29. Upstream Color (4/5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdYO3KWmcv8 Shane Carruth exploded onto the indie filmmaking scene with his bare-bones time travel experiment,
Primer. Fans of that film have been eagerly awaiting his follow-up for almost a decade and now that we have the first taste of what's to come, it looks just as unique and mind-boggling as his premiere.
Upstream Color's plot has yet to be fully revealed, but according to the official synopsis it's about, "A man and woman who are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives." Though it doesn't give anything away, that makes the allure of the film even more powerful. With an ethereal trailer and a sense of unease creeping around the edges,
Upstream Color has to be on any self-respecting film lover's radar. It may end up being a weak sophomore effort, but at least it'll be something original.
28. Evil Dead (4/12)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceBXUyuv4Q0 Like
Carrie, this upcoming remake doesn't stand a chance of matching its inspiration, but that doesn't mean it should be immediately written off. With original filmmakers Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell as producers, 2013's
Evil Dead has some credibility behind it. Also, the conscious decision to step away from the comedy that the franchise became notable for is an inspired idea. Putting a bunch of young teenagers in a cabin and having them resurrect an ancient, evil spirit always results in some insanity, but if the red-band trailer above is to be believed, that insanity is going to be incredibly brutal and violent. Taking to heart the original's tagline of "The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Terror", this film looks to up the ante on the grueling bits. Horror has backed into a corner of late with the advent of the found footage genre, and it's time for the genre to experience another revolution. Even if it's in the form of remakes, it'll be nice to see some horror movies that don't pull any punches and look to take advantage of their entire budget.
Evil Dead has just that kind of potential.
27. Oblivion (4/12)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdzpNH0DNZ4 Joseph Kosinski's debut feature was the mega-budget Daft Punk music video
Tron Legacy, and while that movie may have faltered, it gave Kosinski the opportunity to get his own science-fiction story off the ground.
Oblivion tells the story of Jack Harper (Tom Cruise), a drone repairman stationed on an abandoned Earth. When he finds a female stranger in a downed spacecraft, things start to reveal themselves and what exactly happened to Earth is made clear. Although this trailer looks like it may be giving away some of the goods, there's still a lot of action and intrigue to be had. Tom Cruise has definite leading man capabilities, and the science-fiction genre looks to be getting a much-needed restart in the public consciousness. Though it may end up being uninspired on a story level,
Oblivion's design and staging look like it'll help it stand above its peers.
26. Pain & Gain (4/26)
Although I am not a fan of any of his
Transformers movies, I do enjoy Michael Bay's sensational filmmaking style. I think
Bad Boys II and
The Rock are legitimately good action flicks with just the right amount of unbelievability. That's why
Pain & Gain sounds like the perfect vehicle for Michael Bay's frenetic sensibility. The movie is based on the true story of two Florida bodybuilders (Mark Wahlberg & Dwayne Johnson) who got involved with kidnapping, extortion and eventually murder. The film is taking a comedic approach and showcasing the two leads as incompetent knuckleheads. While the Miami PD aren't able to solve the case, private detective Ed Du Bois (Ed Harris) is a much sharper foil for the pair. Considering this is Bay's lowest budgeted movie since the original
Bad Boys, it'll be extremely interesting to see what he does when he can't rely on huge explosions and physics-defying stunts. The movie also looks like it'll be quite the dark comedy, as evidenced by
this alarming set photo.
25. Iron Man 3 (5/13)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UMVJ3wRqDg The first sequel to 2008's surprise smash hit
Iron Man was a disappointment, but it looks like Marvel knows that and is going all out for the third installment in this franchise. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, but this time he's accompanied by two villains: Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and most importantly, The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley). Also joining the fray behind the camera is Shane Black, writer of classics like
Lethal Weapon and
The Monster Squad. He also collaborated with Robert Downey Jr. on the highly under-appreciated
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, so it'll be nice to have those two artists together again.
Iron Man 3 has all the pieces in place to be the best of the franchise. Let's hope Marvel and the filmmakers can deliver on the promise of the admittedly excellent trailer.