1. Gravity
Release Date: TBA (Originally November 21, 2012 - so possibly Nov 2013) Full disclosure: Children of Men is one of my top 4 favorite movies of all time. The scope, the cinematography, the editing, the directing, the script, the acting - it truly is the rare movie that fires on all cylinders, and as a result is, in my opinion, a perfect movie. Not to take anything away from The Departed, but to me Children of Men was the most deserving of a Best Picture Oscar that year, and it wasnt even nominated... for shame. But Im getting on my soap-box and off topic here. Gravity is #1 on this list for a few simple reasons: 1) As stated above, Im absolutely in love with Children of Men, and will look forward with great anticipation to anything Alfonso Cuaron will ever direct; 2) The ambition behind this project - primarily a one-woman show, and of course, the rumored revolutionary cinematography including the (also-rumored) 18 minute opening shot; 3) The delay from November of this year to TBD of next year simply makes me want it more. Im like a child whos birthday got skipped this year and has to wait til next year to have my cake from this year. (Seriously, the movie was going to come out right after my 30th birthday this year...) For anyone needing a reminder about the synopsis as revealed so far, or for those of you who are somehow just hearing about this movie, allow me to cheat for a second and paste in the official, albeit short, synopsis: The lone survivor of a space mission to repair the Hubble telescope desperately tries to return to Earth and reunite with her daughter. Not much to go on, and yet, so many possibilities. {There are those who feel like this could be a psuedo counter-point to Buried: ie, a one woman show, but this time in space (the opposite of in a tiny box underground). I dont know if Id personally buy into that theory, but its interesting to note.} And who, do you ask, is the actress playing the woman at the center of all this, and having a stellar time at it? Sandra Bullock, who landed the part just after her Oscar win for The Blind Side, and after an A-list search that included Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, and Natalie Portman. Cuaron took his time casting this one, as basically the entire film rests on the shoulders of the lead actress, so naturally that was going to be a short list of women who could even qualify. George Clooney has a minor supporting role, and rumors are its VERY small, so this movie will live and die on Sandys performance, and Cuarons directing. Say what you will about Sandra Bullock, but I think she might just wow the heck out of us with this. And Cuaron? Well, lets just say hes given us no reason to doubt him yet. He knocks this out of the park, and he might finally get mentioned alongside Christopher Nolan, an absolutely deserved comparison I feel, as one of the best in the business, an innovative and thoughtful filmmaker at the top of his game. So there you have it, the Top 15 Anticipated Movies of 2013, as decided by yours truly. Disagree? Feel like I left something out? Ranked something too high/low? Think the list is perfect and that I have impeccable taste? Leave your comments below, and Ill see you at the movies next year!