Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2014 (10-6)

I figured since it's already March and we're finally getting through the dog shit of the movie calender (minus movies like The Lego Movie, which are awesome), it's time to look ahead to what the rest of the year holds. I'm excited for a lot of movies this year, whether it's from directors I love, or actors or because I'm an emotionally crippled man who finds solace in the make believe of handsome people.

You'll notice my omission of movies like Enemy and The Grand Budapest Hotel. This is probably puzzling because if you know me, you know I can't wait to see them. However, they are both out in theatres now, so I'll see them shortly, so I figured I'd leave them off. So let's start with some honourable mentions, then get to the actual movies, shall we?

Honourable Mentions

Boyhood

Directed by Richard Linklater

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette

Release Date: July 11 (UK)

22 Jump Street

Directed by Phil Lord & Chris Miller

Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, Peter Stormare, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle

Release Date: June 13

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Directed by Matt Reeves

Cast: Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Andy Serkis, Keri Russell, Judy Greer
Release Date: July 11

Transcendence

Directed by Wally Pfister

Cast: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara

Release Date: April 17

The Drop

Directed by Michael R. Roskam

Cast: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts

Release Date: September 19

A Most Wanted Man

Directed by Anton Corbijn

Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Daniel Bruhl

Release Date: TBA 2014

Only Lovers Left Alive

Directed by Jim Jarmusch

Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, John Hurt, Mia Wasikowska

Release Date: April 11

#10 Neighbors

Zac Efron and Dave Franco in Neighbors

The main reason I am excited for this movie is the involvement of Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, who have written Superbad, Pineapple Express and This Is The End together. Putting domesticated new parents next door to a frat house looks like shenanigans waiting to happen. While Rogen looks like he's gonna be doing his usual thing, I really want to see how far Dave Franco, Hannibal Burress, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jake Johnson, and Craig Roberts are pushed for the sake of comedy, as we all know Rogen and Goldberg will ask their actors to do anything.

I've also heard that Rose Byrne is the highlight of this movie, as she really goes all out for it. But I'm curious about Zefron, personally. We've seen him pretty successfully get away from his Disney past and branch out into adult fare, but not quite able to make it as a leading man, despite his looks. I've always wanted him to play the role he looks like he was born to play, in a fratty douchebag. Oh, and the involvement of Nicholas Stoller, director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, is certainly nothing to scoff at. The only reason I'm anticipating this more than 22 Jump Street is the fact that it's much more of a risk, because I'm pretty sure that movie will be fucking hilarious.

Release Date: May 9

#9 Calvary

Brendan Gleeson and Chris O'Dowd in Calvary

I'm really looking forward to this movie because I love Brendan Gleeson, who is one of the most underrated actors working right now, and John Michael McDonough won me over with The Guard. Reteaming with his lead actor from the aforementioned movie, it's about a priest who is told in confession that he will be killed, and about him trying to figure out who will kill him and why. 

While The Guard was a dark comedy, like In Bruges (which also starred Gleeson and was written and directed by John's brother Martin McDonough), this gives off a much more dramatic feel, and that should allow Gleeson to really show how good of an actor he is. But that's not to discount the amazing cast in this movie such as Chris O'Dowd, Aiden Gillen, Kelly Reilly, Domhall Gleeson (Brendan's son), and Dylan Moran. Frankly, this should probably be way higher up on my list, but who cares?

Release Date: August 1

#8 Inherent Vice

Joaquin Phoenix on the set of Inherent Vice

You can't have a top ten list for anything without Paul Thomas Anderson somehow factoring into it somehow. Known for making incredibly gripping dramatic films such as Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood and The Master, he looks like he's going back to what worked well in the little seen Punch Drunk Love. Still, if he can bring what he usually does to movies, I'll be there opening weekend. Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Pychon, it follows a drug fueled detective trying to solve the disappearance of a former girlfriend. And it's a comedy.

With a cast like this though, everyone should be lining up to see this damn thing. With Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Maya Rudolph and Martin Short, I literally have no idea what to expect from this movie. Josh Brolin said he's never worked on something quite like this, so that's pretty cool. The only real thing this movie will be lacking is Philip Seymour Hoffman yelling "PIG FUCK!" But otherwise, let's buckle up. Unfortunately, there are no stills from the movie or any trailers yet.

Release Date: Decemeber 12

#7 Fury

Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Brad Pitt, John Bernthal and Shia LaBeouf on a tank

Written and directed by David Ayer, this movie could either be totally awesome, or complete garbage. The reason why I think it could be the former is because he also wrote and directed End of Watch, which was one of my favourite movies of 2012, and boasted award worthy performances from Michael Pena and Jake Gyllenhaal, and a truly visceral and honest story. The reason it could possibly be garbage is because Ayer also wrote and directed Street Kings, the melodramatic turd starring Keanu Reeves. 

But another thing that is in favour of this movie being good is the fact that it has Brad Pitt at the head, who is fairly notorious for being picky when it comes to scripts, and as we know, is a phenomenal actor. It also has Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs, Shia LaBeouf and End of Watch co-lead Michael Pena. It's about a five man crew, led by Pitt's character, who take a Sherman tank behind enemy lines to complete a dangerous strike mission in Nazi Germany. Also, Pitt's character is called Wardaddy. No trailer yet.

Release Date: November 14

#6 Guardians of the Galaxy

Gamora, Starlord, Rocket Raccoon, Drax the Destroyer and Groot

It's no secret that I'm not a huge fan of Marvel movies lately, not because they aren't good, but mostly because they all feel like the same cookie cutter format, like one extended movie, with the same tone and plots. That's what makes me most excited about Guardians of the Galaxy, because it feels like the first time Marvel has taken a risk making a movie since Iron Man. Directed by James Gunn, the tone of this movie feels like a mixture between Indiana Jones, Aliens and whatever other movie has had a talking raccoon. 

The big draws for me are the humour that is so clearly evident in the script, and the fact that the cast is led by Chris Pratt, who I have a huge man crush on. This movie just looks like a ton of fun, with the other Guardians being played by Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper, there's bound to be some great moments. Also, with a supporting cast consisting of John C. Reilly, Benicio Del Toro, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Glenn Close, and Djimon Hounsou, this could either be the best Marvel movie in a long time, or a stain on an impressive streak from the studio.

Release Date: August 1

There you have it. My top five will be up as soon as I write it. But to tease it, the movies involve a reptile, a disappearance, an actor from Inside Llewyn Davis, Olympic wrestling and space travel. So until then, enjoy!