Now that the awards season is over for 2015, we are going to see more and more blockbuster movies hit the big screen as we rev up to the big summer season of movies.

Chappie

Chappie

March is going to be another terrific month on the big screen as we see science fiction, drama, action, and animation projects all hit the big screen - there really is something for everyone.

We take a look at some of the movies that you really cannot miss over the next four weeks.

- Chappie - released 6th March

I was a huge fan of director Neill Blomkamp's first two movies District 9 and Elysium and I have been looking forward to the release of Chappie for quite some time.

Chappie sees the filmmaker return to the sci-fi genre as he reunites with Terri Tatchell to pen the screenplay for the movie - which promises to be an action packed ride that explores some interesting themes and ideas.

The movie also brings together a great cast as Hugh Jackman, Dev Patel, and Sigourney Weaver are set to star, while Sharlto Copley brings the title character to life. It will be the third collaboration between Blomkamp and Copley, after the pair worked together on District 9 and Elysium.

Every child comes into the world full of promise and none more so than Chappie: he is gifted, special, a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings - some good, some bad - and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man.

But there's one thing that makes Chappie different from anyone else: he is a robot. The first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. His life, his story, will change the way the world looks at robots and humans forever.

2015 is set to be another terrific year if you are a sci-fi film fan and Chappie is one of the films in this genre that I cannot wait to see.

Chappie

- Still Alice - released 6th March

While the awards season is over, Still Alice is the last of the 'awards movies' to hit the big screen here in the UK, as Julianne Moore makes a triumphant return.

This is the first film for Moore since The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 as she teams up with directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland for the first time.

The movie is based on the novel by Lisa Genova and sees Moore take on the role of a linguistics professor who is given the devastating news that she has early onset Alzheimer's Disease.

Moore's performance won rave reviews from just about everyone and she went on to scoop the Best Actress gong at the Baftas, Golden Globes, SAGs and the Oscars - it was her first Oscar win.

A terrific cast has been assembled for Still Alice, as Moore is joined by Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, and Shane McRae.

Still Alice

- Run All Night - released 13th March

Liam Neeson has become a major action star in recent years, and he returns to the genre this March with new film Run All Night.

Run All Night sees Neeson reunite with director Jaume Collet-Serra for their third film project together - they have already worked on Unknown and Non-Stop in recent years.

The director has brought together a terrific cast, as Neeson is joined by Joel Kinnaman, Ed Harris, Vincent D'Onofrio, Common, Boyd Holbrook, and Genesis Rodriguez. It really does look like it is going to be high-octane fun.

Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon (Neeson), once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Longtime best friend of mob boss Shawn Maguire (Harris), Jimmy, now 55, is haunted by the sins of his past - as well as a dogged police detective (D'Onofrio) who's been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. Lately, it seems Jimmy's only solace can be found at the bottom of a whiskey glass.

But when Jimmy's estranged son, Mike (Kinnaman), becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. With Mike on the run, Jimmy's only penance for his past mistakes may be to keep his son from the same fate Jimmy is certain he'll face himself... at the wrong end of a gun. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy just has one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.

We have already seen Neeson star in Taken 3 this year, but Run All Night looks set to be another action hit for the popular actor.

Run All Night

- Insurgent - released 19th March

It was twelve months ago when we saw Shailene Woodley take on the role of young adult fiction heroine Tris Prior for the first time in Divergent... and now the sequel is set to hit the big screen this month.

Insurgent is the second book in the Divergent trilogy to be adapted into a movie, but it is Robert Schwentke who is in the director's chair this time around. Schwentke has been behind movies such as RED and Flightplan, but this is his first film since the rather awful R.I.P.D.

Woodley is back as Prior, while Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Kate Winslet, Jai Courtney, Zoe Kravitz, and Maggie Q are also reprising the roles of Four, Peter, Caleb, Jeanine, Eric, Christina, and Tori.

However, there are a couple of big new names to watch out for as Naomi Watts and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer are on board as Evelyn and Johanna.

Insurgent raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite.

Racing against time, they must find out what Tris's family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.

Divergent was not the most successful young adult novel adaptation we have seen in recent years, but it will be interesting to see Schwentke put his stamp on the story.

Insurgent

- The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya - released 20th March

It is always exciting when a Studio Ghibli movie is on the horizon and this month sees The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya hit the big screen.

The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya has already been nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar - losing out to Big Hero 6 - and sees iconic animation director Isao Takahata back in the director's chair.

Takahata has been behind Studio Ghibli movies such as Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, and Pom Poko, but this is his first film with the studio since My Neighbours the Yamadas back in 1999.

The movie follows Princess Kaguya, who is found inside a stalk of bamboo by a bamboo cutter and his wife. The tiny girl grows into a beautiful princess and enthrals all who encounter her. However, she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.

Chloe Grace Moretz will voice the title character, while James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Lucy Lui, Beau Bridges, James Marsden, and Olivier Platt have all lent their voices to the new film

Studio Ghibli has been behind movies such as The Wind Rises, From Up On Poppy Hill and Arietty in recent years, and The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya promises to be another animation treat - you will not see another movie like this in this genre all year.

The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya

- The Gunman - released 20th March

Sean Penn is turning his hand to the action role this movie as he returns to a major leading role with The Gunman. We have seen Penn in supporting roles in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Gangster Squad, but this will be his first leading role since This Must Be The Place back in 2012.

The Gunman is an adaptation of the novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette and sees Penn team up with filmmaker Pierre Morel for the first time. Morel is no stranger to the action genre with Taken and From Paris with Love already under his belt.

This is not the kind of role that we are use to seen Pen tackle and I personally cannot wait to see him transform into a bit of an action hero. Penn leads an all-star cast as is joined by Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, Javier Bardem, Mark Rylance, and Jasmine Trinca.

Penn stars as a former Special Forces soldier and military contractor suffering from PTSD. He tries to reconnect with his long time love, but first must go on the run from London to Barcelona and across Europe in order to clear his name.

I have been a huge fan of Penn for many years and he has turned in a whole host of terrific performances during his illustrious career - Mystic River & Milk both gave him a Best Actor Oscar. But it is always great to see an action throw themselves into something new... is he going to follow in the footsteps of Liam Neeson and become a more mature action hero?

The Gunman

- Cinderella - released 27th March.

We have already seen Alice In Wonderland and Maleficent - which are live action versions of popular animation movies - hit the big screen... and this month we are going to see Cinderella follow in their footsteps.

Cinderella is the latest Disney film to be given the live action treatment and will see Kenneth Branagh back in the director's chair for the first time since Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Chris Weitz is also aboard the project and has penned the screenplay.

Lily James is set to take on the title role in what is the biggest film of her career to date. She is joined by Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter - who are on board as Prince Charming, wicked stepmother and Fairy Godmother.

The cast is completed by Hayley Atwell, Stellan Skarsgard, Holliday Grainger, Nonso Anozie, and Derek Jacobi.

While Branagh wanted to put a more modern twist on Cinderella, the movie still follows a young woman who is treated as a servant by her stepmother and stepsisters, but wins the heart of a prince.

Maleficent was one of the biggest film hits of 2015, and I am looking forward to seeing Branagh put his stamp on this well-known story.

Cinderella

Other movies to watch out for include Hyena, Run All Night, Home, Mommy, and Suite Française.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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