A Guide To Movies: July 2013 - May 2014

[philosoraptor42]

Movie Guide
July 2013 - May 2014

I did a Movie Guide for the whole of 2013 already and you can find that here. That featured not only top picks for each month but also a list of runner-up movies. With some new release dates available and the trailer for "Thor 2: The Dark World" having impressed me so much and a clearer picture available of what movies are not getting to the UK until 2014 (but are probably still 2013 movies in the US in most cases), my top picks have changed somewhat.

I intend to do a new Movie Guide at the beginning of 2014. But for now here's a list of my most anticipated movies for the upcoming months. In many cases I've picked these movies because of the director, so I've listed movies I've seen by them before and at times I may have links to reviews I've done of their movies.)

JULY

Pacific Rim (2013)
Director: Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army)
UK release date: 12/07/13

When an alien attack threatens the Earth's existence, giant robots piloted by humans are deployed to fight off the menace.
Stars: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day

The World's End (2013)
Director: Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World)
UK release date: 19/07/13

Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind's only hope for survival.
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike


AUGUST

Only God Forgives (2013)
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (Pusher 3, Drive)
UK release date: 02/08/13

Julian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death. (90 mins.)
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm, Yayaying Rhatha Phongam

Elysium (2013)
UK release date: 23/08/13
Director: Neill Blomkamp (District 9)

Set in the year 2154, where the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth, a man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.
Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga


SEPTEMBER
No picks for September


OCTOBER

Gravity (2013)
UK release date: 18/10/13
Director: Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Children Of Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien)

Astronauts attempt to return to earth after debris crashes into their space shuttle, leaving them drifting alone in space.
Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Basher Savage, Eric Michels

Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Director: Alan Taylor
UK release date: 30/10/13

When Jane Foster is targeted by the denizens of the dark world of Svartalfheim, Thor sets out on a quest to protect her at all costs.
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins


NOVEMBER

Calvary (2013)
Director: John Michael McDonagh (The Guard)
UK release date: 01/11/13

After he is threatened during a confession, a good-natured priest must battle the dark forces closing in around him. (100 mins.)
Stars: Aidan Gillen, Kelly Reilly, Chris O'Dowd, Domhnall Gleeson


DECEMBER

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Director: Peter Jackson (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Braindead)
UK release date: 13/12/13

(Click here for more deviantart from fan-poster artist)
The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the Dragon, Smaug.
Stars: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Elijah Wood


JANUARY 2014

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (A Serious Man, True Grit, Burn After Reading, The Big Lebowski)
UK release date: 24/01/14

A singer/song-writer navigates New York's folk music scene during the 1960s. (105 mins.)
Stars: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund


FEBRUARY 2014

RoboCop (2014)
Director: José Padilha (Elite Squad, Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within)
UK release date: 07/02/14

In a crime-ridden city, a fatally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him.
Stars: Joel Kinnaman, Douglas Urbanski, Abbie Cornish, Gary Oldman

The Lego Movie (2014)
Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller (Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street)
UK release date: 14/02/14

An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.
Stars: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman


MARCH 2014

Noah (2014)
Director: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Fountain, The Wrestler)
UK release date: 28/03/14

The Biblical Noah suffers visions of an apocalyptic deluge, and takes measures to protect his family from the coming flood.
Stars: Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly


APRIL 2014

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Director: Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man)
UK release date: 18/04/14

A sequel to the 2012 blockbuster that follows the continuing adventures of Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man.
Director: Marc Webb
Stars: Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan


MAY 2014

Godzilla (2014)
Director: Gareth Edwards (Monsters)
UK release date: 16/05/14

A giant radioactive monster called Godzilla awakens from its slumber to wreak destruction on its creators.
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Sally Hawkins


STILL WAITING FOR A UK RELEASE DATE

"VHS 2" is out in the US already and I'm wondering when it's going to be available here in the UK. I've heard that it is better than the first one and I am seriously keen to see it. As for the other three, they are all from favourite directors of mine and I'm surprised they are still missing a UK release date.


V/H/S/2 (2013)
Director: Simon Barrett, Jason Eisener...
(12/07/13 - USA)


Machete Kills (2013)
Director: Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Planet Terror, Machete)
(04/10/13 - USA)


Snowpiercer (2013)
Director: Joon-ho Bong (The Host, Mother)
(30/10/13 - France)


Her (2013)
Director: Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Where The Wild Things Are)
(20/11/13 - USA)

WAITING FOR A RELEASE DATE ANYWHERE:

[REC] 4: Apocalipsis (2013)
Director: Jaume Balagueró (REC, REC2, Sleep Tight)


All Cheerleaders Die (2013)
Director: Lucky McKee, Chris Sivertson (May, The Woman, The Woods)


The Last Voyage of Demeter (2013)
Director: Neil Marshall (The Descent, Doomsday)


FILMS I'M ALREADY EXCITED FOR IN 2015


Alma (2015)
Director: Rodrigo Blaas
(amazing short film here)


Ant-Man (2015)
Director: Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World)


The Avengers 2 (2015)
Director: Joss Whedon (Serenity, Avengers Assemble)


Crimson Peak (2015)
Director: Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army)


The Fantastic Four (2015)
Director: Josh Trank (Chronicle)


Finding Dory (2015)
Director: Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, Finding Nemo, John Carter)


Kung Fu Panda 3 (2015)
Director: Jennifer Yuh (Kung Fu Panda 2)


Warcraft (2015)
Director: Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code)


Recap: My Movie Guide So Far...

Okay, so the point of this guide was not really to definitely point out all the good movies of the year, but simply to get excited for the year's movies by recognising a whole spread of cinema releases which I was excited to see.

Stoker (2013) (01/03/13)

My favourite movie of the year so far is "Stoker" a movie that I was on the look out for because it had Chan-wook Park as director, but after being disappointed by his more recent movies like "Thirst" I was not expecting too much. It was only a matter of luck that I ended up seeing it in the cinema, but it turned out to be very happy piece of luck. You can check out my review of "Stoker" here.

JANUARY 2013
Django Unchained (2012) (18/01/13)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012) (25/01/13)

My January picks were Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty and those turned out to be pretty great choices. I loved both of them.
Review for Django Unchained
Review for Zero Dark Thirty

FEBRUARY 2013
Warm Bodies (2013) (08/02/13)

I missed my February pick and I'm looking forward to eventually checking it out on DVD. I'm still excited about this one.

MARCH 2013
John Dies at the End (2012) (22/03/13)

I'm pretty sure this wasn't actually shown in any of my local cinemas. I'm really keen to see this latest movie from the director of "Bubba Ho-Tep", but there's no sign of this being released on DVD. What is going on?

APRIL 2013
Evil Dead (2013) (19/04/13)
Iron Man 3 (2013) (26/04/13)

A remake of a horror movie? Well, with the original director and the main star both on board as producers I was confident that it would be worth checking out and the trailer simply looked amazing. It did not disappoint.

Meanwhile Iron Man 3 was essentially the follow-up to Avengers Assemble and I was not going to miss that. Personally I found it to be a fantastic comedy and I've generally found comedy to be the main appeal in the Marvel Studios superhero movie series.
Review for Evil Dead
Review for Iron Man 3

MAY
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) (09/05/13)

The first dud (by my reckoning)! I was quite pleased with the original "Star Trek" reboot (my review here), but I'd always thought that now that they'd set up the new Star Trek universe there was so much potential for future instalments. I was not expecting a remake of "Wrath of Khan". What a poor creative choice!
Review for Star Trek (XII): Into Darkness

JUNE
I had no big movie picks for June, but I did have "Much Ado About Nothing" as one of my runners up.

Much Ado About Nothing (2012) (14/06/13)

A black and white Shakespeare adapatation from Joss Whedon? How good could it be? I'm feeling like I may have made the right choice of ditching "Man Of Steel" for this.
Review for Much Ado About Nothing


I am hoping that the upcoming months' movies will be even better than those I've seen so far. I hope all movie lovers are having a good year and wish you all the best for the future. Thank you all for reading and please give your thoughts in the comments section below. :D