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This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

Atonement is a cinematic masterpiece and I'm not just saying that because it's one of my favorite films of all time. Joe Wright is an exciting and innovative director whose talents were in peak form on this film with a great assist from the visionary work of cinematographer Seamus McGarvey. Both were able to craft such a lush vision of the film whose performances, screenplay, and other aspects were also top-notch. I can literally go on and on about how much I love everything about this film.

But the mission for the day is to pick my best shot and in a film I adore full of gorgeous shots, it's a task I took quite seriously. The first "shot" that came to mind is the wonderful Dunkirk tracking sequence which I previously talked about as being one of my favorite film scenes ever. Its bravura technical work for cast and crew and would be a no-brainer pick for anyone.

And then I thought about the wonderful and, in retrospect, heartbreaking reunion of Cecilia and Robbie at the cafe after being separated for years. This move was an acting showcase, especially for Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, and it was in full display here as they both are practically choking over various emotions of love, lust, pain, longing and regret.

In the end, I chose the emotional climax of that earlier Dunkirk sequence as Robbie's emotions finally get the best of him.

Best Shot

He's beyond exhausted and seeing this display of love on screen haunts him as the memories of his all-too-brief love affair with Cecilia haunts him daily. The shot itself is just so evocative especially the way the film screen dwarfs this hunched and defeated figure. Earlier today, I actually posted a series of shots from the film showing McAvoy's Robbie framed by doors throughout the film thinking that maybe it was meant to symbolize how confined he is to his tragic situation. And while this shot is not of Robbie framed by a door, he certainly looks just as trapped.

Looking Forward To...

Begin Again
Release: June 27, 2014
Distributor: Weinstein Company
Director: John Carney
Starring: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Mos Def, Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, James Corden, and Adam Levine

End-Of-Year: Top 15 Films of 2012

Just a day later than planned, but still a full day before the Oscars so I'm pretty much just on time with this much-awaited list of my favorite 15 films of 2012. And they are...

15. Wreck-It Ralph - Akin to Disney's Enchanted a few years back, after watching this film, you ask yourself why no one has ever thought about making this movie before. Why not have a film that goes inside the world of video games with cameos from arcade icons Pac-Man, Sonic, and the cast of Street Fighter? But apart from that novelty, the film would be nothing without a great story and this film had that in spades with "Wreck-It Ralph," a villain who wants to be a hero finding his inner good guy when he meets quirky racecar driver outcast Vanellope. Their friendship and parallel self-discoveries elevate the film and really provide the heart. The animation is quite great, but it's the voicework from the fun cast that deserves much kudos.

14. Seven Psychopaths - As a big fan of writer-director Martin McDonagh's earlier film In Bruges, I was highly anticipating this sophomore effort which thankfully lived up to my already high expectations. The snappy, witty, meta dialogue was expectantly enjoyable as was the game and talented cast headlined by performances by Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, and Christopher Walken. Colin Farrell, who I'd like to think of as McDonagh's muse, plays the main character, a struggling screenwriter who is trying to write a story about seven psychopaths and his wacky, hilariously violent journey in trying to complete his vision drives this wacky tale that is ever so re-watchable.

13. The Impossible - The spectacle of the tsunami and its devastating aftermath is reason enough to see this film (the theater audience I saw this with was captivatingly silent during this part), but its the way the film personalizes the horrors and tragedy that makes this film so great. Most of this is due to the wonderful actors headlined by tour-de-force performances from Naomi Watts and young Tom Holland, a mother and son struggling to survive. Some of their scenes were almost too hard to watch, but they make it impossible to look away from the screen even one second. Ewan McGregor, with unfortunately not much to do, still killed in his few scenes. Talk all you want about how emotionally manipulative the film is, but I for one loved this heart-wrenching and inspiring real-life tale.

12. Searching for Sugarman - This absolutely wonderful documentary about a long-lost music icon should be seen not only by music lovers, but by everyone who has ever had a dream and not been able to achieve it because of one reason or another. In the center of it all is a 70s rock musician known as Rodriguez whose music was largely ignored in America, but made him a star in South Africa unbeknowst to him. The documentary chronicles South African fans detailing the influence Rodriguez's music had on their lives and their quest to learn more about, or perhaps track down the mysterious Rodriguez. The payoff is at once uplifting as well as bittersweet which the film doesn't sugarcoat, which I appreciated. It's a human interest story for the ages and I implore again how much everyone needs to watch this little gem of a film.

11. Moonrise Kingdom - Calling a Wes Anderson film "whimsical" is like calling a Tarantino film "bloody" or a Joe Wright film "pretty," but it truly is the perfect word to encapsulate Anderson's latest film about two youngsters falling in love and escaping together into the wilderness. The two young actors, Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman, were perfectly cast and fit seamlessly into a film bursting with quirky personality. Anderson's films do tend to have a specific look and feel to them, which in this case complemented the setting, a New England summer camp in 1965.

And now my top ten...

10. Anna Karenina - I'm a huge Joe Wright fanboy and my love for him seemingly grows for every period film he makes starring Keira Knightley so I always knew this film would be something I would enjoy. The decision to use theatrical trappings as a framework to tell this classic Tolstoy tale is simply inspired making the film a sumptuous treat for the eyes. The acting, with the exception of the miscast Vronsky, was superb from Knightley's pitch perfect turn as the titular character to Jude Law's more subtle, but equally impressive role as the cuckold husband. The costumes, the music, the production design, the dialogue... it was all just oh so romantic, luscious, and enticing.

9. Chronicle - Found footage films aren't usually my cup of tea, but I was intrigued by the ambiguous marketing and the promise of some X-Men-like stories of super-powered humans as well as the presence of Friday Night Lights alum Michael B. Jordan. I'm glad I checked it out, because what I discovered was a movie way more clever and way deeper than it really had any right to be. Three boys suddenly finding themselves with super powers is cool and all, but its the film's commitment to painstakingly show us what this fantasy scenario really might do to the boys, their relationships, and their view on the world that is worthy of praise. Dane DeHaan especially impressed me in a role that called him to be shy, charming, explosive, angry, sad, smart, and foolish sometimes in the same scene.

8. The Cabin in the Woods - It's been 3 years in the making, but Joss Whedon's genre-busting horror film finally came out and it's one of the theatrical experiences of last year I won't soon forget. Just the sheer boldness of the film which really does take every single preconceived ideas you have about horror films and flip them every which way is something to be admired. All of that plus the trademark Whedonesque humor ever-present in the film helps alleviate the sometimes truly horrific things happening on screen, but isn't that just Whedon to mix his horror with his comedy with his meta musings? The twists and turns the narrative takes all the way to the end really calls for repeat viewings. Plus, how cool was its posters?

7. Looper - To be honest, the time traveling aspect of the film has got to be the least interesting part of this smartly crafted, wonderfully original, and action-packed film. For me, the most praise-worthy elements are the nuanced performances by the cast and the script's willingness to not handhold its audience. On the surface, it's a film with a really cool premise, but underneath, like most very good sci-fi films, it touches on something deeper, a universal truth. In this film's case, it's redemption through sacrifice or perhaps even simpler, actions have consequences. It's just a stunning, imaginative work from Rian Johnson, a very exciting new-ish director who recently won a DGA for his work on Breaking Bad!

6. ParaNorman - This gorgeous stop-motion film is my favorite animated film of the year perhaps because I saw a lot of myself in the lead Norman who feels a bit like an outcast. He does see dead people after all! But there's just chock full of things to love about the film. The music, the look, the great plotting all coalesced into one very beautiful film about acceptance, bravery, and friendship. And yet by the time you get to the end, you don't feel like you've been hit in the head with all of these Important Life Lessons since they all came forth organically out of this fun zombie kiddie flick. Of course, I can't not mention that this film also features the first gay character in an animated film, which yay! It also contains one of my absolutely favorite sequences on film this year.

5. Zero Dark Thirty - Apparently there's some kind of controversy about the use of torture and/or use of classified government information, but for me I just want to praise writer Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow on the amazing job they did to expertly craft such a thrilling and suspenseful film of the greatest manhunt of all time. Not to say that they lucked out with their ending as they were making the movie before Osama bin Laden was actually captured, but the capture certainly helped give their film that narrative drive and a climax for the ages. All of this wouldn't have worked though without the central figure of Maya played by the consistently excellent Jessica Chastain. Exhilarating and contemplative, this film was the whole package.

4. Life of Pi - This epic film, headlined by master director Ang Lee and brilliant newcomer Suraj Sharma knocked me out. I literally couldn't believe what I was seeing on screen while watching in theaters. Supposedly the source material was dubbed "unfilmable" so of course Lee was able to literally make movie magic and deliver this breathtaking piece of cinema. The technical achievement alone makes the film worth while with its stunning vistas and brilliant life-like special effects, but it's the very human element of Pi's emotional, spiritual, and physically draining journey that grounds the film. All of that plus a thoroughly thought-provoking finale makes you just want to examine everything you ever believed in.

3. The Avengers - Joss Whedon's billion dollar baby has the honor of being my favorite summer film and while it didn't take my top spot for the year, it remains one of my most enjoyable theatrical experience of the past year. Of course I'm a huge Whedon fanboy, but even someone not familiar with his ouevre had to have been impressed by the seamless way he was able to bring together the various actors from different movies to make one magnificent ensemble (in fact my favorite ensemble of the year). The action sequences were, excuse the pun, marvelous not just because we got to see shit get blown up, but because Whedon's direction and script uses these sequences to illuminate his characters! What a crazy concept, right? Plus the film is just tons of fun. Now, I can probably talk endlessly about what I love about the film, but I'll just end it by confessing that I still have never tasted shawarma.

2. Argo - It's not often my favorite Best Picture nominee is also the front-runner to win, but I'm glad this political drama-Hollywood satire-espionage thriller film is getting its due. As I just mentioned, the film is pretty much three great films all smashed into one, but it also never feels disjointed or awkward. I give all the credit to the filmmakers who really were able to craft this real-life story of a covert operation to rescue Americans from Iran into not just a thrilling and nail-biting film, but also one that is uplifting and surprisingly funny at times. The cast, full of unknowns and TV actors plus Affleck himself, were simply extraordinary. Everyone say it with me now, Argofuckyourself!

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I joke that this film is like a live-action ParaNorman with the main character feeling like an outcast haunted by ghosts (of the past) and getting into hijinks with the most unlikely people. You can't un-see it now, right? In any case, I actually read the coming-of-age best-selling YA novel the film is based on when I was roughly the same age as the characters in the book so to say the story affective me would probably be understating it. And with author Stephen Chbosky writing and directing the film version, most everything that I loved in the book made its way to the big screen. The cast in the film is quite divine with the main trio of Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and especially Ezra Miller doing a tremendous job in conveying every highs and lows of adolescence without ever really falling to cliches. Lerman especially had to somehow come across as passive, a wallflower one could say, but also engaging and he really did pull it off. This film is heartfelt, fully realized, truthful, simply lovely and is my favorite film of 2012.

And that's all I wrote. Well, not exactly. There were so many films that I wanted to include in my top 35, but they just missed out such as The Paperboy, Cloud Atlas, The Deep Blue Sea, Killer Joe, Magic Mike, Farewell My Queen, How to Survive a Plague, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Compliance, etc. They aren't flawless films, but all of them SHOULD still be seen. Anyways, onwards to Oscars and then 2013!

More year-end film posts:
- Favorite Films #16-35
- 2012 Film Winners
- Favorite Posters of 2012

Looking Forward To...

Anna Karenina
Release: November 16, 2012
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: Joe Wright
Starring: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Matthew McFayden, Kelly Macdonald, Aaron Johnson, Ruth Wilson, Michelle Dockery, Emily Watson, Domhnall Gleeson, and Olivia Williams

Looking Forward To... SUMMER

I'm slowly, but surely trying to get back to blogging after a much needed break. There was just too many things going on from moving to a new place to all of the series/season finales on TV I had to devour. During my break though I also took a bit of a movie-watching hiatus seeing only one film in theaters (twice) during that span. You know which one it is since you probably saw it too (and more than once also)... Joss Whedon's The Avengers. One of these days I'll put into words the ecstasy I felt seeing Joss Whedon's name on the big screen with a theater full of satisfied moviegoers applauding. For now onwards to what else I'm looking forward to this summer...

Perhaps fate dealt The Avengers a better hand than expected, because the rest of what May had very little to offer to anyone. The two films that looked remotely interesting was Fox Searchlight's The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Focus Features' Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson. Both have stupendous cast with the first a who's who of British acting royalty such as Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, and Judi Dench while Anderson's film contained Bill Murray, Ed Norton, Tilda Swinton, and Frances McDormand. Other offerings such as the billionth Tim Burton-Johnny Depp collaboration in Dark Shadows, the Rihanna-starrer Battleship, and Sacha Baron Cohen's tired schtick in The Dictator left much to be desired. There's also MIB 3 which I admit I'm intrigued by. I was a big fan of the first film and liked the second film okay enough. The time traveling story is right in my wheelhouse and Josh Brolin channeling Tommy Lee Jones can potentially be brilliant. Finally, small films Where Do We Go Now? and Hysteria also make their debut.

June thankfully gives me a bit more options at least after I see The Avengers for a third time. There's the wonderfully marketed Snow White and the Huntsman starring Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Hemsworth (Thor!). I'm so excited for this mostly to root for Theron who looks amazing in the trailers. She also stars in another June release Prometheus which is directed by none other than Ridley Scott and written by Lost helmer Damon Lindelof. This much-anticipated prequel to the Alien series also stars Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce. The weekend of the 22nd has no less than four films I want to see. There's Pixar's latest Brave, Woody Allen's most recent film To Rome with Love (with Penelope Cruz), Focus Features' Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (with Keira Knightley and Steve Carrell), and the instant-cult-film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. For those into music, dance, and shirtless men the month also has Rock of Ages starring Tom Cruise and Magic Mike starring Matt Bomer, Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, and Alex Pettyfer. Seriously, based on the trailers, shirts and one's dignity are optional. Finally, can't not mention Michelle Williams' latest in Take This Waltz and Sundance favorite Beasts of the Southern Wild.

July actually seems to offer less choices even though we're smack dab in the middle of summer movie season. Of course two mega-blockbuster hopefuls are hoping to capture Avengers-sized successes with The Amazing Spider-Man opening during the Fourth of July holiday and The Dark Knight Rises closing out the super popular Batman trilogy helmed by Christopher Nolan. The latter will see some familiar faces of the series as well as some new faces such as Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Tom Hardy (basically half of Inception's cast). Spider-Man will team up the adorkable Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone hoping we all forget about those other Spider-Man films released less than a decade ago. Taylor Kitsch will hope the third time is the charm with Oliver Stones' Savages after a forgettable year with a couple of bombs while Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane branches out to film with Ted starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. Finally, I'll probably catch this on Netflix, but the trailer for Step Up Revolution caught my eye. What can I say? I do like dancing in films.

Finally, August rounds out the summer movie season with some not too shabby films. Jeremy Renner, fresh from his stint on The Avengers, looks to fill Matt Damon's shoes in The Bourne Legacy. Colin Farrell looks to do something similar starring in the remake of Total Recall which I will definitely be seeing. The Weinstein Company has Lawless with Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, and Gary Oldman while Joseph Gordon Levitt stars in Premium Rush. Don't know much about that film except Levitt is wearing shorts and is sweaty a lot (he's a bike messenger). Fernando Meirelles has a new film called 360 with Jude Law and Rachel Weisz while Whitney Houston's film Sparkle comes out months after the singer's tragic death. But last and certainly not least... recent Oscar winner Meryl Streep graces us all with her presence in Hope Springs along with Steve Carrell and Tommy Lee Jones. Will it be good? Who cares? It's Meryl Streep. Hmm... do you think there's a part for her in The Avengers sequel?

Thanksgiving Movie Glut

Fans of sparkly vampires and George Clooney had a field day this past weekend book-ending the top ten box office chart with boffo numbers. But for me, I'm all about this upcoming Thanksgiving weekend where there are no less than seven films being released that I'm interested in watching. I'm pretty sure that's a personal record, but I'd have to do way more research than I have time for to actually confirm that. Still, being interested in seven films coming out at the same time is quite insane, but that's what it has come down to this year.

Of course, it's not that surprising I suppose since studios do love to take advantage of the holiday to not only release their family films, but also those Oscar hopefuls they still have in the pipeline. And those two categories pretty much sum up the seven films I'm dying to see.

The Family Films

At the moment of writing this entry, The Muppets, Arthur Christmas, and Hugo are averaging a 95.6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and while all three will probably hurt one another this weekend by cannibalizing the audience, all three should play well and long during the upcoming holiday season. Certainly The Muppets will be the highest-grossing new film this week by virtue of the ridiculously massive ad campaign and exposure it has had for the past few months. From their parody posters and commercials to adorable interviews to even an Oscar-hosting viral campaign, it's been a Muppets world and we've all just been living in it. It's also the film with the broadest demographic appealing not only to kids who wants to see Kermit and company, but to older folks as well who'd see the film for nostalgia sake.

That is not to say that Arthur Christmas and Hugo don't have broad appeal or have had substantial marketing campaigns as well. The first is targeting families with younger kids, and I've seen this film advertised in movie theaters since May and not just in front of kiddie films. Plus families will eat this up and as the only overt Christmas flick of the bunch, it should do great through the yuletide season. I'm much more curious how Hugo will fare. It's definitely a family film, but it is also randomly directed by Martin Scorsese. Film buffs, Oscar lovers, and Scorsese enthusiasts are all madly in love with this film already from the looks of recent reactions to some of its early screenings. The question is will the general audience find it and love it as well? Some are even saying it might be an Oscar favorite. Speaking of...

The Oscar Films

While those three films will probably duke it out in the box office alongside those sparkly vampires and shirtless werewolves, these next few films are targeting a more niche audience. Like the family films above, they are all highly rated by critics (so far) and also have big Oscar hopes. My most anticipated film in the bunch is My Week with Marilyn with Michelle Williams playing the iconic blonde bombshell. The stupendous cast and the frothy trailer makes me happy and she's getting real heat for her third Best Actress nomination.

Then there's the Cannes-winning film The Artist which is literally winning audiences (awards) everywhere it plays. Its lead Jean Dujardin is almost a lock for a Best Actor nomination, and the film itself looks to dominate awards season en route to a likely Best Picture nomination. Not too shabby for a black-and-white, silent, French film huh? The other two films are A Dangerous Method and Rampart. The first film teams this year's breakthrough actor Michael Fassbender with Viggo Mortensen and Keira Knightley in a story about Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. The latter stars Woody Harrelson as a dirty cop. All of the actors I just mentioned are getting varying amounts of Oscar buzz.

Jean, Michael, and Woody

So the question is, which films will I actually end up seeing this weekend? The safest bet will be The Muppets (all my friends want to see it) and My Week with Marilyn (I really want to see it). If I can't fit in another film this busy weekend, I'll try my best to catch up on The Artist and Hugo as soon as I am able. I'll probably wait to see the rest when they come out on DVD or if they are still around, during the doldrums that is January. How about you?

All films are coming out tomorrow, Nov. 23, except for The Artist which comes out on Friday, Nov. 25. However, all of the specialty films (The Artist, My Week with Marilyn, Rampart, and A Dangerous Method) will only be in very limited theaters.

Looking Forward To... FALL/WINTER

Summer is over and we all know what that means: fall/holiday films are right around the corner! Actually, they're pretty much here. In fact, I saw one just last week, Contagion, a film directed by Steven Soderberg which looked like a mash-up of Outbreak and Traffic with an all-star cast that have either won or been nominated for an Oscar. That same weekend also saw the debut of Warrior which stars Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as brothers who are also professional mixed martial artists.

The rest of September usually doesn't have much to offer, but I'm find a few films that have a lot of promise. Right on the top of that list is the Cannes-winning Drive starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. I have yet to find a film critic I trust that hasn't raved about this film so my expectations are ridiculously high. I'm also looking forward to the dark comedy 50/50 with Joseph Gordon Levitt dealing with cancer. There's also the Aaron Sorkin-penned baseball flick Moneyball with Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman that's getting some awards buzz. The suddenly ubiquitous Jessica Chastain is in Take Shelter with Michael Shannon doing what he does best (aka play crazy). Probably won't see this in theaters, but the light comedy What's Your Number with Anna Faris, Chris Evans, and a slew of fellow young stars could be a riot. For the horror fans, of which I'm not, there's Dream House with Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz as well as a remake of Straw Dogs starring a couple of hotties, James Marsden and Alexander Skarsgard. There's also festival-favorite gay film Weekend which looks pretty good. Finally, Disney is releasing The Lion King in 3D for two weeks and I am so tempted to check it out despite my not-so-friendly feelings regarding 3D because I can't stop imagining how the "Circle of Life" opening sequence would look on the big screen.

October's selection seem to be similar to September with a few films that look good from the outside. Like September, my most anticipated film for the month stars Ryan Gosling, this time in the political thriller The Ides of March. Technically though it's more of a George Clooney film since he not only stars in the film, but also wrote and directed it. Another star-studded thriller is Margin Call starring Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, and Paul Bettany. Sundance winners Martha Marcy May Marlene and Like Crazy also look intriguing. The first stars Elizabeth Olsen as a girl who tries to put her life together after escaping a cult while the second is getting a lot of "Blue Valentine-lite for young adults" reviews and stars the charming Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones. Johnny Depp meanwhile tackles the adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel The Rum Diary while Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried co-star in sci-fi thriller In Time. Also out this month is Roland Emmerich's Shakespeare-centric period drama Anonymous which is surprisingly getting some nice reviews as well as Pedro Almodovar's latest in The Skin I Live In. Some guilty pleasure choices include the probably unnecessary remakes of Footloose and The Three Musketeers, but at least the latter has Orlando Bloom and Christoph Waltz hamming it up (so I'm in!).

The slate heats up a bit in November with an array of Oscar contenders (and non-Oscar contenders alike). Oddly enough one of those films, and probably my most anticipated this month, is The Artist, a black-and-white silent film that debut in Cannes with its lead actor Jean Dujardin picking up Best Actor. Best Actress went to Kirsten Dunst for her work in the apocalyptic Melancholia, a film directed by Lars von Trier. David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method with Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen playing the famous psychological duo of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud respectively (also stars a very captivating Keira Knightley), Steve McQueen's Shame also with Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, and Alexander Payne's The Descendants with George Clooney all release in this overstuffed month. All three, but especially the latter two, have been getting rave reviews as of late. Michelle Williams channels Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn while Leonardo DiCaprio channels J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar. Visionary director Tarsim Singh tackles Greek mythos with the Immortals starring Henry Cavill while Martin Scorcese goes unexpectedly animated in Hugo. Finally, I'm trying very hard to avoid the new chapter of the Twilight saga (Lee Pace why are you in this?) and what better way to do that than embracing nostalgia with The Muppets starring Amy Adams and Jason Segel.

Finally, December is chock full of last-minute Oscar entries and big holiday films. The most intriguing film this month is probably Roman Polanski's film adaptation of the popular play God of Carnage, simply re-titled as Carnage starring Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, and Christoph Waltz. Other big name directors working with some Hollywood stars include Oscar-friendly Stephen Daldry directing Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock in Extremely Loud and Incredible Close, Guy Ritchie teaming up with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law again in the Sherlock Holmes sequel, and David Fincher putting forth his highly anticipated adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. A couple of uber famous women are taking the helm as directors with Madonna's W.E. and Angelina Jolie's In the Land of Blood and Honey hoping to make a splash at year's end. The Juno team of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody reunite for Young Adult, a dramedy with the blindingly beautiful Charlize Theron and Patrick Wilson. Finally Steven Spielberg will have two December films coming out, The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse. Gary Oldman headlines Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy while Meryl Streep will try for another Oscar nomination by playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. That's already a lot, but I still haven't mentioned Tilda Swinton's much-lauded performance in We Need to Talk About Kevin, Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson in We Bought a Zoo, or even the latest Mission: Impossible film with Tom Cruise. There's also the film everyone is in aka New Year's Eve which should find an audience due to the timeliness of the film as well as the sheer number of celebrities in it.

The sad thing about making this list of films I am "looking forward to" is realizing the certainly of me being unable to see all of these films in the next four months. For many, I will catch them on DVD months (or even years) from now. The other sad part? This list isn't even complete! There are still films out there that need distributors or, if they have one already, need to figure out when they will be released (I'm looking at you Albert Nobbs, The Lady, etc.). Oh, the life of a film addict.

Looking Forward To... FALL/WINTER

While I found it a bit difficult to get amped up for what the summer had to offer, I never seem to have that problem when it comes to the fall/holiday movie season and this year isn't any different. Without further a due, here are most of the films coming out between today and the end of the year that I'm most interested in...

September is a bit lean, yet still there are many films I want to see. Today is actually the release of one of the films I've been intrigued about since I heard about it. Never Let Me Go stars Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley and it's adapted from a book that has gotten rave reviews. Also coming out this week is The Town which is also getting rood reviews and it is starring Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, and Ben Affleck. Two comedies that caught my eye this month are Easy A and You Again. The latter stars Betty White, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristin Chenoweth, and Sigourney Weaver... so clearly that's a must-see film. Easy A has been on my list since I saw the Mean Girls-Saved!-esque trailer a few weeks ago. Finally, Woody Allen offers up his latest with You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger while James Franco partners up with Aaron Tveit in Howl.

October offers a mix of potential Oscar contenders and horror films. In the Oscar contender side there's the much-buzzed about movie The Social Network aka The Facebook Movie which a lot of critics are dubbing as the quintessential film of our times. There is also the Seabiscuit-like film Secretariat starring John Malkovich and Diane Lane, Focus Features' quirky It's Kind of a Funny Story, and The Weinstein's ode to the Beatles with Nowhere Boy starring newcomer Aaron Johnson playing John Lennon. Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell team up for the dramatic film Conviction while Clint Eastwood tries a little something different with Hereafter starring Matt Damon. Just saw a trailer of the latter and it's definitely... different. Also in the mix, though probably not for Oscars, is Tamara Drew directed by Stephen Frears starring Dominic Cooper and Red, an action comedic film starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Mirren based on a graphic novel. For the horror aficionados, there's Let Me In, a remake of the wonderful 2008 film Let the Right One In, and Monsters, which to me looks a little bit like District 9 meets Cloverfield. If both films live up to those films that they remind me of, they should be worth watching.

November is when things start getting serious. Two films getting absolutely stunning reviews and warm receptions are Danny Boyle's harrowing film 127 Hours with James Franco and The King's Speech with Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush. Both, at the moment, seem to be the two Best Picture front-runners. Then again at this time last year, that spot was held by Up in the Air. Two films which will probably have debatable Oscar traction, yet are near the top of my must-see list, are Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part I) and Love and Other Drugs starring Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal. And while I'm not the biggest Tyler Perry fan, I just saw a trailer for his most recent film For Colored Girls and the cast looks top-notch and I admit, I'm intrigued. A few of the other movies I want to see, but would probably wait until they were out on DVD include Burlesque, Made in Dagenham, Skyline, and Welcome to the Riley's.

Finally, December is do-or-die with every studio seemingly going for broke. There are lots of must-see films this month including Darren Aronofsky's much-awaited Black Swan, Sofia Coppola's recent Golden Lion winner Somewhere, Julie Taymor's The Tempest, and Mike Leigh's Another Year. There's also Miral starring Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto and my most anticipated film of the year, Blue Valentine, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. Seriously, I've been waiting for the movie to come up since I heard about the project last year. And yet there are many, many more such as The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg, The Tourist with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, Tron: Legacy with Jeff Bridges, Biutiful with Javier Bardem, and The Debt with Sam Worthington and Helen Mirren. I'll probably wait to see the third Chronicles of Narnia film on Netflix as well as the beleaguered and oft-delayed I Love You, Phillip Morris with Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor playing lovers.

Whew. That's... a lot. Suffice it to say, I most likely will not end up watching all of these, but I'll do my best, just because I am that insane. That's how many bold-faced movies up there? 38? Taking out my "Netflix movies" and I'm left with around 25-28. So with the average ticket price at around $12.50, if I do end up seeing the movies I truly want to see it would cost me around $312.50-$350. Thud. Well, maybe I'm not looking that much forward to the upcoming weeks after all...

Movie Meme: Day 09

"31 Day Movie Meme"

Day 09 - Best scene ever

Three scenes. Two movies. One director.

Even though I've seen Pride & Prejudice before in its various incarnations on screen, I've never been so captivated by its beauty before director Joe Wright really highlighted it in his 2005 film version. I can pick out many good scenes, but the one that left its lasting impact was the 4 and a half minute tracking shot during a party/dance at Bingley's manor.


The camera weaves in and out of the various rooms spending only a few precious moments in each one enough for the audience to hear a main character say or do something revealing (Elizabeth talking to Miss Lucas, Mr. Collins looking for Elizabeth, the other Bennet girls having fun, Mr. Bingley pining for Jane, Mr. Darcy dancing with Ms. Bingley, Mrs. Bennet getting drunk, etc.). The fact that it was one continuous shot made it the more impressive, but the staging, the costume, the sound, the actors... it all worked. By the end, when you realized what you had just witnessed, you want to rewind and watch it again.

Wright's follow-up film was Atonement and he was even less afraid to play around with his camera. The film itself was cinematic eye candy from start to finish and I could probably pick ANY scene from the film and it would be the perfect choice for today. I'm only going to touch upon two scenes. One of my favorite scenes happen in the beginning and it pretty much sets up the main conflict of the film as young Briony misinterprets what is happening outside with the two figures by the fountain, one of which is her sister.


The whole sequence is gorgeous from Cecilia running through the woods to Briony looking through the window at Robbie and Cecilia by the fountain. There's so much great stuff here and Andrew provided an extensively look at this precise scene a few weeks ago. So rather I ramble on more, check out what he had to say.

Finally, we get to the scene that everyone seemed to talk about when the film came out i.e. the long tracking shot of Robbie walking the beach at Dunkirk. At this point Wright seems to be saying "That's right. Another tracking shot. It's a long expensive difficult beautiful tracking shot! I. Am. Awesome." which I actually totally respect, so more power to him.


While I liked the tracking shot in Pride & Prejudice because of its unexpectedness and charm, it was the epicness and its lyrical nature here that left me breathless. For five and a half uninterrupted minutes, the camera pans the beach showing us the visages of war as well as the weary, war-torn Robbie and his friends trying to take it all in. Beautiful.

Those are the scenes I love. Are they the "best scene(s) ever?" Probably not, but they are damn great and my love for those two films and its director is bordering on fanboy-ness so there you go.