81 Movies To Watch In 2014 (BLOG)

Now that 2013 is all but a memory, it's time to look ahead to 2014. This past year was one of the best for film in quite some time, but with upcoming features from Wes Anderson, George Clooney, Woody Allen, Bennett Miller, David Fincher and Christopher Nolan on the docket, 2014 could be strong as well. Or it could stink. We'll find out over the next 12 months, when smaller indies and other surprises are added to the year's release calendar. For now, consider these 81 movies as the most significant releases of 2014.

• "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones" (Jan. 3)
  Fun fact: this is not "Paranormal Activity 5." That film comes out in October.
• "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" (Jan. 17)
  Paramount moved this Jack Ryan reboot from Christmas Day to Jan. 17, but that gambit should pay off: "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," starring Paramount golden boy Chris Pine (the studio's "Star Trek" films), looks like the kind of action film that reaches sleeper blockbuster status simply because it doesn't have much competition.
• "Ride Along" (Jan. 17)
  "A little man Smurf." That's how Ice Cube describes Kevin Hart in the "Ride Along" trailer, so lol see you at the theater.
• "G.B.F." (Jan. 17)
  Darren Stein's indie gem, which debuted at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, combines elements of Stein's own "Jawbreaker" with "Mean Girls," "Heathers" and "Clueless."It's a must see.
• "That Awkward Moment" (Jan. 31)
  Hollywood's next great leading men (Miles Teller, Zac Efron and Michael B. Jordan) star in this R-rated comedy about love and relationships among Millennials. Fingers crossed that this one is as funny as the R-rated trailer.
• "The LEGO Movie" (Feb. 7)
  You might not think a movie about LEGOs would be awesome, but "The LEGO Movie" trailer states otherwise. Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("21 Jump Street") direct the film, which features voice work from Chris Pratt, Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks, Cobie Smulders and Will Arnett among others.
• "The Monuments Men" (Feb. 7)
  George Clooney's erstwhile Oscar contender was moved to 2014 to avoid the crunch of year-end 2013 releases. (It still looks great despite the date change.) Matt Damon, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett all co-star.
• "RoboCop" (Feb. 14)
  Even if the idea of a "RoboCop" remake sounds lame, consider this: The movie features Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Jay Baruchel in supporting roles.
• "About Last Night" (Feb.14)
  A remake of the 1986 dramedy with Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, this version of "About Last Night" stars Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant and Michael Ealy.
• "Vampire Academy" (Feb. 14)
  "Mean Girls" director Mark Waters returns with "Vampire Academy," an adaptation of Richelle Mead's YA series that was written for the screen by Daniel Waters ("Heathers").
• "Non-Stop" (Feb. 28)
  Yes to this one.
• "Welcome To Yesterday" (Feb. 28)
  "What if we made a found footage movie about time traveling high school kids?" "Sure."
• "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (March 7)
  Wes Anderson's new film includes the usual coterie of Anderson regulars (Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Harvey Keitel, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson) and newcomers like Saoirse Ronan and Ralph Fiennes. "What happened, my dear Zero, is I beat the living shit out of a sniveling little runt called Pinky Bandinski." Where do we check in?
• "300: Rise of an Empire" (March 7)
  This. Is. Sparta. Again.
• "Veronica Mars" (March 14)
  Veronica Mars: Love Triangle from Veronica Mars on Vimeo.
  Marshmallows unite.
• "Bad Words" (March 14)
  Jason Bateman's directorial debut, about an adult who exploits a loop hole to compete in spelling bee competitions with children, is an R-rated comedy in the vein of "Bad Santa." (Be warned, the trailer is filthy.) "Bad Words" premiered at 2013's Toronto International Film Festival in September.
• "Grace of Monaco" (March 14)
  Like "The Monuments Men," "Grace of Monaco" was once considered a 2013 Oscar contender until a late-hour date change. "They want a commercial film, that is to say at the grass roots, removing everything above [...] removing all that is cinema, everything that makes life," director Olivier Dahan said after the film, which The Weinstein Company is set to release in North America, was bumped. "Here, in this case, they made a trailer that did not fit the movie, and then they try to make the film look like the trailer, this is absurd." Watch that trailer here.
• "Need for Speed" (March 14)
  The answer to the question: What if Aaron Paul starred in a "Fast and Furious" movie?
• "Divergent" (March 21)
  The next "Hunger Games"? Veronica Roth's dystopian YA series stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James, and brings with it expectations that threaten to overflow the Cornucopia. (Mixed franchises, but you get the drift.)
• "Muppets Most Wanted" (March 21)
  The Muppets are back, and this time they brought Tina Fey and Ricky Gervais.
• "Stretch" (March 21)
  Getty Images
  Joe Carnahan ("The Grey") returns with an indie thriller about "a chauffeur who takes a job for a billionaire who makes his life hell." Chris Pine, Jessica Alba, Patrick Wilson and Ray Liotta all co-star.
• "Nymphomaniac Part 1" (March 21)
  Nymphomaniac Official Trailer from Zentropa on Vimeo.
  THIS IS THE MOST NSFW TRAILER EVER. Ahem. ("Nymphomaniac Part 2" is out on April 18.)
• "Noah" (March 28)
  Bless Paramount for giving an auteur like Darren Aronofsky millions of dollars to make a crazy Biblical epic about Noah, of Noah's Ark fame.
• "Breathe In" (March 28)
  Felicity Jones, who played a heartbreaker for director Drake Doremus in "Like Crazy," plays another one in his follow-up, "Breathe In." The film debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and should finally premiere for general U.S. audiences in March.
• "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (April 4)
  Summer starts early in 2014 thanks to the Marvel release of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" in April. This one looks great, right down to Robert Redford as the shady S.H.I.E.L.D. boss.
• "Dom Hemingway" (April 4)
  Jude Law plays the title character in this raucous, violent and foul-mouthed British comedy about a low-life criminal fresh out of prison. HuffPost Entertainment saw a very early screening of this one and can report that Law has never been better.
• "Under The Skin"
  In this creepy, David Lynch-ian thriller, Scarlett Johansson plays an alien. "Under the Skin" is weird, and judging from the early festival reviews, brilliant.
• "Draft Day" (April 11)
  It's like "Moneyball," but with football and Kevin Costner.
• "Sabotage" (April 11)
  Arnold Schwarzenegger is back, and this time it's in a movie that actually looks pretty good #alldisrespecttothelaststand #andescapeplan
• "St. Vincent De Van Nuys" (April 11)
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  Try to pretend this movie doesn't sound great: "A young boy whose parents just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic, war veteran who lives next door." The misanthrope is played by Bill Murray. Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd and Naomi Watts all co-star.
• "Only Lovers Left Alive" (April 11)
  Jim Jarmusch made a vampire movie with Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton. Ticket purchased.
• "Transcendence" (April 18)
  Wally Pfister, the cinematographer behind Christopher Nolan's Batman films and "Inception," made his very own Christopher Nolan movie. "Transcendence" stars Johnny Depp as a scientist who winds up with his psyche transferred into a computer. Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Paul Bettany and Morgan Freeman all co-star.
• "The Other Woman" (April 25)
  Your new favorite comedy stars Leslie Mann, Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton as three women trying to get back at the man who cheated on them all (Mann plays his wife).
• "Locke" (April 25)
  AP
  Tom Hardy gets his own "Drive" from writer-director Steven Knight: "A man's life unravels during a 90-minutes race against time." Yep, in.
• "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (May 2)
  Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man kicks off the summer blockbuster season in style with "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." Expect multiple villains, more romance between Spidey (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and lots of toy sales.
• "Neighbors" (May 9)
  Seth Rogen is now old enough to play the married guy who lives next door to the loud fraternity (here embodied by Zac Efron). The trailer for "Neighbors" includes a "Se7en" reference, so we're there.
• "Chef" (May 9)
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  Jon Favreau ("Iron Man") wrote, directed and stars in "Chef," a new comedy about a downtrodden chef. Favreau, famous for "Iron Man" and "Swingers," enlisted some of his A-list pals for the film, including Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman and Sofia Vergara.
• "Godzilla" (May 16)
  Roar.
• "Million Dollar Arm" (May 16)
  Here's what "Jerry Maguire" would look like if Jon Hamm was the star.
• "Blended" (May 23)
  Your yearly Adam Sandler comedy.
• "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (May 23)
  The "X-Men: Days of Future Past" cast is so big, Jennifer Lawrence has, like, ninth billing.
• "Maleficent" (May 30)
  Angelina Jolie plays the evil queen in this new take on Disney's "Sleeping Beauty."
• "A Million Ways To Die In The West" (May 30)
  AP
  Seth MacFarlane's follow-up to "Ted" doesn't star a talking teddy bear, but does feature MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried and Liam Neeson.
• "Edge of Tomorrow" (June 6)
  Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in this sci-fi thriller from director Doug Liman.
• "The Fault in Our Stars" (June 6)
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  Shailene Woodley stars in her second YA adaptation of 2014 with "The Fault in Our Stars," based on John Green's beloved novel.
• "22 Jump Street" (June 13)
  Still funny.
• "How To Train Your Dragon 2" (June 13)
  Your kids are going to love this one.
• "Jersey Boys" (June 20)
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  Clint Eastwood directs this adaptation of the hit Broadway musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
• "The Purge 2" (June 20)
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  Frank Grillo stars in this sequel to "The Purge," last summer's low-budget horror thriller.
• "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (June 27)
  Paramount
  Huge missed opportunity here by not calling the fourth "Transformers" film "Trans4mers."
• "Tammy" (July 2)
  Getty Images
  Co-written by Melissa McCarthy and her husband, Ben Falcone, and directed by Falcone, "Tammy" is McCarthy's latest summer comedy. The film focuses on the title character (McCarthy) who loses her job and her husband and goes on a road trip with her grandmother. Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney, Kathy Bates and more co-star.
• "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (July 11)
  Caesar's back.
• "Jupiter Ascending" (July 18)
  "Jupiter Ascending," an original sci-fi film from Andy and Lana Wachowski, is just a great big mess of potential. Mila Kunis as the universe's only hope? Channing Tatum as a wolf-human hybrid? An original score cue from Michael Giacchino? This could be the year's craziest ride or a total disaster. Whichever end of the scale it winds up on, however, one thing is clear: it's a must see.
• "Hercules" (July 25)
  Getty Images
  Here's a real movie that sounds awesome: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson playing Hercules for director Brett Ratner.
• "Get On Up" (Aug. 1)
  AP
  Chadwick Boseman, who played Jackie Robinson in "42," stars as James Brown in Tate Taylor's ("The Help") new film.
• "Sex Tape" (Aug. 1)
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  "Bad Teacher" stars Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel reunite for "Sex Tape," a new R-rated comedy about a couple who film their bedroom activities, only to lose the tape. Jake Kasdan ("Bad Teacher" as well) directs.
• "Guardians of the Galaxy" (Aug. 1)
  AP
  Chris Pratt is a superhero now.
• "Lucy" (Aug. 8)
  AP
  The plot summary for Luc Besson's "Lucy," as written by THR: "a woman is forced to become a drug mule, [b]ut the drug instead goes into her system, transforming her into an ass-kicking machine. She can absorb knowledge instantaneously, is able to move objects with her mind and can't feel pain and other discomforts." Scarlett Johansson plays Lucy.
• "The Expendables 3" (Aug. 15)
  This time, Harrison Ford is in on the fun. ("Fun.")
• "The Giver" (Aug. 15)
  Getty Images
  This adaptation of Lois Lowry's popular YA book stars Katie Holmes, Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Alexander Skarsgard and Taylor Swift.
• "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" (Aug. 22)
  AP
  Robert Rodriguez enlisted an all-star cast for his sequel to 2005's "Sin City," including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Mickey Rouke and Lady Gaga.
• "Jane Got A Gun" (Aug. 29)
  AP
  The troubled Natalie Portman film, which lost its director on the first day of filming, finally arrives in theaters on Aug. 29.
• "This Is Where I Leave You" (Sept. 12)
  AP
  2014's version of "August: Osage County"? Shawn Levy directs this adaptation of Jonathan Tropper's beloved novel, with Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant and more in the cast.
• "The Equalizer" (Sept. 26)
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  Denzel Washington reunites with "Training Day" director Antoine Fuqua for "The Equalizer," a reboot of the popular '80s television series.
• "Gone Girl" (Oct. 3)
  Fox
  David Fincher's follow-up to "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" is another novel adaptation: "Gone Girl," Gillian Flynn's mystery thriller. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike star, with Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry in supporting roles.
• "The Interview" (Oct. 10)
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  Fresh off "This Is The End," Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen direct "The Interview," a comedy about a news producer, a talk show host and an assassination plot. Rogen, James Franco and Lizzy Caplan are among the film's stars.
• "Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (Oct. 10)
  
  Steve Carell stars in this adaptation of Judith Viorst beloved children's book.
• "The Judge" (Oct. 10)
  Getty Images
  Free from Iron Man for the moment, Robert Downey Jr. stars as a man who returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral and then finds out that his estranged father has been arrested for murder. Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton, Melissa Leo and Leighton Meester co-star.
• "Interstellar" (Nov. 7)
  Christopher Nolan's first film since "The Dark Knight Rises" is a sci-fi epic starring Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway and many others. The trailer elicits goosebumps with the smallest of details. Imagine what the finished film might do.
• "Untitled Brad Pitt WWII Movie" (Nov. 14)
  
  Formerly titled "Fury," this film stars Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Michael Pena and a tank.
• "Dumb And Dumber To" (Nov. 14)
  AP
  Still dumb.
• "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" (Nov. 21)
  AP
  The next installment in the "Hunger Games" franchise will pick up with the cliffhanger left behind by "Catching Fire."
• "Horrible Bosses 2" (Nov. 26)
  
  They're back.
• "Exodus" (Dec. 12)
  
  Not to be outdone by Darren Aronfosky's "Noah," here's Ridley Scott's "Exodus," with Christian Bale as Moses.
• "The Hobbit: There And Back Again" (Dec. 17)
  AP
  Another one of these.
• "Annie" (Dec. 19)
  Getty Images
  Sony's reboot of "Annie" stars Quvenzhane Wallis as the title little orphan and Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz as, respectively, Benjamin Stacks (the new Daddy Warbucks) and Miss Hannigan.
• "Into The Woods" (Dec. 25)
  
  Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt and more star in this adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's hit musical.
• "Unbroken" (Dec. 25)
  Universal
  Angelina Jolie directs this true account of Olympian Louis Zamperini, who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.
• "Magic In The Moonlight" (TBD)
  
  Woody Allen's annual film stars Colin Firth, Emma Stone and Emma Stone's cute hat.
• "Foxcatcher" (TBD)
  Sony Pictures Classics
  Bennett Miller's presumed 2013 Oscar contender became a presumed 2014 Oscar contender when Sony Pictures Classics moved the film off its original December release date. Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo all star.
• "Inherent Vice" (TBD)
  AP
  Paul Thomas Anderson adapts Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel about a stoner detective. Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Jena Malone, Maya Rudolph and many more all star.

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Posted by: Anonymous 81 Movies To Watch In 2014 (BLOG) Updated at : 7:00 AM

Thursday, January 2, 2014