Most Anticipated movies of 2023

 

Most Anticipated Movies of 2023

(A Compilation of 50 Upcoming Films By Chris Bush)

Part III

20. Challengers  

Director: Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, A Bigger Splash )  Cast: Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor.

Luca Guadagnino is no stranger to stories with complex, messy relationships.  After all, the director only just recently had his cannibal coming-of-age romance, Bones and All, released a couple of months ago.  But even before that, he was already dabbling in those waters with films like A Bigger Splash and Call Me By Your Name.  So I was extremely excited to hear about his next film, Challengers, which is being marketed as a dark and sexy comedy set in the world of tennis with a toxic love triangle at its center.  Zendaya stars as Tashi, a professional tennis player turned coach, who has transformed her husband (Mike Faist) from a mediocre player into a grand slam champion.  But after he's set back by a recent streak of losses, she enrolls him in a challenger event that pits him against Patrick (Josh O'Connor), his wife's ex-lover and his former best friend, setting in motion a chain of events that reignites old tensions both on and off the court.  Guadagnino says he was attracted to the project because of the "beautifully complex.. fucked up characters" that drive the script, which he found himself falling in love with, and called the film "fairly fizzy, sexy, and hyperkinetic."  I am so there!

RELEASE: September 15th following an already confirmed Venice premiere.

19. The Bikeriders 

Director: Jeff Nichols (Loving, Mud )  Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael SHannon, Jodie Comer, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Toby Wallace, Emory Cohen, Beau Knapp, Karl Glusman, Happy Anderson, Mike Faist, and Norman Reedus. 

Jeff Nichols is truly a filmmaker who understands the language of cinema.  A storyteller who strips his films down to the bare minimum of dialogue, wringing as much emotion and narrative as possible from each frame through the sheer power of mise en scène and visual poetry, Nichols has cemented his status as not only a unique voice in American cinema, but also a thoughtful and striking contemporary artist.  Therefore, the fact that his upcoming film, The Bikeriders, drew its inspiration Danny Lyon's 1968 photo book of the same name- itself a story told through a collection of images- isn't so much a coincidence as it is perfectly apropos.  Set in the 1960s and spanning the course of a decade, the story follows a Midwestern motorcycle gang and traces their evolution as a group.  Lyon, a celebrated photographer whose work falls within the style of the New Journalism movement (a style of journalism characterized by unconventional literary techniques and subjective perspective), actually became a member of a motorcycle gang called the Chicago Outlaws and shared in their experiences in addition to photographing them, which became the foundation of The Bikeriders that gave it its lived-in quality.  Expect an intimate and painterly slice of Americana that's as breezy as the wind in your hair and as boundless as a highway interstate.

RELEASE: TBA.  The film has been heavily tipped for Cannes.

18. The Killer 

Director: David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac )  Cast: Michael Fassbender, Charles Parnell, Lacey Dover, Monique Ganderton, Kerry O'Malley, Sala Baker, Monika Gossmann, Kellan Rhude, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton.

Is it really any surprise that David Fincher would adapt a French noir comic about a hired assassin who begins to psychologically break after he develops a conscience?  This is, after all, the same director behind dark, twisty thrillers such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, and Se7en.  Perhaps it's so within character for Fincher to do yet another film that explores the psyche of a ruthless killer that it borders on the overly familiar (which is probably why I didn't rank this even higher), but there's no denying just how good he is at this type of genre, and he always manages to make the finer details feel differently textured that the end result still feels fresh and interesting.  Michael Fassbender should also be very exciting to watch in the lead role, and the addition of Tilda Swinton (as a yet undisclosed character) sounds just as intriguing.  Described as "brutal, bloody, and stylish" (which isn't so unexpected given its Fincher), the film is being touted as a "case study of a man alone."  Also, fun fact: in Steven Soderbergh's annual report of films he watched the previous year, he listed The Killer a total of four time, all within the span of a week!  (And it wasn't even released yet!)  Guess he must have really liked it! 

RELEASE: November 10th.  Would not be surprised if it gets a Venice premiere first.

17. Untitled Ethan Coen Project

Director: Ethan Coen (Fargo, O Brother, Where art Thou? )  Cast: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Matt Damon, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Joey Slotnick, Annie Gonzalez, AND Abby Hilden.

Only a few years after his brother (Joel) struck out on his own filmmaking venture with The Tragedy of Macbeth, the other half of the Coen Bros (Ethan) is now set to mark his independence as an individual talent and storyteller as well.  Working from a script he penned with his wife, Tricia Cooke, not much is known about the currently untitled project, other than that its a road comedy about two queer women traveling from Philadelphia to Tallahassee, who wind up being pursued by a pair of villains due to something mysterious discovered in their trunk.  Some of this sounds right within the Coen wheelhouse, and I'm very excited about the three central performers working together, as well as Ethan debuting his first solo feature.  Both of the Coen brothers have already confirmed they will collaborate again in the future, but in the meantime I'm looking forward to seeing what they're capable of creating on their own!

RELEASE: TBA.  Some have predicted Cannes, but I'm guessing it will be one of the fall fests where this makes its debut.

16. AND

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite, The Lobster )  Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe, Joe Alwyn, and Mamoudou Athie.

Yorgos Lanthimos has been busy!  The Greek auteur behind The Lobster and Dogtooth has two films that have both wrapped filming and are nearly finished in post, and if we're lucky, both of them could be unveiled before the end of the year (and according to my trusted sources, that's exactly what will happen.)  The most recent of these two projects to wrap production is AND, but good luck finding out anything as far as a plot.  Details about the project have been very tight-lipped, but what we do know is that it will be an anthology film; the theory I'm currently entertaining at the moment is that it will be three different stories, one for each letter in the film's title.  Another theory I have is that the stories will be inspired in some way by Greek mythology.  Lanthimos reteamed with screenwriter Efthimis Filippou to pen the script, whom he collaborated with on The Lobster and The Killing of the Sacred Deer, both of which are modern retellings of classic Greek tragedies and plays.  Anthologies are a very difficult genre to nail in film, but I'm very excited by the idea of Lanthimos trying his hand at one, and am even more optimistic he'll deliver something rich and fascinating with it.

RELEASE: TBA.  The rumor I'm hearing is that Searchlight is eyeing the fall festivals for this one.

15. El Conde  

Director: Pablo Larraín (No, Neruda )  Cast: Alfredo Castro, Diana Mercado Armenta, Paula Luchsinger, Gloria Münchmeyer, and jaime Vadell.

Pablo Larraín is still in pre-production for Maria, his upcoming biographical drama of famed opera singer, Maria Callas, starring Angelina Jolie, which will conclude his film trilogy of famous female figures following Jackie and Spencer, so it will still be a while before we finally see that project.  Thankfully though, we have El Conde to look forward to in the meantime, and I'm very excited about this one.  The project finds Larraín once again returning to his native homeland of Chile to explore the identity and sociopolitical fabric of a place he both loves and has a complicated relationship with.  It also finds him returning to another subject he's very familiar with: that of former Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet (only this time, with a twist.)  Part dark satire/part history reimagining, the story centers on Pinochet, who is not actually dead, but an aged vampire whose legacy still haunts and feeds off the country he once ruled with an iron fist (fucking brilliant.)  After walking the earth for 250 years, he comes to a decision to finally die once and for all.  Larraín has always been fascinated with his country's history, and how it continues to influence and shape the identity of its culture, and this genius-level premise sounds like the perfect vehicle to further explore that.  Netflix is also producing, so the fact that they took interest in an indie-budget foreign language film tells me that Larraín's script (which he penned with fellow Neruda scribe, Guillermo Calderón) was too good to be ignored.

RELEASE: TBA.  I'm expecting the film to bow at Venice, where Larraín has a lot of love.

14. Strangers  

Director: Andrew Haigh (45 Years, Weekend )  Cast: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, and Jamie Bell.

Coming off his well-received limited mini-series for BBC a few years ago, The North Water, acclaimed British auteur, Andrew Haigh, got back behind the camera last year for a new feature film!  A drama with romantic undertones and a ghost story all rolled into one, the story follows a screenwriter named Adam (Andrew Scott), who one night has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbor (Paul Mescal) in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London.  Their relationship punctures the rhythm of Adam's everyday life, and as the two grow closer, Adam finds himself pulled back to his childhood home, returning to familiar streets and places from his memory as if in a trance.  There he discovers his long-dead parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), still living and exactly the same age that they died thirty years ago.  The synopsis alone tells me this is a perfect fit for Haigh, which indicates themes of longing, regret, loneliness, identity, and our relationship with the past.  It also sounds likes the kind of dreamy cinema that's rich with feeling and unspoken emotions that I absolutely live for.  Topping it all off is the small but exquisite cast, which just seals the deal; I'm not sure how Haigh knew I needed a film with Scott and Mescal, but I'm so grateful he did, and Foy and Bell as the parents sounds fantastic!  Really looking forward to this one!

RELEASE: TBA.  I'm predicting Venice at this point.

13. Ferrari  

Director: Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral )  Cast: Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Gabriel Leone, Sarah gadon, Jack O'Connell, Patrick Dempsey, Michele savoia, and Giuseppe Bonifati.

As major Hollywood studios sharpen their knives for an all-out bidding war over the film rights to Michael Mann's sequel to Heat, which he released as a novel only last year to stellar reviews, the famed director is currently in the final stages of post-production for his upcoming film, Ferrari, a passion project he's been trying to get made for many years that he wrapped filming on last fall.  Biopics can generally be pretty run-of-the-mill stuff, but Mann has been so invested in this project that I can't help but wonder why he's so drawn to the material, and furthermore, how he plans on making it exciting and cinematic for this current audience.  One thing is for sure: the A-list cast he's assembled certainly makes me hopeful (this has to be one of the most exciting ensembles of the year.)  Adam Driver leads the impressive cast as the titular Enzo Ferrari, a role that at one point had Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman attached to star in.  The hefty biography by renowned journalist, Brock Yates, on which the movie is based- Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine- is a very well-received piece of non-fiction, so hopefully Mann is able to translate the zeitgeist of the acclaimed book from page to screen. 

RELEASE: TBA.  Most people are predicting a star-studded festival premiere at Venice.

12. The Wonderful Story of henry Sugar 

Director: Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel )  Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben kingsley, Rupert Friend, and Richard Ayoade. 

Following up on my earlier post for Wes Anderson's Asteroid City (which ranked at #34 on the list), I mentioned that not only does Anderson have two finished films in the pipeline, but that I was waiting to see a fresher and more different side to his filmmaking aesthetic, and that I believed that moment was in the foreseeable future.  That comment was a direct nod to his second film that's projected to come out this year, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's adult-aimed book of the same name.  The book is a collection of short stories with the story of Henry Sugar- a man able to see through objects and predict the future with the help of a book he stole- being the connective tissue that binds them together.  It's the second film Anderson has directed that's based on a Roald Dahl work (following his animated stop-motion adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox), and only the second live-action film that's not based on an original script.  With Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson not only proved that his filmmaking aesthetic was the perfect vehicle for Dahl's literary sensibilities, but that Dahl's literary sensibilities even helped boost Anderson's aesthetic (personally, I think all of Anderson's movies post-Fantastic Mr. Fox were even better than they were before then.)  In other words, it's clear they are both a perfect match for each other, and I'm glad the director is exploring more of Dahl's material.  The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar isn't quite as well-known as the author's more children-focused books, but it's a very fascinating, imaginative, and even personal work that should be very exciting cinematically.

RELEASE: Netflix (who are producing the project) have already confirmed a fall release, leading me to believe that the film’s premiere will launch at Venice (where Netflix has had lot of success building buzz for their projects.)

11. Oppenheimer  

Director: Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk, Inception )  Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Dane DeHaan, Dylan Arnold, David Krumholtz, Alden Ehrenreich, Matthew Modine, Jack Quaid, David Dastmalchian, Jason Clarke, Josh Peck, Devon Bostick, Alex Wolff, Tony Goldwyn, Scott Grimes, Josh Zuckerman, James D'Arcy, Matthias Schweighöfer, Christopher Denham, David Rysdahl, Guy Burnet, Danny deferrari, Louise Lombard, Harrison Gilbertson, Emma Dumont, Gustaf Skarsgård, Trond Fausa Aurvåg, Olli Haaskivi, Gary Oldman, Olivia thirlby, and casey Affleck.

I have very mixed feelings about Christopher Nolan.  LOVE the scope and ambition of his projects, and that his appeal at the box office is great for the future of auteur-driven cinema, but am often frustrated by his convoluted scripts that tend to distrust the intelligence of his audience.  LOVE the talent his projects attract, but annoyed that his thunderous sound design usually drowns out that talent making it more difficult to appreciate their work.  And if I hadn't been as disappointed with his last film, Tenet, I probably would have ranked Oppenheimer much higher.  All that being said, Nolan hasn't lost my attention yet, and his next film is beginning to look like it may be his best work in years.  The director's three-hour epic tells the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.  Early buzz from the cast and crew has been very encouraging, with Matt Damon calling the finished film "fantastic" and co-star Cillian Murphy's portrayal of the titular Oppenheimer as "phenomenal."  It's been clear from the trailers that Nolan has attempted to craft that rare biopic drama that transcends into blockbuster territory thanks to its grand and sweeping scope and A-list cast, and what's more, I think he may have succeeded.  If it's as good as I think it's going to be and plays as well as Nolan's previous features, it will definitely be the type of film the Oscars love to award: a big American picture with a huge ensemble, enormous box office haul, and centered around an influential, larger-than-life character (not that I care a whole lot what the Oscars think, but I think it's important to consider when predicting just how much of an impact this film could have on the cinematic landscape this year.)  It's for these reasons you would be foolish not to put Oppenheimer high on your list for 2023.

RELEASE: July 21st.

10. Blitz  

Director: Steve McQueen (12 years a Slave, Small Axe )  Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Erin Kellyman, Paul Weller, Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clementine, Hayley Squires, Leigh Gill, Josef Altin, and Sally Messham.

Another director appearing for the second time on this list (his World War II documentary, Occupied City, ranks at #23), Steve McQueen's upcoming World War II drama follows the stories of a group of Londoners during the events of the British capital bombing by the Nazis.  Yes, that's right- McQueen has TWO WWII movies coming out in the foreseeable future (could the rise of white supremacist movements in the last 10 years have something to do with McQueen's sudden fascination with the impact of the Third Reich?)  McQueen is an insanely talented filmmaker, and as I already mentioned in my post about Occupied City, I'm willing to watch literally anything from him after the artist triumph of Small Axe, so definitely count me in.  World War II is certainly an overly familiar subject in movies, but I think what struck me about McQueen's project is that it's told from the perspective of civilians (a POV often ignored in this genre, which usually tends to focus on the soldiers and the battlefields.)  With two hotly anticipated films on the horizon, McQueen continues to cement his status as one of today's most exciting directors to watch for.

RELEASE: TBA.  I'm predicting the film will have its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival (apropos given the subject matter) before beginning its theatrical rollout in December.

9. The Holdovers

Director: Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants )  CasT: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and carrie Preston.

With rumors currently swirling of a potential sequel to his hit 1999 comedy, Election, it's clear that Alexander Payne has no intention of fading into retirement anytime soon.  But before that movie happens, we'll be getting a cinematic reunion between him and his incomparable Sideways star, Paul Giamatti, in the form of his upcoming film, The Holdovers.  Giamatti stars as Paul Hunham, a private school educator disliked by his students, fellow faculty, and even the headmaster, who all find his pomposity and rigidity exasperating.  With no family and nowhere to go over the Christmas holiday in 1970, he remains at school to supervise all the students who also have no place to go during the holiday break.  After a few days, he's left with only one student holdover- Angus, a good but troublemaking 15-year-old student whose bad behavior constantly puts him at risk of expulsion.  Joining them is head cook Mary- a Black woman who caters to the sons of privilege and whose own son was recently lost in Vietnam.  Confined to the school property due to the snowy weather outside, the three of them share in each other's company over the following two weeks, forging a relationship that encourages them to grow from their past and evolve as human beings.  All of this sounds amazing (this role was honestly made for Giamatti), and any doubts I had after the disappointment of Payne's last film, Downsizing, were immediately forgotten when I read the premise for this movie.  It's the kind of character-driven premise that could really sing if it's done right, and one sorely missing from today's cinematic landscape.  As if it didn't already have my attention conceptually, there's also the fact that a rough cut screened last year at Toronto in a private screening for a select audience of mostly studio agents, where it was met with overwhelming praise.  Marks across the board were given for Giamatti's work, with many also citing Da'Vine Joy Randolph's performance as Mary to be a stellar standout that's sure to be in awards conversation for Best Supporting Actress next year!  Another viewer even declared the movie to be the best thing that was screened at Toronto that nobody knew about (mind you, this was an unfinished cut, and it still beat out flashier TIFF titles like The Fabelmans, The Woman King, and All Quiet on the Western Front for this particular viewer.)  In the end, Focus Features won a competitive  all-out bidding war for the film, securing it in their oeuvre for next awards season.  All I gotta say is: the competition is heating up.

RELEASE: November 10th (many are expecting a return to TIFF first, this time in the official lineup.)

8. Cerrar los Ojos (Close Your Eyes)  

Director: Víctor Erice (The Spirit of the Beehive, El Sur )  Cast: José Coronado, Manolo Solo, María león, Petra martínez, Soledad Villamil, Ana Torrent, Mario Pardo, Helena Miquel, and josep Maria Pou.

Víctor Erice!  Now there's a name I did not expect I'd be adding to this list if you had asked me a year ago!  The revered filmmaker behind The Spirit of the Beehive (considered by many cinephiles as one of the greatest Spanish films of all time, and even the greatest by some) is one of the leading and most influential voices in Spanish cinema, with Guillermo Del Toro citing him as one of his biggest influences.  What's even more incredible is that Erice has only made three feature-length films, each within a decade of each other, with the bulk of his work mostly being short films, and yet has still retained his level of relevance and respect in the film community.  And last year, at the age of 82, he came back after a 10-year hiatus to direct his first feature film since 1992!  Translated as Close Your Eyes, Cerrar los ojos tells the story of an actor who disappears during a filming project after falling off a cliff into the sea.  Years later he reappears, but without knowing who he is or anything about his previous life.  Erice is such an intricate and complex storyteller, it would be impossible to guess what kind of themes he's exploring with this premise, but it sounds intense and fascinating!  I'm so glad he's back, and I am really looking forward to this!

RELEASE: TBA.  He's such a beloved name, any prestigious festival would kill to have his film debut there.  I'm sure Cannes has reached out to him already, with San Sebastian Film Festival in his native homeland of Spain also being viable candidate.

7. Beau is Afraid  

Director: Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar )  Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Armen Nahapetian, Patti LuPone, Zoe Lister-Jones, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Haley Squires, Julia Antonelli, Stephen mCkINLEY hENDERSON, Denis méNOCHET, Michael Gandolfini, AND Richard KIND.

Ari Aster is one of the most exciting and provocative directors to have emerged in the last decade.  With only two feature films under his belt, Hereditary and Midsommar, the auteur has carved out a name for himself as a gripping storyteller who doesn't pull back any punches.  His two unsettling horror films brilliantly pick at the scabs of mental trauma and relationship dysfunction, examining the deeply buried scars we're in constant denial of and don't have the courage to look at.  Although his next film, Beau is Afraid, has been described as more of a tragicomedy, Aster says it's not a complete departure from the horror genre that was front and center in his previous work, calling it a "nightmare comedy."  Joaquin Phoenix- who is probably the most brilliant and fearless actor working today, and thereby ups the ante of excitement for just about any project he touches- is also the lead in the film, which chronicles an intimate, decades-spanning portrait of an anxiety-ridden man who embarks on surreal, Kafkaesque odyssey back home following the sudden death of his mother.  The script has drawn comparisons to Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York, with the film's runtime clocking in at a whopping three hours (supposedly, a four-hour director's cut exists as well!)  Clearly this is something very ambitious, and although the length is a bit of shock, it's not a complete surprise given the director's cut of Midsommar ran almost three hours.  Regardless of how long you'll be sitting though, the pairing of Phoenix and Aster should produce some very fascinating results, as the actor himself carries a lot of personal trauma and pain of his own that he's pulled from to influence his most profound performances, and that darkness he brings could be a driving force in this film that pushes Aster's work to another level.  Eary test-screenings last year had some viewers decrying the movie as a mess, while others confessed to being blown away, so expect this one to be the kind of madcap and exciting cinematic venture that divides audiences into the love-it-or-hate-it camp.  It could be this year's Everything Everywhere All at Once (apropos given both come from A24), and I will happily take that!

RELEASE: April 21st.  Press screenings are expected to roll out starting March 30th (with the embargo lifting on April 18th), three weeks before the film's release, and that's a very good sign.

6. Poor Things

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite, The Lobster )  Cast: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youseff, Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Margaret Qualley, Suzy Bemba, Kathryn Hunter, and Wayne Brett.

Yorgos Lanthimos' penchant for pitch-black satire is equally matched by his superb filmmaking abilities and wrangling masterful performances from his talented cast.  But most of all, everything he's made so far feels exceptionally unique.  Each film he makes carries his individualistic stamp and fingerprints, while still feeling wholly different from the last.  It's evidence that he's not afraid to experiment with genre while making the movie entirely and unabashedly his own.  If that's not the hallmark of an exciting filmmaker, then I don't know what is.  Another of his upcoming projects that's expected to drop this year (and the second to show up on this list in addition to AND, which wrapped production last December) sounds like his most ambitious film yet, which is saying something since he's already made a film about a dystopia where people are turned into animals if they fail to fall in love, and a horror film inspired Euripides' Greek tragedy, Iphigenia in Aulis.  Poor Things offers up a Victorian sci-fi romance rooted in the influences of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  Based on the novel by Scottish writer and artist, Alasdair Gray, the story is a remarkable tale of love, discovery, and scientific daring, exploring the life of a woman named Belle Baxter (Emma Stone, reuniting with Lanthimos for the second time after The Favourite) after she's brought back to life by her eccentric scientist father (the always dependable, Willem Dafoe.)  The award-winning book garnered widespread critical acclaim, receiving praise for its "brisk, funny, and brainy" writing, as well as how Gray brilliantly articulated his concerns with social inequalities, relationships, memory, and identity (themes that were often touched upon or explored in his earlier work.)  Mary Shelley's centuries-old tale has been the influence and backdrop of many films, however, Yorgos Lanthimos is something of a mad scientist himself too, and armed with Gray's fantastic novel, he just may be able to provide the spark of life that makes the familiar feel new again.

RELEASE: TBA.  Some have this tipped for Cannes, while other are betting on Venice.  But everyone agrees that a theatrical bow is certain for the fall awards season.

5. May December  

Director: Todd Haynes (Carol, Far from Heaven)  Cast: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton, Piper Curda, Elizabeth Yu, and Gabriel Chung.

Todd Haynes has always had a flair for telling very female-centric stories with characters and themes that are both fascinating and complex, and May December has an exciting premise that seems to be very much in that vein.  Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman will act opposite each other in this fictional drama that takes the term "character study" to a whole new, introspective level.  Moore is set to play Gracie Atherton-Yu, a woman who had been the subject of a notorious tabloid romance 20 years ago to a man 23 years her junior and is now bracing for the next chapter of her life alongside her husband, Joe, as their twins graduate high school and leave home.  But when a Hollywood actress named Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) comes to spend time with the family to better understand Gracie, who she will be playing in an upcoming film, the dynamics of Gracie's family begin to unravel under the pressure of the outside gaze that has suddenly infiltrated their home.  Joe, having never processed what happened during his youth, starts to confront the reality of life as an empty-nester at 36 (daaaaamn, I...I did the math.)  And as Elizabeth and Gracie study each other, the similarities and differences between the two women begin to ebb and flow, carefully unfolding in a psychologically taut story that explores themes of truth, storytelling, and the difficulties (or impossibility) of fully understanding another person.  Haynes spoke of the script for the film, which is written by Samy Burch and based on a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik, calling it "exceptional," and based on the synopsis alone, it's easy for me to see why.  It sounds absolutely intriguing and very thought-provoking in how it challenges ideas about portraying real-life figures and who should get to tell another person's story; a topic that's been discussed a lot lately and feels especially timely even at this moment.  Portman and Moore have never acted in a film together, and the idea of the two of them tearing into these juicy characters (in a Todd Haynes film no less) sounds like the kind of fireworks-acting display we get treated to every once in a while, if we're lucky. 

RELEASE: TBA.  Haynes is a favorite at Cannes, so I'm betting it will debut there. 

4. The Way of the Wind  

Director: Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, The New World)   Cast: Géza Röhrig, Mark Rylance, Matthias Schoenaerts, Philip Arditti, Nabil Elouahabi, Aidan Turner, Con O'Neill, Joseph Mawle, Karel Roden, Martin McCann, Sarah-Sophie Boussnina, Laëtitia Eïdo, Ali Suliman, Shadi Mar'i, Selim Bayraktar, Ori Pfeffer, Selva Rasalingam, Tawfeek Barhom, Sebastiano Filocamo, Makram Khoury, Ben Kingsley, Joseph Fiennes, Douglas Booth, Sarah Greene, Mathieu Kassovitz, Numan Acar, Björn Thors, John Rhys-Davies, Adam Nagaitis, Dejan Bucin, Sofia Danu, and Leila Hatami. 

To watch Terrence Malick's films is to experience something spiritual, like walking into in a thousand-year-old church as the stained-glass windows catch the light of the sun, or to stand in the middle of a majestic national park with only the sounds of nature traveling melodically through the air.  There's just something so texturally rich about his work that reaches something soulful, ethereal, and deeply profound.  I suppose then it was only a matter of a time before he made a sweeping epic of Biblical proportions centered around the most popular religious figure of all time.  The Way of the Wind, which will mark the director's eleventh full-length feature in a career spanning 50 years, is a historical drama that retells several episodes in the life of the Christ, with a prestigious cast that includes the likes of Ben Kinglsey, Mark Rylance, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Son of Saul's Géza Röhrig as none other than Jesus of Nazareth.  Malick is very reclusive about his work, so there's still so much about his upcoming film that remains a mystery.  Not even Mark Rylance- who plays multiple versions of Satan in the movie (something he's spoken with the press about several times)- has divulged very much about the project.  But this is Malick we're talking about, and he's making a Biblical drama about Jesus in true Malick-ian fashion that is sure to be epic in the grand and lyrical way that his movies almost always are.  Frankly, that's all I need to know.

RELEASE: TBA.  The film was mysteriously absent from festival talks last year, even after a post-production process that's spanned over three years (making it the longest editing Malick has done on a film to date), with one source close to film saying it may go down as the director's "unfinished symphony."  But of course, I don't believe that.  It will get here eventually, perhaps not at a festival this year, but soon.  Another source close to the film recently said the project was nearing completion but would not be ready in time for Cannes, so I have a feeling this project will follow the same trajectory of The New World and wrap late this fall, and just skip the festivals altogether for a holiday release in December.  We shall see.  Venice would be nice too.

3. Killers of the Flower Moon

Director: Martin Scorsese (The Irishman, Silence )  Cast: Jesse Plemons, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Tantoo Cardinal, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbott Jr., Pat Healy, Scott Shepherd, Gary Basaraba, Steve Eastin, Barry Corbin, Katherine Willis, and Jack White.

Scorsese is a movie-making legend.  Anything he does is always going to have my immediate attention, and I think those feelings echo the sentiments of just about every other cinephile I know.  At 79, Scorsese is still continuing to demonstrate his growth and maturity as a storyteller, and the very fact that his last two features, Silence and The Irishman, are two of the best films he's ever made in his career, is a true testament to the validity of that case.  In their own tonal and metaphysical way, both films are so different than anything he's done before (which is saying something, since The Irishman is literally a mob movie starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci), and they've really set a whole new standard of what to expect from this masterful filmmaker.  That's a huge reason why I'm so excited for his upcoming adaptation of David Grann's bestseller, Killers of the Flower Moon.  The other big reason is because of what the book it's based on is about, which recounts a series of murders that happened to members of the Osage Tribe during the 1920s, after oil had been discovered on their tribal lands.  The dehumanization and genocide of indigenous Americans from white supremacy is an extremely underrepresented topic in cinema (especially in mainstream films), and it is so crucial now more than ever that it be given more attention, especially after the last couple years that have raised the level of awareness and necessity for racial equity and justice.  Scorsese clearly understands the level of care and urgency that must be taken with this film, and has publicly expressed a desire to handle the material as sensitively as possible.  Prior to production, the director went to Pawhuska, Oklahoma and met with Principal Chief Standing Bear to discuss how the Osage Nation could be involved with the film's production.  Since then, he and other members of his tribe have been chief consultants on the film.  That input would prove to be a vital component in the overall production of the film and the translation of its story.  In a recent interview, actress Lily Gladstone (who is Native American) opened up about the project, divulging that the tribe's influence and perspective fundamentally changed the film from what its director had originally set out to make, and that those changes helped craft a richer and more powerful finished product.  "The work is better when you let the world inform that work," she said in quote from Variety.  And she's not the only one who thinks the film is even better for these changes.  In an even more recent interview, Leonardo DiCaprio said he is almost certain the film he collaborated on with his fellow artists is a masterpiece.  Wow!  Speaking of DiCaprio, Killers is also exciting for the mere fact that it reunites Scorsese with two of his favorite leading stars- Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio- in their first collaboration that includes all three of them working together.  Call it the cherry on top of what was already shaping up to be one of the most exciting films to come out this year, or any year for that matter!

RELEASE: A limited release begins on October 6th, with an extended release on October 20th.  The film is also expected to hit every major film festival this year, with a star-studded premiere launching at Cannes!

2. The Zone of Interest  

Director: Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin, Sexy Beast )  Cast: Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel, Ralph Herforth, Max Beck, Marie Rosa Tietjen, Sascha Maaz, Stephanie Petrowitz.

Perhaps the most ambitious- and even mysterious- project on this list is the long-delayed film from brilliant auteur, Jonathan Glazer.  The Under the Skin director is known for an aesthetic that exemplifies the very definition of "art house," and his style of intuitive, experimental storytelling recalls the boundary-pushing techniques that defined Kubrick's career.  There are quite a few directors today that get the Kubrick comparison (like Nolan and Villeneuve), but Glazer possesses a boldness in his work that (I feel) is far closer in spirit to Kubrick's and more worthy of that title than any of them.  It's easy to see why Martin Amis' novel, The Zone of Interest, would appeal to someone like Glazer.  The book falls into that category of "impossible-to-adapt" source material, as the story navigates a love triangle set inside a Holocaust concentration camp, and because so much of what's going on in the book (especially the more profound moments) is articulated through the character's thoughts and perspectives.  On top of that, Glazer has stated (rather ironically) that his script is an even looser adaptation of the novel, with an even greater emphasis on its more metaphorical and cerebral elements.  But perhaps even more curious and exciting has been the film's unique post-production process, a process he's been working through meticulously for over a year.  The British auteur divulged that he had even been considering the idea of multiple cuts of the film, with not just different lengths, but also different perspectives!  (Holy shit!)  A source close to the project also shared that the director had developed 360-degree sets for the film, with multiple cameras rolling at once!  This sounds absolutely insane!  Under the Skin is without a doubt one of my 10 favorite films of the 2010s decade, and I know me and almost every cinephile alive have been waiting patiently (almost 10 years to be exact) to see what his next offering would be.  Based on this information, I have a feeling we're in for something really unique and incredible that will be well worth the wait!

RELEASE: TBA.  There have been many whispers and rumors about which festival the film will make its big splash at, but nothing concrete has been given thus far.  Cannes or Venice are the top bets.

1. How Do You Live?

Director: Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke )

And here we are at last.  The filmmaker whose current project made the top of my list requires no introduction.  His animation, and the legacy it has carved out for itself in the hearts and minds of children and adults alike, has made him one of the most influential storytellers of all time.  An outspoken environmentalist, an unabashed feminist, and an extremely talented and humble individual, there is no other storyteller (filmmaker or author) with an imagination and personal aesthetic quite like Miyazaki's.  And while there are many gifted artists who I'd say stand equally toe-to-toe with him, the Japanese animator behind such classics as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away is truly one of a kind.  Amidst the breathtaking beauty and stark harshness of the worlds he creates, there's a deeply profound love and sense of optimism that permeates every journey he takes us on, and through his eyes we're able to envision the kind of world we'd like to live in ourselves.  Back in 2013, Miyazaki announced that The Wind Rises would be his final film before entering retirement (much to the disappointment of his very devoted fanbase.)  Three years later, the director- deciding he still had some unfinished business in the animated arena- came out of retirement to direct one last film.  As soon as the announcement was made, Studio Ghibli (the animation workshop that was founded by Miyazaki and two of his fellow animators back in 1985) reopened its doors and began getting to work on the director's swan song project.  How Do You Live? is based on the 1936 novel from famed Japanese author, Yoshino Genzaburō.  The novel, which has become required reading in the Japanese Public School System, traces the psychological and spiritual development of a teenage boy and his relationship with his uncle, exploring the world through their eyes as it navigates themes of poverty, education, class, Japanese culture, and existentialism.  Miyazaki's adaptation is said to differ slightly from the source material, incorporating the animator's signature style of fantasy and magical realism, and that the movie is dedicated to his grandson as a departing gift before he passes on into the next life (uggh I'm gonna ugly cry so hard during this movie, it's not even funny.)  No doubt, this may be one of my most anticipated films of the decade.

RELEASE: The film hits Japanese cinemas on July 14th and is rumored to have its international premiere at Venice soon after before it gets its theatrical rollout in the US.

Wildcard Entry: 

Director: David Lynch (Mullholland Drive, Blue Velvet )

Cast: Unknown

Yes, that's right!  For the first time ever on one of my lists, there is a "Wildcard Entry!"  Of course, I know what some of you must be thinking:

Why a Wildcard Entry?

Basically, there was one film that I desperately wanted to add to this list.  The only problem was, I wasn't 100% percent certain if this was something that would be coming out this year, let alone if it even existed.  This story traces back to before the pandemic hit.  Renowned auteur David Lynch had signed a deal with Netflix to write, direct, and produce his own original limited series for the streaming giant.  The project was granted a budget of $85 million, with Lynch attached to direct a total of 13 episodes for the new mysterious project, and the cast was rumored to include a host of Lynch's go-to regulars such as Naomi Watts and Laura Dern.  Then COVID-19 hit, and Netflix was soon forced to scrap the project while it was still deep in production due to their refusal to meet the budgetary demands.  And that seemed to be the final nail in the coffin, that is, up until last year anyway.  A leaked report made waves almost a year ago, which claimed that Lynch had a new film that would be premiering at Cannes in just over a month, and that a select, small audience consisting of festival programmers, limited press, and just a few other lucky people had already seen a rough cut!  This led many to wonder if the film would premiere as a finished feature or a work-in-progress.  However, shortly after those reports were made, Lynch made a public statement to deny that any such film existed, and that the reports made were based only on rumors.  Which brings me to another important question you all must be wondering:

Is There Really a New David Lynch Film?

Well, let's consider a few things.  First, I think we can establish that Lynch did indeed film something a while back, and that just its production was cut untimely short.  But what if Lynch actually decided to repurpose the footage and make it into a feature film?  This would not be the first time he's done this.  Mulholland Drive was also originally intended to be a series, before Lynch decided partway into production that he wanted to make a film instead.  What if something similar happened here?  Many productions resumed once pandemic conditions had stabilized, and it's not as if the budgetary finances would be in issue when Netflix made soaring profits during a period when most people were confined to their homes, so why was it an issue here?  I personally think that Lynch does have a new film, and that he did present it in a secret screening for a private audience of festival insiders.  But I think Netflix wanted to know exactly what they had first before they decided to go further with it, so they gave Lynch permission to facilitate this screening so they could test the waters and see what people's reactions would be.  And the only reason why the film never had an official announcement in the Cannes lineup was because of Netflix's history with the festival, as they have never been able to meet the festival's criteria as far as how they release their films (France requires all films in Competition to have a theatrical run and that streamers must wait at least 15 months before making them available on their service.)  Perhaps a Cannes premiere is unlikely because of this, but a splashy debut at Venice is still very much a possibility.  And if there is indeed a new Lynch film, I am beyond excited.  Lynch is one of the most mesmerizing and masterful artists of our time.  The very idea of such a project deserves to be on the radar of anyone who claims to love cinema.  So let's just hope the director's statement from last year is just part of some elaborate hoax to put us off guard for when he pulls the rug out from under our feet in 2023.  Fingers crossed!

RELEASE: WHO KNOWS!!

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