My pick for 10th best movie of 2014 goes to "Grand Budapest Hotel".
Wes Anderson has once again crafted a wholly unique, vibrant, and exciting narrative oozing
with personality.
Three parallel stories are shared in three separate aspect ratios - but Ralph Fiennes
turns in a goofy and endearing performance that's impossible to look away from.
A surprisingly good time - this was an obvious choice to begin my list.
Grabbing the 9th spot is David Fincher's latest: "Gone Girl".
This was an unpredictable, sexy, and smart thriller that had me engrossed every step
of the way.
And Rosamund Pike gave one of my favorite performances of the year.
A modern twist on the classic abduction thriller story, it also had a chilling score.
It's fitting that the 8th slot goes to the eighth film in a franchise, "Dawn Of The Planet
Of The Apes".
Excellent motion-capture CGI set within a ruined future made for some great action sequences,
and effective emotional moments.
This is the sort of layered and complex narrative the "Apes" series has been waiting for, and
it totally delivered.
I can't wait to see where they take the long-running franchise next.
I had been anticipating my 7th pick for years - so when I finally saw "The Fault In Our
Stars", I was really overcome with emotion.
My friend John Green wrote a beautiful story, and Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort provide
fantastic performances that will make even the strongest of constitutions breakdown and
cry.
A real and faithful romance story worth seeing at least once.
My sixth favorite is "The LEGO Movie".
Even to this day, I'm a ridiculously huge fan of the toys... and this fast-paced, cameo-filled,
humor-laced action adventure gave me everything I could have hoped for.
The voice talents of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, and Will Arnett only sealed the deal.
It's not only flashy, and funny - but shares a really touching message that adults and
children alike can appreciate.
Number five...
"Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" - a masterful combination of believable dialogue,
pitch-perfect acting, and one incredible camera-move that lasts for the entire 119-minute picture.
There are obviously edits hidden throughout, but this illusion of a single, unbroken steady-cam
shot that effortlessly glides from setup to setup was beautiful to watch unfold.
Michael Keaton draws from personal experience with an nuanced performance as a washed up
movie star looking to find relevance again - and I can only hope he'll receive some recognition
from the Academy for his work here.
Containing my favorite performance of the year, "Nightcrawler" comes in at number four.
Jake Gyllenhaal is remarkable and frightening as a bottom-feeding opportunity who will do
anything for a leg-up in the world of late-night news journalism.
The music, cinematography and story are all top-notch, but it's the exciting climax that
was perhaps the most thrilling sequence I saw all year.
Top-three territory...
"Guardians Of The Galaxy" was perhaps the most fun I've had at the cinema in ages: a
fast, hilarious, and action-packed superhero film that gets every ingredient of its massive
recipe correct.
Chris Pratt is now a bona fide movie star, and from the opening moments of him dancing
to Redbone, to an explosive climax: it's impossible not to smile and enjoy yourself while watching
this picture.
It mayn't have been deep or philosophical, but it was fresh take on an old formula - and
one of I'll have no problem re-watching again and again.
My runner-up for best film of the year goes to "Edge Of Tomorrow" - a breath of fresh
air in the bloated sci-fi action genre, Tom Cruise is at his best here.
The visuals and action are absolutely incredible, but it's the dry-wit and humor of this fast-paced
narrative that make it work so effortlessly.
The repeating time-loop concept made famous in "Groundhog Day" receives a big-budget alien-infested
treatment here, and it totally works - I only wish more people paid money to see it.
Now, for some honorable mentions... these are the pictures I scored a nine out of ten,
but unfortunately didn't quite make my list: the musical-drama "Whiplash" has astonishing
performances from Miles Teller and J.K.
Simmons in a fierce and emotional film that pulls you in at the start and never lets go.
"How To Train Your Dragon 2" was an excellent follow-up to one of my favorite original animated
pictures of the last few years, while "X-Men: Days Of Future Past" found an intriguing way
to combine the casts of yesteryear and today into a fun, action-packed thrill ride.
Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" was a cinematic marvel... portraying the same group of characters
over 12-years of their lives... and "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" fixed all the flaws of its unneeded
predecessor with some high-stakes battles and complicated characters.
And finally...
my pick for the best movie of 2014 goes to...
"Interstellar".
No real surprise here, Christopher Nolan's latest effort is also his most ambitious,
and a modern masterpiece of everything I appreciate about cinema.
It had ideas, images, and sounds I had never even dreamed of before: packaged together
in an intriguing sci-fi story about love, hope, and loss... anchored by spectacular
Oscar-winning actors.
The type of inspirational and moving experience that stays with you long after the credits
roll, this is one picture that truly resonated, and it was my favorite for the year.