Top 10 films of 2014
1. Boyhood. A truly unique film experience that was also moving and fun. Filmed in small bites every year over 12 years, we see Mason grow from the age of 6 to 18. Great performances all round.
2. Predestination. A mind bending noir, sci-fi, mystery, thriller with great production design by Brisbane twins The Spierig brothers.
3. Dallas Buyers Club. Heartbreaking stuff from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto as they brought to life the struggle of an outsider community for acceptance and appropriate healthcare.
4. The Raid 2. I thought the first one was brutal - then I saw this one. Absolutely top notch action sequences but not a replay of the first film, as this one introduces a nailbiting 'undercover in a crime family' angle.
5. Guardians of the Galaxy. Who needs Star Wars? I loved the humour, warmth, bright colours and space chases.
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I know, so many blockbusters in my list. But this was a clever political thriller dressed up as a big blockbuster. Thought provoking stuff for our times crossed with great visuals.
7. Her. The most unique storyline of the year reminded us of the ups and downs of love.
8. Grand Budapest Hotel. Wes Anderson's most accessible movie to date? Which doesn't say much as it's still quirky as all get out. A madcap comedy caper with a great ensemble cast.
9. The Babadook. A scary little movie on a taboo topic (mothering a difficult child) that didn't get the recognition it deserved in Australia, but has received huge international acclaim. Stephen King declared his admiration! Great direction by Jennifer Kent and acting by Essie Davis plus a very spooky monster.
10. 22 Jump Street. The funniest movie of the year for me (end credits are a must watch) joins the small club of sequels that are better than the first movie.
So close to making it: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men Days of Future Past, Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For, Interstellar.
Worst/Most Disappointing
1. Sex Tape. Just really bad and infrequently funny.
2. Lords of Salem. Straight to DVD nastiness from Rob Zombie. Just pointless, not scary and depressing. Waste of time.
3. Transcendence. Nobody even tried with this one, what a waste of a half-decent idea.
3. The Rover - a very disappointing follow up for director David Michod. It was actually a good film, but we just all expected so much after 'Animal Kingdom' and from such a great cast. Give us a hero to cheer for!
4. Snowpiercer - I thought I was going to love this so much. It had some good ideas but just didn't land the knockout punch.
Best Performances of the Year
1. Sarah Snook in Predestination - a star is born. So brave.
2. The cast of Boyhood - all gave highly naturalistic and convincing performances as a family over a 12 year period.
3. Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto in Dallas Buyer's Club. Opposite in views but both very touching.
4. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave. Tragic dignity.
5. Essie Davis in The Babadook. Again very brave
6. Joaquin Phoenix in Her. A superb one man show of vulnerability.
Best Movie Moments of 2014
1. Quiksilver's exit from the prison in X-Men: Days of Future Past was the best scene in any film I saw last year. Super fun.
2. Starlord's impromptu dance-off with Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy was almost as good.
3. An attacker clinging to the door of a car in the Raid 2 being met with automatic weapon fire straight through the motorcycle helmet. Bye!
4. The realisation of who the Unmarried Mother is going to meet when they go back in time. Woah!
5. Jonah Hill's 'Walk of Shame', Ice Cube's buffet destruction and Channing Tatum's reaction to finding out Schmidt's date, all in 22 Jump Street.
B's Top 10
This year we had a few more in common than last year!
Interstellar
Her
Guardians of the Galaxy
Grand Budapest Hotel
Predestination
Dallas Buyers Club
Chef
Gone Girl
What we do in the shadows
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Australian Box Office for 2014:
The top 10 for 2014 was no real surprise - it was either a sequel to already popular franchises, adaptations of books (Wolf of Wall Stret, Gone Girl, Hunger Games) or comics with one exception: The Lego Movie at #2. Although to be fair, Lego also came with a built in fanbase from the toys. But nobody really could have forseen how cool the movie would be. Guardians of the Galaxy was a risk that paid off, being one of Marvel's lesser known properties.
Sadly it was a bad year for box office for Australian movies even though there was a reasonable output. The Rover, Predestination, The Babadook, Tracks, Felony, These Final Hours, Charlie's Country, The Little Death were all decent quality films that should have done some business but most barely made $500,000 in total box office. Wolf Creek 2 at #62 and Tracks at #90 were the only ones to crack the top 100.
| 1 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 | Roadshow | $28,005,111 | 11/20 |
| 2 | The Lego Movie | Roadshow | $27,757,563 | 4/3 |
| 3 | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | WB | $26,295,611 | 12/26 |
| 4 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | PPI | $24,862,352 | 6/26 |
| 5 | How to Train Your Dragon 2 | Fox | $24,827,367 | 6/19 |
| 6 | Guardians of the Galaxy | Disney | $23,291,983 | 8/7 |
| 7 | The Wolf of Wall Street | Roadshow | $21,883,506 | 1/23 |
| 8 | Gone Girl | Fox | $21,750,665 | 10/2 |
| 9 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | Fox | $21,121,336 | 5/22 |
| 10 | 22 Jump Street | Sony | $21,000,729 | 6/19 |
I would love to hear your favourite movies and moments of 2014. Please share your comments below (you can use Anonymous if you don't have a Google account).
Lords of Salem was the worst!
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