12 Exciting Films to end 2013

It’s already mid-October and we have hardly two and a half months left to wrap up 2013. It has been another wonderful year for cine lovers so far and it’s not yet over. If you see the lineup of upcoming releases for the next couple of months you will find ample reasons to be excited. As a film buff, I am eagerly waiting for these films which promise to be captivating.

Here are the 12 films and their trailers (in no particular order) that I feel will be worth spending money this winter.

1. American Hustle (Dec 13th)

From the director of one of my all-time favorite films Silver Linings Playbook, David O Russell comes up with another quirky drama film based on the FBI ABSCAM operation with a blistering star cast which comprises Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and the goddess herself, Jennifer Lawrence. Going by the trailer, the film promises to be a cracker with the two extremely hot and dazzling leading ladies.

2. Shahid (Oct 18th)

Shahid is a biographical Hindi film directed by Hansal Mehta and produced by Anurag Kashyap based on the life of lawyer and human rights activist, Shahid Azmi, who was assassinated in 2010 in Mumbai. The film had already been screened in several film festivals across the globe including TIFF receiving accolades all around. The film stars immensely talented Raj Kumar Yadav, Tigmanshu Dhuliya, Kay Kay Menon & others.

3. 12 Years a Slave (Oct 31st)

Steve McQueen needs no introduction and when he directs a film, it’s certainly going to be special. From the director of profoundly moving Hunger and Shame, comes the most buzzing film of this year titled 12 Years a Slave starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pit and others.  People who have already watched this historical drama film in Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals consider this one as the major Oscar contenders this year and helmed it as the best film ever made on slavery. Well, let’s see how the Academy reacts after they shamelessly snubbed Fassbender’s breathtaking performance in Shame.

4. Blue is the warmest Color (Oct 25th)

The Winner of Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Blue is the warmest Color became the first film to be awarded the prize to both the director and the main actresses. Based on the 2010 French graphic novel Blue Angel (“Le Bleu est une couleur chaude”) by Julie Maroh, the film is written, produced, and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche and will hit the U.S. theaters on October 25th. The film depicts the relationship between two young women (played by Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux) and will be released with an NC-17 rating in the United States.

5. Dallas Buyers Club (Nov 1st)

Matthew McConaughey is having a wonderful year with the already released Mud and the two eagerly anticipated upcoming films this year. One of them is Dallas Buyers Club. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, the film is based on the true life story of Ron Woodroof who was diagnosed with HIV positive and given 30 days to live. The trailer looks quite promising and I won’t be surprised if McConaughey snatches a nomination in the Best Actor category for this role.

6. The Past (Dec 20th)

After the ground breaking Oscar winning film “A Separation” (which belongs to those section of films that should be watched to understand cinema), the maestro Asghar Farhadi is back  with his new French-Iranian drama film Le Passe (The Past). The film is another complex tale of human relationships masterfully crafted by the director himself and already been selected as the Iranian entry for the Best Foreign Language category at the academy this year.

7. Inside Llewyn Davis(Dec 20th)

The Coen brothers are considered among the pioneers of the modern film-making for their extremely stylish and innovative way of storytelling. Their films have always been priceless, riveting and needless to say they are among my most favorite directors. Set up in 1960’s New York City, their latest venture Inside Llewyn Davis is based on the life of a struggling folk singer starring Oscar Issac, Carry Mulligan, John Goodman and others.

8. The Wolf of Wall Street (Nov 15th)

The Wolf of Wall Street is directed by Martin Scorsese. Do I need to say anything more? Doesn’t the last name has enough power in it to make you watch the film? The film is another collaboration of Scorsese and Di Caprio and also stars Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill and others. It depicts the story of a New York stock broker and is based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same name. I would definitely not give this film a miss as anything from Scorsese is naught to be missed if you like cinema.

9. Nebraska (Nov 22^nd)

Alexander Payne is back with his much awaited release “Nebraska” which won the Best Actor Award (Bruce Dern) at Cannes 2013. The trailer looks warm, charming and humorous and it’s undoubtedly going to be a joyful ride. Payne has always been noted for creating likeable and real characters that you can relate very easily. The story of the film revolves around an aged retired man who believes that he has won a million dollars as prize money in some lottery. His family tries hard to convince him that it might be a scam, but he is determined to take this trip to claim his money and eventually his son accompanies him. The film is about their journey where the father-son duo meets up people to whom the father actually owes money.

10. The Monuments Men (Dec 18th)

After the critically acclaimed “The Ides of March”, George Clooney is back in the director’s seat once again with the upcoming drama film The Monument’s Man with a stunning star cast including Matt Damon, Clooney himself, and Cate Blanchett. The film is based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel.

11. Philomena  (Nov 27th)

Philomena is a 2013 British drama film directed by Stephen Frears. The film stars extremely talented Judi Dench in a central role and depicts her journey and discovery of her relationship with her son. The trailer looks quite moving and I am predicting a nomination of Dench in the Best Actress category this year. The film was awarded the People’s Choice Award Runner-Up prize at TIFF 2013.

12. All is Lost (Oct 18^th)

All Is Lost is a 2013 drama film and it features the legendary actor Robert Redford as a sailor who is lost in the sea. He is the only actor in the film and there is no one else in the supporting cast and there is barely any dialogue in the film. The film was screened in Out of Competition category in Cannes Film Festival and it received brilliant responses especially about Redford’s riveting performance.

Some other notable mentions which I cannot include in the list as I am unsure of their release dates:

• Her
• Ugly (Indian Hindi language film)
• Under the Skin
• The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
• August Osage County
• Bethlehem (Israeli Film)