14 movies to see in 2014: ‘Grand Budapest Hotel,’ ‘Monuments Men’

Gist: Maybe the best animated film (OK, at least the funniest) is Warner Brothers’ “The Lego Movie.” The film takes place in the amazing world of Legoland and centers around a regular guy who is mistaken to be the savior MasterBuilder. The ordinary LEGO guy is recruited by a cast of superheroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to save the world.
Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett
Release Date: Feb. 7, 2014

Gist: Directed by George Clooney and considered an Oscar contender for 2013 until it was moved to 2014, “The Monuments Men” tells the story of a unlikely bunch of old soldiers whose real mission during World War II is to rescue art masterpieces from the Nazis.
Cast: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon
Release Date: Feb. 7, 2014

Gist: Move over “Twilight,” this teen flick is not your average vampire film. Yes, its target audience is teen girls, but it’s from the filmmakers behind “Mean Girls.” The plot centers around a Dhampir, half-human/half-vampire, whose mission is to protect vampires.
Cast: Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky
Release Date: Feb. 14, 2014

Gist: This Wes Anderson film has been getting a lot of buzz. It tells the story of a hotel concierge who is framed for murder and befriends the new lobby boy, who becomes his most trusted friend.
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes
Release Date: March 7, 2014

Gist: Brought to you by Kickstarter, this flick brings the ex-TV show to the big screen. In this movie, the beloved title character returns home for her high school reunion when she runs into one-time boyfriend Logan Echolls, who is being accused of murder.
Cast: Kristen Bell, James Franco, Krysten Ritter
Release Date: March 14, 2014

Gist: “Twilight,” “Hunger Games,” and now “Divergent.” This teen flick, based on the best-selling novel series, stars Shailene Woodley as Beatrice Prior, a specially gifted teenager who finds herself in trouble when the authoritarian seeks to exterminate her kind.
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet
Release Date: March 21, 2014

Gist: Yes, crazy weather is upon us thanks to Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical “Noah” story. Played by Russell Crowe, Noah suffers horrific visions and takes necessary steps to survive a flood that wipes out the world.
Cast: Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Jennifer Connelly
Release Date: March 28, 2014

Gist: Touted as Angelina Jolie’s favorite character as a child, this film is brought to the big screen by the famed actress. This “Sleeping Beauty” tale is told from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent and explores how and why she became so evil.
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley
Release Date: May 30, 2014

The Gist: From the world of the Wachowski (Matrix) comes a film about a universe where humans are near the bottom of the evolutionary ladder.
Cast: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean
Release Date: July 18, 2014

Gist: Marvel’s next chapter in their cinematic universe is the “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The film tells the story of a pilot who gets stranded in space and forms a diverse team of aliens to defeat cosmic evil.
Cast: Lee Pace, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana
Release Date: Aug. 1, 2014

Gist: This stop-motion family friendly film tells the story of a young orphan who is raised by underground cave-dwellers.
Cast: Elle Fanning, Simon Pegg, Toni Collette
Release Date: Sept. 26, 2014

Gist: This David Fincher film starring Ben Affleck focuses on a woman’s disappearance on the day of her wedding anniversary.
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, Missi Pyle
Release Date: Oct. 3, 2014

Gist: Christopher Nolan directs this non-superhero film, thank God! In the sci-fi drama, explorers discover a wormhole that leads them on an interstellar voyage.
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
Release Date: Nov. 7, 2014

Gist: Following “World War Z,” Brad Pit returns to the big screen to join a group of Americans who embark on a daring mission during World War II in Nazi Germany.
Cast: Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf
Release Date: Nov. 12, 2014