Top Ten Films of 2014

I hope everyone enjoyed my Worst Films of 2014 list. Since today is the last day of 2014, I figured it's a good time to reveal my ten favorite films of 2014. As I pointed out, this year was a great mixture of blockbusters and independent films and it was really hard to choose ten. But ultimately, these ten stood out to me the most and I am happy to reveal my Top Ten Films of 2014.


10. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Director: Matt Reeves

2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes was one of the biggest surprises that year. It was a blockbuster that combined wonderful visual effects, heart, and a great story. I honestly wasn't sure how they going to top such a great blockbuster with its sequel, but as soon as this film finished I realized they managed to do that without any issue. This is a smart blockbuster with great characters, a compelling peace vs. riot story that takes a lot of risks, and visual effects even better than the first movie. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a fantastic sequel that is not only better the first, but it also gives me hope to this Apes prequel franchise. It was that great.


9. Top Five
Director: Chris Rock

This is the movie Chris Rock has waited his entire career to make. A very honest, powerful, and funny look at how career decisions can make people view a celebrity a certain way, even though that celebrity wants to change. Topped with a great hip-hop soundtrack, funny cameos, and a surprisingly sweet romance, Top Five is not to be missed especially if you are a fan of Rock's stand-up.


8. Snowpiercer
Director: Bong Joon-ho

This is what more American sci-fi films need to be like. Snowpiercer is a compelling film with fantastic performances, dark humor, brilliant production design, and an Orwell-like story dealing with overthrowing an unfair government. This film is so full of imagination and ideas and I highly recommend it. It's on Netflix now.


7. Edge of Tomorrow
Director: Doug Liman

If you were to tell me a few months before release that Edge of Tomorrow will end up on my Top Ten of the year, I would've laughed at you. This film looked like another Tom Cruise throwaway action film similar to Oblivion or Jack Reacher. But to my surprise, Edge ends up being such a clever, fun, and humorous sci-fi film. This is Tom Cruise's comeback as an action star and Emily Blunt proves herself here too (I hope she's considered to play Captain Marvel). It's a shame that this bombed because of its terrible marketing. However, it's not too late to see this. Go see it on DVD or Blu-ray right away, you will not regret it.


6. Guardians of the Galaxy
Director: James Gunn

2014 was a great release year for Marvel Studios. Although I loved Captain America: The Winter Solider, this one made more of an impact on me. This is the best summer blockbuster in a while. Filled with wonderful characters, heart, a great 70's and 80's soundtrack and a beautiful combination of CGI and practical effects, Guardians of the Galaxy exceeds expectations and ends up being one of the most fun experiences I've had at the movies. I can't wait for the sequel.


5. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Director: Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson never disappoints me and The Grand Budapest Hotel is a wonderful addition to his work. A brilliantly-layered story with great characters, beautiful production design, and clever dialogue. It's a shame that the Best Actor race is crowded this year because I feel Ralph Fiennes should be considered for a nomination. It's one of the best performances of his career. This film is one of the most original and wildly captivating films this year. I hope Anderson never stops what he does.


4. Boyhood
Director: Richard Linklater

I saw Boyhood back in April at the Boston Independent Film Festival and it moved me. It still moves me today. This easily could have been a pretentious gimmick film since it was a project that was filmed over 12 years. But with Linklater's dialogue and direction, it becomes a powerful, funny, and heartbreaking experience. You really feel like a parent watching a child grow up by the end of this film. It's not to be missed.


3. Gone Girl
Director: David Fincher

David Fincher's last film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was almost my #1 film of 2011. However, the last 20 minutes really killed it for me and it ended up being just an honorable mention. Fincher does not make that same mistake with Gone Girl. This film ends up being a disturbing, suspenseful, funny, and shocking thriller that refuses to let you go even after the film ends. It's also a fascinating look at how the media views crime stories like this and also an interesting look at a crumbling marriage. The actors give it their all, and Fincher gives it his all showing that he learned his lesson from his last film.


2. Interstellar
Director: Christopher Nolan

I still don't understand why this film gets a lot of negative reviews. Interstellar is a beautiful sci-fi film, both visually and emotionally. This is Nolan's most dramatic work to date and he hits all of the right emotional notes. The science is fascinating here too and the visual effects exceed even Gravity's space shots. Interstellar is one of the best cinematic experiences of the year and it truly shows the magic of movies.


1. Whiplash
Director: Damien Chazelle

My #1 film of the year is a film I have a feeling not a lot of you saw. Whiplash tells the story of a jazz drumming student who wants to be great and the instructor who abuses him physically and verbally which pushes him to practice and become great. This is Damien Chazelle's directorial debut and also a film that speaks more than what a veteran filmmaker would make with the same story. J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller both give career-best performances here and I really hope Simmons wins Best Supporting Actor this year. It's a performance that makes you cower with fear based on any action he does. I related to this film because I strived to be great in my field at school even though I had doubters. Closing the film with a jaw-dropping and intense musical finale, this film rights all of the right notes. Even if you are not into jazz music, Whiplash is a film both inspiring and intense. A film so fantastic that it makes me want to work harder so I can make something like this.

Honorable Mentions: Birdman, The LEGO Movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Interview, 22 Jump Street, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

I hope you all enjoyed reading my list! There are plenty of movies I missed this year and unfortunately were not included because of that. Feel free to comment with your top films of 2014 and let me know if I missed any. See you all in 2015!

Worst Films of 2014

Welcome to Part 1 of my two-part year end lists. I'm going to start off with the Worst Films of 2014, my Top Ten of 2014 will arrive before the New Year. 2014 was a very strong year for films, probably the best mix of independent and blockbuster films in a long time. However, there were some bad eggs this year. I'm starting off my list by stating that I have not seen every film this year and this list is strictly based on the ones I have seen. Enjoy my Worst Films of 2014 list!

5. The Judge

Director: David Dobkin

A lot of people have disagreed with me on this one, but I was personally very disappointed with this film. Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall give it their all in a film that is so predictable, bland, and purely unoriginal. Let's not forget that this film features one of the most offensive portrayals of the mentally handicapped community thanks to Jeremy Strong's performance here. I truly expected something special with this film, but instead we get a cliche-ridden and dull mess of a film.

                                                                                                 4. Jersey Boys

                                                                                                 Director: Clint Eastwood

What happened to Clint Eastwood? He used to be one of the better actor-turned-directors around. Now, it seems that age is coming to him. I expected a fun musical romp, but instead we get a boring, poorly made, and dull music biopic. I've never seen the musical it's based off of, but I know people who have and they stated that the movie and the musical are nothing alike. Skip this at all costs.

3. Transformers: Age of Extinction

Director: Michael Bay

Other friends and critics put this film as their #1 for the Worst of 2014. While it is a terrible film, there are two even worse movies than this. But yes, this film is overlong, dumb beyond belief, and a bad example of Hollywood pushing sequels every year. I'm happy that Bay is no longer directing this franchise, but I think it's time for Hollywood to stop pushing sequels for this.

                                                                                                  2. The Purge: Anarchy

                                                                                                  Director: James DeMonaco

I'll start this choice with a bit of a disclaimer, I did not see the first Purge film. I've heard nothing but terrible things and missed it in the theater. However, I went to see its sequel right away because I heard that it was better than the first one. And what did I see instead? A film so stupid beyond belief that I almost walked out within its first 15 minutes. Terrible acting, predictable, and horribly written. If people are saying that this terrible film is better than the first one, I plan on never seeing the first one.

1. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Director: Marc Webb

Anyone who talks to me on a regular basis should not be surprised that this is my #1 for Worst of 2014. But for anyone who doesn't, I'll explain. This is the first film since The Last Airbender where I left the movie angry because the filmmakers literally have no respect for the source material. Andrew Garfield is a horrible Peter Parker, Electro and the Green Goblin are a joke, and the film is so poorly scripted that half of the many subplots introduced aren't even covered. I really hope Sony sells this to Marvel. 

I hope you all enjoyed my Worst Films of 2014 list, stay tuned for my Top Ten that will arrive in a day or two. Feel free to comment on what you thought of my list and if there are any films that you feel deserve to be on this list.

The Judge Review

Robert Downey Jr. has made a name for himself over the past six years. He was a promising actor in the 90's and early 2000's that fell off the face of the earth due to his troubling drug issues. Then in 2008, he starred in the Marvel film Iron Man and since then, he's become a big name box office wise and praised critically for his roles. But after a string of box office hits, Downey Jr. wanted to slow things down and make a father-son drama known as The Judge as his first film produced under the Team Downey company that he owns with his wife. The trailers seemed promising enough and made me think that both Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall had strong chances at this year's Academy Awards. In the end, while Downey Jr. and Duvall give compelling performances, The Judge is a film full of clichés and unoriginality that it's easy to forget about by the year's end.

The main positives truly lie in the performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall. They play a very realistic father and son in this film. Their arguments and support of each other feel realistic and don't feel over sensational unlike the rest of the film. Although their scenes are great together, they shine individually too. You feel for both characters who want respect from each other, but show it in completely opposite ways. The other positives lie in the cinematography and music. Thomas Newman's score is subtle but also very soothing and it fits the scenes well. And Janusz Kaminski's shot choices are very beautiful to look at and the dark color palette works too.

Unfortunately, the rest of the film is a mess. While most of the cast is very good in their roles, they are underused and some characters deserve more development than others. Billy Bob Thornton is truly great in his role and I honestly feel he deserved more screen time than he was given. The only cast member that I felt was truly awful in the role was Jeremy Strong playing Downey Jr.'s mentally challenged brother. It's a lazily done performance that not only is a terrible one, but a truly offensive view of mental disabilities. I'll give Strong slack that some of the blame is from the script, but his performance feels like he's only there to accept the paycheck and run and truly not care about the community his character represents. Strong's performance in the film might be the worst I've seen all year and I hope he gets a Razzie nomination for his role.

The rest of the film's problems lie in its direction and script. Honestly, who thought it was a good idea to hire David Dobkin, a comedy director known for Wedding Crashers and Fred Claus, to direct a domestic courtroom drama? His pacing feels uncertain throughout, he has sprinkles of a courtroom drama, a comedy, and a father-son tearjerker. In the end, there's way too many subplots throughout that the film's long length feels wasted as a result. But hey, at least this film is a step up compared to Dobkin's last film, the atrocious and unfunny The Change-Up. The script does not help it either. Honestly, I called the exact ending of the film 20 minutes in. It rips off so many scenes from other movies and the dialogue feels dumbed down so the lowest denominator cannot predict the film. Unfortunately, for movie buffs like myself, it's very predictable and the films it rips off do a better job at handling the material.

The Judge is honestly a huge disappointment for me. Downey Jr. and Duvall give it their all, but the rest of the film is a predictable, overlong, and dull mess. It has a few good emotional moments and the music and cinematography are fantastic, but honestly I expected a lot better since this was Downey Jr.'s passion project. I do hope he does more films like this given his acting ability, but let's hope the next film is not as forgettable as The Judge was.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

Gone Girl Review

David Fincher is one of the few directors in Hollywood currently that can take any source material and can completely make it his own while staying faithful. Doing so, he's become the classic director everyone knows and loves him for. He's made many classics out of books that are considered ordinary yet interesting, such as Fight Club, The Social Network, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. When I heard he was attached to direct Gone Girl with a cast of Ben Affleck and Tyler Perry, I had many doubts since the plot sounded like a regular murder mystery novel and the cast hasn't done anything really noteworthy recently. But watching this film, I further realized that I was wrong. Fincher has done it again, and has made a suspense thriller for the ages.

The fact that the book's author Gillian Flynn wrote the script gave me plenty of hesitation as well. We have seen so many great authors write screenplays and the films end up terrible (an example is Cormac McCarthy's disappointing and dull script for The Counselor). But here, Flynn writes it naturally, adding dark and meta humor when necessary and putting the tension in perfect spots. What also surprises me about this script is how she has made so many unlikable characters so relatable that you want them to succeed at the end even if they don't deserve to.

As I mentioned earlier, I was not impressed with the cast announcements originally. Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Tyler Perry, and Neil Patrick Harris haven't done a film like this before and have also never played characters of this type. Yet they all do it so perfectly. Affleck nails it as the lead Nick Dunne, a man who you should hate based on certain facts but you feel pity for because of this disturbing situation. It's obvious he was casted because he can relate to how chaotic the media circus can be because of his famous relationship with Jennifer Lopez, because he feels so natural here. I'm looking forward to him more and more becoming Batman now. The real stunner is Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne, who gives it her all in every scene and absolutely deserves a Best Actress nomination, if not a win for this powerhouse performance. Tyler Perry is great comic relief as the lawyer Tanner Bolt, and Neil Patrick Harris creeped me out big time as Desi Collins. The rest of the cast do respectively well also.

Fincher creates this world with a beautifully dark and consistently uneasy tone. The dark color grading and beautiful cinematography really help this. Not to mention the stunning score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the score helps the audience feel with the characters and the unsettling tone naturally. What most surprised me about Gone Girl was how it ended. Fincher's last film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a brilliant suspense thriller that kept me on the edge, but the last 10-15 minutes felt thoroughly unnecessary and completely took away the tense, uneasy feeling that the former 2 and a half hours gave me. Gone Girl, on the other hand, wraps up every possible storyline it has but it has possibly the most disturbing ending I have ever seen in a mainstream film in a long time. Fincher plays the last 15 minutes here, thinking the audience will go home safe, but nails it by deciding it to end it by keeping the consistently uneasy tone that the rest of the film has. It's obvious he learned his lesson from Dragon Tattoo.

Gone Girl is a perfect modern thriller, a never-ending nightmare of a film. Disturbing, darkly funny, brilliant casted, and well-written, Fincher has outdone himself yet again. This is one of the few films this year that I went home thinking and worrying about the characters after the film. I still care. This film might end up being my favorite this year if nothing else surpasses it. See it even if you haven't read the book (I didn't read it).

Rating: 10 out of 10

The Boxtrolls Review

LAIKA is a studio that specializes in stop-motion animated films. They have been around for almost a decade doing contract work for films such as Corpse Bride and are responsible for a very funny segment in A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. But what they are most well-known for is their two films, Coraline and Paranorman. These two films changed the game for stop-motion animation, it allowed the sub genre to develop more creative and detailed worlds while having relatable characters and intense stories to go with it. In my opinion, these films make LAIKA the Pixar Studios of stop-motion. But as Pixar stumbled early by releasing A Bug's Life after their masterpiece Toy Story, LAIKA has made a similar mistake with their latest The Boxtrolls. It's a decent film that takes risks throughout, but in the end it never reaches the high-caliber quality that Coraline and Paranorman have.

The main positive that this film has going for it is the fact it is not afraid to be too dark or intense for children. The film deals with the theme of dealing with differences and being equal with one another, but the film does not sugarcoat the extremes that conflict this theme. It also deals with genocide, a theme that is hardly ever shown in children's films. The film deals with these themes bravely and openly and it doesn't tone it down to avoid scaring children. The fact the film even has this theme and handles it well gives it major respect points from me.

The stop-motion animation, per usual from LAIKA, is astounding to look at. The details of the setting and characters are all so refreshing to look at. The hard work that is put into making these films is amazing and it truly shows here. However, while Paranorman and Coraline develops the world around them, The Boxtrolls really doesn't do that. The camera quickly glances at the world around the characters every so often, but in not enough time for us to truly feel we're entering the world of the story like those other two films did.

The voice casting works well here too. Richard Ayoade and Simon Pegg's characters steal the show as the philosophical henchmen, while Kingsley does great with the villain role. The rest of the cast does well in their respective roles.

The main issues I have with this film come from the script. The plot itself is very predictable, there are no real twists or things coming out of left field. Every twist that this film tries to have can easily be guessed and has been seen a million times. Another pitfall that the script suffers from is not developing the main characters well enough. Paranorman and Coraline's biggest strengths come from developing all of the characters, main or side. With this film, I felt the side characters were well developed, but the main character was just a standard archetype of a boy and I felt that the Boxtrolls were meant just to look cute for the kids and really nothing more. As a result, I feel that LAIKA made this film cutesy just to get the money rolling by appealing to families instead of making a film with memorable characters and a well-written script that will appeal to all.

While The Boxtrolls does have a few great dark moments and some funny jokes, this is easily LAIKA's weakest film to date. The script should have been worked on as hard as the animators work on their fantastic stop-motion. While it is entertaining and it does take risks every so often, the film just doesn't impress me as much as Paranorman or Coraline did. Hopefully, LAIKA's next film will focus more on the creativity those two films had rather than playing it safe like The Boxtrolls did.

Rating: 7 out of 10

The Maze Runner Review

As I mentioned in my review for The Giver a few weeks ago, YA adaptations are a big trend in Hollywood. To be honest, I think they may become just as big if not bigger than superhero movies in a few years. Every few months, there is a new YA movie that has a huge fan base behind it and these movies typically involve these elements: a forced love triangle that is the main focus instead of the actual plot or the action scenes, a dystopia that should show dark and twisted ideals but instead tones it down to keep the PG-13 rating, and the end credits/certain scenes being an advertisement for big name indie artists. I was very worried going into this one that it would be another typical YA movie showing at least one of these elements. But to my surprise, The Maze Runner is not your typical YA movie. It's a fun and dark YA adaptation that could become a game changer this sub genre.

One strong positive that this film has is that it strays away from the YA genre and does its own thing instead. While the plot involves a dystopian area with a bunch of boys and only one girl shows up, there is no forced soap operatic romance subplot. Instead the focus is on the plot, which has very refreshingly dark and twisted moments. This is welcoming to me since most YA movies don't even try to take this risk. The other thing that's refreshing is that this movie relies on a really impacting and tense score only and not indie bands trying to make quick cash by showing their music in the end credits or certain action scenes.

Two other strengths this film has to offer is in the acting and directing. I was very skeptical about Dylan O'Brien in the main lead since I am not a fan of his TV show Teen Wolf, but I was very impressed with his performance here. He displays the fear, curiosity, and leadership that his character is written to be perfectly. I have a feeling we will see more of him in movies. Another great performance is Will Poulter, who is best known for playing the naive nerd in We're The Millers. Here,  he plays a ruthless and cruel dictator that audiences love to hate. To my surprise, he plays this part exceptionally well and it truly shows Poulter's range as an actor. The rest of the actors do very well too, going to show that the director picked them for their performances and not their looks. Speaking of the director, this is the debut film for director Wes Ball. He is a visual effects consultant for many films and his choice sounded very wary at first. Especially since the last YA adaptation that had a similar director debut (Eragon) tanked horribly, but Ball handles his directing well. He not only creates a beautifully dark world, but manages to focus on the acting and the characters as well. I hope he gets another big project soon.

While I enjoyed this film, it had some issues. One major issue is that were some unnecessarily slow scenes throughout. Some scenes it worked to build the characters and to develop the plot further, but other scenes were too slow to the point that it could have been cut down to get to the action faster. The biggest problem happens to be in the last 20 minutes of the film. While the first 3/4th's of the film took its time with its characters and action scenes, the last act really falls through. It is rushed to the point where the action scenes feel too quick and easy to get to the ending. And certain plot points feel too quick because of it.

Regardless of its flaws, I really enjoyed The Maze Runner. This is the YA movie I have waited for even though it is not perfect. It's refreshingly dark, doesn't rely on a dumb love triangle, and the performances are all great. Debut director Wes Ball has a great career ahead of him after this film. This film is the start of a potentially great franchise.

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Giver Review

Lois Lowry's book The Giver was one of my favorite books from elementary school. Its original plot of a dystopia with rules of sameness and theme of embracing what life has in store still has impact after years of reading it. The book must have impacted Jeff Bridges as well, because for many years he has wanted to make the book a movie with his father as The Giver. Unfortunately, many studios did not want to touch the book until now when YA novels are becoming a strong trend in Hollywood. They hired Phillip Noyce (Salt and Rabbit Proof Fence) to direct and the famous Weinstein Brothers (The King's Speech) to produce. I was happy for an adaptation until the first trailer came out where I was starting to get hesitant because it looked like it was trying to please fans of The Divergent Series and Hunger Games rather than pleasing fans of the book. I still had hope, and after watching the film I can happily say that fans of the book will be more than pleased with this adaptation, even though it does have a strong fatal flaw.

The performances in this film were surprisingly strong. Jeff Bridges was fantastic as The Giver, he embodied exactly how I envisioned The Giver in the book: a kind, protective, and peaceful old man who wants this community to see the truth. The real surprise in this film is Brenton Thwaites. He plays Jonas with strong naivety and you feel with his character's changes throughout the film perfectly. Thwaites has been in minor roles in many films this year, including a wasted performance in Maleficent, but his performance here proves his talent and he deserves bigger roles in the future. The rest of the cast does well too, even though some of them were heavily advertised but were not in the film very long. But regardless, everyone plays their parts well.

The visual effects are the strong point in this film. The film starts in black and white, since the community cannot see color. But as Jonas gains memories and starts to see color, the film blends black and white with these colors. The finished product looks stunning because of this effect and it goes to show Hollywood that you can make powerful visual effects with a low budget.

The fatal flaw I mentioned earlier is the film's third act. While the film's first two acts were strongly written and faithful to the book, the third act ends up being a cliché of other YA adaptations. The chase scenes have terrible shaky-cam, characters make really dumb choices, and the additional stuff that did not appear in the book had its moments, but ultimately were not necessary. If a stronger writer and director were attached, this third act would have been better executed.

Other than the messy third act, I still really enjoyed The Giver. Its performances, strong themes, and beautiful visuals make up for the third act. I really don't understand why critics gave this film a hard time and compared it to other YA adaptations. In my eyes, this film does what other YA adaptations like Twilight and Divergent don't: has a heart, brain, and social commentary that everyone can take away from in the end. If you're a fan of the book, don't listen to the critics and check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Rating: 8 out of 10