2014 movies - Top Ten and Below

If you read this blog regularly then you know I am an unashamed movie nut.  Every year for the last post of the year I pontificate on the best and worst from only the movies I went to see. My kids and I share a love of movies but that’s where it stops – my daughter likes the movies with a conscience – my son and I like seeing things blow up (see below).  I’ve also included what I considered to be the worst movies of the year, because that’s almost more fun.

Best Movies of the Year

Top Ten –

#1 - Guardians of the Galaxy – Clear winner this year because it was such a surprise.  A rare combination of action, comedy, warmth, plot, special effects, and probably the most kick ass sound track ever.  I saw this because I’m not going to miss a sci fi flick and was then mesmerized for the next two hours – a singular and totally enjoyable treat. 

#2 - Edge of Tomorrow – Any movie where Tom Cruise is killed literally hundreds of times is worth seeing but combine that with a great story and a seemingly impossible battle against an alien menace and you have a true winner.  Emily Blunt’s performance as a dangerous alien killer brings this to another level.

#3 - 22 Jump Street – the funniest movie I’ve seen in years because it pokes such unrelenting fun at itself and sequels in general.  Channing Tatum can do anything and his comedic timing with Jonah Hill is hilarious.  Throw in what has to be the funniest end credits in cinema history and you’ve got something very special.

#4 – Lucy – a big year for Ms. Johansson who is transformed into a superhuman when illegal drugs leak into her system which allows her full access to the powers of her own mind.  The end drifts a little but a tight action picture with mind bending special effects, not the least of which is the star herself.

#5 – Interstellar – The struggle for human survival told on an epic scale on an almost too big a stage moving backward and forward in time during a search for a new home world.  The sheer size of the story is brought under control through human interactions, most notably between a father and daughter.  It’s rare that a movie can meet lofty expectations – this did so, resoundingly.

#6 - John Wick – another movie that surprised me.  Keanu’s been fairly quiet over the last few years but he delivers in a taut, action packed revenge flick as a retired mob hit man bent on revenge against his former employers.  A lot of heart to go along with just desserts for murderers of a puppy.

#7 - The Drop – this movie came out of nowhere for me.  I went to see it in tribute to James Gandolfini in one of his last roles but Tom Hardy (another actor with a very good year) steals the movie from the rest of a solid cast.  A simple plot set in a Brooklyn dive belies the hidden and pervasive danger lurking just below the surface which culminates in a great reveal near the end. 

#8 - The Hobbit:  Battle of Five Armies – The epic journey which began with the immense battle scene from The Last Alliance that started the Lord of the Rings concludes with another one as Peter Jackson finally bids farewell to Middle Earth.  The Hobbit never stood a chance of living up to The Lord of the Rings but still had the lovable characters and amazing special effects (taken to a whole new level) that marked Jackson’s first trilogy.

#9 – Birdman – Michael Keaton playing an aging movie star famous for portraying a superhero (hmmmm?) trying to resurrect his career on Broadway surrounded by sycophants and miserable critics, oh and he may be losing his mind at the same time.  A searing black comedic look at the shallowness of actors told with a lot of verve.  Some great camera work as the audience follows Keaton as he careens around his disastrous play and culminates with probably my favorite ending scene of the year.

#10 – Fury – Special effects have finally caught up to World War 2 action as Brad Pitt expertly captures the brotherhood of war forged by combat in a tank crew facing impossible odds against the Germans in the waning days of the war.  Pitt is outstanding as the tank commander desperately holding onto his humanity as an insane war rages for his soul. 

Honorable Mention: 

As with every year it was tough to make the last few cuts and I always include those that almost made the top ten, in no particular order:

Gone Girl – Affleck married to the wife from hell in a strong murder suspense film that creates some serious shading of good and evil (except for the wife that is).  Rosamund Pike is definitely the villain of the year. 

3 Days to Kill – strong year for Kevin Costner.  He plays a CIA assassin facing terminal cancer in this Luc Besson vehicle.  Costner tries to establish a relationship with his teenaged daughter while wreaking havoc on Besson’s beloved Paris.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Best of the new Apes movie with Andy Serkis’ motion capture portrayal of Caesar almost scarily realistic.  Remnants of humans in post-Apocalyptic San Francisco do battle against sentient apes.  Jason Clarke is superb as the leader of the humans while Gary Oldman plays Gary Oldman – never a bad thing.

Boyhood – Groundbreaking movie shot with the same actors over twelve years as we watch a boy grow to manhood.  The plot is mundane but the arc is incredible to watch.

Draft Day – Costner again in a movie that shouldn’t have worked as well as it did but he’s always at his best in sports related movies.  He plays the General Manager of the Cleveland Browns on draft day (poor soul) and the movie revels in the chaos reining in his life of a recently dead iconic father, a pregnant love interest, rebellious coaches and players, as well as the insanity surrounding the NFL. 

Captain America:  The Winter Soldier – Another solid Marvel entry although this movie belongs just as much to Scarlett Johansson as it does to the redoubtable Cap.  A great plot line undermining the very existence of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the dangers of too much “benign” government oversight combined with the usual amazing Marvel battle scenes. 

2014 Superlatives:

Best Comedy:  22 Jump Street

Best Horror Movie:  Godzilla

Best Drama:  The Drop

Best Romance:  The Fault in our Stars

Best Action:  Edge of Tomorrow

Best Special Effects:   Guardians of the Galaxy

Best lines:  “They just never see you coming, do they?” -  The Drop  and

                     “I am Groot” - Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Scene of the Year:  Guardians of the Galaxy - Peter Quill steals an orb on the planet Morag accompanied by rock and roll favorites on a lizard microphone, after which he is almost intercepted by the bad guys.  Sets the pace for the whole fantastic movie.

Worst Movies of the Year: 

It was a good year in movies but the lists wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t point out what I considered the other end of the spectrum – the absolute worst movies of the year.

A Million Ways to Die in the West – My daughter and I disagree as to whether Seth McFarland is a misogynistic a-hole incapable of humor.  I’ve always thought he was incredibly funny – that is until I saw this disaster.  McFarland should retreat back behind the camera and stay there – worst movie of the year.

Left Behind – Nicholas Cage must really need the money because this was bad even compared to some of the other turkeys he’s been in lately.  A movie about a significant portion of humanity just disappearing while Cage pilots a jumbo jet across the Atlantic.  This movie works on no level.

The Giver – a sci fi movie starring Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep about a humorless future should work – it doesn’t.  I’m trying hard and failing to remember anything worthwhile about it.  You must be a really sad excuse of a filmmaker to turn out a turkey with these two leads.

Sabotage – what were you thinking Arnold?  No one wants to see the governator as a ruthless bad guy.  You need to go back to blowing up the bad guys and not trying to be a thespian.  Worst movie of his career which is saying something when he played a pregnant man in Junior.

Happiest of New Years!!!!