2014 Ranked Films
The ranked films of 2014 that I have seen so far.
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- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.10/10
A filmmaking experience like no other, Richard Linklater’s magnum opus Boyhood will connect to nearly every viewer thanks to its near universal themes of growing up. - DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsMichael KeatonZach GalifianakisEdward NortonA washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.10/10
Tremendously shot and edited, Birdman may have a dynamite cast and script but it remains an auteur-level achievement from the mind of Alejandro G. Iñárritu. - DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsMiles TellerJ.K. SimmonsMelissa BenoistA promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.10/10
Featuring a pair of stellar performances from Miles Teller and J. K. Simmons, Whiplash finds writer-director Damien Chazelle using every trick in his filmic repertoire to deliver a pulse-pounding and ethically intriguing character study. - DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeDuring World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.10/10
A serious contender for Benedict Cumberbatch’s most nuanced performance, The Imitation Game is a just as riveting alternative WWII film that pays proper reverence to its subject. - DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsReese WitherspoonLaura DernGaby HoffmannA chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent personal tragedy.10/10
Confidently directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, Wild is a heavy and inspiring character study wonderfully encapsulated in Reese Witherspoon’s central performance. - DirectorJeremy SaulnierStarsMacon BlairDevin RatrayAmy HargreavesA mysterious outsider's quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. Proving himself an amateur assassin, he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.10/10
Thanks to a supreme effort from writer-director Jeremy Saulnier, Blue Ruin is a devastatingly bleak crime thriller on the nature of revenge and loss. - DirectorJames MarshStarsEddie RedmayneFelicity JonesTom PriorStephen Hawking gets unprecedented success in the field of physics despite being diagnosed with motor neuron disease at the age of 21. He defeats awful odds as his first wife Jane aids him loyally.10/10
Somehow able to render the life of Stephen Hawking in a way that is comprehensible, The Theory of Everything features a flurry of fine performances, not the least of which from Eddie Redmayne. - DirectorJames GunnStarsChris PrattVin DieselBradley CooperA group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.10/10
Keeping Marvel’s winning streak more than alive, Guardians of the Galaxy is a high-flying space opera that has humor and excitement in spades. - DirectorDamián SzifronStarsDarío GrandinettiMaría MarullMónica VillaSix short stories that explore the extremities of human behavior involving people in distress.10/10
A crime comedy anthology whose entries prove more brutally hilarious than the last, Wild Tales lives up to its title thanks to sheer personality from writer-director Damián Szifron. - DirectorPaul KingStarsHugh BonnevilleSally HawkinsJulie WaltersA young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.10/10
One of the finest family films of all time, Paddington easily wins over hearts with its chipper attitude and an adorable title character. - DirectorDon HallChris WilliamsStarsRyan PotterScott AdsitJamie ChungA special bond develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who together team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.10/10
Finding Disney getting in on the superhero game, Big Hero 6 is relentlessly charming and touching, leaving viewers more than satisfied with their care. - DirectorCraig JohnsonStarsKristen WiigBill HaderLuke WilsonHaving both coincidentally cheated death on the same day, estranged twins reunite with the possibility of mending their relationship.10/10
Showing a new side to the chemistry between Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, The Skeleton Twins is subtle but extremely affecting. - DirectorBryan SingerStarsPatrick StewartIan McKellenHugh JackmanThe X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.10/10
Hitting the reset button on the franchise, X-Men: Days of Future Past unites both eras in a superhero adventure that pays homage to all iterations. - DirectorJemaine ClementTaika WaititiStarsJemaine ClementTaika WaititiCori Gonzalez-MacuerViago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are struggling with the mundane aspects of modern life, like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.10/10
A mockumentary for the ages, the hysterically satirical What We Do in the Shadows has a killer screenplay from Taika Waititi and a fabulous supporting cast. - DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoBill PaxtonWhen Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.10/10
With Jake Gyllenhaal at his unnerving best, Nightcrawler covers a fascinating facet of the media landscape and offers plenty of sociological commentary to boot. - DirectorWes AndersonStarsRalph FiennesF. Murray AbrahamMathieu AmalricA writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.10/10
Wes Anderson’s most assured effort to date, The Grand Budapest Hotel and its sumptuous symmetry feature one of the finest comedic casts ever, most notably a pitch-perfect Ralph Fiennes. - DirectorAva DuVernayStarsDavid OyelowoCarmen EjogoOprah WinfreyA chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.9/10
Living up to the legacy of the legend, Selma brings history to life through the sheer will of its actors and an incomparable Ava DuVernay. - DirectorJ.C. ChandorStarsOscar IsaacJessica ChastainDavid OyelowoIn New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history.9/10
Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain both powerhouses in their own right, A Most Violent Year makes use of some visceral mise-en-scène to craft a crime drama worthy of real life. - DirectorChris RockStarsChris RockRosario DawsonGabrielle UnionA comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality television star fiancée talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her television show.9/10
Top Five may not be in the top five for the year, but it’s darn close thanks to Chris Rock’s unmistakable personality suffused through the final product. - DirectorRichard AyoadeStarsJesse EisenbergMia WasikowskaWallace ShawnThe unenviable life of a government-agency clerk takes a horrific turn with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite otherwise--he's a confident, charismatic ladies' man.9/10
Featuring a sublime dual performance from Jesse Eisenberg, The Double is an immensely surreal exploration of the strange courtesy of Richard Ayoade. - DirectorPhil LordChristopher MillerStarsChris PrattWill FerrellElizabeth BanksAn ordinary LEGO construction worker, thought to be the prophesied as "special", is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the LEGO universe into eternal stasis.9/10
Even as a glorified feature-length commercial for itself, The Lego Movie treads new, hysterical, postmodern waters thanks to the combined efforts of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. - DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsChris EvansSamuel L. JacksonScarlett JohanssonAs Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he teams up with a fellow Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Black Widow, to battle a new threat from history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.9/10
Working as both a superhero film and a political thriller, Captain America: The Winter Soldier bolsters the title character and previews an exciting new chapter for the MCU. - DirectorAdam WingardStarsDan StevensSheila KelleyMaika MonroeA soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his presence.9/10
Able to avoid classification as simply a horror, action or thriller movie, The Guest offers a hugely unnerving performance from Dan Stevens and some kinetic direction from Adam Wingard. - DirectorJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneStarsMarion CotillardFabrizio RongioneCatherine SaléeLiège, Belgium. Sandra is a factory worker who discovers that her workmates have opted for a EUR1,000 bonus in exchange for her dismissal. She has only a weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses in order to keep her job.9/10
Thin plot notwithstanding, Two Days, One Night is a never-ending powerhouse performance from Marion Cotillard with plenty of moral quandaries to reflect on. - DirectorMatt ReevesStarsGary OldmanKeri RussellAndy SerkisThe fragile peace between apes and humans is threatened as mistrust and betrayal threaten to plunge both tribes into a war for dominance over the Earth.9/10
With incoming director Matt Reeves darkening up the series to great effect, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an engaging and exciting conflict movie that’ll have you rooting for both parties.