2012 got off to a promising start but suffered from a mediocre summer. With a raft of interesting films due out in the final two months, perhaps it's a year that's been saving the best till last? We take a look at the upcoming November/December* releases whetting our appetite.
Rust & Bone
Who made it? Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, The Beat that my Heart Skipped)
Who's in it? Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts
What's it about? The relationship between whale trainer Cotillard and bare-knuckle boxer Schoenaerts.
Critical buzz? "Another triumph from Audiard and a Cotillard masterclass, this bruising, tender melodrama lingers long in the memory." Philip De Semlyn, Empire
The Master
Who made it? Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights)
Who's in it? Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix
What's it about? War veteran Phoenix is taken under the wing of cult leader Hoffman.
Critical buzz? "With potent performers and poetic visuals, Anderson has made the boldest American picture of the year." Emma Dibdin, Total Film
Argo
Who made it? Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone, The Town)
Who's in it? Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston
What's it about? The true story of the extraction of American diplomats from revolutionary Iran.
Critical buzz? "Ben Affleck doesn't merely direct Argo, he directs the hell out of it" Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Amour
Who made it? Michael Haneke (The White Ribbon, The Piano Teacher)
Who's in it? Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva
What's it about? The aftermath of a stroke suffered by retired music teacher Riva.
Critical buzz? "A tender, wrenching, impeccably directed story of love and death." Manohla Dargis, New York Times
The Hunt
Who made it? Thomas Vinterberg (Festen, Submarino)
Who's in it? Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen
What's it about? A teacher's life is shattered by allegations of peadophilia.
Critical buzz? "An unsettling psychological drama built around a harrowing performance from Mads Mikkelsen." David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
Sightseers
Who made it? Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Down Terrace)
Who's in it? Alice Lowe, Seamus O'Neill
What's it about? A caravan holiday in the British countryside takes a dark turn.
Critical buzz? "A satirical, bloody road trip comedy in the heart of Mike Leigh country." Jordan Hoffman, ScreenCrush
Love Crime
Who made it? Alain Corneau (Serie Noire, La Menace)
Who's in it? Kristin Scott Thomas, Ludivine Sagnier
What's it about? Sadistic business-woman Scott-Thomas subjects her assistant, Sagnier, to constant psychological abuse.
Critical buzz? "A super-cool thriller in the style of Alfred Hitchcock and Claude Chabrol." V.A Musetto, New York Post
Boxing Day
Who made it? Bernard Rose (Candyman, Ivan's XTC)
Who's in it? Danny Huston, Matthew Jacobs
What's it about? Contemporary adaptation of Tolstoy's "Master & Man" sees a greedy businessman and his chauffeur stuck in a snowy wilderness.
Critical buzz? "This is another arresting adaptation from Bernard Rose." Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Jack Reacher
Who made it? Christopher McQuarrie (The Way of the Gun)
Who's in it? Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike
What's it about? When a sniper kills five in a crowded city street, former military policemen Cruise undertakes an investigation.
Critical buzz? Yet to be reviewed anywhere.
*Based on U.K release dates.
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