Hey guys. March is almost over so we are through the drudgery of bad movies that come out the first few months of every year. This year was no different, with the exception of The Lego Movie which I was more entertained by than even American Hustle, my favorite movie of last year. There have been some truly dreadful movies released to this point of the year, so let's look forward with some optimism. Here are my 10 most anticipated movies of the rest of 2014.
First let me start with a few honorable mentions that just barely couldn't crack the Top 10:
-Guardians of the Galaxy
-How to Train Your Dragon 2
-Maleficent
-22 Jump Street
10. Serena
This is a fall release and presumed Oscar hopeful. It is also a romance drama, which means it is more than likely going to get the tag of a "chick flick," but I am excited about it for one reason: it is a romance movie starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in the lead. This is the same duo that made Silver Linings Playbook one of my favorite movies in 2012. They are electrifying on screen together, and I was sad they didn't really share scenes in American Hustle last year. This has potential to be great just because of them.
9. Neighbors
I normally don't look forward to comedy movies, but this one looks pretty funny. It comes out, I believe in June and I'm already starting to see commercials for it. It stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne who have an entire frat, led by Zach Efron, move in next door to them. The results of that neighborly feud look to be hilarious. On top of that, it is directed by the team that made This Is The End. Needless to say, I am in.
8. Interstellar
Christopher Nolan doing sci fi. Umm, yes please. This movie just looks awesome. I have really only seen stills and some short 10 second clips but it looks like it could be gold. Plus, Christopher Nolan wrote and directed it, and his last movie he did that with was Inception, which is one of my all time favorite movies. He is a genius storyteller and director. He also has Matthew McConaughey in the lead, who is coming off a stretch of greatness that I have no reason to believe won't continue.
7. Gone Girl
I am probably the only person on earth that believes the re-invented Ben Affleck is not just one of the greatest directors in Hollywood, but is also a great actor as well. (Now that being said, he used to be terrible, but has come back with a vengeance and is great now.) For those who don't believe that, go re-watch Argo and The Town, all of which he wrote, directed, and starred in. Great in all of them. In this movie, he plays a man who's wife disappears on their wedding anniversary. It has the makings of a great mystery thriller, especially since it is being directed by the great David Fincher, who gave us the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo a few years ago.
6. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
If you had asked me to make this list last year, Catching Fire would not have been anywhere near the top 10, but that movie was so incredible (led by a new director between the first and second movies) that I am full tilt on board for movies 3 and 4. Francis Lawrence is staying on to direct the last two films so I have no doubt they will maintain their quality. Now, I have never read the books, and I have been told that the story only gets better from those who have, so I am excited. Plus, let's be honest, can you ever go wrong with more Jennifer Lawrence?
5. The Amazing Spider Man 2
Okay, full disclosure, I came dangerously close to walking out of the first Amazing Spider Man movie out of sheer boredom. It looked like it had potential when it first came out. It starred Andrew Garfield, who I thought was the best part of The Social Network, and Emma Stone, who is the only actress I love more than Jennifer Lawrence right now. However, I just couldn't get into it. Now, with a couple repeat viewings I do like it a little more, but I'm not huge on it. That being said, this movie looks fantastic.
Sony is starting, with this film, to begin the creation of their own cinematic universe, not unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Avengers and related films) that will include at least 4 Spider Man films, a Venom stand alone, and a Sinister Six movie. Only true nerds (like myself) know what all those are, but look it up on Wikipedia and you'll realize why I'm so excited. I am really excited by a lot of what I'm seeing in these movies. Peter Parker, as portrayed by Andrew Garfield, is great. It looks funny, but with fantastic action sequences. And Jamie Foxx looks like he will make one great villian as Electro. I also didn't think they could find a good actor to replace James Franco as Harry Osborn from Spider Man 2 (the Sam Raimi version), and then they cast Dane DeHaan, who was the kid who goes nuts in Chronicle, and I realized I was wrong. He may be able to do the quiet duplicity of that role better than even Franco did. Definitely stoked for this one.
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Okay, so I'm a sucker for good comic book movies. What can I say. This is the earliest release on this list, coming out April 4, or just two weeks from now. I wasn't a huge fan of what Marvel has done so far in Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, but this movie looks like it will be Marvel getting back on track. Now don't get me wrong, I did enjoy both earlier films in Phase 2 but they just weren't up to Marvel standards. With this (and to a lesser extent Guardians of the Galaxy) I think Marvel will be getting back on track. I am really excited to see Captain America fight Bucky Barnes, and hopefully have the realization that he is fighting his best friend, let alone the fact that Bucky is still alive. (People who are movie fans but aren't aware of the comic book lore, please don't yell at me for spoilers, this isn't one. They have made it clear that Bucky Barnes is the Winter Soldier. They even showed his face in the trailer for goodness sake.)
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
So I was a huge fan of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I am a huge fan of the trailers I have seen. I am a huge fan of Gary Oldman. It should be no surprise that this movie is this high on this list. I am really excited for the direction of where this franchise is going. The original movies and Rise weren't light hearted movies by any means, but at the same time, this movie looks to be going much darker than any of the other movies in the storied history of this franchise.
2. Godzilla
I saw my first Godzilla movie when I was young and I have since been waiting my entire life for a really good Godzilla movie. In my naivety I thought I had one when I was like 11 years old and saw the Matthew Broderick movie. Of course, as I grew up, and my movie tastes became more refined I realized how bad that movie was. So when I heard they were doing Godzilla again I was not too excited. And then I saw the trailer. Holy cow, this movie looks so good. Godzilla looks amazing, and we know he will be fighting monsters which is awesome. Plus it is a movie that has Bryan Cranston in it so I'm totally down. I can't wait to see more of this movie as they continue releasing trailers.
1. X-Men: Days of Future Past
I've already said I am a sucker for comic book movies, and there is no comic book franchise I am a bigger sucker for than X-Men. I saw a trailer for this movie a little bit ago that was essentially just a teaser. It showed short shots of each character and introduced the tone of the film, which is great. It seems like this will be a darker tone than the X-Men: First Class film that immediately precedes it. Plus, we get two Xaviers (played by Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy) and two Magnetos (played by Ian McKellan and Michael Fassbender) and that can never be a bad thing. And, just because it was a theme earlier, there can never be enough Jennifer Lawrence.
So there is my list. Let me know what you guys are excited for that's coming out this year. I am really excited to hear your lists.
