
There are 5 slots, and usually 1 saved for the “veteran”.
Well, Clint Eastwood is portraying this: “A 90-year-old horticulturist and WWII veteran is caught transporting $3 million worth of cocaine through Michigan for a Mexican drug cartel.”.
Vice
Yes, Chistian Bale went through another physical transformation. This time, to be Dick Cheney.
Yes, he is teaming up again with Amy Adams, who also shared the same change.
Yes, we also get to see Steve Carell portraying Donald Rumsfeld and Sam Rockwell with the supporting role of George W. Bush (he won the Oscar last year for supporting).
And yes, capping it all we have Adam McKay directing, who, after The Big Short, became clear he has something intelligent to say about corruption in politics and high finance.
Mary Poppins Returns
27 December
I’m not a fan of Rob Marshall filmmaking: Chicago, Nine and Into the Woods.
But, after watching this trailer and thinking of Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario and A Quiet Place (this year), it’s impossible to not be impressed by her versatility and range.
Welcome to Marwen
10 January 2019
I must confess I’ve been feeling a bit of Carell fatigue in the last couple of years. And having Zemeckis style of directing is also not helping the case for this movie, in my eyes.
Even so, the concept seems intriguing and the female ensemble is so strong that I’ll probably not even care for Carell (like last year in Battle of the Sexes). Help me Monáe, Kruger, González and Mann!
Zimna wojna
Pawel Pawlikowski, after winning an Oscar in 2015 with Ida, brings us his latest work, which has already won at Cannes for Best Directing.
On the Basis of Sex
27 December
Another trailer that is putting me on edge.
Still, I will maintain some hope because Mimi Leder (the director) is responsible for some of my favorite TV episodes of all-time in The Leftovers.
The cast is also strong. However, if it ends up disappointing we have a documentary on Ruth Bader Ginsburg that also premiered in 2018.
Destroyer
From what I’ve been reading about the screenings during the film festivals, this seems like one of those cases where the only aspect saving the movie is the performance, making it stand out even more, and catapulting the performer to an Oscar win.
Ad Astra
2019
Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, LisaGay Hamilton, Thomas Newman composing the music (Nominated for 14 Oscars), cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema (Dunkirk and Interstellar), and James Gray (The Immigrant and The Lost City of Z) directing?
How could 20th Century Fox drop the ball so hard by not managing to get this film ready for Awards’ season?!
We should all remember what happened to Zodiac in 2006: it was considered the big favorite for the 2007 Oscars (The Departed, Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen) but Paramount Pictures mismanaged the calendar and the film ended up slipping into the beginning of the next year. And the rest is history.
It’s very tough to compete against movies that come out near the voting period.
Dogman
20 December
From the director of Gomorra (Matteo Garrone) here comes another juxtaposition of fragility and darkness. I can’t wait to see what this guy does with Pinocchio next year 😀
Pájaros de verano
The duo that gave us El abrazo de la serpiente (Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra) is at it again with a study on the influence of external forces on indigenous cultures.
Todos lo saben
No, this is not the new Pablo Escobar movie!!
Here, Penélope and Javier are speaking Spanish.
Asghar Farhadi, one of the best directors of the last decade – Darbareye Elly, Jodaeiye Nader az Simin and Forushande –, knows better.
Not only is he great at capturing the women-men dynamics and demonstrating the wrongs without being patronizing, but also he’s probably the best filmmaker at taking the generic premise of “However, the trip is upset by unexpected events that bring secrets into the open” and making it into something really intriguing and deep.
Napszállta
The new film from the director of Saul fia.
The Nightingale
One of the most hardcore ladies in the business is back with her follow-up to The Babadook.
And apparently, this time, the spotlight isn’t going to the director Jennifer Kent, but also to the lead actress Aisling Franciosi.
Hold the Dark
Some of the best gritty thrillers in recent years have one thing in common. They were directed by Jeremy Saulnier. And I don’t even like the genre.
Halloween
25 October
I also don’t care for horror movies. But I might give this one a chance because Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter are probably two of the coolest people in the world.
Ying
I’m crying right now…
Zhang Yimou is back!
The master that taught me how to appreciate cinema.
Ying xiong and Shi mian mai fu are formative movies of my youth, and I am a cinephile today greatly in part to their artistry.
My Most Anticipated.
Doubles vies
What better way to start a Juliette Binoche appreciation thread than by highlighting the new film by the writer/director of Clouds of Sils Maria.
High Life
Like I was saying, a Juliette Binoche appreciation thread.
One funny thing about threads is the loops. And here goes one: Juliette Binoche is starring in this film by Claire Denis with Robert Pattinson and in Doubles vies, a film directed by Olivier Assayas who also directed Personal Shopper which stars Kristen Stewart, who made sex with Robert Pattinson in the Twilight movies, who is making sex with Juliette Binoche in High Life, like they did in Cosmopolis.
Monrovia, Indiana
After documenting the workings of the New York Public Library in Ex Libris, Frederick Wiseman turns his camera on a small town in rural America.
In Fabric
The new film from director Peter Strickland (The Duke of Burgundy) seems like another clever riff on giallo-style horror.
If Beale Street Could Talk
You know it’s going to be a riveting awards’ season for movies, when you have the directors of La La Land and Moonlight (Barry Jenkins) back with their new works.
Cinema is in good hands: talented filmmakers below 40 not only winning Oscars, but, more importantly, creating innovative and powerful imagery.
This film also has Regina King, who is one of the best actresses of our days.
Gloria Bell
Talk about putting in the work!
In the span of 1 year, Sebastián Lelio is gifting us Una Mujer Fantástica (Won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year), Disobedience (Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams are amazing in it) and now Gloria Bell with Julianne Moore.
At Eternity’s Gate
24 January 2019
Oscar for Willem Dafoe?
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Coen Brothers were trying TV, but they couldn’t resist going back to cinema, even if this film was originally conceived as a Netflix series, and is now a six-part anthology feature still headed to Netflix.
Two things are certain about the Coens: they love movie making and they love to shoot in New Mexico (No Country for Old Men and True Grit).
22 July
10 October
Despite not being Norwegian, if a movie had to be made about this horrific terrorist attack, I would probably trust Paul Greengrass with it.
He has in his resumé pieces like United 93 and Captain Phillips, all with very eloquent portrayals of the dramatic events.
Roma
The best reviewed movie of the fall festival season (currently the film with the best Metascore of 2018), and the winner of the Golden Lion in Venice.
Have you noticed how Mexico has been one of the most dominant forces in cinema in the last decade?
It all started in 2003, when Alfonso Cuarón got nominated for Best Writing, Original Screenplay with Y tu mamá también. Then, in 2007 it was the turn of Guillermo del Toro with a nomination for Original Screenplay with El laberinto del fauno, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu with a nomination for Best Achievement in Directing with Babel. In the same year, Cuarón got nominations for Adapted Screenplay and Achievement in Film Editing with Children of Men.
The Three Amigos that were about to conquer Hollywood had arrived.
In 2014, Cuarón won Film Editing and Best Achievement in Directing with Gravity (the first Hispanic to do so). And a year later, Iñárritu was winning Original Screenplay, Directing and Best Motion Picture of the Year with Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). AND a year later, Iñárritu was winning Best Director AGAIN with The Revenant.
Yes yes… We all remember it. It was just this past March: Guillermo wins Best Achievement in Directing and Best Motion Picture of the Year with The Shape of Water.
I can’t predict what will happen in 2019, but Cuarón is the writer, the producer, the cinematographer, the director and the editor of Roma.
Opinion Seed 