Also, I've noticed that the grades look kind of wonky, due to my usual system of partially grading on a meets/exceeds/doesn't live up to expectations scale. That means that if a heavily-praised prestige picture was good, but didn't strike me as wonderful as people said, it likely didn't get as high a grade as a comic book movie that I expected to be kind of dumb, but wound up being more entertaining and technically proficient than it could have been. I don't mean to suggest that Captain America: Winter Solider is a towering cinematic achievement, while Birdman was crap.
And finally, since the top five all have to be same-year releases, movies that I like more than those on the list might fall through the cracks, due purely to timing. Note that Her has the highest rating I've given a movie in a long time, but since I saw it this year, it doesn't appear on either the top five of 2013 or 2014.
So, let's get to that top five, along with a pledge that I'll try to embrace a wider range of movies next year:
#1: Guardians of the Galaxy
What I Said: I'm reaching for things to nitpick, and am not really coming up with anything. This was pretty much the perfect summer movie experience, and assuming Marvel wants to capture lightning in a bottle like this again, they'll have their work cut out of them.
#2: Boyhood
What I Said: As a cinematic achievement, this is flawless. Assembling a movie with a single cast/crew over the course of twelve years is no mean feat, just in the technical sense. There are also any number of methods Linklater could have used to incorporate the aspect of passing time into a fictional narrative, and he avoids a lot of clumsy traps. There are no obvious dissolves between ages. There are no "One Year Later" subtitles. There's no omniscient narrator explaining what's happening. There's no obvious foreshadowing in the beginning that magically pays off in the end. There is no AND THEN THIS HUGE THING HAPPENED THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING event that never happens to actual people. The movie just flows from scene to scene, just like life.
#3: X-Men: Days of Future Past
What I Said: It's not just an excuse to watch Wolverine slash at stuff and Magneto levitate some bullets. As a result, it's a fantastic flick, where the verbal fights are as compelling as the super-powered ones. The cast certainly helps. The elder versions of Xavier and Magneto (Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen) are well-matched by their younger selves (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender). Jennifer Lawrence is an emotionally powerful Mystique. Peter Dinklage is a superb antagonist. Each of the secondary characters gets a chance to show off as well, and actually use their powers in concert with each other, demonstrating cooperation that not enough team movies display. And if you're just looking for pure fun, the Quicksilver setpiece in the middle of the movie is one of the most amazing scenes I've seen in a long time.
#4: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
What I Said: Captain America is not the Broody Loner Hero that we've been seeing a lot of lately. He wants to interact with society, and has a much stronger connection to the people around him than Batman or Superman has in a long time. Still, the real standouts in this movie are Johansson and Mackie, both of whom take roles that could easily come off as one-note and flesh them out into relatable, sympathetic characters. Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Redford also turn into some great supporting performances.
#5: Gone Girl
What I Said: As far as performances go, most special mentions have to go to the female contingent. Rosamund Pike gives Amy a cool, competent air, but still conveys the emotion bubbling underneath. Carrie Coon is Nick's twin sister who does her damndest to be supportive, even as her brother makes what she feels are all the wrong decisions. Kim Dickens is marvelously understated, but forceful as a detective trying to unravel the mystery of Amy's disappearance. And hey, let's not leave out Missi Pyle, who plays a Nancy Grace surrogate as nasty and irresponsible as you could ever want.
Comic book movies are over-represented, so I guess I was just looking for some fun this year. Maybe next year I'll revert to indie dramas. Or maybe not! Let's go to the full year's list:
2014 Movies
Guardians of the Galaxy (A)
Boyhood (A-)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (A-)
Captain America: Winter Soldier (A-)
Gone Girl (B+)
The Lego Movie (B+)
Edge of Tomorrow (B+)
The Babadook (B+)
Grand Piano (B+)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (B)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (B)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (B)
Big Hero 6 (B)
The Skeleton Twins (B)
Into the Woods (B/C+)
Birdman (B-)
Maleficent (B-)
The Boxtrolls (B-)
Godzilla (C+)
It seems that sticking to more lighthearted fare worked pretty well, as 47% of the movies rated a B+ or higher, and only a single new release wound up disappointing me. Still, I feel like not seeing movies like Whiplash or Foxcatcher yet means I haven't done my "homework", if that makes any sense. So how do the 2014 films fit into the entire year of movie watching? Let's find out!
Her (2013) (A+)
Short Term 12 (2013) (A)
Guardians of the Galaxy (A)
Boyhood (A-)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (A-)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (A-)
Gone Girl (B+)
The Lego Movie (B+)
Edge of Tomorrow (B+)
The Babadook (B+)
Captain Phillips (2013) (B+)
The Last of Sheila (1973) (B+)
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) (B+)
Side Effects (2013) (B+)
The Warriors (1979) (B+)
Hot Water (1924) (B+)
Night of the Comet (1984) (B+)
Grand Piano (B+)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) (B)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (B)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (B)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (B)
Big Hero 6 (B)
The Skeleton Twins (B)
Populaire (2012) (B)
Urbanized (2011) (B)
Kings of Pastry (2009) (B)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) (B)
Public Speaking (2010) (B)
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013) (B)
Into the Woods (B/C+)
White House Down (2013) (B)
Trollhunter (2010) (B)
Birdman (B-)
American Hustle (2013) (B-)
The Ides of March (2011) B-
Anna Karenina (2012) (B-)
Maleficent (B-)
The Boxtrolls (B-)
Exam (2009) (B-)
Penelope (2006) (B-)
August: Osage County (2013) (C+)
Wanderlust (2012) (C+)
A.C.O.D. (2013) (C+)
Godzilla (C+)
Rango (2011) (C+)
Hamlet 2 (2008) (C+)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) (C)
It's a Disaster (2012) (C)
The Big Wedding (2013) (C-)
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