Note: This list is based solely off my own personal opinion of what I thought were the best movies released in 2014 and is ordered alphabetically (not including the runner-ups which are listed before the top 10). To qualify for this list, a movie must have had a limited or wide theatrical release in 2014 (festival screenings alone do not count); I would like to mention I was not able to watch every movie released in 2014.
In 2013, former CIA system administrator and counterintelligence trainer for the DIA leaked information that the NSA had been spying on millions of Americans as well as non-American citizens all over the world. Sparking severe public outcry, the NSA and the federal government justified their actions by saying it was all for national security. Shortly after, Snowden was charged with espionage; but by that point he had already fled the country and is currently living in Russia. "Citizenfour" chronicles the initial meetings where Snowden told everything and the immediate fallout. There are two common believes felt towards Snowden, that he is a patriot or a traitor; either way, it is very interesting to here his side of the story and why he did it in this documentary. A possible front runner for best documentary at the Oscars, "Citizenfour" is one of the most informative and interesting films of the year.
Directed by Bennett Miller, this was one of my most anticipated movies of the year since I saw the trailer a few months back. Based off the heartbreaking true story, the film follows Olympic gold medalist brothers Mark and Dave Schultz and there interactions with millionaire John du Pont leading up to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Probably the stand out aspect of the film would be the acting; Steve Carell and Channing Tatum both give career defining performances, even co-star Mark Ruffalo gives one of the best supporting performances of the year. You add that to beautiful cinematography, great writing, a disturbing and haunting plot, and Oscar worthy directing from Miller, "Foxcatcher" manages to be one of the standout films in a year filled with great movies.
Since their debut film "Castle in the Sky" in 1986, Studio Ghibli has established themselves as one of the best animation studios in the world. Last year though, one of the founders and the cornerstone of the studio Hayao Miyazaki announced his retirement. Many were worried since much of the studio's success is often related directly to him; but after there first film since his since his departure, "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" is reassuring that the studio will continue to be great. Based off of a Japanese folk tale, the story follows a young girl found in a bamboo patch who's adoptive father builds a life for her he thinks she deserves. She then has to find herself, is she who she wants to be or who she is expected to be. Maybe the most gorgeous hand drawn animation of all time, this movie is an instant classic. Complex, emotional, and down right beautiful, this movie is something special and a serious contender for best animated feature at the Oscars.
Over the past two years or so, Netflix has established itself as one of the leading original content producers in the entertainment industry. Most known for their original shows, in 2013 they dipped their foot into the documentary pool with the critically acclaimed "The Square:" which even went on to be nominated for an Oscar. In 2014, one of their new documentaries is going for the Oscar again. "Virunga" follows a group of rangers as they defend the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from rebels, poachers, and an oil company that wants to drill in the area. The park is home to some of the last critically endangered mountain gorillas in the world, as well as the only ones in captivity. Showing a look at the politics of wildlife protection and the emotional story of the men who would be willing to die for these animals, "Virunga" might be the best documentary of the year.
Of the few dozen movies I've seen this year, none were as enthralling as this one. "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)," is very arguably the best movie of the year. The film follows a down and out former star as he attempts to resurrect his career with a Broadway play, but conflicts with his actors, family, and even himself seem to make this task impossible. Despite being low key most of the year, "Birdman" has emerged as one of 2014's stand out films. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the film is magic from beginning to end. Its incredible cinematography, great acting, percussion score, and social criticisms all come together to make something truly special. "Birdman" isn't just a movie, it is art; it is going to be studied and analyzed in film courses in schools for years to come. No movie this year was quite like it, and we probably won't see one that is for a long time.
Originally obtaining its budget through KickStarter, "Blue Ruin" is easily the best crowd sourced movie ever made. The story follows a homeless man who learns the man responsible for his parent's death is being released from prison; he then has to make a choice, let sleeping dogs lie or take his revenge. "Blue Ruin" follows the style of the classic American revenge thriller, we are taken on an emotional roller coaster pain and suffering. While it may be the most thrilling and nail biting movie I've seen in a long time, the film has flown pretty low under the radar. Grossing less than a million dollars in its limited release, most only heard about it after all the praise that it recieved from critics. "Blue Ruin" has all the makings of being an American classic, and is certainly one of the best of the year.
I'll go ahead and say it, "Boyhood" is a goddamn tour-de-force in every single way. Written and directed by Richard Linklater, the movie was filmed over a period of twelve years. It follows the story of a young boy from grade school to college while dealing with troubles like his divorced parents, abusive step father, and other troublesome aspects of growing up. I think what made this movie so great in my eyes was that it stuck an emotional chord with me. I lived few some of the experiences the main character, I was having flashbacks to my own childhood. Everything this movie did was perfect, the writing, directing, acting, cinematography and just about everything else was done as well as it could have been. This list is in alphabetical order but I am confident in saying that "Boyhood" is the best movie of the year; it may even be one of the best of the decade.
Going into 2014, there were few movies more highly anticipated than "Gone Girl." Directed by the legendary David Fincher, the movie is based off the 2012 bestselling novel of the same name. The film follows a couple stuck in a loveless marriage, and on the day of their fifth anniversary the wife goes missing. Shortly after, everyone starts to point fingers at the husband who does anything possible to convince people it wasn't him. Arguably the smartest movie of the year, it takes several twists and turns that left my jaw on the floor. Complimented by several great performances from the lead actors and Fincher's trademark style, "Gone Girl" will be listed alongside some of his best movies. An impressive box office success, it's movies like this that gives me hope that the film industry isn't dead.
Behind Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson might be my favorite director; and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is one of his best movies. Taking place during the early 20th century in a fictional European country, the film follows the concierge a luxurious hotel and his lobby boy. After a former lover of his is murdered, the concierge goes to pay his respect only to discover that she left him a priceless painting; unfortunately for him, the police are fairly certain that he did it. So it's up to him and his lobby boy to clear his name and discover the truth. Anderson has always been known for his dry and dark sense of humor and this may be his funniest movie, there were a several times where I laughed out loud. Beautifully shot, expertly acted, and filled with cameos, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is a movie that just about everyone would like.
The first "How to Train Your Dragon" is my favorite animated movie of all time; and considering how much I love movies like "Spirited Away" and "Frozen," that's really saying something. Based off the book series of the same name, the story follows a young man named Hiccup as he continues to learn as much about dragons and the world around his small village as he can. While his father the chief wants him to settle down and lead the village, Hiccup isn't sure what he wants to do but knows he isn't ready to be chief yet. But when a mad man rolls into town looking to control all the lands, Hiccup's leadership skills are truly put to the test. "How to Train Your Dragon 2," is one of the best sequels ever made; it does everything a sequel should do. It continues what the previous film did right while improving upon some necessary areas. Funny, heartbreaking, and downright beautiful, this is a movie that will be fun for the entire family.
Watching "Nightcrawler," it is hard to believe that it is the directorial debut of Dan Gilroy. The story follows Louis, a hardworking young man looking for success in Los Angeles. After coming upon a car wreck one evening, he witnesses freelance journalists called nightcrawlers who look for entertaining stories after dark. Believing he can do it, he quickly makes a name for himself in the business through his less than legal measures. All he has to do is make sure he isn't killed in the process. Featuring one of the year's best original screenplays as well as an Oscar worthy performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler" is a dark and critical look at the media absorbed world that we live in. While it may be too intense for some, "Nightcrawler" is one of the year's standout films.
In 2011, director Gareth Evans released the best action movie of the past decade, "The Raid: Redemption." This past year the sequel was released, and it may be one of the greatest action movies of all time. "The Raid 2: Berandal" starts off almost immediately after the events of the previous film, SWAT officer Rama escaped near death but is almost immediately brought into an anti-corruption task squad, where he is charged with going undercover to eliminate two of the largest crime families in the country. "The Raid 2" is a two and a half hour masterpiece of violence and chaos. It took everything the first film did right and cranked it up to eleven. And unlike the previous film, an interesting story and smart dialog was written into it. From start to finish "The Raid 2: Berandal" grabbed my attention and never let go, and may be my favorite movie of the year.
It's been a while since we've had a great prison film, and "Starred Up" might be the best since "The Shawshank Redemption." The story follows a troubled young felon as he is transferred from a juvenile facility to a high security prison. It shows him adjusting to his new surroundings while simultaneously learning to control his actions and get along with other inmates. Despite being a small time movie, it has more thrills than most big summer blockbusters. I originally heard about this movie after seeing it was one of the highest rated films of the year on Rotten Tomatoes. A breakout performance for Jack O' Connell, this is one of the year's biggest surprises. "Starred Up" is one of the best independent films of the year, and has the makings to be an instant prison movie classic.
While independent films are often ignored at major award shows such as the Oscars, I'm really hoping "Whiplash" and all of its acclaim manage to get it recognized. The film follows a young man named Andrew, a jazz drummer at one of the most prestigious music schools in the country. One day he is noticed by the director of the schools top band, he is eventually asked to join as backup drums. Andrew quickly finds out though that the director is a cruel task master who will accept nothing less than perfect, and will use both physical and psychological abuse to obtain that perfection. Despite this Andrew still dreams of being the best, and will bleed for his dreams if he has to. With powerful performances from Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons in the lead roles, as well as great cinematography and one of the best soundtracks of the year; "Whiplash" is nothing short of astonishing, and it may be the best independent film of 2014.
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Best Animated Feature: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Director: Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Best Documentary Feature: Tie- Citizenfour/Virunga
Best Film Editing: Birdman
Best Foreign Language Film: The Raid 2: Berandal
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Original Score: Tie- Birdman/Interstellar
Best Original Song: Where No One Goes (How to Train Your Dragon 2)
Best Picture: Boyhood
Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Sound Editing: Interstellar
Best Sound Mixing: Interstellar
Best Visual Effects: Interstellar
Best Adapted Screenplay: Gone Girl
Best Original Screenplay: Tie- Birdman/Boyhood
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