Baumer's top 50 films of 2014/Panda's top 20 of 2014 pg 8/Numbers pg 14

[4815162342]

40. Draft Day

 

 

I'm actually surprised it's taken this long for a major production to be made about the NFL Draft, given how popular and big an event it has become over the past couple decades. Ivan Reitman after many years of wandering the wilderness of misfires returns with a solid offering that offers a good bit of energy and tension, at least to those who care about the NFL. Kevin Costner gives a good performance as the General Manager of the Cleveland Browns, a team that is pretty much the definition of sad sack and hapless, and under threat of being fired, has to juggle the demands of his coaching staff, the team owner, and the team's fans in the final hours leading up the the Draft, where the right or wrong choice of a first round player can save or doom a team's fortunes.

 

The film's supporting cast, with Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary, Frank Langella and more, is solid, and the film definitely does its part to make the labyrinthine proceedings and politics of NFL drafting and management accessible to the general audience. The film kinda sags in the middle a bit, and some of the character moments feel forced in so it's not all NFL all the time, but it generally earns its most emotional bits. The third act, the actual Draft Day, is where things really get going and in the final gambit Costner pulls it's an incredibly energetic surge of hoo-rah.

[4815162342]

39. Neighbors

 

 

Neighbors takes a simple comedy premise and elevates it into lewd and mischievous comedy hijinks. It's a film that's heavily based on getting the most out of its gags and when the gags land, it's incredibly hilarious. And of course, since this is a Nicholas Stoller comedy starring Seth Rogen, there's gonna be a few gross-out jokes that really don't hit, but those are the speedbumps you inevitably hit when making a comedy of this time. If I had to pick the best joke sequence, it would be the above Robert De Niro party scene. Every joke lands and there's a few nice spins and jabs included.

 

The mainstays of the film: Rogen, Byrne, Efron, and Franco all do very well with their roles. In fact I'll watch Rose Byrne in just about anything, she's a natural at comedy and hopefully she gets to headline a high-profile one rather than playing second fiddle. Efron continues to shed his High School Musical past with some good comic timing and charisma.

 

Not sold on this Neighbors 2 idea though.

[4815162342]

Hey BOF: Your #1 of the Year is not my #1

 

 

 

38. Interstellar

 

 

Interstellar is basically three different movies cobbled together to each form one of the acts. The first film is Nolan making a Spielberg story with a few twists in the formula and it's pretty damn good. The family dynamic is stellar, the world-building has a lot of nice touches, you can feel the community slowly coming apart from the growing environmental instability, and there's a nice air of mystery and wonder with scenes for the Indian drone and the bedroom ghost. Then we launch into outer space and the second film takes over, as does the Nolanizing of the movie. The visuals and technical work in this part are definitely stunning and McConaughey really drives things forward with his performance. Unfortunately, this is also where Nolan's pursuit of his plot result in characters beginning to make very stupid decisions and making very goopy monologues or incoherent whispers that give Tele nightmares, all because it's needed to drive things from A to B to C. The funny thing is that while many here like to rip on Dr. Mann hijacking the movie, I thought it was handled pretty well, with Matt Damon playing across type as an emotionally and ego shattered Tom Hanks.

 

Then the third film/act hits and the film goes fairly off the rails for me here. You either buy what Nolan is selling or you don't, and a lot of what he sells just got eyerolls from me. Visually and technically again, it's a total treat, but the emotional manipulations and plot contortions just ring false for me. Before the third act, this was definitely a contender for getting into my top 10 of the year.

 

MVP of the film (with McConaughey a narrow 2nd) is the Space Organ.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3zvVGJrTP8

 

I like to imagine there's an alternate universe version of this film where all of the space shenanigans end in colossal failure while ignored child Farmer Casey Affleck saves the world by figuring out how to breed plants resistant to the Blight.

[DeeCee]

I thought this was the Numberwang thread.

[Noctis]

You son of a bitch. 

[4815162342]

37. The LEGO Movie

 

 

Everything is Overrated would be a better term for this movie. I mean, it's a clever and funny movie for the most part, but my god did people here get carried away with this film over the first half of 2014 (and then again when awards season went into high gear). The film does a nice job at riffing on classical concepts like the Hero's Journey and the Everyman and the Chosen One, and the use of LEGO graphics and techniques to show visuals has some nice and unique payoffs. Lots of little cameos and appearances by LEGO tie-ins go a long way with the humor and world design, and the voice acting is pretty darn good.

 

Like Interstellar, the 3rd act is where things go off the rails, or in the case of this film, off the animated medium and off the playset. I totally understand what the film was getting at with the smash into live action and father-son relationship, but I don't think it worked well at all. It's too clever and self-confident by half and it ends up falling flat. Which is a shame since the concurrent moral and plot movements in the actual animated setting I think felt earned and well enough done. In all, this is a very energetic ride that is a lot of fun for most of the way.

[Empire]

Don't let Blankments see that post.

[4815162342]

36. The Theory of Everything

 

 

This is probably the BP nominee with the largest amount of dislike on the forums (maybe American Sniper gives it a run for it, but that's more for political reasons than quality ones) and I can see where they think it goes wrong, I just don't think the flaws are as bad as that. The first half of the movie is a very charming drama with a very believable and earned relationship between Stephen and Jane. I chalk this up to the great acting Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones do throughout the whole film, both bring their A-game and when the film showcases them, it for the most part shines. However the film after the halfway point starts to drag and the focus shifts away from Eddie to Felicity to Felicity and soon-to-be Daredevil, and Eddie and new Nurse, the film loses a deal of its spark, since neither of these relationships carry the same energy or emotion as the original centerpiece.

 

The film also sadly features a good deal less of science and discovery than I thought it would (or should). It makes a fairly heavy impression in the first act, but it slowly fades away to become mostly chronological signposts for the film as it focuses on the weight of everything slowly crumbling the Hawkings' marriage. I think a more limited scope in chronology as well as a larger presence of his science work and relationships outside of romance throughout would have done wonders for the movie. The direction, while nothing great, is competent, and the musical score was nice, but I honestly can't remember any of it so its nomination for an Oscar befuddles me a little.

[4815162342]

You son of a bitch. 

 

You knew it was coming.

[Ethan Hunt]

:/ interstellar too low

[MrPink]

You knew it was coming.

 

YOU KNEW THIS WAS COMING PETE

 

[4815162342]

35. 22 Jump Street

 

 

22 Jump Street takes the action/comedy success of the first film tries to take it next level, while also trying to play as a satire on sequels that feel compelled to take things to the next level and sacrifice story or characterization. The movie tries to have its cake and eat it too and its success there is a bit mixed. Some of its gags about sequelitis and their cliches, especially the ones involving "budgets," really hit the mark, but at the same time the film kinda falls into some of the same pitfalls. You could say it's an Icarus situation, flew too close to the mark and got burned by it. It also was a bit annoying how they took the exact same character conflict from the first film and inverted it so Schmidt was jealous of Jenko this time around.

 

But when the jokes really hit, oh boy do they work. When Ice Cube learns about Schmidt sleeping with his daughter, and then when Jenko learns about it, those two scenes are the pinnacle of the movie, combining plot reveals, character reactions, and physical comedy for a glorious sequence. Those bits are probably the best comedy moments from either film. The credits gag sequence with fake posters for various Jump Street sequels is very amusing.

 

I'm actually somewhat supportive of the rumor combining 23 Jump Street with Men in Black.

[The Futurist]

35. 22 Jump Street

 

 

22 Jump Street takes the action/comedy success of the first film tries to take it next level, while also trying to play as a satire on sequels that feel compelled to take things to the next level and sacrifice story or characterization. The movie tries to have its cake and eat it too and its success there is a bit mixed. Some of its gags about sequelitis and their cliches, especially the ones involving "budgets," really hit the mark, but at the same time the film kinda falls into some of the same pitfalls. You could say it's an Icarus situation, flew too close to the mark and got burned by it. It also was a bit annoying how they took the exact same character conflict from the first film and inverted it so Schmidt was jealous of Jenko this time around.

 

But when the jokes really hit, oh boy do they work. When Ice Cube learns about Schmidt sleeping with his daughter, and then when Jenko learns about it, those two scenes are the pinnacle of the movie, combining plot reveals, character reactions, and physical comedy for a glorious sequence. Those bits are probably the best comedy moments from either film. The credits gag sequence with fake posters for various Jump Street sequels is very amusing.

 

I'm actually somewhat supportive of the rumor combining 23 Jump Street with Men in Black.

Your post lacks DNA altered wings.

[4815162342]

34. Unbroken

 

 

So you know how I said earlier in this thread that The Railway Man did Japan POW camps better than Unbroken? I still hold to that, but Railway Man also had really draggy and mediocre bits in the first two acts set in its present day. Unbroken's biggest weakness is that while a lot of its POW substance is pretty good, managing some intense brutality for a PG-13 rating, it also goes on for a bit too long in a film trying to hit several key aspects of Zamperini's fascinating life story, and then everything gets wrapped up way too quickly, substituting about 15 title cards for maybe 10 minutes of coda.

 

The film is definitely at its apex in the pre-POW World War 2 stuff, especially when Zamperini and the other 2 crash survivors are fending for life on the rafts in the desolate expanse of the Pacific. Heck, even Jai Courtney is solid in his bit part. I think the film definitely needed some more time building up his pre-crash WW2 life (as well as having a proper coda at the end) so we really get a good sense of the man before he's thrust into 3 Years a POW. Jack O'Connell is very good as Louis Zamperini, hitting the emotions and weariness very well. He's let down a bit by a script that is more focused on what happened to him rather than how him himself. While all of this reads as pretty mixed, when the film is on point, it is really, really on point. It just needed to refocus itself on some other areas and do some adding/trimming there.

[4815162342]

33. Fury

 

 

David Ayer gets action. In Fury he crafts two stellar action setpieces (the platoon rescue and the Tiger battle) and a very good one that drags out a bit (the final stand) that really grab you by the balls and demand your attention to their intensity and focus. The film follows the crew of the titular American Sherman tank in the final days of World War 2, as only the most dedicated or suicidal of German soldiers continue to resist the push into Germany. Ayer does a good job of setting up the crew dynamic, with each member having their particular archetype and personality. He then does a good job of thrusting them into character conflict inside the tank's tight confines and outside it as they react and vent about their travails.

 

The one area where the film drops the ball is in the middle. For much of the film rookie Logan Lerman is subject to hostility from the entire rest of the tank crew and their doubts and dimunitions. Then, after an extended stay in an occupied German town, during which he has more hostile encounters with the crew, especially Jon Bernthal's perpetually angry assistant gunner, the crew suddenly accepts him and they're all on good terms. There's about 10-15 minutes missing in the second act where we could actually see the acceptance and respect grow, instead of it suddenly appearing in time for the final showdown.

[4815162342]

32. How to Train Your Dragon 2

 

 

How to Train Your Dragon was the surprise leggy hit of 2010, winning audiences and critics over with the coming-of-age tale of Hiccup, who was able to bring peace and friendship between humans and dragons. Its sequel takes place five years later, with Hiccup now a young man reluctantly being groomed for leadership while he tries to spend more and more time away from home exploring the world. The film does an excellent job of setting up its major characters, their wants, desires, and responsibilities and how they all intersect and conflict. It also does a good job taking its time to introduce new aspects to its world and plethora of dragon creatures and having its characters immerse themselves in it. The first hour of the film is great, pure and simple.

 

The issue the film has is that the second and third acts are very, very rushed and kinda smushed together. The film's slowly taking its time with character building when suddenly SECOND ACT CLIMAX BATTLE. And then after that encounter has finished, the dust has barely settled when the film goes OK NO MORE WAITING STRAIGHT TO THE FINAL BATTLE without having a proper third act develop. The other main weakness of the film is its villain, whose motivations and depth are about equal to Malekith (I want to do this because I want to do this) and whose personality is like another 2014 blockbuster villain, basically speaking in a half-screaming voice all the time with occasional bursts of SCREAMING FULL LEVEL FOR EMPHASIS.

 

John Powell's score for the film is very good. While a lot of it retreads on themes from the first outing, he does add in a couple new motifs that really give some new flavor to the movie.

[4815162342]

31. The Immigrant

 

 

The Immigrant is a subdued, moody period piece set in New York City in the Prohibition era. One area the film really gets right is the atmosphere and look of the movie. The sets, the costumes, the camerawork, all of it is superb, instantly taking you into a world nearly a hundred years ago and framing it exquisitely. The film itself has some pacing issues, it definitely feels a bit padded as we get a long long look at 1920s prostitution and nude cabaret shows and some mundane aspects of managing them. The film also at first gets the sense it's building towards something, but then pulls back and decides to keep the scope and stakes low-key. Which is fine, and fits in with the whole journey, but the conflicted direction does contribute to the film being a little on the sluggish side.

 

The acting is pretty damn good. Marion Cotillard shines as the titular immigrant, forced to work in the cabaret and as a prostitute to earn money that not only justifies her being smuggled into New York, but also would pay to bribe Ellis Island officials to free her sister from a sick ward. Joaquin Phoenix is her match as the thuggish and internally conflicted man who "rescues" her from being deported and tries to exploit her while at the same time trying to earn her affection. Jeremy Renner is also good as the man who comes between them and generates conflict and sparks as he also vies for Cotillard.

 

The final shot of the movie is very nifty and genuinely emotional and affecting.

[The Futurist]

Man, everybody seems to remember the Immigrant s final shot and I can t.

What did I miss, what was so memorable about it ?

[chasmmi]

It's says a lot about the quality of 2014 that most of these lists have time to praise films ranking in the 30s and 40s when usually these places would be saved for the mediocre at best.  

[Noctis]

Where is Noah?