“Gravity” (Oct. 4)
A medical engineer (Sandra Bullock) and an astronaut (George Clooney) become stranded in space after debris crashes into their space shuttle. What’s notable is the film is stripped down to its bare elements, with only two actors on screen. This minimalism will be matched by the bleak setting, debris suspended in the endless, dark expanse of space. One of the trailers is a horrifying minute of Sandra Bullock drifting helplessly into space, and it makes for one of the most disconcerting images on a movie screen this year.
“Escape from Tomorrow” (Oct. 11 Limited/Video On Demand)
On the independent circuit, there is the much talked about “Escape from Tomorrow.” Director/writer Randy Moore and the cast accomplished the near-impossible by filming in Disneyland and Walt Disney World without the permission of the parks. The film received an incredible amount of buzz at Sundance Film Festival and was hand selected by late film critic Roger Ebert to play at his annual film festival. The film centers on a father on vacation with his family as he loses his grip on reality as the park takes on a menacing surrealism.
“The Counselor” (Oct. 25)
Michael Fassbender stars in this dark thriller as a lawyer involved in the deception, violence and moral ambiguity of drug trafficking. The intrigue with “The Counselor” isn’t so much the director Ridley Scott (“Gladiator,” “Alien”) or the all-star cast consisting of Fassbender, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Brad Pitt, but that the script comes from acclaimed author Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy penned the novels “The Road” and “No Country for Old Men,” both of which were adapted for the screen.
“The Wolf of Wall Street” (Nov. 15)
Based on the memoirs of Jordan Belfort, a crooked New York stockbroker of the 1990s. The main reason to watch is the talent involved: Leonardo DiCaprio reteams with director Martin Scorsese (“Goodfellas,” “The Departed”) with supporting actors Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill, Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”), and Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights”). The kinetic trailer displays the extravagant, volatile nature of Belfort and his lifestyle, an energy that’s constantly pushed to the limit with the use of Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead.”
“American Hustle” (Dec. 13 limited, Dec. 25 wide)
Director David O. Russell reteams with Christian Bale and Amy Adams from “The Fighter,” as well as Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper from “Silver Linings Playbook.” Bale, as per the usual, has undergone another severe physical transformation. This time, though, he has put on pounds via fat instead of muscle. A crime drama set in the ‘70s, the plot centers on con man Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) who has been recruited by FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper) to assist the bureau.
