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

[Blankments]

Enjoying this baumer!

 

I'll probably do one of these, but of every movie I've seen this year. Would like to hold off until I can catch a few more though; we should really have a waitlist lol

[The Stingray]

Really bummed that I missed that. Seems like a really interesting film.

 

It is!

 

http://forums.boxofficetheory.com/index.php?/topic/13906-jodorowskys-dune-documentary-2014/#entry1260151

[baumer]

26) The Imitation Game:  A fascinating story that has a lot to say.  This is one part conspiracy film, one part the genesis of computers and one part a story about the persecution of homosexuals in Britain.  All three stories are interesting and well told but me being me, I was much more interested in the inside workings of the British government and what they did or didn't do to win the war.  This part imo was the best part of the film.  It's also filled with terrific performances, not just by Cumberbatch but from Mark Strong, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode and especially Keira Knightly.  Now having heaped it's praises, I will say that I am not sure why this is being mentioned for best picture.  It's a good film but not one of the five best of the year.  Not taking away from the quality film it is, but saying this is one of the five or ten best of the year is a little silly, imo.  

 

Trivia:  Prime Minister Churchill considered Turing to be the individual who did the most to win World War II.

 

 

25) The Raid 2:  The Raid was a film that knew exactly what it was.  There were no delusions and even the tag line told you what you were in for.  5 minutes of plot and 90 minutes of action.  Sadly, the Raid 2 forgot about that and it actually tried to have a deep and convoluted plot.  This came very close to ruining the sequel.  Thankfully the action and fight choreography are so good, when it's there, that the film is still worth seeing.  I'm not even going to get into the plot because frankly, I don't think anyone gives a shit.  What we want to see out of this is people getting their butts whooped and we want to see some of the best fights ever filmed.  By the last 30 minutes, this is indeed what we get.  You could even skip the first hour about crime families and double crosses and so on and just get to the good stuff.

 

The final epic kitchen fight scene took 8 days to film and contains 195 shots and is a favorite of the director Gareth Evans

 

 

24) Blended:  I realize Sandler is hated on these forums and for good reason.  As much as I like him, three of his last efforts have been horribly horrible.  But this is not one of them.  It's a sweet film and it doesn't have any juvenile humour.  It's the story of two adults who are single parents.  They are naturally leery of getting involved with anyone as their kids are the most important thing in their lives.  But through some strange and not overly clear circumstances, they end up at the same African resort together, where they of course fall in love.  The humour comes from the actors, especially Terry Crews who plays a jolly man with a deep Barry White voice.  But the poignant moments come when the film slows down and explores the divorce from an adults perspective.  Sure I could relate to it because of my own dealings with the situation and that's obviously why it spoke to me.  But beyond the smart script, the locales are beautiful, the cast is nice and of course the two leads play very well together.  

 

Trivia:  Jim mentions that he manages a Dick's Sporting Goods store in Ridgefield. Ridgefield was the name of the town in 'The Wedding Singer' that Robbie (played by Sandler) and Julia (played by Barrymore) lived in.

 

[baumer]

23) The Other Woman:  Hands down one of the funniest films of the year and this is why it makes the top 25.  I love to be scared and I love to laugh.  Do that right and you have me at hello.  The Other Woman has so many interesting observations about dating, sex, women, men, marriage and everything in between.  One brilliant observation is what Leslie Mann and Cameron Diaz are trying to find out who their husband/boyfriend is cheating with and they see a Jetta in the driveway. "Damn! It's a Jetta.  Only hot girls drive a Jetta."  Tiny observations like this make the film a lot of fun.  It doesn't hurt that there are three very attractive women in the film and that we get to see Kate Upton in a bikini most of the movie.  As you'll see going forward, comedies are well represented on this list and one of them makes my top 5.  As for this one, I laughed from start to finish and there's even some nice quiet and tender moments.  

 

Trivia:  This made an unusually high 18 million in Australia, which is equivalent to about 180 million at the North American box office.

 

 

22) Into the Storm:  

 

 For a "disaster movie" it felt extremely realistic, and when you see news reports on TV or YouTube you realize this stuff happens again and again, usually in small towns just like the one in the movie, so it's completely real and they didn't really make any of this stuff up. And I really felt for the characters who, just like real people caught by these events, don't want to be in a disaster movie, they just want to get out of there alive. It got pretty emotional by the end.  And before you say things like the fire tornado are unrealistic, it's happened before.  Now, is it realistic for a man to be sucked up into a funnel cloud and spend some time suspended in mid air before plunging to his doom?  Who knows, but then again, it's never been filmed before so maybe it is.  Into the Storm is a really fun film.  The beginning of it is a little off beat and doesn't really fit as well into the film as the rest did.  But as mentioned, there are some really nicely done emotionally satisfying scenes and of course the tornado stuff is pretty awesome.

 

Trivia: In a clear homage to Twister, a statue of a cow is blown off a building and across the screen.

 

 

21) X-men Days of Future Past:  One of the reasons the new X-men movies work so well is because of Fassbender.  He's allowed to play Magneto with more anger than what McKellen was allowed to show in the originals.  In this one, his anger is unleashed to the point of no return.  This is a complicated film not just in an exposition sense but in that you have so many stars and each one of them needs to shine in one way or another.  I had my doubts about director Bryan Singer pulling it off, but he does beautifully.  By now, you know what you are in for in an X-men film.  You don't need me to tell you what is good and bad about it, so I won't.  But it's one of the better films of the year.  

 

Trivia:  According to Bryan Singer, this film was not greenlit until Jackman, McKellen and Stewart all agreed to reprise their roles.  

 

 

[baumer]

There is nothing left on the list that is rated below a 9.  20 films remaining and all of them are a 9/10 or above.

[The Stingray]

lol baumer, I have a hard time giving you likes when you couple great movies with utterly mediocre ones.

[baumer]

But wouldn't it be boring if we all had the same taste?  Like he says in the Imitiation Game, our brains all work differently.  What pleases one displeases another.  Movies will always be subjective.  Sure some might have more love by the masses, but that doesn't mean they will appeal to everyone.  Blended and The Other Woman were funny films and they had a nice story.  That's enough to appeal to me.  

[miketheavenger]

But wouldn't it be boring if we all had the same taste?  Like he says in the Imitiation Game, our brains all work differently.  What pleases one displeases another.  Movies will always be subjective.  Sure some might have more love by the masses, but that doesn't mean they will appeal to everyone.  Blended and The Other Woman were funny films and they had a nice story.  That's enough to appeal to me.  

I disagree with many of your choices on this list, but I'm still looking forward to your list because you have a very unique taste.

[baumer]

I think the top 20 will be much more up most peoples alley.

[The Panda]

Btw I am doing my top 10/15 worst on the 29th and my to top 10/15 best on the 30th. I'm doing it earlier because I looked at my 31st schedule and it's very busy and I'd like to be able to do both the lists in one sitting. (My top 10/15 best will be much more showy, my worst I'll just do title, picture, short write up)

I'm kind of disappointed because I've always done my best of on the 31st. I'll create a separate thread for it the day of in a few of my favorite things and then when I'm done it can be moved here. (Unless Baumer finishes by tomorrow night, then I can use this thread)

I'm excited to see Baumer's top 20, this has been a well done and interesting read.

[Bastien]

This is my own top which follow french release dates.
So it could contain some 2013 or 2015'movies

I try to translate titles in english but if there is a problem ask me
 

5/5

 

 
 

4.5/5

 

1 - The Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson

 

2 - Gone Girl - David Fincher

 

3 - '71 - Yann Demange

4 - Boyhood - Richard Linklater

 
 
 

4/5

5 - X-Men: Days of Future Past - Bryan Singer

6 - American Hustle - David O. Russel

7 - The Wind Rises - Hayao Miyazaki

8 - LEGO, The Movie - Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

9 -  Saving Mr Banks - John Lee Hancock

10 - The Raid 2 - Gareth Evans

 

 

 
11 - Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I - Francis Lawrence
12 - Guardians of the Galaxy - James Gunn
13 - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Marc Webb
14 - How to train your Dragon 2 - Dean DeBlois
15 - Tom à la ferme - Xavier Dolan
 
 

3.5/5

 

16 - The Search - Michel Hazanavicius
17 - Pride - Matthew Warchus
18 - Philomena - Stephen Frears
19 - Fruitvale Station - Ryan Coogler
20 - St Laurent - Bertrand Bonello
21 - Mommy - Xavier Dolan
22 - Babysitting - Philippe Lacheau, Nicolas Benamou
23 - Edge of Tomorrow - Doug Liman
24 - Asterix: Le Domaine des dieux - Louis Clichy
25 - Free Fall - Stephan Lacant
26 - The Spectacular Now - James Ponsoldt
27 - Magic in the Moonlight - Woody Allen
28 - Maps to the Stars - David Cronenberg
29 - Deux jours, une nuit - Jean Pierre & Luc Dardenne
30 - Her - Spike Jonze
31 - Les Combattants - Thomas Cailley
32 - 22 Jump Street - Phill & Christopher Lord
33 - Mister Babadook - Jennifer Kent
34 - #Chef - Jon Favreau
35 - Timbuktu - Abderrahmane Sissako
36 - Un illustre inconnu - Mathieu Delaporte
37 - Enemy - Denis Vileneuve
38 - Nebraska - Alexander Payne
39 - Le Crocodile du Botswanga - Fabrice Ebouée, Lionel Steketee
40 - La Vie révée de Walter Mitty - Ben Stiller
41 - Minuscule - La vallée des fourmis perdues - Thomas Szabo, Hélène Giraud
42 - Lucy - Luc Besson
43 - Paddington - Paul King
44 - Captain America: The winter soldier - Anthony & Joel Russo
45 - Nymphomaniac: Partie I - Lars Von Trier
46 - The Homesman - Tommy Lee Jones
47 - Sils Maria - Olivier Assayas
48 - Samba - Eric Todeleno, Olivier Nakache
49 - Out of the furnace - Scott Cooper
50 - Sin City, A Dame to Kill for - Frank Miller / Robert Rodriguez
 
 

3/5

 
51 - Horns - Alexandre Aja
52 - Fury - David Ayer
53 - The Zero Theorem - Terry Gilliam
54 - Man, Woman and Children - Jaison Breitman
55 - Real - Kiyoshi Kurosawa
56 - The Double - Richard Ayoade
57 - Under the Skin - Jonathan Glazer
58 - La French - Cedric Jimenez
59 - Beauty and the Beast - Christophe Gans
60 - Maleficient - Robert Stromberg
61 - La Voleuse de livres - Brian Percival
62 - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Matt Reeves
63 - Lone Survivor - Peter Berg
64 - Interstellar - Christopher Nolan
65 - Jack et la mécanique du cœur - Stéphane Berla, Mathias Malzieu
66 - 12 Years a Slave - Steve McQueen
67 - Non-Stop - Jaume Collet-Serra
68 - Mea Culpa - Fred Cavayé
69 - Sabotage - David Ayer
70 - Dallas Buyers Club - Jean-Marc Vallée
71 - The Fault in our stars - Josh Boone
72 - Nos Pires Voisins - Nicholas Stoller
73 - August: Osage County - John Wells
74 - American Nightmare 2 : Anarchy - James DeMonaco
75 - A Walk Among The Tombstones - Scott Franck
76 - The Maze Runner - Wes Ball
 
 

2.5/5

 
77 - Le Hobbit : La Bataille des Cinq Armées - Peter Jackson
78 - Need for Speed - Scott Waugh
79 - Noah - Darren Aronofsky
80 - La Crème de la Crème - Kim Chapiron
81 - The love punch - Joel Hopkins
82 - Wrong Cops - Quentin Dupieux
83 - Yves Saint-Laurent - Jalil Lespert
84 - Monuments Men - Georges Clooney
85 - RoboCop - José Padilha
86 - Les Sorcières de Zugarramurdi - Álex de la Iglesia
87 - 300: Rise of an Empire - Noam Murro
88 - Serial (Bad) Weddings - Philippe de Chauveron
89 - The Ryan Initiative - Kenneth Branagh
90 - L'île des Miam-nimaux : Tempête de boulettes géantes 2 - Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn
91 - La Famille Bélier - Eric Lartigau
92 - Supercondriaque - Dany Boon
 
 

2/5

 
93 - if i stay - R.J. Cutler
94 - Rio 2 - Carlos Saldhana
95 - Transcendance - Wally Pfister
96 - Sex Tape - Jake Kadan
97 - Piégé - Yannick Saillet
98 - Pompei - Paul W.S. Anderson
99 - Godzilla - Gareth Edwards
100 - Les Trois frères, le retour - Les Inconnus
101 - M. Peabody et Sherman - Rob Minkoff
102 - Sous les jupes des filles - Audrey Dana
 
 
 

1.5/5

103 - Serena - Susane Bier
104 - Divergent - Neil Burger
105 - Grace de Monaco - Olivia Dahan
106 - A winter tale - Akiva Goldsman
107 - 47 Ronin - Carl Erik Rinsch
108 - Jamais le premier soir - Melissa Drigeard
 

1/5

 
109 - Expendables 3 - Patrick Hughes
110 - Ninja Turtles - Jonathan Liebesman
111 - Transformers 4 : Age of the extinction - Michael Bay
112 - Nymphomaniac - Volume 2 - Lars Von Trier
113- Paranormal Activity: The Marked One - Christopher Landon
114 - I, Frankenstein - Stuart Beattie
115 - Old Boy - Spike Lee
 
 

0.5/5

 

Edited December 29, 2014 by Neity

[baumer]

Saw Unbreakable today and it will make my top 20. Thats the last movie ill have a chance to see this year. Im sure there are other films out there that would crack the top 50 but u cant see em all.

[baumer]

Nice list.

[Ezen Baklattan]

Baumer, Did you ever see How To Train Your Dragon 2? I recall you loving the first film.

[baumer]

No I did not.

[Ezen Baklattan]

Definitely see it. Not as good as the first film, but very strong in its own right.

[Ethan Hunt]

Definitely see it. Not as good as the first film, but very strong in its own right.

Would you suggest it to me as someone who didn't like the first one mostly because I thought it was massively generic? I'm interested because of the things I've heard.

[baumer]

20) Bad Words: The funniest films perhaps of the year.  Funny from start to finish and a terrific film from start to end.  Jason Bateman stars in and directs this film about a fish out of water in which he plays a very smart 40 year old who finds a loop hole that lets him into a spelling contest for 11 year olds.  The reason he's doing this is revealed at the end and it's a good one, worth the wait.  The story is nice, the humour is raw and X-rated in some ways and it's fast, furious and raw.  It's one of the best scripts of the year.

 

The word,'Floccinaucinihilipilification' means the action or habit of estimating something as worthless.

 

 

19) A Most Wanted Man:   If there was ever a film to see just for the acting, this is it.While the film ultimately hangs  on Hoffman’s central performance, which is very bedraggled, distrusting, downbeat, world-weary and depressed by the milieu in which he finds himself. The whole story does have a very paranoid, cynical, post-9/11 portrait of a world where everyone seems to be double-crossing everybody at every turn and nobody trusts each other.  In the case of this, it is about a world of paranoia and suspicion and characters trying to uncover each other’s motives and desires as much as the motives of the people they are trying to track down.  I was mesmerized by the performances and the level of paranoia in the film.  Like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, this moves slow but it does so for a reason.  It takes it's time to tell the whole story and not just some of it.

 

Trivia:  The last completed film of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

 

 

18) Unbroken:  The gut wrenching true story of a man who went through more hell than any one person deserves.  Angelina Jolie has found an incredibly powerful story and she has told it well.  By the end of the film, my emotions were spent.  I felt happy for Jack that he was home but the journey he goes on to get there is truly harrowing.  It's a terrific story of courage, survival and redemption.  Angelina might have the best direction this year.  I hope she gets nominated.  The film is just a notch below the ten best imo but her skills behind the camera are evident.  Jack O'Connell is unbelievably terrific in here as the main character and I hope he gets nominated as well.  The reason this rates a 9 instead of a 9.5 is that even though the movie is 2.5 hours long, it just felt like they cut the ending too short.  Something was missing and that that is disappointing.  But overall, a terrific film and an exhausting experience.

 

Trivia:  Universal Studios bought the rights to the story of Louis Zamperini in 1957 in the hope of developing it for Tony Curtis. In later years, Nicolas Cage expressed an interest. The project finally got the green light after Laura Hillenbrand's 2010 book about Zamperini became a best-seller.

 

[baumer]

17) Pompeii: Early in the year, this was the best film I had seen up until that point.  This took elements of Gladiator and every disaster movie and put then in here and it works.  The script is a tiny but weak but that's a small complaint.  The people who complain about the film say it is full of cliches.  What film isn't cliched?  In this movie, the cliches work and that's a sign you are invested in the story and the characters.  The story is told beautifully as a race against time.  We all know that eventually the volcano is going to erupt and devastate everything in its path and the director uses really well timed reminders to let us know of the imminent cataclysm.  We see rivers boil, the ground rumbling and all the while the slaves and royalty looking on with worry.  All the while I was invested in the story of Milo and Atticus the slaves and Cassia the princess who falls for Atticus.  The screenplay is terrific and the gladiator scenes are on par with Ridley Scott's famous epic.  Pompeii was one of the biggest surprises this year for me.  

 

Trivia:  Kit Harington suffered from body dysmorphia (excessive anxiety about the appearance of one's body) while working out for this role. He said he became completely obsessed with it to the point where he was "going to the gym three times a day for six days a week." He suffered from a case of "exhaustion" and eventually his trainer stepped in to reign him in. But he said that he was "proud of what he achieved in the end".

Edited December 28, 2014 by baumer

[The Futurist]

Baumer, Iam not sure what you meant by completed but Phillip Seymour Hoffman s last films will be Mockingjay Part 1 & 2.

He died before he could complete his last scenes for MJ2.