The first trailer for Oldboy director Park Chan-wook‘s English-language debut Stoker has been released.  The film centers on a young girl (Mia Wasikowska) who encounters her mysterious uncle (Matthew Goode) while mourning the death of her father (Dermot Mulroney).  Chan-wook’s signature lush visual palette is on full display in this trailer, along with a wonderful air of creepiness and foreboding.  There’s promise of some strong performances from the whole cast, especially Nicole Kidman as Wasikowska’s wary mother, and the tone is downright chilling.  I can’t tell if the trailer gives too much away or if it’s a great tease of the film’s atmosphere, but this looks like a great way for Chan-wook to make his American debut.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film stars Jackie Weaver, Lucas Till, and Alden Ehrenreich.  Stoker opens on March 1st, 2013.

The Weinstein Company has released new images from David O. Russell’s upcoming drama, The Silver Linings Playbook.  Bradley Cooper plays a former teacher who, after spending four years in a mental institution, moves back in with his mother and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife.  However, he strikes up a relationship with a neighbor (Jennifer Lawrence) who’s also mental problems.  Although the trailer played a bit corny, I liked what I saw from the cast, which also includes Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, and Robert De Niro.  The movie is definitely one of my must-see flicks at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The Silver Linings Playbook opens November 21st.

We were starting to wonder when Stoker, the English-language debut from Oldboy director Chan-wook Park, would get released.  The film went in front of cameras last September, and we haven’t heard anything about it since.  Today, word comes that Stoker will open March 1, 2013.  The plot centers on a young girl (Mia Wasikowska) who encounters her mysterious uncle (Matthew Goode) while mourning her death of her father (Dermot Mulroney).  The impressive cast also includes Nicole Kidman, Jackie Weaver, Lucas Till, and Alden Ehrenreich.  I’ve been told that the movie could be described as a horror, a thriller, a drama, or a combination of all three, so it will be interesting to see how Fox Searchlight plans to sell it.

It won’t be an easy sell in a crowded March 2013, which could almost pass for a summer month with the amount of heavy-hitters it has on hand.  Stoker will be sharing its weekend with Neill Blomkamp‘s District 9 follow-up, Elysium, which stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.  Even if Stoker does well, it will be tough to have legs in a month that also includes Oz the Great and Powerful, Now You See Me, the remake of Carrie, the Tom Hanks drama Captain Phillips, DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods, Jack the Giant Killer, and the delayed 3D release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation. [Update: We've been sent official word regarding the release date, which comes with an official synopsis.  Read it after the jump.]

The first trailer for David O. Russell‘s Silver Linings Playbook has gone online.   Bradley Cooper plays a former teacher who, after spending four years in a mental institution, moves back in with his mother and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife.  However, he strikes up a relationship with a neighbor (Jennifer Lawrence) who’s also mental problems.  I really like what I’m seeing from the cast, especially Cooper and Lawrence.  The trailer does make the film look a little sacchrine, but Russell has never skewed towards the mawkish, so I’m going to assume the heavy-handed feel-good stuff is designed to make the film appeal to a larger audience.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, and Robert De Niro.  Silver Linings Playbook opens on November 21st.

The Weinstein Company has set the release date of David O. Russell‘s The Silver Linings Playbook for November 21, 2012.  Based on the novel by Matthew Quick, the movie centers on a former high school teacher (Bradley Cooper) who returns home after four years in a mental institution to live with his mother (Jackie Weaver) and win back the affection of his estranged wife.  The movie also stars Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, and Robert De Niro.  Silver Linings sounds like it could be awards material and now TWC can put “From the Oscar-nominated Director of The Fighter” on the poster.

The Weinsteins will probably take Silver Linings out for a spin on the awards circuit before its November 21st release.  Of course, the Thanksgiving Day weekend is always crowded and so far the date also belongs to Alfonso Cuaron‘s sci-fi drama Gravity, the family comedy Parental Guidance, the Keanu Reeves‘ action-adventure 47 Ronin, and the animated film Rise of the Guardians.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of The Silver Linings Playbook. [Release date via Box Office Mojo]

Straight out of the American Film Market, we’ve got the first images and synopsis for director David O. Russell’s The Fighter follow-up, The Silver Linings Playbook. Based on the novel by Matthew Quick, the film tells the story of a former high school teacher (Bradley Cooper) who returns home after four years in a mental institution to live with his mother (Jackie Weaver) and win back the affection of his estranged wife. The great cast also includes Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Stiles, Chris Tucker, and Robert De Niro. Russell has a knack for off-center material, and I’m looking forward to see what he’s cooked up here. Hit the jump to check out the images and synopsis.

UPDATE: We’ve been asked by the studio to take down the images. Sorry if you missed them

In my profession, there are two very important things you must do: watch movies and keep notes.  I did an alright job with the first one, but admittedly fell short on the latter.  While last year I was able to confidently provide what I thought were the best kills and quotes, this year I didn’t do a good job with record keeping and so I’ve omitted those categories.  Next year I’ll be more meticulous and make it a point to see movie where people get destroyed while saying witty things.

However, I did see enough movies to confidently make a list of the folks I thought were the best actors, directors, and other miscellaneous greats.  Hit the jump to check out my picks.