Hey, look! I promised something and I'm totally trying to follow through on it! Last time I brought you five of my top 15 most anticipated films of 2014 and now I'm back again to bring you another five. This time it's numbers 10 through 6! So, you know, get all kinds of excited!
10.) X-Men: Days of Future Past by Bryan Singer (Release: May 23rd)
Like many people when X-Men: First Class was released, I was incredibly nervous. After the travesty that was X3, I was neither convinced First Class A.) would even come close to being a quality film and B.) was even a worthwhile or necessary dip back into the franchise. Thankfully, however, Matthew Vaughn and company were able to create both a compelling period drama and what could be argued as the best X-Men film to date (though I'd still give to the edge to X2). Now, Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X1) has returned, bringing veteran alums (Sirs Ian Mckellan and Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, et al.) along with him as the original cast must team up with their past selves in order to save their future from a seemingly unstoppable force. Honestly, I remain very hopeful for Days of Future Past, but it's still in the "could go either way" category. Though it's hard to see how so much talent, both behind and in front of the camera, could produce anything short of spectacular, it remains a possibility that the sheer ambition and difficult nature of the story could be its undoing. Still, it's way too hard not to get excited at the possibilities. And really, any movie that gives me Peter Dinklage sporting a flavor-savor to die for gets top 10 by default.
9.) Foxcatcher by Bennett Miller (Release: TBD)
Bennett Miller may not be a name that most people will know right off hand. He's only directed two films in the past 9 years. However, those two films were Capote and Moneyball. I love his style and his gift for telling narrative stories based on true incidents is nearly unmatched. With his newest film Foxcatcher, he puts Steve Carrell in the shoes of a real-life murder, John Eleuthere du Pont, a paranoid schizophrenic Olympic wrestling trainer that ended up shooting one of his trainees' brother to death. Anytime Carrell gets off of his Michael Scott wavelength (a la Little Miss Sunshine) he is a spectacular actor and as du Pont he looks nearly unrecognizable. Though the casting of Channing Tatum worries me slightly (he much stronger in his comedic efforts), I believe the combination of Miller and Carrell being allowed to exude a pants-shitting level of intensity could make this one of the best films of the year. Don't be shocked to see Steve Carrell all over Oscars talk come this time 2015.
8.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Joe and Anthony Russo (Release: April 4th)
Of the three main comic book-based films being released this year, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is, for my money, the safest bet. That's not to say it's "safe." What I mean by that is that by trying something new, Marvel is looking like it could create a brilliantly executed superhero movie while garnering if not the largest audience to date (nothing is outdoing The Avengers), at least the most diverse. That something new is what intrigues me the most. If The Winter Soldier succeeds, it's possible that Marvel's efforts to make superhero movies that are also immensely satisfying as entries in other genres will be what keeps superhero movies interesting. What is essentially a political thriller, The Winter Soldier chronicles Steve Rogers' (Captain America, Chris Evans) struggles to integrate himself into contemporary society. However, when a member of the covert organization S.H.I.E.L.D. is attacked, Rogers along with Black Widow and Falcon (Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie) must investigate and uncover a plot involving and unexpected and powerful adversary THAT COULD DESTROY THE WORLD! The first Captain America ended up being one of my favorite Marvel movies and this one is easily one of the more exciting and intriguing films of the year.
7.) Gone Girl by David Fincher (Release: October 3rd)
David Fincher is one of the best in the business at what he does. And what he does best are gritty and dour, magnificently shot dramas (crime dramas especially). Fincher looks to continue his amazing streak (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo notwithstanding) with this year's Gone Girl. Based on the Gillian Flynn novel of the same name, the film stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as what seems like the perfect couple. However, when she disappears without a trace, he becomes the prime suspect. Is he the killer? Or is something much more nefarious at play? While the cast is worryingly eclectic (briefly, it includes Doogie Howser, Madea and the girl from the "Blurred Lines" video) and while I would have much rather seen Fincher take on something he created himself rather than a director-for-hire situation, it's easy to give him the benefit of the doubt with his wonderful creative team, patented 50-take shooting style and such strong source material. If anyone were perfect for the job it's Fincher and I couldn't be more excited thinking about what he'll do with the story's tricky structure and unsympathetic characters.
6.) Guardians of the Galaxy by James Gunn (Release: August 1st)
Last one of this batch is a doozie! Ever since Marvel announced its plans to do Guardians of the Galaxy, I've been psyched. And that excitement only grew with each addition detail. The exceedingly weird James Gunn for director? Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) as the lead? Zoe Saldana and former wrestler Dave Batista (THE ANIMAL!) for support? VIN DIESEL VOICING A TREE MONSTER?! ROCKET RACCOON!?!?!?! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! And although Rocket Raccoon ended up being voiced by Bradley Cooper (no doubt a strong choice, but they could have totally nabbed H. Jon Benjamin) and although many of the jokes in the trailer didn't quite land the way I would've liked, I'm still incredibly hyped for this film. For those of you who didn't watch the trailer (shame on you) or for those of you who would like some clarification, the film is about an American pilot named Peter Quill (Star-Lord to you) who finds himself the target of a manhunt after stealing an orb coveted by Ronan (Lee Pace), a powerful Kree warrior and associate of the monstrous Thanos (the purple dude at the end of The Avengers). To avoid being quickly annihilated by Ronan, Star-Lord forms an uneasy bond with a group of misfit mercenaries that include Gamora, Groot, Drax the Destroyer and the aforementioned Rocket Raccoon (Saldana, Diesel, Bastista and Cooper respectively). However, when Star-Lord uncovers the orb's true power and begins to grasp what destruction it could mean for the cosmos if let into the wrong hands, he rallies his ragtag group for one final showdown TO SAVE THE GALAXY!
As I mentioned with Captain America, there's starting to be a sense that the viewing public is getting superhero fatigue. However, like with Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy feels like Marvel trying to combat that. It's a bold and risky move putting 200 million into such a bizarre effort and I'm worried that the appeal won't be as large as it needs to be to be successful. However, with this new trailer showcasing the drastically different tone of this film from something like The Winter Soldier, there's hope that Guardians could be just what Marvel needs to stay solidly at the top of the box office. Either way, this film seems to fall directly into my wheelhouse and if Gunn's stellar indie film Super (2010) is any indication of what we can expect, I am literally foaming at the mouth raccoon-style to see what he does with nearly 100 times the budget. And if you're not feeling that, then you're just a bunch of a-holes...
Just kidding, I love you.
