January 2015 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I plan to see in January:

Blackhat (1/16/15)
"A man is released from prison to help American and Chinese authorities pursue a mysterious cyber criminal. The dangerous search leads them from Chicago to Hong Kong." x
Directed by Michael Mann, written by Morgan Davis Foehl and Michael Mann, starring Chris Hemsworth and Viola Davis.

Still Alice (1/16/15)
"Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested." x
Written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, starring Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, Kristen Stewart, and Alec Baldwin.

Black Sea (1/23/15)
"In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a submarine rumored to be loaded with gold." x
Directed by Kevin Macdonald, written by Dennis Kelly, starring Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn, Jodie Whittaker, Scoot McNairy, and Michael Smiley.

Mommy (1/23/15)
"A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor inserts herself into their household." x
Written and directed by Xavier Dolan, starring Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Anne Dorval, and Suzanne Clément.

Mortdecai (1/23/15)
"Art dealer Charles Mortdecai searches for a stolen painting that's reportedly linked to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold." x
Directed by David Koepp, written by Eric Aronson, starring Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany, and Jeff Goldblum.

Strange Magic (1/23/15)
"A fairy tale of goblins, fairies and imps meeting for the first time and the consequent confusions and conflicts the culture clash causes." x
Directed by Gary Rydstrom, written by David Berenbaum, Irene Mecchi, Gary Rydstrom, and George Lucas, starring the voices of Kristin Chenoweth, Evan Rachel Wood, Peter Stormare, Alan Cumming, Maya Rudolph, and Alfred Molina.

Which new releases do you plan to see this month?

December 2014 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I plan to see in December:

Wild (12/5/14)
"A chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent catastrophe."x
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, written by Nick Hornby, starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, and Thomas Sadoski.

Exodus: Gods and Kings (12/12/14)
"The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues."x
Directed by Ridley Scott, written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, and Stephen Zaillian, starring Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, and Ben Kingsley.

Inherent Vice (12/12/14)
"In 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend."x
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Owen Wilson, and Benicio del Toro.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (12/17/14)
"Bilbo and Company are forced to be embraced in a war against an armed flock of combatants and the terrifying Smaug from acquiring a kingdom of treasure and obliterating all of Middle-Earth."x
Directed by Peter Jackson, written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro, starring Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Fry, Billy Connolly, and Christopher Lee.

Mr. Turner (12/19/14)
"An exploration of the last quarter century of the great, if eccentric, British painter J.M.W. Turner's life."x
Written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, and Richard Bremmer.

Two Days, One Night (12/24/14)
"Sandra, a young Belgian mother, discovers that her workmates have opted for a significant pay bonus, in exchange for her dismissal. She has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job."x
Written and directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, starring Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, and Catherine Salée.

American Sniper (12/25/14)
"A Navy S.E.A.L. recounts his military career, which includes more than 150 confirmed kills."x
Directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Jason Hall, starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, and Luke Grimes.

Big Eyes (12/25/14)
"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."x
Directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, starring Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Danny Huston, and Terence Stamp.

Selma (12/25/14)
"Martin Luther King, Lyndon Baines Johnson and the civil rights marches that changed America."x
Directed by Ava DuVernay, written by Paul Webb, starring David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Dylan Baker, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Oprah Winfrey .

Unbroken (12/25/14)
"A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II."x
Directed by Angelina Jolie, written by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Jai Courtney, and Miyavi.

A Most Violent Year (12/31/14)
"In New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history."x
Written and directed by J.C. Chandor, starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, and Albert Brooks.

Leviathan (12/31/14)
"In a Russian coastal town, Dmitri is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Dmitri and his family."x
Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, written by Oleg Negin and Andrey Zvyagintsev, starring Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Elena Lyadova, Aleksey Serebryakov, and Roman Madyanov.

Which December releases are you looking forward to the most?

November 2014 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I plan to see in November:

Interstellar (11/5/14)
"A group of explorers make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage."x
Directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Ellen Burstyn, and John Lithgow.

Big Hero 6 (11/7/14)
"The special bond that develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes."x
Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, written by Don Hall, Jordan Roberts, Robert L. Baird, and Daniel Gerson, starring the voices of Ryan Potter, Maya Rudolph, Genesis Rodriguez, Jamie Chung, Daman Wayans Jr., Alan Tudyk, and James Cromwell.

The Theory of Everything (11/7/14)
"A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife."x
Directed by James Marsh, written by Anthony McCarten, starring Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Emily Watson, and David Thewlis.

Foxcatcher (11/14/14)
"Based on the true story of Mark Schultz, an Olympic wrestler whose relationship with sponsor John du Pont and brother Dave Schultz would lead to unlikely circumstances."x
Directed by Bennett Miller, written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, and Vanessa Redgrave.

The Homesman (11/14/14)
"A claim jumper and a pioneer woman team up to escort three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa."x
Directed by Tommy Lee Jones, written by Tommy Lee Jones, Kieran Fitzgerald, and Wesley A. Oliver, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, John Lithgow, James Spader, William Fichtner, Hailee Steinfeld, and Meryl Streep.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (11/21/14)
"Katniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage."x
Directed by Francis Lawrence, written by Danny Strong and Peter Craig, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanly Tucci, Toby Jones, Sam Claflin, and Donald Sutherland.

Horrible Bosses 2 (11/26/14)
"Dale, Kurt and Nick decide to start their own business but things don't go as planned because of a slick investor, prompting the trio to pull off a harebrained and misguided kidnapping scheme."x
Directed by Sean Anders, written by Sean Anders and John Morris, starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz, and Kevin Spacey.

The Imitation Game (11/28/14)
"English mathematician and logician, Alan Turing, helps crack the Enigma code during World War II."x
Directed by Morten Tyldum, written by Graham Moore, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Rory Kinnear, and Charles Dance.

Which films do you plan to see in November?

September 2014 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I want to see in September:

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (9/12/14)
"One couple's story as they try to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone." x
Written and directed by Ned Benson, starring Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Viola Davis, Bill Hader, Ciaran Hinds, and William Hurt.

The Drop (9/12/14)
"Bob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost." x
Directed by Michaël R. Roskam, written by Dennis Lehane, starring Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, and Noomi Rapace.

The Maze Runner (9/19/14)
"A group of boys, with no memories of their past lives, must escape a massive maze infested with deadly creatures." x
Directed by Wes Ball, written by James Dashner, Grant Pierce Myers, T.S. Nowlin, and Noah Oppenheim, starring Dylan O'Brien, Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Patricia Clarkson.

This is Where I Leave You (9/19/14)
"When their father passes away, four grown siblings are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens." x
Directed by Shawn Levy, written by Jonathan Tropper, starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll and Connie Britton.

Tracks (9/19/14)
"A young woman goes on a 1,700 mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with her four camels and faithful dog." x
Directed by John Curran, written by Marion Nelson, starring Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver.

The Zero Theorem (9/19/14)
"A computer hacker whose goal is to discover the reason for human existence continually finds his work interrupted thanks to the Management; namely, they send a teenager and lusty love interest to distract him." x
Directed by Terry Gilliam, written by Pat Rushin, starring Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw, and David Thewlis.

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (9/24/14)
"A 19th-century drama about a man whose heart was replaced with a clock when he was born. The situation dictates that he should avoid feeling strong emotions -- love, most of all -- but he just can't keep his feelings under wraps." x
Directed by Stéphane Berla and Mathias Malzieu, written by Mathias Malzieu, starring Orlando Seale, Samantha Barks, and Michelle Fairley.

The Boxtrolls (9/26/14)
"A young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator. Based on the children's novel 'Here Be Monsters' by Alan Snow." x
Directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, written by Irena Brignull, Bev Doyle, Richard Kurti, and Adam Pava, starring Elle Fanning, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, and Ben Kingsley.

Which films do you want to see in September?

August 2014 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I want to see in August:

Guardians of the Galaxy (8/1/14)
"In the far reaches of space, an American pilot named Peter Quill finds himself the object of a manhunt after stealing an orb coveted by the villainous Ronan." x
Written and directed by James Gunn, starring Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Lee Pace, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly, and Glen Close.

Into the Storm (8/8/14)
"A group of high school students document the events and aftermath of a devastating tornado." x
Directed by Steven Quale, written by John Swetnam, starring Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, and Jeremy Sumpter.

Frank (8/15/14)
"Jon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank." x
Directed by Leonard Abrahamson, written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan, starring Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Scoot McNairy, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Life After Beth (8/15/14)
"A young man's recently deceased girlfriend mysteriously returns from the dead, but he slowly realizes she is not the way he remembered her." x
Written and directed by Jeff Baena, starring Dane DeHaan, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, and John C. Reilly.

Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (8/22/14)
"The town's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more reviled inhabitants." x
Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, written by Frank Miller, starring Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Juno Temple, Josh Brolin, Jamie Chung, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Christopher Meloni, Lady Gaga, and Ray Liotta.

The Congress (8/29/14)
"An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider." x
Written and directed by Ari Folman, starring Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Jon Hamm, Paul Giamatti, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Which movies do you want to see in August?

July 2014 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I want to see in July:

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (7/11/14)
"A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species." x
Directed by Matt Reeves, written by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Mark Bomback, starring Gary Oldman, Judy Greer, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Boyhood (7/11/14)
"The life of a young man, Mason, from age 5 to age 18." x
Written and directed by Richard Linklater, starring Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, and Lorelei Linklater.

Mood Indigo (7/18/14)
"Wealthy, inventive bachelor endeavors to find a cure for his lover Chloe after she's diagnosed with an unusual illness caused by a flower growing in her lungs." x
Directed by Michel Gondry, written by Michel Gondry and Luc Bossi, starring Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, and Omar Sy.

Wish I Was Here (7/18/14)
"Aidan Bloom is a 35-year-old man who finds himself at major crossroads, which forces him to examine his life, his career, and his family." x
Directed by Zach Braff, written by Zach and Adam J. Braff, starring Zach Braff, Kate Hudson, Joey King, and Jim Parsons.

Lucy (7/25/14)
"A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic." x
Written and Directed by Luc Besson, starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman.

Magic in the Moonlight (7/25/14)
"A romantic comedy about an Englishman brought in to help unmask a possible swindle. Personal and professional complications ensue." x
Written and directed by Woody Allen, starring Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, and Jacki Weaver.

A Most Wanted Man (7/25/14)
"A Chechen Muslim illegally immigrates to Hamburg, where he gets caught in the international war on terror." x
Directed by Anton Corbijn, written by Andrew Bovell, starring Robin Wright, Rachel McAdams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Willem Dafoe, and Daniel Bruhl.

Which July releases are you most excited about?

March 2014 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I plan to see in March:

300: Rise of an Empire (3/7/14)
The sequel to one of the most hyper-stylized action epics, but with only one of the original cast members. Zack Snyder's popularity is debatable right now, so I don't expect this to make as much as the first one.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman (3/7/14)
I mostly lost interest in this one after RDJ dropped out (he was going to voice Mr. Peabody), but the trailer looks like it will be funny. And history!

The Grand Budapest Hotel (3/7/14)
Wes Anderson is a brilliant man. If you haven't seen the trailer for this yet please please watch it now. This is the film I'm most excited for this month.

Divergent (3/21/14)
I haven't read the books, but I'll give the movie a shot. Hopefully this will join the more successful YA film adaptations.

Muppets Most Wanted (3/21/14)
I love the Muppets, but I actually didn't see their most recent movie. Jason Segel just doesn't do much for me. But with Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, scores of cameos, and an evil Kermit the frog look-alike, this one should be hilarious.

Nymphomaniac: Part 1 (3/21/14)
As a filmmaker and critic it is important to study a wide variety of films. That's all I'm going to say about this one.

Noah (3/28/14)
Darren Aronofsky's not-your-Sunday-School-version-of-the-story take on the biblical account of Noah and the great flood, starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, and Emma Watson.

Which of this month's releases are you most excited about?