A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2013 - Episode II

The conclusion of the Oscars means two things. First, the abysmal dumping-ground months of January and February are mercifully coming to an end. And Second, the prologue to the Summer Movie Season is about to begin. This second Episode of the year of 2013 looks at the month of March.

This March is packed, but these are the ones that look the most interesting:

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER – Bryan Singer (X-MEN, VALKYRIE) presents a CGI-heavy take on the Jack and the Beanstalk tale. Ewan McGregor stars.

STOKER – This little film was the very last to be produced by the late Tony Scott. It ran at Sundance last year to very positive reviews. It has a very heavy Hitchcock inspiration with themes of horror and psychological thriller. It is directed by Park Chan-wook and stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Matthew Goode.

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL – Did you ever wonder how the Wizard of Oz came to be the Wizard, or how the good and evil witches became good and evil? No? Well, Sam Raimi (EVIL DEAD, SPIDER-MAN) is going to tell you anyway. James Franco is the young wizard and Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz are the witches.

DEAD MAN DOWN – Niels Arden Oplev, (the original GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO), comes to America with a revenge tale starring Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Noomi Rapace, and Dominic Cooper.

THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE – Superstar Las Vegas magicians (Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey) get into a heated and comical street rivalry. Olivia Wilde also stars.

UPSIDE DOWN – Adam (Jim Sturgess) and Eden (Kirsten Dunst) are two lovers kept apart by where they live: twinned worlds with gravities that pull in opposite directions; Adam is on the poverty-stricken planet, Eden is on a wealthy one.

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN – Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY) brings us DIE HARD in the White House. Stars Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman.

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION – The White House is (again) occupied by the enemy (see above), and only the Joes can save the day in this second installment of the series. Jon M. Chu (director of the JUSTIN BEIBER movie) directs this actioneer which stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES – Derek Cianfrance (BLUE VALENTINE) directs this drama about fathers and sons in the setting of a high-profile bank-robbery caper. Stars Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, and Ray Liotta.

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Next month, in Episode III, Reel Speak looks at the second-half of the prologue to the Summer Movie Season (got that?), which is the month of April.