{"id":3241,"date":"2012-12-19T13:31:03","date_gmt":"2012-12-19T13:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/?p=3241"},"modified":"2012-12-19T13:31:03","modified_gmt":"2012-12-19T13:31:03","slug":"preview-q1-movies-to-engage-and-entertain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/?p=3241","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW: Q1 movies to engage and entertain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Warner<\/a><\/p>\n

By Ray Bennett<\/p>\n

The barrage of outdoor summer entertainment did not have the negative impact on moviegoing the industry feared and with awards season under way prospects for Q1 look good.<\/p>\n

The directors of Warner Bros.\u2019 upcoming \u201cCloud Atlas\u201d, an epic mix of history, modern drama and science-fiction, told the world premiere audience at the Toronto International Film Festival that their aim was to both entertain and engage audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that unites us very profoundly in our idea of what we\u2019re doing is it can be so crazy and experimental and mind-opening, and yet so popular,\u201d said Tom Tykwer (\u201cRun, Lola Run\u201d), who made the picture with the Wachowski siblings (\u201cThe Matrix\u201d).<\/p>\n

His comment reflected much of what was on show at TIFF and will show up in the UK in Q1 2013 on disc (see New Release feature) and in cinemas. With Sony Pictures\u2019 \u201cSkyfall\u201d, eOne\u2019s \u201cThe Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2\u201d and Warner\u2019s \u201cThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey\u201d all a smash with audiences, industry representatives expect Q4 to make up for a slight box office dip due to London 2012 and other distractions over the summer.<\/p>\n

Cinema Exhibitors\u2019 Association CEO Phil Clapp says, \u201cI think we\u2019re just a couple of percentage points down on where we were in 2011 and while this summer was inevitably down on last year, it was not as poor as many feared. I\u2019m confident we\u2019ll make up that shortfall and then some.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clapp is positive about the first quarter lineup: \u201cThe release schedule promises an exceptionally broad range of quality films with recognised names, and taken together they are likely to realise a significant return at the box office.\u201d<\/p>\n

TIFF fired the starter\u2019s pistol on awards season and Film Distributors\u2019 Association Director General Mark Batey notes that \u201cthe 2013 awards corridor is acutely compressed and competitive\u201d with the Golden Globes on Jan. 13 (nominations announced Dec. 13), the Bafta Film Awards on Feb. 10 (nominations Jan. 9) and the Oscars on Feb. 24 (nominations Jan. 10).<\/p>\n

Batey notes that Q1 2012 saw 40.5 million UK admissions and he says Q1 2013 will enjoy a dynamic inheritance from this year\u2019s fourth quarter: \u201cThe couple of weeks from Boxing Day are usually very good for business. The theatrical market is driven by content and the extent to which its professional distribution connects it with target audiences, and diverse hold-overs from December such as \u2018The Hobbit\u2019, \u2018Jack Reacher\u2019 and \u2018Life of Pi\u2019 will continue to play strongly in January alongside the slate of new releases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides the big awards, Batey notes that the quarter will include Valentine\u2019s Day, the February half-term break and the start of the Easter holidays: \u201cWith a huge distribution commitment to film prints and marketing, we\u2019re confident that UK cinemas\u2019 powerful momentum of Q4 will be maintained through Q1.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clapp is right that the New Year will bring plenty of familiar faces. \u201cCloud Atlas\u201d (Feb. 22) stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess and Ben Whishaw. Based on the novel by David Mitchell, the film relates six stories that span time and space and attempt to link the passage of the human spirit on a huge scale with scenes ancient, modern and from the future.<\/p>\n

Daniel Day Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field star in Steven Spielberg\u2019s historical drama \u201cLincoln\u201d (Fox, Jan. 25). Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts are in the tsunami thriller \u201cThe Impossible\u201d (eOne, Jan. 4). Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins star in Dustin Hoffman\u2019s tale of retired musicians, \u201cQuartet\u201d (Momentum, Jan. 4). Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson star in Quentin Tarentino\u2019s slavery western \u201cDjango Unchained\u201d (Sony, Jan. 18). Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren star in \u201cHitchcock\u201d (Fox, Feb. 8) as the famed movie director and his wife and collaborator and the Monty Python gang are on hand for the 3D animated \u201c\u201dA Liar\u2019s Autobiography of Monty Python\u2019s Graham Chapman\u201d, which covers the life of the late comedian.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more sci-fi in Universal\u2019s \u201cAbout Time\u201d (March 22), a time-travel adventure written and directed by Richard Curtis (\u201cLove Actually\u201d) with Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander, and Momentum\u2019s \u201cRobot & Frank\u201d (March 8), about a father and son with a robot butler who turn to crime, with Peter Sarsgaard, Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon and Liv Tyler. Entertainment\u2019s \u201cThe Host\u201d (March 29) stars Saoirse Ronan (\u201cHanna\u201d), Diane Kruger (\u201cInglourious Basterds\u201d) and William Hurt in a tale of intimate alien invasion based on a novel by Stephanie Meyer, who wrote \u201cTwilight\u201d. The writer and director is Andrew Niccol, who wrote \u201cGattaca\u201d (1997), \u201cThe Truman Show\u201d (1998) and \u201cThe Terminal\u201d (2004). Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz star in Disney\u2019s \u201cOz: The Great and Powerful\u201d (March 8), a prequel to \u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d directed by Sam Raimi (\u201cSpider-Man\u201d) with James Franco as Oz.<\/p>\n

Some of the biggest action stars are busy in Q1 with Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first starring role in 10 years in Lionsgate\u2019s \u201cThe Last Stand\u201d (Jan. 25). He plays a local sheriff in a town near the Mexican border who must try to apprehend a drug cartel leader who has fled from captivity. Directed by South Korean Jee-woon Kim (\u201cA Bittersweet Life\u201d), the film co-stars Eduardo Noriega, Jaime Alexander, Harry Dean Stanton and Forest Whitaker.<\/p>\n

Sylvester Stallone plays a hit-man who links with the police to find the thug who kidnapped his daughter in eOne\u2019s \u201cBullet to the Head\u201d (Feb. 1). Walter Hill (\u201c48 Hrs\u201d) directs with a cast that includes Jason Momoa (\u201cCrown of Thorns\u201d) and Christian Slater. Bruce Willis returns as resourceful cop John McClane in the sequel 20th Century Fox\u2019s \u201cA Good Day to Die Hard\u201d (Feb. 15). This time, he and his son take on the local mob in Russia. Jai Courtney, who was Varro in TV\u2019s \u201cSpartacus: Blood and Sand\u201d and also is in Tom Cruise\u2019s \u201cJack Reacher\u201d, co-stars.<\/p>\n

Jason Statham takes on one of the great hard-boiled anti-heroes in eOne\u2019s \u201cParker\u201d (Jan. 25), based on the character created by Donald Westlake in his Richard Stark novels. Taylor Hackford (\u201cRay\u201d) directs the tale of a strict and unforgiving man who goes to collect what\u2019s owed to him by fellow crooks.\u00a0 Several tough-guy actors have had the role with different names: Lee Marvin as Walker in John Boorman\u2019s \u201cPoint Blank\u201d (1967), Robert Duvall as Macklin in John Flynn\u2019s \u201cThe Outfit\u201d (1973) and Mel Gibson as Porter in Brian Helgeland\u2019s \u201cPayback\u201d (1999).<\/p>\n

Two postponed action films from Paramount show up in Q1: \u201cHansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters\u201d (March 15, see Cue January 2012) with Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton in a very different take on the fairy tale; and the sequel \u201cG.I. Joe: Retaliation\u201d (March 29) with Channing Tatum, Walton Goggins, Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki and Bruce Willis up against Cobra and a threat from within.<\/p>\n

Warner\u2019s crime picture \u201cGangster Squad\u201d (Jan.11) also was postponed in order to change a key scene that echoed the shooting episode in a cinema in Colorado when many in the audience were murdered. Sean Penn plays hoodlum Mickey Cohen as a special unit of the Los Angeles Police Department turns violent to keep East Coast gangsters away in the 1950s. Drawn from real events, the movie stars Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone with Nick Nolte, who starred in another film with a similar theme, \u201cMulholland Falls\u201d in 1996, with Penn\u2019s late brother Chris. There\u2019s more crime in StudioCanal\u2019s \u201cBroken City\u201d (Jan. 25) as ex-cop Mark Wahlberg gets into a scandal that involves New York Mayor Russell Crowe. Catherine Zeta-Jones co-stars for director Allen Hughes (who directed \u201cMenace II Society\u201d, 1993, with his brother Albert). Momentum\u2019s \u201cWelcome to the Punch\u201d (March 15) sees James McAvoy, Mark Strong, David Morrissey and Andrea Riseborough in the story of a London detective who is determined to finally catch a newly released violent criminal.<\/p>\n

Thrillers in the quarter include Universal\u2019s \u201cZero Dark Thirty\u201d (Jan. 25), the first film for Kathryn Bigelow since she became the first female director to win an Academy Award, for \u201cThe Hurt Locker\u201d in 2008. Chris Pratt (\u201cWanted\u201d), Taylor Kinney (\u201cTrauma\u201d), Joel Edgerton (\u201cAnimal Kingdom\u201d) and Jessica Chastain (\u201cThe Help\u201d) co-star in the story of how a US Navy SEAL team found Osama bin Laden. Robert Zemeckis, who won the Oscar as best director for \u201cForrest Gump\u201d in 1994, makes his first live action picture in a decade: Paramount\u2019s \u201cFlight\u201d (Feb. 1). Denzel Washington plays an airline pilot who prevents a plane crash but has a guilty secret. Gael Garcia Bernal stars in Pablo Larrain\u2019s tale of desperate politics in Chile under tyrant Pinochet in \u201cNo\u201d from Network Releasing on Feb. 8.<\/p>\n

John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly (\u201cSherlock Holmes\u201d) and Nadine Velazquez (\u201cMy Name Is Earl\u201d) co-star. Channing Tatum and Catherine Zeta-Jones show up again with Rooney Mara (\u201cThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo\u201d), Jude Law and Vinessa Shaw (\u201cTwo Lovers\u201d) in eOne\u2019s \u201cSide Effects\u201d (March 15). Steven Soderberg directs the tale of a woman who resorts to prescription drugs when her husband is due for release from jail. Francois Ozon directs Kristin Scott Thomas and his \u201cPotiche\u201d star Fabrice Luchini in Momentum\u2019s \u201cDans la Maison\u201d (March 29) about a teenaged boy who writes in school essays about how he has gained entry into the family of one of his fellow students. A team of illusionists put on a show while they rob banks and give the money to their audience in eOne\u2019s \u201cNow You See Me\u201d (March 29). Louis Leterriere (\u201cThe Transporter\u201d) directs Jesse Eisenberg (\u201cThe Social Network\u201d), Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Woody Harrelson.<\/p>\n

January will see the offbeat drama \u201cThe Sessions\u201d (Fox, Jan. 11) with John Hawkes as a man in an iron lung who seeks to have his first sexual experience with a surrogate played by Helen Hunt; a comedy titled \u201c21 and Over\u201d (Momentum, Jan. 11); two 3D films \u2013 horror title \u201cTexas Chainsaw 3D\u201d (Lionsgate, Jan. 4) and Disney\u2019s \u201cMonsters Inc.\u201d (Jan. 18); and the film version of the stage musical \u201cLes Miserables\u201d (Universal, Jan. 11).<\/p>\n

This story appeared in the December 2012 issue of Cue Entertainment<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ray Bennett The barrage of outdoor summer entertainment did not have the negative impact on moviegoing the industry feared and with awards season under way prospects for Q1 look good. The directors of Warner Bros.\u2019 upcoming \u201cCloud Atlas\u201d, an … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1365],"tags":[1736,1810,1811,1813,1812,1739,1178,1192],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-film","category-previews","tag-cloud-atlas","tag-lincoln","tag-the-master","tag-cea","tag-fda","tag-halle-berry","tag-tom-hanks","tag-toronto-international-film-festival"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3243,"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions\/3243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecliffedge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}