Must-Watch Films 2014: The Ones To See Before The Year Is Out

There have been some cracking movies so far in 2014 and the barrage of must-watch films isn't over yet. Here's our guide to the flicks you should make some time for before the year is out.

The Rover, 15 August

Robert Pattinson returns, with the brilliant Guy Pearce, in this post-apocalyptic movie set in the Australian outback, a decade after the collapse of society. It’s dusty, it’s bleak and definitely not one for Twihards. We’re on board.

Lucy, 22 August

Based on the idea that humans only use 10 per cent of their brainpower, Lucy is about a woman whose brain – after a drug-smuggling attempt goes awry and the bag full of narcotics bursts in her stomach – goes into overdrive. You just know watching Scarlett Johansson as a bad ass superhuman is going to worth your while.

Before I Go To Sleep, 5 September

Based on the novel by SJ Watson (if you haven’t read it already, you really should), Before I Go To Sleep is a psychological thriller following 40-year-old Christine Lucas who wakes up every morning with no memory and still believing she’s 27. Colin Firth plays her husband, who she also doesn’t remember. Here’s hoping they do justice to the book.

Magic in the Moonlight, 19 September

Emma Stone’s first turn as Woody Allen’s current muse should be well worth a watch, if only for her smooch with Colin Firth. Yes, really.

The Riot Club, 19 September

This tale of Oxford University’s notorious and elite Bullingdon Club will bring a whole host of posh totty to our screens, including the divine Douglas Booth, Sam Clafin and Max Irons. Jessica Brown Findlay and Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer also appear.

Map to the Stars, 26 September

Part two of Robert Pattinson’s comeback sees him team up with David Cronenberg again as a limo driver in Hollywood, and getting in it on with Julianne Moore’s washed up movie star, in this satire about our celebrity-obsessed culture. So good.

Gone Girl, 3 October

This has to be the most hugely anticipated movie of the year and WE CANNOT WAIT to see how Ben Affleck and Rosumund Pike fare as the troubled couple at the centre of one of the biggest stories in recent years.

Serena, 24 October

Never heard of Serena? You’re not the only one. It was shot two years ago but has since disappeared off the radar causing industry insiders to think it had been canned. Not so. It’s just been given an autumn release date. A dark drama starring the perfect pairing of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper as love-struck newlyweds in the 1920s, it makes a very welcome surprise to our 2014 must-watch film list.

Horns, 31 October

Daniel Radcliffe’s character wakes up one morning accused of murdering his girlfriend, if that wasn’t bad enough, he also sprouts horns. Sounds fantastical, and it is, but the first trailer is actually darkly comic.

Interstellar, 7 November

Christopher Nolan’s space odyssey, starring man-of-the-moment Matthew McConaughey, has got a lot of movie types very excited. The whole thing has been shrouded in mystery but what we do know is that Earth runs out of food and McConaughey is sent on a mission to find somewhere else for humans to live. Also starring Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine and Jessica Chastain, it’s set to be the blockbuster of the year.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, 21 November

We’ve loved the first two movies and are beyond excited to see what will happen next to Katniss Everdeen, as she finds herself at the centre of a global rebellion and a very confusing love triangle.

Wild, 5 December

Yet another book-turned-movie comes in the form of Reese Witherspoon in the adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s New York Times No. 1 best seller Wild. After the break-up of her marriage and the death of her mother, Cheryl hikes over 1000 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail. There’s already Oscar buzz; go see it.

And now the best from the rest of the year…

12 Years A Slave

12 Years A Slave follows a New Yorker called Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in pre-Civil War America. It is well deserving of the hype. A real must-watch.

August: Osage County 

Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts play mother and daughter in this dark, touching and hilarious story of one Midwest family forced to reunite after a crisis involving its drug-addicted matriarch. 

The Wolf Of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio team up once again in this brilliant drama about a stockbroker who refuses to cooperate in a huge securities fraud case in 1990s corporate America. Look out for a cameo from our very own Joanna Lumley.

Her

Presenting the most unconventional love story ever: Joaquin Phoenix stars as a man who falls in love with his mobile phone’s operating system (seductively voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Director Spike Jonze’s return is a sweet parable on the importance of not letting technology take over your life. 

The Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey delivers his best performance to date in this real-life tale of a 1980s rodeo rider who discovers he is HIV positive and begins smuggling alternative drugs to AIDS patients.

The Monuments Men

George Clooney is in the driving seat as director and star of this true story about a platoon of soldiers and curators whose mission is to save important pieces of art before the Nazis can destroy them. Look out for incredible performances from Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett and Downton’s Hugh Bonneville. 

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson’s latest should be a visual delight. Boasting a stellar cast, including Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton and Jude Law, it follows the famous concierge of an interwar Eastern European hotel, who strikes up a friendship with a young employee. 

Noah 

Russell Crowe, Emma Watson and Jennifer Connelly star in this compelling new retelling of the classic Biblical story of one man, one boat, and a whole lot of animals. We can’t wait to see how Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky tackles the tale.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Andrew Garfield returns as Peter Parker, the unlikely hero who must save New York from a swarm of villains in this sequel of the rebooted Spidey franchise. And we heart Emma Stone, so what’s not to love? 

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

J-Law et al return in this highly anticipated seventh instalment of the brilliant X-Men film series. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back in time to change a major historical event that has deeply affected the human and mutant world.

Godzilla 

We’re intrigued to see how director Gareth Edwards will reinterpret the iconic monster. Expect incredible visual effects and look out for one of our favourite young actresses of the moment, Elizabeth Olsen.

Maleficent 

Angelina Jolie takes the lead in this new interpretation of the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Watch out for a cameo from one of the youngest in the Jolie-Pitt clan, Vivienne, who makes her debut as the young Princess Aurora.