Revisiting 2014, Part 1
Here we go again...
2014 was an excellent year for film all around, blockbusters as well as Indie features. There were so many good to great movies I watched and wanted to talk about, so this is only a fraction of my personal thoughts about the year in film, and putting my list in any kind of order was pure torture, the Top 5 are basically a five-way tie.
Favorite New Face.
Adorable in God Help The Girl, a prick in Riot Club and creepy on TV in Penny Dreadful - this was Olly Alexander's year.
Runner-up:
Ansel Elgort *dreamy sigh*
Favorite Performances/On-Screen Duo.
Angelina Jolie and Sam Riley in Maleficent
Scene Stealer of the Year.
I didn't care about the latest X-Men movie after the Paris scenes. Maybe it would have helped if we had gotten more of Evan Peter's Quicksilver in the second half.
Runner-up: Uma Thurman's scene in the otherwise terrible Nymphomaniac is the funniest short film I've seen all year.
Biggest Disappointment of the Year.
There are many, many really clever gags and scenes, so it's even more disappointing that half of its scenes are basically “Get it? They act like a couple but they're both men!”
Runner-up: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guiltiest Pleasure of the Year.
It's not perfect, but so much fun. A future cult classic.
Runner-up: Walking on Sunshine must be seen to be believed. It's a future camp classic (and yet still better than Mamma Mia).
Most Underrated Movie of the Year.
Promising 2014 movies that I didn't catch in time so I couldn't evaluate them.
Whiplash. Dear White People. Big Hero 6. Birdman.
Best Movie I Never Want To See Again.
The One Movie That I Have To See Again To Fully Get It.
The Single Worst Movie of the Year.
Runner-up: Divergent
The One Movie I Loved But I Can't Be Objective About It.
It's The Muppets! With Tina Fey! And songs by Bret McKenzie!
Best Scenes of the Year.
The jail break scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past. The Halo Jump scene from Godzilla. The absolutely stunning depiction of emotional turmoil in The Tale of Princess Kaguya when Kaguya flees from the banquet held in her honor.
And now...
My Favorite Movies of the Year (based on enjoyment and rewatchability).
20.
19.
18.
17.
16.
15.
14.
13.
12.
11.
10.
09.
08.
07.
06.
05.
04.
03.
02.
...and finally:
01.
If you missed it, here's my list for 2013.
2014 was an excellent year for film all around, blockbusters as well as Indie features. There were so many good to great movies I watched and wanted to talk about, so this is only a fraction of my personal thoughts about the year in film, and putting my list in any kind of order was pure torture, the Top 5 are basically a five-way tie.
Favorite New Face.
Adorable in God Help The Girl, a prick in Riot Club and creepy on TV in Penny Dreadful - this was Olly Alexander's year.
Runner-up:
Ansel Elgort *dreamy sigh*
Favorite Performances/On-Screen Duo.
Angelina Jolie and Sam Riley in Maleficent
Scene Stealer of the Year.
I didn't care about the latest X-Men movie after the Paris scenes. Maybe it would have helped if we had gotten more of Evan Peter's Quicksilver in the second half.
Runner-up: Uma Thurman's scene in the otherwise terrible Nymphomaniac is the funniest short film I've seen all year.
Biggest Disappointment of the Year.
There are many, many really clever gags and scenes, so it's even more disappointing that half of its scenes are basically “Get it? They act like a couple but they're both men!”
Runner-up: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guiltiest Pleasure of the Year.
It's not perfect, but so much fun. A future cult classic.
Runner-up: Walking on Sunshine must be seen to be believed. It's a future camp classic (and yet still better than Mamma Mia).
Most Underrated Movie of the Year.
Promising 2014 movies that I didn't catch in time so I couldn't evaluate them.
Whiplash. Dear White People. Big Hero 6. Birdman.
Best Movie I Never Want To See Again.
The One Movie That I Have To See Again To Fully Get It.
The Single Worst Movie of the Year.
Runner-up: Divergent
The One Movie I Loved But I Can't Be Objective About It.
It's The Muppets! With Tina Fey! And songs by Bret McKenzie!
Best Scenes of the Year.
The jail break scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past. The Halo Jump scene from Godzilla. The absolutely stunning depiction of emotional turmoil in The Tale of Princess Kaguya when Kaguya flees from the banquet held in her honor.
And now...
My Favorite Movies of the Year (based on enjoyment and rewatchability).
20.
19.
18.
17.
16.
15.
14.
13.
12.
11.
10.
09.
08.
07.
06.
05.
04.
03.
02.
...and finally:
01.
If you missed it, here's my list for 2013.