THE NERD WORD: The most anticipated films of 2014

As I looked over the movie releases I felt a little underwhelmed as 2014 looks to be a down year as studios prepare for a monumental 2015. After looking a little closely though I found we will have plenty to hold us over.

Sure bets

•   ‘Noah’ (March 28): Russell Crowe makes one of the most recognizable figures from The Bible a bad-ass. I’m not so sure if this is a movie or sacrilege, but either way I’m dying to see Maximus Decimus Meridius face the apocalypse.
•  ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier’ (April 4): This was the first comic book I read when I got back into comic books, so my level of excitement for this is at an insane high. Once I saw the trailer. I nearly peed my pants. I mean come on, he takes down 10-plus guys in a crowded elevator. Taking place entirely in modern day will probably please more movie-goers as well.
•  ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ (May 23): The return of Bryan Singer to X-Men to this franchise is much needed. Not to say “X-Men: First Class” was bad, it’s just it didn’t have the emotion of the first two X-movies. With pretty much the entire cast from all the movies returning as well, I can’t wait. To me my X-Men indeed.
•  ‘Interstellar’ (Nov. 7): Almost nothing is known about Christopher Nolan’s new movie. There is a ton of big actors in this. We have Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace and John Lithgow in a movie about a group of explorers who find a wormhole and embark on a … wait for it … interstellar voyage. Nolan is known for his mind-bending themes, so there is more to it. Can’t miss.
•  ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ (Nov. 14): The most anticipated comedy sequel of all time is finally coming after years of Jim Carrey pulling his best Brett Favre impression. The guys venture to find one of their long-lost children in hope of gaining a new kidney. Does it really matter what the plot is? Sea Bass returns, and we get to see former-girlfriend Fraida Felcher. This is going to be Oscar-worthy.

We’ll see

•  ‘Amazing Spider-man 2’ (May 2): The inclusion of Jamie Foxx as Electro has me a little worried, but considering how well I liked the last one, I’m down for another outing. Also, Paul Giamatti as Rhino will be interesting. The news that there will be Sinister Six and Venom spin-off movies from this franchise puts it over the top. They got my money, I guess.
•  ‘Godzilla’ (May 16): This looks to be epic. “Pacific Rim” got me primed for this, which was much needed after the last “Godzilla” tragedy. Matthew Broderick, you are banned from my movie collection. The approach they seem to be taking is along the vein of “Cloverfield” with a more street-level approach. No shaky camera, please. Fingers crossed.
•  ‘Transformers 4: Age of Extinction’ (June 27): I will never get enough Optimus Prime. The swap of Shia Labeouf in favor of Mark Wahlberg helps, too, despite the fact that I was one of the few who liked Labeouf. My only issue is the redesign of the robots. I’ve seen Optimus, and he looks OK, but I prefer the old look. The jury’s still out on this one.
•  ‘Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1’ (Nov. 21): This is a mixed bag for me. After the cliffhanger in “Catching Fire,” I can’t wait for more, but the idea to split the final movie into two has me torn. I was underwhelmed by the first movie, and the second got me revved up about this series again. Now, we get the rebellion which is going to be amazing. The only problem is it will most likely end on another cliffhanger. I’m excited and worried. I’m “worry-ited.”
•  ‘The Hobbit: There and Back Again’ (Dec. 17): The end of the Hobbit trilogy seems to be primed to thrill. After “The Desolation of Smaug” made me care again, I can only imagine “Back Again” will be amazing. The cliffhanger ending of “Smaug” has me wondering if this movie will drag on a little similar to “Return of the King” in “The  Lord of the Rings” trilogy - which I know rubbed a few people the wrong way.

Sleepers

•  ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ (June 6): The days of Tom Cruise surefire hits have gone by, but his last two movies have been great. The trailer makes this look like 2013’s “Elysium” at first glance, but there is much more confusion here. The time travel aspect has piqued my interest, and you can never go wrong with Emily Blunt.
•  ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ (July 18): “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was a surprise hit in 2011, and it did the franchise justice after the Mark Wahlberg remake. Humanity puts together an uprising against Caesar’s rising forces. The addition of rising-star Jason Clarke is nice. That guy seems to be everywhere lately. This will be pure-excitement fun.
•  ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (Aug. 1): I get two of my favorite comic book movies in the same year. Is this heaven? No … it’s Iowa. Some will get that, and some won’t. These are a group of unknown characters to many, so you may be leery, but don’t be. This could end up being “Star Wars” for a new generation. I’m hoping they keep the comedy from the book intact for the movie and the inclusion of Chris Pratt seems to confirm that.
•  ‘The Giver’ (Aug. 15): I badly don’t want this to be a mess. This is one of my favorite books of all time. Some of the casting choices have been interesting. Jonas is played by a relative unknown, Taylor Swift as Rosemary (yuck!) and the Giver is played by The Dude - Jeff Bridges. I’m sorry, but I can’t take Bridges seriously since “The Big Lebowski.” I want to like this, but I’m not that impressed, so far.
•   ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’ (Aug. 22.): This is a prequel to “Sin City” has been rumored for years. This was supposed to come out last year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets pushed to 2015. Almost the entire cast is returning plus my boy Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been added.

Albrecht can be reached at (701) 780-1269 or by e-mail at talbrecht@gfherald.com . Follow him on Twitter @Tim03 and read his blog at thenerdword.areavoices.com.

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