For our last list of 2013, Mr. Gonzalez and I decided to do a list of our most anticipated films in 2014! Below you’ll find each of our respective lists as well as a few of our thoughts on each film. Mr. Gonzalez even went as far as including some of his honorable mentions. Check out each one below:
GRANT:
1.) The Amazing Spiderman 2
This is a strange way to start a list of most anticipated films but I’m a little more than skeptical when it comes to this film. I wasn’t especially a fan of the first Amazing Spiderman, but it did make a lot of interesting plot choices that I feel could lead to a worthwhile sequel. This movie already seems like it plans to juggle quite a bit in terms of story, since the trailer has already confirmed that there will be at least three villains (Rhino, Green Goblin, and Electro) and the last Spiderman movie that had three villains ended up being the worst Spiderman film of them all. However, I’m hoping the franchise has learned from its mistakes and that the sequel will exceed the original in every way.
2.) Godzilla
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBwsUD7jYCI
I fully blame Jurassic Park for this, but I’ve always been a fan of movies that involve giant monster-like creatures stomping around and terrorizing human kind. The last monster movie worth any merit was 2005’s King Kong, and despite being a remake, next year’s Godzilla is long overdue. The trailer looks great and I’m hoping the ominous feel it gives off is a sign of great things to come. I honestly don’t know what to expect and I think that is what has me the most excited.
Gonzalez Note
Boy, is that teaser effective. One of the most effective I’ve seen in a while. I honestly got chills during the skydive sequence where you can barely see everybody’s favorite kaiju. Also you can’t go wrong with that atonal music from “2001: A Space Odyssey”.
What the teaser confirms is that the style and tone of Gareth Edwards’ debut feature “Monsters” will be transplanted over here. This is very encouraging because “Monsters” is a very unusual yet highly effective monster movie that’s more interested in creating a mood than providing gore or cheap thrills. That’s not to say I don’t expect to see incredible destruction scenes with some of the best visual effects money can buy. It’s just nice to know that Edwards isn’t another Michael Bay* and seems very respectful to the original 1954 “Gojira”, which is a rumination on the effects of war and the H-bomb that also happens to have a gigantic radiation-spewing lizard (played by a man in a suit, natch) in it.
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- There is a time and a place for Michael Bay. I enjoy a couple of his films when in the right mindset.
3.) X-Men Days Of Future Past
For a franchise that started off so promising, the X-Men films have started to struggle over the past few years. Things took a turn for the worst with X-Men Last Stand, and when Fox somehow managed to drop the ball with one of the franchise’s most popular character (Wolverine) it seemed like X-Men was on a fast track to needing a reboot. Fortunately, films like X-Men First Class and this year’s the Wolverine were released, and while they both were still full of flaws, they served as a sign that not all hope is lost, and it’s still possible for future movies to potentially be really good, and I’m hoping that Days Of Future Past is that movie that starts the turn around.
4.) Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0wP5ZkaUGg
I may just be speaking for myself, but Rise of the Planet of the Apes caught me by surprise, and a good surprise considering I previously had absolutely no interest in the franchise it may or may not have been rebooted from (was it a prequel or a legitimate reboot??) Either way, it will be interesting to see if the series can continue with another solid sci-fi sequel, or if Rise was just a fluke.
5.) Noah
For a nation that increasingly finds way to avoid addressing anything that has to do with the Bible, there’s definitely a love hate relationship with it within Hollywood, which is why I’m surprised and simultaneously not surprised that a movie based on the biblical tale of Noah and the ark. What has me so interested in the film is that I’m curious as to how the story will be handled. History has shown that people are generally very receptive to film adaptions of Biblical stories (The Prince of Egypt, Passion of the Christ) and assuming that the film doesn’t pick and choose what aspects of the story to adapt, I’d like to think that this movie will be an excellent film adaption of events that could have possibly taken place during the flood… or just another shameless exploit by Hollywood in order to make some money. Time will tell.
GONZALEZ:
The Wind Rises
Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imtdgdGOB6Q
First, I guess I’m lucky that the movie I probably want to see the most in 2014 is coming out in February. Everything else might just be superfluous.
If you don’t know who Hayao Miyazaki is, I’ll give a brief history. He’s a director who’s been making feature films since 1979, is considered by some to be Japan’s equivalent to Walt Disney, and despite only having 10 movies to his name, most of them are masterpieces. He’s behind two of the greatest animated films of the last 20 years, “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away“, with other classics as “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Castle in the Sky” shining bright in the movie fermament. Notice I said “movie”, not “animated film”. While his movies are generally kids films, they are just as magical (maybe even more so) for adults.
At the age of 72, Miyazaki-san has announced his retirement from feature film-directing. He previously made this announcement in 1997 after “Princess Mononoke” (which would’ve been a helluva film to go out on, in my honest opinion) but has since directed 4 more films. So while it’s possible that he might have one last gem left in him, I’m going to treat “The Wind Rises” as his final film. And that is both sad and exhilarating. This film is going to be the final word on one of the greatest film careers ever. I have a feeling it’s going to kill me.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Written and directed by Wes Anderson
Starring: A lot of awesome actors
Wes Anderson seems to be going all out with what seems to be his most ambitiously quirky film to date. And bless him for that. The director of “Rushmore”, “The Royal Tennenbaums”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, and “Moonrise Kingdom” has established himself as one of the most unique auteur directors working today. You can always tell you’re watching a film of his, for better (for some) or for worse (ditto). I happen to greatly enjoy his style and while agree his fastidious attention to detail in every single shot can sometimes be overdone, it frequently rubs the right spot for me. Hopefully his latest turns out to be closer to his better films rather than something like “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”, which while enjoyable really got away from him. Which is what just might happen here – I mean, look at that cast!
Also, more films should be made in the old square aspect ratio these days.
The Raid 2: Berandal
Written and directed by Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais
If you’ve seen “The Raid”, one of the best action films in recent memory, this is a no-brainer. The same people behind the original are behind this one, which sees main character Rama (Uwais) going undercover to infiltrate the ranks of the crime syndicate and uncover corruption in his police force. It sounds like the story is stronger than the last film’s basic video game plot but it’s all just an excuse for amazing and bloody fight sequences anyway. It would be nice if the plot were good, though.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert Redford
Unlike my esteemed colleague, I very much enjoyed Cap’s first film. However, I do agree with him that it is heavily flawed in places. “The Winter Soldier” looks to have a very interesting premise of Steve Rogers encountering spy intrigue in modern day Washington D.C.. Marvel made the very interesting (and slightly worrying, if I’m being honest) decision to hire the Russo brothers to helm their first big budget action film. They come from the world of TV (episodes of “Community”, apparently the paintball ones if that means anything to you) and also have “You, Me and Dupree” on their resume. I trust Marvel knows what they’re doing.
The trailer is pretty good and has promise. The best thing about it is that it does not give away the identity of the titular villainous soldier (no, Cap is not the Winter Soldier; it’s a confusing title). Hopefully the marketing continues in this fashion and audiences can be surprised in the theater.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Written and directed by James Gunn
Starring: Christ Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Djimon Honsou, Benecio del Toro, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and the voices of Bradley Cooper & Vin Diesel
http://larryfire.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/guardians_of_the_galaxy.jpg
No trailer yet but judging from the reaction a clip got at Comic Con, this could be Marvel’s most interesting film to date. Remember, there was a time when Iron Man was considered to be a risky choice to make a movie about. President of Production at Marvel Studios Kevin Feige has really been on a role with his choices for directors of these films, hiring not big names but creative talents ready to break out into the big leagues.
I’m not very familiar with James Gunn’s filmography but I love his selection nonetheless. The writer/director’s previous films include the screenplay for Zack Snyder’s “Dawn of the Dead” remake; his directorial debut “Slither”, a horror comedy about alien slugs that turn people into zombies; and 2010’s “Super”, where Rainn Wilson played a “Kick-Ass”-like vigilante accompanied by a psychotic Ellen Page. They’ve entrusted this man with the reigns to a big-budget superhero movie starring a team of heroes nobody’s heard of. I have a feeling we’re in for a treat.
Interstellar
Directed by Christopher Nolan; written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and of course Michael Caine
Not much is known about the new film from the director the Dark Knight Trilogy, “Memento”, “The Prestige”, and “Inception”. God knows the teaser doesn’t give away any earth-shattering plot details. Fine by me. Christopher Nolan knows how to market a film and is thus only giving us the bare minimum. Apparently the plot involves space exploration, wormholes, and possible time travel/alternate dimensions. Steven Spielberg was previously involved with the film, the cast is solid, and he’s filming select sequences in IMAX just like he did with the last two Batman films. That’s all I need to know. Nolan earned my ticket to every one of his films long ago so he could direct paint drying and I’d be there.
Honorable Mentions (or the ones who don’t have trailers):
- The Lego Movie: From the makers of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and “21 Jump Street”, both of which rank very high on the laugh-o-meter for me.
–Sabotage – Anything Arnold Schwarzenegger is in (besides “Expendables 3”) is on my radar.
- Transcendence: Nolan’s cinematographer Wally Pfister makes his directorial debut with Johnny Depp playing not a weirdo. If his directing skills are as good as his photography… Eh, we’ll see.
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22 Jump Street: See above.
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How to Train Your Dragon 2: I love the first one and remain cautiously optimistic for this one.
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Jupiter Ascending: Can The Wachowskis continue the hot streak they’re on after “Cloud Atlas”?
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Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: If this was coming out 2 or 3 years after the original, I’d be so pumped. After 9 years, I’m less pumped.
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The Boxtrolls: A new stop-motion animated film from the studio behind “Coraline” and “ParaNorman”.
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Gone Girl: The new film by David Fincher (“Se7en”, “Fight Club”, “The Social Network”).
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Big Hero 6: Disney and Marvel truly join forces for an animated film!
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Dumb and Dumber To: I want to laugh but fear cringing.
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1: Though I’m not a fan of splitting the last film in two for mo’ money, the last film compells me to see the next one.
– Exodus: Ridley Scott directing the story of Moses starring Christian Bale? Apparently one Biblical epic wasn’t enough for this year.
GRANT:
Well folks that’s it! What do you think of our lists? Are you anticipating any of the movies we listed as well or do you think that they’re both completely off? Leave your comments below.
