Every year, I feel the same way.
- Most “Oscar” film are too depressing
- Films from a decade ago are better than the films now
- I don’t see enough foreign, arty, and documentary films
That being said, 2014 had some good films. Only 4 of the Oscar Best Pictures make it into my Top 10 this year (Last year 7), but 3 of the other 4 are in my Top 20. “American Sniper” is lone exception.
Oscar analysis will come later. Here are my Top 20…
- The Grand Budapest Hotel – Beautiful, fun, transportive, original.
- Selma – Okay some of the facts weren’t perfect (same for every biopic EVER), but it captured the feel, the emotion, the power.
- The Lego Movie – This movie was AWESOME! And every Disney movie is just as much a commercial. Also best “movie Batman” yet.
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Like Lego Movie, this was just fun. What going to the movies was in the 80s.
- The Theory of Everything – Of the endless biopics, one that kept my interest throughout.
- Gone Girl – I hadn’t read the book, so I enjoyed every single twist.
- Boyhood – Somehow overcame my dislike of Ethan Hawke.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier – The best of the Marvel Superhero franchises.
- 22 Jump Street – If just for the post-credits scene this deserves Top 10.
- Nightcrawler – Jake Gyllenhaal owned this.
- The Imitation Game – Liked the pro-gay message more than the historically weak biopic.
Snowpiercer – Tilda Swinton owned this.
- Whiplash – Can you really bleed that much in drumming? Never saw the ending coming.
- Locke – Best 1-person movie I’ve ever seen. Certainly a far cry from “Phone Booth”.
- Foxcatcher – The nose! Kept confusing name with “Firefox”.
- Into the Woods – Streep is overrated in film. Chris Pine owned this.
- Edge of Tomorrow – If they had stuck to the “Groundhog Day” action film throughout, would have been better.
- Life Itself – Roger Ebert is incredible.
- Birdman – I think Edward Norton was the best thing in the film. (Sorry Michael and Emma)
- Still Alice – So depressing. So scary. But THAT is acting.
You probably didn’t see Snowpiercer, Edge of Tomorrow, or Locke. Now you have some Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/VOD watching for the next few months that aren’t yet another depressing drama or Oscar biopic.
Didn’t feel all that stimulated to see many movies this year. Last one I saw before my season got busy was Exodus……Of course I agree with your Chris Pines comment, as well as Lego and Guardians. Stilln Alice is on my list. I avoided the biopics – they all seemed to be promoted in the same breadcrump way… speaking of which.. did you see Unbroken? Thoughts?