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38. "Hercules"
Release Date: July 25
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, John Hurt, Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes
Director: Brett Ratner
The Scoop: Why yes, we would love to see a movie starring The Rock as the son of Zeus
and the mortal Alcmene, the legendary Greek hero burdened with the Twelve Labors,
which include such seemingly insurmountable tasks as slaying the nine-headed Lernaean
Hydra, cleaning the Augean stables in a single day (hey, they're huge and crazy filthy)
and hubba hubba obtaining the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. You
might think that the 41-year-old Johnson is getting a little long in the tooth for gigs like
this, but really, he'll probably be playing these kinds of characters until he's 100. (Look
for the first Herc movie of 2014, "Hercules: The Legend Begins" with Kellan Lutz, Jan.
10.)
moviegoing like "Into the Woods" although this one hopefully won't make us feel like
jumping off a bridge.
25. "Transformers: Age of Extinction"
Release Date: June 27
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci
Director: Michael Bay
The Scoop: Bring on the Dinobots. Oh, and at least a hint of planet-eating Unicron
would be cool, too. That is all.
[Related: Michael Bay Attacked With Air Conditioner on 'Transformers' Set]
24. "Chef"
Release Date: May 9
Starring: Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman
Director: Jon Favreau
The Scoop: Favreau takes a break from blockbusters and goes back to his "Swingers"
roots with this character comedy about a chef who gets fired from his restaurant job and
starts up a food truck in an effort to get his creative flair back whilst taking up a side
project of reuniting his estranged family. Along for this tasty piece of culinary cinema are
Favreau's "Iron Man 2" pals Downey Jr. and Johansson, and we wouldn't be surprised if
his old pal Vince Vaughn showed up in at least a cameo appearance.
23. "The LEGO Movie"
Release Date: Feb. 7
Starring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell
Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
The Scoop: The world of LEGO comes to life in this animated adventure in which a
regular mini-figure (Pratt) is mistaken for the legendary MasterBuiler and becomes
involved with a quest to stop the evil Lord Business (Ferrell) from gluing the universe
together. Features other voice work by Jonah Hill, Nick Offerman, Morgan Freeman,
Liam Neeson (as Good Cop/Bad Cop), Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Cobie Smulders and
Channing Tatum (as Superman), though we're most looking forward to Arnett's bassheavy interpretation of the Dark Knight.
22. "Godzilla"
Release Date: May 16
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche
Director: Gareth Edwards
The Scoop: "Pacific Rim" was cute n' all, but you just can't beat the King. Gareth
Edwards ("Monsters") is here to stomp all those bad Roland Emmerich memories into the
ground as a resurrected Gojira wrecks havoc in San Francisco. The trailer is exhilarating,
featuring Kick-Ass himself para-jumping onto the big beast with his military colleagues
and the film's A-list supporting cast running in terror before saving the money shot for
last: the angry behemoth himself, letting out his familiar battle cry as he stands
triumphant in the dusty rubble. !!!
blue get-up really stands out in a world awash in shades of grey. Back for more Marvel
action is Johansson as Black Widow, whilst Mackie is set to steal some scenes (and rule
the skies) as Sam Wilson/Falcon. Also, Robert Redford is in it, which is all sorts of
awesome.
9. "Noah"
Release Date: March 28
Starring: Russell Crowe, Logan Lerman, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson
Director: Darren Aronofsky
The Scoop: After the astonishing commercial success of "Black Swan" (2010), director
Darren Aronofsky was given license to pretty much do whatever he wanted as a followup. He'd already done a slimmed-down version of his dream project, "The Fountain"
(2006), so he opted for this epic disaster film featuring the Bible's biggest action star
(played by, appropriately enough, the "Gladiator" himself). No matter what you may
personally believe when it comes to the Old Testament, you can't deny that such a story is
in good hands with this director and cast.
8. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
Release Date: May 2
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan, Jamie Foxx
Director: Marc Webb
The Scoop: Now that the by now all-too-familiar origin story is out of the way, the
rebooted "Spider-Man" series comes into its own with a tale that introduces some of the
wallcrawler's most popular and powerful nemeses: the electricity-wielding Electro
(Foxx), the brutal Rhino (Paul Giamatti in a mech suit) and what appears to be the Green
Goblin, as personified by we assume Dane DeHaan's wily and ambitious Harry
Osborn. Carrying the film's emotional weight once again is Andrew Garfield as Peter
Parker, a charming smarty-pants who cracks wise so that he may not have a complete
nervous breakdown.
7. "Maleficent"
Release Date: May 30
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Juno Temple
Director: Robert Stromberg
The Scoop: Angelina Jolie as Disney's most terrifying villain? Yep, we're there. Jolie gets
wicked as the self-proclaimed 'Mistress of All Evil,' who first gave audiences nightmares
in animated form in "Sleeping Beauty" (1959). Will we get to see Jolie turn into a black
and purple dragon at some point in the film? Hey, Smaug can't be the only fire-breather in
town.
6. "Transcendence"
Release Date: April 18
Starring: Johnny Depp, Kate Mara, Paul Bettany, Morgan Freeman
Director: Wally Pfister
The Scoop: Christopher Nolan's go-to cinematographer makes his directorial debut with
this sci-fi film that looks like a classier version of "The Lawnmower Man" (remember
that one?) as a terminally ill scientist (Depp) manages to transfer his consciousness to a
computer, which gives him all sorts of god complexes and raises questions of who we are
as human beings and where we're going and the dangers of the thirst for knowledge and
other heavy, pre-Summer Movie Season stuff. Give yourself one more brain tease before
school's out.
5. "Into the Woods"
Release Date: Dec. 25
Starring: Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick
Director: Rob Marshall
The Scoop: Stephen Sondheim's beloved stage musical finally becomes a big-screen
fairy tale courtesy of "Chicago" director Rob Marshall, sporting an A-list cast of crooners
including Depp as the Wolf, Streep as the Witch (which also absorbs the stage role of the
Mysterious Man), Blunt as the Baker's Wife and Kendrick as Cinderella. Oh, you also get
Chris Pine as the Prince, Tracey Ullman as Jack's Mother and Christine Baranski as
Cinderella's Stepmother. Bring on those Oscar noms and soundtrack downloads!
4. "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Release Date: Aug. 1
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel
Director: James Gunn
The Scoop: And you thought "Thor" was a hard sell? The God of Thunder (or
something) is about as mainstream as you can get compared to the bizarro line-up of
Marvel's intergalactic team of superheroes, which includes a gun-crazy raccoon (voiced
by Bradley Cooper, at that) and a giant walking, talking tree (played by Vin Diesel) and is
led by the guy who plays Andy on "Parks and Recreation." Actually, the comedy-tinged
"Guardians of the Galaxy" is so crazy, it just might work.
3. "X-Men: Days of Future Past"
Release Date: May 23
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender
Director: Bryan Singer
The Scoop: Talk about your Mutant Mania! The latest "X-Men" adventure incorporates
the casts of the original trilogy and 2011's "First Class" with a time-bending plot that
involves Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) going back in time (courtesy of the phasing abilities
of Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde) to prevent a series of events that will lead to a catastrophic
future. We'll soon see if this falls into the same 'too many mutants' trap of "X-Men: The
Last Stand" (2006), but with original "X-Men" (2000) and "X2" (2003) director Bryan
Singer back calling the shots, we're allowing ourselves to think "Days of Future Past"
might end up being the best X-movie yet.
2."The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I"
Release Date: Nov. 21
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Sam Claflin, Julianne Moore
Director: Francis Lawrence
The Scoop: "Catching Fire" surpassed its predecessor in pretty much every category,
setting the bar pretty high for the two-part finale. Will lightning keep striking one of the
few YA adaptations to actually command a "Twilight"-sized audience? The odds are ...
well, pretty good, as "Catching Fire" director Francis Lawrence is returning to call the
shots and J.Law's star is going to just keep burning brighter. Bonus: After Philip Seymour
Hoffman's sly turn as Plutarch Heavensbee, we're now looking forward to his "Magnolia"
and "Boogie Nights" co-star Julianne Moore joining the fray as Alma Coin.
1. "Interstellar"
Release Date: Nov. 7
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine
Director: Christopher Nolan
The Scoop: Nolan turns his attention from Gotham City to outer space with this sci-fi
film about mankind taking more than just one small step in our continuing exploration of
the cosmos. The film's trailer promises something grand and majestic as McConaughey
plays a self-described pioneer who takes space travel to the next level; Nolan is definitely
swinging for the fences here, looking to create something worthy of being mentioned in
the same sentence as Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." Considering the fact
that he's Christopher Nolan, he just might pull it off.
Also Opening in 2014:
January
Things go bump in "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones" (Jan. 3); Mark
Wahlberg goes behind enemy lines in "Lone Survivor" (wide Jan. 10); Kellan Lutz goes
Greek in "The Legend of Hercules" (Jan. 10); Aaron Eckhart is "I, Frankenstein"
(Jan. 24); Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet get all Nicholas Sparks-ish in "Labor Day"
(wide Jan. 31).
February
"RoboCop" gets an upgrade (Feb. 12); students learn reading, writing and bloodsucking
in "Vampire Academy" (Feb. 14); Colin Farrell gets reincarnated in "Winter's Tale"
(Feb. 14); Kevin Costner has "3 Days to Kill" (Feb. 21); disaster strikes in "Pompeii"
(Feb. 21); Liam Neeson punches an airplane in "Non-Stop" (Feb. 28).
March
Muscles flex (in slow motion) in "300: Rise of an Empire" (March 7); video gamers
have a "Need For Speed" (March 14); a master sleuth returns in "Veronica Mars"
(March 14); things get started in "Muppets Most Wanted" (March 21); people get busy
in "Nymphomaniac: Part One" (March 21).
April
Scarlett Johansson is out of this world in "Under the Skin" (April 4); Jude Law lives a
middle-aged life of crime in "Dom Hemingway" (April 4); Kevin Costner trades
baseball for football in "Draft Day" (April 11); Arnold Schwarzenegger shoots things in
"Sabotage" (April 11); Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton get their vampire on in
"Only Lovers Left Alive" (April 11); people get even busier in "Nymphomaniac: Part
Two" (April 18); Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton are both "The Other Woman" (April
25).
May
Emerald City gets animated in "Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return" (May 9); Jon
Hamm has a "Million Dollar Arm" (May 16); Seth MacFarlane teaches us "A Million
Ways to Die in the West" (May 30).
June
Another legal 12-hour crime spree ensues in "The Purge 2" (June 20); the battle of the
sexes continues in "Think Like a Man Too" (June 20).
July
Eric Bana takes on the Devil in "Deliver Us From Evil" (July 2); Melissa McCarthy hits
the road with Susan Sarandon in "Tammy" (July 2).
August
Heroes in a half shell slam evil in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (Aug. 8); Scarlett
Johansson and Luc Besson team up for "Lucy" (Aug. 8); Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep
give us "The Giver" (Aug. 15); a house gets haunted in "Jessabelle" (Aug. 29); Natalie
Portman shoots up the Wild West in "Jane Got a Gun" (Aug. 29).
September
Eli Roth returns to horror in "The Green Inferno" (Sept. 5); Jason Bateman and Tina
Fey honor Dad's last wish in "This Is Where I Leave You" (Sept. 12); Milla Jovovich
shoots more zombies in "Resident Evil 6" (Sept. 12); Denzel Washington brings the
action in "The Equalizer" (Sept. 26).
October
A children's classic comes to life in "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good,
Very Bad Day" (Oct. 10); Luke Evans grows fangs in "Dracula Untold" (Oct. 17);
more things go bump in "Paranormal Activity 5" (Oct. 24).
November
Marvel gets animated with "Big Hero 6" (Nov. 7); Lloyd & Harry are older and no wiser
in "Dumb and Dumber To" (Nov. 14); Cate Blanchett and David Mamet team up for
"Blackbird" (Nov. 14); the working class blues continue in "Horrible Bosses 2" (Nov.
28).
December
Ridley Scott and Christian Bale get Biblical in "Exodus" (Dec. 12); a bear tells his tale
in "Paddington" (Dec. 12); Ben Stiller continues to have the best job ever in "Night at
the Museum 3" (Dec. 25).