1. The Wolf of Wall Street (17 January): Scorsese’s latest venture, the story of corrupt Wall Street broker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), has people talking. Between a bold trailer soundtracked by a thundering Kanye West and the controversy it has caused over its alleged glorification of the sordid lives of people on Wall Street (the word “fuck” is used an impressive 506 times), it doesn’t look as if the legendary director will be fading into obscurity any time soon. Overall, we are on tenterhooks waiting to find out whether this film is the hedonistic thrill ride we are all expecting or Scorsese’s desperate attempt to shock the Academy into giving him another Oscar nod. Eva Short

 

2. Her (14 February): Despite its release date, Spike Jonze’s Her is anything but your typical date movie. Set in a futuristic L.A, it charts the unconventional relationship between lonely personal letter writer Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) and his sentient operating system, “Samantha”(voiced by a sultry Scarlett Johansson) . Jonze is no stranger to weird love, having explored a very atypical romantic dynamic in Being John Malkovich, and the film’s concept of the near future looks intriguingly removed from the usual sci-fi tropes. Phoenix spends the film clad in unflattering high waisted slacks, while the Los Angeles of tomorrow was created by juxtaposing the modern city with Shanghai. With early US reviews promising a sophisticated contemporary parable and a score by Arcade Fire, it’s set to be a major contender this awards season.  Sarah Lennon Galavan

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel (7 March): Wes Anderson’s upcoming star-packed flick will open this year’s Berlin Film Festival. It tells the story of hotel concierge Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), who is bequeathed a priceless painting by a one-night-stand, Madame D (Tilda Swinton), after she is murdered. He and his friend, the young lobby boy Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori) decide to hide the painting from the authorities and Madame D’s enraged son Dmitri (Adrien Brody), but cannot help being drawn into zany, hilariously convoluted adventures. The film maintains many of Anderson’s conventions – his tried-and-tested recurring actors, the hotel setting and his colourful, highly aestheticised style to name a few. Anderson does toy with some new techniques however, such as using different aspect ratios for different time periods. The film will be officially released in March. Aisling Kelly

4. The Raid 2 :Berandal (March/April): Although its English title made The Raid impossible to differentiate from the middlebrow action movies that lumber onto screens, perform decently and are promptly forgotten, Gareth Evan’s 2011 film was genuinely different. Eschewing complicated plotting for breathtaking displays of the Indonesian martial art of pencak silat, the Welsh director’s Jakarta-set feature saw police officer Rama (Iko Uwais) and his S.W.A.T team battle their way through a tower block occupied by crime lord Tama (Ray Saphetapy). This time, Uwais, reprising his role as Rama, will be infiltrating a crime syndicate to protect his family. Part of a proposed trilogy, Evans has promised that that the second chapter will be more complex and make use of multiple locations. Set to premiere at Sundance, the sequel’s retention of the visuality of the original will be key to its success. Sarah Lennon Galavan

 

5. How to Catch a Monster (June): Ryan Gosling retreats behind the camera for How to Catch a Monster, directing from his own script. Billed as a fantasy neo-noir thriller, the plot sees a single mother (Christina Hendricks) become entangled in a dark underworld as her adolescent son (Iain de Caestecker) discovers an underwater metropolis.  Alongside on/off girlfriend Eva Mendes and the ubiquitous Saoirse Ronan, Gosling brings in recently retired Doctor Matt Smith and 60s Italian horror siren Barbara Steele as supporting cast. Gosling has made a career out of walking the line between indie and mainstream, fostering an aura of offbeat intelligence; he’ll be under pressure to live up to it here. It’s a lot to expect from a first time writer/director and the surprising choice of genre is a bit of risk, although Gosling’s name alone will probably ensure a healthy box office. For better or worse, this is one to watch come June. Sarah Lennon Galavan