Top 10 Favorite Films of 2014
A list of my personal favorite (not "best") films of 2014. Subject to change at any time. (Honorable Mention: Life Itself, The Babadook, Interstellar, Under the Skin, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)
List activity
133 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
10 titles
- 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.What an exciting, electrifying, and exhilarating film! Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons portray the best hero/villain combination of 2014, and Simmons's performance is easily one of the year's best. The film will leave you cheering when you walk out.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBen AffleckRosamund PikeNeil Patrick HarrisWith his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.A great adaptation of the bestseller with a stellar cast. David Fincher seemed to take on such a huge task with ease and brought us a gripping and intense film. This could honestly be one of the most frightening films I have ever seen.
- 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.A fantastic film from start to finish. This is probably the most important film of the year. David Oyelowo is fantastic as Martin Luther King Jr. and both he and and director Ava DuVernay were completely snubbed by the Academy.
- DirectorJames GunnStarsChris PrattVin DieselBradley CooperA group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.This was probably the most fun I had at the movies in 2014. Marvel took a huge risk with this film and it paid off completely. The movie is a wonderful blend of comedy and Marvel action and Chris Pratt has loads of charisma. My favorite Marvel film since Spider-Man 2 ten years earlier.
- 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.Wes Anderson's work here is exceptional. The film is not only hilarious, but also very exciting. The screenplay is an achievement and Ralph Fiennes is wonderful in the lead role. This is one I will be able to watch for years to come.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsBradley CooperSienna MillerKyle GallnerNavy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home with his family after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.Clint Eastwood brings in a wonderful salute to war hero Chris Kyle in the best war film since Zero Dark Thirty. Bradley Cooper does a tremendous job portraying Kyle and the film is the most intense of the year.
- 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.This film was an achievement in cinematography, as it looks like it was all filmed in just a couple of shots. Add the ensemble cast led by a great director and you've got one of the best films of the year.
- 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.Anchored by a brilliant performance by Jake Gyllenhaal (who was brutally snubbed by the Academy), this picture is one of the best and most original of the year. The film seems so realistic, yet extremely intense. I hope this is one that we continue to talk about for years to come.
- DirectorChad StahelskiStarsKeanu ReevesMichael NyqvistAlfie AllenAn ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car.This was the best pure action film I had seen in quite some time. It's extremely exciting and perfectly crafted. Plus, Keanu Reeves delivers just what the films needs without giving too much. Here, he is back to the badass formula he gave in films like "Speed" and "The Matrix."
- DirectorAndrey ZvyagintsevStarsAleksey SerebryakovElena LyadovaRoman MadyanovIn a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Kolya and his family.This film is so depressing that it almost didn't make this list. However, I believe it is the "best" film of 2014. That doesn't mean it's my favorite, but it is so authentic and unflinching that I couldn't leave it off.