Happy New Year ... for the movies?

A quick look back and ahead

Thank heaven the conspiracy about the end of the world was baloney! We are still here and will be able to enjoy many more movies in the future. But will 2013 be able to live up to the really strong last year 2012?

We had record breaking box office hits for the mainstream crowds with movies like "The Avengers", Nolan's final chapter of his insanely popular Dark Knight-series and a mostly hailed rebirth of MI6 agent James Bond. There was also a lot to like for the more sophisticated moviegoer. Ang Lee showed all his expertise in his philosophical adaptation of the allegedly unfilmable novel of "Life of Pi" and that 3D can actually be used in an interesting, artistic way. Michael Haneke's "Amour" was a quietly breathtaking meditation on love and the festival hit "Beasts of the Southern Wild" took over audiences by storm.
We are still not done. Especially here in Europe there are quite a few 2012 films that still wait to be released. One of them is surely "Django Unchained", the newest from writer/director Quentin Tarantino - and second part of a loose trilogy, so he says. Personally, I am most excited about the new film by my favorite filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson "The Master" which sadly opens not before late february in my country but has already made many critics' top lists. So for some of us 2012, a great year for the movies, is not even over yet.

But what can we look forward to in the new year? Here are some anticipated flicks and those I am personally most keen to see so far.

The first film you have to talk about has actually been in limited release in the US already and was better recieved by the American press than any other movie in the last months - it will be interesting to see the reactions of the foreign press. But its wide release in the states and around the globe is set for 2013 which is why I will put it on this list. The film I talk about is of course Kathryn Bigelow's new movie "Zero Dark Thirty". Her next film after the oscar-winning "Hurt Locker" back in 2009 may be one of the most controversial films of this decade. It's is a procedural about the hunt and killing of terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden. Can this explosive topic make it as a dramatized film? Oscar-buzz says yes.

The bad news for the next year is that we will get an awful amount of sequels, reboots and remakes again. Superheros will still occupy the big theaters in 2013. There is Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Kick-ass 2. One of the hottest amongst them is certainly the new superman movie "Man of Steel" not least because of the involvement of Christopher Nolan who produced the film. Let's see how this turns out. Also presumably on the plus side for the blockbusters Guillermo Del Toro's new movie "Pacific Rim" could be a contender as well as a new zombie apocalyse in "World War Z" starring Brad Pitt.
But we will also get the third "Hangover" to feel sick again, a fifth part of "Die Hard", that should have been in its grave for so long and a SIXTH part of the tedious "Fast and Furious" franchise. Furthermore there will be updates of classics including "Carrie" and another "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in 3D. I could go on with this for a long time. On top of that we will have to deal with a new Michael Bay movie called "Pain & Gain" - with the emphasis on pain, presumeably.

However, there are a couple of remakes that could turn out to be actually good. There is much talk about the new personification of "The Great Gatsby" this time played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Is this a chance for Leo's first Oscar? Two other remakes that I am both sceptical but also curious about are new versions of "The Evil Dead" and "Oldboy". Spike Lee is a strong name for an American interpretation of the manga comic but I simply love the original film by Park Chan Wook too much to be really happy about it.

Park, coincidentally, has a new movie out himself. His first American work "Stoker" is one of five films that I really can't wait for! Here are the other four:

Another man who explores new territory is frontman singer/songwriter Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters (my favorite band by the way) sitting in the director's chair for the first time with his documentary "Sound City". It's not only a portrait of that most famous production studio where countless legendary artists recorded their music but also a general look at music production and its change over time - driven by the love for good handmade music.

Martin Scorsese is just filming "The Wolf of Wall Street" embodied by his regular actor of choice Leo DiCaprio, a collaboration that makes the visit at the cinema a no-brainer! The film will probably hit theaters late in the year. From an old master to a younger generation of directors I go with Robert Rodriguez and his return to Sin City. The sequel to the brillantly made, brutally funny and extremely stylish comic by Frank Miller is a movie to kill for.

Last but not least, my most anticipated film of 2013 so far is of course "Inside Llewyn Davis". The new film by the great Coen Brothers is set in the 1960s folk music scene in New York. It should be opening in the US in february. If you live anywhere else you'll probably have to wait for it a little longer. But stay on your toes and pain will hopefully be followed by gain.