On the prowl for some satisfying drama to get your teeth into? You could do worse than try out a few of the following...
Since we’re neither wizards nor psychics (sigh), we can’t possibly say which of 2012’s dramas will be the biggest successes critically or with audiences, but we can pick the ones we’re most looking forward to, and that’s precisely what we’ve done.
Some of our choices are based on early strong feedback, some on having caught a 2011 festival screening, and others are simply the films we’re eager to see. You could easily add Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina, and John Hillcoat’s Wettest County to the list, but that would make it a top 7 and frankly, our OCD wouldn’t be able to cope. So here they are, the five dramas we can’t wait to sit in front of in 2012…
Martha Marcy May Marlene
While Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s inane series of ‘kissing cute boys and wearing hats in Europe’ films never quite convinced the critics, their sister Elizabeth’s debut feature has done exactly that. The young actress has garnered enormous praise for her excellent performance in Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Writer/director Sean Durkin has also been lauded by critics, who’ve roundly agreed that his debut effort is gripping, ambitious and unsettling. The story of a young woman [Olsen] struggling to cope with memories of the abusive cult she’s escaped from, Martha Marcy May Marlene comes out on February 3rd, and we’ll be first in line.
Shame
Just days from release now, Steve McQueen’s Shame has already picked up a number of awards wins on the festival circuit, many of which reward Michael Fassbender’s fearless [read: naked] performance in the film. Fassbender plays Brandon in Shame, a sex addict unable to control his sexual impulses, and brother to wayward Sissy [Carey Mulligan].
We’d like to assure you that it’s McQueen’s powerful examination of the nature of need that draws us to Shame, and not just the prospect of Michael Fassbender doing a Ewan McGregor. Frankly, we’re insulted you’d think otherwise.
Shame comes to UK cinemas on January 13th
Django Unchained
Since Quentin Tarantino was knee high to a stack of old Bruce Lee VHS tapes, he’s had an itch to make a western, and 2012 is the year he’s going to be able to tick it off the ‘To Do’ list. We’ve already seen a steady trickle of casting announcements arrive for the film, which is currently in pre-production and due to begin shooting in New Orleans in February.
Django Unchained is the story of a freed slave turned bounty hunter who sets out to take revenge on the sadistic slave owner who owns his wife. Tarantino regulars Samuel L Jackson and Christoph Waltz are to be joined by Jamie Foxx who takes the titular role of Django, as well as Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt and, somewhat oddly, Sacha Baron Cohen. Django Unchained comes out on December 26th, that’s boxing day to you or I. We don’t know about you, but stylish gun-slinging and pulpy revenge stories seem like the perfect way to cleanse ourselves of the multiple viewings of Elf which define the festive season round our way.
The Gangster Squad
In the interests of full disclosure, we should admit that a couple of actor crushes may well have influenced our decision to put Ruben Fleischer’s The Gangster Squad on this list. No, surprisingly it’s not Sean Penn or Nick Nolte getting our hearts fluttering, but Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
Out on November 9th, 1940s-set The Gangster Squad looks right up our street. An LA Confidential-style premise about East Coast Mafia types, some gorgeous period outfits, and a gaggle of actors we rarely fail to enjoy on screen. It’s almost enough to make us forget all about Fleischer’s largely laugh-free 30 Minutes or Less…The Great Gatsby
Anyone (justifiably, let’s be honest) who finds themselves questioning the need for a new version of Fizgerald’s The Great Gatsby may well have had their doubts assuaged by the gorgeous stills we’ve seen from Baz Luhrman’s set so far. Glamorous and sumptuous, his vision of Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire has piqued our interest more than a little.
Style and visual pizazz is one thing Luhrman can always be relied upon to provide, and since both are so important to the character Gatsby constructs for himself, the combination of filmmaker and text seems propitious in this case. We’re also keen to see how Luhrman justifies his choice to film in 3D...
