EWB's Favorite Movie 2014: The Voting Thread

[GoGo Yubari]

'sup! This is a couple days later than it usually would be because I am a shambles. Last year, The Wolf of Wall Street edged out Her in a much more highbrow field. This year, probably back to superheroes, but only time will tell!

the usual copied and pasted rules:

1. You will be fielding a list of your top ten films of the year. Voting, of course, goes like so; list the films from 1 to 10, the show you listed at 1 gets ten points, the show you listed at 2 gets nine points, and so on. That being said, if you didn't watch ten movies (or ten movies you actually liked enough to vote for) feel free to just leave the rest of your ballot blank once you run out. That is totally valid!

2. The films had to be released in their country of origin in 2014. For example, Paddington premiered in the UK in 2014 so if people were charmed by CGI bear-themed whimsy they'd be voting on it for this year.

3. You don't need to tell me you've edited your list up until I post saying that voting is closed, because that's when I'll start tallying everything. Then if you really, really want to make a change you should probably let me know.

NOW GET VOTING so we can see what movie joins Inglourious Basterds, Inception, The Muppets, The Avengers, and The Wolf of Wall Street in the winner's circle. My ballot will come once EWB won't automatically absorb it into this post.

[Ruki]

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

2. Big Hero 6

3. Captain America: Winter Solider

4. Night Crawler

5. Lego Movie

6. 22 Jump Street

7. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

8. How to Train Your Dragon 2

9. Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1

10. 300 Rise Of An Empire

Will likely change as I remember what movies I watched last year.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

1. Whiplash

2. Nightcrawler

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

4. Gone Girl

5. Birdman

6. The Lego Movie

7. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

8. Fury

9. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

10. X-Men: Days of Future Past

Subject to change.

[Benjamin]

Only ten films? Eurgh, I'm going to feel so guilty

[LL!]

1. Birdman

2. Whiplash

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

4. Nightcrawler

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel

6. Interstellar

7. Gone Girl

8. Chef

9. The LEGO Movie

10. Frank

Honorable Mentions: The Imitation Game, 22 Jump Street, Hellion, Obvious Child, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Godzilla

In all, it was a really great year for movies. There were a lot of really genuinely good films. Not to mention the films I wanted to see but have yet to: Boyhood, Selma, A Most Violent Year, The Drop, Fury, Kill The Messenger, Big Eyes, Big Hero 6, Inherent Vice, Rosewater, Top Five, Edge of Tomorrow, The Rover, Foxcatcher, Better Living Through Chemistry, and The Guest.

[GoGo Yubari]

1. Boyhood

2. Whiplash

3. Inherent Vice

4. Gone Girl

5. Guardians of the Galaxy

6. The Lego Movie

7. The Grand Budapest Hotel

8. Birdman

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

10. Veronica Mars

[Your Mom]

This is probably a good place to ask. I saw Birdman. What even the hell was going on there?

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

I'd also like to know the answer to that.

[apsham]

1. Big Hero 6

2. What We Do In The Shadows

3. The Lego Movie

4. Guardians Of The Galaxy

5. 22 Jump Street

6. Godzilla

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

This is probably a good place to ask. I saw Birdman. What even the hell was going on there?

Birdman spoilers below:

I thought it was great. The idea of becoming famous not being enough and wanting to be taken seriously as a great actor causes this fascinating mental breakdown. He wants to be more than Birdman, this iconic character he played so many years ago, but it doesn't work. Nobody believes he can be. Other actors, agents, the media, his family, and ultimately himself. He wants to be this broad, complex actor. He wants to be brilliant and he wants the world to recognize it. But he can't escape being Birdman. It follows him his whole life. It takes him trying to literally end Birdman for him to wind up being perceived as a brilliant playwrite/actor int the end.

I thought it was a really interesting take on mental health and celebrity.

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

1. Birdman

2. The Imitation Game

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel

4. Lego Movie

5. Guardians of the Galaxy

6. Theory of Everything

7. Pride

8. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

9. 22 Jump Street

Will add more as I remember what I watched.

[Your Mom]

This is probably a good place to ask. I saw Birdman. What even the hell was going on there?

Birdman spoilers below:

I thought it was great. The idea of becoming famous not being enough and wanting to be taken seriously as a great actor causes this fascinating mental breakdown. He wants to be more than Birdman, this iconic character he played so many years ago, but it doesn't work. Nobody believes he can be. Other actors, agents, the media, his family, and ultimately himself. He wants to be this broad, complex actor. He wants to be brilliant and he wants the world to recognize it. But he can't escape being Birdman. It follows him his whole life. It takes him trying to literally end Birdman for him to wind up being perceived as a brilliant playwrite/actor int the end.

I thought it was a really interesting take on mental health and celebrity.

Ok sure but did he really jump out the window at the end? Was he really on the rooftop when that one guy talked to him? It was all nonsense!

[Mx. Canadian Destroyer]

This is probably a good place to ask. I saw Birdman. What even the hell was going on there?

Birdman spoilers below:

I thought it was great. The idea of becoming famous not being enough and wanting to be taken seriously as a great actor causes this fascinating mental breakdown. He wants to be more than Birdman, this iconic character he played so many years ago, but it doesn't work. Nobody believes he can be. Other actors, agents, the media, his family, and ultimately himself. He wants to be this broad, complex actor. He wants to be brilliant and he wants the world to recognize it. But he can't escape being Birdman. It follows him his whole life. It takes him trying to literally end Birdman for him to wind up being perceived as a brilliant playwrite/actor int the end.

I thought it was a really interesting take on mental health and celebrity.

Ok sure but did he really jump out the window at the end? Was he really on the rooftop when that one guy talked to him? It was all nonsense!

I think that everything Birdman related was totally in his head. The only part that I can't quite figure out is the end with his daughter.

This discussion could probably be moved to the General Movie Thread if it's going to continue.

[I Don't Mind]

1) Guardians of the Galaxy
2) Lego Movie
3) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4) X-Men: Days of Futre Past
5) 22 Jump Street
6) Big Hero 6
7) The Interview
8) This Is Where I Leave You
9) A Million Ways ot Die In The West
10) Mr. Peabody and Sherman

[RPS]

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

2. The Skeleton Twins

3. X-Men: Days of Future Past

4. Lego Movie

5. Dear White People

I saw bunch of other movies, but I don't feel like I really liked them enough to list them in my top movies of the year. To me, it was a pretty weak year for movies. My typical movie is usually something a bit more experimental and boundary pushing. I didn't really see a whole lot this year that was great in that regard.

That being said, I thought Guardians, Skeleton Twins and X-Men were really great movies. I thought I would hate X-Men, but they've really turned the franchise around the last few films. I love that they are taking risks again. Comic movies have been so boring and stilted. I was never a big Bill Hader fan, but man he has great dramatic chops. Skeleton Twins was great, a little too sappy, but great nonetheless. And Guardians of the Galaxy was probably the best non-documentary film I've seen in 5 years. I can't remember the last movie I saw twice in theatres; probably Brokeback Mountain? I gladly went and saw Guardians twice. I probably would have went three times.

[Dang117]

1. Guardians Of The Galaxy

2. Lego Movie

3. X Men Days Of Future Past

4. 22 Jump Street

5. How To Train Your Dragon 2

6. 300 Rise Of An Empire

7. The Amazing Spiderman 2

8. What if

[Rudo]

1. The Lego Movie

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel

4. Whiplash

5. Gone Girl

6. X-Men: Days of Future Past

7. Foxcatcher

8. Edge of Tomorrow

9. Selma

10. Birdman

[Benjamin]

1. Boyhood
2. Whiplash
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4. Guardians of the Galaxy
5. Interstellar
6. Two Days, One Night
7. Selma
8. The Raid 2
9. The LEGO Movie
10. Maps to the Stars

2014 was a pretty great year for film. There are like 15-20 films I'd add to my personal favourites.

Honorable mentions go to: Jersey Boys, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Rover, A Most Wanted Man, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Wild, Blue Ruin,Under the Skin, Inherent Vice, Life Itself, The Immigrant.

Also, I'm so sad I only got to watch Princess Kaguya this year. It would have been near the top of 2013, absolutely. I so wanted to include it in my top 5 this year, too bad it was released two years ago in Japan

Early prediction to win this year is probably either Guardians of the Galaxy or Birdman, with maybe an outside chance at LEGO Movie.

[Jimmy]

1. Two Days, One Night

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

3. Boyhood

4. Birdman

5. The Lego Movie

6. The Guest

7. Whiplash

8. Pride

9. Mr. Turner

10. Under The Skin

Still got a bunch of stuff to see from this year, including a number of foreign language films and documentaries.

[DFF]

'sup! This is a couple days later than it usually would be because I am a shambles. Last year, The Wolf of Wall Street edged out Her in a much more highbrow field. This year, probably back to superheroes, but only time will tell!

the usual copied and pasted rules:

1. You will be fielding a list of your top ten films of the year. Voting, of course, goes like so; list the films from 1 to 10, the show you listed at 1 gets ten points, the show you listed at 2 gets nine points, and so on. That being said, if you didn't watch ten movies (or ten movies you actually liked enough to vote for) feel free to just leave the rest of your ballot blank once you run out. That is totally valid!

2. The films had to be released in their country of origin in 2014. For example, Paddington premiered in the UK in 2014 so if people were charmed by CGI bear-themed whimsy they'd be voting on it for this year.

3. You don't need to tell me you've edited your list up until I post saying that voting is closed, because that's when I'll start tallying everything. Then if you really, really want to make a change you should probably let me know.

NOW GET VOTING so we can see what movie joins Inglourious Basterds, Inception, The Muppets, The Avengers, and The Wolf of Wall Street in the winner's circle. My ballot will come once EWB won't automatically absorb it into this post.

Inevitable 12 Years a Slave question - it was a co-Us/UK production. While it had a film festival debut in December '13 in the UK it's full, public release was Jan '14.

I can't remember whether we counted it last year or not.