Best Films of 2014
I do one list a year and will add to it throughout, ending with the Oscar's and the year's recap when I'll reassess their relative importance and ranking with the top 10 being my picks for the awards.
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- DirectorJames GunnStarsChris PrattVin DieselBradley CooperA group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.'Cause baby,
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you - DirectorTomm MooreStarsDavid RawleBrendan GleesonLisa HanniganBen, a young Irish boy, and his little sister Saoirse, a girl who can turn into a seal, go on an adventure to free the fairies and save the spirit world.Magical, Best Animated Feature Film
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsColin FirthEmma StoneMarcia Gay HardenA romantic comedy about an Englishman brought in to help unmask a possible swindle. Personal and professional complications ensue.Im always chasing rainbows, Watching clouds drifting by. My schemes are just like all my dreams, Ending in the sky..... Waiting to find a little bluebird, In vain.
- DirectorAkiva GoldsmanStarsColin FarrellJessica Brown FindlayRussell CroweA burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her.A beautiful and romantic fantasy
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsIan McKellenMartin FreemanRichard ArmitageBilbo Baggins and company are forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the Lonely Mountain from falling into the hands of a rising darkness.December 17th
- DirectorYuefeng SongStarsJiao XuGuanlin JiYing HuangLambert joins the Dragon Slayers' League to save Altera from the Black Dragon.Shimmeringly superb
- DirectorRobert StrombergStarsAngelina JolieElle FanningSharlto CopleyA vengeful fairy is driven to curse an infant princess, only to discover that the child could be the one person who can restore peace to their troubled land.Life sized fairies and evil human kings, which will prevail?
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsPatrick StewartIan McKellenHugh JackmanThe X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.X is the word!
- DirectorPip BroughtonStarsMichael SheenTom JonesMatthew RhysAn unique one-off collage of famous voices and faces, inter-cut with evocative imagery inspired by the play of the same name. Broadcast to celebrate the centenary year of the birth of the poet Dylan Thomas.Dylan Thomas' poetry is like vivid dreaming.
- DirectorJorge R. GutiérrezStarsDiego LunaZoe SaldanaChanning TatumManolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears.Book of the dead comes to life!
- DirectorWally PfisterStarsJohnny DeppRebecca HallMorgan FreemanA scientist's drive for artificial intelligence takes on dangerous implications when his own consciousness is uploaded into one such program.The impeccable Johnny Depp in a great story beautifully filmed.
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeDuring World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.Unfathomably brilliant mind unimaginably tragic life.
- DirectorZach BraffStarsZach BraffJoey KingPierce GagnonA struggling actor, father and husband finds himself at a major crossroads, which forces him to examine his life, his family and his career.Crying feels good
- DirectorAaron WilsonStarsKhan ChittendenMorning Tzu-Yi MoYoshi YamamotoSingapore, February 1942. An Australian fighter pilot is shot down over the jungle and must find his way back to Allied lines, through Japanese-held territory.Amazing - see review.
- DirectorGeorge ClooneyStarsGeorge ClooneyMatt DamonBill MurrayAn unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from German thieves and return them to their owners.Makes me want to be an art historian again!
- DirectorPeter ChelsomStarsSimon PeggRosamund PikeTracy-Ann ObermanA psychiatrist searches the globe to find the secret of happiness.Exuberant! Be a warrior.
- DirectorWilliam Robert CareyStarsAJ MichalkaBilly BurkeAlicia SilverstoneAn imaginative teenage girl, living in a mystical and dangerous community built on a deserted drive-in movie lot along the Texas/Oklahoma border, struggles to realize her potential, and escape the world she was born into.Most excellent
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsGary OldmanKeri RussellAndy SerkisThe fragile peace between apes and humans is threatened as mistrust and betrayal threaten to plunge both tribes into a war for dominance over the Earth.Best ape movie ever!
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.Be a man - watch it!
- DirectorMarc WebbStarsAndrew GarfieldEmma StoneJamie FoxxWhen New York is put under siege by Oscorp, it is up to Spider-Man to save the city he swore to protect as well as his loved ones.
- DirectorGabe IbáñezStarsAntonio BanderasBirgitte Hjort SørensenDylan McDermottHuman race is at edge of the end. Robot race is at edge of the beginning.Cleo darling!
- DirectorFrank MillerRobert RodriguezStarsMickey RourkeJessica AlbaJosh BrolinSome of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.
- DirectorMike LeighStarsTimothy SpallPaul JessonDorothy AtkinsonAn exploration of the last quarter century of the great, if eccentric, British painter J.M.W. Turner's life.A canvass of artistic vision
- DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsReese WitherspoonLaura DernGaby HoffmannA chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent personal tragedy.A wild ride (or walk)
- DirectorRussell CroweStarsRussell CroweOlga KurylenkoJai CourtneyAn Australian man travels to Turkey after the Battle of Gallipoli to try to locate his three missing sons.Diving what's there out of sight.
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsBrad PittShia LaBeoufLogan LermanA grizzled tank commander makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across Germany in April, 1945.Tanks & men with guns in war so maybe we won't forget.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsRalph FiennesF. Murray AbrahamMathieu AmalricA writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.A place dreams can stay awhile.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.A stellar performance, out-of-this-world visuals.
- DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsMichael KeatonZach GalifianakisEdward NortonA washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.Oct 17th
- DirectorFrancis LawrenceStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.Crafting revolution.
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsScarlett JohanssonMorgan FreemanChoi Min-sikA woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
- StarsAdrien BrodyKristen ConnollyEvan JonesFollow the man behind the magic as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists and encounters the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Grigori Rasputin.
- DirectorNoam MurroStarsSullivan StapletonEva GreenLena HeadeyGreek general Themistocles of Athens leads the naval charge against invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsChris EvansSamuel L. JacksonScarlett JohanssonAs Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he teams up with a fellow Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Black Widow, to battle a new threat from history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsTom CruiseEmily BluntBill PaxtonA soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.
- DirectorNeil BurgerStarsShailene WoodleyTheo JamesKate WinsletIn a world divided by factions based on virtues, Tris learns she's Divergent and won't fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it's too late.
- DirectorChristian De VitaStarsArthur DupontSara ForestierBruno SalomoneA hero's journey with a most unlikely hero. Yellowbird is a teeny tiny orphaned bird that has never left the nest, has no family, yet desperately wants one - That is, until he finds himself leading a flock on their migration to Africa.Takes flight and soars!
- DirectorBrett RatnerStarsDwayne JohnsonJohn HurtIan McShaneHaving endured his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord.Very strong!
- DirectorGary ShoreStarsLuke EvansDominic CooperSarah GadonAs his kingdom is being threatened by the Turks, young prince Vlad Tepes must become a monster feared by his own people in order to obtain the power needed to protect his own family, and the families of his kingdom.The telling of which was uniquely good.
- DirectorJosh BooneStarsShailene WoodleyAnsel ElgortNat WolffHazel and Gus are teenagers who meet at a cancer support group and fall in love. They both share the same acerbic wit and a love of books, especially "An Imperial Affliction", so they embark on a journey to visit an author in Amsterdam.Okay, okay, okay
- DirectorMark RasoStarsGethin AnthonyFrederikke Dahl HansenSebastian ArmestoWhen the girl of your dreams is half your age, it's time to grow up.
- DirectorJon FavreauStarsJon FavreauRobert Downey Jr.Scarlett JohanssonA head chef quits his restaurant job and buys a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.Gotta get me some of that!
- DirectorMichael BayStarsMark WahlbergNicola Peltz BeckhamJack ReynorWhen humanity allies with a bounty hunter in pursuit of Optimus Prime, the Autobots turn to a mechanic and his family for help.
- DirectorJonathan LiebesmanStarsMegan FoxWill ArnettWilliam FichtnerWhen a kingpin threatens New York City, a group of mutated turtle warriors must emerge from the shadows to protect their home.Bunch of mutant adolescent reptiles doing kung-fu.
- DirectorAlex Ross PerryStarsJason SchwartzmanElisabeth MossJonathan PryceWhen a self-obsessed novelist (Jason Schwartzman) has problems with his novel and his girlfriend (Elisabeth Moss), he seeks refuge in his mentor's cottage where the peace and quiet allow him to focus on his favorite subject - himself.Honestly now!
- DirectorMike CahillStarsMichael PittSteven YeunAstrid Bergès-FrisbeyA molecular biologist and his laboratory partner uncover evidence that may fundamentally change society as we know it.Transmigratory imagination!
- DirectorWilliam EubankStarsBrenton ThwaitesOlivia CookeBeau KnappOn a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness - only to find himself in a waking nightmare.
- DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsAaron Taylor-JohnsonElizabeth OlsenBryan CranstonThe world is beset by the appearance of monstrous creatures, but one of them may be the only one who can save humanity.
- DirectorRob PearlsteinStarsTyler LabineDamon Wayans Jr.Hayes MacArthurThree friends plot to get rid of their socially inappropriate friend by finding him a wife, but when he meets a woman just like him, their problems double.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBen AffleckRosamund PikeNeil Patrick HarrisWith his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
- DirectorJason MomoaStarsJason MomoaRobert Homer MollohanLisa BonetWolf, a Native American on the run after avenging his mother's murder, flees across the desolate American West on his motorcycle, where he'll discover that justice has a cost.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsRussell CroweJennifer ConnellyAnthony HopkinsNoah is chosen by God to undertake a momentous mission before an apocalyptic flood cleanses the world.Biblical
- DirectorBrian KnappenbergerStarsAaron SwartzTim Berners-LeeCindy CohnThe story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.Yea, demand progress!
- DirectorNed BensonStarsJames McAvoyJessica ChastainViola DavisOne couple's story as they try to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone.Where do all the lonely people come from?
- DirectorMatthew WarchusStarsBill NighyImelda StauntonDominic WestU.K. gay activists work to help miners during their lengthy strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984.solidarity counts
- DirectorGraham AnnableAnthony StacchiStarsBen KingsleyJared HarrisNick FrostA young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator.Are you one of them?
- DirectorGerard JohnstoneStarsMorgana O'ReillyRima Te WiataGlen-Paul WaruA young woman is forced to return to her childhood home after being placed under house arrest, where she suspects that something evil may be lurking.
- DirectorAva DuVernayStarsDavid OyelowoCarmen EjogoOprah WinfreyA chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.In memory of Martin Luther King lets remember the power of non-violence.
- DirectorMichael HoffmanStarsJames MarsdenMichelle MonaghanLuke BraceyA pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.A sweet, sweet romance with some hard edges, as in life.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsBrenton ThwaitesJeff BridgesMeryl StreepIn a seemingly perfect community without war, pain, suffering, differences or choices, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man, the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsTobey MaguireLiev SchreiberPeter SarsgaardSet during the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers and his own struggles as he challenges the Soviet Empire.A game of no lies in a world full of them.
- DirectorBennett MillerStarsSteve CarellChanning TatumMark RuffaloU.S. Olympic wrestling champions and brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz join "Team Foxcatcher", led by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont, as they train for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, but John's self-destructive behavior threatens to consume them all.Steve Carell's Oscar
- DirectorJean-François PouliotStarsVinay VirmaniAdrianne PalickiKunal NayyarAn Indian doctor emigrates to Canada in the hope of starting a new life, but bureaucracy confines him to life as a taxi driver. When he cannot suppress his desire to practice medicine, he begins illegally treating patients from his cab.Ganesh majestic
- DirectorSusanne BierStarsBradley CooperJennifer LawrenceRhys IfansIn Depression-era North Carolina, the future of George Pemberton's timber empire becomes complicated when he marries Serena.
- DirectorLenny AbrahamsonStarsMichael FassbenderDomhnall GleesonMaggie GyllenhaalJon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.
- DirectorDon HallChris WilliamsStarsRyan PotterScott AdsitJamie ChungA special bond develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who together team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.Nov 7th, Disney
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsAmy AdamsChristoph WaltzDanny HustonA drama about the awakening of painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.Dec 25th, Tim Burton
- DirectorJ.C. ChandorStarsOscar IsaacJessica ChastainDavid OyelowoIn New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history.Nov 18th
- DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsMiles TellerJ.K. SimmonsMelissa BenoistA promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.Very upbeat.
- DirectorMichael CuestaStarsJeremy RennerRobert PatrickJena SimsJournalist Gary Webb, California 1996, started investigating CIA's role in the 1980s in getting crack cocaine to the black part of LA to get money and weapons to the Contra insurgents in Nicaragua.Reagan's ghost haunt our streets.
- DirectorPhilip MartinStarsJohn TravoltaChristopher PlummerTye SheridanA thief works with his father and son to forge a painting by Monet and steal the original. Together, they plan the heist of their lives.
- DirectorRyan MurphyStarsMark RuffaloJonathan GroffFrank De JulioIn the early 1980s, the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York led to an emergence of homosexual activists. With support from the medical community, they try to raise awareness about the disease.John T's no fake
- DirectorRob MarshallStarsAnna KendrickMeryl StreepChris PineA 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.
- DirectorRoger AllersGaëtan BrizziPaul BrizziStarsLiam NeesonSalma HayekQuvenzhané WallisExiled artist and poet Mustafa embarks on a journey home with his housekeeper and her daughter; together the trio must evade the authorities who fear that the truth in Mustafa's words will incite rebellion.
- DirectorFrank WhaleyStarsJulian ShatkinOlga MeredizDebra MessingLiving with abundant resources, 12-year-old cello prodigy Reggie lives a solitary life in Manhattan; estranged from family, jobless, and having boyfriend problems, sometime-musician 23-year-old Eleanor needs a new job and residence.in early summer morning dew light
- DirectorKen LoachStarsBarry WardFrancis MageeAileen HenryDuring the Depression, Jimmy Gralton returns home to Ireland after ten years of exile in America. Seeing the levels of poverty and oppression, the activist in him reawakens and he looks to re-open the dance hall that led to his deportation.Siúil a Rún
- DirectorIra SachsStarsJohn LithgowAlfred MolinaMarisa TomeiAfter Ben and George get married, George is fired from his teaching post, forcing them to stay with friends separately while they sell their place and look for cheaper housing -- a situation that weighs heavily on all involved.
- DirectorAngelina JolieStarsJack O'ConnellMiyaviDomhnall GleesonAfter a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
- DirectorMichael SpierigPeter SpierigStarsEthan HawkeSarah SnookNoah TaylorAs his last assignment, a temporal agent is tasked to travel back in time and prevent a bomb attack in New York in 1975. The hunt, however, turns out to be beyond the bounds of possibility.Aug 28th
- DirectorGregg ArakiStarsShailene WoodleyEva GreenChristopher MeloniIn 1988, a teenage girl's life is thrown into chaos when her mother disappears.Sept 25th
- DirectorJohn Michael McDonaghStarsBrendan GleesonChris O'DowdKelly ReillyAfter he is threatened during a confession, a good-natured priest must battle the dark forces closing in around him.
- DirectorJames GriffithsStarsNick FrostRashida JonesChris O'DowdBeneath Bruce Garrett's under-confident, overweight exterior, the passionate heart of a salsa king lies dormant. Now, one woman is about to reignite his Latin fire.Salsa baby!
- DirectorAndrew ErwinJon ErwinStarsSarah DrewSean AstinPatricia HeatonHardworking mom Allyson has a crazy night out with her friends, while their husbands watch their children.Heartwarming and hillarious
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsDenzel WashingtonMarton CsokasChloë Grace MoretzA man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him cannot stand idly by when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsChristian BaleJoel EdgertonBen KingsleyThe defiant leader Moses rises up against Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.Dec 12th
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsJoaquin PhoenixJosh BrolinOwen WilsonIn 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles private investigator Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.
- DirectorJohn FiegeStarsJulia Trigg CrawfordDavid DanielEleanor FairchildOne man risks family and future to stop the tar sands of the Keystone XL pipeline from crossing his land. Shot in the forests, pastures, and living rooms of rural East Texas, Above All Else follows David Daniel, a retired high-wire artist, as he rallies neighbors and environmental activists to join him in a final act of brinkmanship: a tree-top blockade of the controversial pipeline. What begins as a stand against corporate bullying becomes a rallying cry for climate protesters nationwide. As in his previous film, Mississippi Chicken, director John Fiege puts a human face on a complex case of social injustice, again capturing the South in its beauty and contradiction and revealing the intimate, often unfathomable, experience of creating social change at the grassroots.Keystone XL activism