North/South Film: This Week in Trailers: Captain America, Anchorman 2, Grand Budapest Hotel, Foxcatcher, The Hobbit, Jack Ryan, American Hustle, Monuments Men, I, Frankenstein, Need for Speed, and much more

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Dir. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo )

I really liked the first Captain America and this new trailer for the sequel has gotten me even more intrigued for the follow-up. It really looks like no other Marvel/superhero movie before - and that is a good thing.

Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford and Samuel L. Jackson

Release Date: April 4, 2014

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Dir. Adam McKay)

Cast: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell, David Koechner, Harrison Ford, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kristen Wiig, Liam Neeson, Kirsten Dunst, Tina Fey, Nicole Kidman, Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Amy Poehler, Christina Applegate, John C. Reilly, Kanye West, and whole lot more awesome people

Release Date: December 20

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Dir. Wes Anderson)

Well that is about as Wes Anderson-y as you can get (which is a good thing). The film, of course, looks delightful – and I know both Dan and I (especially Dan) are really looking forward to this one early next year.

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, Owen Wilson, Léa Seydoux, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Scwartzman, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Wilkinson, Harvey Keitel, Mathieu Amalric, Bob Balaban, and Bill Murray

Release Date: March 7, 2014

Foxcatcher (Dir. Bennett Miller)

It’s a shame that just a few days after this trailer first came out, the studio announced it was pushing the film back to 2014 to the give the director a bit more time to tinker with it. Having loved Miller’s Capote and Moneyball, plus the great cast, this film was highly ranked on my Most Anticipated List for 2013, and now, it high atop the same list for 2014. The intense teaser trailer just blew me away and really amped up interest tenfold.

Cast: Steve Carrell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Anthony Michael Hall, and Vanessa Redgrave

Release Date: 2014, probably late in year for awards consideration

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Dir. Peter Jackson)

The second of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films. The first one underwhelmed most (me included), but the second looks a bit more fun and action-packed. Still don’t see the point of splitting the story and making three films (oh wait, yeah I do… money)

Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Billy Connelly, Stephen Fry, Richard Armitage, and Benedict Cumberbatch

Release Date: December 13

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Dir. Kenneth Branagh)

A reboot of the recently deceased author Tom Clancy’s most famous character – Jack Ryan (previously played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck). It is clear that they are going for something akin to the James Bond reboot Casino Royale – which is a good start. The film looks pretty good, but we’ll see. Odds on Keira Knightley being killed? If not in this one, then definitely in the eventual (and hopeful) sequel.

Starring: Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, and Kevin Costner

Release Date: December 25

American Hustle (Dir. David O. Russell)

The second trailer for this film looks just terrific (as did the first). Definitely one of my most anticipated for the rest of the year. Russell and the cast appears to be doing Scorsese’s Casino meets P.T. Anderson’s Boogie Nights, which is never a bad thing. Based on a larger-than-life true story, I really can’t wait to see this movie.

Cast: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Michael Pena, Alessandro Nivola, Jack Huston, and Robert De Niro

Release Date: December 25

That Awkward Moment (Dir. Tom Gormican)

The movie has a lot going for it, most notably the core cast of three big male, 20-something stars (one huge star trying to change his Disney image and two up-and-comers who made big splashes in indies films this year). But besides all that, the film does look genuinely funny

Cast: Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Imogen Poots, and Jessica Lucas

Release Date: January 31, 2014

Check out more trailers, including I, Frankenstein, Non-Stop, Need for Speed, The Monuments Men, Dom Hemingway, Charlie Countryman, Rio 2, and much more after the jump:

I, Frankenstein (Dir. Stuart Beattie)

I have no idea what to think of this film. It has potential (I guess), but it looks pretty terrible. Van Helsing (which is awful) meets Constantine (which has problems, but underrated) and Underworld (which I didn’t really care for either – any of them). I like Aaron Eckhart, but this is not his kind of movie.

Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto, and Yvonne Strahovski

Release Date: January 24, 2014

Non-Stop (Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra)

Thanks to the success of Taken, Liam Neeson is making a killing late in his career as an action star. Who would have thought that 10 years ago? In his newest film, he plays an air marshall who must spring into action aboard an international flight. Well, we all know that that wasn't very smart of them.

Cast: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Lupita Nyong'o, and Scoot McNairy

Relese Date: February 28, 2014

Need for Speed (Dir. Scott Waugh)

Aaron Paul, beloved star of the TV’s Breaking Bad, needs to do something big after the hit show’s run ended this year (probably my favorite TV show of all-time). Unfortunately, this does not appear to be it. The movie looks terribly cheesy and a Fast & Furious rip-off in every since (yes, I realize it is based on video game older than those movies, but c’mon…). Paul deserves better, but I can’t blame him for a cash grab. It won’t stall his career, but he should stick to lower-key dramas rather than this nonsense.

Cast: Aaron Paul, Dakota Johnson, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, and Michael Keaton

Release Date: March 14, 2014

The Monuments Men (Dir. George Clooney)

The second trailer for George Clooney’s ensemble war/art thief film – and it looks even better than the first. Looks like an exciting and fun war romp and will likely be a major awards contender come Oscar time.

Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban, and Cate Blanchett

Release Date: December 18

Dom Hemingway (Dir. Richard Shepard)

Looks like a crazy British crime film, of which there are many. But it is nice to see Jude Law cut loose and go a little bit weird. Director Shepard’s The Matador was a good time, so hopefully this go-round will be too.

Cast: Jude Law, Emilia Clarke, Richard E. Grant, and Demian Bichir

Release Date: April 4, 2014

Charlie Countryman (Dir. Fredrik Bond)

This oddball rom-com/quirky thriller got mixed reviews coming out of Sundance earlier this year, but to me, it looks pretty crazy and entertaining (with a really great cast). I guess it all depends on where you stand on the Shia LeBeouf Love-Him-or-Hate-Him Scale.

Cast: Shia LeBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Rupert Grint, Melissa Leo, Mads Mikkelsen, Vincent D’Onofrio, Til Schweiger, and John Hurt

Release Date: November 15

Enemy (Dir. Denis Villeneuve)

Clearly, a very purposely misleading trailer for what is billed as a psychological thriller. Apparently, no thanks to the trailer, the film is about a man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie. The film marks the second of a back-to-back collaboration between Gyllenhaal and director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners).

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, and Isabella Rossellini

Release Date: TBD, early 2014 likely

The Invisible Woman (Dir. Ralph Fiennes)

The second directorial effort from all-star actor Ralph Fiennes (his first, Coriolanus, is underappreciated). Here Fiennes stars as Charles Dickens and chronicles the author’s torrid affair with a younger woman during the height of his fame and career.

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, and Kristen Scott Thomas

Release Date: December 25

Black Nativity (Dir. Kasi Lemmons)

Just in time for the holiday season comes this new musical film from actor/director Kasi Lemmons (whose feature debut, Eve’s Bayou, is terrific, but hasn’t done much in the director’s chair since). A tale of family and redemption set to a soulful Christmas soundtrack.

Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Forrest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Tyrese Gibson, Mar J. Blige, and Nas

Release Date: November 27

Sunlight Jr. (Dir. Laurie Collyer)

A Florida couple deals with an unexpected pregnancy while holding minimum wage jobs.

Cast: Naomi Watts, Matt Dillion, and Norman Reedus

Release Date: November 15

A Case of You (Dir. Kat Coiro)

Dreamy indie and manic pixie dream girl to a fault, the film follows a young writer who tries to impress a girl he meets online with an embellished profile, but he finds himself in a real mess when she falls for him and he has to keep up the act. But hey, a great cast and a bitchy, emo Peter Dinklage!

Cast: Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Brendan Fraser, Sam Rockwell, Vince Vaughn, Sienna Miller, Busy Phillips and Peter Dinklage

Release Date: TBD

Belle (Dir. Amma Asante)

Good things have already been said about this film about an illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle. Plus, it has a pretty decent cast.

Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Miranda Richardson, Tom Felton, and Matthew Goode

Release Date: May 2, 2014

Sal (Dir. James Franco)

James Franco's long-delayed film chronicles the final hours of the life of actor Sal Mineo, one-time teen idol and star of the blockbuster films Rebel Without a Cause and Exodus.

Cast: Val Lauren, Jim Parrack, and James Franco

Release Date: November 1

Rio 2 (Dir. Carlos Saldanha)

I never saw the first one, but this trailer looks a lot like it (and most animated comedies these days, outside of Pixar) – cute, enjoyable, musical, for the kids, and mostly unmemorable. But one thing is for sure, it’ll make a boatload of money.

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Andy Garcia, Kristin Chenoweth, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, and Jamie Foxx.

Release Date: April 11, 2014

Free Birds (Dir. Jimmy Hayward)

Looks cute enough, but nothing spectacular and pretty similar to the likely superior Chicken Run from a few years back.

Cast: Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Amy Poehler, Keith David, Dan Folger, Colm Meaney, and George Takei

Release Date: November 1

The Nut Job (Dir. Peter Lepeniotis)

Another animated film. Not much to say here that hasn’t been said with the previous two cartoon entries.

Cast: Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigel, Brendan Fraser, Stephen Lang, Maya Rudolph, Sarah Gadon, and Jeff Dunham

Release Date: January 17, 2014

CZ12 (Dir. Jackie Chan)

Jackie Chan wrote, directed, and stars in this new, stunt-filled action-comedy film (which is actually a sequel his 1991’s Operation Condor). The film does appears to have some of that old school action that made Chan so famous in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so maybe it will be fun.

Cast: Jackie Chan, Qi Shu, and Oliver Platt

Release Date: October 18

Hercules: The Legend Begins (Dir. Renny Harlin)

Hercules has all the sudden become a hot commodity again with director Brett Ratner’s big budget Hercules: The Thracian Wars, starring Dwayne Johnson, set to hit theaters next summer. But it looks like director Renny Harlin's modest budget epic gets there first. By the looks of the trailer though, no one will remember it come summertime, so Ratner and the Rock should have nothing to worry about.