#10: Gangster Squad

RELEASE DATE 10 Jan 2013 (Australia) GENRE Crime, Drama CAST Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Josh Brolin, Giovanni Ribisi WRITER Will Beall, Paul Lieberman (book) DIRECTOR Ruben Fleischer

I’m looking forward to seeing how Ryan Gosling act in this movie, that’s it. Talking about Los Angeles Police Department in late 40s or 50s, “Gangster Squad” seems like “L.A. Confidential” at the first sight. I’m not sure if awards will take “Gangster Squad” into account, but I see the probability of it being well-appreciated. And, if it is lucky enough, it will be able to repeat the success that “Drive” surprisingly got last year. Ruben Fleischer as the director is popular for directing comedic movie like “Zombieland” or last year’s “30 Minutes or Less”. With the support of cast like Sean Penn, Emma Stone, and Josh Brolin, we’ll see how this crime-drama movie will end up to. SEE TRAILER HERE

RELEASE DATE 10 Jan 2013 (Australia) GENRE Biography, Drama CAST Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Stuhlbarg WRITER Stephen Rebello (book), John J. McLaughlin (screenplay) DIRECTOR Sacha Gervasi

It’s official: the release date of “Hitchcock” is pulled earlier to the end of this year! Yeay! The award race will be so dramatically competitive. No trailer was released until now, but some pictures and posters released shows how Anthony Hopkins seems soooo much precisely imitating the real Alfred Hitchcock. Here, Sir Anthony Hopkins played the legend of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. “Hitchcock” will talk much about the story behind the making of “Psycho”, Hitchcock’s masterpiece that was released on 1960, and about the relationship he made with Alma Reville (played by Helen Mirren), his partner. I just can’t wait for the trailer and see the resemblance of Sir Hopkins and the real Hitchcock. Of course, the chance of Sir Hopkins to be nominated (or even win) for Best Actor in next year’s award season is getting bigger.

RELEASE DATE 28 Nov 2012 (world premiere) GENRE Adventure, Fantasy CAST Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving WRITER Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay), Peter Jackson (screenplay), Guillermo del Toro (screenplay), J.R.R. Tolkien (novel "The Hobbit") DIRECTOR Peter Jackson

Well, at first, I was kinda surprised (or, to be honest, disappointed) about how this tie-in production could be splitted into a trilogy, which I think was so exaggerating. Somehow, I believe that Peter Jackson could make an incredible touch for this franchise. If you love the “Lord of The Rings” trilogy, you would wait “The Hobbit” as well. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” talks about Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman), a curious Hobbit, that go in a journey to the Lonely Mountain with a group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure. This first film will be followed by “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”, released on 2013, and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again”, released on 2014. The cast, mostly, is the same with the cast of “Lord of The Rings”, so we will see if this reunion will make a fresh-from-the-oven show or just go recurring its predecessor. SEE TRAILER HERE

RELEASE DATE 16 May 2012 (France, Cannes Film Festival) GENRE Comedy, Drama, Romance CAST Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray WRITER Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola DIRECTOR Wes Anderson

“Moonrise Kingdom” made its debut on last May’s Cannes Film Festival and it brought Wes Anderson, the director and writer, a nomination of Palme d’Or. Yes, it is now widely released, but somehow it’s still unreleased here in my country... At the first sight, you’ll see that there’s a bunch of kids in this movie. Actually, the story is about a runaway of two young lovers and a search of them by the local party. “Moonrise Kingdom” is now positioned on rank #172 of Top 250 IMDB, scoring 8.3 out of 10. Besides of the kids, the cast is filled with well-known actors and actresses like Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, and Frances McDormand. SEE TRAILER HERE

RELEASE DATE 9 Nov 2012 (USA, limited release) GENRE Biography, Drama, History CAST Daniel Day-Lewis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes, Sally Field WRITER Tony Kushner (screenplay), Doris Kearns Goodwin (book) (in part) DIRECTOR Steven Spielberg

Again, another biopic enliven Hollywood this year. Besides “Hyde Park on Hudson” and “Hitchcock”, now there is “Lincoln”, a biographical movie about President Abraham Lincoln. After being parodied in “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, this legendary person is portrayed again in a more dramatic, historical movie handled by Steven Spielberg. Daniel Day-Lewis is fortunately casted for the leading role, and again, I see a great resemblance of him and the real Lincoln. “Lincoln” is situated in the end of Civil War, when the issue of abolishing slavery was significantly appearing at that time. The conflict that Lincoln faced with the cabinet member about his policy regarding this slavery issue becomes the main topic of “Lincoln”. Well, I always love biopic, because I love to see the resemblance and the ressurection of real-life figure by actors, and so I would love to see “Lincoln” by the end of this year. SEE TRAILER HERE