Ray's Top 10 of 2014
by raysubers | created - 04 Dec 2014 | updated - 09 Dec 2014 | PublicHere are my favorite* movies of the year.* - Ray Subers, Box Office Mojo
*not "best"... "favorite"
*2014 movies that could make the list that I haven't had a chance to see yet: The Theory of Everything, Wild, Top Five, Inherent Vice, Unbroken, Selma
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1. Whiplash (2014)
R | 106 min | Drama, Music
A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
Director: Damien Chazelle | Stars: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser
Votes: 990,306 | Gross: $13.09M
This had me from the first moment, and never let up for a second. This is the only movie this year that I would describe as “perfect” – and it’s entertaining as hell, too.
2. Gone Girl (2014)
R | 149 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
With 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.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry
Votes: 1,067,922 | Gross: $167.77M
I got a chance to revisit this recently, and was surprised at how well the whole thing works. Great performances, brilliant script (adapted by Gillian Flynn from her own book), and tight direction from David Fincher.
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
R | 99 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A 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.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody
Votes: 887,221 | Gross: $59.10M
An early-year favorite, The Grand Budapest Hotel is arguably the best Wes Anderson movie yet. It’s an odd one, for sure, but I loved every second.
4. The Lego Movie (2014)
PG | 100 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
An 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.
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller | Stars: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett
Votes: 388,489 | Gross: $257.76M
Who knew a movie designed to sell toys could be so good? Since this hit HBO, I’ve been re-watching in bits and pieces – I can’t get “Everything is Awesome” out of my head, and I don’t know if I want to, either.
5. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.
Director: James Gunn | Stars: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana
Votes: 1,273,863 | Gross: $333.18M
I was hesitant to include this – should I really put a comic book movie on a Top 10 list? In this case, yes: Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most entertaining movies of the year, and I’m confident I’ll revisit it many times in the future.
6. Locke (2013)
R | 85 min | Drama
Ivan Locke, a dedicated family man and successful construction manager, receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that sets in motion a series of events that threaten his carefully cultivated existence.
Director: Steven Knight | Stars: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott
Votes: 159,630 | Gross: $1.36M
Tom Hardy delivers one of the best performances of the year in this wholly unique single-setting drama.
7. Boyhood (I) (2014)
R | 165 min | Drama
The life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Elijah Smith
Votes: 367,245 | Gross: $25.38M
I’m probably not as hot on this as everyone else, but it’s undeniable that this is a singular achievement that demands to be seen.
8. Blue Ruin (2013)
R | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A mysterious outsider's quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. Proving himself an amateur assassin, he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.
Director: Jeremy Saulnier | Stars: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves, Kevin Kolack
Votes: 78,923 | Gross: $0.26M
This very low budget thriller plays in to revenge movie tropes, while also consistently subverting them. One of the biggest surprises for me this year.
9. Nightcrawler (2014)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
When 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.
Director: Dan Gilroy | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed
Votes: 604,883 | Gross: $32.38M
Jake Gyllenhaal brings Dan Gilroy’s brilliant script to life in this unnerving thriller, which had me on the edge of my seat for the last hour.
10. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
R | 119 min | Comedy, Drama
A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough
Votes: 666,715 | Gross: $42.34M
Birdman doesn’t quite stick the landing for me, but the first two acts are remarkable. At the very least, this features some of the most impressive camerawork ever committed to film, which is enough to get it a spot on this list.
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