Top Movies and Performances of 2014

[whynotsteve]

2014 was a very strong year for movies. In particular, my top 8 films were all terrific and 8 through 3 could have been listed in pretty much any order. Not enough strong lead acting opportunities for women, though I did not get a chance to see Still Alice or Two Days, One Night yet.

Top 20 Films
1. Boyhood
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Birdman, or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
4. Gone Girl
5. A Most Violent Year
6. Selma
7. Nightcrawler
8. Inherent Vice
9. Wild
10. Interstellar
11. Guardians of the Galaxy
12. Foxcatcher
13. The Theory of Everything
14. Whiplash
15. American Sniper
16. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
17. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I
18. The Imitation Game
19. Life Itself
20. The Skeleton Twins

Top Lead Actor Performances
1. David Oyelowo, Selma
2. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
3. Oscar Isaac, A Most Violent Year
4. Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
5. Michael Keaton, Birdman

Top Lead Actress Performances
1. Reese Witherspoon, Wild
2. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
3. Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
4. Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
5. Amy Adams, Big Eyes

Top Supporting Actor Performances
1. Edward Norton, Birdman
2. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
3. Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
4. Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
5. Ethan Hawke, Boyhood

Top Supporting Actress Performances
1. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
2. Rene Russo, Nightcrawler
3. Emma Stone, Birdman
4. Laura Dern, Wild
5. Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year