Most anticipated films of 2013

Welcome to 2013 movie lovers, this is normally the time I let you all know what the local cinemas have in store for us this weekend, but since there is only one new film being released I thought I would just peer into the future and look at what the rest of 2013 has to offer us. These are films that I am most looking forward to as of right now.

Oh yeah, the new movie that is being released this week is Texas Chainsaw 3D, so for anyone who actually cares about yet another re-imagining of this morbid tale, now is your chance to see this.

The following 2013 releases are listed in no particular order of preference.

Stoker (Opens March 1)

Normally I would see a trailer for a film starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode and Mia Wasikowska and not think anything of it, but then I saw that it was directed by Chan-Wook Park and my interest level instantly peaked. Park is the fabulous Korean director who made the incredible Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance), and this is his first English-language movie. It's a very creepy looking gothic horror about family secrets and it is sure to have plenty of twists and crazy turns in it. This could be a sleeper.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (Opens March 15)

This hilarious looking new comedy is brought to us from the writers of Horrible Bosses and it looks like it's going to be a blast. It's about a rivalry that develops between an old school magician who has fallen on hard times and a hotshot new street magician that has stolen his thunder. The great cast is led by Steve Carell and Jim Carrey and also includes Olivia Wilde, Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin and James Gandolfini. I think this could be highly entertaining and full of big laughs.

42 (Opens April 12)

Just in time for the start of baseball season comes this bio-pic which tells the life story of Jackie Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey. Long before Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up to a white passenger on the bus and Martin Luther King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech, Jackie Robinson became a hero in the civil rights movement by breaking baseball's colour barrier and becoming the first black man to play in the major leagues. His story is the stuff of legend and he is one of the greatest sporting heroes in the history of the world. I can't wait to see how they portray this incredible man's life on the big screen. And the casting of Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey is inspired to say the least. This should be great.

Only God Forgives (Opens Summer 2013)

This brutal looking drama is high on my must see list because it re-teams star Ryan Gosling and Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn together again. The pair collaborated on last year's incredible, pulse pounding thriller Drive, which was one of my favourite films of the year. All I know about this film is that it is a revenge tale set in Thailand about a drug smuggler who runs a boxing club. Sign me up, I'm there.

Star Trek Into Darkness (Opens May 17)

I absolutely loved J.J. Abrams 2009 Star Trek film. He injected some much needed life into this historic franchise and actually made people care about these characters again. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us in the sequel. I am trying my best to avoid spoilers so I'm not even going to get into the plot. Needless to say, if you are any kind of Trekkie at all, you will be lining up for this one. This should be a huge event movie in 2013.

Now You See Me (Opens June 7)

I just saw the trailer for this fun looking action heist film by director Louis Leterrier (Transporter, The Incredible Hulk) and I must say that I'm definitely intrigued by its prospects. It's about a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money. The all star cast includes Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Caine, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Mark Ruffalo. Not bad eh? Is your interest peaked yet?

Man of Steel (Opens June 14)

Hopes are high for this one after the letdown of 2006's Superman Returns. I've always been an enormous fan of the 1978 version of Superman with Christopher Reeve since it was the first film I saw in the theater, so needless to say I will be scrutinizing this one closely. Zack Snyder (300, The Watchmen) sits behind the director's chair for this one and he has assembled quite the cast which includes Russell Crowe, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, and donning the cape and tights as Supe, UK actor Henry Cavill. The studio clearly wants this film to follow in the footsteps of the Dark Knight Trilogy since they hired Christopher Nolan to co-write and produce Man of Steel. If everything pans out the way it should this could be absolutely epic. Fingers crossed.

Pacific Rim (Opens July 12)

Speaking of epic, this new sci-fi action adventure by Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) about giant robots battling Earth invading aliens and monsters has the potential to be one of the biggest and most groundbreaking things we've seen in film yet. Apparently some early footage was shown at this past year's Comic Con and it literally blew the roof off the joint. Del Toro is a creative wonder so I can only imagine what kind of fun this could be. This is going to destroy the summer box office this year - bank on it!

Elysium (Opens August 9)

Not too much is known about this science fiction film shot in Surrey B.C. except for the fact that it is South African director Neill Blomkamp's highly anticipated follow-up to his 2009 hit District 9. It stars a bald Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley and it is set in the distant future. If it is half as good as District 9 was then it will be well worth seeing. I for one can't wait.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (Opens October 4)

It's about bloody time this sequel finally got made. Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez have made us wait eight years since the original Sin City was released and I sincerely hope that this will be worth the long delay. I loved everything about Sin City from its unique visual palette to the film noir style it mimicked. I'm really looking forward to being immersed in this world again. I still have to wait 10 more months though. Ack!

Other great looking films I'm eagerly awaiting in 2013 include Oz: The Great and Powerful, Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby, World War Z, Kick-Ass 2, Gravity, Captain Phillips, The World's End, Thor: The Dark World, Anchorman: The Legend Continues, and of course, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

2012 was a great year at the movies and it appears that 2013 has the potential to be just as good, if not better.

Here's to a wonderful 2013 at the movies.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.