Movies To See!

With Oscar-season upon us, and the end of the year approaching with blinding speed, I find that there are a TON of movies out or coming out in the near future that I really want to see:

Hugo: Martin Scorsese has directed a 3-D family fantasy adventure?  I am really hoping that this will be the next film I see.

A Dangerous Method: I’ve read some bad reviews, but I am intrigued by the pairing of Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen (as Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud).

The Artist: I adored the two OSS:117 French James Bond parody films that Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius made (click here for my review of Cairo Nest of Spies, and here for my review of Lost in Rio), so I’m fascinated by the idea that they have now collaborated on a much more serious project: a black-and-white silent film telling the story of a 1920’s silent film actor.

Shame: Michael Fassbender again, in a film with Carey Mulligan about sex addiction that is getting a lot of notice.

The Sitter: The premise sounds painfully familiar — Jonah Hill stars as a lazy, profane babysitter tasked with taking care of three kids during one crazy night — but I so enjoyed director David Gordon Green’s last film, Your Highness (click here for my review) that I’m interested to see what he and Mr. Hill have created here.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Gary Oldman and a veritable who’s who of terrific British actors have me very excited on this adaptation of John le Carre’s spy novel.  I’m really excited for this one.

Young Adult: Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman (the duo responsible for writing and directing, respectively, Juno) have put together this story of a woman trying to woo her high school sweetheart.  Except that he’s already married and has a kid.  Looks like mean-spirited fun.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol: Even though they’ve all disappointed me, one way or another, I love these Mission Impossible movies, and I’m really excited to see this latest installment, directed by Brad Bird (the man responsible for The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille, three spectacularly great films).

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: I haven’t read the books, and I haven’t seen the original Swedish film adaptations.  But I think David Fincher is a mad genius, and I’d be there buying a ticket to his next film even if they announced he was helming Breaking Dawn Part 2.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: Loved the first one.  Excited for this one.  Jared Harris (Mad Men) has been well-cast as Professor Moriarty, so I hope the character lives up to my expectations for Holmes’ greatest nemesis.

The Adventures of Tintin: Steven Spielberg + Peter Jackson = my ass in the seat.

War Horse: Oy the trailer looked god-awful, but how can I miss a new film from Mr. Spielberg?  (Hard to believe that after a lengthy absence from cinemas, Mr. Spielberg now has two new films being released 3 days apart.)

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: Even the trailer made me a bit teary-eyed!  I loved the film adaptation of Everything is Illuminated. Even though this adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel is being made by completely different people, my expectation level is high.

Red Tails: George Lucas has been talking for years and years about making this film, which tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen.  Let’s see how he did.  Hopefully no one will yell “NOOOOOO!!!!” at a climactic moment.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked: Just kidding.