Yesterday we looked at what the first half of 2011 holds in store for cinemagoers. Now for the best of the rest…
In case The Fighter leaves you wanting more heavyweight sporting drama, there’s Moneyball. This real-life tale stars Brad Pitt as the maverick manager of a baseball team. But what makes the pitch so intriguing is the fact that it comes from director Bennett Miller, the man behind the extraordinary, Oscar-winning biopic Capote.
On a less serious note, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford will be having a showdown with ET in Cowboys vs. Aliens. That rounds off a summer otherwise dominated by sequels (see yesterday’s post).
To activate the sound in the trailer: hold your cursor over the screen to reveal the control panel and click on the volume control in the bottom right-hand corner.
Chicks into flicks may be more interested in the latest take on Jane Eyre with newcomer Mia Wasikowksa (Alice in Wonderland) and the fiery Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds) as Mr Rochester.
David Nicholls is also catering to the romantic comedy crowd with an adaptation of his brilliant best-selling novel One Day, directed by Lone Scherfig (An Education). We can only hope Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway have the requisite onscreen sizzle.
Indie filmmakers looking for cash or credit will find it tough in 2011, but Being Elmo stands out among those showing on the festival circuit. The documentary about the man behind the muppet will debut at Sundance. So too will Irish crime caper The Guard with Brendan Gleeson hoping to recapture the magic of previous Sundance favourite In Bruges.
Another possible sleeper hit is Benavides Born, the wild story of a Mexican girl in Texas trying to win a scholarship by becoming a weightlifter.
Of course, the most exciting film of the year is probably the one we haven’t heard of yet. Watch this space…