Lately, all I find myself talking about is the plethora of movies that I am looking forward to seeing this year. The new year promises to be extremely successful for Hollywood and the movie industry. Below are my top nine movies to see this year.
January 17: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
This movie is the prequel to Tom Clancy’s highly successful Jack Ryan book franchise. Chris Pine will be portraying a young Jack Ryan (previously played by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Affleck- those are pretty hard shoes to fill!) This action-packed film follows Ryan from 9/11 through Afghanistan to his beginnings at the CIA. I can’t wait to watch Chris Pine kick some bad guy butt!
January 31: That Awkward Moment
Zac Efron has broken out of his streak of musicals and entered into a new phase of romantic movies that have girls everywhere lining up to buy tickets. I am only slightly ashamed to admit that I am one of those girls. That Awkward Moment is a rom-com starring this Hollywood heartthrob that answers one of the biggest questions in a relationship: “where is this going?” I don’t know where the relationships in the movie are going, but I know where I’m going on January 31!
April 4: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The widely followed Marvel series releases its next movie following Thor: The Dark World. The second Captain America movie follows Cap’s journey after the events of New York (The Avengers). While still trying to adapt to the modern world, Steve Rogers has to leave his quiet life in D.C. to defend a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague who is in danger. Some of my personal favorites from the Avengers (Nick Fury and Black Widow) make comebacks in this movie, and some new Avengers (The Falcon and The Winter Soldier) are introduced. The nerd inside of me is freaking out!
June 13: 22 Jump Street
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are the best comedy duo in modern movies since Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, and they are back in the sequel to the hilarious film 21 Jump Street. The boys return to Jump Street and gear up with Ice-T to bust another drug operation. This time, they go undercover at a college instead of a high school. This should introduce a whole new level of mayhem for them. Rumor has it that this mission might split apart their partnership. I hope not, but we’ll just have to wait and see!
June 20: Jersey Boys
Here comes the next movie musical that will have to try and one-up Les Miserables. Jersey Boys is the amazing true story of music sensations Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. They continue to be a hit on broadway, dazzling audiences with their upbeat songs and soulful ballads. My one hope is that they can get that magic of live theater onto the big screen. It will never be as good as Broadway, but they are bringing former cast members from the Broadway production to play the leading boys and Clint Eastwood to direct. Let’s see if they’ll leave their audience “Beggin’” for more.
August 15: The Giver
My seventh-grade self reared her head when she heard that this movie was coming out. The Giver was my favorite book in middle school and my first experience with dystopian literature. My one hope is that they do the book justice. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of reading this book, The Giver is about a society with no disease or negative feelings. At age 16, all of the children are assigned a role (job) that they will carry out. Jonas, the main character, is selected to be the Receiver. I don’t want to give anything away, but that’s really important and rare! Jonas must prepare to shoulder a burden he was not expecting. Apart from Valentine’s Day, which really didn’t showcase any acting ability, this is Taylor Swift’s acting debut. I really hope the country popstar doesn’t destroy this movie. Although it is very unlikely, I can only dream that the movie will live up to the book that I so love.
November 21: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1
The highly anticipated third Hunger Games movie will be coming to theaters this November. Even though it is months away, there are plenty of great movies to pass the time. Although I personally haven’t seen the Hunger Games movies or read the trilogy, I am getting my excitement vicariously through those of you who love this series. It is for this reason that I have added this movie to my list. After surviving the Hunger Games a second time, Katniss as well as her family and friends are in great danger. The Capitol is angry and President Snow is seeking revenge. Will Katniss be able to survive her reality? Good luck to those of you waiting to find out.
December 19: Annie
This new and reformed version of one of my personal childhood favorites is going to be interesting. I choose the word “interesting” because I am not yet sure whether or not it will be a masterpiece or a complete disaster. This version of the movie-adapted Broadway musical will star Jamie Foxx as Benjamin Stacks (taking the place of Daddy Warbucks). However, this racial difference is not what intrigues me. It seems, due to Jay-Z’s hit version of the song It’s a Hard Knock Life from Annie, he has been recruited to redo all of the music for the upcoming film. This is where I find myself torn between seeing the movie-because I love Annie-or saving myself from possibly losing my fond memories of the original film from my childhood.
December 25: Night at the Museum 3
Ben Stiller, having gone through two major museums in the United States, is going international as security guard Larry Daley, turning the Night at the Museum movies into a trilogy. I look forward to the new characters who will be introduced as Stiller gets his feet wet in London. In terms of characters, Ricky Gervais will be making his expected appearance, and Robin Williams will be reprising his role as Teddy Roosevelt. Rebel Wilson (well known for her role of Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect) joins the cast, and Lancelot will make a comeback as well. Having thoroughly enjoyed the first two movies, I look forward to seeing what Night at the Museum 3 has to offer.
Click Here to see all of the movies coming out in 2014
