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Post by Webber3000 on Jan 14, 2015 20:51:30 GMT -5
I've created a similar thread last year, but it didn't get much attention, so let's see if this does any better.  This is a place to post your favourite and/or least favourite films of 2014 and hopefully start a discussion. It can be a list comparing all films, or maybe just listing your favourites in certain aspects, like perhaps the best soundtrack, the most unexpected surprise, or the biggest disappointment. No rules really, just hoping to get a conversation going.
Here's my shot at it, just ranking all of the movies I watched in order from least favourite to favourite. Note that I feel that I haven't watched any movie that's absolute crap since I went into each one knowing a bit what to expect, though there are still a handful that weren't as good as I'd hoped. Of course, some entries are hard to compare, and my bias played a big role in the making of the list, but here goes nothing: 24. How to Train Your Dragon 2 23. Godzilla 22. Transformers: Age of Extinction 21. John Wick 20. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 19. Noah 18. Nightcrawler 17. RoboCop 16. Interstellar 15. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 14. X-Men: Days of Future Past 13. The Imitation Game 12. Guardians of the Galaxy 11. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 10. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 09. The Theory of Everything 08. The Lego Movie 07. The Fault in our Stars 06. Whiplash 05. Boyhood 04. The Grand Budapest Hotel 03. Gone Girl 02. Edge of Tomorrow 01. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes That's my list, I look forward to (hopefully) knowing your top movies of 2014, everyone! 
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Post by Spidey 1923 on Jan 16, 2015 21:32:33 GMT -5
Movies from 2014 that I've watched, ranking from favourite to least favourite:
1. Gone Girl
2. Birdman
3. Boyhood
4. Whiplash
5. The Imitation Game
6. Guardians of the Galaxy
7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
9. The Lego Movie
10.The Fault in Our Stars
11. X-Men Days of Future Past
12. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
13. Edge of Tomorrow
14. Godzilla
15. Interstellar
16. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Still need to see Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Theory of Everything and How to Train Your Dragon 2.
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Post by Webber3000 on Jan 17, 2015 11:23:47 GMT -5
Nice list! Though I'm surprised you ranked Edge of Tomorrow so low; I thought it was amazing.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jan 17, 2015 15:42:03 GMT -5
Likewise. Still though, your top 4 are all on the Oscar list for one reason or another. The only Oscar contender I've had an opportunity to check out this year is Selma. Actually, I don't know if that's up for any Oscars. David Oyelowo didn't make the cut for best actor this year, but it may be up for another award. What I'm wondering is, how did you get to see Birdman? Here in California the movie is playing in L.A. and maybe the bay area, but I can't travel 3 hours to see it. It's this whole thing: when will the movie get a wider release?
Let's see...
Selma
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Interstellar
Edge of Tomorrow
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Captain America: Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy
Big Hero 6
The Lego Movie
Into the Woods
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Amazing Spider-man 2
That said, I don't think I saw any movies this year that I disliked. Dragon 2 was at the disadvantage of having been built up so high as a sequel. On its own merits, it was pretty good, even if I thought the movie should have pursued its main character's quest to map out the rest of the world. Here's a list spun in a different way:
Best Special Effects: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Best Acting in a Superhero Film: Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone The Amazing Spider-man
Best Superhero Film: X-Men Days of Future Past
Favorite Superhero Film: Captain America 2
Most Fun: Guardians of the Galaxy
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Post by Webber3000 on Jan 17, 2015 16:08:26 GMT -5
Sweet list!
Strange that Birdman's not around your area though... I'm pretty sure it is playing in Montreal.
That said, I thought that How to Train Your Dragon 2 was by far the biggest disappointment of the year without considering the fact it completely put aside Hiccup's quest to map the world. My biggest issue with it is that the moral of the story is the opposite of that of the first movie. How to Train Your Dragon (1) was awesome for kids and adults alike, teaching us that we must always seek to understand others before judging them, and even for someone who might be an old conservative bigot, it's never too late to change. You just have to keep trying. Then came the sequel, claiming that some assholes are assholes forever and must be dealt with violently (Draco I think was the name of the main antagonist), and that you can judge someone very quickly, without fully understanding them (Hiccup's mother), albeit positively. It's not all bad; it has its funny moments, the animation's pretty smooth, and the voice acting remains top notch, but at the core, I felt it was rotten. It ruined the first film (which was awesome), and that's the worst thing a sequel can do. |
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Post by mr. excellent on Jan 17, 2015 17:10:47 GMT -5
Exactly! It's not that people shouldn't like the film for reasons a, b, and c. I just don't think the conclusions made about the direction the movie went make sense with regard to what the first movie set up. I honestly don't know how critics came to the conclusion that it was a proper sequel. The official synopsis at rottentomatoes reads: "Exciting, emotionally resonant, and beautifully animated, How to Train Your Dragon 2 builds on its predecessor's successes just the way a sequel should."
I read a lot of reviews after seeing the film, and don't take issue with their summary of critical consensus. It's like, what movie were they watching?
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Post by Spidey 1923 on Jan 17, 2015 17:53:20 GMT -5
Nice list! Though I'm surprised you ranked Edge of Tomorrow so low; I thought it was amazing. It probably should have been above Spidey on my list but I need to watch it again. Haven't seen it since the theatrical release. |
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Post by Webber3000 on Jan 17, 2015 17:59:03 GMT -5
Same here, so maybe my view of it is distorted as well.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jan 18, 2015 15:29:07 GMT -5
I totally forgot that I watched Godzilla. I'd put it below The Lego Movie, but above Into the Woods. Also, yesterday I watched Boyhood. That would rank, for me, below Interstellar but above Edge of Tomorrow.
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