Top March Movies Not To Be Missed

by Helen Earnshaw | 1 March 2016

The winter is almost behind us and the spring movie season is here... and it looks set to be an exciting time if you are a cinema fan.

Hail, Caesar!

March is set to be an exciting month with an eclectic range of movies set to hit the big screen, from comedy to horror to animation and big budget blockbusters.

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

- Hail, Caesar! - released 4th March

March marks the return of Joel and Ethan Coen as they return to the director's chair and the comedy genre with new film Hail, Caesar! This is the first feature for the siblings since Inside Llewyn Davis and it is great to have them back.

As well as being in the director's chair, the duo has also penned the film's screenplay. As you can imagine, actors have flocked to work with the filmmakers as Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Channing Tatum, and Jonah Hill make up one of the best ensemble cast lists of 2016.

Set in the 1950s, Brolin takes on the central role of Eddie Manix, a Hollywood fixer who is tasked with keeping the studio's biggest stars in line. His job is made even more difficult when actor Baird Whitlock - played by Clooney - is kidnapped.

Hail, Caesar! has already been winning over critics and audiences on the festival circuit and looks set to see Joel and Ethan Coen back at their comedic best.

We have already been treated to some great ensemble movies so far this year, but Hail, Caesar brings together a cast list that you really cannot afford to miss. The movie looks like it is going to be a lot of fun.

- The Other Side of the Door - released 4th March

If you love the horror genre then there are a couple of films that you cannot miss this March... starting with The Other Side of the Door.

The Other Side of the Door marks the return of Johannes Roberts to the director's chair for his first feature since Storage 24. He is no stranger to the horror genre with Storage 24, Forest of the Damned, and F all under his belt in recent years.

The movie sees Johannes team up with Ernest Riera to pen the screenplay and work with actress Sarah Wayne Callies for the first time. Callies takes on the role of a grieving mother who is struggling to cope with the death of one of her children.

She is told of a ritual that will allow her to say a final goodbye to her son. She travels to an ancient temple and the door that acts as a portal between the world of the living and the dead. She is told never to open the door... but when she goes against this one rule, her world is turned upside down.

Roberts is calling The Other Side of the Door the horror movie that he has always wanted to make and I cannot wait to see what he delivers this time around. It really is promising to be a tense and jumpy ride.

- Kung Fu Panda 3 - released 11th March

Hard to believe, but it was back in 2008 when we were introduced to the character of Po and the Kung Fu Panda franchise for the first time. Eight years on, and the third film in the hugely popular and successful series

The movie sees Jennifer Yuh - who directed the second film - back at the helm as she teams up with Alessandro Carloni this time around. Jack Black is back as Po while Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, and Lucy Lui are all also back.

There are some new characters to watch out for as Bryan Cranston, J.K. Simmons, and Kate Hudson bring Li, Kai, and Mei Mei to life.

When Po's long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible - learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas!

The first two Kung Fu Panda movies have already grossed over $1 billion at the global box office and this third instalment could be the most successful to date. 2016 is set to be another great year for the animation genre and Kung Fu Panda 3 is one of the first films that's not to be missed.

- The Witch - released 11th March

When it comes to new horror films, there is no film in this genre that has been talked about more than The Witch, which has been thrilling and terrifying audiences since last year.

The Witch grabbed everyone's attention on the festival circuit in 2015 and now there are just a couple of weeks to go until the film hits the big screen here in the UK. I am not the biggest horror film fan but, I have to admit, The Witch is one of the movies that I really cannot wait to see.

The Witch marks the feature film directorial debut for Robert Eggers, who makes the leap from short film projects for the first time. As well as being in the director's chair, Eggers has also penned the film's screenplay.

The Witch follows a Christian family in 1930s New England, who struggle to survive on the edge of the wilderness in a remote cabin. The family was kicked out of a plantation due to William's outspoken views on the lack of religious principles in the settlement.

When one of their five children goes missing and their plants fail, paranoia sets in and the family begins turning on one another. The deterioration of the family unit allows evil to creep in and start to destroy them.

The Witch is already being tipped as one of the best horror movies of the year and is a movie that you cannot afford to miss if you are a fan of this genre.

- 10 Cloverfield Lane - released 18th March

It did come as a bit of a surprise when a poster dropped for 10 Cloverfield Lane earlier this year, as it was a film project that no one knew anything about.

It was back in 2008 when Cloverfield hit the big screen and there has been talk of a sequel ever since. However, 10 Cloverfield Lane is being described as a 'blood relative' of the original rather than a sequel. Dan Trachtenberg is set to make his feature film directorial debut and J.J. Abrams is on board as producer.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is set to take on the central role of Michelle and is joined on the cast list by John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr.

After surviving a car accident, a young woman wakes up to find herself in an underground cellar with no memory of how she got there. Uncertain of the man who claims to have saved her, she is told that the Earth's surface has been left uninhabitable after a chemical attack.

Despite the possible dangers, she decides that she must try and escape... even though she does not know what lies in what for her outside.

From the footage that I have seen so far of 10 Cloverfield Lane, it really does look like it is going to be a tense and rather claustrophobic affair. There is already talk of a third film.

- Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice - released 25th March

If one genre is going to rule at the box office this year, it is the comic book film. Deadpool is already performing well and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the next big film not to miss.

Dawn of Justice is the first time that we have seen Superman on the big screen since Man of Steel and the movie will introduce us to Ben Affleck's version of Bruce Wayne. There has been controversy about Affleck's casting in the role, but I can't wait to see his interpretation of an older Batman.

The movie sees Zack Snyder in the director's chair while Henry Cavill, Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, and Amy Adams make up a fantastic cast list.

Fearing the actions of a god-like superhero left unchecked, Gotham City's own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis's most revered, modern-day saviour, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs.

Dawn of Justice is one of the most anticipated comic book films of the year and could be one of the biggest at the box office. Could it be the first film to gross over $1 billion? I guess we are going to have to wait and see.