Sunday, June 25, 2017
Top 10 Movies of 2014
Now that I've watched all of the movies I wanted to from 2014, I feel like I can do a top 10 list. After a weak 2013 where I was only able to come up with a top 8, we had more contenders in 2014. So here's the list:
10. The Lego Movie
I didn't really know what to expect going into this, but I knew so many people raved about it. While I didn't love it as much as some people, it was definitely very entertaining. The quality of the animation was really impressive. And they added a nice emotional touch with the scenes with Will Ferrell and his son.
9. Into the Woods
I wasn't really familiar with Stephen Sondheim's musical going in, but I enjoyed it. There are some good songs weaving the different characters together. The standouts for me were Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep. James Corden did a good job too, before he got his talk show.
8. St. Vincent
It's good to see Bill Murray still making good movies. He has great chemistry with the boy he begrudgingly takes care of. This movie has some weird parts (Naomi Watts I'm looking at you), but it is probably the funniest movie I saw from 2014.
7. Unbroken
I was really looking forward to seeing this real-life tale of Louis Zamperini. While it didn't have quite the emotional impact it should have, it was still well-made. The scenes on the life raft and then at the Japanese prison camp were pretty harrowing. It's definitely a story worth seeing.
6. Wild
Another very interesting real-life tale of survival of a different sort. Reese Witherspoon is really good in this. The filmmakers do a great job of making you feel like you are on this neverending hike with her. This movie shows that big things don't have to happen to make a movie interesting or meaningful.
5. Gone Girl
I had already read the book going in, so the big twist didn't surprise me. But it's still a well made movie by a very capable director (David Fincher). Rosamund Pike is perfect as Amy. And Tyler Perry is surprisingly good as Nick's lawyer.
4. Fury
It took a little while for me to get into this, but the second half is as harrowing a war movie as I've seen as a while. You get to the point where you get invested in the characters and see their increasing desperation. Brad Pitt as usual commands the screen when he's on camera.
3. Selma
Speaking of commanding the screen, David Oyelowo becomes Martin Luther King Jr. He has a great presence throughout and carries this movie. It does a great job of inhabiting a place and showing just what it was like for African-Americans in 1960s Alabama.
2. Boyhood
This is a very ambitious movie and a memorable one. Richard Linklater's idea of having the actors film this over more than a decade paid off. I really was invested in these characters, especially the boy, as he grew up. Ethan Hawke was tremendous in this and was much more than a one-note character.
1. Whiplash
Damien Chazelle's prelude to La La Land is quite impressive. The interplay between Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons is terrific. Simmons is so menacing that you gulp when you see him walk into the room. There are some great twists that I didn't see coming in the last 20 minutes. And I like the change of pace from the intensity with the quiet scenes between Teller and Melissa Benoist.
10. The Lego Movie
I didn't really know what to expect going into this, but I knew so many people raved about it. While I didn't love it as much as some people, it was definitely very entertaining. The quality of the animation was really impressive. And they added a nice emotional touch with the scenes with Will Ferrell and his son.
9. Into the Woods
I wasn't really familiar with Stephen Sondheim's musical going in, but I enjoyed it. There are some good songs weaving the different characters together. The standouts for me were Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep. James Corden did a good job too, before he got his talk show.
8. St. Vincent
It's good to see Bill Murray still making good movies. He has great chemistry with the boy he begrudgingly takes care of. This movie has some weird parts (Naomi Watts I'm looking at you), but it is probably the funniest movie I saw from 2014.
7. Unbroken
I was really looking forward to seeing this real-life tale of Louis Zamperini. While it didn't have quite the emotional impact it should have, it was still well-made. The scenes on the life raft and then at the Japanese prison camp were pretty harrowing. It's definitely a story worth seeing.
6. Wild
Another very interesting real-life tale of survival of a different sort. Reese Witherspoon is really good in this. The filmmakers do a great job of making you feel like you are on this neverending hike with her. This movie shows that big things don't have to happen to make a movie interesting or meaningful.
5. Gone Girl
I had already read the book going in, so the big twist didn't surprise me. But it's still a well made movie by a very capable director (David Fincher). Rosamund Pike is perfect as Amy. And Tyler Perry is surprisingly good as Nick's lawyer.
4. Fury
It took a little while for me to get into this, but the second half is as harrowing a war movie as I've seen as a while. You get to the point where you get invested in the characters and see their increasing desperation. Brad Pitt as usual commands the screen when he's on camera.
3. Selma
Speaking of commanding the screen, David Oyelowo becomes Martin Luther King Jr. He has a great presence throughout and carries this movie. It does a great job of inhabiting a place and showing just what it was like for African-Americans in 1960s Alabama.
2. Boyhood
This is a very ambitious movie and a memorable one. Richard Linklater's idea of having the actors film this over more than a decade paid off. I really was invested in these characters, especially the boy, as he grew up. Ethan Hawke was tremendous in this and was much more than a one-note character.
1. Whiplash
Damien Chazelle's prelude to La La Land is quite impressive. The interplay between Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons is terrific. Simmons is so menacing that you gulp when you see him walk into the room. There are some great twists that I didn't see coming in the last 20 minutes. And I like the change of pace from the intensity with the quiet scenes between Teller and Melissa Benoist.
