Most Anticipated Movies of 2021 (Part VII)
PART VII (40-31)
Director: Ruben Östlund (Force Majeure, The Square) Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Woody Harrelson, Zlatko Burić, Iris Berben, Sunnyi Melles, Henrik Dorsin, Dolly De Leon, Vicki Berlin, and Oliver Ford Davies.
Ruben Östlund has a sharp and wicked tongue when it comes to dark comedy and satire, one that even rivals the acidity and wit of more mainstream auteurs in the genre such as Yorgos Lanthimos and Martin McDonagh. And although most American audiences are still in the dark about who he is (they probably had no idea that last year's comedy Downhill with Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus was a poor remake of his debut hit, Force Majeure), it's only a matter of time before the right film comes along that puts him on everyone's radar. Perhaps the director's upcoming dark comedy, Triangle of Sadness, will finally be that film, which follows a fashion model celebrity couple (Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean) who find themselves stranded on an island with a group of billionaires and a cleaning lady after the luxury cruise yacht they've been vacationing on sinks. As the fight for survival ensues, class dynamics are explored and dissected and the pre-existing hierarchy begins to shuffle and flip. Sounds like a nautical, island-set spin on Parasite, which is (obviously) very appealing to me, and Woody Harrelson should be a standout and a hoot as the ship's Marxist captain.
Release: Is very likely to debut at Cannes. Official release is still TBA.
Director: Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Tony Todd, Vanessa Williams, Rebecca Spence, Cassie Kramer, Kyle Kaminsky, Christiana Clark, Brian King, Torrey Hanson, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Cedric Mays, Nancy Pender, Pamela Jones, and Breanna Lind.
Jordan Peele seems to have his hands in all kinds of horror and sci-fi projects these days. After spending some time in television with hit series such as The Twilight Zone and last year's fantastic Lovecraft Country, the writer/producer/director is primed to return to film with a handful of exciting new upcoming projects. The most exciting of these is probably his currently untitled 'horror event" film, which will mark his third directorial outing and is set to premiere next year, but also very exciting on the slate is the long-delayed spiritual sequel/reboot of Clive Barker's Candyman (which he's producing.) Originally slated for last year until COVID wreaked havoc on the 2020 movie calendar, the new film promises a bold and terrifying new vision of Barker's Cabrini Green ghoul. At the helm of the new film is up-and-coming director Nia DaCosta, whose riveting debut, Little Woods, makes her a fascinating choice for this project. Part socio-family drama and part thriller, her modest indie stunner is naturally a far cry from tackling a horror reboot blockbuster with a devoted cult following. But DaCosta was able to wring so much compelling drama, tension, and atmosphere from such a minimalist setting, that I honestly can't wait to see what she accomplishes with a much larger canvas. Candyman's legacy has always been used as a metaphor for Black generational trauma and racial economic disparities, so I'm especially intrigued to see how Peele and DaCosta will translate those themes to speak to the current audience of today. During a virtual panel for Nightstream, the director opened up about her experience while crafting the upcoming movie, citing Rosemary's Baby and David Cronenberg's The Fly as huge influences on the production! Yeah, definitely a lot of potential here, and I can't wait!
Release: August 27th.
Director: John Michael McDonagh (Calvary, The Guard) Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Jessica Chastain, Saïd Taghmaoui, Caleb Landry Jones, Marie-Josée Croze, Matt Smith, Christopher Abbott, Ismael Kanater, Alex Jennings, and Abbey Lee.
While he may not have the household-name recognition of his brother, Martin McDonagh, John Michael McDonagh is just as much of a bruising force behind the camera and one of the best auteurs Ireland has to offer today. The director assembled a stupendous cast to adapt Lawrence Osborne's masterful and compelling novel, which centers on an Anglo-American couple (Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain) whose weekend stay in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco becomes derailed by an accident with devastating reverberations that upset the lives of them, their friends, and the locals. McDonagh's skill with tense moral dramas makes him a fantastic pairing with Osborne's text (Calvary still gives me chills), so I'm really looking forward to seeing what he and his cast have put together. If you didn't already know there were two great voices in the McDonagh house, I can promise you will by the end of this year.
Release: TBA.
47) Titane
Director: Julia Ducournau (Raw) Cast: Vincent London, Agathe Rousselle, Nathalie Boyer, Myriem Akheddiou, Dominique Frot, Anaïs Fabre, Lamine Cissokho, Mehdi Rahim-Silvioli, and Théo Hellermann.
Every now and then, a debut comes along that signals the arrival of a major and exciting new voice in cinema. With her breakout indie horror film Raw, director Julia Ducournau went straight for the jugular with a movie that was not only shocking, but also shockingly well-made for a feature-length debut. Critics and cinephiles were quick to notice the brilliant echoes of works by masters such as Cronenberg and De Palma while still praising the film's singular vision and the unique voice of its budding new director, solidifying Raw as one of the best horror films to grace movie screens in the last ten years. Neon has obviously picked up on how just how talented she is, because they nabbed the rights to her next film before cameras even began rolling! Her next feature looks like it may contain some horror elements as well, but definitely seems to have more of a mystery/thriller/noir feel to it. The story centers on a mysterious young man named Adriane who claims to be a child that went missing ten years ago. For Adriane's father, Vincent, it seems as though a decade-long nightmare has finally come to an end, until the bodies of murdered victims begin mounting up in town, leaving Vincent to question the identity of the man whose brought him his renewed happiness. Ducournau is sure to deliver some twisted, pulpy surprises, and I can't wait to see what tricks she has up her sleeve with her sophomore outing!
Release: The writing on the wall right now promises a return to Cannes for the director. Hopefully a US release follows soon after.
36) Pinocchio
Director: Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone) Cast: Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Ron Perlman, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Finn Wolfhard, John Turturro, and Burn Gorman.
There seems to be no shortage of Pinocchio movies these days. Indeed, the classic fairy tale from Carlo Collodi is experiencing a huge resurgence in cinema with a host of prolific filmmakers bringing their signature stamp to the story, from Matteo Garrone's darker, quasi-adult-centered epic from last year to Disney's upcoming live-action remake of their animated masterpiece set to be helmed by Robert Zemeckis. But in between those two films we have Guillermo Del Toro's long-in-the-works stop-motion animated take that was finally picked up by Netflix after budget concerns continued to set the project back in development hell. As soon as the streaming giant stepped in with the funds, Del Toro's passion project went from almost being cancelled to going into full production with an A-list voice cast and the best visuals money can buy. Of course, it's not the first time Netflix has come to the rescue to save a big-name director's passion project after it was turned down by almost every studio in town (case in point, just look no further than Martin Scorsese's The Irishman.) And although Collodi's timeless fable is one we are only all too familiar with, I'm excited that Del Toro was finally given a chance to fulfill his life-long dream of delivering his own unique version of the story. The director has said that while his adaptation is both an animated film and mostly pretty kid-friendly, it will also be a very dark and brutalist vision. Stop motion is also by favorite medium of animated storytelling, and the fact that Del Toro has applied the technique to tell a story about a puppet that's come to life is a stroke of pure genius that should prove to be absolutely dazzling on screen!
Release: TBA.
35) Spencer
Director: Pablo Larraín (Jackie, Ema) Cast: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins, Sean Harris, and Jack Farthing.
2021 may be the year everybody finally comes to know who Pablo Larraín is. In addition to helming the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's Lisey's Story with Julianne Moore, the Chilean filmmaker is also directing this biopic about the "people's princess," Diana Spencer. The British royal family has always been a popular subject of interest and fascination in film and TV, with Netflix's The Crown more popular than ever. But the main draw here is definitely Larraín, who already proved with 2016's Jackie that he could deliver a biopic about political royalty with mesmerizing, sublime, and deeply philosophical results. And just as Natalie Portman delivered a stunning turn as Jacqueline Kennedy, I expect Miss Stewart will also be on everyone's radar as a Best Actress hopeful for her portrayal of Princess Diana. The story is set in 1991 over the Christmas holidays at the royal family's Sandringham House in Norfolk, as Diana contemplates her decision to divorce Prince Charles. Steven Knight penned the script, with Jonny Greenwood composing the film's score. This one definitely sounds like a winner!
Release: TBA (my bet is during the holiday season in December.)
34) The Power of the Dog
Director: Jane Campion (The Piano, Top of the Lake) Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Thomasin McKenzie, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Frances Conroy, Keith Carradine, Peter Carroll, and Adam Beach.
Director Jane Campion is a veteran behind the camera with over three decades of experience and respect in the industry. She's a favorite at Cannes and continues to stun and mesmerize audiences with each new project she tackles. With a to-die-for cast at her side, she's adapted Thomas Savage's most acclaimed and revered novel, about a pair of Montana rancher brothers (Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons) whose relationship becomes tested when one of them gets married. Savage's novel is a perfect fit for Campion, which has been described as a Greek tragedy that explores the American Midwest provincialism and the gender dynamics and claustrophobia about sexual boundaries that are deeply embedded in the culture. Netflix (who produced the film) has continued to impress as one of the biggest players during awards season, and this movie should definitely keep them firmly in the conversation when that time rolls around again. Adding an extra layer of icing to the cake is (yet another) score from the incredible Jonny Greenwood. Oscar voters: Get your ballots ready.
Release: TBA.
33) No Time To Die
Director: Cary Fukunaga (Jane Eyre, Beasts of No Nation) Cast: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Ana De Armas, Rory Kinnear, David Dencik, and Billy Magnussen.
Cary Joji Fukunaga has been on the rise for quite some time. Known mostly for his work on the brilliant first season of True Detective, as well as famously parting ways with New Line Cinema over creative differences for the two-part film production of Stephen King's It when his ideas were called out for being too risky and edgy, it seemed only a matter of time before Fukunaga would finally be handed the reins to a bigger, more high-profile project. So when Danny Boyle dropped out from directing the 25th installment of James Bond, the young director immediately seized upon his chance. The COVID pandemic has pushed the release of No Time To Die three times now, and after turning down multiple lucrative offers from streaming giants offering a safe at-home release, it's clear that MGM has a tremendous amount of faith in the movie and want it to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Next to Denis Villeneuve's Dune, it was probably the most disappointing schedule pushback to happen to the movie industry last year. Bond's 25th return to the silver screen is a huge motion picture event that's rich with all kinds of possibilities and potential, from Rami Malek's tantalizing turn as the franchise's new villain to Phoebe Waller Bridge's involvement in the film's script, delivering all the ingredients for a major cinematic crowd-pleaser. On top of all that, the film will also reportedly be Daniel Craig's swan song performance as the famous 007, so fingers crossed he goes out with a bang!
Release: October 8th.
32) Wendell and Wild
Director: Henry Selick (Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas) Cast: Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key.
While I am immensely excited for Candyman this summer, I must confess that the project from Jordan Peele I'm looking forward to the most this year is far and beyond the stop motion animated horror-comedy, Wendell and Wild. In addition to Peele producing, the film also represents a reunion between him and frequent collaborator Keegan-Michael Key, who both helped pen the film's script with director Henry Selick and star alongside each other as two scheming demon brothers who must face off against a demon-dusting nun and two goth teens. Absolutely.. LOVE IT! Henry Selick is a veteran and absolute legend in the field of stop motion animation, so there's no doubt the film will be visually jaw-dropping and inventive. It's also incredibly inspiring how these artists and animators persevered through the experience of making this film, whose production in Portland, Oregon not only took a tremendous blow from the pandemic, but also suffered huge losses from the west coast wildfires last year that had a huge impact on the crew. In an interview last summer, Peele expressed how excited he was about the project, what a joy it had been to work with Selick, and that he couldn't wait for people to discover the film and all the fantastic work everyone put into it. I absolutely concur and can't wait!
Release: TBA.
31) Those Who Wish Me Dead
Director: Taylor Sheridan (Wind River) Cast: Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Jon Bernthal, Medina Senghore, Jake Weber, Tyler Perry, James Jordan, and Tory Kittles.
Taylor Sheridan has been climbing the ranks as one of Hollywood's hottest writers for some time now, with the hit films Sicario and Hell or High Water providing the launchpad that got his career rolling and signaled the arrival of a major new voice in American cinema. But it was his directorial debut, Wind River, that showcased his tremendous directing chops and natural ability at adapting his own material. Since then, he's made an even bigger name for himself as the co-creator of the Paramount Network's critically acclaimed series, Yellowstone. He cites the works of Cormac McCarthy and the Coen Bros. as major influences on his work, and it shows in every project he does while still retaining his singular voice. His sophomore feature stars Angelina Jolie as a smokejumper who must protect a murder witness who is being ruthlessly pursued by his father's assassins. Fleeing into the wilderness with the killers hot on their trail, the duo desperately fight for survival as a ravenous forest fire threatens to consume them all. Sheridan's gritty thrills and brooding atmosphere should be on full display here, and Jolie's experience in action films should make her more than game for the challenge.
Release: May 14th.
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