My top 20 of 2014
The Must see films of 2014, most so good I went to see them a few times at the cinema and will probably get them when they come out on BluRay
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20 titles
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.Brilliant ! Exhilarating, Emotional
I am not sure if I would like this more or less if I was as clever as Prof Brian Cox ??. If black holes, worm holes and the time continuum aren't enough to blow your mind the stunning visual effects will. (although on second viewing I don't think the picture was as sharp as in Gravity) Great performance from MMcC as we now expect as standard.
At 168mins this is the longest film I've seen for a while, but so good I will be going to see it again next week, maybe I'll swot up on Einstein's theory of relativity before hand.(tried that, it didn't help)Still A must see film and a defo for the bluRay list, hopefully there will be an extended edition because this is one of those films where you just want more. Fantastic ! Still great after a 3rd viewing in fact I have raised my rating up to 10 it is so good. (And eventually saw this 6 times to make sure I liked it) - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsIan McKellenMartin FreemanRichard ArmitageBilbo Baggins and company are forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the Lonely Mountain from falling into the hands of a rising darkness.Fantastic conclusion to a great prequel trilogy. Martin Freeman really shines out with his best performance. Peter Jackson, the team of writers and filmmakers have done a brilliant job with Tolkien's masterpiece. It was a long night but great to see the story unfold over 8 hours of movie magic.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBen AffleckRosamund PikeNeil Patrick HarrisWith his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.A master class in making a movie, just as you might expect from David Fincher, just like ;Fight Club, Se7en and Zodiac you are glued to the edge of your seat unsure what twist is coming up next, a great story delivered in a classic DF style. Another must see but unfortunately only really a single watch movie.(not true, watched it again and although it loses some of the mystery, it is still a very powerful gripping movie) Ben is back in top form and Rosamund Pike is strikingly brilliant and very different to the role I saw her in just the other day in What we did on our holiday.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJonah HillMargot RobbieBased on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.This is why LDC is my favourite actor, he is brilliant!, and when he is teamed up with Scorsese he is sublime. This film has more T&A than a years supply of Nuts magazine, and enough white powder for a snow capped mountain, now I know what I missed out on in the 80s. Is this a statement on greed and decadence ? YES, but it is still funny in several places without saying that it is ok. Obviously a hot favourite for Oscars.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsChiwetel EjioforMichael Kenneth WilliamsMichael FassbenderIn the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.You know it's going to be tough viewing in places, and it is very graphic and pulls no punches, great performances all round, obviously a front runner for BAFTAs and Oscars.
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsGary OldmanKeri RussellAndy SerkisThe fragile peace between apes and humans is threatened as mistrust and betrayal threaten to plunge both tribes into a war for dominance over the Earth.It's amazing what you can achieve with new CGI technology, the apes are better than ever. Andy Serkis is brilliant as Caesar ,it's difficult sometimes to remember how good an actor he is due to the CGI covering him. I have always been a fan of the Planet of the apes since the first film with Chuck Heston and although they look a tad dated now, you have to remember what low budgets and old technology they used. The latest 2 modern updates are brilliant and I can't wait for the next one. A must see for the year.
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeDuring World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.Great performances from Benedict and Keira and sure to feature in the Oscars ? The story itself is maybe a bit soft in tackling the sexuality of Turing and his subsequent suicide but that was probably decided necessary for a wider audience, so the story concentrates on building the computer and breaking the Enigma code. There are some good flashbacks of Turing's schooldays and again well acted. An interesting and gripping film in spite of its shortcomings.
- DirectorFrank MillerRobert RodriguezStarsMickey RourkeJessica AlbaJosh BrolinSome of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.Stunning !
- DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsMatthew McConaugheyJennifer GarnerJared LetoIn 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is diagnosed with the disease.Great performance from an almost unrecognizable M McC, dedication to his art well and truly gone the extra mile. Another example of a true story providing a great base for a brilliant movie.
- DirectorJames GunnStarsChris PrattVin DieselBradley CooperA group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.At last a really funny Marvel film. Great fun with lots of CGi as you would expect. A must see for the summer, well there's not much else on . On a second (2D) viewing I found this even more amusing and enjoyable with the jokes coming past the special effects more noticeably. A new modern classic ? will it stay in the IMDB top 100 for long ? probably !.
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsChristian BaleAmy AdamsBradley CooperA con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive partner Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild F.B.I. Agent, Richie DiMaso, who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and the Mafia.Great actors and a great film is possible when you have a great plot.
Christian Bale with a very bad hairdo is just the starting point of some great funny scenes. Well worth going to see. - DirectorJosh BooneStarsShailene WoodleyAnsel ElgortNat WolffHazel and Gus are teenagers who meet at a cancer support group and fall in love. They both share the same acerbic wit and a love of books, especially "An Imperial Affliction", so they embark on a journey to visit an author in Amsterdam.I had the pleasure of taking my daughter to see this film and for once it lived up to the hype. A truly witty moving and life affirming experience. If a film can take you on an emotional rollercoaster it works ! yes , there were tears at the end but you would have to have a heart of stone not to. The performances from the 2 leading actors were brilliant. Well worth going to see.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsTom CruiseEmily BluntBill PaxtonA soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.Groundhog day meets Starship Troopers ! add a huge budget and Tom Cruise and you get a spectacular Sci fi movie with all the usual CGI effects that are obligatory these days. If like me Sci Fi is your bag, well worth going to see on the big screen, pretty good 3D effects but not overdone. this blu ray will be on my crimbo list.
- DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoBill PaxtonWhen Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.Jake G does a great job as the ruthlessly driven creepy sociopath videographer. There's plenty of bloody close ups to entertain the viewers but Louis goes too far and steps over the line from just recording the news events to manipulating them for his own ends. Is this dark and gritty sensationalism the norm ? A great supporting cast add up to make this a must see movie.
- DirectorMatthew WarchusStarsBill NighyImelda StauntonDominic WestU.K. gay activists work to help miners during their lengthy strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984.I was hesitant in going to see this film but was glad I did, the gay element is not overdone and the story of the miners strike and the unusual supporters showed how odd people can come to together.
I was a staunch Thatcher hater and supporter of the miners strike in the 80s so it brought back memories, its not as deep as Billy Elliot in terms of the levels of hardship that the miners went through but it highlights an important episode of British history. The acting performances were excellent from a great ensemble cast which makes this a very watchable film for all. - DirectorDavid AyerStarsBrad PittShia LaBeoufLogan LermanA grizzled tank commander makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across Germany in April, 1945.If you like your war films with lots of action and gratuitous carnage this will be right up your street. It is bound to be compared to Saving Private Ryan but that is of course head and shoulders above all other war films as you might expect from Spielberg, where a depth of character is more prominent than the blood and guts splashing across the screen. Brad is not quite Tom Hanks but looks like a new John Wayne. Great performances from the tank crew do make this a very watchable movie, although not for the squeamish. Just decided to add this to my top 20 after seeing again at the cinema.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.At 160 mins this could have made a 6 part TV soap series, but of course that would not have worked, it's more like real life where nothing much happens. A rare epic look at American life for ordinary people. Growing up in dysfunctional families without over dramatising.
- DirectorPhil LordChristopher MillerStarsChris PrattWill FerrellElizabeth BanksAn ordinary LEGO construction worker, thought to be the prophesied as "special", is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the LEGO universe into eternal stasis.Much better than you might expect for a blatant product placement movie. In fact I would say the best animated/ kids movie in the last 18 months or so. It follows the classic formula of good guys and bad guys with the inevitable outcome and provides adult and child humour along the way. The cast of voices is surprisingly top rate for this type of film, well worth going to see and sure to be on the next christmas DVD list.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsRalph FiennesF. Murray AbrahamMathieu AmalricA writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.A grand list of big names goes to show how much actors want to work on Wes Anderson projects. Ralph Fiennes is in top form with impeccable timing, his best performance I've seen to date. Not a laugh out loud film (apart from the finger chopping) but one that keeps you smiling all the way through. Well worth going to see.
- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsJack O'ConnellBen MendelsohnRupert FriendEric Love, 19, is locked up in prison. On his first day, he assaults another inmate and several guards. He's offered group therapy and his dad, an inmate as well, tries to talk sense into him. Can he be rehabilitated?It doesn't get much harder than this ! a brilliant gritty and violent prison drama.
Great performances from a convincing cast make this a must see if you have the stomach for it. If you don't like bad language and bloody violence give it a miss, the F & C count is high !