Chance of being any good: 75%
In a nutshell: A reformed thief searches for his kidnapped daughter.
This could actually be the most exciting sounding film on the entire list. The reason? It reunites Simon 'Con Air' West with Nicholas 'Con Air' Cage. West, who proved to be back on form with the rather good Jason Statham vehicle The Mechanic, will probably see this hitting cinemas just ahead of The Expendables 2, which he is currently signed on to direct. Slash Film report that the Medallion of the title refers to the licensed status of New York cabs, in which Cage's daughter will be held. The script was penned by newcomer David Guggenheim who also has the star studded thriller Safe House due for release at some point next year.
Chance of being any good: 85%
In a nutshell: A man working at Boston homeless shelters continually encounters his troubled Father.
Paul Weitz - of American Pie fame - has writing, directing and producing credits on this comedy drama based on the memoirs of Nick Flynn. Paul Dano and Robert De Niro star as the father and son, with Dano being snapped on the set back in March. Early word from test screenings has been good-to-very-good and the potentially offensive title appears to have been changed to Welcome To Suck City.
Chance of being any good: 50%
In a nutshell: A woman becomes embroiled in the world of pornography and drugs in San Francisco.
Newcomer Stephen Elliot directs his first feature, co-penned with adult film star Lorelei Lee. Fellow newcomer Ashley Hinshaw will star as the lead but the real reason for it featuring here is the supporting cast; James Franco stars as a drug-addicted lawyer, whilst Heather Graham makes a welcome return to screen playing Hinshaw's director. Dev Patel, looking to bounce back from The Last Airbender, also features.
Chance of being any good: 90%
In a nutshell: A psychologist interested in paranormal activity begins to investigate a famous psychic.
There's a chance that this could be awful sub-horror, paranormal garbage but, based on the cast and premise alone, I really would quite like this to be good. The psychologist is played by Sigourney Weaver with her assistant being portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen (currently receiving rave reviews for Martha Marcy May Marlene). Supporting turns are filled by Toby Jones (the psychic), Cillian Murphy (Olsen's love interest), Joely Richardson, Submarine's Craig Roberts and Robert De Niro. Need more? It was written and directed by talented Buried helmer Rodrigo Cortés.
Chance of being any good: 45%
In a nutshell: An author discovers the price of his plagiarism.
Written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, The Words featured on Hollywood's famous Black List of top un-made scripts and star Bradley Cooper has talked frequently about how excited he is about the film's prospects during the publicity tour for Limitless. That said, Cooper films aren't yet to be considered solid gold and the screenwriting team's previous outing, Tron: Legacy, hardly singles them out as guaranteed quality. A strong supporting cast of Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, Ben Barnes, Dennis Quaid, Jeremy Irons, J.K. Simmons and John Hannah though, marks it out as one to watch.
Chance of being any good: 60%
In a nutshell: A brother and sister who have never met are forced together when their dead father's inheritance instructs him to deliver $150,000 to her.
Alex Kurtzman has credits for writing and producing several big blockbusters (including Cowboys & Aliens, Star Trek and Transformers) but will use Welcome To People to turn his hand to directing. EW reports that Chris Pine plays the reluctant brother, with Elizabeth Banks taking on the role of his alcoholic sister. Olivia Wilde is the love interest and Michelle Pfeiffer will play the widowed mother. Mark Duplass, one half of The Duplass Brothers directing team, also has an acting credit. Early reaction to the script from a few un-verified sources (read: IMDb posters) has been excellent.
Chance of being any good: 60%
In a nutshell: A town is turned upside down when a pair of teenage lovers decide to run away together.
The new Wes Anderson movie, Moonrise Kingdom features the usual Anderson stalwarts (Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson) and some surprising extras (Ed Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton). The plot sees various town factions carrying out their own searches for the couple with Norton leading a scout troop and Willis playing the sheriff. Anderson is hit and miss but this is a period piece (its set in the 1960s) with a strong cast and some very nice early shots from Slash Film.
Come back tomorrow for Part Two!
*These projects are classed as being in 'post-production' according to their current IMDb status. IMDb is often wrong. In these cases, I'm making the assumption that the information its telling me might actually be right. I know this is dangerous. Please don't hold it against me.
Goodness. I wasn't even aware of the new Wes Anderson movie. I like the sound of it. Thanks for putting it on my radar!
ReplyDeleteAnd am I the only one who thinks the Black List script movies always turn out a little weak? Do you think that's because someone comes in and mucks them up before shooting?
I think like any large list eventually some are going to be good and some are going to be bad. After looking at your question I loaded up the 2008 Black List and that reminded me of the warning that comes at the start;
ReplyDelete'THE BLACK LIST is not a “best of” list. It is, at best, a “most liked” list.'
I'm sure some do read very well and get messed up by a director. You've got to wonder how some ever make it on there though. A COUPLE OF DICKS is on the '08 one (it became COP OUT) and I can't see that being good, even in script form. Then again, INGLORIOUS BASTERDS is there too, as is THE DESCENDANTS (which looks good). A real mixed bag I suppose!
Moonrise Kingdom I've been aware of for months. I know it's going to kick ass as it's going to be among my 5 most anticipated films of 2012.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I imagine a few have got MOONRISE KINGDOM on their radar with it being Anderson's new one. But, for the same reasons, I would have thought it would have been more visible already. I've seen two news articles, three at most... and I have to say, everything I've seen looks great and I'm not really an Anderson fan.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those posters who has managed to read the script for 'welcome to people' and can agree that it is indeed a solid drama with well-written dialogue and emotionally-driven scenes. If only there was more word on the film's release.
ReplyDeleteThat's really good to hear. It'd probably make my overall Top 5 from this list of fourteen, potentially, with that cast, I can certainly see it being excellent. Not many of the films on here have had much or even any publicity: THIS MEANS WAR is out in February and I've heard/seen nothing on it. Wouldn't worry too much for now. I'm sure we'll start seeing plenty on WELCOME TO PEOPLE very soon.
ReplyDelete