Films to watch out for in 2014
Here at Vision 4 Dreams were very excited about the upcoming year with new projects and exciting challenges. We hope 2014 will bring more good times. We’re also very excited about the years upcoming films, so here I’ll give my personal opinions and expectations on ten films I feel have the most appeal to audiences this year and give the general gist of what they’re about.
‘Mandela : A Long Walk To Freedom’ is directed by Justin Chadwick and based on Nelson Mandela’s autobiography of the same name, the film showcases Mandela’s life from childhood, through his years in prison and later through his election and time as the South African president as he fights to change the segregated society. With there being so many significant landmines in Mandelas life, it may be hard to include everything the audience wants to see, though because of this we can expect some hard hitting emotional scenes, with powerful acting from English actor and ‘The Wire’ star Idris Elba. With its release being so soon after Mandela’s death I personally am unsure how much of a success the film will be, there’s been so much media coverage over the past month or so, Mandela’s life story is fresh in everybody’s minds, if the release hadn’t been at such bad timing I think the film would have been more successful, this doesn’t mean I think the film will be bad, and I definitely will still be going to see it.
Another film that tackles the subject of War this year is ‘The Monuments Men’ Directed by and starring George Clooney this action drama includes a star studded and very talented cast, including Matt Damon, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchet. It follows the story of an unlikely platoon in World War 2 as they fight to protect the world’s art from the Nazis. From this we expect a lot of laughs and also to intake some knowledge, with it being based on a true tale were intrigued to know how Clooney will portray this story and how close to the truth he will stick. Never the less we’re excited for this. If you’re looking for something with even more laughs I’d definitely recommend ‘Dumb and Dumber to’ two decades after the release of the first film our favourite idiots return on screen as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne debark on another adventure that’s bound to have us all in tears. This time they head out to find one of their long lost sons in order to get a kidney transplant. This will be released in late November and so until then we’ll have to wait in anticipation. I expect many many laughs to come out of this film, with the great comedy connection that Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels had in the first film I only predict they’ll be many more laughs to enjoy.
One for the family this year will definitely be ‘Muppets Most Wanted’ as we get to see another classic Muppets film we’re all bound to enjoy! In this film the gang find themselves in the middle of a jewel heist whilst in Europe on a grand tour. The heist is being run by a Kermit look alike which can only mean trouble for our favourite Muppets which I’m sure we’re all excited about. Personally I hope they are able to bring something new to the Muppets, as we see in a lot of sequels it can be hard to create new jokes and funny scenarios, fortunately the Muppets have done it in the past and I really hope they’re able to do it again. With the help this time of Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Ty Burrell we can assume the film will bring lots of laughs for the whole family this year.
‘The Lego Movie’ is another that will be great for kids this year, it tells the tale of an ordinary Lego, Emmet as he’s mistaken for the saviour of the world. He’s taken to a fellowship of strangers that want to help him defeat the evil tyrant than plans to destroy the world. With a cast including Will Ferrell and Morgan Freeman we’re expecting a good story line and lots of laughs, and if the trailers anything to go by then you can expect a hilarious adventure for the whole family. The director’s previous films include 21 Jump Street and Cloudy with a chance of meatballs so we expect great things from this film. Although I’m not a child, I can honestly say I am excited about this film, before watching the trailer I didn’t really understand how they could represent Lego characters in a new and exciting way, of course it’s easy to entertain children but the trailer is actually very funny, the use of comedy and the persona of the Lego characters works really well so I predict this will be one for the parents too.
One of the films I’m most excited about seeing this year is ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1’ after being left on such a cliff hanger in the recent second film, the film begins as Katniss (Jenifer Lawrence) is taken from the battle fields of the hunger games to the lost land of district 13 where a mass rebellion is beginning. Though with some of her loved ones trapped in the capitol will she lead this rebellion like is expected of her? With no trailer as of yet we can only speculate what this film will bring, though with the success of the first and second we expect another blockbuster as we watch Katniss, Peter and Haymitch try and overcome the capitol. After watching the first film in this series I began reading the books after I enjoyed it so much, I haven’t finished the third book as of yet though after reading the first half I have big expectations for this film. You can expect something new from this film as they’re no longer in the battle fields of the hunger games but bring the battle fields to their normal lives. Of course this is one that’s really for existing fans of the first two films, though if you have not seen the films or read the books, I absolutely recommend them.
Another series film out this year is ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Here we see Andrew Garfield return as one of Marvels most loved super heroes. In most of the Spider-man films we’ve seen Peter Parkers biggest battle as being the one with himself; trying to balance his normal life with his superhero alter ego, though in this film we see there are much bigger battles for him to face. With the emergence of Electro, played by Jamie Foxx, Spider-man is taken to his limits with the fight of his life against this super villain, and possibly others who may stand in his way. There are a lot of people waiting in anticipation for this movie, though I just hope to see something new in this already established franchised, as with the Muppets we’ve familiarised ourselves with the characters, and a lot of diehard fans won’t want the director to sway too far from what they’re familiar to, but personally I’m hoping for something new from the film, I think the use of new villains and what’s been described as “The biggest battle of Spider-Mans Life” will hopefully bring exciting new elements and different dynamics to the film.
If you’re looking for something a little more epic, then I’d definitely recommend Noah, an American Biblical film that’s been directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Ari Handel and Aronofsky. We follow Noah as he has visions of an apocalypse, sent from God Noah knows he must change his fate and save mankind, though not without difficulty. Aronofsky puts a surprisingly dark edge on this tale, and through a manipulation of story turns this biblical take into a block buster, Russell Crowe stars as Noah and if the adverts anything to go by we can expect some powerful acting to go with this dramatic story. Movie Web has given the film 4/5 stars so let’s hope it lives up to the expectations when it hits out screens in March. Before researching this film I had somewhat low expectations of it, I’m not a Christian though along with many others am very familiar with the story of Noah and his ark, though after reading more on it and watching the trailer the dark edge the film has excites me as it brings something new, the tale has also been manipulated by bringing more challenges in for Noah to excite audiences, the film looks powerful and the way it’s description of epic definitely seems to fit.
Anybody who’s seen ’21 Jump Street’ is bound to be excited for the sequel ’22 Jump Street’ though personally I think this is one of those films where the second film can be enjoyed just as much if you haven’t seen the first. This time around Schmidt and Jenko go undercover to college, yes the same theme runs through the second film as it did in the first though we’re very excited about it because of the great and unexpected chemistry that Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum had in the first film, I feel this is what made the first film such a success and is a big factor in what makes me so excited to see what’s in stall for the second. The film will be released in June and so until then we must wait in suspense, though I expect it to be up there with the best comedies of the year.
There’s not one of these films that I’m not excited about seeing, they all have something different that’s sure to make them a success. Though the one film I’m most excited about is ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ The film follows hotel concierge Gustave H and his new apprentice and lobby boy, Zero Moustafa, as Gustave is framed for the murder of a friend and former lover. Around this Gustave is bequeathed a painting that must be hidden by a very good friend of theirs. Directed by Wes Anderson this colourful comedy-drama will be sure to brighten up your day with many laughs and a very interesting story line also look forward to some incredible acting from the likes of Ralph Fiennes. It’s the cinematography in this film that particularly interests me as it’s unlike most things I’ve seen, from seeing the trailer I immediately love the significant use of colour in this film, bringing something new to this years cinema. The story line seems to be fast changing and very exciting, I definitely recommend taking a look at the trailer to get a real grasp of what the film’s about.
