Happy New Year!
Most years I see well over a hundred films, but in 2014 I saw only about fifty. Part of this was due to a tighter budget, but the biggest issue was that my local movie theater was torn down, making it a lengthy drive just to get to a mainstream theater. There's no proper art theater in the area, so I didn't have access to many indie or foreign films unless I made a gas-busting trip to Denver. I am one of the lucky few to still have a video rental place in the neighborhood, which allowed me to pick up the slack somewhat, even though their selection is rather dismal.
But I somehow still managed to see a lot of great films, at least enough to fill a year end Top 10 list... albeit with a few more blockbusters than usual.
Top 10 Films Released in 2014
1) Chef - John Favreau's best film is a fun and heartfelt father-son road trip that'll leave you craving a Cuban sandwich.
2) Guardians of the Galaxy - It made the 13 year old boy in me laugh, cry and cheer. For several weeks during the summer, this was the only movie I was willing to see.
3) Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Whether or not you like Superheroes, this movie was an exercise in tight, efficient storytelling. Genre filmmaking at its best.
4) Nightcrawler - Jake Gyllenhaal plays my favorite sociopath of 2014 in this creepy film about our thirst for sensationalism.
5) Calvary - What good is a priest when no one respects the Catholic Church? I don't know the answer, but this film asks the question in a powerful and entertaining way.
6) Tim's Vermeer - How did Vermeer paint his masterpieces? I still don't know, but in trying to find out, this film makes the case that its protagonist is just as brilliant as the Dutch artist.
7) The Grand Budapest Hotel - The most Wes-Andersony Wes Anderson film yet!
10) Edge of Tomorrow - Another example of extremely tight storytelling; Tom Cruise successfully brings video game plot structure to Hollywood.
***
Top 5 Films Seen In But Not Released in 2014
1) John Dies at the End - Gotta love them metaphysical, horror-comedies.
2) Under the Skin - Get inside the head of a space alien exploiting Earthlings here.
3) Definitely, Maybe - Maybe the best rom-com puzzle picture I've ever seen.
4) Bad Words - This movie is rude so I don't have to be.
Great review, there are several films above that I missed out seeing at the theater and will be on the look out for them, once available for rental.
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