Must See March Movies

by Helen Earnshaw | 1 March 2014

300: Rise of an Empire

March 2014 is set to be an exciting one for all film fans as there is a wide range of movies hitting the big screen over the next few weeks.

We have big budget blockbusters, to hard-hitting documentaries, Brit drama, and comedy.

Therefore, we take a look at some of the movies that you cannot miss.

- 300: Rise Of An Empire - released 7th March

300: Rise of an Empire is set to be the most spectacular looking movie of the month as another of Frank Miller's novels is adapted for the big screen.

This new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield - on the sea - as Greek general Themistokles attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war.

300: Rise of an Empire pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes, and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.

Lena Headey is back as Queen Gorgo, while Rodrigo Santoro and David Wenham are also back as Xerxes and Dilios.

You should also watch out for Eva Green, Sullivan Stapleton and Jack O'Connell as they are set to play new characters Artemisia, Themistocles and Calisto.

300: Rise of an Empire looks set to be an action packed movie and worthy sequel to the highly entertaining 300.

- The Grand Budapest Hotel - released 7th March

If you are looking for a film that is a little less orthodox this March, then look no further than The Grand Budapest Hotel, as Wes Anderson is back.

Anderson has made some terrific films over the years, including Moonrise Kingdom, The Darjeeling Limited and Bottle Rocket, and now he has brought another fantastic ensemble cast together.

Ralph Fiennes will take on the central role of Gustave H, and is joined by Adrien Brody, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, Billy Murray and Edward Norton.

The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.

The Grand Budapest Hotel has been lighting up the festival circuit, and is set to be one of the most unique films of the year.

- Under The Skin - released 14th March

If unique is what you are looking for in your movies, then Under The Skin is definitely the film for you.

The movie sees Jonathan Glazer back in the director's chair, while Scarlett Johansson takes on her most interesting film role to date.

She is set to play Laura; an alien seductress preys upon hitchhikers in Scotland.

Glazer has delivered movies like Sexy Beast and Birth during his directing career: this is his first feature film since Birth back in 2004.

Under The Skin is the big screen adaptation of the Michel Faber novel of the same name, and is set to be one of the most original sci-fi films that we see this year.

- Labor Day - released 21st March

It has been a while since we have seen Kate Winslet on the big screen, but this month she is back with Labor Day.

Labor Day is an adaptation of the book by Joyce Maynard and sees Winslet team up with director Jason Reitman for the first time.

Reitman has also penned the screenplay, and this is his first film since Young Adult. He has also brought us movies like Juno and In The Air during his career.

A great cast has been assembled for the film, as Winslet stars alongside Josh Brolin, Tobey Maguire, Clark Gregg, and Gattlin Griffith.

Labor Day centres on 13-year-old Henry Wheeler (Griffith / Maguire), who struggles to be the man of his house and care for his reclusive mother Adele (Winslet) while confronting all the pangs of adolescence.

On a back-to-school shopping trip, Henry and his mother encounter Frank Chambers (Brolin), a man both intimidating and clearly in need of help, who convinces them to take him into their home and later is revealed to be an escaped convict.

The events of this long Labor Day weekend will shape them for the rest of their lives.

- A Long Way Down - released 21st March

There are plenty of books being adapted for the big screen this March, and A Long Way Down is just one of them.

A Long Way Down is the latest of Nick Hornby's books to get the big screen treatment, as Pascal Chaumeil returns to the director's chair.

The cast is one to get very excited about as Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Sam Neill and Rosamund Pike are all on board.

Four lost souls - a disgraced TV presenter, a foul-mouthed teen, an isolated single mother, and a solipsistic muso - decide to end their lives on the same night, New Year’s Eve.

When they all meet on top of the same building, they all agree to call off their plans for the next six weeks.

Together they form a dysfunctional family as they try to pull each other back from the brink.

- Starred Up - released 21st March

Jack O'Connell is a name to watch out for over the next twelve months as he has some exciting project on the horizon... Starred Up is just one of them.

Starred Up looks set to be one of the British dramas of 2014, with David Mackenzie in the director's chair: this is his first film since You Instead.

O'Connell is set to lead a cast that includes Rupert Friend, Ben Mendelsohn and Sam Spruell.

Eric Love is a violent and troubled teenager making the difficult transition from a young offenders’ institute to adult prison.

He seems to be destined for a life behind bars, but the prison’s unconventional therapist (Friend) is determined to help Eric find a way through, assisted by of one of the prison’s longest serving inmates - Neville (Mendelsohn) - who just happens to be Eric’s father.

Starred Up is a movie that has already played well on the festival circuit, and O'Connell is getting a lot of attention.

- Captain America: The Winter Soldier - released 26th March

The March movie that I am really looking forward to comes in the form of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

This is the second stand-alone film for this character, and sees Chris Evans reprise the title role. The movie is set after events of Avengers Assemble, and sees Steve Rodgers trying to adjust to his new life.

Scarlett Johansson is back as Black Widow, while Samuel L. Jackson is reprising the role of Nick Fury. However, there are some new faces to watch out for as Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford and Frank Grillo are all on board.

After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier finds Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world.

But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk.

The Winter Soldier is the first of two Marvel films this year, and is set to be a major box office smash.