The 100 key films of 2013: Nos 81-90

Sin City 2: Whatever you thought of its gender politics, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s 2005 pulp-noir Sin City (pictured) offered arguably the most stylish comic-book movie to date. Their follow-up has been stalled for a while, but finally got off the ground this year. Subtitled A Dame to Kill For, the second dose contains the same conglomeration of neo-noir grotesques, with many recurring characters: the key figure of Ava Lord, the dame of the title, is however yet to be cast, even though filming started over a month ago. Expect sultry half-slip brilliance from whoever gets the nod: Salma Hayek, a regular Rodriguez collaborator, seems to be the most talked about candidate. Photograph: Miramax Films

Snowpiercer: One of those wha...? films. South Korean writer-director Bong Joon-ho has made inroads into the western consciousness with Memories of Murder and The Host, both genre pics with a twist. With this latest he has ventured into English language film-making, courtesy of an adaptation of a French graphic novel (Le Transperceneige, pictured) about the only survivors of an icy planetary apocalypse; they avoid succumbing because they live aboard a train called the Snowpiercer. A large eclectic cast - from Tilda Swinton to Ed Harris to Chris “Captain America” Evans - means this could either be brilliant or awful. Photograph: Public Domain

Stand Up Guys: Al Pacino stars as Val, a con man who's ready for a night on the town after popping out of a 28-year stretch in prison. Christopher Walken's his old buddy Doc, intent on showing him a good time, then the business end of a pistol for Val's part in the accidental death of his boss' son. Walken's on form following his soulful performance in Martin McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths, tortured former gangster should be a cinch for Pacino. Take your seats ... Photograph: Roadside Attractions

Star Trek Into Darkness: JJ Abrams’ second voyage in the Star Trek universe sees the crew of the Enterprise face a vengeful genius (Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch) who’s threatening the galaxy with a weapon of mass destruction. Was ever thus, except this time, the fanboys mutter, the arch baddie could be someone very familiar to fans of Kirk and co. Khhhhhaaaaan! it be him? It just could. Photograph: Allstar/PARAMOUNT PICTURES/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

This is 40: Lordy, lordy, looks who's 40... and ready to talk about it too. Judd Apatow takes his brand of long form, self-referential dramedy to its logical conclusion with this two hour-plus film about the perils of aging, starring his wife (Leslie Mann, pictured right) and daughters, Iris and Maude (on the left). Paul Rudd (with the peanut butter) is Ti40's Apatow approximate. Photograph: Suzanne Hanover/AP

To the Wonder: The "B-side to Tree of Life" according to our own Peter Bradshaw, but there's a chance that Terrence Malick's latest could become a fan favourite. Ben Affleck plays an American man who leaves his European wife to be with his childhood sweetheart (Rachel McAdams, pictured with Affleck above). Malick, while more prolific than ever (he's got three in post-production after the six year wait for Tree of Life), remains an enigma, even to his leading man. "The experience of it seemed half-crazy in that we didn't really have dialogue, so I didn't really know what was happening," said Affleck of making To The Wonder. "Then I realized that he was accumulating colors that he would use to paint with later in the editing room". Colour us excited. Photograph: StudioCanal

Trance: Danny Boyle re-teams with Trainspotting writer John Hodge for a thriller about a hypnotherapist recruited by an art auctioneer to help a criminal gang recover a valuable painting. He nicked our hearts with that masterful Olympics opening ceremony, but can he still steal a trick at the cinema? James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson (pictured) star. Photograph: Susie Allnutt/PR

Twelve Years a Slave: Shame director Steve McQueen (pictured) returns with an adaptation of the 1853 memoir by David Wilson and Solomon Northup - a free black man who was captured and sold into slavery in pre-Civil war Louisiana. There's a stellar cast fronting this one - Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Northup, while Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt have supporting roles. Still, it's a younger star who's likely to draw the most attention. Twelve Years a Slave will see Beasts of the Southern Wild's Quvenzhané Wallis break out of the bathtub Photograph: David Fisher / Rex Features/David Fisher / Rex Features

Two Mothers: A Doris Lessing adaptation by Coco Before Chanel director Anne Fontaine wouldn’t necessarily be in anyone’s most-anticipated movies list, except this has the always-interesting Naomi Watts leading the line, with Robin Wright right along behind. Then there’s the “interesting” subject matter: based on Lessing’s 2003 novella The Grandmothers, it follows two women, close friends since childhood, who end up becoming the lovers of each other’s teenage son. That’s got to hurt. It’s been picked for Sundance, so verdicts will come in soon. Photograph: PR

Under the Skin: Jonathan Glazer hasn’t found it easy in feature film-making, with only two to his name since 2000 – both, admittedly, rather good: the gangster yarn Sexy Beast and the spooky Birth. His third, based on Michael Faber’s novel about a sexy alien roaming the Scottish countryside hunting men to consume, looks like its finally nearing release. With Scarlett Johannson as said sexy alien you would have thought this would have been on the fast track, but with reshoots taking place a couple of months back it still looks like there’s some way to go. A mid-year festival date looks likely. Photograph: FilmNation