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The Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of Fall and Winter 2013 (Oscar Season)

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson
2012 was a heck of a year for the Oscar season. I mean we had Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, and so on... But, there are films towards the end of the year that could attract audiences, either as Oscar buzz or just one of the blockbusters of the winter. So, let's take a look.


10. Frozen

 Disney has made a turnaround with Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph. But, why not Frozen? Anna (Kristen Bell) teams up with a mountain man and a reindeer to go rescue the Snow Queen, Anna's sister. This could be a funny and delightful treat for kids and adults alike.


9. The Counselor

 Cormac McCarthy has inspired filmmakers to adapt his novels into movies. I mean, look at what The Coen Brothers did to "No Country for Old Men". It won Oscars including Best Picture. Even, Javier Bardem created one of the scariest villains on screen. I mean, why not follow a lawyer who is involved with a mix-up in drug trafficking? I hope Ridley Scott makes this movie a great one and he also dedicates it to his brother, the late Tony Scott.


8. Inside Llewyn Davis

 Speaking of the Coen Brothers, every time I see their names in a trailer, I get pretty excited because they come with the boldest and freshest movies out of the gate. Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake headline a very sophisticated movie about the musical era in New York in the 1960s. This should be a movie to be heard of in the Oscar race.


7. Thor: The Dark World

 I did like the first movie which caught me by surprise. I put it outside the top 5 because of my uncertain expectations about it. Sometimes, a studio can have a little too much fun for themselves and the audience would not enjoy it as much. After a year of the events from The Avengers, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has to battle a mysterious villain older than the universe. Asgard and Odin cannot defeat him and his army and needs the help of Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and a certain "brotherly" former enemy. You can probably know who this guy is.


6. Twelve Years a Slave

I will be honest that I did read the book by Solomon Northup. It was basically a required reading book for me, but I did enjoy it. The interesting take is that Steve McQueen, of Hunger and Shame fame, is directing this. This movie is his first commercial movie. It is about a free man who was kidnapped in Washington D.C. and sold into slavery in 1841. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in this movie and Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt co-star in this.


5. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues 

 You know the cast. You know the characters. You know how memorable the first movie was. It was a hilarious comedy. But the question is can Adam McKay and Will Ferrell and co. could fire up the humor from the first one? I hope it's not like the transition from The Hangover to The Hangover Part II. All I know is that the group is disbanded and then a 24-hour news channel is opened up and they all get together to join the channel. Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Steve Carrell are back. And, joining them is Kristen Wiig as Brick's love interest. This should be fun.


4. Gravity

 Alfonso Cuaron has made some brilliant films with A Little Princess, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney play astronauts who are stranded in space after debris from a satellite crashes into their space shuttle. They have limited air and no communication from Earth, so they have to cooperate with each other to survive. This should be a compelling movie. It is a wild card for Oscar season.


3. American Hustle 

 David O. Russell has made two pretty great movies with The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook. The question is can he pull off a hat trick? He has mostly all of the same cast from the last two movies: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Jennifer Lawrence. Jeremy Renner is the newcomer to play a Mayor of New Jersey. I hope this crime drama can establish Russell as one of the great directors. This should be an Oscar contender.



2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

 The first movie was a sure-fire hit thanks to Jennifer Lawrence's ambitious performance as the main character. It achieved worldwide status and it sure as heck can be a phenomenon as the whole series is more respected after this sequel. Things get a little complicated after Katniss and Peeta won the 74th Hunger Games. A rebellion is taking over, but she and Peeta have to participate in the 75th Hunger Games. This movie looks brilliant based on the trailer and it is helmed by Francis Lawrence, director of I Am Legend. So, hopefully, there's not a lot of camera shaking.


1. The Wolf of Wall Street

 Based on the trailer alone, it looks like an insane movie. Legendary director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio reunite for the fifth time to re-create the true story of Jordan Belfort, a New York stockbroker, who refuses to participate and work in a large securities fraud that corrupts the financial world of Wall Street and mob infiltration. Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler and Matthew McConaughey co-stars with DiCaprio. When there are echoes of Goodfellas in this trailer, it could be a rewarding risk in this Wall Street movie. Hopefully, this could be great.


Honorable Mentions:

 Spike Jonze's "Her"

Paul Greengrass' "Captain Phillips"

John Lee Hancock's "Saving Mr. Banks"

Alexander Payne's "Nebraska"

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