Cinema in 2014: A Look at This Year’s Possible Great Films
2013 was a great year for movies, but 2014 is also looking pretty amazing as well. Here's but a sample of things to come that each of us at EF are pretty excited for!
Melisa's Pick: The Grand Budapest Hotel (Release Date - March 7th, 2014)
Wes Anderson's newest film features a treasure trove of actors. Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, and Tom Wilkinson are all exciting newcomers. Longtime favorites Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman are back because it's just not a Wes Anderson film without them. Basically every other cool character actor under the Sun is in this. And, like any other Wes Anderson film, that's only the tip of the iceberg. The twee is back in full swing with delightful costumes and oddball characters. The sets look like beautiful life-sized dollhouses. The totally bonkers narrative includes murder, love, stolen art and only God know's what else. There are not one, not two, but THREE aspect ratios to represent different story lines. If that's not enough to tempt you how about the fact that Saorsie Ronan's character has a huge Mexico-shaped birthmark ON HER FACE. All this magnificence can be enjoyed within the theatrical trailer, which is sadly all I have to tide me over until the film is released this coming February.
Ruben's Pick: Godzilla (Release Date - May 16th, 2014)
While there are plenty of remakes to gripe about, this remake under the helm of Gareth Edwards (
Monsters) seems to be a genuine and sincere attempt at making a terrifying giant monster movie. Produced by Legendary Pictures, which gave us the amazing
Pacific Rim last year, this rendition of the Japanese classic series seems an intense summer film, that deserves to be seen on the largest screen possible.
Kieran's Choice: X-Men: Days of Future Past (Release Date - May 23rd, 2014
I am a big fan of
X-Men, in movies, comics and cartoons, so I am always interested when an
X-Men movie comes out.
X2: X-Men United is not just the best
X-Men movie, it is one of the best superhero movies ever made. Director Bryan Singer is now coming back to the series and he is the man who brought a darker, gritty tone to the film series, which focused on character development and sociological themes and had a very mature approach. There are a number of promising signs to this movie, the return of most of the original cast and the "First Class" cast, the fact that its an adaptation of a famous storyline and the fact that Fox has already commissioned a sequel.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is a superhero movie to look out for this year. If anything at least
X-Men Origins: Wolverine should be completely erased from continuity.
Simon's Pick: Edge of Tomorrow (Release Date - June 6th, 2014)
Call them déjà vu flicks, time travel films or time loop tales, I have a soft spot for movies in the vein of the upcoming
Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise’s latest foray into science fiction where he must team with a fellow solider in a future war to save not only mankind but their own lives. The kicker? He continues to live the same blood soaked day over and over, and must uncover the mystery behind his own bizarre situation while fighting for the lives of countless others.
The very fact that this is adapted from the acclaimed light novel
All You Need is Kill is cause enough to be intrigued, but add in supporting players which include Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton, this one has gone beyond piquing the curiosity of most sci-fi fans near and far. The true deal sealer has been the recent trailer which evokes, in the best of ways,
Saving Private Ryan (in distant times to come of course) with gritty aesthetics and mayhem selling the stakes that are at play in this world. If the look can mesh with what will hopefully be intriguing questions about fate and duty, this is one dystopian action flick that people should keep tabs on.
Steven's Pick: Interstellar (Release Date - November 7th, 2014)
The last couple years have seen some great films hit the scene. I found it particularly difficult though, to pick something from 2014 I'm most excited about. Scrolling down the long list of interesting sounding and potentially promising movies, I finally came to Christopher Nolan's forthcoming
Interstellar and I remembered. Yes. I'm beyond excited for this one. The reason I'm certain this film will be extremely impressive, is quite simply because it's Nolan. That's it. Watch any of his films from
Memento through
The Dark Knight Trilogy and it is clear that the man knows exactly what he's doing. You can be sure that he and his younger brother will be delivering something unique, unexpected and original.
Interstellar will be this year's
Inception.