20. MALEFICENT
Release Date: May 30, 2014
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Brenton Thwaites
Director: Robert Stromberg /Writers: Paul Dini & Linda Woolverton
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=704EXbJ-b5k
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Plot Crunch: The “Sleeping Beauty” tale is told from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent and looks at the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse young Princess Aurora.
*The concept of Maleficent definitely interested me, but it wasn’t until I saw the stunning teaser trailer that it really solidified its spot on here. Angelina Jolie is looking quite flawless as the evil Maleficent, and the look of the movie is just in line with the animated Sleeping Beauty. The summer release is odd, but Disney must have a lot of confidence in this one.
19. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Starring: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Cobie Smulders, Emily VanCamp, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Dominic Cooper
Directors: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo /Writers: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeeley
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvD6clUAWdA
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Plot Crunch: Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.
*Another Marvel movie! The follow-up to 2011’s Chris Evans vehicle has pretty much everything going for it. Check out the trailer and see all you need to know about The Winter Soldier.
18. SIN CITY: A DAME TO DIE FOR
Release Date: August 22, 2014
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Josh Brolin, Lady Gaga, Juno Temple, Eva Green, Jaime King, Mickey Rourke, Jamie Chung, Rosario Dawson, Ray Liotta, Christopher Meloni, Jeremy Piven
Directors: Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez /Writers: William Monahan, Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller
Trailer: –
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Plot Crunch: The town’s most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more reviled inhabitants.
*It feels like I’ve been waiting a millennium to see a proper follow-up to Sin City. If this sequel is more Sin City and less The Spirit, I think everyone will love it. Plus, more Lady Gaga? After Machete Kills, I’m anxious to see her doing more film projects.
17. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Release Date: August 1, 2014
Starring: Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Luke Grimes, Victor Rasuk
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson /Writer: Kelly Marcel
Trailer: –
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot Crunch: A literature student Anastasia Steele meets a handsome, yet tormented, billionaire named Christian Grey.
*Like pretty much everyone else, I read (and loved) the book. Sure, they weren’t about to cast Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart even though the book was originally a Twilight fan fiction, but I was really digging the choice of Charlie Hunnam. Jamie Dornan is very in line with what I imagined for Christian Grey, though Dakota Johnson is another story. Hopefully director Sam Taylor-Johnson can deliver something more substantially interesting than the mostly eventless book.
16. THE MAZE RUNNER
Release Date: September 19, 2014
Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kaya Scodelario, Patricia Clarkson
Director: Wes Ball /Writers: James Dashner, Grant Pierce Myers, T.S. Nowlin, Noah Oppenheim
Trailer: –
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi
Plot Crunch: Set in a post-apocalyptic world, young Thomas is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning they’re all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with fellow “runners” for a shot at escape.
*The release was pushed back, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of this young adult adaption. What I’m most interested in seeing is how well Dylan O’Brien will carry a film as the lead and if it will see similar success to The Hunger Games.
15. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
Release Date: August 1, 2014
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly, Djimon Hounsou, Glenn Close
Director & Writer: James Gunn
Trailer: –
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Plot Crunch: A jet pilot gets stranded in space, and must unite a diverse team of aliens to form a squad capable of defeating cosmic threats.
*Chris Pratt leads an all-star cast in one of Marvel’s most peculiar films to date. James Gunn is a fun and smart director, so hopefully he can provide another worthy entry into the Marvel cannon and not follow the footsteps of Iron Man 2 (the worst Marvel film in my opinion).
14. HORRIBLE BOSSES 2
Release Date: November 28, 2014
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Chris Pine, Jason Sudeikis, Christoph Waltz, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day
Director: Sean Anders /Writers: John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein, John Morris, & Sean Anders
Trailer: –
Genre: Comedy
Plot Crunch: Fed up with answering to higher-ups, Nick, Dale and Kurt decide to become their own bosses by launching their own business in Horrible Bosses 2. But a slick investor soon pulls the rug out from under them. Outplayed and desperate, and with no legal recourse, the three would-be entrepreneurs hatch a misguided plan to kidnap the investor’s adult son and ransom him to regain control of their company.
*The sequel to one of the best comedies of the decade has a lot riding on it, and a new director can often spell trouble. Thankfully, the cast is all back but that doesn’t necessarily indicate the type of quality we can expect. As long as we don’t get a complete rehash of the same plot, I don’t see this not being a great film.
13. INTO THE WOODS
Release Date: December 25, 2014
Starring: Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Lucy Punch
Director: Rob Marshall /Writer: James Lapine
Trailer: –
Genre: Comedy, Musical, Fantasy
Plot Crunch: A witch conspires to teach important lessons to various characters of popular children’s stories including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel.
*A musical about fairy tale characters? Count me in.
12. DIVERGENT
Release Date: March 21, 2014
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Kate Winslet, Ansel Elgort, Theo James, Zoe Kravitz, Maggie Q, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Mekhi Phifer
Director: Neil Burger /Writers: Evan Daugherty & Vanessa Taylor
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXT0kcTI9Kk
Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance
Plot Crunch: Beatrice Prior, a teenager with a special mind, finds her life threatened when an authoritarian leader seeks to exterminate her kind in her effort to seize control of their divided society.
*I haven’t read the YA book the film is based on (that’s next on my list after Warm Bodies), but Divergent looks like a solid film. The cast was what immediately caught my eye, and the production quality from the trailer indicates we might be in for a real treat.
11. COOTIES
Release Date: October 10, 2014
Starring: Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Rainn Wilson, Leigh Whannell, Jorge Garcia, Jack McBrayer
Directors: Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion /Writers: Ian Brennan & Leigh Whannell
Trailer: –
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Plot: A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.
*Ian Brennan and Leigh Whannell are two of the best writers working in Hollywood, so knowing Cooties is hatched from the mind of these two geniuses doesn’t make it hard to get excited for this. Throw in Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson and Cooties is immediately one of the must-see horror films coming out in 2014.
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