The Most Anticipated Films of 2014 Pt. 3

30 More Films for the Serious-Minded Films Buffs

The Auteurs Club

My New Girlfriend

Written and directed by Francois Ozon. Starring Romain Duris, Anais Demoustier, and Raphael Personnaz.

The Lobster

Written and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

Far from the Madding Crowd

Directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Screenplay by David Nicholls. Based on the novel by Thomas Hardy. Starring Carey Mulligan, Juno Temple, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge, and Michael Sheen.

White Bird in a Blizzard



Written for the screen and directed by Gregg Araki. Based on the novel by Laura Kasischke. Starring Eva Green, Shailene Woodley, Christopher Meloni, Gabourey Sidibe, Sheryl Lee, Shiloh Fernandez, and Angela Bassett.

The Cobbler

Directed by Thomas McCarthy. Written by Thomas McCarthy and Paul Sado. Starring Adam Sandler, Dan Stevens, Method Man, Melonie Diaz, Steve Buscemi, and Dustin Hoffman.

Learning to Drive

Directed by Isabel Coixet. Written by Sarah Kernochan. Starring Ben Kingsley, Sarita Choudhury, Grace Gummer, Jake Weber, and Patricia Clarkson.

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus

Written and directed by Spike Lee. Starring Michael K. Williams, Felicia Pearson, Elvis Nolasco, Zaraah Abrahams, Steven Hauck, and Stephen Tyrone Williams.

Every Thing Will Be Fine

Directed by Wim Wenders. Written by Bjorn Olaf Johannessen. Starring James Franco, Rachel McAdams, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sarah Polley, Marie-Josee Croze, Robert Naylor, and Patrick Bauchau.

The Trip to Italy

Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.

The Face of an Angel

Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Screenplay by Paul Viragh. Based on the book Angel Face by Barbie Latza Nadeau. Starring Kate Beckinsale, Daniel Bruhl, and Cara Delevingne.

Aimer, boire et changer

Directed by Alain Resnais. Screenplay by Alain Resnais, Jean-Marie Besset, Laurent Herbert, and Caroline Silhol. Based on the play by Alan Ayckbourn. Starring Sandrine Kilberlain, Andre Dussollier, Sabine Azema, and Hippolyte Girardot.

Sils Maria

Written and directed by Olivier Assayas. Starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloe Grace Mortez, Johnny Flynn, Brady Corbet, and Angela Winkler.

Midnight Special

Written and directed by Jeff Nichols. Starring Kristen Dunst, Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, and Adam Driver.

Welcome to New York

Directed by Abel Ferrara. Written by Abel Ferrara and Christ Zois. Starring Jacqueline Bissett, Gerard Depardieu. Maria di Angelis, Paul Calderon, and Amy Ferguson.

Winter Sleep

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Written by Nuri Bilge and Ebru Ceylan. Starring Haluk Bilginer, Melisa Sozen, and Demet Akbag.

The Voices

Directed by Marjane Satrapi. Written by Michael R. Perry. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Anna Kendrick, Gemma Arterton, Jacki Weaver, Adi Shankar, and Gulliver McGrath.

Some of the world’s best filmmakers will make their return to the cinema to unleash new films that their longtime fans will be eager to see. Francois Ozon will return to the world of comedy with My New Girlfriend while Yorgos Lanthimos is set to bring something weird with The Lobster. Thomas Vinterberg and Gregg Araki will both tackle different film adaptations with Vinterberg in the period drama Far from the Madding Crowd and Araki in the mysterious White Bird in a Blizzard. Thomas McCarthy hopes to succeed in proving that Adam Sandler can act in The Cobbler while Isabel Coixet reunites with Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson in Learning to Drive. Spike Lee will return to his low-budget roots with Da Sweet Blood of Jesus while Wim Wenders experiments with the world of 3D in Every Thing Will Be Fine.

Michael Winterbottom will have two films emerging in 2014 with the first being a sequel to 2010’s The Trip where Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon go to Italy while Winterbottom’s other film The Face of an Angel will revolve around the Amanda Knox case. Two of France’s great directors in Olivier Assayas and Alain Resnais will emerge with new films with Assayas in a drama starring Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart while Resnais decides not to retire to make another film based on the play Aimer, boire et changer. Jeff Nichols goes into a genre-exploration with sci-fi horror in Midnight Special. Abel Ferrera explores the rise and fall of French economist Dominique Strauss-Kahn in Welcome to New York. Nuri Bilge Ceylan will unleash another drama set in Turkey while Iran’s Marjane Satrapi will delve into her first solo effort as a director in a horror crime drama starring Ryan Reynolds and Anna Kendrick.

The Indies & Art-House Films

Cymbeline

Directed by Michael Almereyda. Based on the play by William Shakespeare. Starring Ethan Hawke, Milla Jovovich, Dakota Johnson, Penn Badgley, Anton Yelchin, Spencer Treat Clark, and Ed Harris.

Angelica

Written for the screen and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein. Based on the novel by Arthur Phillips. Starring Jena Malone, Ed Stoppard, and Janet McTeer.

5 to 7

Written and directed by Victor Levin. Starring Olivia Thirlby, Anton Yelchin, Berenice Marlohe, Glenn Close, Eric Stoltz, and Frank Langella.

Rudderless

Directed by William H. Macy. Written by Jeff Robison and Casey Twenter. Starring William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Billy Crudup, Laurence Fishburne, Anton Yelchin, Selena Gomez, Jamie Chung, and Ben Kweller.

Into the Forest

Directed by Patricia Rozema. Based on the novel by Jean Hegland. Starring Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood.

Cavalry



Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. Starring Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Isaach de Bankole, and Aidan Gillen.

Brooklyn

Directed by John Crowley. Screenplay by Nick Hornsby. Based on the novel by Colm Toibin. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Gadon, Julie Walters, and Jim Broadbent.

Beauty and the Beast



Directed by Christophe Gans. Screenplay by Christophe Gans and Sandra Vo-Anh. Based on the book by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Starring Vincent Cassel, Lea Seydoux, Eduardo Noriega, Yvonne Catterfield, and Andre Dussollier.

Song One

Directed by Kate Barker-Froyland. Starring Anne Hathaway, Mary Steenburgen, Johnny Flynn, Al Thompson, and Ben Rosenfield.

Happy Christmas

Written and directed by Joe Swanberg. Starring Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Lena Dunham, Mark Webber, and Joe Swanberg.

Laggies

Directed by Lynn Shelton. Written by Andrea Seigel. Starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Keira Knightley, Sam Rockwell, Tiya Sircar, Kaitlyn Dever, and Mark Webber.

God Help the Girl

Written and directed by Stuart Murdoch. Starring Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, and Hannah Murray.

Frank

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson. Starring Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Domhnall Gleeson.

Love is Strange

Directed by Ira Sachs. Written by Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias. Starring Marisa Tomei, John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Charlie Tahan, and Cheyenne Jackson.

A slew of major indies will be emerging into film festivals and such for 2014 as among them is Michael Almereyda takes on William Shakespeare once again in Cymbeline while William H. Macy steps behind the director’s chair for the musical Rudderless. Jena Malone stars in a period-horror drama as a mother protecting her child in Angelica while Anton Yelchin and Olivia Thirlby deal with love in 5 to 7. Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood play sisters living through an apocalypse in Into the Forest. John Michael McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson reunite for a comedy about a priest dealing with the state of the world in Cavalry. Saoirse Ronan plays an Irish teenager arriving into 1950s America in Brooklyn.

Lea Seydoux and Vincent Cassel team up for a new re-telling of Beauty and the Beast while Anne Hathaway goes into the world of music in Song One. Two of American independent cinema’s talented figures in Lynn Shelton and Joe Swanberg will unleash new films where the former will explore a woman dealing with her engagement while there’s no information on Swanberg’s new film. Belle & Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch will finally release his long-awaited musical based on his 2011 project God Help the Girl. Lenny Abrahamson will also explore the world of music in a film about the eccentric musician Frank Sidebottom. Finally, Ira Sachs explores the life of a gay couple living apart in Love is Strange.

25 Shit Films to Avoid for 2014:

1. Transformers: Age of Extinction

Directed by Michael Bay. Written by Ehren Krueger. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Sophia Myles, T.J. Miller, Stanley Tucci, and Kelsey Grammer.

Despite the commercial success of the Transformers franchise, there is no question that the films themselves haven’t been well-received by critics and some audiences as Michael Bay took a detour of sorts with 2013’s Pain & Gain which divided audiences and critics. Now with an entirely new cast, Michael Bay will continue to create mindless spectacles that is essentially devoid of heart and purpose as it will continue to sucker the idiots left and right.

2. Blended



Directed by Frank Coraci. Written by Clare Sera and Ivan Menchell. Starring Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Bella Thorne, Kevin Nealon, Emma Fuhrmann, Terry Crews, Joel McHale, and Dan Patrick.

It’s essentially like this. Adam Sander derp-de-derp does derpy-derpy-derp and then derpy-derp-derp-derp. Then, derpity-derpy-derp and derpa-derpa-derp does derp-de-derp and derpity-derpity-derp. Oh, and it’s brought to you by more lame product placements.

3. The Other Woman



Directed by Nick Cassavetes. Written by Melissa Stack. Starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Kinney, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Nick Cassavetes is a pretty decent director but his next effort looks absolutely horrible. Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann play two women who learn that Mann’s husband has another mistress in Kate Upton who teams up with them to take him down. It’s a premise that could’ve been interesting but its trailer reveals that it’s going to be absolutely stupid.

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman. Screenplay by Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, Josh Fusco, and Evan Daugherty. Based on the cartoon series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Starring Megan Fox, Peter Ploszek, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Alan Ritchson, Danny Woodburn, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Abby Elliot, and Whoopi Goldberg.

There’s no question that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are quite beloved as the film series in the early 90s were pretty good despite how cheesy they were. The idea of a reboot is exciting but with Michael Bay producing and Jonathan Liebesman helming the film. It’s not going to be good at all.

5. 3 Days to Kill



Directed by McG. Written by Luc Besson and Adi Hassak. Starring Kevin Costner, Connie Nielsen, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Eriq Ebouaney, and Richard Sammel.

McG is without question one of the worst filmmakers working today as his recent film in 2012’s This Means War was one of the dumbest films ever made. His newest film will have Kevin Costner attempting to do the kind of films that was making Liam Neeson relevant again but the premise and execution will have McG emphasize on style over substance.

6. Single Moms Club

Written and directed by Tyler Perry. Starring Tyler Perry, Nia Long, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zulay Henao, William Levy, Eddie Cibrian, Amy Smart, and Terry Crews.

Tyler Perry is a name that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people as he’s made a lot of bad movies in recent years ranging from his very sentimental melodramas to his unfunny Medea comedies. Once again, he will tackle another comedy-drama that explore the lives of single mothers with more of the heavy-handed messages that he will expound upon.

7. Superfast

Written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Joseph Julian Soria, Daniel Booko, and Amin Joseph.

There is a big question into why Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer are still working? Where do they get their funding for their crap parodies? They’re not even films let alone bad movies but rather trash that is devoid of any use. In their next project, the duo will spoof racing movies including the Fast & Furious film franchise.

8. This is Where I Leave You

Directed by Shawn Levy. Written by Jonathan Tropper that is based on his novel. Starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Connie Britton, Kathryn Hahn, Dax Shepherd, Abigail Spencer, and Jane Fonda.

Shawn Levy is a name that not liked by film buffs as his 2013 film The Internship was one of the worst comedies of that year where it felt more like a commercial for Google than an actual film. The first of two films that Levy will do for 2014, this film will explore the world of siblings in all of its silliness as it’s likely to sappy and just plain fucking dumb.

9. Sabotage



Directed by David Ayer. Screenplay by David Ayer and Skip Woods. Based on the novel And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, Mireille Enos, Terrence Howard, Joe Manganiello, Harold Perrineau, and Martin Donovan.

This doesn’t deserve to be on the list based on the cast and its director but there is a major reason why it’s not going to be a good film. Skip Woods. This man is truly one of the worst screenwriters working today and has no clue how to write an action sequence or anything as there are those that will never forgive him for the last Die Hard movie. Plus, this is based on an Agatha Christie novel so it’s likely that Woods will screw this up even worse as he’s going to get a lot of hate mail from Christie fans.

10. Pompeii



Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Screenplay by Janet Scott Batchler, Lee Batchler, and Michael Robert Johnson. Starring Kit Harrington, Emily Browning, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kiefer Sutherland, Paz Vega, Adewale Akkinuoye-Agbaje, Jessica Lucas, and Jared Harris.

Paul W.S. Anderson does have his moments as a filmmaker where it’s obvious that he’s best when he’s working with something that is completely ridiculous. Unfortunately, this is not going to be one of these films where it aims for something serious about the story of Pompeii. Yet, it’s bad visual effects and having Kit Harrington to carry the film is certainly not going to be a good idea.

11. Hercules: The Thracian Wars

Directed by Brett Ratner. Screenplay by Ryan Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos. Based on the comic by Steve Moore and Admira Wijaya. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Askel Hennie, Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane, Reece Richie, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Joseph Fiennes, Rebecca Ferguson, Irina Shayk, and John Hurt.

12. Hercules: The Legend Begins



Directed by Renny Harlan. Written by Renny Harlin, Sean Hood, Giulio Steve, and Daniel Giat. Starring Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins, Roxanne McKee, Liam Garrigan, Liam McIntyre, and Jonathon Schaech.

13. About Last Night…



Directed by Steve Pink. Screenplay by Leslye Headland. Based on the play Sexual Perversity in Chicago by David Mamet. Starring Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, Paula Patton, Adam Rodriguez, and Christopher McDonald.

14. Endless Love



Directed by Shana Feste. Written by Shana Feste and Joshua Safran. Starring Alex Pettyfer, Gabriella Wilde, Robert Patrick, Joely Richardson, Emma Rigby, and Bruce Greenwood.

15. A Haunted House 2



Directed by Michael Tiddes. Written by Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez. Starring Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Dave Sheridan, Jaime Pressly, Gabriel Iglesias, and Ashley Rickards.

16. Night at the Museum 3

Directed by Shawn Levy. Screenplay by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. Starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Dan Stevens, Steve Coogan, Owen Wilson, and Ricky Gervais.

17. Think Like a Man Too

Directed by Tim Story. Screenplay by David A. Newman and Keith Merryman. Based on the self-help book by Steve Harvey. Starring Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Terrence J., Jerry Ferrera, Gabrielle Union, Michael Ealy, Taraji P. Henson, Romany Malco, and Meagan Good.

18. Step Up All In

Directed by Trish Sie. Screenplay by Josh Swetnam. Based on the characters by Duane Adler. Starring Ryan Guzman, Alyson Stoner, Adam Sevani, Mari Koda, Christopher Scott, and Luis Rosado.

19. The Nut Job



Directed by Peter Leponiotis. Screenplay by Peter Leponiotis, Lorne Cameron, and Daniel Woo. Based on the 2005 animated short Surly Squirrel by Peter Leponiotis. Featuring the voices of Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Katherine Heigl, Gabriel Iglesias, Sarah Gadon, Maya Rudolph, and Liam Neeson.

20. Home

Directed by Tim Johnson. Screenplay by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember. Based on the children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Featuring the voices of Jim Parsons, Jennifer Lopez, Rhianna, and Steve Martin.

21. Back in the Day



Written and directed by Michael Rosenbaum. Starring Michael Rosenbaum, Nick Swardson, Morena Baccarin, Harland Williams, and Jay R. Ferguson.

22. Ride Along



Directed by Tim Story. Written by Greg Coolidge, Jason Mantzoukas, Phil Hay, and Matt Manfredi. Starring Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, John Leguizamo, Tika Sumpter, Bryan Callen, and Bruce McGill.

23. Heaven is For Real



Directed by Randall Wallace. Screenplay by Chris Parker. Based on the book by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. Starring Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Connor Corum, Jacob Vargas, Nancy Sorel, and Thomas Haden Church.

24. Business Trip

Directed by Ken Scott. Written by Steve Conrad. Starring Vince Vaughn, Dave Franco, Sienna Miller, June Diane Raphael, Nick Frost, and Tom Wilkinson.

25. The Boy Next Door

Directed by Rob Cohen. Written by Barbara Curry. Starring Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett, Kristin Chenoweth, and Hill Harper.

There’s a lot more crap that’s coming to the big screens that is best to avoid. There’s two films based on Hercules from two filmmakers who aren’t well-liked in Brett Ratner and Renny Harlin where Ratner’s version has Dwayne Johnson while Harlin has Lutz playing the role where it’s going to be a contest on which one is going to be worse. Two 80s remakes will emerge in an African-American version of About Last Night… and a very creepy take on Endless Love. Yikes. Sequels are coming back to the big screen where Ben Stiller endures more mayhem at Night at the Museum 3, Marlon Wayans creates another lifeless parody in A Haunted House 2, women going to Steve Harvey once again in Think Like a Man Too, and more lame street dancing in Step Up All In.

Parents have something they not take their children two in two very crappy animated films in The Nut Job and Home. Michael Rosenbaum tries to create another high school reunion movie with lots of lame humor in Back in the Day while Kevin Hart annoys the hell out of Ice Cube in Ride Along. Randall Wallace brings a lame Christian movie about a boy who survives death in Heaven is For Real. Finally, we have two films starring two fading stars who are definitely on the verge of irrelevance where Vince Vaughn goes on a business trip while J-Lo deals with a stalker in Rob Cohen’s new hack-thriller.

Well, that’s all for what is ahead in 2014. I hope you all watch some good movies and stay away from the bad ones.

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© thevoid99 2013