Catching up with the Cuts: The Grandmaster, Mood Indigo, and Snowpiercer

Three major foreign auteurs all have movies being released in the upcoming months and all are under the duress of having their films edited radically by their distributors.  The most notable of the three is one of the world's highest profile directors, Wong Kar Wai of Hong Kong.  Wai's The Grandmaster is being released in US theaters this upcoming weekend of August 23rd by the Weinstein Company.  The second film comes from the up and coming South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho.  Bong's film Snowpiercer does not have an immediate US release date, but does have a distributor in the Weinstein Company.  The third film, which has no US distributor or release date in the US is Michel Gondry's Mood Indigo, a French production.  Mood Indigo, like The Grandmaster and Snowpiercer, is undergoing a substantial cut.

The Grandmaster

The Grandmaster was originally released in China very early this year with a 130 minute running time.  This version was well received by the Chinese critics and did well financially.  A second cut of the film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival at 122 minutes and was later released in some European countries, such as France.  This version wasn't as well received but still admired.  With only eight minutes taken from the film, there could not have been major differences.  This weekend, the version that the Weinstein Company is releasing in the United States is only 108 minutes long, 22 minutes shorter than its Chinese release.  This cut, like the Berlin cut, was overseen by the director Wong Kar-Wai.  It was my understanding that Wong Kar-Wai was satisfied with the Berlin cut after having removed some excess from the movie.  It became a surprise to me that the film was being edited again, especially after its international premiere in Berlin, one of the three most important competitive film festivals in the world.

Rumor is that the Weinstein Company decided that the film would not be easy enough or simple enough for the average American and that it would be more financially profitable for them to release the film in a major edit.  I speculate that they told Wong Kar Wai that he either had the choice to release the movie in an edited form with his supervision or the movie would be released without any of his advice and be edited the way the Weinsteins wanted.  Wong Kar Wai made the best choice possible in this situation, even though he had no good option besides possibly rejecting the Weinstein's aquisition of his movie in America.  Apparently the distribution agreement stated the film must be under 2 hours long, but a twenty two minute cut is well below two hours.  David Erlich of film.com has seen both versions, something most of us will not be able to, and believes the US version is a major butchering of the film.  Its a shame that The Grandmaster has been cut, but its not the first or the last of the Weinsteins and their axe.

The Weinsteins are also releasing Snowpiercer either later this year or early next year for an American release.  The movie opened earlier this year to great box office numbers in South Korea and includes many English speaking actors, such as Jaime Bell, Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer, Ed Harris, Allison Pill, and Tilda Swinton.  The movie runs only 126 minutes and the Weinsteins want to cut twenty more minutes from the movie.  Reports are that the they believe the movie will be too confusing for Americans and want to make the science fiction aspects of the plot disappear in favor of more action.  It's not necessarily the foreign language at issue in this film, as English is the dominant language spoken in the movie.  The question of cutting the movie is rather silly since it doesn't have a foreign language hurdle and is not very lengthy either, at a two hour running time before credits are added.  It's also not known, as of yet, if Bong Joon-ho will have any overseeing in the process, but the prospects look don't look good.

Snowpiercer

These two cases are not the only times when the Weinsteins have decided to cut their acquisitions and productions.  They chopped up Zhang Yimou's Hero and wanted to touch Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke.  They didn't get far with Mononoke, as Miyazaki sent the Weinsteins a samurai sword and a note stating not to cut any of the movie.  Another recent movie of Weinstein butchering fame was Terry Gilliam's The Brother's Grimm which remained in post production hell for years.  When the Weinsteins were in charge at Miramax, Harvey received the title of "Harvey Scissorhands" and it appears that the nickname may return.  US indie darling director, Jim Jarmusch, had a large spat with the Harvey and stated that when many directors get films made, the one thing they tell their producers is to not give their movies to the Weinsteins.  It makes you wonder why directors like Quentin Tarantino and Lasse Hallstrom have been so willing to work with the brothers in the past.  Before we get ahead of ourselves in crucifying the Weinstein brothers, we should look at Michel Gondry's upcoming Mood Indigo.

Mood Indigo was released at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival earlier this year.  While many critics appreciated and respected the film, they thought it too long.  Recently, Gondry has caved to the request of his producers and decided to trim his movie from a lengthy 130 minutes to a much shorter 94 minutes.  This is a substantial difference of 36 minutes.  Gondry, like Wong Kar-Wai, is overseeing the edit of his movie.  I'm not sure if he, like Wong Kar-Wai had the real choice in editing his movie.  Maybe his producers pressured him or maybe Gondry was just unsatisfied with his cut.  Regardless, Gondry still has had significant input in the editing of the new version of the movie and has not been left in the dark. 

Mood Indigo

All three of these movies are notable upcoming films and it is quite saddening that they must undergo these edits, especially if their directors did not intend to have these edits.  We've seen classics from the past be edited and changed drastically and the movies have never been seen in the same critical or thematic ways.  It happened frequently in the past.  Movies like The Magnificent Ambersons, The Leopard, Journey to Italy, and Brazil are three major examples of movies that were destroyed with their releases.  We haven't seen anything to this level of editing in major films since The Brother's Grimm and Hero were released in the mid 2000s (Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret had many legal issues which may make it a special case).  There is an even more recent film to receive a large edit, which is another Weinstein acquisition (surprise, surprise), Kon Tiki.  The Danish film had been picked up for US distribution last year and was one of the nominees at the Oscars for foreign film.  The movie was dubbed for a US release and cut over twenty minutes.

In this time of rapid and quick information it is much easier for us to watch the original versions of movies.  It is possible to watch the original versions of these movies on a region free blu ray and hopefully the region 1 blu ray releases of these three movies will include their original cuts.  The real dilemma comes down to whether to see them in theater.  I really support all three directors and would feel sad to miss any of them in theaters.  Regardless of whether the original versions or the re-cuts are the versions to see in theaters and whether these, it is still a shame and cinephiles and film lovers should be disheartened and outrage.  The days of Harvey Scissorhands are back and he is carrying an axe.  Directors should be again weary when they learn their producers are willing to let Harvey handle their films.

Ender's Game and Grown Ups 2: A Gay Double Standard in Hollywood

Late last week, Lionsgate responded to a homophobic statement from writer Orson Scott Card whose newly adapted movie "Ender's Game" is being released by Lionsgate in the fall.  Ire has continued to grow against Card and the upcoming film adaptation of his novel “Ender’s Game”.  Card has previously been targeted by gay rights groups because of his homophobic statements and this recent diatribe has only riled up gay rights groups against him and the film further.  Lionsgate, in their statement, is trying to stifle the situation by reminding activists and moviegoers that they are a  very pro-gay company and have been a leader with workplace GLBT rights.  Likewise, Lionsgate plans to hold a benefit for gay rights that will coincide with the “Ender’s Game” premiere.  Even with Lionsgate courting the gay community, there are still many calls to boycott “Ender’s Game”.

Amid all the criticism surrounding Card and his anti-gay stances, it is interesting to see many comedy films continue to get away with their gay jokes and mocking attitude toward gay people.  Just recently last week, the Adam Sandler starred comedy “Grown Ups 2” was released and was second at the box office, only after "Despicable Me 2".  The movie has jokes, if you wish to call them, which make fun of gay people.  While some critics have condemned the movie for these jokes, the media has remained virtually silent on the issue.  

Grown Ups 2

Last year, Seth McFarland’s “Ted” was filled with gay jokes and the movie became a box office smash.  It also was nominated for an Oscar for best song and McFarland himself hosted the Oscars. This only came a year after the fiasco in which the Oscars asked Brett Ratner to produce the show. After some anti-gay statements, AMPAS rescinded their invitation to Ratner to produce the show. Interestingly enough for some reason, a year later, the Academy had McFarland as its host and included the homophobic bear Ted in its live broadcast.

The result is a major double standard in Hollywood and society in regards to anti-gay attitudes.  When attitudes are serious, like Orson Scott Card’s, a boycott must be issued, but when they are comedic in nature, then they get a pass.  There are not as many groups protesting films like "Grown Ups 2", "Ted", or Ron Howard’s “The Dilemma”, yet these films remain just as much and if not more demeaning to gay people than “Ender’s Game” will likely be.  Likewise, we haven’t seen Columbia Pictures (“Grown Ups 2”) or any of the other distributors or producers come out and condemn the anti-gay statements in their films, nor are we likely to see any of those involved in the films apologize.  

Comedy films like “Ted” and “The Dilemma” have main characters actively disparaging gay people when they use gay jokes or make fun of gay people.  Even in a comedic manner, these jokes are offensive and demean gay people.  For example, in “The Dilemma”, a joke is made that states “electric cars are so gay”.  The joke is made by its character in a negative tone, which precludes that electric cars are bad and so must gay people, even though there is nothing wrong with being gay and there is nothing particularly more funny about gay people than straight people.  These types of jokes litter throughout comedy films produced by Hollywood studios and are usually released without second thoughts.  In response to the small but substantial criticism "The Dilemma" received for such joke, the film's star Vince Vaughan publicly defended the joke and basically said that it's okay because its comedy.  But it's not acceptable or okay for these jokes to be continually made and they reek of the attitudes present in the late 90s and 2000s as gay rights and culture were becoming more tangible and present in the overall society.  These jokes permeated these times because of a bewilderment, uncomfortably, and amusement of the ever more visible gay individual.  The jokes were no better then, morally or in terms of comedic value, and they are just as bad for gay people as they were then. 

Seth McFarland's Ted

The target demographic for movies like "Grown Ups 2" is usually young men in the teens who are influenced heavily by the jokes used in these films.  They may go on to use these jokes in the halls of their high schools or in the football locker rooms.  Life is no better for a gay student struggling to accept themselves when these jokes and antics are being purported by Hollywood.  Nor do these jokes help the many gay students who would like to compete in sports and cannot do so because of anti-gay locker room attitudes.    

How are we as a society supposed to set good examples for children when these jokes run rampant without any criticism?  They tell straight children that it is unusual, funny, and a bad thing to be gay.  It gives free license for society to make fun of gay people.  For a gay closeted teenager, it gives them more reason to not come out of the closest.  If there is a negative portrayal of being gay on television or in a movie, then it sends the message to the child that being gay is not acceptable.

So, where is the backlash against these films?  Where is Ron Howard apologizing to the gay community for “The Dilemma” (or just for the film's bad quality in general)?  Why is there such a double standard for drama films over comedy ones?     What Adam Sandler or Vince Vaughan say, even if they don’t believe it, will be featured in their films and will influence many viewers. “Ender’s Game” is unfairly getting worse treatment than these comedy films.  The film will probably not have any anti-gay portions or statements.  What Orson Scott Card believes and says is not acceptable and not tolerant, but it won’t be featured in the film adaptation of his work.Yes, Card will probably make some money off the movie, which is a good enough reason to boycott it, but the double standard comedy films receive is bewildering.    It's time to take into question the negativity that the gay community receives from all films, regardless of their nature, and not accept the continued anti gay jokes in many movies.

2012: A Top Ten of the Best Films

Finally, my top ten of 2012 is here.  It's later than I would have liked, but some movies took quite a bit of time to expand and a recent cold has kept me from writing.  Making a top ten list is more difficult than one would expect and I was constantly fighting with myself over what movie to keep and what to drop.  This usually happens to me every year, even though last year (2011) was especially more challenging than 2012.  After all is said and done, these following ten movies stuck with me most of the year and defeated their competition. Important to note however, are the many other movies I loved from 2012.  As usual, the list is made up of movies that received their US theatrical release in 2012. Without further ado, here is my top ten of 2012, runner ups, and other citations.

Honorable Mentions- The Other Films That Defined the Year:

5 Broken Cameras (Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi), Argo (Ben Affleck), The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan), The Day He Arrives (Hong Sang-Soo), Farewell, My Queen (Benoit Jacquot), Frankenweenie (Tim Burton), Haywire (Steven Soderbergh), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Peter Jackson), Keyhole (Guy Maddin), Magic Mike (Steven Soderbergh), Miss Bala (Gerardo Naranjo),  Oslo, August 31st (Joachim Trier), Polisse (Maiwenn),  and The Secret World of Arrietty (Hiromasa Yonebayashi)

The Runner-Ups:

Life of Pi (Ang Lee)

Skyfall (Sam Mendes)

Wreck-It-Ralph (Rich Moore)

All three of these movies came close to making my top ten list and all three are visual wonders.  Roger Deakins has incredibly cinematography in Skyfall which is buoyed by Mendes' direction.  Ang Lee's Life of Pi is one of the most spectacular films of all time and its use of 3d technology is incredible (too bad the framing device of the movie drags it).  Wreck-It-Ralph is the best animated movie of the year and may also be the most exciting and fun.

#10 Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Nuri Bilge Ceylan's most atmospheric and ethereal film to date slowly burns in the back of your mind during its nearly three hour run time while its beautifully lensed cinematography (Gokhan Tiryaki) of the Anatolian steeps make its glacial pace easier to endure and appreciate.  While he not only dissects a crime in his Anatolian procedure, Ceylan slowly connects his characters with themes of middle age male identity and an ever urbanizing Turkish society.  Anatolia will not be appreciated by all viewers, but if you are interested in high art and world cinema it is one of the films of the year.    

#9 The Kid with a Bike

Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

Yes, the critics are right,  The Kid with a Bike is just another movie in the Dardenne brother's filmography.  It doesn't overtly push their thematic or stylistic limits.  The critics are wrong in criticizing the movie for not being groundbreaking because  regardless of how the filmmakers pushed their limits, The Kid With a Bike is spectacularly made and the Dardennes direct the movie with precision and ease.  Celine de France inspires in her role as a French hairdresser and Thomas Doret gives a great performance as Cyril, the kid.  The Kid with a Bike tied Once Upon a Time in Anatolia for the Cannes Grand Prix award (the equivalent to the runner up position).  It's fitting that both films finish back to back in my yearly rankings.

#8 Zero Dark Thirty

Directed by Kathyrn Bigelow

Two movies in my top ten list took me multiple viewings to warm up to.  The first was Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and second was Zero Dark Thirty.  Both films are procedural studies and extremely atmospheric in portraying the bureaucracies that surround the mysteries that are being solved.  In a way, the movies may very well be good companion pieces as both examine the psyche of the separate sexes and middle aged work related mileu.  While Once Upon a Time in Anatolia dissects male identity, Zero Dark Thirty gives a strong voice to feminine strength, fortitude, and persistence.  With The Hurt Locker and now Zero Dark Thirty, Kathyrn Bigelow has surprisingly became of the directors of our times.

#7 Silver Linings Playbook

Directed by David O. Russell

After seeing Silver Linings Playbook I declared the movie the best of David O. Russell's career.  The entire ensemble gives great performances and David O. Russell's stylistic and thematic abilities as a director shine through (hopefully this pushes O. Russel for his first Best Director win at the Oscars).  Most importantly though, the movie represents a slice of Americana with its football and crab snacks.   A circle of critics and bloggers though have disagreed and have called it one of the most overrated movies of the year, but I simply do not agree as it is one of the most enjoyable, pleasant, and funny.

#6 Damsels in Distress

Directed by Whit Stillman

There is nothing quite like a film from Whit Stillman.  They are funny, charming, and most importantly genuine.  His newest, Damsels in Distress, after a thirteen year hiatus, is a bustling and modest portrayal (and critique) of a clique of four female students at a northeastern liberal college campus.  The group is lead by Violet, played by the ever radiating Greta Gerwig, but the entire cast is outstanding.   The most important players in the movie however are Whit Stillman's witty lyricism and delightful atmosphere.  Damsels in Distress is charming, delectable, and must be seen.    

#5 Cloud Atlas

Directed by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski 

Cloud Atlas is the most ambitious movie of 2012 and it never fails to impress.  While its aspirations might lead to some slight hiccups in various spots, its storyline transcends to create a thematically rich world set in the future, the present, and the past.  The Wachowski's amazed us years ago with The Matrix and they have done it again with Cloud Atlas.  Adding to the impressiveness of Cloud Atlas are its great technical achievements and its very strong performances, most notably the emotionally rich portrayal of heartbroken love given by Ben Winshaw.  

#4 Lincoln

Directed by Steven Spielberg 

I have never been a huge fan of Steven Spielberg, but Lincoln is a new personal high for me with the director.  He combines two of my favorite things, congressional politics and film and makes it exciting.  More importantly to the film are the great performances, the technical achievements, and the emotional relevance of the theme of equality.  It should be difficult for anyone to sit through the movie without feeling a sense of elation to the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment.  Lincoln shows us how the nation once dealt with passing equality to all races and is still ever so relevant in our current age when equality has not been presented to all peoples.

#3 Moonrise Kingdom

Directed by Wes Anderson 

Nearly every West Anderson film makes my top ten whenever they are released.  Anderson is such an immaculate and zany filmmaker and it's hard to not love him and the beautiful pastiches that he creates.  The island of New Panzance is no different as it is lavishly and wonderful designed in Moonrise Kingdom.  The ensemble in the film is likewise great with a standout performance from Bruce Willis.  Important to note is Alexandre Desplat's excellent adapted score. 

#2 Amour

Directed by Michael Haneke 

 

Amour is one of the most emotionally moving films I have ever seen.  Its simply beautiful and painful while being wonderful yet harrowing.  Michael Haneke is a master at what he does, and with Amour he portrays one of the most universal stories of all time, love during the time of dying and death. 

#1 The Master

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

 

Earlier in the year I read a few articles on how the mantle of most important filmmaker alive had been passed from Terrance Malick to Paul Thomas Anderson.  Malick's new film had gotten rocky reviews at Venice, while Anderson's had been the talk of the festival.  Having not seen Malick's new film yet, I cannot say whether or not his film is a flaw or not, but its hard to argue that Paul Thomas Anderson is not one of our most important living filmmakers.  The Master is brilliant, yet obscure;  it's not easy to dissect or even describe.  For those who don't believe its themes are resonant or even existent (which I believe they are), you can rest in solace in the great technical achievements, and the powerful performances given by its cast.

The Unlucky Ones- The 6 (Major) Movies That I Haven't Quite Gotten a Chance to See:
Barbara (Christian Petzold)
On the Road (Walter Salles)
Sister (Ursual Meier)
Tabu (Miguel Gomes)
This Must Be the Place  (Paolo Sorrentino)
West of Memphis (Amy Berg)

A note to distributors- release your movies earlier and make them more available theatrically or on demand (This means you Adopt Films).  Of these, I will see West of Memphis and This Must Be the Place in March.  

Remembering Two Great Scenes of 2012

As I begin my review of 2012 in film (more to come next week), I've decided to begin with a tribute of sorts to two movies that probably won't get much more discussion in my best of lists: Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz and Maiwenn Le Besco's Polisse.  Unlike most of my favorite movies of the year which have numerous great scenes throughout, both of these films have one standout scene that encapsulates the entirety of the film, its themes, and motifs.  Coincidentally, both scenes are very musically based and put their sources to great use. 

In Take This Waltz, Sarah Polley tells the story of Margot (Michelle Williams) who meets Daniel (Andy Kirby) and falls in love.  For Margot though, their love must be hidden as she is married to Lou (Seth Rogen).  In this scene, Margo and Daniel go to the fair and ride the classic "scrambler" ride.  Polley shot the scene with kinetic camera work which is buyoued by the song Video Killed the Radio Star from The Buggles.  In this scene, the camera constantly moves along with the motion of the fair ride.  Michelle Williams' outstanding performance adds emotion depth and shows her character's complex feelings to Daniel and their relationship.  At the beginning she is exuberant but by the time of the middle of the scene she appears melancholy as she realizes that her relationship with Daniel cannot continue as it is.  Nevertheless the two continue to have an outstanding time until the ride jolts to an end and both characters are dropped back into reality.  The scene is wonderfully parralled by the song which notably is about the end of one relationship (radio) and the beginning of another (video).  

Another favorite scene of mine from 2012 comes from Maiwenn's Polisse.  Polisse studies the daily life of a Paris child protection unit as its members daily confront pedophiles and abusers while trying to protect and save the lives of children.  In a beautiful scene in the middle of the movie the whole group who works in the child protection unit goes to a bar after work.  The scene works great in context as it grounds the characters as realistic and in need of reprise after working in a highly stressful and emotionally draining environment.  The scene is set to the song Stand on the Word by the Joubert Singers.

Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2013

2013 has a lot of promising movies that could be great or could be complete flops.  Last year I initially wanted to make most anticipated lists for each third, but that flopped as most of the movies I were looking forward to in the first third were rather awful from John Carter to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.  That being said, this list is for the entire year, but there are plenty late year releases for 2013 that we don't know about yet that will either screen at festivals such as Cannes and Venice or just be plopped into the schedule by a studio wishing to capitalize on the Oscars (a la Hitchock or Promised Land).

My list is filled with movies from the directors I love.  Many of them have new movies this year, and there is reason to be anticipated for them.  There might be a few surprises on this list and others not so much. 

Honorable Mentions: The Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyeln Davis, Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha, Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines, Jeff Nichols' Mud, and the Weinstein distributed Kon-Tiki

#10 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Yes, I did.  I have put The Hobbit #2 on my list of the most anticipated.  I'm not ashamed, the first Hobbit film, which is in theaters now, was a great ride.  Peter Jackson's choice to use 48 frames was a great one and I was fully immersed in the movie.  When the movie ended I wanted it to continue, to see the completing of the story.  It didn't lag and was a joy to watch.  If the second film is better than the first, which it should be because of less exposition, we will have a real treat of big budget film making.      

  

#9 Side Effects

To be frank, I am not really anticipating Side Effects because it is supposed to be director Steven Soderbergh's last theatrical film, but for the quality of the film itself, I am really looking forward to it.  Soderbergh, most known for his films Sex, Lies, and Videotapes, Erin Brokovich, and Traffic, is one of America's most important filmmakers and was one of the most important members of the late 80s early 90s American independent film movement.  He plans to retire after Side Effects, and his HBO television movie Behind the Candelabra.  Over the last few years he has made solid, if not great movies, in Haywire, Contagion, and Magic Mike.  Side Effects appears to be another gripping thriller, with two up and coming actors, Channing Tatum and Rooney Mara (whom both incidentally could have their first and last names switched and we'd know no difference).  Jude Law and Catherine Zeta also star in this early year release.   

#8 Labor Day

I haven't been the biggest fan in the past when it comes to director Jason Reitman.  I wasn't a huge supporter of Juno, but it has some admirable qualities.  I openly hated Reitman's next film, Up in the Air and I didn't think I'd ever admire Reitman's works. With Young Adult, however, he changed things as he brought maturity and a much more even handed approach to the movie.  If Reitman continues on his recent upswing, I couldn't be any more excited for his newest film, Labor Day, which stars Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.  With the loss of Steven Soderbergh, Reitman could help fill the void of great American directors. 

#7 The Wolf of Wall Street

There is no way to have a top ten list without the inclusion of the upcoming work of Martin Scorsese.  Again, joining Scorsese in The Wold of Wall Stree, is Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays a stockbroker who refuses cooperate with a high securities fraud case.  Also starring in the film are Kyle Chandler, Matthew McCounaughey, the charming Jean Dujardin, and the ever elusive chameleon of a director Rob Reiner.  The movie will be released later in the year and more details will become available months from now. 

#6 Star Trek into Darkness

Yes, Stark Trek is back, and I'm ever more excited for it.  The first reboot of the Star Trek series was a great surprise and one of the best action/sci-fi films I've seen in years and director J.J. Abrams' other recent action film, Super 8, was also very satisfying.  This is my only real anticipated "popcorn" movie for this upcoming year (since I loath most of the comic book movies that come).  Importantly, this has a cast that I highly appreciate, including Chris Pine, Anton Yelchin, and Zachary Quinto.   

#5 The Grandmasters

I am not sure what to expect from Wong Kar-Wai's newest film, The Grandmasters.  Most of Wong's previous movies have been more intimate relationship dramas, but The Grandmasters appears to have a much larger budget and to be a more action based film as it is a biopic about the life of a former martial artist grandmaster.  Wong has a nearly impeccable track record and the film stars Tony Leung, Chen Chang, and Ziyi Zhang.

#4 The Wind is Rising (Kaze Tachinu)

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Hayao Miyazaki's last directorial effort came in 2008 with the beautiful Ponyo and he has written a few movies since then.  With Kaze Tachinu/ The Wind is Rising, Miyazaki is back in the game and the movie will no doubt be another virtual masterpiece in his filmography.  The story of Kaze Tachinu is based around a tuberculosis patient, but not much else is known, unless one has read the book of the same name that the movie is based on.  Miyazaki is known to adapt from sources rather freely, so reading the book probably won't help much.  Kaze Tachinu will be released in the summer in Japan, so there is no telling when the movie will be released in the United States.  GKids is the new distributor for Studio Ghibli in the United States, so there is a possibility that the movie will be released late this year in the US.  The same cannot probably be said for Miyazaki's long time partner Isao Takahata and his new film (The Tale of Princess Kaguya) as GKids probably won't be able to handle two releases in the same few months.

#3 I'm So Excited (Los Amantes Pasajeros)

I'm So Excited appears to be a return to the earlier sensibilities of Pedro Almodovar. Many of his earlier films included the flamboyant comedic style that had become secondary in his more recent dramatic films. From the trailer, I'm So Excited looks to have much flamboyancy and camp and will likely be a delight for all of Almodovar's fans wanting something more similar to What Have I Done to Deserve This? than Broken Embraces.  Sony Pictures Classics is likely to release I'm So Excited in the United States and the movie will likely premier before Cannes, so its likely we will see it sooner rather than later. 

#2 In the House

If there is any director similar to Pedro Almodovar it is French auteur, Francois Ozon.  Like Almodovar, Ozon's films range from campy to deadly serious.  In the House appears to be a mix of both, the best of both worlds of Ozon.  While his most recent films have all been somewhat underwhelming (from Ricky to Potiche), In the House has been getting the director some of the best reviews of his career after it premiered in Toronto and won the top prize at San Sebastian. Some critics even believe it is a career high point for the Ozon. The movie will likely be released in the second quarter of 2013 by the Cohen Media Group.

#1 To the Wonder

I am somewhat surprised to see Terrence Malick's critically savaged To the Wonder topping my list of most anticipated movies for 2013. Malick is one of my favorite filmmakers and it really shouldn't be a surprise, even though To the Wonder premiered in Venice to mixed reactions and negative responses.  It should be noted the movie has its fans and I eagerly hope to be one of them.  The recently released French trailer shows the movie to be another beautiful and emotionally filling experience from one of the greatest auteurs of our time.