Best Films of 2014
Thankfully 2014 has been a better year for movies than 2013. Here is list for top films of 2014 so far:
♣ Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies
A good ending to a good trilogy. “Hobbit 3” has exceptional CGI animation, good direction, best visual effects but a bit lengthy. Adapting a small book (comparing to LOTR) to trilogy a challenge in itself for Peter Jackson and team. But the end results are good and worth experiencing!
♣ Captain America : The Winter Soldier
It wouldn’t be much when I say this was the best written Marvel superhero movie till date. With glimpses of political ups and downs the underdog superhero won my heart. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first avenger’s first outing with a slow-paced espionage thriller. But when Captain America came out fresh from his Avengers adventure he was better than ever. More intelligent, more slick and more awesome. “Captain America : The Winter Soldier” is a swift paced superhero film and a movie that is, in the best sense of the word, a Marvel.
♣ The Lego Movie
It takes more than something ‘awesome’ for animated movies to intrigue me into it. “The Lego Movie” had everything that could make a animation stand out. The geeky minds of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller made a extravagant adventure about an ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder. The animation was groundbreaking, the story was breezy and the pop-culture references and laughs were in ample quantity.
♣ The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson’s delightful dark comedy “The Grand Budapest Hotel” had all the typical Anderson things right from the sets, to the production design, to the language , to the humor and yet it was fresh like the new wind. With like a 100 characters and a different identity for each one of them, this little adventure of M. Gustave about making zero the hero was a fabulous treat for movie fanatics.
♣ Edge of Tomorrow
This underrated summer blockbuster had everything a theater going audience could ask for. From a tight script to groundbreaking action “Edge of Tomorrow” was magnificent. Thanks to Doug Liman who made a film that starts of slowly but almost instantly goes into gut-rattling violence and awe-inspiring execution, seamless special effects and action with a pinch of romance and lots of laughs in between!
♣ Gone Girl
“Gone Girl” is a type of film that any movie geek would ask for. It will have a number of explanations and will be talked about for generations to come. The film is a masterpiece like the novel if not anything more.
♣ Boyhood
“Boyhood” is a modern epic. Richard Linklator took 12 years to develop this movie and he has done it with excellence. The journey of a boy through his adulthood is worth experiencing!
♣ The theory of everything
The love story of the year brought to life in a pair of stunning performances by Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones in “The Theory of Everything“. Director James Marsh’s documentary background is a real asset in bringing the story to life in a realistic, warm and pleasing way.
♣ Nightcrawler
Jake Gyllenhaal is building his carrier like Di Caprio built his! October Sky, Donnie Darko, Source Code, Prisoners, Enemy and now this! He is in his top form and his character in “Nightcrawler” will not only impress you but also leave you dazzled. It’s satirical darkly comic thriller with Robert Elswit’s cinematography which will leave you on the edge of your seat.
♣ Dawn of the planet of the apes
This may not be good as its predecessor due to its predictable story, slow pace and lack of substance but the reason it’s on this list is because of it’s amazing CGI, few good action sequence and insightful portrayal. Anyhow “Dawn of the planet of the apes” is an enjoyable movie worth watching and hope its sequels are better.
♣ Predestination
“Predestination” is a time travel scifi thriller which is nothing sort of brilliant. It’s a unique and compelling take on time travel with philosophical interpretation of humanity. This movie will leave you scratching your head, specially the last 5 minutes of film, which is absolutely mind blowing. Cinematography is how it should be in time travel movie and the performances are exceptional.
♣ Interstellar
Another game changer from the mind of Christopher Nolan. Ambitious on a galactic level (literally) “Interstellar” delivers and roars. Just when you think it cannot get any more thrilling or any more bold, it steps up the game.
♣ BirdMan
Dazzling is the only right word for “Birdman”. Impossible camera angles abound too as the action follows characters around rooms with mirrors which should be reflecting the film crew yet they remain invisible. Michael Keaton gives a career best performance. Emma Stone and Edward Norton also particularly shine in an already bright cast.
♣ The Imitation Game
A long overdue biopic of one the UK’s unsung heroes, Alan Turing, played brilliantly by Benedict Cumberbatch in director Morten Tyldum’s English language debut “The Imitation Game”. Graham Moore’s screenplay does an amazing job of presenting the story in an accessible fashion. Special mention for Mark Strong who delivers many of the best lines of the film via his deliciously suave performance as Stewart Menzies. Keira Knightley gives a stand-out performance too. Composer Alexandre Desplat’s score adds flavour to the drama throughout.
♣ Whiplash
Conceived as a feature film, director/writer Damien Chazelle first created a short version which won the best short film prize at Sundance 2013 and enabled the funding for the full feature. Miles Teller continues to demonstrate his talent following a memorable feature debut in Rabbit Hole (2010). J.K. Simmons is exceptional in a role and plays with such intensity. The musical background in “Whiplash” adds an extra layer of authenticity.
Image Source : Flixter, Wikimedia
