2014 was a weird year to rate movies for me. Comedies and action films need cultural immersion and time for me to figure out where they rank on a top 10 list. This year happens to feature 2 all decade action films and an all decade comedy. Marvel (well, Sony) had one of the worst superhero movies of the year, but also one that’s become the secret sauce of the MCU. In addition, a mega animated franchise was born, and had to be moved up into the Top 5.
Marvel enters space. Star Wars tried to make a Han Solo prequel, but Guardians does it better than Harrison Ford himself. Who’d’ve thought Chris Pratt, a WWE Wrester, Green Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel as a Tree, and Bradley Cooper, Racoon Solo would become the most entertaining movie of the year?
What happens when you take the stellar action of The Raid Redemption and put in an even deeper, fascinating story? You get one of the best action movies of the decade, a shoot em up that’ll have you burst into applause based on what you just saw.
The best comedy sequel ever made. This is the rare comedy sequel that equals if not exceeds its predecessor by keeping the laughs consistent while also commenting on the nature of making comedy sequels. It’s razor sharp in its funnies…
Stellar casting and direction propel this sinister neo-noir. Rosamund Pike deserves all the accolades she is receiving, and David Fincher’s direction seeps the story in an eerie feeling.
Inspirational to the nth degree, Pride will tug at the heartstrings without being too cloying. Ben Schnetzer & Co. merge worker and LGBT rights into an uplifting tale about standing up for what you believe in to support the downtrodden.
What could have been cheap product placement instead turns into a very emotional story about growing up and creation. The movie also boasts the best twist of the year.
Edward Snowden thrust himself into the spotlight when he leaked information about the NSA’s surveillance programs. Director Laura Poitras captures the fear permeating the fateful group that set in motion one of the greatest debates of our current time.
About as strong of a biopic about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as there will ever be. This is also the new benchmark for movies about the civil rights movement.
Have you ever been a child? Parent? Boy? Girl? If so, Boyhood has something that you can relate to. Richard Linklater’s masterpiece is touching by finding joy and accomplishment in the everyday, with time and experience slowly creating each person in unique ways. Never again will a film like this get made.
