75 Movies to Get Excited About in 2014 (Part 3)

Popculturology is holding off on releasing our picks for top films of 2013 for a few weeks (look, no one invited us to a screenings of Her or Inside Llewyn Davis, so we're missing a few key pieces), but that doesn't mean we can't start talking about what 2014 has in store for us at the theater. Last year, Popculturology looked at 44 Movies to Get Excited About in 2013. Guess what? This year, we're bringing you a look at 75 movies. All for the same cost. You're welcome. We'll bring you Popculturology's 75 Movies to Get Excited About in 2014 in five installments this week.

Check out the third 15 movies here. The order is strictly alphabetical, so don't worry that something ridiculous like The Expendables 3 comes before an Oscar contender like Unbroken. As always, head to the comments to let us know which movies you're looking forward to in 2014.

MONDAY: Part 1 • TUESDAY: Part 2 • TODAY: Part 3

THURSDAY: Part 4 • FRIDAY: Part 5

How to Train Your Dragon 2
June 13
DreamWorks Animation has a lot of low points, but How to Train Your Dragon isn't one of them. The 2010 film is not only DreamWorks Animation's best CGI film, but it's actually better than several of Pixar's, including Cars and Cars 2. (Not a hard feat to accomplish, though.) With How to Train Your Dragon 2, DreamWorks has the chance to show that it knows that this movie is something special and deliver a sequel along the lines of Pixar's Toy Story follow-ups.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1
Nov. 21
Like the final Harry Potter and Twilight books, the last Hunger Games novel is getting broken up into two installments. Sure, there's a lot going on in these final books, but movie studios definitely aren't missing out on the fact that there's a chance to double-dip at the box office.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire improved on the first Hunger Games movie, and with much of that film's cast and its director coming back for this sequel, the franchise can hopefully continue moving in that direction. Julianne Moore joins Jennifer Lawrence and gang for Mockingjay — Part 1.



I, Frankenstein
Jan. 24
First off, Frankenstein was the scientist who created the monster. The monster's name was not Frankenstein. Ted Mosby would've corrected this error. Secondly, the only reason you should be excited about I, Frankenstein is if you want to see a movie that's going to be so bad it's good. Check out the trailer for I, Frankenstein. It's absurd. Someone get Aaron Eckhart into an Oscar-caliber movie.

Inherent Vice
TBA
Paul Thomas Anderson follows up The Master with the first cinematic adaption of a Thomas Pynchon novel. The director has assembled quite the cast to do so, reuniting with his The Master star Joaquin Phoenix and bringing in Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon and Benicio del Toro. Inherent Vice doesn't have a release date yet, but expect it toward the end of 2014 when it can play a role in awards season.



Interstellar
Nov. 17
The renaissance of Matthew McConaughey should continue with Interstellar. On the heels of a likely Oscar nomination for Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey will star in the next film from Christopher Nolan. Not much is known about Interstellar yet, but there's talk that the film will cover space, time travel and even wormholes. Gotta love McConaughey's voiceover in the trailer too.

Into the Woods
Dec. 25
Director Rob Marshall brings the classic Broadway musical to the big screen, working with a cast that includes his Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine and many others. Marshall has previously won an Oscar for adapting the musical Chicago — could he work his magic again with Into the Woods?



Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Jan. 17
Good news — Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will be in theaters in less than two weeks, which means you won't have to watch the trailers for the movie anymore. If you see a ton of movies in theaters, you're probably sick of seeing the trailer for this one. Will Chris Pine be able to carry a franchise previously headlined by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin and Ben Affleck? Or does Jack Ryan not matter in a world of Bourne and gritty Bond movies?

Jane Got a Gun
Aug. 29
You'd think being an Oscar winner with a Star Wars trilogy on your resume would be enough to get your movie made, but Natalie Portman had to go through a rough stretch in order to finally get Jane Got a Gun on the right tracks. The Portman-produced Western is on its second director and saw Jude Law, Bradley Cooper and Michael Fassbender all join and leave the project. Jane Got a Gun was lucky enough to lock in Jason Clarke before his upcoming Dawn of the Planet of the Apes/Terminator: Genesis-fueled fame explosion.

Jersey Boys
June 20
Clint Eastwood directing a movie about the Four Seasons? With Jersey Boys, that's what we're going to get. The acclaimed director tackles the Broadway musical, transplanting much of the show's cast to the big screen. Eastwood is 83, so moviegoers should value every movie the screen icon makes.



Jupiter Ascending
July 18
If you loved the pseudo-intellectual mumbo jumbo of Cloud Atlas and the bright lights of Speed Racer, do the Wachowski siblings have a film for you. Besides The Matrix and maybe V for Vendetta, what was the last solid film the duo made? Of course, Jupiter Ascending could prove naysayers wrong, but the first trailer for the movie doesn't make it look like that'll happen.



Labor Day
Jan. 31
For awhile, Labor Day looked like it could be an Oscar contender, but when the film was given a January release date, that kind of sucked the air out of those sails. Director Jason Reitman is on quite the career streak, with Labor Day following Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air and Young Adult. That's an impressive resume, and with stars Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet, Labor Day could be another accomplishment to add to it.



The Lego Movie
Feb. 7
Everything is awesome, or least everything will be when The Lego Movie opens in a month. This film looks insanely fun, with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller honoring the spirt of Lego while still finding a way to make a movie that should entertain almost everyone. Honestly, if you aren't already in love with The Lego Movie, it's probably because your parents only bought you K'nex as a kid.



Maleficent
May 30
After the box office success of Oz the Great and Powerful, Disney has turned its attention to giving moviegoers an origin story for Maleficent, the villain of Sleeping Beauty. The first trailer for Maleficent only briefly showed off Angelina Jolie as the title character, focusing more on Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora.



Million Dollar Arm
May 16
Jon Hamm has already mastered the art of being a TV drama icon with Mad Men and showing off his comedic chops through Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, but the actor has yet to find success as a movie star. That could change with Million Dollar Arm, a Disney movie in the heritage of The Rookie or Miracle. Hamm plays a sports agent who turns to India in hopes of finding a cricket player who can become a major league pitcher.

A Million Ways to Die in the West
May 30
Before he gets to work on Ted 2, Seth MacFarlane will direct and star in A Million Ways to Die in the West. It should be interesting to see how much of MacFarlane's signature brand of humor makes it into a Western.