Thursday 2 January 2014

Top 10 Anticipated Films of 2014

It's that time of year again where it's time to look forwards to the films due out this next year. Last year when I made this list I missed out Captain Phillips and Gravity, two of my favourite films of the year, so that underlines my terrible ability of assessing future films! Anyway, with that said below are the top ten films I'm looking forward to seeing in 2014.

Honourable mentions:
22 Jump Street (June 14),  Gone Girl (Oct 14), X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 14), Guardians of the Galaxy (Aug 14), Dallas Buyers Club (Feb 14).

10. Noah (Mar 14)
I wasn't fully sold on this pick after watching the trailer but I'm interested to see how director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Black Swan) utilises a big budget and major special effects not to mention the epic story as well as Russell Crowe.








9. Transcendence (Apr 14)

Christopher Nolan's long term cinematographer Wally Pfister makes his directorial debut with a sci-fi story about a dying scientist who connects his mind to the computer he built to allow him to continue living. I wasn't sure with Johnny Depp playing the scientist but the role looks relatively restrained for him.





8. Godzilla (May 14)
Awesome looking reboot of the Japanese monster and the 1998 American film. As a thirteen year old I enjoyed the US original and the teaser trailer for the reboot looks pretty good.








7. Out of the Furnace (Jan 14)

Great cast (Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Willem Defoe and Forest Whitaker) and a really gritty looking story of two brothers moved this Scott Cooper film up the list.






6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (July 14)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was really good and looked brilliant and excited for a sequel that appears to be taking the story onwards towards all out war between humans and apes.








5. American Hustle (Jan 14)
Out on Jan 1st there is no need to wait for David O. Russell's 70s FBI con man story starring Russell alumni Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Interesting story, good music and some hyped performances.








4. Interstellar (Nov 14)
Christopher Nolan's first non-Batman film since Inception appears to be another sci-fi journey, this time starring Matthew McConaughey, based on the minimal information available and teaser trailer.








3. Inherent Vice (TBA 14)

I was a little disappointed with Thomas Pynchon's novel Inherent Vice but with Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, The Master) directing I think there is potential for this to be great. Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro star.








2. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Mar 14)
Ashamedly I've only seen one Wes Anderson film, 2012's Moonrise Kingdom, and it was my favourite film of the year. The trailer for The Grand Budapest Hotel looks pure Anderson with a great cast and I can't wait to venture back into the world of Anderson.







1. The Wolf of Wall Street (Jan 14)
Wow, I've been so excited about this film since I first saw the trailer during the summer months. Directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Terence Winter (The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire) and the film looks like a total blast of excess and consequences.  Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler and Matthew McConaughey star.

Wednesday 1 January 2014

2013: A Year in Film

So 2013 is done and I thought I would write a brief summary of the films I saw throughout the year.

New (to me) films watched:                                                          79
2013 (UK release) films watched:                                                  9 (must try harder!)
Films from my 2013 Top 10 Most Anticipated List:                         5

Highest rated 2013 film: Gravity















Highest rated other film: There Will Be Blood

Lowest rated 2013 film: Gangster Squad














Lowest rated other film: Battleship

Honourable mentions: Margin Call, The Place Beyond the Pines

Biggest disappointment: Not managing to see Mud while it was on release.














All 2013 reviews:

10/10
Gravity

9/10
Captain Phillips
Argo
Serpico
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Rear Window
Moneyball

8/10
Milk
Silver Linings Playbook
Flight
Star Trek Into Darkness
Bullitt
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Artist
The Place Beyond the Pines
Thirteen Days
Margin Call
Jerry Maguire
The Birds
X-Men: First Class
Bridesmaids
The Avengers
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

7/10
Hobo With A Shotgun
Les Miserables
Dredd
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Contraband
Blue Valentine
J. Edgar
For A Good Time, Call...
Monsters Inc. 
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
World War Z
Robin Hood
The Great Gatsby
Lockout
Men in Black 3
Piranha 3D
The Campaign
Friends With Benefits
The Adventures of Tintin 

6/10
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Pitch Perfect
The Man With the Iron Fists
Gangster Squad
Brake
Defiance
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
The Taking of Pelham 123
Chronicle
Oz the Great and Powerful
The Vow
Limitless
To Catch a Thief
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Ted

5/10
Snow White and the Huntsman
Premium Rush
Wrath of the Titans
10 Years
Ice Age: Continental Drift
The Raven
Immortals
John Carter
Terminator Salvation
The Sitter

4/10
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
Cocktail
Battleship