Another year, another list of the best and worst films I had the opportunity to see in 2014. I say "opportunity", as going to see a film or sitting down in the comfort of my living room or putting on a BluRay disc before bedtime seems to be a luxury these days. Gone are the years where I'd see upwards of 50 films or so, most of them in theatres. Nowadays, if my daughter wants to see it, we usually go see it in theatres, and if my daughter can't watch it, I tend not to view it even at home. This seriously limits the breadth of films I used to watch, while at the same time makes my Best and Worst list a good indicator for families with a love for film. However, as she gets older, we get to watch more grown up fare and I look forward to her eventually watching Pulp Fiction, The Shining, and Fight Club alongside her old man.
Oddly enough, I still manage to maintain an average of thirty or so films a year in my annual viewing schedule. This doesn't seem plausible, but when I look at my list, binging tends to happen around vacation time, with long stretches of no films whatsoever. Film watching tends to go in spurts generally, because when we see a film we enjoy, it makes us want to see more. Until you see one that is brutal or just plain uneventful, making us think twice before spending our money. Innovations like Netflix make it easier to watch more films we wouldn't otherwise see, while at the same time, opening us up to more misfires. Be careful in 2015, it can be a minefield out there.
If I had to summarize the films I saw in 2015, I would have to say that there were many good ones that pleasantly surprised me, while at same time, very few that I can say I absolutely love. This was the first time in several years that my number one film was a slam dunk, easy choice. You'll have to read further to find out why and if you enjoy reading, please follow me @joejameskireel on Twitter to get reviews mere minutes after I see the film!!! Here are the Top 10 Films (out of the 38 I saw in total, 22 in theatres) in 2014...
10. 2014 Oscar Bait films; Ok, so I'm cheating a little here. Anyone who has read my previous Top 10s (if you haven't, go check them out...they are on the side bar or you can click on each year and go to the final post of each December), you know that I tend to try and squeeze an extra film in somehow, especially when I'm feeling like one isn't all that greater than another.
You may also have noticed that all the films being touted around this time, the award season films, I don't get to watch until a full year later, which makes them a blase choice for my year end Top 10, they're so old and (often) overhyped. So, to save space while including a bunch of films I enjoyed last year from the 2014 Oscar race, my tenth spot goes to
Gravity,
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,
American Hustle and
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I know that last one wasn't on too many award shows, but it was a step up from the first Hunger Games film, in that it found a director equally comfortable with action and empathy. Strangely, I've had zero urge to see Mockingjay Part One, probably because it is being unnecessarily split into two movies. Gravity was an amazing visual experience, Walter Mitty delighted in reminding us that Ben Stiller can still make quirky human dramas and American Hustle was just a lot of fun. If you watched it willing to laugh, it was a hoot. Look for more outdated 2015 Oscar films from 2014 to appear on my list next year.
9.
Into the Woods; Maybe it's because it was the most recent, or maybe because it was a rather enjoyable surprise, but this film was a riot. I think I may be a Stephen Sondheim fan and not even know it.
Sweeney Todd was a deliciously evil treat and this adaptation is equally dark and funny. From the opening prologue you are swept inside the fairy tale mashup and by the time the two princes thrash about by the rocky waterfall, you have thrown your love to this film even if it cause you
agony! Sure, the movie doesn't know when to end but when you have a play's worth of songs and you want to be faithful, you try to include as much as you can. I'm not sure if it will hold up over time but in this day and age that is filled with fractured fairy tales in all kinds of books, film and television, this was a welcome nod to the original tales filled with fine performances.
8.
The Book of Life; I had a love/hate experience with this film. I love it for what it is but hate it for what more it could have been. Unlike the film in the ninth spot, this animated sight to see would have been more enjoyable if it played to the sophistication of children instead of treating it like kiddie fair. The movie would have been better served to take a tone a little more
Coraline or
The Secret of Kells and lot less like Madagascar or Shrek. The art work is astounding, filled with images and a style unlike most of what we've seen in 21st Century animation. The underworld is spectacularly vibrant, not unlike Corpse Bride, but with a sense of culture and history. The Spanish flavoured cover songs, a little annoying at first, started to grow on me throughout the film. I look forward to viewing this one again to see if it maintains its joy or wears out its welcome.
7.
X-Men: Days of Future Past; This film was quite an achievement, taking what is essentially the seventh film in the franchise (counting the Wolverine films), with a returning director at the helm, and what should have been an overcrowding of cast members, to craft a solid, thrilling instalment that not only cleans up the storylines, but propels them forward. The old and young versions of mutants play off each other's performances well, while Hugh Jackman's defining role ties it all together nicely. Amazingly, while the old standbys deliver performances we've come to expect and enjoy, the newest mutants give us the most memorable moments, like the unforgettable scene of
Quicksilver enjoying Time in a Bottle. Like all time travel movies, there's a chance the timelines don't make sense but it doesn't detract from the pure enjoyment of this film.
6.
The Boxtrolls; Laika Studios does it again, offering us a wholly original tale, infusing their stop motion wizardry with European flair. The marriage of the bizarre fantasy of the troll world with the preposterous aristocracy of the adult world makes for a zany story that appeals to young and old. Staying to watch the end credits is enough to make you want to sit in your seat and view it all over again, with a behind the scenes peak at how the film was made. Even still, the painstaking artistry on display is almost lost on account of the marvelous voice acting. Though not as enjoyable for me personally as the previous two Laika films (Coraline and
ParaNorman), it is still an extraordinary achievement that makes me dreading the time it will take for
the fourth film to eventually be released from this pioneering studio.
5.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Remember that amazing accomplishment I mentioned in slot number seven? This film does much of that and then some. Considering this is the 9th film (yep, ninth!) in Marvel's cinematic universe, the fact that it raises the stakes to the point where it may very well be the best entry yet is phenomenal. Even more stunning is how enjoyable this film would be without any knowledge of the previous elements. The script just zooms along with equal parts humour, action and intrigue and the cast is exceptionally game to meet every beat. Both casual film viewers and hard core comic readers (and everyone inbetween) can enjoy this film for its conspiracy plot and thrilling action set pieces. It also feels the most grounded of the Marvel films, as it deals with human characters, albeit ones injected with super soldier serum. As I watch this currently on heavy rotation on The Movie Network, I'm wondering if it belongs even further up this chart.
4.
Edge of Tomorrow (a.k.a Live. Die. Repeat.); Renamed for its home video release, this Sci-fi Groundhog Day was unfortunately a victim of a marketing campaign that didn't know how to sell the film with its original premise and Tom Cruise baggage. Yet in the hands of Doug Liman, who has made some of my favourite films in my lifetime, the conceit of a soldier who regenerates to live the same day over and over again is rendered in a thrilling, funny, and thought provoking way. For a film that revisits the same situations more than a dozen times, it never feels stuck in a moment or repeating itself. Plus, like most Liman films, the action elements never lose sight of the emotional core of the story, making each dodge, punch and explosion resonate with meaning. This film is quickly being (re)discovered as the overlooked gem of 2014.
3. Muppets Most Wanted; A seventh Muppet sequel in the top three, you ask? Maybe it's a benefactor of recent heavy rotation on TMN, or maybe it's just the revelation that after countless reviewing I'm still laughing and singing along with this film. At first viewing, I think I'm so excited to see the Muppets in action that I feel a little let down once the movie is over. Yet after recently seeing the sequels that came before and watching this back to back to back while wrapping Christmas presents this year, it's a solid, delightful entry that offers a fun parody filled with extremely talented comedic talent. The songs are instant classics, once again from the talent that is Flight of the Conchords, even with Jermaine this time around! Originally, I don't think I knew what I got with this film. Now I know it was exactly what I wanted.
A Cockatoo in Malibu. Give it to me. The Muppets are incapable of being unwatchable.
2.
Big Hero 6; I remember having high hopes for this film and being blown away by its action, humour and heart. Baymax is a character that will stay with us in a way E.T., Wall-E, and Olaf have captivated a sense of wonder and innocence. Yet underneath it all, there is a mean, fighting machine. Getting the best of both worlds is what the Disney purchase of Marvel is all about and this film captures all the excitement and high octane thrills of a superhero comic with the kid friendly hijinx of a Disney adventure. I'd like to revisit the film to see if the highs stay as fantastic and the emotional moments as dramatic as I remember. Imagine a film you go to see that's funnier than you expected, more exciting than you thought and more emotionally driven than anticipated. The mouse house continues an incredible run of magic.
...and the number one film of 2014 is...
1.
Guardians of the Galaxy; For the first time since Pulp Fiction in 1994, I went to see a movie in the theatre three times. For the first time ever, I saw a movie in the theatre three times in the first week of release. I didn't plan to love it. I didn't even plan to see it that many times. Yet with each screening the movie seemed to get better and better. It helped that I first saw it at the Drive-in, where I could enjoy the story and the laughter. Then, seeing it in a movie theatre allowed me to appreciate the visual effects and cinematography in the manner of which it was meant to be seen. Finally, the third time around in IMAX, gave me the opportunity to realize that the fun, the magic, and the excitement of the film truly represented all the reasons why we go to see movies with our family in the first place. Generations in the past had their Star Wars or their Jurassic Park or Titanic. This film is deserving of the groundbreaking, film generation defining monikers that great films of their time become known by. The child in me wishes this film could be seen through my ten year old eyes, because it creates a universe unto its own and frolics in the joy of popcorn entertainment in a way that captures what it's like to be a kid all over again. WE ARE GROOT!
It wasn't a very exciting year. Looking at this list it seems more like ten good movies I saw this year; certainly not full of lifetime favourites and perennial rewatchers that lists of years past have provided. I have watched most of these films more than once now and really enjoy them but they aren't ones that I will be listing off as all-time favourites, save for GOTG.
Honourable Mentions: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The LEGO Movie, Earth to Echo.
Now on to the dubious entries from 2014. Here are the Top 5 Worst Films I saw in 2014…
5.
Rio 2; This was more of a disappointment for us personally, as we had a birthday party go see this sequel cash grab. None of the originality or amazingly detailed animated imagery of the first film, coupled with a really simple story and setting, Rio 2 is a franchise killer. No need to follow these blue birds anywhere else in the future. Leave them in the Amazon and on the Amazon discounted movie list.
4.
Dolphin Tale 2; Another sequel made simply on the fact that the first instalment made more money than expected. There was really no need to visit this tale a second time, as the actors seemed either bored or in the case of the young leads, not up to the task. These are not child actors that grew into convincing performers like the Harry Potter cast did. As I stated in my original review, why not offer this content in a documentary to spare us the uninspired acting? The end credits sequence is more fascinating than the recreation of the moment in the movie. If you have footage of the real event, give us that instead.
3.
Maleficent; What happens when production and actor whims matter more than the movie itself. Maleficent looks amazing (sets and effects are top notch) and Angelina Jolie hams it up in the title role with much relish and aplomb. Yet the story feels hollow, forced and a sad attempt by Disney to reinvent a fairy tale in the manner that so many are being done nowadays to make the original villain a sympathetic figure. The three fairy characters are annoying and poorly used as (unfunny) comic relief, while the rest of the film's human characters are either given little to do. The creatures and magic are spectacular, but feel more like an effects reel for future projects, like the next Alice in Wonderland film, as they seem out of place or inconsequential to the story or there for the sake of beefing up the trailer of a film with very little substance.
2.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation; I remember seeing the trailer for this and thinking, wow, they are really stepping this franchise up a notch. The first Joe was a guilty pleasure of campy acting and exciting action. This one promised ninja battles and action heroes but failed to deliver any thrills. It's no wonder one of the key players gets himself killed early, so as not to continue on in this ridiculous world of posturing designed to sell action figures. Only problem being, kids won't ask their parents to buy them toys based on a movie based on a toy that doesn't offer anything to fuel their imagination. Willis phones it in, yet again, and the Rock is wasted along with the promise of interesting ninja battles. Cobra Commander wins this one, hopefully putting an end to G.I. Joe for good.
…and the Worst Film I saw in 2014 is…
1.
Free Birds; It's too easy to pass up the irony that this film is the true definition of a movie turkey. See how not funny that last comment was? That's what this film is stuffed with! Get it? "Stuffed"…turkeys. See. Not funny. Considering that the movie is rather offensive to Native Americans, it's quite the statement that what's even more offensive is how Free Birds fails to be funny. Or clever. Or interesting. Even on a childish level. My own child didn't find any of it funny or mildly amusing. She even told me that I probably shouldn't bother watching it. Considering that she actually enjoyed most of this worst list, that should tell you how awful this film is. I should have listened to her. Be thankful that you've been warned to not waste your time on this drivel. Get it? "Thankful"…Thanksgiving…turkeys. Yeah, it's that awful.
So there you have it. Some pretty lame films I chose to sit through in 2014, so you don't have to. Please leave a comment telling us your favourite and most hated films of the year, and click a thumbs up or thumbs down to let me know if you concur or disagree with what I had to say. I will see you on Twitter @joejameskireel and encourage you to share and send me your faves and raves throughout 2015. Check in on this blog for future reviews and enjoy the ones from the past by clicking through the archives. Here's to hoping that oooh, child, things are gonna get brighter next year.
