Overall 2014 has been a great year for movies. I haven’t seen every movie by a long shot but I have seen my fair share. I am still planning on seeing Annie, Into the Woods and Interstellar but I figured I’d go ahead with this post anyway. I will do posts on those movies and add an addendum to this post in the notes.
Remember this is just my opinion. If you liked movies I didn’t than that is awesome. I want people to enjoy their time at the movies, so if you saw value in something that I didn’t I think that is great. If I liked something you didn’t I hope you can respect my opinion.
Live Action
10. Noah
8. Chef
7. 100 Foot Journey
6. Captain America: Winter Soldier
5. Xmen Days of Future Past
4. Edge of Tomorrow
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Animation
And now for the worst of the year. I try to not see bad movies but I did slog through a couple this year just to know if they were really that bad.
10. Ride Along
9. Tammy
8. Muppets Most Wanted
7. Godzilla
6. Amazing Spiderman 2
5. The Other Woman
4. Transformers: Age of Extinction
3. Nut Job
2. Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return
Best documentary Life Itself (also the only documentary I watched this year so need to catch up on some!)
Reblogged this on Smilingldsgirl's Weblog and commented:
Check out my best and worst movies of 2014 post. I think you will really enjoy it. I’d love to hear your favorites and one’s you didn’t care for. It’s all in fun so share your thoughts!
TAS2 was a disappointment, but it was not THAT bad. It was okay. I just expected more from it after the really, really good first movie.
Thanks for the comment. Yeah I wasn’t as big a fan of the first one. It wasn’t terrible but I didn’t love it, felt unnecessary to me. This one was just too cluttered and long. I just don’t care for Andrew Garfield as Spiderman but I can see why others like him. The chemistry with Emma Stone is good but none of the villains worked for me and that’s pretty essential in a comic book movie.
I also get very annoyed with all the product placement in Sony films. Groan. To me it and Godzilla weren’t awful but I was disappointed by them so they made the list.
Muppets Most Wanted is also on the list not because it is aggressively awful but because I was really disappointed by it. So Spiderman, Godzilla and Muppets aren’t terrible movies just let downs for me.
Any on my lists you agree with?
I didn’t even like Planes 1 or Rio 1, so I doubt that the sequels would be up my line. I am also no a big fan of the HTTYD franchise, but that’s more a “doesn’t connect with me” and less a “I think those movies are bad” reason. And I haven’t seen Big Hero 6 yet because Disney is stupid. (generally I don’t go to theatres that often, most movies I see later on…I have friends who have a beamer, so I often watch current movies there. Much cheaper than going into the theatres).
Loved Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. Imho the best entries in the MCU so far, for totally different reasons. I hope that Winter Soldier scores an Oscar nomination.
Hate Maleficent.
Other than TAS 2 (which gets way too much flak as it is imho), there is nothing much I disagree with of the movies I have actually seen, which are not that many overall.
Cool. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. That is lame you have to wait so long to see Disney and other movies.
Did you finally see Maleficent or is that just on what you’ve read?
Didn’t you read my last Honouring the Heroine article? I was forced to watch the movie for it to gave an informed assessment.
I missed the last few. Will read up.
Just read and commented. Thanks!
The one good thing about TAS2 tanking (according to the Sony leaks) is we may actually get a Marvel Civil War after all and Sony might sell Spiderman back to Marvel. To have the Avengers with Spiderman- that would be sooooo awesome!
I am not sure if I am too happy about…I was looking forward to seeing how this Spider-man will develop now that Gwen is gone. Not that I am opposed to a teenager spider-man in the MCU. But the thought that there will be no third movie with Andrew Garfield depresses me. I really like his version of the character.
Fair enough. I can see if a fan you’d feel that way. I’m so excited about the prospect. Now if only Marvel could find a way to get Xmen back from Fox but that will never happen
When it comes to the x-men, I am very glad that they are sequestered away from Marvel. I always thought that the X-men world doesn’t really fit with the other Marvel franchises, and that they belong in their own universe. What I really want to go back to Marvel are The Fantastic Four. Not only would their rogues Gallery a great addition to Guardians of the Galaxy, so far every take of Fox on them has made me cringe. They just don’t get those characters.
Totally agree on Fantastic 4! So far Marvel hasn’t let me down so I trust them with just about everything. I just think Joss Whedon does such cool ensemble shows and movies that it would be fun for him to get his hands on these other characters but X-men Days of Future Past was pretty awesome so they are doing great.
To be honest…I never liked the Fox take on X-men. It always frustrated me how much they made the movies about Wolverine and marginalized the female characters, especially Rogue. First Class was pretty good though, because the movie did a really good job with Mystique and Beast. But it’s a prequel to a trilogy which never really worked for me.
I am mostly glad that X-Men is disconnected from the MCU, and happy for the fans of the franchise that they get what they want. But it’s not for me.
Marvel had some movies which were just “okay”. It’s easy to forget how weak The incredible Hulk was. But I think they have hit their stride now. I am really looking forward to Ant-man (and naturally Age of Ultron).
I really like the X-men movies because they are diverse. So far they are the only franchise that has done convincing women which I like. You might like Days of Future Past because it combines best of First Class and Xmen 1 and 2 (3 sucks). I should say Marvel since they became a part of Disney and Kevin Feige took over hasn’t let me down.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens. The Sony leaks have been very hard for the studio but kind of fascinating for fans. Inside look.
True, Feige really did well (You know, my project for the next year will be reviewing female characters in Superhero movies).
I am split about the leak. It is an interesting inside look, but I don’t really condone it. I kind of feel sorry for Sony, even though they brought me on the limit of my patience too with TAS 2. I hate executive meddling.
Yeah I have mixed feelings too. On one hand it has been so interesting as a movie fan. On the other hand I do feel kind of bad for them. (On the other hand they got what they deserved for Smurfs 1 and 2) 😉 I guess it is what it is.
On a different topic any Scrooge’s aside from Seymour Hicks and Muppets you can think of for me to review? I finished the main one’s fast.
Well, there is the Ghostbusters episode based on the story (which is certainly an interesting take in my book), and the 1935 version is a little bit unusual in the portrayal of the ghosts…otherwise, take your pick here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptations_of_A_Christmas_Carol
But I guess that’s where you took your clue from either way.
Thanks. That was the list I was going off of. Just posted the 1935 one. I will see if I can find Ghostbusters. I may do some bonus holiday film reviews in these remaining 9 days just for fun. Thanks for all your feedback.
I also didnt see that many bad movies like I’m sure the turtles movie would have made the list if I had seen it. Transformers was all the Michael Bay schlock I could stomach. So take my lists for what they are worth
I have always wanted to watch Captain America, but never got the chance. I have not seen any of the live action films (I am specifically avoiding Maleficent for the bad reception), but there seems to be a decent amount of franchises in there.
When it comes to the animation, I definitely have stronger opinions on the matter. Haven’t seen Tale of Princess Kaguya or Penguins of Madagascar (it is not online yet, and I am too lazy to go to the movies), so no comment. I would have to overall agree with your choices when it comes to the animation. 2014 seems like a better year for film than 2013 was.
Cool! Yeah it was a great year for blockbuster movies. Aside from Transformers the other sequels and franchises were great.
With my knee injury I saw a lot more movies than I typically do but still a bunch to catch up on.
It’s been a fun year for animation. I’ve really enjoyed the diversity and quality of the films.
I am so sorry to hear about your knee injury. I hope you are getting better. This year was definitely interesting to watch when it comes to film.
So the Captain America books are good. I will definitely check them out. Thanks you two.
Thanks. It was the reason I started this blog and my Disney canon project because I was bedridden with a torn MCL. Kind of proud of myself for turning a negative into a positive :).
Definitely Captain America 2 is better than the first. Guardians of the Galaxy reminded me a little of Star Wars. Aside from the villain being a little weak it was a perfect summer movie and great soundtrack. Boyhood is also mind blowing. It’s like no other experience at the movies I’ve ever had.
If you watch Captain America try to see it on as big a screen as you can because the car crash scene alone is pretty insane. For what it is I enjoyed it. Great complex villain, stunt work, special effects that enhance not hurt, great music, good acting. Just a fun comic book movie.
Both Captain America movies are great, but the last one was awesome! Might be my favourite Comic Book movie, ever. And I say that as someone who used to loathe Captain America. Always was one of my last favourite Marvel heroes. Now he might be my favourite. The Winter Soldier also has the Black Widow bonus.
And Guardians of the Galaxy is a must-watch. That one you can easily enjoy without having seen any of the MCU movies, and it is just fun from start to finish.
I agree on both films. They were awesome! And you’ve got to admire Marvel for being so bold because Guardians could have been a disaster in wrong hands. That was a risky venture but it totally paid off.
I admit, I look forward to GotG 2 more than to anything else.
Me too! And I’m not normally a big comic book movie fan.
Me neither…but the MCU got me with their last entries. I am obsessed now.
I didn’t feel any of the movies I saw this year were really exceptional but there were certainly some very good ones. My favourite was Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, followed by Days of Future Past, How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Paddington.
Have you seen Boyhood?
I’ve heard good things about Paddington from London Youtubers. The trailer looks awful so that’s good to hear.
It’s hard for me to say how it compares to other years because I am not normally laid up for months. This year had much more time to watch movies than usual and I was really impressed for the most part.
No, that one slipped me by.
Taken as a simple family film, Paddington is really great – it’s very heartfelt and has some very funny moments.
I don’t watch a huge number of films at the cinema, but I tend to find that each year, there’s at least one that leaves a big impression on me. Last year, there were three: Gravity, Captain Phillips, and of course, Frozen. This year, the films I saw were still good, but they didn’t leave as much of an impression.
That’s great to know about Paddington. I will definitely have to see it. The live action/CGI movies like Yogi Bear and Smurfs have been so bad but it sounds like from a number of people on youtube and online that it is good. That’s great.
I would definitely get Boyhood when you can. It’s not one that needs to be seen in the theater. In fact, breaking it up might not be a bad idea as it is 3 hours long. I was blown away. The kind of experience you talked about with Gravity Captain Phillips and Frozen (all great films btw!).
What’s exciting about Boyhood is it’s something new at the cinema but it’s not just a gimmick of a movie that took 12 years the story and life you see make you think about your life and choices. It’s a very stunning film.
Here’s my video review of Boyhood if you are interested.
OK, I’ll check out Boyhood when I get the chance! I listened to your review – the concept reminds me of the Up series you’ve mentioned. I’m always up for a film that feels new.
I haven’t seen Yogi Bear or The Smurfs, having heard how bad they are, but Paddington stays true to the spirit of the source material – the author himself approves of it – while I suspect those other movies don’t.
Great list; I love best and worst lists.
It’s great to see The LEGO Movie and BH6 at the top 2 spots.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I also love best and worst lists and look forward to this time of year.
Great list! Man, I really need to see Boyhood. Everyone talks about how great that is. I really enjoyed most of the movies on your best list (for live action). I just saw Chef and I thought it was great. I loved Edge of Tomorrow, and it will probably make my top 10 list for the year too. X-Men: Days of Future Past and Captain America: The Winter Soldier were also favorites.
So much fun. Boyhood isnt a movie to be seen for entertainment but to empathize with other humans and to think about your life so approach it like that and you’ll love it
Plus it was something new and different and in a world sequels, prequels and remakes that is so refreshing
Good to know! Thanks for the tip. Looking forward to checking it out.
Your ‘worst’ list is a roll-call of movies I gladly avoided seeing, despite being invited to. I don’t know why their bother with sequels or add-ons to The Wizard of Oz. One of the greatest films ever; just let it stand alone in its glory. Also here some links to reviews of a couple of the films you mentioned (sorry for the shameless self-promotion);
http://theburningbloggerofbedlam.wordpress.com/2014/08/14/mix-tapes-green-whores-and-dick-messages-the-guardians-of-the-galaxy-movie-in-review/
http://theburningbloggerofbedlam.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/x-men-days-of-future-past-the-full-in-depth-review/
http://theburningbloggerofbedlam.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/the-x-men-days-of-future-past-podcast-show-download/
Thanks and I don’t mind the links at all. Will check out the reviews. I elaborated on my worst list on my youtube channel. Oz was an embarrassment. I agree not worthy to have the Oz label with one of best movies ever made
Worst Movies of 2014 and Maleficent Rant: http://youtu.be/bJD_9-R1BU8
All the follow ups to Oz since original have been awful. Just leave it alone
Just checked it out. Nicely done.
Thanks 🙂
I also did a best of list where I picked some from live action and animated lists
Best Movies of 2014: http://youtu.be/8-JDETvgN5U
I spotted the image in nostalgia critic when are critics are wrong?
Nice! Good eyes! I saw that too and it made me excited. 🙂