<<previously mentioned in "2012's Movies-To-Watch-Next", in descending order: (14) "Anna Karenina"; (13) "Hyde Park on Hudson"; (12) "To The Wonder"; (11) "Les Misérables"; (10) "Gangster Squad"; (09) "Hitchcock"; (08) "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"; (07) "Moonrise Kingdom"; (06) "Lincoln">>

#05: Django Unchained

RELEASE DATE 25 Dec 2012 (USA) GENRE Drama, Western CAST Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Jonah Hill WRITER Quentin Tarantino DIRECTOR Quentin Tarantino

Mr. QT is back to the track! I doubt that this movie will be released in my home country (and if it will, then I doubt that there’s not too much censors around the film), but I just can’t wait to see it. I love his style of filming and his latest production, “Inglourious Basterds”, was outstanding! I don’t know, Quentin Tarantino always repeats the same style but I just don’t find it boring. It becomes his trademark actually. Here, in “Django Unchained”, Quentin goes a little bit “Western”-ish with a story about a slave rescuing his wife in Mississippi. Jamie Foxx played the main role, Django. Some other cast like Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson reunited with Quentin in this movie. You will also meet Leonardo DiCaprio and (surprisingly) Jonah Hill here. Again, Quentin wrote this movie by himself. One thing for sure, “Django Unchained” is just not the award’s taste. SEE TRAILER HERE

#04: Cloud Atlas

RELEASE DATE 8 Sept 2012 (Canada, Toronto Film Festival) GENRE Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi CAST Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon, Ben Whishaw WRITER David Mitchell (novel "Cloud Atlas"), Lana Wachowski (written for the screen by), Tom Tykwer (written for the screen by), Andy Wachowski (written for the screen by) DIRECTOR Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

I just can’t forget the 5-minute trailer of “Cloud Atlas”: it's like jumping from one era to another. At some parts you will find the sophisticated technology, at some other parts you will find the amazing primitive world. “Cloud Atlas”, directed by the trio Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski, talks about the interconnection of one act at the past to the reaction in present and future. I myself find it difficult to describe it, but I think “Cloud Atlas” will put time as its main topic. I wonder if it will be as glorious as it seems (the $100,000,000 estimated budget proves this for sure), and I question if it will be difficult to be understood by average viewers. Tykwer (pronounced as “Tikver”) is well-known for his work “Perfume: The Story of A Murderer” and the Wachowski siblings is popular for “The Matrix” trilogy and “V for Vendetta”. I know that creating a movie handled by more than one director (that are not siblings) is not an easy job, so we’ll see if “Cloud Atlas” will be mesmerizing. SEE TRAILER HERE

#03: The Master

RELEASE DATE 1 Sept 2012 (Italy, Venice Film Festival) GENRE Drama CAST Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Mike Howard, Price Carson WRITER Paul Thomas Anderson DIRECTOR Paul Thomas Anderson

Venice Film Festival has ended not so long time ago, and “The Master” became popular at that event. Bringing Silver Lion award for its director, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Volpi Cup for its leading actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master” was argued for not also taking the Golden Lion home. Some rumours said that the committee chose to give a more personal award for the people behind “The Master” instead of awarding the film itself, so that the most prestigious award of the festival, the Golden Lion, is sent to “Pieta”, a Korean drama. “The Master” talked about a charismatic intellectual who establish a faith-based organization in attempt to provide meaning to his life. Call me hipster, but I have not seen any of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films at all. My experience in watching “The Master” will have to be glamorous, won’t it? But, again, Venice Film Festival must not have chose the wrong movie, so I’d like to see the award-qualified “The Master”. SEE TRAILER HERE

#02: Skyfall

RELEASE DATE 23 Oct 2012 (UK, premiere) GENRE Action, Adventure, Thriller CAST Daniel Craig, Helen McCrory, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench WRITER Neal Purvis (written by), Robert Wade (written by), John Logan (written by), Ian Fleming (character) DIRECTOR Sam Mendes

I love to see Daniel Craig-portrayed James Bond, so I can’t stand to wait for “Skyfall”. Well, I hope it won’t repeat the misfortune of its latest franchise, “Quantum of Solace”, but I see that the crew has been reworking to fix some holes of it. “Skyfall” will talk more about M (played again by Judi Dench) who was back haunted by her past, and Bond’s loyalty to her will be tested regarding to that. I don’t expect too much surprise in this movie: we’ll still see gadgets, girls, sceneries, and actions. The only surprise I found is that Sam Mendes sat as the director. Well, this guy is commonly known for drama like “Revolutionary Road” and “American Beauty”, and, except for “Jarhead”, directing a full-action movie like “Skyfall” will be a new challenge for him. The presence of John Logan (who wrote “Hugo” and “Gladiator”) in the screenplay department, teaming with Neal Purvis and Robert Wade who also worked together for “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace”, will be another unnoticed surprise. And, oh yes, Adele is on the soundtrack. SEE TRAILER HERE

#01: Life of Pi

RELEASE DATE 28 Sept 2012 (USA, New York Film Festival) GENRE Adventure, Drama CAST Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Gérard Depardieu, Rafe Spall, Adil Hussain WRITER David Magee (screenplay), Yann Martel (novel) DIRECTOR Ang Lee

And here is ... (give me the drumroll) ... “Life of Pi”! See the trailer and wonder how I was so amazed by the spectacular mix of beautiful scenes and special effects. The neon whale was amazing. I’d love to see it in 3D cinema, for sure. Thank God it’s Ang Lee who got the chance to direct it, because a rumour said that M. Night Shyamalan was offered for that part (you know what I mean :P). The story of “Life of Pi”  centered on a character named Pi (played by Suraj Sharma), an Indian boy, who was set adrift on The Pacific ocean with a company of zoo animal that was brought in the ship. Most of the cast are Indian. “Life of Pi” is also Suraj Sharma’s first touch to Hollywood, as he has never acted or played in any other film before. Unknown cast could be a vigorous start of a brand new experience of filming, but you won’t tell that “Life of Pi” is uninterestingly packaged. Get amazed. SEE TRAILER HERE

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Other movies to consider watching: 1. “Argo” (Drama, Thriller; cast: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston; directed by Ben Affleck); 2. “Beasts of The Southern Wild” (Drama, Fantasy; cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry; directed by Benh Zeitlin); 3. “The Perks of Being Wallflower” (Drama, Romance; cast: Emma Watson, Logan Lerman; directed by Stephen Chbosky); 4. “The ABCs of Death” (Horror; a 26-chapted anthology, directed by 26 different directors); 5. “Seven Psycopaths” (Comedy, Crime; cast: Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken; directed by Martin McDonagh) 6. “Lawless” (Drama, Crime, Western; cast: Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf; directed by John Hillcoat).