My Favourite Movies of 2014 - TOP 100!!!

Hey Everyone,

It's a busy time of year, what with all the catching up on Oscar nominated films to be done. Then along comes a sick day, the unfortunate friend of binge-watching that has side effects that come with checking a few final films off of the must-see list.

Every year I publish my list of every movie I've watched during my viewing season (January 1st - Oscar Sunday). This year, I finally hit a milestone I've been trying to hit for a while, 100 films!!! And even though there are a couple of days left for me to add a few films to this list, I thought it would be a nice round number to make a list and publish it for those of you out there that might be looking for a movie to check out.

I've added some notes on some movies I think should garner some of your interest.

Without any further ado... here is my TOP 100 Films of 2014:


Ugghhhh!
100. Vampire Academy
99. Blended
98. Transformers: Age of Extinction
97. Dolphin Tale 2
96. Sex Tape
95. Left Behind
94. Legend of Oz: Dorothy's Return
93. The Hundred Foot Journey

It probably doesn't deserve being this far down my list, but the whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth (which is a wonderful joke if you've seen the movie!)

92. When The Game Stands Tall
91. Non-Stop
90. Tusk

The first half is insanely captivating, and the second half is like a fish out of water. (Oh boy, I just can't stop myself)

89. If I Stay
88. Are You Here
87. The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
86. Mr. Peabody & Sherman
85. Let's Be Cops
84. A Million Ways To Die In The West
83. The Amazing Spider-Man


Not My Cup of Tea
82. Into The Woods

Please don't judge me. Just not the sum of its individual parts. Emily Blunt is great though.

81. The Gambler
80. The Maze Runner
79. Neighbours
78. Unbroken
77. Maleficent
76. Godzilla
75. Bad Words
74. Muppets Most Wanted
73. The Other Woman
72. The Immigrant
71. The Monuments Men

It feels like ages since I've seen this one, the first film I watched in 2014. It'll also feel like ages have gone by when you watch it...

70. The Nut Job
69. Million Dollar Arm
68. The Judge
67. Begin Again
66. That Awkward Moment
65. The Giver
64. Rio 2
63. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
62. The Fault in Our Stars


These Ones Know What They're About And Don't Try Too Much
61. Walk of Shame
60. Get On Up
59. Need For Speed
58. A Long Way Down
57. Mr. Turner
56. American Sniper
55. Two Night Stand
54. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
53. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
52. The Book Of Life
51. Obvious Child


Decent Films in a Really Deep Year
50. The Guest

Weird blend of horror and 80's action... don't be fooled though. It's kind of like having a fried egg on your burger, looks weird and like it might be too much, but it satisfies that temporal hunger so well.

49. The F Word/What If

The best of the two movies that should've inexplicably forgot to put a question mark in the title (Are You Here).

48. The Interview
47. The Congress
46. The Boxtrolls

A dangerously clever animated film about family, love and acceptance.

45. Fading Gigolo
44. Life After Beth
43. Enemy
42. Divergent
41. X-Men: Days of Future Past
40. Big Hero 6
39. The Sacrament
38. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (Part 1)
37. Transcendence
36. Draft Day


Hidden Gems
35. Frank

Not for everyone, but completely successful at providing an introspective look at the mind of an artist.

34. The Theory of Everything
33. The One I Love

As I wrote in a previous post, "A grounded drama that explores the struggles of remaining invested in a stagnant marriage, through the backdrop of a clever science-fiction premise."

32. The Skeleton Twins
31. St. Vincent
30. Alive Inside

For all the music lovers out there, this is a heartwarming, gut-wrenching documentary about the effect music has on nursing home patients. This one is a must see!

29. Life Itself

     Another stirring documentary that chronicles the life of film critic Roger Ebert, both his colourful past and harrowing health struggles in his later years.

28. Starred Up


The Best of the Rest
27. Guardians of the Galaxy
26. A Most Wanted Man
25. How To Train Your Dragon 2
24. Gone Girl
23. Edge of Tomorrow/Live Die Repeat
22. Foxcatcher

Almost painfully slow, but done so to add to the gravitas of the climactic final scene. Outstanding performances by all four main players (in order of effectiveness, Mark Ruffalo (as Dave Schultz), Steve Carell (as John du Pont), Sienna Miller (as Nancy Schultz) and a surprisingly deep Channing Tatum (as Mark Schultz).

21. Noah
20. Interstellar
19. 22 Jump Street
18. They Came Together
17. Calvary

Beautiful British drama about death with a subtle undertone regarding the consequences of original sin. 

16. Selma
15. Joe

Probably the best scene stealing performance of the year by an actor who you've never heard of before. Check out his incredibly sad story here before or after you see this incredible movie.

14. I Origins
13. Wish I Was Here
12. Locke

Tom Hardy is the only actor in the entire movie that gets any screen time. He's in a car dealing with a situation that will change his life forever. It is mesmerizing. See it.

11. The Imitation Game


Top 10 Baby!
10. Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

You all probably know a lot about this film, but if you don't, it's a mind meld of a movie that barely pauses to take a breath as it examines the lengths to which a has-been movie superhero will go to stay relevant.

9. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Second instalment in the most recent reboot about the clash between humans and apes in a post-apocalyptic-esque society. Jason Clarke (known mostly as a recurring bad guy) plays a leader of the humans with great ease and liveability. Cesar is awesome!

8. Snowpiercer

Clever sci-fi movie about equality and class warfare from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. Chris Evans leads a group of forgotten from the back of the train through different sections of society in search of answers and with hopes for equality.

7. The Pretty One

Zoe Kazan plays two twin sisters whose lives are forever changed when they are both involved in a car accident that results in the loss of one of the sisters (don't worry, this isn't a spoiler as it sets up the premise of the movie). The surviving sister assumes the identity of the deceased sister and learns about herself in the process.

6. Chef

A surefire movie that almost anyone will enjoy. Great food, great story and a heartwarming father/son bonding trip.

5. Boyhood

A slow, but paced movie that follows the life of a young boy and his family as they grow throughout the years. The catch to this one? It's filmed over 12 years. 

4. Whiplash

A movie that examines the sacrifice needed to achieve greatness. Some amazing performances in a movie that demands excellence.

3. The Lego Movie

Everything is Awesome... including this movie!

2. Nightcrawler

The seedy underworld of paparazzi and celebrity are unearthed through the eyes of a man (Jake Gyllenhaal) who doesn't really fit in to society's mould, and will do whatever it takes to become successful in an industry where his mild psychopathic tendencies are asset.

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel

     Wes Anderson has done a marvellous work of recreating a quirky 1930's world complete with love sagas and crime thrillers. The ensemble cast is incredible, led by one of Ralph Fiennes' best performances as the elusively charming hotel manager Gustav H. This one has stood as my favourite for more than half the year, and has rightfully earned it's place atop my list.





Thanks for reading my thoughts, and I hope they lead you to discover some new movies in the near future. Let me know what you think of any of the movies I've ranked (good or bad).

Episode #1 - The Book Of Life, Get On Up, Into The Woods and more

The start of a new year with movies is always a busy one. There are plenty of old releases to catch up on before my extended year finishes, and plenty of Oscar contenders are hitting theatres. For the record, my movie watching year runs from January 1st up until the Oscars are presented (this year on February 22nd). This is to allow me some time to catch up with all of the contenders that are generally released in theatres late in the year and some into the early new year. This time of year produces reviews with a mishmash of unimportant DVD rentals, forgotten blockbusters and high-brow cinema, and this crop is no exception. 

For your reading pleasure, here are the 5 most recent movies I've watched (comparative ranking in parentheses):


The Book Of Life (1)

This inventive animated feature centres around Manolo, Maria and Joaquin, three Mexican lovers caught in a love triangle with dire consequences. Unbeknownst to them, they become part of a wager that holds the fate of all humanity, both dead and alive, in their hands. 

Manolo and Joaquin must embrace their own personalities as they strive for the love of Maria, while fending off enemies in three different realms. The only major setback (in my opinion) was the odd use of generic pop songs in a Flamenco style. Otherwise, this movie is creative, beautiful and original. It's funny and charming, romantic and daring. All of these are big positives in my books. The Book Of Life is a movie that the whole family can watch, but broad enough that anyone of any age can enjoy. 

My Ranking: 4/5

• Recommended for an evening where the whole family wants to watch a movie together. 
• Recommended for people who love not-so-run-of-the-mill animated movies 

Get On Up (2)

A pretty standard, yet entertaining biopic of funk legend James Brown. It chronicles everything from his troubled upbringing to his narcissistic leadership issues in a thoroughly non-linear retelling. 

A lot of biopics get bogged down in trying to be fresh and new, not realizing that their subject's lives are interesting enough on their own. Ultimately, trying to stand out is what makes a movies not stand out.  In this one, director Tate Taylor (The Help) makes sure that his main focus is the music, which is what I would assume Brown's main focus would be. Rehearsals, performances and soundtrack flood this one with captivating soul music. Chadwick Boseman's performance is mesmerizing. Where this one trips up, is in it's reliance on the non-linear storyline. It tries to bounce around so much that at some points you lose track of what era you are in the story, despite the differing hairstyles of Mr. Brown. Get On Up is an entertaining look into the life of a man who changed music history. It's not of one of my favourites, but worth the watch nonetheless.

My Ranking: 3.9/5

• Recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about James Brown
• Recommended for music lovers looking for a date night movie

Into The Woods (3)

(Disclaimer - IMDB's synopsis is too perfect not to use): A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree. 

So here's the thing... I like musicals. I like Disney. I like fairytales. I like Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt and James Corden. If you enjoy any of these things, you will probably enjoy this movie. I did not. (keep in mind I'm also the guy who didn't like Frozen). Unfortunately, this movie is not the sum of its parts, though there are parts that really stand out. Stephen Sondheim's whimsical unstructured music is at the forefront as director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean 4) bounces around between fairytales. The world created by set designers is pretty wonderful, and the eery tone plays well. Chris Pine's Prince Charming is amazing. But the finished product just doesn't bring all of those things together like it should. Marshall forces Streep to overact her part as the witch.  The theme of death is explored regularly, but not well. It always seems like the movie takes the easy way out when it loses a character, instead of properly dealing with the emotions. To be clear, I am probably in the minority with my negative experience. Into The Woods is a creative new chapter in the newfound Disney-realism movement, but fails in its execution.

My Ranking: 3.55/5

• Recommended for people who like Pitch Perfect, Glee and Broadway shows
• Recommended for fairytale or music lovers looking for a date night movie

The Gambler (4)

A university professor with a careless personality and semi-suicidal tendencies gets caught up in the world of high stakes gambling. 

The story is somewhat intriguing, but never really sussed out. The characters are played by well known actors, but they don't really have any depth. The soundtrack is fun and quirky, but it never really matches the action on screen. I think the defining moments of this movie not quite reaching what it should be come in its use of title cards. The premise of the movie is that Mark Wahlberg's character is in trouble with the wrong people. He owes them a bunch of money and has one week to pay them back. The title cards show up randomly, with odd music choices in the background, to act as a countdown clock... it comes out of left field and doesn't work for me. Also, Wahlberg looks really weird when he runs. Why would I say this? Because we're treated to a three minute scene of Wahlberg running... JUST RUNNING! There are better movies out there like The Gambler, and you should probably watch them instead.

My Ranking: 3.55/5 (just so you know, 4/5 is kind of my benchmark for a decent movie)

• Recommended for people who like to see Mark Wahlberg without a shirt

Dolphin Tale 2 (5)

After the death of a beloved aquarium dolphin, trainers must find a match for their lone remaining dolphin. That's it.

My Ranking: 2.4/5 

• Recommended for kids under the age of... I don't know... 9?

An Introduction

Have you ever said to yourself, "I think I'm going to watch a movie tonight", but spent more than your fair share of time deciding which movie to watch? Internet reviews, Rotten Tomatoes, friend's recommendations are all well and good, but sometimes it's a bit too hard to wade through hundreds of new releases and the thousands of opinions that come with.

Here's my slogan: I watch a lot of movies so that you don't have to.

I also feel as though I have a pretty good pulse on what different people will like in a movie. So I've created Movies 5 At A Time to create a one-stop shop where you can find good recommendations based on a small synopsis and comparative ranking. Here's what I will do for you:

1. I will write a blog for each of the 5 most recent movies I have seen.
2. I will break the movie down into it's simplest form by offering a small synopsis
3. I will give recommendations for who I think would like a movie like this
4. I will attach my own personal (out of 5) ranking
5. I will compare each of the five movies against each other

In doing this, I hope to provide people with a service that helps them make informed decisions when they're spending their hard earned money on a movie watching experience.

Come along for the ride with me?