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).
