The Top 10 Movies of 2014

2014 overall was a pretty solid year for film. When looked back on I think 2014 will be a year that people look at to see when the indie film industry struck back against the mainstream. Just look at the Best Picture nominations and you can see that the indie/art-house really hit hard this year. This is my top 10 list and admittedly there are some movies that I missed. Boyhood, Birdman, Selma and Whiplash were movies that earned high praise and that I wanted to see but unfortunately I was unable to see these films.

Before we get to the best of list, I wanted to a quick shout out, or in this case a dishonorable mention. What I mean by this is that I want to tell you my least favorite movie of 2014.

Annabelle. Seriously this movie is awful. It took everything about the original film (The Conjuring) that was good and threw it all out the window and made a by the numbers horror movie that wasn't scary in the least nor was it in interesting. For these reasons, Annabelle is my worst film of 2014.

...and now, the real list, my top 10 films of 2014, enjoy!

10. Unbroken – I reviewed this a few weeks back and I loved it. It’s a well-executed movie that is powerful and moving, all that being said, it’s not a movie you watch many times; it’s near 3 hours and incredibly draining just from the magnitude of the story. It’s well acted and looks gorgeous and I really think Angelina Jolie should’ve been nominated for Best Director.

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – 2014 was a hell of a year for Marvel movies and the Captain America sequel kicked it off. The movie straight up kicks ass and is my favorite phase 2 movies of the characters from The Avengers. This movie stepped up the intensity and the magnitude of the stand-alone Marvel movies and is all the better for it.

8. Fury – I didn’t get a chance to review this after I saw it but it was a great movie that was one of the most intense movies out there. Certain scenes in the tank were not only fun to watch but seriously raised my blood pressure. I would consider this to be the Saving Private Ryan of this decade, it’s gritty, gruesome and takes all of the romanticization out of war; plus Brad Pitt kicks ass.

7. As Above, So Below – The only horror movie to crack my top ten in one of the worst year for horror movies in recent memory. There really were only a few good horror movies this year and this was the best of the best. The movie is not only scary but it challenges your mind and goes in directions you wouldn’t think it ever would. It’s definitely a movie that makes you say/think “WTF” quite a few times and somehow, the ending does the whole movie justice.

6. Big Hero 6 – This was the last movie to make the list as it was the last movie I saw. While not a Marvel movie, it’s a Disney-made movie based off of a Marvel comic. This was not only the best family movie of the year it’s the best animated movie of the year (sorry The Lego Movie). This film has great animation and voice work but more importantly, it’s hysterical and has a lot of heart. This is a movie that I actually hope they make a sequel or two because as long as they keep the original cast and hopefully director, this could become a very good series; but as it sits now, it’s a fantastic stand-alone film.

5. 22 Jump Street – Speaking of sequels. Rarely does a sequel do its predecessor justice and even more rare does that happen with sequels. 22 Jump Street somehow manages to capture what was so great about the first movie and capitalizes on it and even surpasses the original. It’s the funniest movie of the year by far partially because it’s a very self-aware movie that knows what it is and doesn’t try to hide it at all.

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past - As said earlier, 2014 was a huge year for Marvel, X-Men, while not under the Marvel license a fantastic movie that attempted to combine the two timelines of X-Men movies we have through time travel while being able to erase the wretched third installment in the original trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand. This movie was incredibly good and for a little while was able to hold down my pick for best movie of the year.

3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Good god is this movie good. I wasn't sure they'd be able to top Rise of the Planet of the Apes especially with the departure of star James Franco but I was proven wrong. This film focuses much more on the apes, especially the political relationship and struggle between Caesar and and Koba. The movie was a fantastic sequel that surpassed the original film and really excites you for the third and possibly final installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot.

2. Interstellar - This movie. This movie is near 3 hours and the entire time in the theater I was not only on the edge of my seat but I was so beyond interested in the film and where it was going, it was crazy. As a kid I always loved outer space and the universe so to see a movie take what we know about outer space and push through the limits of it was the perfect film for me, especially since it was directed by Christopher Nolan who, if his next movie is just as good as the rest of his resume, may start to creep into my favorite director conversation along with Scorsese and Tarantino. What's truly great about this movie is that in channels your inner child and wonder yet still seems to be grounded in reality which is an incredibly thin line to walk.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy - Like you thought it'd be anything else. This film marks Marvel's fourth appearance on this list which may seem like a lot but this truly was one of their best years in a long time. Guardians was their most ambitious film yet as they chose a comic that not many people read that lacked name recognition with most people. This is also incredibly different from any other Marvel film out there, it's hysterical and most importantly it doesn't take itself too seriously and that's part of what makes this movie great. Another part is that the film really distinguishes itself from every other Marvel movie and brings a freshness to the cinematic universe which is very welcome. If you know me personally, this being my favorite movie of the year should come as no surprise as I couldn't stop talking about it.

Gone Girl - Review

Gone Girl.

DISCLAIMER: I did NOT read the book before or since seeing the film so this review is based solely off of the film.

Gone Girl is a mystery film directed by David Fincher (The Social Network, Fight Club) based on Gillian Flynn's book of the same name. The story follows Nick Dunne played by Ben Affleck who finds his wife is missing and becomes a prime suspect and public enemy number one in the process of trying to find her.

The main thing that this movie has going for it is the real suspense of knowing whether or not Dunne murdered or had to do with the disappearance of his wife Amy. Dunne is the first character we meet in the film and we gravitate toward him and see him as a protagonist and unconsciously believe he couldn't have killed his wife. The movie is absolutely excellent at making you doubt the prior statement and really begins to make you question whether or not he did and takes you along for the ride like you're a detective in the case. Once this suspense is lost, the movie and the story begin to drift.

The second thing this film has going for it is its performances. Everyone did a magnificent job, Affleck and Rosamund Pike (Amy Dunne) included but I wanted to mention someone I never thought I'd mention in the same sentence when it comes to the phrase "good acting": Tyler Perry. Yes, the man behind all of the Madea movies has some real acting chops. Perry impressed me and from what I've read from other critics, I'm not the only one. As a big shot lawyer who agrees to take on Nick Dunne's case, Perry convinces Nick and the audience that somehow, everything will be alright. Also my man, and everyone's man, Neil Patrick Harris is in the film and while he was great in his role, I felt the role was too small and rather underdeveloped for as good of an actor as Harris is. This criticism is based off of his character we get in the film as I'm sure the character in the book got more development than what was able to be shown.

The first act of this movie is phenomenal and if it was a short film of just the first hour, this would one of the best short films ever. The second act is questionable as the decisions made by the author were ones I did not like and the third act of this story really doesn't do much for me. Without giving anything the end of the movie was less than perfect and I've had multiple conversations about it with multiple people and it does succeed in getting you to talk about it long after the movie is over. There's not much that can be said without spoiling major plot points and in the honor of my "no spoiler' decree on my blog, I won't spoil anything.

Replay Value: 1/5, honestly, after Gone Girl ended, I had no intention to ever watch it again. Once it ends and you know how it all unfolds, it takes away from the original viewing experience with the cat and mouse game played up in the first act of the film. Re-watching would take away all of the suspense and all of the mystery surrounding the missing girl that would really take away from the movie's strongest points.

Rating: 3/5

Unbroken - Review

Unbroken.

Unbroken is the second film directed by Angelina Jolie starring Jack O'Connell as Louie Zamperini an Olympic runner who ends up fighting in World War II as a bombardier. After a near fatal crash landing that claimed most of his crew, Zamperini and two other survivors spend 47 days out in middle of the Pacific Ocean. After 47 days they get rescued by a Japanese boat and get taken prisoner and held in detainment.


Jack O'Connell's portrayal of Zamperini was phenomenal as was Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe played by Takamasa Ishihara also known by his stage name Myavi who is a singer-songwriter from Japan making his first venture into international acting with Unbroken.

First off, this movie is fantastic and running at about 2 hours and 20 minutes, the fact that I never even thought about glancing at my watch is feat in its own right. There's really not much to say about this movie because it's hard to talk about without giving spoilers but it's not only as good as it looks, it's better. Unbroken is enjoyable, inspirational and one of the best movies of the year.

Replay Value: 2/5, Unbroken has a pretty low replay value because much of the movie hinges on the "what's going to happen next?" question running through your brain; it also has pretty disturbing moments that you would rather not see again. This is similar to last year's 12 Years a Slave in that it's not a movie I'll watch very often but it's a movie I believe everyone should see.

Rating: 4.5/5

Somewhat of a Rant: I'm extremely happy that Angelina Jolie was the director to bring this story to life because as a 2014 survey discovered, only 6% of major movies are directed by females. In the 86 years of the Academy Awards only four times has a female director been nominated for Best Director and only once has a female won: Kathryn Bigelow in 2009 for The Hurt Locker. Of all of the major movies scheduled for release in 2015 only two notable films are being directed by women: Fifty Shades of Grey by Sam Taylor-Wood and Pitch Perfect 2 by Elizabeth Banks. These two films come from a list of major and nationally planned film releases that didn't consider indie movies in its list. Unbroken may be the catalyst that Hollywood needed in bringing out more women to direct more films as it has a well known member of Hollywood, Angelina Jolie, at the helm; and it was released on Christmas Day which is one of the biggest release days of the year in cinema and usually means a film is worthy of Oscar buzz. Jolie winning Best Director for this would be huge as she would be the second female ever to do so and the second in just 5 years which hopefully is a trend we will continue to see. This movie is fantastic and hopefully it opens more doors for female directors in Hollywood to being their visions to life.

Saturday the 14th: The Possession of Michael King - Review

The Possession of Michael King.

The Possession of Michael King is a 2014 found footage(ish) horror movie based around a man who is an atheist. The movie is directed by first time director David Jung who also wrote the film. The man, Michael King, is a recent widower and now single father to his young daughter. As stated earlier, King is an atheist and pretty much challengers either the Devil and his demons or God and his angels to prove they exist and take ahold of him. What ensues is a story in which at times you think he's actually possessed and at other times that it's all in his head and he's going insane; the movie keeps this debate going for quite a while and it's for the better.

Acting: The movie consists mainly of Shane Johnson portraying Michael King; Johnson, an unknown with mostly TV and extra work to his credit is given the helms to carry this movie as his character is alone for a good chunk of the movie. All other characters play small roles with maybe 15 minutes of screen time. Shane Johnson plays this role beautifully, this movie would fall flat on it's face if he couldn't hold his own but thankfully he does. It's not an Oscar-worthy performance but it's a better performance than I've seen in most nationally released horror films, especially in the last few years. I don't know if there's a horror award show but he deserves some type of award for this because he kills it, especially for a newcomer. Everyone else does well but honestly most of their characters aren't in it enough to make or break the movie.

But Is It Scary? Short answer: yes. This movie is scary definitely but it's more of a creepy type of horror. The film doesn't rely on jump scares which is rather refreshing in the horror era we're in. It has a good amount of visuals that stick in your head far after the end of the movie. Scariest movie of the year? Probably not. But it's definitely scary.

Is There Anything I Haven't Seen Before?: Short answer: kinda. The last decade of horror films has been riddled with possession stories and truthfully it's getting old. We've also seen 800(not an actual figure) "found footage" movies since the first Paranormal Activity came out back in 2007. This film separates itself from the pack by first making it more of a documentary style movie instead of a true found footage movie which is a nice change. Secondly, and most importantly, the movie tells the possession story from the viewpoint of the person being possessed instead of the people around him. This becomes incredibly interesting once the possession-like symptoms begin because it really makes you think whether or not it's real. It's a shame this movie wasn't released nationwide but it's currently on most video-on-demand services and to buy on DVD, if you don't want to commit to a physical copy I highly recommend renting it on demand as it's one of the most worthwhile horror movies of the year.

Overall: A great horror movie that any horror fan should enjoy that has enough story to entice horror detractors. You might have to go somewhat out of your way to actually find the film but I promise you it's well worth it. I was intrigued until the very end and couldn't keep my eyes off the screen or from guessing what was coming next and sometimes actually being wrong. Definitely best viewed at a loud volume in a dark room, for full effect of course.

Rating: 4/5, By far one of my favorite horror movies of the year that could very sneak into my top 10 films of 2014 depending on how Oscar season goes. Regardless of Oscar season I can't see this movie not being in my top 3 horror movies of the year, trust me, it's that good. Instead of going to see Annabelle this weekend, spend $5 on video-on-demand and watch this movie, I can assure you it's much better.

The Gambler - Review

The Gambler.

The Gambler is a film centered around Jim Bennett played by Mark Wahlberg who is an English professor who leads a hidden life in the high stakes gambling world. Without saying too much, Bennett gets in too deep and owes way too much money to too many people and has to find his way out of this alive.

One of the problems with this movie is that the supporting cast is stellar yet they get very little screen time. John Goodman and Michael Kenneth Williams absolutely stole the show; Goodman is beyond perfect for this role and Williams is just menacing as hell but somehow also gives a side of his character that is likable which is impressive as he threatens to kill Bennett multiple times. These are the two main "villains" of the movie and for how well the actors portrayed them, I wish we got to see them some more. Jessica Lange of American Horror Story fame plays Bennett's estranged mother and she's great in the role but like Goodman and Williams she's in maybe 3 or 4 scenes and you almost get the feeling that her talent might've been a little wasted. Brie Larson plays a student of Bennett and while she gives a good performance and it's good to see her getting more roles, her character really could've been played by almost anyone.

Another problem with the movie is that like Nightcrawler, it's dark, mildly disturbing and really makes you question your morals and the morals of the protagonist. Bennett isn't the most likable guy and does some incredibly unlikable things and at times makes it hard to really be on his side with everything going on.

All of that being said, I liked this movie quite a bit. As I said earlier, the supporting cast is stellar and Mark Wahlberg gives a great performance. I keep referring to Nightcrawler from earlier this year but the movies are pretty similar in a few ways; like Jake Gyllenhaal disappeared in his role in Nightcrawler, Wahlberg disappears in the role of Jim Bennett, you forget that you're watching Marky Mark and I'm telling you, he killed this role. The story might as well be a PSA for anti-gambling as it shows how dangerous, addictive and how quickly one persons addiction can bring in multiple people and get them in trouble as well.

Overall, the movie is supremely acted, well directed by Rupert Wyatt, director of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and with an intriguing story The Gambler will have your eyes glued to the screen. Some of its flaws definitely take the movie down a few pegs but the acting is what really saves this movie from letting its flaws ruin it. Mark Wahlberg may walk away with an Oscar nod for Best Actor but it's not an Oscar winning role in my eyes, that being said, it is one of his finer performances and them movie is well worth the price of admission.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Interview - Review

The Interview.

The Interview is a comedy starring Seth Rogen, James Franco and Randall Park centered around an American television personality (Franco) and his producer (Rogen) attempting to interview and assassinate Kim Jong-un (Park). If you haven't heard about the controversy surrounding this movie then you've clearly been living under a rock as the movie caused Sony to be hacked and later pulling the film from release which caused massive backlash from politicians and many working in Hollywood; Sony released the film to around 300 theaters along with online sites such as YouTube, GooglePlay and the Xbox marketplace. As a huge fan of Seth Rogen and James Franco separately and even more so when they work together, I was pumped to see this movie as soon as I saw the first trailer. Once Sony pulled it, I made it a personal mission to get my hands on this movie, I had to see it.

All of that being said, I really enjoyed this movie. This by far isn't the best comedy of the year, as 22 Jump Street set the bar pretty high but it's definitely funny. If you know Seth Rogen and James Franco and their brand of comedy, you should know what to expect; and if you like their brand of comedy you'll enjoy this movie. The movie is pretty much absurd, tasteless, stupid and really funny, just like every other Rogen/Franco venture. For me, that's a good thing as I love these two together, for others, they hate it.

There's really not a ton to say about this movie, as I said earlier, if you like Seth Rogen and James Franco, you'll like this movie, if you don't then you won't. The first act of the movie is definitely the funniest as it's normal shenanigans for Rogen/Franco, act two is pretty funny as it consists a lot of Franco and Jong-un becoming friends and getting into their own shenanigans and then act three is relatively when the shit, for lack of a better word, gets real. I really liked the movie, I thought it was funny and I thought they actually were able to bring up the issues of North Korea in a decent manner without being tasteless toward the people that live there.

Rating: 3.5/5

Draft Day - Movie Review

Draft Day.

Draft Day is a 2014 drama based around the 2014 NFL Draft. The football players depicted in the film are fictional although one running back is played by real life Houston Texan Arian Foster. The movie seems like a pretty big NFL commercial and considering the budget was $25 million, it wasn't too expensive especially considering the NFL collected $6 billion in revenue in 2013. Draft Day stars Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves, Man of Steel) and Jennifer Garner (Juno, Dallas Buyers Club). The film comes to us from director Ivan Reitman who brought us both of the Ghostbusters movies.

Plot: The premise of the film revolves around the general manager of the Cleveland Browns and his decisions on draft day. The Browns have the #7 pick in the draft and decide to trade their current 1st round pick along with the next 2 1st round picks to acquire the first overall pick in this draft from the Seattle Seahawks; this isn't a spoiler as it happens in the first 15 minutes of the movie. The fictional Bo Callahan is the unanimous first overall pick as said by the experts as the next Andrew Luck. The Cleveland GM then goes through the 12 hours up to the draft deciding what to do and whether or not Callahan is as sure of a thing as everyone thinks.

The Good: As a die-hard NFL fan this film naturally had some interest for me. It's well enough acted, no problems there but also no Oscar winners. The story is compelling enough but it's hard to see someone who doesn't like the NFL enjoying this movie. It's a good drama but it relies pretty heavily on intermediate knowledge of the NFL and some of its inner workings; that being said, since I love football I knew everything going on. The third act of the movie was pretty well executed and at parts, pretty intense. Once the draft starts the movie kicks into high gear and has by far the best moments of the movie.

The Bad: Not much really outside of it being really predictable. Once you get introduced to a few characters you can start to guess how everything's going to play out but there is a decent surprise at the end but not big enough to call it a twist. The characters themselves lack any real depth, they're pretty much cardboard cut outs of themselves and over the course of the near 2 hour movie no one really develops further than where they were the first time we meet them.

Overall: The problem with Draft Day isn't the story, the lackluster characters or the relatively boring 2nd act, the real problem with the movie is that it lacks real emotion. Once you finish the movie you're left underwhelmed feeling that this could've been done much better. Draft Day is the epitome of feeling indifference toward what you just watched, it's not so bad that it makes you angry nor it is it so good that it makes you cheer; it really just makes you shrug your shoulders and say "meh".

Rating: 2/5