The 14 Best Films of 2014

Only about 6 weeks ago I posted my list of the 10 Best Films of 2014 with the caveat that I had not seen many films (especially many Oscar contenders). I openly admitted that the first few films on that list (mainly Veronica Mars, Wish I Was Here, and Fury) would not make my true Best of 2014 List. I still stand by those selections as films you should eventually see one day, but I was correct in that they did not make my final list. I have seen a considerable amount of films over the past few weeks and many of them are worthy on making my final year-end list.

In the end, I think 2014 ended up being a pretty good year for films. We had quality prestige Oscar-worthy films, classic summer Blockbusters, and delightful Indies. We still haven't had that Holy Shit Movie since The Social Network (only Drive comes close) and we certainly didn't get that film in 2014. But the fact that I needed to expand this list beyond 10 films should tell you something about how good and deep 2014 ended up being for movies.

Similar to my 14 Best T.V. Shows of 2014 list, the number of films in relation to the year may seem gimmicky, but I assure you the number of films I will choose to discuss mainly relates to the quality of good films there are to discuss. Before I write a post like this, I type up all of the films I plan to write about into my iPhone. I initially only wanted to do a Top 10 list, but I had considerable trouble narrowing down the list into only 10. I`could choose to leave off films I discussed in my initial Best-Of Year End list, but not only would that be a disservice to certain films, I use these posts as reference points in later years. Eventually, I was able to pair down my list to 13 solid and worthy candidates- none of which I wanted to leave off of my list. I did add a 14th film because "The Top 13 Films of 2014" doesn't flow quite as nicely, but like I said, all of these films are worthy of being considered the best of the best.

Top 10 Films of 2014

I've come to realize that I absolutely hate doing year-end movie lists at the very end of the year. While I do watch an unnecessary amount of films, I tend to really finish watching all of the "good" films as the Academy Awards draw near. That's a good solid two months of film watching, and films worth putting on lists like these, that I miss out on the first time around. One of my favorite films of 2013 was Nebraska (currently streaming on Netflix *wink wink*). I didn't have a chance to watch the film in 2013, so I left it off of my initial list. I am confident that I will do the same this year, especially considering I need to see films like Whiplash, Birdman, and Boyhood. I'll post my "true" best of 2014 list some time in late February or early March, but for now, here is my list of the Top 10 Films of 2014.

Guardians of the Galaxy and Why The Oscars Need To Add A Best Soundtrack Category

As amazing of a film as Pulp Fiction is and will always be, it was a big loser at the 1995 Oscars. Sure, Quentin Tarantino won Best Original Screenplay, but Pulp Fiction lost the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. However, if the Oscars had come to their senses a while ago and had a Best Soundtrack category back then, maybe Pulp Fiction would have had added at least one more Oscar to their resume.

Music has always been prominent in Quentin Tarantino's films- Pulp Fiction in particular. From Dick Dale's Miserlou in the opening credits to John Travolta and Uma Thurman dancing to Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell to Urge Overkill's version of Neil Diamond's Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon, you can't think of Pulp Fiction without thinking about the music QT used in the film. Think about Tarantino's other films and you'll reminded of what a genius he is when it comes to blending music and movies. Rick Ross's 100 Black Coffins in Django Unchained, David Bowe's Cat People (Putting Out The Fire) in Inglorious Basterds, Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang and The 5, 6, 7, 8's Woo Hoo in Kill Bill Vol. 1, and that great opening credit scene in Reservoir Dogs where there's the slo mo of the gang walking away from the restaurant while Little Green Bag by George Baker Selection fills your ears. However, the most iconic musical moment in a Quentin Tarantino film comes from the aforementioned Reservoir Dogs when Michael Madsen is about to chop off the police officer's ear while he's dancing to Steelers Wheel's Stuck In The Middle With You. All of these incredible and indelible moments were made because of the use of pre-existing music. The fact that these songs (sans 100 Black Coffins) were made before Tarantino even wrote the script to his films is irrelevant to impact it had on the film itself and its influence within pop culture.

10 Most Anticipated Summer Movies of 2014

Generally speaking, the summer movie season runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Maybe May 1st to the beginning of September. Not coincidentally, this is the time frame we Americans consider "summer". But that's not the case anymore. The summer movie season starts earlier and earlier now. In 2014, Captain America: The Winter Solider was released on April 4th. The Hunger Games was released on March 23, 2012. It doesn't need to be the summer anymore for Hollywood to release a summer Blockbuster. But with that being said, here is my list of the 10 most anticipates summer movies of 2014. The time frame of movies being released may be the same, but the release of this post gets earlier and earlier.

10) Edge of Tomorrow
Release Date: June 6th
Directed By: Doug Liman
Starring: Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt
Excitement Level: 6

WHY I'M EXCITED: Because Tom Cruise really doesn't make bad movies. While Tom Cruise hasn't made a great movie since 2002's Minority Report, he hasn't made a bad (action) movie either. Films like Knight and Day, Oblivion, and Jack Reacher were at the very least worth renting. Doug Liman is the director of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the first Bourne movie (the best one IMHO), and Swingers. He doesn't make great movies, but he doesn't make bad ones either.
WHY IT COULD BE BAD: The floor for Edge of Tomorrow might be high, but its ceiling is low. I don't know that anyone was clamoring for a science fiction Groundhog's Day, and I can't imagine people will be clamoring for one after this film's release. I don't see this being a huge phenomenon, but rather a solid rental, and that's not high praise for any film.

9) Lucy
Release Date: August 8th
Directed By: Luc Besson
Starring: Scarlett Johansson & Morgan Freeman
Excitement Level: 6

WHY I'M EXCITED: Luc Besson is a great director with a cool and unique vision. The Fifth Element and Leon: The Professional are excellent flicks and the Taken franchise is great. Scarlett Johansson is also becoming a bona fide action star with Lucy coming on the heals of her three Avengers flicks. It'll be refreshing to see a great action movie led by a female.
WHY IT COULD BE BAD: Luc Besson has made some awesome films, but he's also made some duds as well. His most recent film, The Family, was just a waste of everyone's time. Also, this whole "humans only use 10% of their brain" Hollywood plot point could actually come across on screen just as annoying as it sounds.

Trailer Preview: 2014 Films

THE GOOD

Guardians Of The Galaxy (Release Date: August 1)

WHY IT'S GOOD: The "Guardians of the Galaxy" is one of Marvel's "weirder" properties, and that's putting it nicely. When this project was first announced, it seemed like a silly idea for a movie. However, this trailer puts all doubts to rest. The trailer not only perfectly explains who these characters are and gives us some semblance of this world, but also makes you genuinely excited to see this funny, action-adventure blockbuster. 

Neighbors (Release Date: May 9)

WHY IT'S GOOD: Because it's downright hilarious. Even though Seth Rogen neither wrote nor directed this film, it still looks like a film that will go up with his other comedy classics. 

The Boxtrolls (Release Date: September 26)

WHY IT'S GOOD: This is an example where the movie doesn't necessarily excite me, but I can recognize a great trailer for what it is. Not only is the song incredible and perfect (Ritchie Young's version of "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands"), but the trailer does something bold. It sets up this world while marking it very hard to criticize it. By showing the incredibly, intricate detail Laika put into this movie, it's difficult to just say the movie is "bad", because the backlash of "look how hard they worked on this film" will blow up in your face. When you watch a movie, you care about the story and the characters. If neither are there, who cares about the detail you see on-screen? But this trailer puts the hard work and effort the people making this movie front and center, which can only help the movie and whatever criticism it may take.