There are a plethora of releases for this year that are being anticipated by people following the latest film news. But for me, there are three standout movies that haven’t been released anywhere yet and are due to come out this year (or perhaps, depending on time, in 2013), that I simply cannot wait to see. The mere thought of them makes me bubble with excitement. If you know me well, you may know what they are, but I doubt you’ll guess all three. In alphabetical order:
Love, Michael Haneke
How unusual it is for Austrian/German/French filmmaker Michael Haneke (who is the most important filmmaker alive, in my opinion) to call his latest film Love. It is a strange title for a Haneke film. Fans of his work will know that his movies are cold and distant, and love is one thing they’re lacking and are probably better off without. In The Seventh Continent, a soulless middle-class family commit an unspeakable atrocity. Benny’s Video opens with a home movie of a pig being shot. Code Unknown places a camera in a still and unmoving position and forces us to watch Juliette Binoche get insulted, spat on and terrorised. The Piano Teacher sees Isabelle Huppert insert a razor into her vagina and sniff a semen-soaked tissue as she watches porn movies (not at the same time). In Cache, a man graphically slits his throat on screen. His last movie The White Ribbon deals with the generation of German children who would grow up to be Nazis. And the list goes on. So what could Haneke have planned next? The storyline tells of an elderly couple who are startled when one of them has a debilitating stroke. The cast features brilliant actors such as Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant (Three Colours: Red), and the anticipated release date is May 23 (though I probably won’t see it till next year, unless I fly to Cannes). It looks to have all the trademarks of a great Haneke film so naturally I am excited beyond words; I have never been this excited about an upcoming release ever.
The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson
I believe Paul Thomas Anderson is the greatest American director working today. He has only made five films, but they are all of very high quality, and four of them I’ve rated 10/10. So you can understand why I’m excited about his next movie, five years after his last. The confirmed cast includes Amy Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Laura Dern, four talented actors I’m sure will do justice to what is certain to be a great screenplay fantastically directed by Anderson. It’s far too soon to say of course, but I hope this gets Oscar nods in 2013.
The Nymphomaniac, Lars von Trier
I don’t imagine this one will get a cinema release at all in New Zealand, due to the fact that it’s supposed to be von Trier’s most explicit film yet, with more unsimulated sex scenes than all the ones he’s ever directed combined. I think this one won’t get a release at all until 2013, but there’s a lot of talk going around about it at the moment so I still count it as an anticipated release, no matter how far away it might be. Stellan Skarsgard, Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg are all rumored to have parts, and if they confirm it, then the film is sure to be something truly special. I’m also waiting to hear more news on the supposed Five Obstructions movie with Martin Scorsese; it’s supposed to be quite serious and going to happen, but I’d like to know more; looks like I probably won’t though, considering von Trier has taken a vow of silence and refused to say anything to the media about any of his projects, or do any interviews. I’m also anticipating hearing if he ever plans to finish his USA trilogy, which he began with Dogville and Manderlay. The Nymphomaniac also appears to be the third in a trilogy that began with Antichrist.
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So those are three movies I’m highly anticipating at the moment. What are some releases you’re looking forward to? Are you looking forward to these three? Did you even know they were going to happen? Leave a comment below.
