10 films to look out for in 2014

It's that time of the year again. Here's a list of 10 films I am looking forward to in the next 12 months.


1. 12 Years A Slave

Already tipped for major awards, this is an adaptation of a Solomon Northup biography which retells the life of a free black man who is abducted and sold into slavery. British artist and film director Steve McQueen directs Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup with Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender in the supporting cast.


2. The Wolf of Wall Street.
Director Martin Scorsese's comedy vehicle stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the title character The Wolf of Wall Street (based on Jordon Belfort memoirs), it charts the life of a stockbroker rise and fall. Scorsese is not known for out and out comedies so this could be a big risk and at almost 3hrs long it may be asking a lot from cinema goers. Early reviews has been positive so maybe the bum ache will be worthwhile.

3.X-Men: Days of the Future Past

A fan favourite storyline in the comics and rightly so. In the near future when mutantkind very existence seems all but lost they try to avert an incident in the past by sending back Wolverine thereby changing every ones destiny. Mixing the original cast and the new cast ties both classic and prequel characters nicely together. With Bryan Singer back on board surely this can redeem the franchise back to it's glory and maybe wipe our memories of the awful X-Men 3.


4. The Raid 2: Berandal
The sequel to the smash, bang and wallop that was The Raid (currently in the works to be remade/re imagined Hollywood style). Here we find the action taking place 2 hours after the event of the previous film. There is little plot to speak of but with breathtaking action who needs a strong story...


5. Interstellar

Christopher Nolan's next big thing. There is little to say about the plot other than it's about mankind's discovery of a wormhole which allows for inter galactic space travel. Nolan's secretive nature means we'll have to until it explodes onto our screens. Can Nolan keep his run of critical and commercial films? Expect loads of mind boggling fx and brain bending twists. Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway star.


6. The Double
Jesse Eisenberg stars as a man who discovers an identical man in appearance but with the exact opposite in personality traits. It should be amusing to see the two sides of a character with one being the geeky, low on confidence vs the arrogant and outward persona. Richard Ayoade second feature after his delightful debut Submarine. Can he deliver on a promising career as a director?

7. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

I have to admit not to have seen any of The Hunger Games or read any of the books but as of writing, the second feature has broken all sorts of box office records and was the highest grossing film of last year, so maybe there's something I'm missing out on. Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss Everdeen. May the odds be ever in your favor.....

8. Edge of Tomorrow
A Tom Cruise sci fi picture with Mr Cruise playing a soldier reliving the same battle against aliens over and over again only to be killed time and time again. Can he find a way to change his path and inevitable death?
A film based on a successful Japanese novel "All You Need Is Kill", directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity), I'm hoping this will be an interesting and fun ride just as Groundhog Day was an instant comedy classic. Emily Blunt co-stars.


9. Transformers: Age Of Extinction
Ok, ok, so this won't win any awards for acting or writing but as a fan of big transforming robots, I can't wait to see more metal on metal action. As long as you ignore the glaring plot holes, obvious sexism and dumb dialogue, we can all have a good time right? Mark Wahlberg takes over from "acting" duties with Michael Bay still on directorial duties.


10. Guardian of the Galaxy
Marvel's other superheroes franchise takes off, though it does seem to be a bit of a gamble on their part as Joe public may not even know who or what are the Guardian of the Galaxy. Mixing live action with CGI characters it will be interesting to see whether this is a hit or bomb at the box office. Have Marvel let previous success go to their heads? James Gunn directs with Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper providing the voices to a humanoid tree and a talking raccoon and Chris Pratt (Zero Dark Thirty, Moneyball) as Peter Quill.