Best of 2014: Film preview

Geoffrey MacNab picks this year’s must-see films

Ralph Fiennes in ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Grand Budapest Hotel

The latest feature from Wes Anderson sees Ralph Fiennes cast as the concierge at an upmarket European hotel. Expect extreme quirkiness and as many stars among the guests as featured in MGM’s Grand Hotel in the 1930s. 7 March

Mr Turner

The great British artist JMW Turner is played by Timothy Spall in Mike Leigh’s new biopic. This is Leigh’s first venture to the 19th Century and beyond (Turner was born in 1775) since his brilliant Topsy-Turvy. He reportedly had full access to Turner’s art work. TBC

Exodus

From American Gangster to the parting of the Red Sea... the versatile and prolific Ridley Scott will be trying to reinvigorate the biblical epic and trump Cecil B DeMille in the process. Christian Bale stars as Moses. 12 December

Stephen Frears’ Cycling Project

Riding high with Philomena, Stephen Frears is already well into the making of his latest feature, a drama about the notorious bad boy of cycling Lance Armstrong, based on journalist David Walsh’s excellent – and very waspish – book, Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong. TBC

Far From The Madding Crowd

Carey Mulligan steps into Julie Christie’s shoes in the new Thomas Hardy adaptation from Danish The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg. TBC

Black Sea

Kevin Macdonald’s Russian submarine yarn starring Jude Law promises to be an old-fashioned, muscular action movie. TBC

Jimmy’s Hall

There are whisperings this could be the last narrative feature from the venerable Ken Loach (now in his late 70s.) The new film, set in the early 1920s and telling the story of Irish communist leader Jimmy Gralton, is a good bet to surface in time for Cannes in May.

2014 Comedy preview

2014 Theatre preview

2014 Visual art preview

2014 Pop preview