Best Films of 2014 (Thus far...)

[The Red Reuben]

After "Blended" and "The Fault in Our Stars" tomorrow, I'll have seen 46 of the 47 films that have come to my town. (Damn you Legends of Oz...)

I'm wondering if anyone else has seen a ton, and can offer their "Best of the Year Thus Far".

For me, it's something like:

1.) The Lego Movie

2.) Chef

3.) Labor Day

4.) The Grand Budapest Hotel

5.) X-Men: Days of Future Past

[Benjamin]

Haven't seen a ton, most of the films I'm seeing are all over the place (just watched The Warrior's Way, because it's been on the watchlist for forever).

Anyway, here's my list so far:

1) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

2) The LEGO Movie

3) Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery

4) Godzilla

5) Justice League: War

6) Edge of Tomorrow

7) Cheap Thrills

8) Veronica Mars

9) JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time

10) X-Men: Days of Future Past

11) Sabotage

12) 300: Rise of an Empire

13) The Amazing Spider-Man 2

14) Son of Batman

15) The Journey

16) Mr. Peabody & Sherman

17) I, Frankenstein

18) Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher

19) Knights of Badassdom

20) The Legend of Hercules

My film in 2014 watchlist is still like miles long, there are a ton I'm waiting for the DVD to get

[The Red Reuben]

I have to find a new list. The one I was using missed Spiderman 2 and Million Dollar Arm.

[GoGo Yubari]

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

2. The Lego Movie

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel

4. Veronica Mars

5. X-Men: Days of Future Past

6. Muppets Most Wanted

7. Godzilla

8. Amazing Spider-Man 2

I've seen the vast majority of Million Dollar Arm but not start to finish in order so I don't know if I can really count that.

[Jimmy]

Hasn't been that strong this year yet. I wouldn't have an order, as such. With a lot of stuff still to come out, I don't think much will make my end of year list. I think The Lego Movie will, but we'll see.

• The Lego Movie
• Captain America
• Touch of Sin
• Locke
• Under The Skin
• The Double
• Starred Up
• Days of Future Past
• The Grand Budapest Hotel

[stokeriño]

I think my top three is the same as GoGo's (Winter Soldier, Lego Movie, Grand Budapest Hotel), although I can't guarantee in what order. Once I start getting them on DVD and rewatching them I shall hopefully have a better idea.

The others I've seen have been fairly limited, though I think I can do a better job of ranking them:

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past

5. Edge of Tomorrow

6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

7. Muppets Most Wanted

8. Maleficent

9. The Wind Rises (oh Miyazaki...I wanted to enjoy this so much...but alas)

[stokeriño]

Stokerina watches a lot more than I do (largely through illegal means... ) and I got her to make her list, which is as follows:

1. The Lego Movie

2. Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier
3. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
5. Edge of Tomorrow
6. Godzilla
7. Maleficent
8. 12 Years a Slave
9. Delivery Man
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel
11. Robocop
12. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
13. Non-Stop
14. Divergent
15. The Wind Rises
16. Tarzan 3D
17. Muppets Most Wanted
18. I, Frankenstein
19. Pompeii
20. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

[Benjamin]

Really, really need to watch Grand Budapest Hotel, Muppets Most Wanted, The Double and Under the Skin.

Also, I heard the Wind Rises is pretty good?

[stokeriño]

It's...pretty. But to me the story felt rather hollow and under-developed. There's a romantic subplot which could nearly be called fully-formed, but his entire interest/work in building planes just sort of happens, without much drama or sense of purpose (even when it dangles possibilities in front of you, like Nazi and/or Secret Police intrusion, nothing seems to come of them).

I'm sure the subject has a very personal significance to Miyazaki, but as a film it just drifts.

[Berober]

I haven't seen a ton of films out this year, so here's my top 14...

1-10) Scooby Doo Wrestlemania Mystery

11) The Lego Movie

12) 22 Jump Street (Go watch it guys, it's great!)

13) Amazing Spiderman 2

14) Captain America 2 (That just happened.)

[Skummy]

I agree with the criticism of The Wind Rises, in that it just kind of meanders along and nothing really seems to have any sense of urgency...but in its way I liked that. I think the obvious love that Miyazaki had for the subject shone through to make it more exciting than it was - and why I can see why people would complain about things like the secret police, and Herzog's character, not really leading to anything more, I liked that; it suggested that there were far more important and significant things going on in the world, but that the main character was so wrapped up in his own life that they went all but unnoticed.

I think maybe it helps that I'd been reading a lot of Miyazaki's writing, so saw how much of his long-term obsessions and fixations found their way into the movie, but I absolutely adored it.

For me, in no particular order, the best films of the year have probably been The LEGO Movie, The Wind Rises and Muppets Most Wanted. I've not seen Grand Budapest Hotel, though, which I imagine would find its way into my list. Winter Soldier would probably be up there too, it was very, very good.

[Benjamin]

Skummy hasn't seen Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery? He should. It feels like his kind of thing (in that it's totally awesome).

[Skummy]

Haha, actually, yes, I have, and it's amazing. I like that I didn't even mention that I hadn't seen it in my post, but you (quite understandably) assumed that because I hadn't said I loved it then I must have not seen it.

That would also definitely make my list, I just forgot about it because I didn't see it at the cinema, so didn't really consider it.

[Monkey D. Lars]

My top 25 so far is:

01. Godzilla

02. Captain America: Winter Soldier

03. The LEGO Movie

04. The Amazing Spider-man 2

05. Noah

06. Neighbors

07. Justice League: War

08. Robocop

09. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

10. 300: Rise of an Empire

11. Non-Stop

12. Ride Along

13. Pompeii

14. Reasonable Doubt

15. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

16. Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark

17. I, Frankenstein

Meeh horrible year so far.

[Benjamin]

That top 3 you have is aces, though.

I'd highly recommend Barefoot, which stars Evan Rachel Wood. J.K. Simmons and Treat Williams are part of the supporting cast. It's plot and story arc are not anything original, but the execution of the cast and the direction is pretty well done. You know you have to try it if it has J.K. Simmons.