CHANCE'S TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2014

[Chancey289]

Since I have been doing this every year, I'd thought I'd present another list of the top 10 movies of 2014 I have seen. I wasn't able to see every movie of 2014 unfortunately, but I was able to still make a top 10. Here it is, and give me some of your favorites from 2014 below.

10. Housebound

-It's better to go in to this movie without knowing anything about it. Don't even watch a trailer. Just watch it. Part ghost story, part murder mystery, this horror comedy does deliver on both fronts with an intriguing story that does keep you guessing with nice twist and turns.

9. The Babadook

-2014 may have been a crappy year for horror flicks, but there was a couple good ones. This one was the best and one of the best of the year. The Babadook doesn't rely on cheap jump scares as it has absolutely none. It sports a smart psychological horror story about real life's horrors and an original creature that is sure to make some want to sleep with the light on. I know my Halloween costume this year.

8. Gone Girl

-For anyone who says Ben Affleck is a bad actor, watch this movie and kindly shut up. David Fincher gives us an exceptional adaption of the novel of the same name bringing out the best in its stars as there is great performances by all. Even freaking Tyler Perry is good in this thing! For the movie being rather long, it's also very intriguing and keeps you invested and interested in the mystery as you wonder what happened to his wife. Did he kill her? Is there something else going on? Watch and see. This one's great.

7. John Wick

-Keanu is back and better than ever baby! John Wick is probably one of those films destined to be a cult classic. It's also a slasher flick in disguise. Keanu Reeves plays a badass hitman named John Wick that wants revenge on the criminals that killed his dog. And he's killing anyone who gets in his way. I find it awesome this is a revenge tale over a dog, also the action is absolutely beautiful. No shaky cams, well shot, beautifully choreographed, and very memorable. It also has a surprising amount of interesting world building. John Wick is an action junkie's paradise and is gonna be one movie I won't forget. I had a blast with it.

6. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes

-Rise of The Planet of The Apes was pretty cool. This one was fantastic. I gotta give this movie credit for keeping me guessing how it all plays out even though you know how it's gonna end. Andy Serkis gives an amazing performance as Cesar as well as the other actors. This movie had heart, was interesting, and definitely entertaining. I'm totally ready for the next one.

5. Edge of Tomorrow

-Hollywood can make a great manga adaption. Based on the Japanese novel and Manga "All You Need Is Kill", Edge of Tomorrow is an adrenaline fueled sci fi time trip that is sure to entertain. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt give some good performances and the action is exciting. The time travel story is also interesting and smarter than other summer block busters. This was one of the collest sci fi movies in a while yet so many people didn't go see it. A shame. Also, Emily Blunt should totally be cast as Carol Danvers in Marvel's Captain Marvel movie.

4. Nightcrawler

-Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this film as a sociopath names Louis Bloom who gets involved in the high speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Trying to get the breaking news stories on the scene with the most breath taking footage he can film. Gyllenhaal gives in my opinion one of the best performances of his career in this film. The character of Louis Bloom is such a creep. From his dialogue that seems like an alien trying to interact with humans from social interaction articles he read on the internet, to the obsessive and insanely focused approach to the job, Jake gives us one character I won't soon forget. An interesting creature of the night (pun intended). An absolute fiend. One of the best movies hardly anyone saw. See it.

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

-Definitely one of Marvel's best films to date. I thought the first Captain America film was the best pre Avengers flick, and I was never even a Captain America fan. This one is even better. It's a lot darker in tone that other Marvel films and has a very cool espionage vibe going on here. Most importantly, IT'S STILL FUN. Something DC should remember. Chris Evans as Captain America also doesn't get enough credit. The dude has to be one of the best embodiments of a superhero I've ever seen. This is without a doubt, a modern superhero classic.

2. The LEGO Movie

-This movie was better than it had any right to be. Who knew a movie about toy building blocks would be so good? This movie has great animation, great characters, great humor, and it's just all around charming and lovable. It's a movie that I think also really speaks to us all. Reminding us why being a kid and playing with out toys were so important to us growing up. Why we cherished those memories. The adventures we went on in the realm of our imaginations. This movie gave me some feels when you find out the big reveal. And it was a lot of fun getting there. Plus, LEGO Batman is seriously one of the best Batman's ever.

Now, I was really going back and forth with a lot of my choices especially when it came to my number one pick, but I settled on the movie I'm still having fun watching and I'm still loving the more I think about it. The most fun I had at the movie theater this year.

1. Guardians of The Galaxy

-Marvel can do whatever the f#ck they want. This movie was just an absolute blast and joy to watch. With awesome characters, great humor, and fantastic action, Guardians of The Galaxy was such a fun sci fi adventure flick everyone rightfully enjoyed and loved. We're all still listening to the Awesome Mix Vol. 1 for a reason. Guardians of The Galaxy is my number one movie of 2014.

What was your favorites? Do you agree with my list? Let's talk movies.

 

[Meg]

Good list! :thumbsup:

I didn't see that many movies that came out last year. But of the ones I saw, Winter Soldier, Mockingjay Part 1, and The Lego Movie stand out as favorites. :happy:

 

[Demi-fiend]

Birdman.

 

[WolfOD64]

Outside of the recently-released Dracula Untold (which I had an obligation to see, given the subject matter concerning one of my favorite fictional characters), I haven’t really gone out to watch any movies in theaters this year, because of my experience with two movies I was hyped to go see…both of which, I saw on day of release: One was Frozen, and the other was Maleficent. Two new, big-budget films, made by Disney no less…one of which was telling the story of the villain from my all-time favorite princess movie, Sleeping Beauty (and yes, I love the **** out of Disney princess movies… Cool stuff happens in these movies: we had Prince Phillip fatally wound a dragon in the heart, and Prince Eric literally impale Ursula with the jagged mast of a shipwreck). And…both were abysmal. Well—in fairness, Frozen was just paced terribly, and sort of collapsed in on itself around the halfway-point, and then was hyped to absurdity afterwards to the point where “Let It Go” became the bane of my eardrums. But still, it wasn’t horrible…but Maleficent was a rancid, poorly-written, sappy, ham-fisted turd that serves as solid proof that Angelina Jolie should stick solely to acting, and never, ever attempt to write a screenplay again.

The foul taste that both movies left in my mouth didn’t leave me with ANY optimism to see any other movies for the entirety of 2014. I didn’t want to pay full-price for a movie ticket again, only to go home with disappointment and buyer’s remorse roughly the size of Kim Kardashian’s ego. So I steered clear of every single big release, and only grudgingly watched a few movies when they came out on DVD.

And surprisingly, the sequel to Captain America, my least favorite Avenger…was surprisingly good. In fact, I’d say it’s the best MCU film since Avengers, maybe even better since it has less convoluted plot to sort through and a much shorter run-time.

And then, I saw Guardians of the Galaxy when it came out on Blu-Ray…it was pretty good, although I enjoyed it as a goofy, mindless, sci-fi cheesewheel in the same vein as StarChaser: The Legend of Orin. Some people hype it to extremes, but it was still a worthy watch.

I went into Dracula Untold with extremely grounded and basic expectations, and got everything I signed up for: vampiric badassery that has been sorely absent from the silver screen for so long, and a nice tie-in to this Modern Monster Mash that Universal is currently planning. I didn’t go in expecting the rebirth of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic, and thus I was saved the outlandish disappointment that everyone else felt.

But then, my friend got me THIS son of a bitch for Christmas…and my faith in humanity was restored forever more.

 

[Chancey289]

Outside of the recently-released Dracula Untold (which I had an obligation to see, given the subject matter concerning one of my favorite fictional characters), I haven’t really gone out to watch any movies in theaters this year, because of my experience with two movies I was hyped to go see…both of which, I saw on day of release: One was Frozen, and the other was Maleficent. Two new, big-budget films, made by Disney no less…one of which was telling the story of the villain from my all-time favorite princess movie, Sleeping Beauty (and yes, I love the **** out of Disney princess movies… Cool stuff happens in these movies: we had Prince Phillip fatally wound a dragon in the heart, and Prince Eric literally impale Ursula with the jagged mast of a shipwreck). And…both were abysmal. Well—in fairness, Frozen was just paced terribly, and sort of collapsed in on itself around the halfway-point, and then was hyped to absurdity afterwards to the point where “Let It Go” became the bane of my eardrums. But still, it wasn’t horrible…but Maleficent was a rancid, poorly-written, sappy, ham-fisted turd that serves as solid proof that Angelina Jolie should stick solely to acting, and never, ever attempt to write a screenplay again.

The foul taste that both movies left in my mouth didn’t leave me with ANY optimism to see any other movies for the entirety of 2014. I didn’t want to pay full-price for a movie ticket again, only to go home with disappointment and buyer’s remorse roughly the size of Kim Kardashian’s ego. So I steered clear of every single big release, and only grudgingly watched a few movies when they came out on DVD.

And surprisingly, the sequel to Captain America, my least favorite Avenger…was surprisingly good. In fact, I’d say it’s the best MCU film since Avengers, maybe even better since it has less convoluted plot to sort through and a much shorter run-time.

And then, I saw Guardians of the Galaxy when it came out on Blu-Ray…it was pretty good, although I enjoyed it as a goofy, mindless, sci-fi cheesewheel in the same vein as StarChaser: The Legend of Orin. Some people hype it to extremes, but it was still a worthy watch.

I went into Dracula Untold with extremely grounded and basic expectations, and got everything I signed up for: vampiric badassery that has been sorely absent from the silver screen for so long, and a nice tie-in to this Modern Monster Mash that Universal is currently planning. I didn’t go in expecting the rebirth of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic, and thus I was saved the outlandish disappointment that everyone else felt.

But then, my friend got me THIS son of a bitch for Christmas…and my faith in humanity was restored forever more.

There's nothing wrong with liking Disney Princess movies. Everyone loves them. One of my favorite films of all time is Mulan.

Dracula Untold disappointed me because, well, I want some actual horror movies out of these things. Not superhero action movies starring classic monsters. Which seems to be the direction they are going with this Universal Monster Mash. Looks like they seriously want to create some Monster Avengers thing. Not really on board. I'm a big horror fan.

You don't know how much I'd love a straight up horror remake of The Creature From The Black Lagoon made by someone like Guillermo Del Toro.

As for Days of Future Past, it was pretty good. But the more I thought about it, the more I just kinda wish I'd get a legit X-Men movie for once instead of Fox's Wolverine and Friends. Just please, for the love of Godzilla, let Wolverine at least wear his mask. Doesn't make it a bad movie, it was actually great.

Great also like Godzilla 2014 which I would put as my number 11 pick if I didn't restrict this list to only a 10. Maybe I should just go one step further like Nostalgia Critic.

 

[WolfOD64]

Dracula Untold disappointed me because, well, I want some actual horror movies out of these things. Not superhero action movies starring classic monsters. Which seems to be the direction they are going with this Universal Monster Mash. Looks like they seriously want to create some Monster Avengers thing. Not really on board. I'm a big horror fan.

Fair enough. I feel a lot of people really didn't understand the big intention behind Dracula Untold, which is why it garnered a lot of criticism. The fact that so many people freaked out upon hearing about its PG-13 rating was proof of that.

Personally, if I do anticipate a vampire film that caters to actual horror, I wouldn't hold my breath for one starring Dracula. Most of the movies he's in are more creepy than scary---from the original Lugosi classic to the Coppola revival in the 90's, the latter of which I argue is more "trippy" than scary...but that's partially what's so lovably twisted and demented about it.

As for Days of Future Past, it was pretty good. But the more I thought about it, the more I just kinda wish I'd get a legit X-Men movie for once instead of Fox's Wolverine and Friends. Just please, for the love of Godzilla, let Wolverine at least wear his mask. Doesn't make it a bad movie, it was actually great.

I liked DotFP because it was a nice twist on the existing comic that it's based on. As an X-Men fan, I hadn't really been invested in any of the recent live-action movies. I thought the first one was alright, I had mixed opinions on the next two, and Origins: Wolverine was the closest thing I've seen to a film equivalent of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus: an unnecessary, poorly-executed, cash-grab at a popular character. First Class and Wolverine were baby steps in the right direction, but DotFP just got everything right...from the characterizations, to the action, to the special effects...and for once, Logan was not the center of the movie.

Which is why I actually understand the need for the movies to emphasize less on Wolverine, who's gotten way more attention than he needs thanks to two spin-offs, but honestly, the heart of these newer movies seems to be placed on the conflict between Xavier and Magneto. Both First Class and Future Past really highlighted the emotional rift growing between the two, and the latter only really had Wolverine serve as a vessel for the plot, rather than the center...which is exactly what he should be. An important character, but not the protagonist.

On a side note, Wolverine needs the mask like Thor needs the helmet. He wore it for one scene...one MEASELY SCENE in the first film...and we never saw it again. :grumpy:

 

[xMobilemux]

Just my opinion, but good god I could not watch that Lego movie any more than 30 minutes, it was so painful to watch and that damn "Everything is Awesome" song, I'd rather have "It's a small world after all" stuck in my head.

I didn't watch that many movies this year because non were that interesting, but here's my current list:

10:

I really enjoyed this movie, the power suits reminded me a lot of Halo and I found the reliving each day action very enjoyable, doubt I'll be watching it again any time soon, but I like that movies are still trying to be creative.

9:

Typical Peter Jackson movie, but that didn't stop it from being a hell of a fun movie, although I was disappointed with so little of Smaug.

8:

I enjoyed this movie a lot, not even that much of a Denzel Washington fan but I found this movie to be a surprisingly good watch.

7:

Now I know what you're all thinking, "WTF THAT MOVIE WAS GARBAGE!!!!", I understand entirely and don't blame you for calling it that, but I personally found this movie to be very entertaining.
I knew exactly what I was getting into when I went to see this movie, I went into it expecting nothing but stupid Michael Bay action with Megan Fox's face & ass and that's exactly what I got, I really enjoyed the stupid as hell action scenes and stupid jokes, I just turned my brain off, had fun and I enjoyed the movie.
Call it a guilty pleasure.

6:

Now this movie was just awesome, that Hollywood sign in LA needs to be demolished and replaced with a Marvel sign.
I really want to see a Black Widow movie now.

5:

I just laughed my ass off at this movie, Seth McFarland is doing really well in comedies, I look forward to his next movie.

4:

I went into this movie expecting it to suck and swallow ass just like the first one did, but it managed to surprise me in a way that I want more movies to do.

3:

The PG-13 rating hurt this movie, that goes without saying, but still even with that flaw I still enjoyed the hell out of it with all the action and badassery.
Still The Expendables 4 needs to be more R rated Team of 80s Badasses and less PG-13 "Sylvester Stallon The Movie".

2:

I wasn't interested in this movie during it's theater run, but I picked it up one day, gave it a shot and ended up enjoying it a lot, quite the epic film really.

1:

No seriously, knock down that Hollywood sign and put up a Marvel sign, I'm not asking.

Honorable Mentions:

Worst/Most Disappointing Movies:

(Disappointing):

When I go to see a 2 hour Godzilla movie, I expect to see a 2 hour Godzilla movie, not 1 hour and 40 minutes of boring characters and 20 minutes of Godzilla.

(Disappointing):

It just didn't click with me.

(Worst):

This is NOT Robocop!

This IS Robocop!!!

 

[Chancey289]

Fair enough. I feel a lot of people really didn't understand the big intention behind Dracula Untold, which is why it garnered a lot of criticism. The fact that so many people freaked out upon hearing about its PG-13 rating was proof of that.

Personally, if I do anticipate a vampire film that caters to actual horror, I wouldn't hold my breath for one starring Dracula. Most of the movies he's in are more creepy than scary---from the original Lugosi classic to the Coppola revival in the 90's, the latter of which I argue is more "trippy" than scary...but that's partially what's so lovably twisted and demented about it.


I liked DotFP because it was a nice twist on the existing comic that it's based on. As an X-Men fan, I hadn't really been invested in any of the recent live-action movies. I thought the first one was alright, I had mixed opinions on the next two, and Origins: Wolverine was the closest thing I've seen to a film equivalent of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus: an unnecessary, poorly-executed, cash-grab at a popular character. First Class and Wolverine were baby steps in the right direction, but DotFP just got everything right...from the characterizations, to the action, to the special effects...and for once, Logan was not the center of the movie.

Which is why I actually understand the need for the movies to emphasize less on Wolverine, who's gotten way more attention than he needs thanks to two spin-offs, but honestly, the heart of these newer movies seems to be placed on the conflict between Xavier and Magneto. Both First Class and Future Past really highlighted the emotional rift growing between the two, and the latter only really had Wolverine serve as a vessel for the plot, rather than the center...which is exactly what he should be. An important character, but not the protagonist.

On a side note, Wolverine needs the mask like Thor needs the helmet. He wore it for one scene...one MEASELY SCENE in the first film...and we never saw it again. :grumpy:

Oh, Michael Fassbender as Magneto and James McAvoy as Xavier are just magnificent. Still they still included Wolverine as basically the main character when Kitty Pryde is the one who makes the trip in the comics which is not that big of a deal, but I guess a part of me is still, well it just had to be Wolverine huh. And I love Hugh Jackman as the character, just give him a break lol.

Plus, I have a personal pet peeve about a plot hole in the story. I don't understand why it was Mystique's genes they were after for the sentinels. That was what they used in the film to give them the ability to copy and use mutant powers. However, Mystique is just a shapeshifter. She doesn't copy powers. You would need Rogue's genes.

I know I'm probably nitpicking though. It was still a great movie I really enjoyed.

I just want to one day see a real X-Men film that focuses on the many characters of X-Men, with unique diverse costumes, and the team led by Cyclops. I wish Marvel had the rights.

 

[Demi-fiend]

On a side note, Wolverine needs the mask like Thor needs the helmet. He wore it for one scene...one MEASELY SCENE in the first film...and we never saw it again. :grumpy:

When was this? Do you have an image of him wearing it?

 

[WolfOD64]

When was this? Do you have an image of him wearing it?

I was talking about Thor, not Wolverine. Sorry if I confused anyone :blush:

 

[Captain Xin]

Just curious, what's you guy's opinion of "Oculus"? Some of my friends absolutely recommended that one to me. Saying it was one of the scariest flick this year...