My Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2013

It is a truth universally acknowledged that movies released in January mostly suck, and February isn’t much better. Cinephiles shouldn’t lose heart though because 2013 has an abundance of highly anticipated films (and plenty of future sleeper hits) on the horizon– they’re just not coming out this month. The best way to survive this cinematic drought (aside from seeing The Hobbit again) is to look ahead. With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of my ten most anticipated films of the year.

The studios have so many potentially excellent films lined up for 2013 that I had trouble narrowing my list down to just ten. However, after a few heartbreaking cuts (I do want to see you, Crystal Fairy, I promise), I somehow managed it. Read on below to see which ten films made the cut!

Iron Man 3 is at the top of everyone’s most anticipated list, and I’m no different. Few things delight me more than the prospect of seeing Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow stepping back into the shoes of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, especially since I know they’ll be in the capable hands of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang writer/director Shane Black. After a middling second installment, the franchise could use the creative boost that Black is sure to bring to the table, and from the looks of the epic trailer released last year, it certainly appears that Black will be taking the franchise in a darker, bolder direction. To which I say, bring it on.

As the first post-Avengers Marvel superhero movie, there is a lot riding on Iron Man 3 to deliver financially while also continuing the Marvelverse’s creative surge. Something tells me Downey Jr. and company are more than up to the challenge.

Release Date: May 3

Who wouldn’t want to see a buddy cop movie starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy?

The Heat is director Paul Feig’s first post-Bridesmaids feature, and it will likely mark his second women-centric smash hit. Granted the plot– two irascible officers get partnered up because no one else can work with them –isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but the fact that the officers are both women certainly is. The buddy cop genre has been a boy’s club for a long time, and I can’t wait to see the awesome duo of Bullock and McCarthy infiltrate the clubhouse and make it their own.

Release Date: April 5

Joss Whedon became a household name last summer thanks to his excellent work on The Avengers, but longtime Whedon fans know the superstar director best for his innovative television work on shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. The uber-low-budget Much Ado About Nothing, shot over twelve days at Whedon’s home and utilizing many Whedon regulars, will take Whedon and his fans back to the director’s creative roots.

I’m looking forward to seeing Whedon return to a smaller canvas, working with his reliably brilliant actors to make a fun and sure-to-be one of kind adaptaption of Shakespeare’s classic comedy. In the midst of blockbuster season, Much Ado About Nothing will be the perfect palate cleanser.

Release Date: June 7

Trek fans are still debating exactly who Benedict Cumberbatch will be playing in J.J. Abrams’ follow-up to his smash hit, 2009 Star Trek reboot, but I don’t care if he’s playing Khan or a Tribble, I’m just happy Cumberbatch will be there, making an already superb cast even better. Whoever he’s playing, we know he’s “seeking vengeance” thanks to the gritty teaser, and that’s good enough for me.

We’ve been waiting years for this sucker to come out, so expectations are understandably running high, but Abrams isn’t likely to disappoint. Star Trek: Into Darkness promises to be every bit the must-see blockbuster that its predecessor was, and maybe even more so since the follow-up can skip all of the exposition and jump straight into the action. And did I mention Cumberbatch will be there? He makes everything better.

Release Date: May 17

I’ll admit it, I’m mostly excited about Ain’t Them Bodies Saints because it has the greatest title I’ve ever seen. News of its buzzy Sundance premiere only made me more intrigued. Starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara as a pair of outlaws/lovers who are separated for four years when Affeck’s character takes the fall for shooting a police officer, the film has all the makings of a Bonnie and Clyde-style tale, with the added bonus of a complex love triangle.

Release Date: TBD, but it was scooped up by IFC Films at Sundance, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for an announcement.

Adam Scott is on the cusp of becoming a huge star, and A.C.O.D. could be the film that pushes him over the edge. As a huge fan of Scott’s work, that is reason enough for me to be anticipating this dramatic comedy about an adult child of divorce who discovers he was unknowingly made the subject of a study when he was a child, but I have a feeling Scott isn’t A.C.O.D.‘s only selling point.

Early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, and A.C.O.D. features Scott’s Parks & Recreation co-star, Amy Poehler in the role of his stepmother. The film has all of the makings of a smart comedy, and precious few of those make it to the big screen.

Release Date: TBD

I was sold on This is the End the minute I heard its ridiculously ballsy premise: Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, and lots of other celebrities are attending a party at James Franco’s house (of course, they are) when the apocalypse hits. Then, if all goes as expected, hilarity will ensue.

Release Date: June 14

Admission is a romantic comedy starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. Do I really need to say anything else? Fine, what if I tell you the film will give Fey the opportunity to try a bit of light drama on for size when Rudd informs her character that a gifted young man in his class could be the child she put up for adoption years before?

Release Date: March 8

Elysium is set in the future when the wealthy live on a fancy pants space station, leaving everyone else to live on the ravaged Earth. Enter Matt Damon as an intrepid Earth-dweller on a mission to bring equality to these two disparate worlds.

Normally, that description would do nothing for me, but Elysium happens to be from writer/director Neill Blomkamp, a man who delivered a truly original and powerful sci-fi film packed with astute social commentary in 2009’s District 9. It is safe to say if Blomkamp’s second film is as incredible as his first, we’re in for something special.

Release Date: August 9

There is every possibility that Austenland will be dreadful. The premise– a woman (Keri Russell) can’t find love because she compares every man to the Colin Firth version of Pride & Prejudice‘s Mr. Darcy –suggests a minefield of romcom cliches, however, any movie that casts Flight of the Conchords‘ Bret McKenzie as an Austen-inspired love interest, is a movie I want to see.

Release Date: TBD

What films are you anticipating this year? Share your picks in the comments!

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