November 7: Interstellar
What it is: Christopher Nolan's latest ambitious blockbuster is set in a world ravaged by climate change, with an astronaut (Matthew McConaughey) who leads a team on a journey to the far edges of outer space.
Why you should care: Nolan has his detractors, but there are few modern directors with enough clout to make a studio invest hundreds of millions into a totally original story — and early reviews of Interstellar have been largely positive (and occasionally rapturous). 2012's Inception was a brainy, well-acted sci-fi thriller with some genuinely jaw-dropping effects sequences, and Interstellar is aiming for a similar target. Throw in a cast that includes everyone from Jessica Chastain to John Lithgow (alongside Dark Knight veterans Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine), and you've got the most intriguing sci-fi movie to hit theaters in 2014.
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What else is coming out: Big Hero 6, an animated Marvel comics adaptation that's a cross-pollinated blend of The Incredibles and Iron Man; The Theory of Everything, an Oscar-courting biopic tracing the lives of Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Jane (Felicity Jones).
November 14: Foxcatcher
What it is: The bizarre true story of the relationship between a schizophrenic multimillionaire (Steve Carell) and a pair of wrestlers he mentored (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo), with tragic consequences for all involved.
Why you should care: Foxcatcher is a longtime passion project for Moneyball director Bennett Miller, who has been developing the film for nearly a decade. Fortunately, his stars shared his dedication; Tatum had called his role "the hardest acting challenge I've had to date," and Carell is ferociously committed to nailing his against-type role, which required an extensive physical transformation. The results speak for themselves.
What else is coming out: Beyond the Lights, a drama about a talented young singer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who falls for a young police officer (Nate Parker); Dumber and Dumber To, a long-awaited sequel to the 1994 slapstick classic; Rosewater, a Jon Stewart-directed biopic of journalist Maziar Bahari (Gael Garcia Bernal), who was detained in Iran in 2009.
November 21: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1
What it is: The penultimate installment in the Hunger Games franchise follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she reluctantly steps forward as a key leader in the resistance against a despotic government.
Why you should care: At a time when pretty much every major Hollywood franchise is built around a superhero, The Hunger Games stands out for its dystopian setting and its relatively grounded female protagonist. Lawrence is reliably terrific in the lead role, presiding over a cast that's absolutely loaded with top-notch actors, including Woody Harrelson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, and Donald Sutherland.
What else is coming out: The Imitation Game, a biopic of famed computer pioneer Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his efforts to crack the Nazi's Enigma code; VHS: Viral, a third entry in the uneven found-footage horror anthology series; Extraterrestrial, a dismal horror flick about an alien attack at a remote cabin.
November 28: The Babadook
What it is: An Australian chiller about a woman, reeling from the death of her husband, who comes to believe that a sinister monster is stalking what's left of her fractured family.
Why you should care: Hollywood really dropped the ball on horror movies this October — but The Babadook, while late to the party, looks to pack in all the original terror genre fans have been craving. Following a buzzed-about premiere at Sundance earlier this year, the film has been widely regarded as a major debut for writer/director Jennifer Kent, and the best role of star Essie Davis' decades-long career. It's been a while since a truly effective horror movie hit theaters, but The Babadook has all the makings of a breakout hit.
What else is coming out: Horrible Bosses 2, a quickie sequel to 2011's raunchy surprise hit comedy; The Penguins of Madagascar, a spin-off to a so-so children's franchise that has already overstayed its welcome.
