Best of 2014

Happy New Year’s Eve Everyone! Once again, it is time reflect on the year’s best/worst movies! Let the list commence!
BEST OLDER FILM FIRST SEEN IN 2014, RUNNER-UP: Songs From the Second Floor – Bite sized chunks of delightfully bleak Swedish absurdism!
BEST OLDER FILM FIRST SEEN IN 2014: The Fall – Fantastical, with a hint of darkness; one of the most beautiful films I have seen
BEST 2015 FILM SEEN IN 2014, RUNNER-UP: What We Do In the Shadows – Side-splittingly brilliant vampire mockumentary
BEST 2015 FILM SEEN IN 2014: ’71 – Gripping and thrilling war drama of a British soldier stranded on the streets of Dublin in 1971
MOST OVERLOOKED 2014 FILM, RUNNER-UP: Tracks – The better of the two woman v. nature journey flicks this year; worth tracking down
MOST OVERLOOKED 2014 FILM: Belle – This wonderful semi-historical romantic drama was lost amid the start of the summer blockbusters
MOST DISAPPOINTING 2014 FILM, RUNNER-UP: Birdman – The astonishing camerawork is let down by a bland showbiz sad-sack tale
MOST DISAPPOINTING 2014 FILM: Interstellar – Great promise dissolves into fourth dimensional woo while trying too hard to be 2001.5
WORST 2014 FILM, RUNNER-UP: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – This unimaginative unnecessary sequel commits the worst sin: being boring.
WORST 2014 FILM: God’s Not Dead – This sloppy, disjointed preach-to-the-choir mess abuses the intelligence of Christians and atheists alike
BEST 2014 MOVIE TRAILER, RUNNER-UP: Godzilla (First Teaser) – The HALO jump is eerily beautiful and full of dread…just like Godzilla!
BEST 2014 MOVIE TRAILER: Star Wars: The Force Awakens – If the film is half as inspired as these 7 short snippets, we will be truly lucky!
BEST 2014 HORROR FILM, RUNNER-UP: Under the Skin – This alien art-flick has the most hypnotic, subtle, and disturbing scenes this year
BEST 2014 HORROR FILM: The Babadook – Much much more than a mere psychotic supernatural monster flick. Ba-baaaaa DOOK DOOOK DOOOOOOOK!
BEST 2014 ANIMATED FILM, RUNNER-UP: Tale of the Princess Kaguya – Fantastically gorgeous animation highlights this Japanese folktale
BEST 2014 ANIMATED FILM: The LEGO Movie – This infectiously delightful movie wonderfully transcends its mere toy-commercial origins
BEST 2014 ACTION FILM, RUNNER-UP: Captain America: The Winter Soldier – This genre-busting superhero thriller is tremendous fun
BEST 2014 ACTION FILM: Edge of Tomorrow – Exciting and thrilling, this pulse-pounding twisty SF tale again proves Cruise transcendent
BEST 2014 FOREIGN FILM, RUNNER-UP: Like Father, Like Son – Heartbreaking Japanese drama about two boys switched-at-birth.
BEST 2014 FOREIGN FILM: Wild Tales – This terrific darkly comic Argentine anthology is wacky, unpredictable, violent, and hilarious
BEST 2014 SCREENPLAY, RUNNER-UP: Gone Girl – A tricky adaptation done right
BEST 2014 SCREENPLAY: The Grand Budapest Hotel – A nested folding structure only enhances the Wes Anderson brand whimsy
BEST 2014 SCENE, RUNNER-UP: Classroom Car in Snowpiercer – The sojurn into the Snowpiercer classroom remains an unexpected surreal delight
BEST 2014 SCENE: Pentagon Jailbreak in X-Men: Days of Future Past – Quicksilver’s Time in a Bottle moment was absolute pure fun
BEST 2014 DOG IN FILM, RUNNER-UP: Winston (as Winston in Feast) – This animated Boston “terrier” simply eats up the competition
BEST 2014 DOG IN FILM: Special Agent Gibbs (as Diggity in Tracks) – Loyal and true, none could wish for a better Outback companion
5TH BEST 2014 ACTRESS: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood – The rock at the center of this inventive film should have been given more to do…
5TH BEST 2014 ACTOR: Tom Hardy, Locke/The Drop – A duo of amazing, transformative performances from Tom Hardy
4TH BEST 2014 ACTOR: Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel – His mannered concierge transcends caricature and ranks among his best work
4TH BEST 2014 ACTRESS: Julianne Moore, Still Alice – Brutally devastating portrayal of a descent from intellectualism to dementia
3RD BEST 2014 ACTRESS: Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer/Only Lovers Left Alive/The Grand Budapest Hotel – Tilda can do anything!
3RD BEST 2014 ACTOR: Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler – Who is this hypnotic reptile that has replaced Jake Gyllenhaal?
2ND BEST 2014 ACTOR: Jeremy Renner, The Immigrant/Kill the Messenger – Renner gives a pair of strong performances in two little-seen films
2ND BEST 2014 ACTRESS: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle/Beyond the Lights – Two standout performances herald great things from Gugu Mbatha-Raw
BEST 2014 ACTRESS: Essie Davis, The Babadook – As the distressed mother at the center of this horror spiral, Davis is simply amazing
BEST 2014 ACTOR: JK Simmons, Whiplash – An absolutely riveting performance as the snarling ball of spite who yet somehow inspires greatness
5TH BEST 2014 FILM: Belle – This beautiful romantic drama plays like a lost Jane Austen novel. A pure treasure!
4TH BEST 2014 FILM: The Imitation Game – This well acted and fascinating tale shows how a good, solid biopic should be done
3RD BEST 2014 FILM: The Grand Budapest Hotel – This quintessence of Wes Anderson films is a delight from start to finish
2ND BEST 2014 FILM: Citizenfour – A triumph. A vitally important historical document, as well as a top-of-the-line technothriller
BEST 2014 FILM: Whiplash – The mesmerizing battle of wills at the center of this abusive teacher-student tale is pure gold