Another year is almost over for cinemagoers as 2013 prepares to come to a close.

However 2014 promises much more for us film fantatics to marvel over as some of the images from upcoming films below us show….

Awards contenders and blockbusters are set to dominate the next twelve months while the ongoing sequels and remakes continue to bring mixed feelings.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is what is in store for 2014…..

JANUARY

The year kicks off with the usual fare of award contenders being released just before the BAFTA and Oscar nominations are announced.

Firstly, director David O. Russell reunites with his Fighter stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams and Silver Lining Playbook’s Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence as the quartet of talented stars work together to bring down corruption in 70s/80s New York in the crime-thriller AMERICAN HUSTLE.

Bale also stars in the upcoming drama OUT OF THE FURNACE as a recently-released criminal who tries to protect his brother from gangster boss Woody Harrelson.

Other major contenders to look out for include family dramedy AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY which sees Oscar-winning legends Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts go head-to-head.

The Coen Brothers are back with their musical drama INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIES which focuses on a struggling songwriter (Oscar Isaac) trying to make it big in 1960s America.

And of course, there’s the latest collaboration from legendary director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo Di-Caprio as the pair reconstruct the controversial life of Wall Street investor Jordan Belfort in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET. The real-life drama also stars Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey and The Artist’s Jean Dujardin.

In-form actor Idris Elba portrays the late, great South African leader Nelson Mandela in the biopic drama MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM while fellow Brit Colin Firth confronts his war-related past alongside Nicole Kidman in THE RAILWAY MAN.

The Oscar favourite for 2013/14 will also makes its bow on our screens in the form of Steve McQueen’s historical drama 12 YEARS A SLAVE. Based on the true story of Solomon Northup, the film focuses on how he was wrongly kidnapped and forced into slavery where he would spend the next twelve years of his life batting to survive. British actor Chiwitel Ejiofor takes on the challenging lead role with strong support coming from Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and newcomer Lupita Nyong’o.

Chris Pine is the latest actor to play heroic spy Jack Ryan as, he, Keira Knightley and Kenneth Branagh star in the rebooted action-thriller JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT.

Veteran actors Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline team up to play the group of old friends who decide to throw a bachelor party in the OAP version of The Hangover, LAST VEGAS.

On the subject of De Niro, it’s Rocky vs. Raging Bull as he and Sylvester Stallone battle it out in the ring in the boxing comedy GRUDGE MATCH.

There is also some more comedy fun for Vince Vaughan as he discovers he is father to hundreds of children in his latest flick, DELIVERY MAN.

The Dark Knight’s Aaron Eckhart plays a bad-ass Frankenstein in the fantasy-thriller I, FRANKENSTEIN while Mark Wahlberg is one of a group of American soldiers facing a desperate battle to survive rebel attacks in the true-life drama LONE SURVIVOR.

 

FEBRUARY

Prior to the arrival of the 2014 Oscars, there are still a few more contenders to see. Matthew McConaughey loses weight to produce his stunning portrayal of real-life AIDs sufferer Ron Woodroof in the drama DALLAS BUYERS CLUB and is supported by Best Supporting Actor favourite Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner.

Joaquin Phoenix finds love in the most unusual way in the form of an A.I system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) in Spike Jonze’s indie-dramedy HER.

Ralph Fiennes portrays an unfaithful Charles Dickens in the romantic drama THE INVISIBLE WOMAN while Kate Winslet falls for escaped convict Josh Brolin in Jason Reitman’s LABOR DAY.

Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson play adoptive parents to a German girl with a fascination for books in the emotional World War II drama THE BOOK THIEF.

On the subject of war, George Clooney is back behind the camera as he, Matt Damon and many more unite as a group of museum experts who try to recover works of art stolen by the Nazis in the real-life war drama THE MONUMENTS MEN, a film that was originally set for release in December 2013.

Animation is popular in February as our favourite toy franchise finally makes it onto the big-screen in the form of THE LEGO MOVIE. The film is sure to be a huge hit with young audiences as Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman voice key characters.

Modern Family duo Ty Burrell and Alex Winter reunite as they contribute their vocals to MR PEABODY & SHERMAN while Tom Hiddleston lends his charming voice to the role of Captain Hook in the latest Tinkerbell installment, THE PIRATE FAIRY.

Hiddleston also features in the gothic British horror ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE which co-stars British actress Tilda Swinton.

We are unsure whether it will end up being dead or alive but the ROBOCOP remake has to be something really special in order to surpass the original. The Killing’s Joel Kinnerman takes on the new role of the robotic law enforcer with strong support coming from Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson.

Shia LaBeouf carries on his post-Transformers career with the first of a few dark roles in 2013 as he stars in THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN.

Game of Thrones star Kit ‘Jon Snow’ Harrington continues his fascination with swords as he plays a slave turned gladiator in the Roman-epic POMPEII.

The month ends with Colin Farrell finding himself in different time worlds in the romantic fantasy WINTER’S TALE which co-stars Downton Abbey’s Jessica Brown Findlay and A Beautiful Mind duo Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connolly.

 

MARCH

My birthday month begins with Rodrigo reprising his role as the villainous Xerxes alongside Eva Green in the action-war prequel 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE.

Ralph Fiennes leads an all-star cast which consists of Adrian Brody, Jude Law, Bill Murray and more in Wes Anderson’s hotel-based comedy GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL.

Nicole Kidman portrays the real-life Hollywood beauty Grace Kelly as she tackle the French government in the biopic drama GRACE OF MONACO.

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Shia LaBeouf are amongst those divulging in explicit sex scenes in controversial director Lars Von Trier’s erotic drama NYMPHOMANIAC.

Also taking a dark path is Scarlett Johansson as she plays an alien in a human body in the indie-thriller UNDER THE SKIN.

Aaron ‘Jesse Pinkman’ Paul is the mechanic seeking revenge on his former partner in the big-screen outing of the hit car racing game, NEED FOR SPEED. Yeah bitch!

Marvel make a quick return to our screens as Captain America tackles new foes in the comic-book sequel CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson reprise their roles with veteran Robert Redford making his debut in the post-Avengers series.

The Muppets are also back as Kermit, Miss Piggy and friends find themselves caught up in a criminal plot in their new film, MUPPETS MOST WANTED. Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey are amongst those tagging along for the ride.

A Beautiful Mind pair Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connolly reunite again (for the second time this year) in the biblical epic NOAH, Darren Aronofsky’s new take on the story of Noah’s Ark.

Finally The Artist actress Berenice Bejo is torn between two men in the French drama THE PAST.

 

APRIL

Andrew Garfield swings back into action as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the superhero sequel THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2. The plot sees our webbed protagonist battle it out with a trio of villains including Electro and Rhino. Emma Stone and Sally Field are also back with Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti and Dane DeHaan amongst the high-profile newcomers to the cast.

DIVERGENT is the latest teenage novel to be turned into a film as Shailene Woodley and British actress Kate Winslet star in the sci-fi adventure.

Jesse Eisenberg has two personalities in the dark comedy THE DOUBLE which also features Mia Wasikowska and Chris O’Dowd. Eisenberg also reprises his voice role as Blu alongside Anne Hathaway and Jamie Foxx in the animated sequel RIO 2.

Johnny Depp plays a scientist who is revived through an Artificial Intelligence system in the sci-fi thriller TRANSCENDENCE (directed by cinematographer Wally Pfister) with support coming from Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy.

Arnold Schwarzengger continues his explosive return to film as he and his team of experts are hunted down one-by-one in the action thriller SABOTAGE.

Finally, Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann pair up to exact revenge on a man in the rom-com THE OTHER WOMAN.

 

MAY

The summer blockbusters begin to unravel as Godzilla makes a big-screen comeback in Guy Edward’s monster hit GODZILLA. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan ‘Walter White’ Cranston are amongst the human characters battling the deadly beast.

X-Men, old (Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman) and new (James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence), team up to try and save the world in Bryan Singer’s comic-book flick X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.

There are some laughs in May as Seth Rogen and Rose Bryne are terrorised by neighbour Zac Efron in the frat comedy NEIGHBOURS while Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson (in her fourth film of the year) and Dustin Hoffman all feature in the delicious comedy CHEF.

Angelina Jolie portrays the classic Disney villainess Maleficent in the fantasy adventure MALEFICENT which also stars Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley and new Doctor Who actor Peter Capaldi.

Tom Cruise continues his fascination with the sci-fi genre as a soldier caught up in a time loop in EDGE OF TOMORROW.

The young audiences will also savour the big-screen outing of Britain’s favourite postman as Postman Pat makes his cinematic debut in POSTMAN PAT: THE MOVIE. Green Wing’s Stephen Mangan voices the letter-delivering hero with support coming from David Tennant, Rupert Grint and Jim Broadbent.

Britain’s Got Talent winner Pudsey also has his own film entitled PUDSEY: THE MOVIE with David Walliams voicing the canine character.

 

JUNE

Into June, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill return as student cops Jenko and Schmidt in the comic-caper sequel 22 JUMP STREET.

Shailene Woodley plays a cancer victim embarking on a happy relationship in the romantic drama THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.

Brendan O’Carroll will be hoping that the film adaption of his hit sitcom MRS BROWN’S BOYS becomes a fecking hit while Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane follows up from Ted with his Western-based comedy A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST which co-stars Charlize Theron and Amanda Seyfried.

Finally, horror rears its ugly head again with another sequel in the form of THE PURGE 2.

 

JULY

The intensity of the summer sees Michael Bay starts afresh with his Transformers franchise as Mark Wahlberg leads a new-look cast in the fourth installment of the robotic phenomenon TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION.

Hiccup and Toothless take flight again in Dreamwork’s animated sequel HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2.

Also returning to our screens is the rebellious ape Caeser (Andy Serkis) as he and his primate companions confront the human race in the pre-Planet of the Apes blockbuster DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.

Despite the tragic death of actor Paul Walker, the Fast and Furious team march on with the seventh installment of their car-franchise, FAST AND FURIOUS 7.

Finally, robotic hunter Channing Tatum arrives on Earth to protect human descendent Mila Kunis in the Wachowski sibling’s latest fantasy flick, JUPITER ASCENDING.

 

AUGUST

Phase 2 of the Marvel universe continues to expand with Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper amongst the big names lending their voices to the heroic protagonists in the sci-fi blockbuster GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson takes on the role of Greek god Hercules in Brett Ratner’s big-screen adaptation of HERCULES.

The benders are also back in town as Will, Jay, Simon and Neil head down under for another clungefest in the British comedy-sequel THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE 2.

The bad-ass Expendables crew have added more names to their rank as Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson and Antonio Banderas join the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the action-blockbuster sequel THE EXPENDABLES 3.

The origins of Sin City are covered in Robert Rodriguez’s comic-book prequel SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR. Original stars like Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and Rosario Dawson are accompanied by newcomers Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green and bizarrely, Lady Gaga.

The summer blockbusters end with the much-troubled western JANE GOT A GUN. Despite losing its director and three talented male actor, the film stars Natalie Portman as a woman battling to protect her outlaw husband from a gang.

 

SEPTEMBER

Autum sees Denzil Washington offering to protect Chloe Grace Moretz in the big-screen adaption of the popular television series THE EQUALIZER.

Jason Segal and Cameron Diaz desperately search for their sex tape in the rom-com SEX TAPE while Tina Fey, Rose Byrne and Jane Fonda all star as squabbling members of a Jewish family who are forced to spend a week together in THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU.

Milla Jovovich battles zombies for the SIXTH time in the latest horror sequel RESIDENT EVIL 6 while Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd are back for the follow-up to 2011’s surprise family hit, DOLPHIN TALE 2.

 

OCTOBER

October sees Michael Bay and Megan Fox reunite for the latest big-screen outing for the TMNT in the 3-D action-adventure TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.

Pineapple Express duo James Franco and Seth Rogen are also back on screen together as the talk show host and producer caught up in an assassination plot in the comedy THE INTERVIEW.

Detective Ben Affleck investigates the disappearance of Rosamund Pike in David Fincher’s new crime-thriller GONE GIRL while Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf (another busybody) lead a platoon of soldiers embarking on a brave mission in the WWII drama FURY.

British actor Luke Evans portrays a young Dracula alongside Dominic Cooper and Les Miserables’ star Samantha Barks in the horror prequel DRACULA UNTOLD while more scares come from the fifth installment of the eerie franchise, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 5.

 

NOVEMBER

With the year almost ending, Matthew McConaughey continues his remarkable comeback as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars with his lead role in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi adventure INTERSTELLAR. The film focuses on a group of explorers who travel through space and conquer vast distances via an interstellar voyage. Lovely ladies Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway lend their valuable support to McConaughey alongside Michael Caine, John Lithgow and Matt Damon.

Pre-Christmas laughs can be expected for the kids with the unnecessary third installment of the British festive comedy NATIVITY 3: DUDE, WHERE’S MY DONKEY? while Paddington Bear makes his big-screen debut in the animated adventure PADDINGTON. Colin Firth voices the beloved bear with vocal contributions also coming from Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent and Sally Hawkins.

Meanwhile, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis are back to suffer more abuse from employers Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey in the comedy sequel HORRIBLE BOSSES 2.

The month ends with the first part of the concluding edition of the Hunger Games franchise as Everdeen Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) begin the rebellion against the Capitol in the fantasy adventure THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART I.

 

DECEMBER

The final month of 2014 begins with a fond (yet relieved) farewell to Middle-Earth as Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarfs finish their adventures prior to the Lord of the Rings story in the concluding film of the fantasy franchise THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN.

The story of Moses is brought to the big-screen again in Ridley Scott’s biblical epic EXODUS as Christian Bale, Aaron Paul (yeah bitch!) and Ben Kingsley all star in significant roles.

Angelina Jolie returns to directing duties with her real-life drama UNBROKEN which stars rising British actor Jack O’Connell (This is England) as an Olympian who was captured by the Japanese during WWII.

Twenty years after their original big-screen outing, the dumb but lovable duo Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) are back for the long-awaited comedy sequel DUMB AND DUMBER TO.

Another humorous tale also rumbles on with Ben Stiller returning as security guard Larry whose museum woes continue in NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 3.

Finally, the sun will hopefully come out for the ANNIE remake as Oscar-nominated youngster Quvenzhane Wallis plays the iconic youngster alongside Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz in the new-look adaptation of the beloved family musical.