The Academy Awards were held on Sunday. That can only mean one thing: March is here and Hollywood is ready to start bringing the big guns. We’re through the very dark January and February dumpster period for bad movies and are ready to jump in to some compelling story and major action.
With more than fifteen great looking movies coming out over the course of the next three months, it’s difficult to whittle it down to a solid ten. Given that, I have decided that the ten that will be featured here are either movies that are too big to pass up and/or haven’t been featured enough on the site/the rest of the internet.
But first I have to show some love for some movies that are getting a lot of press around the site/internet, but are important releases coming down the stretch. Here are the five movies that didn’t make the Top 10:
1. Divergent – “Divergent” is a movie that, if you’re a fan of the site, it’s impossible you haven’t heard of. Based on the dystopian novel series by Veronica Roth and directed by Neil Burger, the story follows Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) as she finds out she is a divergent (one that does not fit into any of the five factions that have been established in dystopian Chicago for the overall population) and uncovers something sinister brewing in her society. Over the next few weeks you can expect lots of news about this film because it comes out on March 21st.
2. A Long Way Down – Nick Hornby, the man behind such beloved novels as “Fever Pitch”, “High Fidelity”, and “About A Boy”, gets another one of his books turned to film (sort of) with “A Long Way Down”. The film, which says it is loosely based on the novel, sees four strangers meet on the roof of a London building on New Year’s Eve with the intent to commit suicide. They go on to decide not to jump… for now. The four parts are played by Pierce Brosnan, Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, and Toni Collette. It’s directed by Pascal Chaumeil and has a UK Release date of March 21st, with no US date announced, but it has a trailer out and should definitely be on everyone’s radar.
3. Noah – “Noah” is Darren Aronofsky’s latest film (his first in four years, following up on the massive popularity of “Black Swan”) in which he takes on the popular Biblical tale of “Noah’s Ark”. Ever since the release of the teaser, “Noah” has been the talk of many sites around the internet, the latest news being that it will come with a disclaimer basically saying that in essence the story is “inspired” by the Bible’s story and will be a version that is an artistic interpretation while keeping its values intact. The film stars Russell Crowe as the titular character along with Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, Douglas Booth, Logan Lerman, and Ray Winstone. It will be released on March 28th.
4. Edge of Tomorrow – Based on the book “All You Need Is Kill” by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, “Edge of Tomorrow” is a film that has been in development hell for about half a decade and has gone through at least seven different writers, but it has an intriguing concept and the trailer made it look like it could be a lot of fun. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in this science fiction tale about a war between humans and an alien race that sees Cruise’s character continue to die in battle and be revived thanks to a time loop. The film, directed by Doug Liman, will be a late-spring release that kicks off the blockbuster film season on June 6th.
5. The Fault in Our Stars – Making her second appearance on this list already is Shailene Woodley in “The Fault in Our Stars”. Here’s another much-adored novel that will be getting lots of coverage not only TYF, but around many internet sites. The movie is set to tug at everyone’s heartstrings as Woodley plays a terminal cancer patient named Hazel whose life makes a turn for positive when she meets a boy named Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort) at a Cancer Kid Support Group. The Josh Boone helmed film releases on June 6th as well.
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And now we move on to the top 10. As you can see, we’ll be considering Spring movies as beginning on the first week of March and ending on the first week of June. The top 10 will be presented in order of release date.
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
What? Wes Anderson returns off the success “Moonrise Kingdom” with yet another interesting, kitschy ensemble piece in “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. The film takes place in the time between World War I and II in the fictional European country of Zubrowka. It focuses on the legendary concierge of The Grand Budapest Hotel, Monsieur Gustave H, and his friendship with Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy, as well as the adventures within the hotel itself that the two men go through.
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Who? The film is directed by Wes Anderson and stars a veritable gauntlet of character actors: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Léa Seydoux, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, and Tony Revolori.
When and Where? The film opens in limited cities on March 7th, with no concrete wide release date as of yet.
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2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
What? The ninth installment into the Marvel Cinematic Universe sees us revisit Captain America as the sole protagonist and where his story has taken him after the events of New York in “The Avengers”. In particular, we join Steve Rogers, currently lying low, two years after the attacks and realize he is still struggling to adjust to modern day life. After a SHIELD agent is assassinated, Rogers stumbles upon a sinister mystery that could endanger the world once more. Rogers finds himself donning the Captain America gear once more and teaming up with Black Widow in order to vanquish the threat known as The Winter Soldier. Fans of the comics know exactly who this person is and why I’d rather leave that revelation out of this write-up. The film will also introduce us to a new hero in the MCU, Sam Wilson aka “Falcon”.
Who? Joe Johnston is out as director, and replaced by Anthony and Joe Russo of “You, Me, and Dupree” fame, but don’t hold that against them. The movie looks phenomenal. Chris Evans returns as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L Jackson, and Cobie Smulders all return as Black Widow, Nick Fury, and SHIELD Agent Maria Hill respectively. Anthony Mackie will play the role of Falcon. Finally, the film will also star Robert Redford, Hayley Atwell, Frank Grillo, and Sebastian Stan.
When and Where? Prepare to take pride in America once more when the film opens wide on April 4th.
3. Dom Hemingway
What? The title character of “Dom Hemingway” is a notorious safe-cracker that just spent twelve years in prison because he wasn’t a rat. Now he’s prowling the streets of London and looking to collect on what he’s owed. However, when the egotistical and alcoholic Dom arrives in France to reap his reward, a void is left unfilled and his priorities change.
Who? The film is directed and written by Richard Shepard, who hasn’t made anything noteworthy for nearly a decade when he last brought us a cult-favorite in “The Matador”. The film stars Jude Law as Dom Hemingway in what is a bit of a departure for him, and, judging by the trailer, is going to be very fun to watch. Along side Law, the film co-stars Richard E. Grant, Demián Bichir, and, “Game of Thrones” favorite, Emilia Clarke.
When and Where? The dark comedy has been playing overseas since the end of 2013, but it finally arrives on American shores (albeit in a limited capacity) on April 4th.
4. Transcendence
What? When time is running out for the terminally-ill Dr. Will Caster, he does something many thought was impossible. See, Dr. Caster is an artificial intelligence researcher with dreams of creating a machine with sentient capabilities. Despite extremists protesting his actions, Dr. Caster is not going to let anybody stop him from achieving his goal. Soon, he comes up with the idea of prolonging his life by downloading his mind into his project computer. His wife and best friend plead him to reconsider, but he’s made up his mind. The initial goal of acquiring knowledge soon becomes a thirst for power and with his mind programmed to a computer, it seems that he becomes unstoppable.
Who? Wally Pfister is a first-time director on this project, though he’s been taught be a powerful friend. Pfister has been Christopher Nolan’s longtime Director of Photography, so it isn’t too much to think that some of that potent dust that makes Nolan such a standout may have rubbed off on Pfister. It also doesn’t hurt that the film stars the likes of Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Paul Bettany, and Cole Hauser either.
When and Where? The science fiction thriller opens wide on April 18th.
5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
What? Peter Parker’s life just hasn’t been the same since he was bitten by a radioactive spider. In the constant search for more information about his slain parents, Peter enlists the help of his friend Harry Osborn, son of owner of OsCorp, to find out anything he possibly could. As if dealing with the typical drama that comes with high school isn’t enough, Peter finds himself entrenched even deeper into some mysterious connections between his father and OsCorp. To add to his troubles he is faced with the emergence of super villains named Electro and the Rhino, both with ties to OsCorp (seemingly unappreciative of his digging.)
Who? Back in 2012, director Marc Webb (riding off just one prior film in “500 Days of Summer”) did something many people doubted he could do: he rebooted “Spider-Man” only a few years after the original trilogy and improved on it. He along with star Andrew Garfield return (as well as Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Sally Field as Aunt May.) New to the series are Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti, and Dane DeHaan.
When and Where? Spider-Man will be slinging back into theaters on a wide release internationally on April 16th and in the United States on May 2nd.
6. Godzilla
What? Once upon time, disaster movies were the go-to genre for Hollywood when it wanted to stun audiences. Straight out of Japan, there was a legendary creature that everyone associated as the king of disaster movies. His name was Godzilla, and to this day the beast remains at the top of the Kaiju heavy hitters. Unfortunately, the interest in big monster disaster movies has waned over the last couple of decades, so we don’t really get to explore the genre anymore, but with Hollywood seeking to make money out of any old films with an established audience, they’ve decided to take another crack at a “Godzilla” movie (despite the disaster that was the Matthew Broderick-led 1998 version.) Godzilla is looking to terrorize the world once more and rid us of our technological arrogance. Will humanity prevail against a beast that’s taller than most buildings?
Who? Relative newcomer Gareth Edwards was tapped to helm the project that has been able to gather a ton of star power to oppose the giant monster. Starring in the picture are Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn, and Sally Hawkins.
When and Where? Look for Godzilla to rise from the depth in a wide release on May 16th.
7. X-Men: Days of Future Past
What? “What?” is right, isn’t it? The title doesn’t make much sense. Even when you realize that the movie has time travel elements involved. The special thing about this movie is that it’s going to include characters from the original X-Men trilogy and the Wolverine/X-Men: First Class movies. The premise is that the modern day X-Men (from the X-Men Trilogy) must send Wolverine to the past in order to change something that could eliminate a powerful threat that could mean the end of the world. Wolverine must recruit the past X-Men members to fight alongside present day X-Men members to jointly stop this evil force from threatening their future.
Who? As stated, the cast from both the original trilogy and X-Men: First Class mostly all return in this one. Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) is handing the directing reigns back over to Bryan Singer (X-Men 1 and 2) as he oversees the ambitious story and an extensive cast that includes Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Halle Berry, Lucas Till, and Shawn Ashmore all returning to their pivotal roles, as well as new additions the cast in Evan Peters, Daniel Cudmore, Omar Sy, Booboo Stewart, and Peter Dinklage.
When and Where? The fight to preserve the future starts on May 23rd in a wide release.
8. Maleficent
What? Have you ever wondered about the events that led to what turned Maleficent into the cold, hardened individual we witnessed in “Sleeping Beauty”? Well, you’re in luck because “Maleficent” is exactly that story. Labeled as the “untold story” of the classic Disney villain, the movie tells the tale of a woman driven by revenge that leads her to curse the king’s newborn daughter, Aurora. As the little princess grows older, she finds herself in the middle of a conflict between the forest kingdom she’s grown to love and the human kingdom with which she has been tapped to reign. Maleficent knows that Aurora is the key to peace in the land and she decides its time to take drastic measures.
Who? Robert Stromberg has been tapped to bring the animated characters to real life in his directorial debut after having mostly worked on Visual Effects for the last two decades. He’ll do just fine given the talent involved in the film can definitely hold their own. “Maleficent” stars Angelina Jolie as the title character along with Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Juno Temple, Sam Reily, and newly christened Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi.
When and Where? Let nostalgia sink in when Disney brings the movie to theaters across the country on May 30th.
http://youtu.be/EVAYR-J0gT4
9. A Million Ways to Die in the West
What? Set in the dusty land of Arizona in 1882, “Million Ways to Die” tells the story of a cowardly sheep farmer named Albert that finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. When challenged with a duel, the farmer backs out and, thus, loses his girlfriend in the process. Later, a new woman comes to town and Albert finds himself being inspired by her confidence and bravery. Something starts brewing inside Albert to become more like her, but soon he finds that his new attitude is going to be tested when the woman’s spouse, a notorious gun slinger, comes to town demanding payback.
Who? Seth MacFarlane struck gold with his first directorial effort in “Ted” and now he’s back directing this in the only way he knows, borderline offensive and graphic comedy. Seth MacFarlane will also star as Albert and he will be joined by Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amandy Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, and Giovanni Ribisi. As per the usual MacFarlane fair, expect surprises and possible cameos.
When and Where? Prepare to be transported back to the wild wild west when the film opens wide on May 30th.
10. 22 Jump Street
What? Back in the late 80s, Johnny Depp made his fame on a TV show named “21 Jump Street” where he played a young looking undercover cop. He, along with other young looking cops, were sent to infiltrate high schools and pretend to be students in order to prevent youth crime. Sounds kitschy and implausible? That’s cause it was, but people loved it and it lasted five seasons. In 2012, Hollywood decided it was time to bring it back as a film. Many people were doubtful especially when the film had cast Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill to play buddy cops. However, the trailers were oddly funny and the film turned out to be a hell of a lot funnier than it had any right to be. It became rather successful, and I have no qualms in saying it quickly became one of my favorite movies of 2012. A surefire surprise hit like that can only mean one thing: it’s time for a sequel. 22 Jump Street takes the same concept as the first, but instead of high school, Jenko and Schmidt are shipped off to college and instead of being headquartered on 21 Jump Street, they’re moving across the street to 22 Jump Street. Time will tell if lightning will strike twice for the buddy cop movie. The trailers look pretty good, at least.
Who? Phil Lord and Chris Miller are returning to direct the sequel, and after the success of their most recent effort, “The LEGO Movie”, they’re riding high on a wave of quality comedy. Also returning to the franchise and reprising their roles are Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, Dave Franco, and Rob Riggle. The first one featured an incredible cameo, and this one is expected to feature another one. So, we have that to look forward to as well.
When and Where? Jenko and Schmidt return to imitate the cops they see on television throughout the United States on June 13th.
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