Can you complete the ultimate Marvel marathon?

AMC Theaters and Regal Entertainment are giving moviegoers in select cities the ultimate Marvel Cinematic Universe experience with the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Select theaters will be screening an 11-movie Marvel marathon starting on April 29th. Yes, this marathon begins with Iron Man and ends with Age of Ultron. There is no word on if those who complete the marathon will get special perks or prizes, but those who choose to complete it better expect to bring blankets and some coffee... and prepare to fork out a hefty price to see all 11 films.

The schedule looks like this:

6:00pm - Iron Man
8:25pm - The Incredible Hulk
10:35pm - Iron Man 2
1:00am - Thor
3:10am - Captain America: The First Avenger
5:30am - The Avengers
8:48am - Iron Man 3
11:15am - Thor: The Dark World
1:45pm - Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4:20pm - Guardians of the Galaxy
7:00pm - Avengers: Age of Ultron


So far it looks like Regal is only showing the marathon in Houston, Ontario (CA), Atlanta, and King of Prussia (PA). AMC doesn't give the locations, but I'm sure they will surface before too long.
Personally, I wouldn't do this but I can see why people would. The idea of staying awake that long in a movie theater just isn't happening.

Best Films of 2014

It's that time again, boys and girls. I will start by admitting I didn't see as many movies this year as I usually do and not nearly as many as I would have liked to, but I did see enough to make a "best" and "worst" list. I always start with the worst, which you can see here, so now I will get to the best ones. Didn't think these were great? Enlighten me on why.

Also note these are not in any particular order from best to worst or anything like that. If they are in any sort of order it's just in the order of when I watched them. I also will mention that some of these films were technically made in and/or received limited releases in 2013, but if they got a wide release in 2014 I'm counting them.


Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

Before you judge me on this one, let me explain. As a franchise bit this was by far the best one of the Paranormal Activity franchise. It was suspenseful and did what the previous four movies failed to do... IT KEPT MY ATTENTION. This movie had a lot more going on than just nighttime speed shots of people sleeping for an hour. It was actually fun to watch which is why it is on this list.

Devil's Due

As far as horror went this year, Devil's Due was one of the better ones. It kept my attention and was just fun to watch. Was it the best? No, but it wasn't the worst. It was better than what's on the worst of 2014 list.

The LEGO Movie

I can't say enough things about this one. It was funny, the animation was gorgeous, and it was just... I can't even put it into words. I loved it.

Bad Words

Hilarious. Just plain hilarious. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This skyrocketed to my favorite Marvel film immediately after I walked out of the theater. The suspense was amazing and seeing how Hydra was still in the picture even after all this time was fascinating. It took a comic character and gave us a great political thriller in the middle of a bunch of superhero movies with humor elements and cartoony characters. Fantastic.

Godzilla

For what it was it was great. The effects were on point and the story itself was a nice refresher to have. It could have been bad but it wasn't.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Was it as good as X-Men: First Class? No, but it was still pretty good even with a few disappointments.

Deliver Us from Evil

It was more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie and I appreciated that.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Despite the long title it was still good. By far some of the best visual effects of the year. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one but I still liked it.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Easily by top movie of 2014. It was funny, interesting, touching, and it really showcased its strengths. James Gunn is a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as is the group of criminal heroes. I can't even begin to describe why I loved this movie.

The Boxtrolls

Great animation and a fun story.

Interstellar

Long as hell but Christopher Nolan did it again. Loved it.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Not as good as it could have been and I still don't think it should have been split into two movies, but they picked a good stopping point and what they did do they did well. I'm looking forward to wrapping it up next year.

Camp X-Ray

This movie got a lot of crap and I don't really know why. I thought it was enjoyable for the kind of movie it was and it further proved that Kristen Stewart needs to get back to doing small films like this. It's really where she shines.

The Sacrament

Holy shit. That's really all I can say.

The Babadook

GREAT. The way this movie played with my mind was amazing. It was more psychological than visual gore and I really appreciate movies like this. The foreign horror market is really kicking America's ass right now.

Gone Girl

Wow! I'm really bummed I didn't get the chance to see this one in theaters.

I might still add to this list because I still have a couple movies I am trying to cram in before the year is up, so keep an eye out. Hope you enjoyed!

Why I haven't been blogging as much

If you're a regular reader of this blog you might have noticed that I haven't been posting as much news recently. I have been aware of it, obviously, and I figured I would tell you guys why that is.

The basic explanation is I don't have as much time. I have a job and I went back to school for the semester earlier in August. My days consist of waking up at 6am, going to school, coming home around for like an hour or so, and then turning around and going to work. By the time I get home I am just beat and when I do go online and read news stories and movie sites, I just don't feel like spending the extra time to write something up to share. I have been keeping up and I read my sites just about every day like I always did, but posting on here has been difficult. A good 13-14 hours of my day is eaten up away from my computer so it just is what it is.
In addition to this subject is I don't have the time to go see as many movies anymore. As it currently stands I have only seen 11 movies in theaters this year. By this time last year I had seen 20+ and the year before I was practically at the movie theater every weekend to see something. I had a lot more time and more to talk about and review. At this point a majority of news stories I could keep talking about I don't want to keep focusing on and that leads into this next reason.

I have hopped on board with a group of moviegoers who are sick and tired of spoilers. I watch the YouTube show, Pretty Much It, and they were the first ones I noticed that really started practicing this and I have seen how it changed their views on film. It seems that the studios are fine with releasing 3-5 trailers for each movie along with set photos, promo spots, and viral campaigns to get people excited. However, all it does is ruin the allure of the movie. I used to be one of those people to read and watch just about everything about an upcoming release that I was excited about, but when I saw the movie I would either be disappointed that all the good stuff was something I already saw in the trailers or that the good stuff I saw in the trailers wasn't even in the movie.

Recent examples of things I have limited myself on or stayed away from:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy: I absolutely loved this movie, but I don't think I would have loved it as much if I would have read and/or watched as much as I did on previous Marvel releases. I watched the first two trailers and then decided to stop. I didn't watch interviews, I didn't look at promo photos past the first set that was released, etc.. I went in pretty fresh and I wound up enjoying that movie probably more than any previous Marvel release.
2. Jurassic World: I was cool seeing the posters and the JW cars at SDCC and all that, but when I saw that people were leaking the Jurassic World maps and stuff like that I decided to step away. I'll watch a trailer but after that I'm done until the movie is released.
3. Star Wars - Episode VII: I am curious about this new Star Wars film, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to spoil it for myself. I looked at the first set of photos that were leaked by TMZ but I am not going to look at any more until we get any official stuff. I will watch the trailer when it comes out and I will look at a set of promo photos but I'm stopping after that.
4. Gone Girl: The trailer looked great so I am stopping before I have the entire movie ruined for me by promotions and viral marketing. 
5. Interstellar: Again, the trailers look great and I don't think Christopher Nolan will disappoint with this one. Why keep watching for stuff that will ruin the movie?
6. Mockingjay - Part 1: I am excited as all hell but after fully immersing myself in the marketing for Catching Fire, I want to leave myself some surprises for Mockingjay. 

When it comes time for trailers and promos to come for other 2015 releases such as The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tomorrowland, Insidious: Chapter 3, and Ant-Man I will be very limited. My first real test with this whole way of viewing movies was Guardians of the Galaxy and I had such a good time that I'm irritated with myself about how I was watching movies before. Movies are supposed to be fun. They aren't supposed to be nitpicked and spoiled before you even walk into the theater. I don't think I even need to go into what happened with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. 
The same applies for television shows at this point. I haven't watched or looked at anything for the fifth season of The Walking Dead other than the initial trailer shown at SDCC. I watched everything leading up to season four and I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. I've been scrolling right past TWD posts on websites and on Facebook because I don't want the spoilers. I'm limiting myself on American Horror Story promos, too. I am watching the teasers but I don't think I'm going to watch the first full trailer or look at any other promotional stuff.


Now what does this mean for this blog? Well, there obviously won't be as many posts. I apologize for that if you're a regular reader and I appreciate you taking the time to read, but it's just gotten ridiculous lately. I will still post on here but I am being even more selective with what I post.

Marvel moving forward with The Inhumans

After achieving a very unexpected success with Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel has announced they are moving forward with a screenplay for The Inhumans.

The last we heard about this project was back in 2012 when Marvel President Kevin Feige discussed the possibility of more unexpected heroes appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after The Avengers. There is already a screenplay that has been developed by Joe Robert Cole and Marvel is evidently ready to shop it around to filmmakers. The project is being approached similar to how Guardians of the Galaxy was in terms of having a screenplay and letting filmmakers revise and make changes.
A brief history on The Inhumans: Basically, this group of heroes are the result of alien experimentation. The Kree (sound familiar?) abandoned the experiments and their subjects, so the group moved on and formed a society on Attilan made up of their own and led by king Black Bolt and his family. They made their first appearance in a Fantastic Four comic back in 1965.

James Gunn thanks Guardians of the Galaxy fans

James Gunn posted a rather heartfelt message on his Facebook page aimed toward those who saw and are planning to see Guardians of the Galaxy:

"Thanks to all of you who saw (and are seeing) Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend, from the bottom of my heart. The Guardians are a group of oddballs, outcasts, and geeks. The movie is for anyone who ever felt cast aside, left out, or different. It's for all of us who don't belong. This movie belongs to you. And, today, I think we're doing okay.

I am of course happy with all the film has accomplished box-office-wise. But what touches me the most is that the film I told the folks at Marvel I wanted to make two years ago is the film that you're seeing in theaters today - it's that so many of you seem to be directly EXPERIENCING the film I INTENDED. The cast, the producers, the crew, and I felt like we were making something special while we were making it. But it is very rare that a director's INTENTIONS in creating a film, or a scene, or a character, or a line of dialogue are, seemingly, specifically what is experienced by an audience (not to mention critics!), and that seems to be what has happened here. You have allowed a talking raccoon - for a moment, a minute, or a day - to make you a little more human. And for that, I am profoundly grateful.

If I relied on myself to implement these intentions, the film would be a shambling mess. But instead, I had a wonderful cast, genius producers, an incredibly brave studio, sublimely talented visual effects artists, great editors, and the best damn crew of mostly-British bastards to actually implement these intentions for me. Where I had a good idea they would, through alchemy, transform it into a great one. Many of you involved are friends of mine on Facebook. Many of you will read this somewhere else. I love you all.

You may remember me posting here a couple weeks ago how sad I was to be finishing up the film, that I was having trouble letting go of Rocket, and that I was going to miss him. But seeing him (and Groot, and the rest of the team) embraced by the world like they have been, to be UNDERSTOOD, makes it a wonderful letting go. It's like giving a foster pet up for adoption to the most wonderful parents in the world.

And, of course, I'm not really saying goodbye as, while many of you have been enjoying the film, I've spent this weekend hard at work on the sequel. I couldn't help myself! The results are nice but it's really the creative process I love and that keeps me going. I'm on fire with this thing! The Guardians have so many hardships and heartaches and triumphs ahead of them, and I can't wait to share them with all of you.

Onto week two...

Love, James"

To speak directly to this man... James, you are just amazing. I have been a fan for years and was so excited when I first saw you had been hired to direct Guardians of the Galaxy. Now that I have seen it I want to tell you that it was amazing and a lot better than I expected. It was funny and it brought us back to the realization that we are not grounded in reality and that movies should be fun. I hope you come back for the sequel because Marvel and Hollywood in general needs your talent. Thanks again, man. 

Guardians of the Galaxy - Review

After another Infinity Stone falls into dangerous hands, a group of criminals and misfits team up to defend the galaxy from destruction and oppression in Guardians of the Galaxy.




I just have to start by saying this... Guardians of the Galaxy was amazing. I said it. I knew I would say it, but there it is. I seriously loved it and had practically no issues with anything. It was entertaining as hell, funny, and had a lot of fun little tidbits added in. Not to mention we got our first real look at the big Marvel villain, Thanos.

Starting with the plot, I thought it was interesting enough for an origin of these characters. We got enough information to get us started and they did a great job establishing Peter Quill (aka, Star-Lord) as the main character. I really enjoyed the supporting characters and I thought everyone was used fairly well.
The villains were also handled beautifully. Ronan was extremely menacing visually and he looked more like something out of Hellraiser, but I think we can credit James Gunn for that. Nebula was also well done and I loved how she was portrayed. Getting to the big reveal of Thanos, it was enough to keep you both satisfied and wanting more. The visuals looked amazing and I think Josh Brolin was a fantastic choice. It also put a lot more into motion and hinted at things we will most likely see in Phase Three as well as the announced Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.
The only character I felt was extremely underused was The Collector. They made such a huge deal with him being in this movie but he was more enjoyable in the after credits scene for Thor: The Dark World than in Guardians of the Galaxy. It was treated more like a cameo than an actual role.Gamora was also a bit underused and seemed more like the typical tough chick in the universe, but she at least had more explanation and plot.

Either way, I don't think Marvel has anything to worry about regarding this story. Any concerns of people being onboard with a talking raccoon and a giant tree have definitely been squashed. I thought Rocket was probably the most enjoyable character aside from Star-Lord. He was funny and quick on his feet and the way Bradley Cooper voiced him was perfect. I can't even describe how much I loved it.
One thing this movie achieved at great length is taking us out of how "normal" the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become. Up until this point everything seemed very explainable to humans using science, logic, and a little open mindedness. With this story you have to accept that there are creatures and things outside of what we've already been shown that are just as dangerous and relevant. The only glimpse we really have had into the expanded universe, up until now, was with the Thor movies and even then he was exiled onto Earth and the magic of Asgard was pretty easily explained and present on Earth. With these characters and this story it's going to start introducing a lot more comic magic and fantasy that the MCU has lacked. If you thought Guardians of the Galaxy was a stretch you need to remember than these are comic book movies and they are not grounded in reality. 

One thing I am seriously hoping for is that Marvel brings back James Gunn for the sequel. The element he brought to these characters is definitely not something that could be replicated. They made a fantastic choice hiring him.



To talk about a couple spoilers...




The post-credits scene was a waste, in my opinion. Something about letting Howard the Duck have a cameo seemed wasted. I expected something relating to Age of Ultron or even Doctor Strange, but I was not expecting what we got at all. It wasn't relevant.
But, on the subject of what else The Collector had in his possession, we saw quite a few characters that we have already seen in Marvel films. Along with Howard the Duck and Cosmo the Spacedog we caught a glimpse at an imprisoned Dark Elf from Thor: The Dark World as well as a Chitauri warrior from The Avengers. We also saw visions of the Aether and the Tesseract while the Infinity Gauntlet was explained. 


What did you think of Guardians of the Galaxy?

SDCC: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 fills 2017 release date

Well, we have an answer to which film will fill the July 28, 2017 release date Marvel has booked. That film will be a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy which hits theaters next weekend.

During the Marvel presentations in Hall H today, President Kevin Feige announced the sequel along with revealing specific characters for Ant-Man and showing new footage for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Booking a sequel for Guardians of the Galaxy shows Marvel's confidence in the film seeing that this comes before it has even hit theaters. However, judging from early reviews and test screenings so far I don't think the studio has much to worry about. People are loving it and I can't wait to see it next week.

One major disappointment in all the excitement is the fact that the GOTG sequel was the only future release confirmed. Marvel has untitled projects booked through 2019 and this is all we got. At last year's SDCC we received release dates and logos for The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: The Dark World, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Just getting an announcement for a sequel to a movie we haven't seen yet is a bit disappointing to say the least.
I'm sure more announcements will follow but for now... Marvel didn't finish Saturday off with the bang they're usually known for. It's a bit sad.

Marvel announces another 2018 release

In the past week we have received planned release dates for Marvel films through 2019. Marvel has announced one more untitled project for May 3, 2018. The weekend opportunity opened up after Sony removed The Amazing Spider-Man 4 from the date. The speculation is already swirling around which project this could be and one name is on the top of the list...

Did Marvel just announce the release date for The Avengers 3?


The previous dates announced for 2018 were July 6th and November 2nd. I personally already made the prediction that the May 5, 2017 spot could be The Avengers 3, but it is possible they might delay a third film until 2018. The only issue I see with that is that will make Phase Three incredibly long and will have way too many characters to try and wrap into a single Avengers film to finish.


Here are the Marvel release dates as they currently stand:

Guardians of the Galaxy (8/1/2014)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (5/1/2015)
Ant-Man (7/17/2015)
Captain America 3 (5/6/2016)
Doctor Strange (7/8/2016)
Untitled (5/5/2017)
Untitled (7/28/2017)
Untitled (11/3/2017)
Untitled (5/3/2018)
Untitled (7/6/2018)
Untitled (11/2/2018)
Untitled (5/3/2019)


It's hard to say exactly when The Avengers 3 will hit, but if they stick with the May tradition we only have three possible dates for 2017, 2018, and 2019. It is worth mentioning that there is a three year gap between The Avengers and Age of Ultron so a 2018 release would keep them on that track, but there aren't nearly the amount of releases in Phase Two as there are currently planned for Phase Three and/or Phase Four.
Since The Avengers we have seen Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and are about to get Guardians of the Galaxy. That is four releases. If a third Avengers film doesn't come out until 2018 we will have another gap of three years, but we will also have a total of six releases instead of four. Unless one or two of those dates include spin-off films for The Hulk (finally) and Black Widow, I think six films is a bit much. Not to mention we are receiving two brand new characters with Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and also a rumored film for Black Panther. We also shouldn't forget one of those 2017 dates could be a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy or a third Thor project or a fourth Iron Man. There really is no way to tell what their timetable is. 

It is also worth mentioning that even though Sony removed The Amazing Spider-Man 4 from the release date, they announced today that they have immediately refilled the date by delaying The Amazing Spider-Man 3 until then. Unless Sony and Marvel want to go head to head like Marvel is currently doing with Warner Bros. over Batman v Superman being released the same day as Captain America 3, I doubt The Avengers 3 will be released the same weekend as Spider-Man. Unless Marvel is that confident their film will win I foresee a date change for one of them if Marvel announces that May 3, 2018 does indeed belong to The Avengers.
Either way I am sure we will have more answers to what projects belong to these untitled dates by this weekend. No doubt Marvel will come into SDCC at full speed with announcements and footage of some kind. If they don't then things will continue to be mysterious for a while longer.

[EDIT] It seems that Sony was thinking the same thing as they have already removed The Amazing Spider-Man 3 from the May 4, 2018 release date and are now saying it will be released in 2018. There is no specific day set.

Marvel announces release dates through 2019

Although they are all untitled releases, Marvel has shared some added release dates for planned films through 2019.

We will have Marvel releases on:

July 28, 2017
November 3, 2017
July 6, 2018
November 2, 2018
May 3, 2019


It is assumed that some of these dates will be sequels to films set for Phase Three (aka, Ant-Man and Doctor Strange), but we could also see a solo Black Widow spin-off and a film for Black Panther. Doctor Strange is still without an official release date, but most are assuming it's going to fill one of the 2016 release dates.

Upcoming releases we currently have dates for include:

Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1st)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015)
Ant-Man (July 17, 2015)
Captain America 3 (May 6, 2016)

There are also still two unfilled 2016 slots for July 8, 2016 and May 5, 2017. Many are guessing that the May 2017 date will belong to a third, and possibly final, Avengers film. I would also guess if Guardians of the Galaxy takes off that we will see a sequel to that and possibly some solo spin-offs.

Nathan Fillion to have Guardians of the Galaxy cameo

Despite director James Gunn already shooting down the character of Nova Prime, Nathan Fillion has been confirmed to have a "fun" cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Fillion is a longtime collaborator with Gunn as they've worked together on Slither, PG-Porn, and Super. Gunn also went on to specify that the cameo is being done as a favor to him. SO with that said, there is no information on exactly who or what Fillion will be appearing as, but it is sure to be enjoyable. You might recognize him from television shows such as Castle, Firefly, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He's also done voice work for Robot Chicken, Halo 3, Halo: Reach, and King of the Hill. We will find out when Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters on August 1st.

Guardians of the Galaxy - International Trailer

Welcome to the final trailer I am watching for Guardians of the Galaxy.

Josh Brolin to voice Thanos for Guardians of the Galaxy

Josh Brolin has been given the task of voicing the iconic villain Thanos for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically in Guardians of the Galaxy.

You might recall seeing Thanos in the mid-credits scene after The Avengers, but we did not hear a voice. Director James Gunn mentioned that Thanos will be appearing via CGI in Guardians of the Galaxy, but we didn't hear how much or if it would be motion capture or whatever else. Latino Review is claiming that Thanos is just in one scene. With the casting of Josh Brolin it is assumed now that it will just be voice work similar to what Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel did for Rocket Raccoon and Groot.

Rumor has it that Thanos will be a bigger part of Phase Three, but it is unclear on whether he will also be appearing in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Either way I'm sure we can expect to hear Brolin bring Thanos to life in multiple films.

New trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy

I am just so happy.

Guardians of the Galaxy will tie into The Avengers 3

Curiosity is rising regarding Marvel's next release, Guardians of the Galaxy, in terms of how it will tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Director James Gunn recently spoke on the subject and said it will tie into the third Avengers installment.

Captain America once again served as a prequel to The Avengers with The Winter Soldier going right into The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Speculation about how Guardians of the Galaxy will tie into everything has been elaborated on a bit by director James Gunn.
Gunn made perhaps the biggest statement by confirming that Thanos will be appearing in GOTG via motion capture. Thanos is described to be the "head of the snake." Many assume the villain would appear in the second Avengers film, but he was passed over for Ultron and now it seems that reason was so he could appear in Guardians of the Galaxy.
In addition to this, the Infinity Stones have been teased in the existing Marvel films. In the comics, Thanos collects the stones to power The Infinity Gauntlet which gives him ultimate and unlimited power. So far the "stones" we have seen are the Tesseract and the Aether. From what we have seen from Guardians of the Galaxy so far, the orb sought after by Star-Lord might be serving as another piece of the Gauntlet. I also wouldn't count another piece appearing in Ant-Man.

The one thing we need to remember regarding this movie is it is a precursor and introduction to Marvel Phase Three which is moving away from the main heroes we have been dealing with since Iron Man's debut back in 2008. We are dealing with different villains, different heroes, and different stories. I am sure there will be some things from Phase Two that will carry into Phase Three, but for now this is what we have and it is mighty exciting.

First poster for Guardians of the Galaxy

And it has a pretty hilarious and awesome lagline.

You're welcome.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Trailer Premieres

I just have to say that this trailer put the biggest smile on my face. It is so James Gunn, I love it. Marvel, thank you for giving this man a chance. I think this looks great and I cannot wait to see it. It's a bummer we don't have voices for Rocket Raccoon and Groot yet, but I can wait.  

Guardians of the Galaxy opens on August 1st.

Guardians of the Galaxy - 15 Second Teaser

I'm not a fan of the teasers for teasers, but I decided to watch this one to try and get a feel for Guardians of the Galaxy. Judging from this it looks like a typical Marvel movie. Lots of action, maybe some humor (knowing Chris Pratt), and spot on costumes. I'm eager to hear Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel voice Groot and Rocket Raccoon. Just putting that out there. 

The full trailer premieres tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Most anticipated films of 2014

With the year wrapping up shortly it is that time to look ahead and see what we have coming to us in 2014. We won't be getting as many blockbusters as 2015 will have in store, but we are still expecting some major releases. Here are my most anticipated films of 2014:

February:

The LEGO Movie
The Monument's Men

March:

Veronica Mars
Nymphomaniac: Part One
Noah
The Raid: Berandal

April:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

May:

Godzilla
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Maleficent

June:

22 Jump Street

July:

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

August:

Guardians of the Galaxy
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Jessabelle

November:

Interstellar
Dumb & Dumber To
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
Horrible Bosses 2


Not a bad list for what we have official as of right now. A couple movies shifted from 2014 to 2015, like Fast & Furious 7 and Fifty Shades of Grey, so hopefully this list stays accurate and we don't get any surprise delays.

Here's to a better 2014! Happy new year, everyone.

First official still from Guardians of the Galaxy

We previously got a teased concept art, which can also be seen below, but we now have the first official still from Guardians of the Galaxy. It features Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Dave Bautista, and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel).

Here is the concept art:

In addition to the image, we also received the official synopsis of the film.

"From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team–the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits–Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand -  with the galaxy’s fate in the balance. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is presented by Marvel Studios."

Guardians of the Galaxy is set for release on August 1, 2014. No word on exactly when we are getting the first trailer, but I would imagine it is coming soon. With Captain America: The Winter Soldier hitting in April, I am betting we will get something for Guardians of the Galaxy at that point.

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team – the Guardians of the Galaxy.  An action-packed epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the universe.  To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits – Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer.  But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand – with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.  Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” is presented by Marvel Studios. The film releases August 1, 2014, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Read more at http://collider.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy-synopsis-image-chris-pratt/#ES0wSaItIf4

Vin Diesel officially joins Guardians of the Galaxy

It has been rumored for months now, but we finally have confirmation that Vin Diesel will be playing Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy. He joins Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker, and Lee Pace. Guardians of the Galaxy is being directed by James Gunn and is set for release on August 1, 2014.

If you aren't aware, Groot is a highly intelligent tree-like alien. Groot will be voiced by Diesel as he is assumed to be full CGI along with Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper). Originally, Groot was interested in capturing humans for experimentation, but after being destroyed by both termites and the Hulk he was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and made part of the Guardians team. Groot was also a warrior in the battle against Thanos, so he is an important aspect of this movie.