Just like every year
that has come before it, there are a plethora of new releases that
are slated for release in 2020 that I am eagerly anticipating. From
last years list, I'm still waiting on releases for Joe Wright's “The
Woman in the Window” and my most anticipated film from 2019, Paul
Verhoeven's “Benedetta”, which delayed its post production
schedule after the director needed hip surgery and is now due this
year. Obviously these are still hugely anticipated and should be
considered an extension of the below list (but I do not like
including the same titles for multiple years). Besides the titles
below that I am shining a spotlight on, 2019 will see a number of new
and exciting films from talented directors, the likes of Terrence
Malick (“A Hidden Life”), Zach Snyder (“Army of the Dead”),
George Clooney (“Good Morning, Midnight”), Francois Ozon (“Summer
84”), Dee Rees (“The Last Thing He Wanted”), Zhang Yimou (who
has two films coming out in 2020, “One Second” and the gangster
film “Rock Solid”), Sion Sono (“Prisoners of the Ghostland”),
Sean Durkin (“The Nest”), Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”),
Denis Villeneuve (“Dune”), Christopher Nolan (“Tenet”), David
Fincher (“Mank”) and Andrew Dominik (“Blonde”) to name but
just a few. All of the above I am looking forward to, but the below
eight films are my most anticipated films of 2020.
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
This
is the brand new film from director Edgar Wright who promises the
film to be a psychological horror film in the vein of Roman
Polanski's “Repulsion”. Although details about the film are very
limited, I hope that Wright goes for it in terms of darkness and
stays away from sprinkling any form of comedy within the film. I
have always thought due to his strong visual style that Wright would
be perfect to make a great thriller / horror film, if he could reign
the comedy in just once. Hopefully that is what we will see with
“Last Night in Soho”. The plot synopsis on imdb is as follows:
“A young girl, passionate in
fashion design, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she
encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But 1960s London is
not what it seems, and time seems to fall apart with shady
consequences.” Wright definitely seems to have cast the film well
with both Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie (who was excellent in
both “Leave No Trace” and “Jojo Rabbit”) appearing to have
major roles, with Emma Peel herself, Diana Rigg also in the cast
list.
HALLOWEEN KILLS
Of all the films on this
list, “Halloween Kills” has the potential to be the worst I
believe. It is the latest film in the never ending saga of masked
killer Michael Myers, a series I cannot help to love, but it is also
the middle film of the latest trilogy, which is a bit iffy as you
know the story will not end satisfactorily with any real meaning. It
will be a set up to the final film, “Halloween Ends”. Like most
of the titles on this list, there actually isn't too much known about
the film except by looking at the cast list, a lot of the characters
from the original 1978 “Halloween” film seem to be making an
appearance. I wonder if they think enough is enough, and they go
hunt for Michael Myers this time around? Anyway, director David
Gordon Green returns for the same duties to continue the story from
his 2018 version of “Halloween”, so from a technical standpoint,
you can at least expect it to impress there.
GREEN KNIGHT
I have yet to be
disappointed in a film directed by David Lowery, so the inclusion of
“Green Knight” on this list is based on his reputation alone.
For some reason, I seem to go into Lowery's films underestimating
just how good a director and storyteller he actually is, and always
come out thinking how great that was with “Pete's Dragon” being
the perfect example. This new film is described as “a fantasy
re-telling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight.”, which I have to admit I am not familiar with, but a
fantasy film in the hands of David Lowery, complete with Alicia
Vikander in the cast, certainly has me excited. I am also pleased to
see that Lowery has used his cinematographer, Andrew Droz Palermo,
and production designer, Jade Healy, from “A Ghost Story” for
this film too.
MACBETH
C'mon, how many versions
does there need to be of this classic Shakespeare tale?? I do not
know the answer to that, but the majority of the films based on it,
do happen to be excellent. But what could make another version so
anticipated, especially so soon after Justin Kerzel's very good film
from 2017? The simple answer is that this “Macbeth” is being
directed by, none other than Joel Coen, sans his brother Ethan. For
the first time in his career Joel Coen is directing a film without
his brother by his side, and it will be thrilling to see how much of
a difference that makes. Also interesting is the fact that Denzel
Washington has been cast as Macbeth (this marks the first appearance
of Washington in a Coen Brothers film) and Joel Coen's wife, Frances
McDormand is filling the role of Lady Macbeth. I must admit that out
of all of Shakespeare's plays that I am familiar with, “Macbeth”
is the one I respond to the most, so it goes without saying that I am
very excited to see the finished product of this one.
ON THE ROCKS
I've said this before but
whenever Sofia Coppola has a new film, it is always a big thing for
me, so that is the reason for the inclusion of “On the Rocks”
onto this list. The film is about “A young mother who reconnects
with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New
York”, which seems to hint that their may be some autobiographical
element to the film. Not that Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia's dad, has
ever been described as a “playboy” but he is definitely larger
than life, and I am sure would attract most of the attention of any
room he entered. The most exciting thing about “On the Rocks”
though is that it is the first time Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray
have worked together (on a narrative feature) since their masterful
film, “Lost In Translation”, way back in 2003 (oh my god! Has it
really been that long since that film came out???). Thankfully
Coppola is also reuniting with Phillip Le Sourd, whose cinematography
on Coppola's previous film “The Beguiled” was just sublime. I
must admit that I have a very good feeling about “On the Rocks”.
GRETEL & HANSEL
Yes this is another horror
film, but it is also the brand new film from director Osgood Perkins
(the son of Anthony Perkins) who directed one of my favourite horror
films of the past ten years; the absolutely chilling “February”
(re-titled “The Blackcoat's Daughter” in the US). He then
followed it up with another stunner, the Netflix ghost story “I Am
The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House”. In the space of two
films, Perkins has risen in my eyes from unknown to a modern horror
master and I have been anxiously awaiting his third film to be
released. It has been four long years between films, and while the
film has yet to get a release date here in Australia, it is being
released in the US in a couple of weeks on January 31st.
Unlike the rest of the films on this list, we know what this film is
about and even have two trailers for it. It is a re-telling of the
Brother's Grimm fairytale, but with more of a focus on Gretel, thus
the change in title. From what has been revealed through the
trailer, it appears to have a strong visual sense, with a pronounced
angular look to its production design. Frankly, I have been thrilled
by what I have seen so far, and it has made me even more excited for
the film. Perkins seems to have made a great choice too in casting
Sophia Lillis, from the “It” films, as his “Gretel”. I am
not sure how “Gretel & Hansel” will go at the box office
though, as it definitely has an arthouse feel to it, but I cannot
wait to see this thing.
UNDINE
Even though I am the only
person on the planet who was underwhelmed by Christian Petzold's most
recent film, “Transit”, this does not make me any less excited
for his new one. Petzold has come out and stated that he is
beginning a new trilogy that will be based on German myths and
fairytales, which sounds like heaven to me. The first of the trilogy
is “Undine” that has been described by the production company
like so: “Named after the water nymph that seduces men in a number
of mythological tales, the German director’s new movie will portray
Undine as a history graduate who works as a guide in Berlin in the
present day. After her partner leaves her for another woman, she is
cursed and compelled to kill the man who betrayed her and return to
the waters she was once summoned from. Yet unlike the mythological
character, in the film, Undine tries to defy her fate. Immediately
after the break-up, she meets Christoph, an industrial diver, and
falls in love with him. The two have a wonderful time together until
he realises that she is running away from something and starts to
feel betrayed.” This sounds absolutely wonderful, and I cannot
wait to see Petzold attack the fantasy elements within the film which
I hope are pronounced, as opposed to being more allegorical or
restrained. Petzold has reunited with his stars of “Transit”,
Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski, for “Undine” with Beer playing the
title character, and as usual, the film will be shot by Hans Fromm.
This one is going to be amazing, I can feel it!
THE FRENCH DISPATCH
My most anticipated film of
2020 is none other than Wes Anderson's latest, “The French
Dispatch”, which is his first live-action feature since 2014's “The
Grand Budapest Hotel”, which is his best film to date. In between
these two films, Anderson made the fantastic animated comedy “Isle
of Dogs” . Amazingly, all we still know about the film is that it
is “a love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American
newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life
a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch"
magazine”. To be honest, I do not really care what the story is
about because I would be excited for this film no matter what. Wes
Anderson just does not make bad films, and his voice is totally
unique in cinema today that he always stands out over most of the
dreck produced regularly in Hollywood. As usual, Anderson has filled
his film with a very strong cast the likes of Timothee Chalamet,
Saoirse Ronan, Kate Winslet, Lea Seydoux, Elisabeth Moss, Bill
Murray, the list goes on and on.... His creative team around him
remains the same too will Robert Yeoman returning on cinematography
duties, with Alexandre Desplat writing the score. I must admit that
I am stunned that as of yet we do not even have a still or poster for
“The French Dispatch”, let alone a trailer. They must really be
trying to keep this thing a secret, which suits me fine, as I would
love to go into this a cold as possible with none of its surprises
ruined. Anyway, I cannot see how this will not be genius and that is
why it is my most anticipated film of 2020.
Well, that is it. My
enormous round up of the year that was 2019 is finally over.
Hopefully you enjoyed reading it and got something out of it, but how
about we go back to watching some new films now?
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