12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave tells the true story of Solomon Northrup, a free man living in the antebellum North, who is abducted and forced into slavery. At the helm is Steve McQueen, celebrated director of Shame and Hunger. The film promises a superb cast, with Chiwetel Ejiofor in the lead role with additonal parts played by Michael Fassbender, Quvenzhane Wallis, Brad Pitt, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Most are predicting this film to be a serious Oscar contender come February.
Kill Your Darlings
This film explores the obsessive friendship between Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) and Lucien Carr, as well as their interactions with other famous Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. When a murder is committed by Carr, the group is forced to reconcile with it, which perhaps draws them closer together. Daniel Radcliffe's role as Ginsberg ranks in one of the most interesting and challenging roles he has taken since the end of the Harry Potter franchise. The film seems to be a meditation on the circumstances and mentality of the New York Beat Generation writers which will hopefully rise beyond a simplistic crime drama.
The Fifth Estate
An account of the relationship between Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the founder of WikiLeaks, and Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Bruhl), his colleague. I haven't seen the film yet, but I am vehemently hoping that The Fifth Estate will take the opportunity to explore the dubious morality of the intentional leaking of classified documents. A.O. Scott's New York Times review suggests that it's been turned into a type of global thriller with a poorly contrived imitation of the The Social Network's portrait of the conflict between Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin.
Carrie
A remake of the classic Brian DePalma film, itself an adaptation of the seminal Stephen King novel (essentially, a remake of a remake). Early reviews indicate that there's nothing special going on in this film, as it continues a long tradition of taking classic horror films and bringing nothing new to the table. Also, no actress can eclipse the equally terrifying and heartbreaking performance Sissy Spacek brought to the film's titular character.
All is Lost
All is Lost features Robert Redford as a sailor who, after a collision at sea, finds himself forced to confront the possibility of death in order to survive. The film screened out of competition at Cannes in 2013, and has gotten fairly positive reviews. It appears to be a simplistic but well-executed story of survival with a fantastic performance given by Redford.
Escape Plan
If you want to see a prion escape film, watch Coolhand Luke on TCM. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and 50 Cent.
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