Top 10 of 2014
10. The One I Love
Like most indie movies, I didn't have any clue of what this was about when I watched it. I avoided the trailers and I'm glad I did. I might still not have a clue even after watching it, but I do know that I enjoyed every minute of it. I don't want to get into the details of the plot, but I can say, don't let the title fool you. On the surface, it is a romantic drama\comedy but as plot points unfold, there's more to it than just that.
The acting is solid, the film making is above average but it's the mood of the movie that really stuck with me. It's very unique and un-explainable. All I have left to say is watch it, and I dare you to try not to think about it after its over.
(You can watch this on Netflix)
9. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Like most indie movies, I didn't have any clue of what this was about when I watched it. I avoided the trailers and I'm glad I did. I might still not have a clue even after watching it, but I do know that I enjoyed every minute of it. I don't want to get into the details of the plot, but I can say, don't let the title fool you. On the surface, it is a romantic drama\comedy but as plot points unfold, there's more to it than just that.
The acting is solid, the film making is above average but it's the mood of the movie that really stuck with me. It's very unique and un-explainable. All I have left to say is watch it, and I dare you to try not to think about it after its over.
(You can watch this on Netflix)
I can't believe I just wrote those words (above) in a top 10 list. Is that a discredit to the movies of 2014 or is it a credit to the movie. I don't really know...both?
A sequel to a prequel of a reboot. Yes, that's what this movie is, and generally when you say one of those words (reboot, prequel, sequel) , I'm internally built to disregard the movie. The reason this movie works is due to the fact that it doesn't have a lot of boundaries placed by the other movies. The prequal, nor the originals have told this story before, so it's free to develop on its own.
There are a lot of, "I should have seen that coming" moments, most are heavy handed but they all work and are, most of the time, enjoyable. The majority of what you will take away form this movie are themes of power, corruption and humanity. As much as these apes hate humans, they have to act like humans to get what they want. It's a pretty sly satire that earned it's place as one of the best movies of the year.
8. Edge of Tomorrow
First the bad; I hated the ending. You now how it's going to end, but you don't see how they can pull it off, so it almost tricks you into thinking it won't end that way...then they introduce this cockamamie deus ex machina to fix it all and you want to punch the television in the heart.
Other than that, it's got everything. Action, laughs, the groundhog day effect, Tom Cruise, robots, aliens, alien robots! It even has some spurts of realism and drama. It's a fun blockbuster flick that everyone will enjoy.
7. The Rover
I'm torn on this movie as it almost didn't make the top 10...but now it's #7. I had high hopes for this as I knew the director from a previous film called Animal Kingdom (which is slowly becoming one of my favorite movies). I got what I expected, an in your face, harsh and mean vision of an Australian apocalyptic future. Visually, the movie is beautiful yet gritty. The world feels lived in, and you get a sense of the pain, despair and desolation that the characters have. Guy Pierce does an amazing job (not the first time that's every been said) with little dialogue. He's mean, he's crazy, he's got nothing left but he wants his car back, and as silly as that sounds, you believe him every second of the journey. Which is what this movie is, a journey from point at to point b with some stops and new characters in between...an odyssey if you will. However, like many odysseys, it drags on a little too long, and certain stops and characters are un-needed. Robert Pattensen isn't a bad actor but his character really annoys me and practically ruins the enjoyment out of any scene he is in. Take out his character, and you get a shorter yet more satisfying movie.
The ending is a coin flip in my opinion, I appreciated it, however I see why it will be hated as well.
6. Night Crawler
Nightcrawler is a fantastic look behind the eyes of someone who is a psychopath. Definition of a psycopath: a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience. Bang. That is what you get here through an amazing performance by Gyllenhaal. The character is not over acted, not in your face crazy, there is no "I want chaos" mentality, he's just f-ing crazy. Since Enemy and Prisoners, Gyllenhaal has been someone I've started to pay attention to but this movie puts him over the top. You actually wonder at points of the movie if this is who Gyllenhaal really is since he pulls it off so well.
The movie has some flaws though. Media culture plays a big role in the movie and they ham it up a bit too much and it's not anything we haven't seen before. So that gets tiresome. What also gets tiresome is Hollywood's habit to not trust the audience and overfeed us. The ending in this movie is a prime example of that. The filmmakers spend almost 2 hours showing us how crazy this person is. It's a slight and steady crawl (get it) into his brain but we do...get it. We don't need a big dramatic confrontation to prove that this man is crazy but they do it anyway and to me it takes away some of the realism and subtleties it had going for it.
With all that said, I can forgive the ending because it's such a unique view into a twisted mind.
5. How to Train Your Dragon 2
What a franchise! Although I can't say that this is better than the first, it is just as original and heart warming, which is rare of a sequal. I had my doubts but as the movie progressed I realized that they weren't just making a a sequal, they were progressing the story and advancing the franchise. This is a kids movie but I was kept on the edge of my seat with twists and turns and a wonderful story. One last thing to add, much like the original, this is a movie that should be seen in 3D. It's flipping amazing!
4. Fury
First, let me start off by saying, Saving Private Ryan is the greatest war movie that ever is, ever was and ever will be. When discussing other war movies, it is best to forget about SPR because nothing will hold a candle to it, nothing.
Now that we got that out of the way, Fury is a great war movie. At times it's unique and at times typical, but an enjoyable experience all around. The thing that separates this film from others is the dynamic of the group of men you spend over 2 hours with. It isn't your typical band of brothers, we're best friends stuff. The first impressions of the group unity come off as rocky at best. These guys really don't like one another, and would you? After spending years cooped up in a tank with strangers, it feels real. Their arguments on religion, their confrontations about women it all feels awkward and tense. Brad Pitt does a great job as usual here. You believe him when he feels remorse, you believe him when he forces murder upon someone else and you believe him when he says he's going to rape someone. It's a crazy range but he pulls it off without any over acting. There are so many great scenes in this movie but non more when the group of men drink a little too much and decide to confront Pitt. I haven't seen a more tense moment on film since the last Tarantino movie.
My only problem with the movie is the ending. It's a little too glorious and over the top for me, especially since the movie is a pretty realistic and grim view of war.
3. The Drop
I could say a lot of things about The Drop, but what it all comes down to is Tom Hardy's character and the performance he puts into it. The movie is as unpredictable and tense as any this year and that has a lot to do with Hardy. The movie feels a lot like Eastern Promises which also featured a strong lead character played by Vigo Mortensen.
This is Gandolfini's last role and it's a beauty, it's sad to see him go. The 'villain' of the film also does a great job at making the audience terrified even if he has no reason or purpose for what he's doing. Usually, I don't appreciate a characters motivation being chaos and death mostly because it's not realistic. However, with this character, you see it in his eyes and you believe that he doesn't have a reason to do something, but he'll still do it.
Overall, it's a "small picture" movie that feels much grander and it will make you wonder about people that you think you know.
2. Birdman
About halfway through the movie, I knew this was going to make the top 10, I just didn't know where it would be positioned. I'm still not sure it is my second favorite movie of the year but due to it's originality and shoot for the stars mentality, it deserves to be here (for now at least).
Going into the movie I knew what to expect, I knew about the editing of the movie and about the ambiguous ending. Although I love continuous tracking scenes, (Children of Men has some of my favorites) I thought it would be gimmicky and tiresome. To my surprise neither was the case, in fact it really added a depth to the movie that it would not have had if it were filmed in a typical fashion. After a while it was easy to forget about the camerawork as it drew you into the story and more so, the mind of the characters. The constant moving of the camera made you feel the intensity and the busyness of what was happening much like an ER episode. The movie will be shown in film school for years to come for it's technical ingenuity.
The camerawork and editing aren't the only stars in this movie, Keaton, Norton are the highest level they have ever been. Although I love Keaton, that isn't saying much, but for Norton, he's a tremendous talent and he really outdoes himself here. The supporting cast is great as well and at different points in the movie each one gets their time to shine. With that said, Norton disappears for the last 20 minutes of the movie giving the others some more room but you do miss him as there is a lack of tension without him.
1.Lego Movie
This movie is hands down the best movie of the year. It's not just a Lego fan's movie, its a movie fan's movie. It makes fun of other movies, itself, Legos, pop culture, all the while having a heart and soul that isn't forced. The story, the jokes and the characters fit in perfectly together and the sappy ending doesn't feel sappy at all. In fact, I agree with Lord Business!
Technically speaking this movie is a generation ahead of other animated movies. This movie is made to look as if it were stop motion, but it is fully animated. The direction is outstanding and if there was ever a nomination for 'best director' that went to an animated movie, it should be this one. The details that were added are unbelievable to the point of obnoxious. Every digital piece of lego used in the movie is based on a real piece. Every building has a Lego schematic. The Legos move like Legos would, and at times when they need to move in ways that aren't physically possible, well the pieces pop out as if a child was playing with them. Dust and fingerprints were added to the Lego pieces to make them seem even more realistic.
I've seen the movie a few times already, and each time I watch, I catch a new joke or something visually different in the background. It's a movie that will never get old and it is the best movie of 2014.
I can literally go on forever, but just watch some outtakes:
