Last month when we previewed February, we talked a lot about potential, especially for an early month like February. And while some films made February pretty descent, March looks like it’s going to be much better, as you can expect. The first weekend of March brings us The Grand Budapest Hotel, which could seriously end up being one of the best films of the year when it’s all said and done. We also get to see fun films like Muppet’s Most Wanted and Divergent in the middle of the month, which look pretty good as well. And to finish of the month we get the incredibly looking Darren Aronofsky film Noah and The Raid 2. Wow, we are really excited for the month of March and film in 2014.
So here it is: A list of some of the top films that are being released this month.
MARCH 7
300: Rise of an Empire
Director: Noam Murro
Stars: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey
Synopsis: Greek general Themistokles leads the charge against invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
Our Take: 300: Rise of an Empire looks great visually and if you’re a fan of the original 300, this one shows a little promise, although the story is very questionable, especially since it’s written by Zack Snyder. We are acutely curious about this one.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Director: Wes Anderson
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric
Synopsis: The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.
Our Take: Wes Anderson is a favorite director of ours and The Grand Budapest Hotel looks absolutely fantastic. It showcases Anderson’s unique style and looks incredibly entertaining and goofy. This will be one to see.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Director: Rob Minkoff
Stars: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert
Synopsis: The time-travelling adventures of an advanced canine and his adopted son, as they endeavor to fix a time rift they created.
Our Take: Stephen Colbert is in this and that’s an automatic win. While the trailer for this hasn’t been too outstanding, early reports have shown real promise for this film. It could end up being a pretty descent surprise.
[divider]
MARCH 14
Need for Speed
Director: Scott Waugh
Stars: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Scott Mescudi
Synopsis: Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins.
Our Take: Need for Speed doesn’t necessarily look different in any way but looks to be a descent action movie with some fun car chases. It’ll be fun to see Aaron Paul in the lead here, although the serious tone could be a turn off depending on the direction.
Veronica Mars
Director: Rob Thomas
Stars: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni
Synopsis: Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars gets pulled back to her hometown – just in time for her high school reunion – in order to help her old flame Logan Echolls, who’s embroiled in a murder mystery.
Our Take: Honestly, we aren’t too familiar with the TV show, so it’s hard to really dive into this but from an outside perspective, it looks promising and the fans have been raving about this. Either way, based off what we see, it looks pretty good and may be one to check out this month.
[divider]
MARCH 21
Divergent
Director: Neil Burger
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet
Synopsis: In a world divided by factions based on virtues, Tris learns she’s Divergent and won’t fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it’s too late.
Our Take: This looks pretty exciting and Shailene Woodley looks pretty fantastic in this role. These kind of films are very hit or miss and rely heavily on good word-of-mouth, but in the end, Divergent will be one to definitely look forward to. It could be formulaic in many ways but still looks interesting.
3 Muppets Most Wanted
Director: James Bobin
Stars: Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell
Synopsis: While on a grand world tour, The Muppets find themselves wrapped into an European jewel-heist caper headed by a Kermit the Frog look-alike and his dastardly sidekick.
Our Take: If you’re a fan of the Muppets, then this is one you’re going to want to see in theater. The cast is great and this look brilliantly put together.
[divider]
MARCH 28
Noah
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Stars: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins
Synopsis: The Biblical Noah suffers visions of an apocalyptic deluge and takes measures to protect his family from the coming flood.
Our Take: Despite early report, this movie looks flipping epic. Russell Crowe looks like he’s in top form and Aronofsky looks like he’s bringing us something truly special. While he may take liberties with the story, this looks like a ton of fun and will definitely be one to spend money on.
Sabotage
Director: David Ayer
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard
Synopsis: Members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house.
Our Take: While this looks formulaic as an action-thriller, keep in mind this is directed by David Ayer. While many may not know that name, his first film, End of Watch, was incredible and showed how talented Ayer really is. This could be (most likely will be) better than how it’s marketed.
The Raid 2
Director: Gareth Evans
Stars: Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Yayan Ruhia
Synopsis: Only a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.
Our Take: Heck yes! Gareth Evans’ first Raid was an action masterpiece. This looks to be just as entertaining and will have all the butt-kicking you’ll need to watch all year. This may not get a huge wide-release but will be one to go seek out.
Bad Words
Director: Jason Bateman
Stars: Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney
Synopsis: A spelling bee loser sets out to exact revenge by finding a loophole and attempting to win as an adult.
Our Take: This is Bateman’s directorial debut and it looks hysterical. This will offend easily but if you can get past that, it looks like it could be one of the better comedies of the year. Unless you don’t like Bateman’s comedy, then you may just want to stay away.
[divider]
While we didn’t cover everything, these are the big films that we think you should look out for this month. However, Oscar-winning film The Great Beauty gets a wider release here in the U.S. in March, which isn’t a film I loved but for many, it’s still a great film. Tyler Perry’s The Single Mom’s Club also opens in March and while this looks different for Perry, you still may want to approach it at an arms length. And if you’re a fan of the 2011 small romantic drama Like Crazy, then you may want to put Breath In on your radar. The beautiful Felicity Jones once again pairs up with director Drake Doremus, which could be interesting.
What do you think about these films? Does March look good to you at all? Leave us a comment below!
