2013 was a stellar year for film with box-office records breaking left, right and centre. Marvel’s Iron Man 3 was the big winner, grossing $1.2 billion dollars worldwide becoming the 5th highest grossing film of all-time (unadjusted for inflation). Elsewhere Despicable Me 2 and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire outperformed their prior instalments as big-budget blockbusters did well at the box-office. Bucking that trend were Universal Studios’ 47 Ronin and Disney’s The Lone Ranger, both of which caused their respective studios to take a write-down on the production cost. The latter stands at $260 million globally so when home-video and TV rights are factored in Disney will get back its money. 47 Ronin will have a harder slog, grossing a mediocre $84.5 million to date on an estimated budget of $175 million. When you factor in the other $100 million in marketing it will be years before Universal can look back on this one with anything but regret. It’s worth remembering that all films become profitable over time, but this one will take a lot of time.
Away from the box-office 2013’s summer of blockbusters was widely regarded by critics as disappointing. As many found fault with Iron Man 3‘s depiction of villain The Mandarin as found delight. The ending was criticised too for devolving into an armoured slug-fest, a problem which beset Iron Man and Iron Man 2. The endings of Star Trek Into Darkness and Man of Steel also drew much critical ire, with Zack Snyder’s Superman tale coming under particularly hard-fire for how Superman dealt with Zod, and how their epic battle levelled a city. Pacific Rim divided opinion too as critics flocked to maim or defend Guillermo Del Toro’s robots versus monsters epic.
But it was the non-blockbusters that will define the movie year of 2013, as you can see from our writers review of 2013! With that in mind here are the smaller films that you should keep an eye on in 2014:
Animal Rescue
Synopsis: A crime-based drama centred around a lost pit bull, a wannabe scam artist, and a killing.
Why it matters: Bullhead director Michaël R. Roskam is working with a Dennis Lehane screenplay based on a Dennis Lehane short-story. The cast is led by Tom Hardy, alongside Noomi Rapace and Matthias Schoenaerts. It’s also the last film that The Soprano’s star James Gandolfini ever filmed.
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid 2014
Big Eyes
Synopsis: A drama centered on the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.
Why it matters: Tim Burton is back making small movies, after dabbling with adaptations, and he’s brought Ed Wood writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski with him! The film stars awards-darlings Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz in the leads, with Danny Huston, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, and Terence Stamp supporting. And for the first time in years there’s no Johnny Depp!
Release Date: TBC – ETA August
Birdman
Synopsis: A black comedy that tells the story of an actor – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.
Why it matters: We love a bit of Michael Keaton around here and this marks his return to leading man. It’s director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s first foray into the world of comedy, so for that reason alone it’ll be worth seeing. And then there’s the supporting stars, namely Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Ryan, and Andrea Riseborough.
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid-late 2014
The Boxtrolls
Synopsis: The tale of the Boxtrolls, monsters who live underneath the charming streets of Cheesebridge, who crawl out of the sewers at night to steal what the townspeople hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least, that’s the legend the townspeople have always believed.
Why it matters: Laika is one of the key players in stop-motion animation, and their last film ParaNorman was utterly fantastic. The voice cast assembled is top-notch, featuring Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning, Simon Pegg, Toni Colette, Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade and Tracy Morgan. Add to that the fact that the images and footage released to date have looked great and we have the potential animated hit of 2014.
Release Date: September 12th
Boyhood
Synopsis: The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son). The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.
Why it matters: Talk about ambitious, this film is 12 years in the making. Indie darling Richard Linklater reteams with his Before Midnight star Ethan Hawke. The film also stars Patricia Arquette as Hawke estranged wife, with Ellar Salmon playing the boy.
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid-late 2014
Child 44
Synopsis: Set in Stalin-era Soviet Union, a disgraced MGB agent is dispatched to investigate a series of child murders — a case that begins to connect with the very top of party leadership.
Why it matters: The film is based on the novel of the same name by British writer Tom Rob Smith, winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award in 2008. Director Daniel Espinosa has a strong eye, and has a great cast that features Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman and Vincent Cassel.
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid-late 2014
Dark Places
Synopsis: Set in a farming town in Kansas, Dark Places follows Libby Day (Charlize Theron), the only surviving witness of a horrific massacre that took her mother and sisters. Believing the slaughter to be the work of a Satanic cult, Libby testifies in court against her own brother. 25 years after the murder, she remains haunted by the gruesome violence of her past.
Why it matters: Talented director Gilles Paquet-Brenner has adapted Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name, and gathered an outstanding cast that is led by Charlize Theron and includes Nicholas Hoult, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christina Hendricks, and Drea de Matteo.
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid-late 2014
Ex Machina
Synopsis: Caleb, a 24 year old coder at the world’s largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world’s first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
Why it matters: Irish rising star Domhnall Gleeson stars alongside Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander, in Dredd writer Alex Garland’s debut behind the camera.
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid-late 2014
Far From The Madding Crowd
Synopsis: Gabriel Oak is only one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and the respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart.
Why it matters: Dogme 95 co-founder and The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg is the man behind this new adaptation of the classic Thomas Hardy novel, based of One Day writer David Nicholls script. An overqualified cast has been assembled too with Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge, and Juno Temple all featuring.
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid 2014
Foxcatcher
Synopsis: The story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz, who sees a way out from the shadow of his more celebrated wrestling brother Dave and a life of poverty when he is summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont to move onto his estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Desperate to gain the respect of his disapproving mother, du Pont begins “coaching” a world-class athletic team and, in the process, lures Mark into dangerous habits, breaks his confidence and drives him into a self-destructive spiral.
Why it matters: This film was strongly fancied for this year’s Oscars, before being pushed back into 2014 to allow two-time Academy award nominated direct Bennett Miller more time to finish the movie. Steve Carell turns serious with a role that could see him break out from the comedy mold. Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave, Sienna Miller, and Anthony Michael Hall round out a top-notch cast.
Release Date: TBC – ETA early-mid 2014
The Gunman
Synopsis: An international operative named Martin Terrier wants out of the game, so he can settle down with his longtime love. The organization he works for has other plans in mind, and he is forced to go on the run across Europe.
Why it matters: Pierre Morel, who reinvented Liam Neeson’s career with Taken, is now attempting to make two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn an action star. An impressive cast also includes Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, and Jasmine Trinca. Seriously Sean Penn action-star!
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid 2014
The Homesman
Synopsis: A pioneer period piece which follows a claim-jumping rascal and a frontierwoman as they escort three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa and battle the harsh elemental conditions of the prairie.
Why it matters: This is Tommy Lee Jones returning to directing duties with a script he co-wrote with Kieran Fitzgerald and Wesley Oliver, based on a novel of same name by Glendon Swarthout. He’s cast himself in the lead too, and gotten Hilary Swank, Hailee Steinfeld, William Fichtner and Meryl Streep to star with him. Lee Jones’ The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada was a wonderful little film so this could be something special.
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid-late 2014
How To Catch A Monster
Synopsis: Set against the surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city, Billy, a single mother of two, is swept into a macabre and dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son, Bones, discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town. Both Billy and Bones must dive deep into the mystery, if their family is to survive.
Why it matters: The film marks Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, based of a script of is own mak. Irish star Saoirse Ronan features, alongside Christina Hendricks, Matt Smith, and Eva Mendes.That plot sounds insane and that cast is marvellous so if Gosling is half as good behind the camera as he is in front this will be amazing.
Release Date: TBC – June 2014
The Imitation Game
Synopsis: A historical drama about British wartime cryptographer Alan Turing who cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma code during World War II and was later criminally prosecuted for his homosexuality.
Why it matters: Benedict Cumberbatch is Alan Turing. That’s a factual statement if you’ve seen any images from the film, which show Cumberbatch as the visionary computer genius. Norwegian director Morten Tyldum, who gave us the brilliant Headhunters, makes his English language debut, with Cumberbatch joined by Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance, Allen Leech, and Matthew Beard. The film’s screenplay topped the annual Black List for best unproduced Hollywood scripts of 2011.
Release Date: TBC – ETA mid 2014
Inherent Vice
Synopsis: In Los Angeles in 1970, drug-fueled detective Larry “Doc” Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.
Why it matters: Paul Thomas Anderson directs his own script, based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon. Every PTA film is worth a watch and this one promises to be no exception as he’s gotten Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom and Benicio del Toro.
Release Date: TBC – ETA late 2014
Stay tuned for our second part coming soon.