Rate The Last Movie You Watched

[Qwikshot]

Inherent Vice

I don’t know if I can encapsulate this. Think of Altman’s attempt on “The Long Good-Bye” or Coen’s “Big Lebowski”. To Altman, everything was cynical, Gould’s Marlowe did not understand the 70’s, the tone was dark but it was brightly lit. The song never changed. Marlowe puts a bullet in the guy who almost got away with it, and then he singsongs on a harmonica as the credits play out.
Coen’s Lebowski was lighter in tone. A stoner on a case, but never really figuring what it all was about. “F*ck it dude, let’s go bowling” was the summation.
My buddy who went with me, said “45 minutes in I had no idea what the hell was going on” which is saying much since it’s 2 hours plus.
Reading the book I understood more, there are some great bouts of humor but it’s a dark movie.
So Inherent Vice is a sprawl. It’s Paul Thomas Anderson editing a voluminous work of Thomas Pychon (who supposedly cameos in the movie). That could be asking for disaster, noting how PTA lets his movies wander.
This is more of the same as Larry “Doc” Sportello a stoner hippie PI who works out of a dentist office (better explained in the book) meets up with his ex-girlfriend no longer a hippie surfer chick but a “flatlander”.
Phoenix does a good job; he seems to be pretty competent when not in a drug induced haze. Katherine Waterston is something to behold as Shasta (That Pulp Fiction argument about giving another man’s woman a foot rub and the justification of throwing a man out the window just might be solved in the masterful 6 minute uncut scene at the end).
Never once did I feel lost in the movie, but never once did I feel that I knew what it was about. Drugs destroying the hippie culture, money and power corrupts and steals from the idealistic? A guy in trouble, a girl in trouble, biker Nazi’s…much like Spinal Tap “best left unsolved”. You are going for the ride.
Del Toro does a nice showing, and Martin Short steals a scene. Owen Wilson is very subdued.
But nothing compares to the alter ego of Josh Brolin’s Bigfoot, the cop stuck in the 50’s who tangles with Sportello on ideals and dealing with the same case.

In the end, I enjoyed the movie…but do I understand it? Even with a voiceover from a woman who may or may not exist, the path was very much surrounded in fog, but I’d like to say I enjoyed the trip.

[Chief Rum]

Not that anyone here is waiting, but I am close to ready to do my final 2014 list. I still want to see Selma for sure, and I may try to see Inherent Vice and Big Hero 6 (or however the movie title goes), too.

[Suicane75]

American Sniper: 84 Out Of 100 Stars
Fierce action expertly directed by Eastwood, solid pacing of a strong script, and a studly, star making performance from Bradley Cooper make American Sniper a must see, Oscar worthy effort.

[Suicane75]

Birdman: 93 Out Of 100 Stars
Birdman is A movie whose brilliance lies in the fact that as much as you're interested in what happens next, you're more interested in what will be said next. The script is a lightweight boxer, delivering constant verbal sparring sessions that leave you breathless just watching.

Keaton plays a veteran actor, forever linked to the super hero character he played for many years. The premise is insanely intriguing of course, given the real life parallels. So Keaton is attempting to adapt a story for a broadway play and the movie more or less follows the trials and tribulations of getting said play in top shape for opening night.

The entire cast is marvelous, especially Edward Norton as a fellow actor brought in to help save the play when one of the co stars has an unfortunate accident.

All that said, there are themes and suggestions that run much deeper and are expertly handled by the brilliant direction.

In the end, perhaps the only thing lacking in Birdman is accessibility. I could watch it 10 more times and probably not be any closer to really understanding a lot of the undertones or nuances of the film. But if a movies only real flaw is how layered it is, well then I wish more movies were this flawed.

[Julio Riddols]

Some recent films I have been fortunate enough to enjoy:

Nightcrawler: 9/10 - The only thing I didn't really dig about this movie was the soundtrack. Jake Gyllenhaal completely transforms into this character and carries this film incredibly. The movie had tones that struck a similar vein to Drive, but it was a much more straightforward affair. The weird feeling of watching a guy like the main character and experiencing his rise despite him being essentially a sociopath was unsettling and satisfying at the same time. I'll watch this one a lot in my lifetime, I am certain of that.

The Drop: 8/10 - This is a fairly cookie cutter crime drama but the script is fantastic and the acting is even better. James Gandolfini in his last role is amazing and Tom Hardy is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. His character boils so subtly under a calm surface, eventually exploding in a spectacular way. Very memorable climax to this one.

Inherent Vice - 7.5/10 - The comparisons this movie has gotten to The Big Lebowski are valid.. It has a very similar vibe. Not quite as quotable.. It really is probably best described as Paul Thomas Anderson's version of Lebowski. I'll echo the sentiments about the character portrayed by Josh Brolin.. Such a memorable character. The back and forth between himself and Joaquin Phoenix is worth the price of admission. Also loved the cameo by Martin Short.

Big Hero 6 - 8/10 - The best disney animated movie since Wreck It Ralph. Not quite as funny or as good as the Lego Movie, but the main character robot in this is memorably funny and lovable as hell. Pretty heavy story too, dealing with death and the motivation for revenge and how we can lose sight of what matters when faced with tough situations. I think it had a pretty good message.

The Imitation Game - 9/10 - Incredible story, strong acting, one of the better biopics I have seen in a while. This is a must watch if you don't understand how vital Turing's work is to modern society. I didn't, but now I do. Tragic that his genius was discarded for such petty reasons when he had a lot more to give the world. Plus, it has Tywin Lannister in it.

Birdman: 10/10 - Holy shit, man.

Predestination: 7/10 - If you like under the radar sci-fi time travel mindfucks, this one has all that in spades. I dug it, and only gave it a 7/10 because I missed some of it because I tried to watch it at work.. Despite missing some stuff, I can tell this is at least a 7/10 and maybe better than that. Very intriguing.

What We Do In The Shadows: 9/10 - one of the best comedies of the year, a mockumentary about vampires written in part by Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords. It's just flat out hilarious, and actually has some nice effects in it, something you don't often see in comedies.

The Skeleton Twins: 7/10 - A melancholy, pretty serious pair of roles for Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader.. But they pull it off quite well. The story is about a pair of twins who have a strong bond and serious issues with depression, both struggling to make sense of their lives and what they have become as they have grown up after a broken childhood. There are very funny parts, and there are incredibly sad parts, but it is an overall good film I would recommend to fans of Wiig and Hader as well as fans of indie melodrama.

The Boxtrolls: 6.5/10 - Pretty good Tim Burton animated flick, stop motion style. Kids will dig it, has a lot of the same feel as many of Tim Burton's animated works. Not a groundbreaking story or anything, but interesting characters and a very imaginative world.

Into The Woods: 8/10 - I loved this play when I saw it at my high school back in the day, and this film version is an excellent big screen version of that. If you like this play or know about it, I highly recommend the film.

St. Vincent: 7/10 - Great role for Bill Murray here, but the movie is a bit overly sappy IMO.. Still a solid flick, worth watching if you're a fan of Murray in general. Melissa McCarthy has a solid serious role here as a very believable single mom struggling to make things work after a messy divorce.
The chemistry between Murray and the kid in this film is good.

The Dog: 8/10 - Documentary about the guy Dog Day Afternoon was based on. Really interesting look at the life of the man, his relationship with his mother, and the story behind the story.

[Buccaneer]

Definitely finished my movie season on a high note.

Silver Linings Playbook - 9/10 This was recommended to me here, esp. with my new fascination with Jennifer Lawrence. It still amazes me how this young lady can flat-out act and this movie was no exception. Bradley Copper is also one of those actors that will be able to take on anything. Put those two together (and the bonus of DeNiro), with a tight script and David O. Russell, and you got a great movie, despite its obsession with the Eagles and DeSean Jackson. The only flaw was Chris Tucker, imo. Thanks for recommending this, truly one of my favorites.

The Hunger Games - 7/10 Dystopian fiction, or even sci-fi in general, has never been my thing. I don't read such stuff and there were very few movies set in such an environment that I liked. That was why I had never heard of these books nor had any interest in watching this series. Then I got on the Jennifer Lawrence bandwagon and was hooked, so I had to watch the first two movies. I watched the movie earlier this week and while I amazed not only of the acting but of the dichotomy of the Capitol and the districts as well. The latter interested me because they were based on real North American regions (which was my field of study) and retained their basic characteristics. As far as the acting, not going keep gushing about Jennifer Lawrence (I'll save that for the next movie) but it was great watching the characters of Haymitch, Snow, Cinna and of course, Effie, along with the freaks in the Capitol.

The first time I saw, I originally gave it a 6/10 (and thought about lowering it after seeing Catching Fire) because I thought the other contestants were bland and anonymous, as well as thought it really dragged during the long Rue and Peeta scenes. Then I decided to read the book and now I fully understood the characters and emotions better, and thought they did a great job of translating book to movie. I was amazed at how well Woody nailed Haymitch, and really, really liked the expansion of Caesar and Seneca for the movie. While the games were an old story (Most Dangerous Game), the context that it was a reality show being controlled by a gamemaster made it something fascinating (probably an oft-used sci-fi plot device but this is my first exposure).

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - 9.5/10 After I first watched this on Monday, I was stunned and blown away. I got that feeling before but this time, instead of going off my first reaction, I watched it again (and twice more after that this week) just to see how I felt and I got the same feeling as I did while watching the first time. Such a rare movie that does that for me. From the first minute, I felt the tension (the superb haunting soundtrack added a lot) and it never let up because I did not know what to expect (surely they wouldn't repeat the first movie), nor did I know how it was going to end (I'm just now reading the second book). Seeing my favorite characters return but with a slightly different attitude was great. Caesar was as awesome as ever, such great character acting by Tucci. This time we get a much greater investment into the contestants and how it all unfolded (plus the twist) blew me away.

Three scenes in particular are now in my canon of favorite movie scenes: the honor that both District 12 and 11 gave sent chills down my spine; the wedding dress scene; and the last scene with Jennifer Lawrence (spoilerized in case I'm not the last person to have seen this)

Spoiler

One of the key things that I always enjoyed when watching actors act is the mannerisms and expressions. Watching (and re-watching dozens of times) Jennifer's expression (eyes, eyebrows) go from shock to confusion to acceptance to resolve in a matter of seconds was perfect, imo.

Forgot to add that the only flaw was Philip Hoffman's flat acting, kind of unusual to see. Would like to see more of him in the next two movies but I don't know if they filmed it all before his death (assuming Plutarch is even the story).

[Buccaneer]

Lee Daniel's The Butler - 5/10 The movie had a number of good performances but there were two critical flaws. First, the story said it 'based on a true story'. That is stretching to the furthest possible definition of that phrase. The only thing that was true of all of the primary plot points was that the lead was a butler at the White House. Everything else - from where he came from, what happened to his parents, to what happened to his son in Vietnam, to having another son that was involved in civil rights/activism and to having an alcoholic wife - were all made up. Those were most of what the movie was about. Second, the cameos all came across simply as guest stars on a talk show. I guess the final point was that the most compelling part of the movie was the fictional son joining the Freedom Riders and the Black Panthers but that was superficial at best. It's not surprising that it wasn't nominated for any Academy awards.

I've heard good things about Selma and look forward to seeing a more intelligent movie about those times.

[Johnny93g]

I think I'm ready to give my meaningless top 10 movies of 2014 post.

The only movie I have left to see that could effect anything here is the Theory of Everything. I don't know if i will see it before the oscars though, and i doubt very much it will crack my top 10, but whatever.

1. Whiplash What a great movie. I tried to limit what I heard about it going in. I had a general idea of what it was. In the end, it would not have made a difference. What a great movie. I never really enjoyed Teller until this role, and ofcourse, JK Simmons is a shoe in for best supporting actor. I love everything about this flick. It won't win best picture, but I sure hope it does.

2. American Sniper I felt the internal conflict of service vs family was played out in a very realistic, and endearing way. This isn't a pro war or anti war movie. It's just a film about one guy doing his best. I don't know or really care about the real man. I'm not that kind of viewer. Eastwood did a great job, and Cooper nailed it. I didn't see Cooper, I was watching Chris Kyle.

3. Foxcatcher Looking forward to rewatching this. I wanted Mark Ruffalo to win best supporting actor, until i saw Whiplash, but that shouldn't take away how good he is. Steve Carrell can act. The John Dupont role does not look like it's easy to play, and i was extremely impressed. The whole tone of this movie is a credit to the director. I was not aware of the story, and am very glad i had no prior knowledge going in.(Had to delay listening to Howard Stern's fantastic interview with Steve Carrell before i saw it as Howard has a tendency to spoil movies he's seen)

4. Gone Girl The words enjoyable, captivating, and engrossing come to mind. While i don't think it's a better movie than any of the top 3, I will say it's easily as enjoyable if not more. Fincher knows how to entertain. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. The revelations gave me that "wow" feeling. Affleck was perfect. I wish he wasn't playing Batman in this next series of films. He's so much better then a super hero movie, and i want him to direct more.

5. The Imitation Game Looks boring from the outside. Another of those films that's supposed to be good, but it's a pain to watch the whole thing through. It's not boring, it's very exciting, and it's acted very well. Cumberpatch(spelling?) is not someone i thought could carry a film, but he succeeded. Very similar to the King's Speech, which i had the same thoughts going into. I'm happy i gave it a chance.

6. Fury Got no oscar love, but i think it deserved better. Brad Pitt could have easily been nominated for best actor, as his charisma as the leader of the group plays in every seen he is in. He makes you want to run through walls. Shia LaBeouf was excellent, and he usually is. Some of the best special effects I've seen. There's a scene where bulletts are flying at night. Wow, looked amazing.

7. St. Vincent Predictable, but so what. It's not original, but it's damn good. Bill Murray kills it. He's born to play parts like this. Funny, heartbreaking, cringworthy, shocking. It has everything. I've seen it twice now, and i have to admit, i do tear up at the end. Don't know why, but it gets me.

8. The Judge I really like courtroom dramas, and this is an excellent court room drama. We all know how good an actor Robert Duvall is, but watching him do it in his mid 80's is pretty cool. I really felt for Downey's character throughout the film. He was easily relatable. Very sentimental.

9. Interstellar Saw it in IMAX, and that's the last time that will ever happen. 30 bucks or whatever to have my head blown off by ridiculous volume, but that's not the films fault. I'm looking forward to watching this in my house, in my chair, with my TV. It's such a grand movie. Everything about it is big. The story, the length, the roles, it's just big. I've become a big Jessica Chastain fan, and her performance is the one i think about. She's great in this.

10. Chef Not sure if anyone other then I saw it, but it's a great little movie, full of small parts for famous friends of Favreau. It's a feel good movie. Nothing more, nothing less. You can't help but smile, and eat when it's finished. The food looks amazing in it!

Liked but not in my top 10:
Nightcrawler
Birdman
22 Jump Street
Edge of Tomorrow
The Interview
Boyhood
A Most Violent Year
John Wick

Hated
All the super hero movies i saw, they are all the same
Inherent Vice
Lucy

Most disappointment in:
The Drop
Transendence

[Julio Riddols]

What about The Drop disappointed you?

[Buccaneer]

Johnny's list again (like the Oscar noms) underscores what a disappointing year 2014 was compared to 2012 and 2013. Of all that he listed, I would only be interested in Imitation Game, Chef and maybe Sniper. Thanks for providing your list.

[tarcone]

I want to see Foxcatcher. Now to find the time.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

I think I'm ready to give my meaningless top 10 movies of 2014 post.

The only movie I have left to see that could effect anything here is the Theory of Everything. I don't know if i will see it before the oscars though, and i doubt very much it will crack my top 10, but whatever.

1. Whiplash What a great movie. I tried to limit what I heard about it going in. I had a general idea of what it was. In the end, it would not have made a difference. What a great movie. I never really enjoyed Teller until this role, and ofcourse, JK Simmons is a shoe in for best supporting actor. I love everything about this flick. It won't win best picture, but I sure hope it does.

Haven't seen it, but want to

2. American Sniper I felt the internal conflict of service vs family was played out in a very realistic, and endearing way. This isn't a pro war or anti war movie. It's just a film about one guy doing his best. I don't know or really care about the real man. I'm not that kind of viewer. Eastwood did a great job, and Cooper nailed it. I didn't see Cooper, I was watching Chris Kyle.

haven't seen it, but want

3. Foxcatcher Looking forward to rewatching this. I wanted Mark Ruffalo to win best supporting actor, until i saw Whiplash, but that shouldn't take away how good he is. Steve Carrell can act. The John Dupont role does not look like it's easy to play, and i was extremely impressed. The whole tone of this movie is a credit to the director. I was not aware of the story, and am very glad i had no prior knowledge going in.(Had to delay listening to Howard Stern's fantastic interview with Steve Carrell before i saw it as Howard has a tendency to spoil movies he's seen)

4. Gone Girl The words enjoyable, captivating, and engrossing come to mind. While i don't think it's a better movie than any of the top 3, I will say it's easily as enjoyable if not more. Fincher knows how to entertain. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. The revelations gave me that "wow" feeling. Affleck was perfect. I wish he wasn't playing Batman in this next series of films. He's so much better then a super hero movie, and i want him to direct more.

5. The Imitation Game Looks boring from the outside. Another of those films that's supposed to be good, but it's a pain to watch the whole thing through. It's not boring, it's very exciting, and it's acted very well. Cumberpatch(spelling?) is not someone i thought could carry a film, but he succeeded. Very similar to the King's Speech, which i had the same thoughts going into. I'm happy i gave it a chance.

6. Fury Got no oscar love, but i think it deserved better. Brad Pitt could have easily been nominated for best actor, as his charisma as the leader of the group plays in every seen he is in. He makes you want to run through walls. Shia LaBeouf was excellent, and he usually is. Some of the best special effects I've seen. There's a scene where bulletts are flying at night. Wow, looked amazing.

7. St. Vincent Predictable, but so what. It's not original, but it's damn good. Bill Murray kills it. He's born to play parts like this. Funny, heartbreaking, cringworthy, shocking. It has everything. I've seen it twice now, and i have to admit, i do tear up at the end. Don't know why, but it gets me.

8. The Judge I really like courtroom dramas, and this is an excellent court room drama. We all know how good an actor Robert Duvall is, but watching him do it in his mid 80's is pretty cool. I really felt for Downey's character throughout the film. He was easily relatable. Very sentimental.

9. Interstellar Saw it in IMAX, and that's the last time that will ever happen. 30 bucks or whatever to have my head blown off by ridiculous volume, but that's not the films fault. I'm looking forward to watching this in my house, in my chair, with my TV. It's such a grand movie. Everything about it is big. The story, the length, the roles, it's just big. I've become a big Jessica Chastain fan, and her performance is the one i think about. She's great in this.

10. Chef Not sure if anyone other then I saw it, but it's a great little movie, full of small parts for famous friends of Favreau. It's a feel good movie. Nothing more, nothing less. You can't help but smile, and eat when it's finished. The food looks amazing in it!

Liked but not in my top 10:
Nightcrawler
Birdman
22 Jump Street
Edge of Tomorrow
The Interview
Boyhood
A Most Violent Year
John Wick

Hated
All the super hero movies i saw, they are all the same
Inherent Vice
Lucy

Most disappointment in:
The Drop
Transendence

Still need to see a bunch of these. I agree completely on Inherent Vice, Gone Girl, and Chef. Would put Boyhood higher but as I said, I haven't seen half of your top 10 yet.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

What about The Drop disappointed you?

Well, it's not that it's a bad movie. It's a solid above average film in my opinion. I just expected it to be in my top 5. I love Gandolfini, and maybe knowing this is his last release, i had huge expectations. I enjoyed the movie he did with Julia Louis Dreyfuss that was released last year more then this one.

I am also not a fan of Noomi Rapace. There is very little I find appealing about her work. I'd guess I've seen her in 3 or 4 things now, and ya, she just does nothing for me.

So that's more of a failed to meet high expectations then being a bad movie. Transendence, which i listed right beside it, is an awful movie, other then Rebecca Hall, who did her best.

[Julio Riddols]

Ah, I hear ya. I probably feel about the same as you did, with the exception that I actually had fairly low expectations going in. I knew I could rely on Gandolfini and Hardy to perform well enough that the movie would be good, but I also knew it was a fairly basic story. The execution of said story was fantastic though, mostly due to good writing and great acting by the two leads. Thought it also had a very satisfying ending.

I really like Rapace in the original Dragon Tattoo films, but her american film work has been a little less good. That said I also think she's very attractive, so she probably gets a couple bonus points from that.

Also, Re: Transcendence - Depp has really been sucking for a half decade now, but I think it is mostly by choice. I think he is just trying to make money now rather than seeking out great roles.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

I think I'm ready to give my meaningless top 10 movies of 2014 post.

The only movie I have left to see that could effect anything here is the Theory of Everything. I don't know if i will see it before the oscars though, and i doubt very much it will crack my top 10, but whatever.

Ok, well i saw the Theory of Everything today, and it will not alter anything in my previous post.

I found the film boring. It's really just a basic love story, with different circumstances. Nothing really happens after the first 45 minutes or so. I thought the acting was very good, but the material was just meh. I don't see why people think this film stands out. It's a very average film with strong performances, to me at least. Forgettable....Would have liked more science stuff, early Hawking to be included....

[Chief Rum]

Okay, time for my Top Ten movies of 2014.

I didn't wait long enough last year and ended up not having Lone Survivor in my top ten of 2013, and it completely deserved to be there. This year, there are several movies I likely should see, and maybe they would break into my top ten, but there has to be a line at which to stop and just make your list.

Movies I did not see, and would have liked to have seen for this list: Boyhood, Inherent Vice, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Foxcatcher, Nightcrawler, Selma, St. Vincent.

Something to keep in mind for my criteriae. While I do appreciate the more "Oscary" elements (great acting, strong script and pacing, good story, cinematography, etc.), I also consider it important that I am watching a movie for entertainment. So I also consider my movie going experience (i.e. did I enjoy watching the movie), and I definitely appreciate the technical aspects of a movie (music, sound editing, special effects, etc.). In other words, don't be surprised to see not-traditional Oscar movies in my list.

For the record, I tend to like scifi, action and drama over horror, comedy and introspective pieces. And I'm not fond of musicals.

Top Ten

1. The Drop-- I know this was a fairly generic and derivative mob movie. But I have always enjoyed a good mob flick, so when you hit all the right points in this genre, it has its impact for me. Hardy was terrific as the quiet and unassuming Bob. Gandolfini did a good job in his last role, and I thought John Ortiz did a great job playing Bob's counterpoint in Detective Torres. I do agree that Noomi Rapace was not particularly great in this, but I lift her out of the movie--I barely consider her to be a part of it. The story was very well done, and I didn't see the end coming.

2. Whiplash-- I only ended up seeing this on the recommendation of a friend, but wow, glad I did. This is an intense flick, and JK Simmons is a total badass. I want to watch this again just to update my list of handy one line insults. Miles Teller is terrific, too, and the climactic scene was just enthralling. Just pulling off the drumming done in this movie (whoever stepped in for the actors) was worthy of placing this movie in the top ten.

3. The Imitation Game-- The story of Bletchley Park, the Enigma machine and Alan Turing has engrossed me ever since I read Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, so I was excited to see something like The Imitation Game. What ended up blowing me away was Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as Turing. He was amazing and completely carried the film (although Mark Strong was excellent as the intelligence agent associated with the program). Everyone watching this film seemed to make a big deal about Turing being gay and the tragic and horrific circumstances of his life after the war, but to me, that film really worked when they were in the warehouse trying to figure the machine out, and the most powerful scene came right after they finally did it.

4. American Sniper-- This movie was a bit of a downer and I thought the patriotism at the end was kinda drummed up (even if it was an accurate recreation). So why is this movie so high for me? Some excellent recreations of war in the Middle East, an intense focus on the effect of being a modern warrior (read: killer) and yet a family man as well (read: human), and a jaw-dropping performance by Bradley Cooper. Cooper wasn't in this film at all--Chris Kyle was.

5. Interstellar-- This was one of the most inherently flawed movies of the year. The story was hokie and inconsistent and very hard to follow. To top it off, I saw this on IMAX and the soundtrack was played so ridiculously loud, it was distracting and actually drowned out whole conversations. So why is it here? Because it was a massive technical achievement. This was just a very beautiful film. I can still close my eyes and see images from this movie, just incredible. I loved the massive scope of the story (if not the execution). The acting was strong, if not incredible. And that soundtrack, which I have a listen to on my own at a normal acceptable volume, was very well done. And while the story was silly and full of plot holes, I loved the message it sent.

6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes-- This is probably the first eyebrow-raiser, since it is not an Oscar type, but a traditional blockbuster. I loved how they did this movie. It is intense action throughout. The setting is captivating, and the story is well done if fairly derivative. But given strong normal movie elements, it then adds great effects and amazing work with the apes and CGI. Andy Serkis was awesome as Caesar.

7. Guardians of the Galaxy-- Another one that will probably give cinephiles pause, but, again, I am all about the movie-going experience. This was simply the funnest movie of the year. It had memorable characters, some great humor, terrific effects, nonstop action and, yes, "awesome" music.

8. Fury-- I love a good war movie, and this one certainly qualifies. Brad Pitt and Shia LaBoeuf are both great for their roles in this one. Like many of the more modern war recreations that have come out the past few years, this one made a point to show all sides of war, not just making it a killfest for the "good guys". But the point of the movie was really about the five guys in the tank, and what they mean to each other. The visuals in this one were captivating. The action brilliantly captured the manic confusion of being in the middle of a fire fight (or at least how I imagine it).

9. Theory of Everything-- This is fairly normal Oscar-fare. What elevates it, though, is Eddie Redmayne's engrossing performance as Hawking. He pulled off a role of a lifetime. The physical work alone (conveying meaning and emotion from a chair, recreating Hawking's fall from full health to almost complete immobility) is worthy of a nom. Redmayne's use of his eyes, pose and expression rightfully should get him an Oscar. This movie is partly tragic, but also uplifting in how it shows what you can overcome if you put your mind to it. Like previous posters, I would have liked to see more science, though, in addition to the human drama.

10. Birdman-- What a weird, fun film. I love these kinds of movies, that are really just inside jokes for movie folks. Ed Norton (where the hell has he been?) was great in this role. I thought he stole the show. Emma Stone is a great young actress. Her spirit infuses the film. Michael Keaton's performance wasn't really awe-inspiring for me, but I did like his character, and I was rooting for him to figure things out and make it work. Toss on that they did one long rolling camera shot for most of the movie, and you have an impressive technical achievement.

The Rest (in alphabetical order)

300: Rise of An Empire-- Regrettable. Mostly eye-candy. At least we get to see Eva Green's breasts, which are predictably awesome.
A Most Violent Year-- Good film, just outside the top ten. The story is no great shakes but Isaac and Chastain are terrific.
The Amazing Spiderman 2-- Fairly forgettable. Not as good as the first one, and Jamie Foxx was terribly misused in this one.
The Babadook-- Scariest movie I saw this year, but I don't really see scary movies. All in all, it was solid and pretty freaky.
Big Hero 6-- This was a fun, nicely sentimental film. Usual animation affair, really, but it is well done.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier-- I enjoyed this one much better than the first one, although in the end, it's really nothing super special in the comic book movie genre.
Divergent-- Saw this on cable, and I was surprised at it actually being fairly decent.
Draft Day-- No way this story could have happened the way it did (says the sports fan in me), but it was fun to see a recreation of a draft day war room anyway.
Edge of Tomorrow-- I loved the concept and the action and the effects, but the ending completely took away from the final grade.
Godzilla-- Some of the best effects of the year, and some great jaw-dropping scenes. Otherwise, though, it was a fairly derivative action flick.
Gone Girl-- Others have this higher, and I will acknowledge it is an intriguing story, with some great twists and terrific performances. But it's just too ugly for me.
Hercules-- The Rock with a sword. Not much else to say about it. It was okay fun.
The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies-- This may not be on the level of the LOTR movies, but it was a fantastic technical achievement. I was absolutely stunned by the visuals in this one. After Interstellar, most beautiful movie I saw. But the rest was sort of meh.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I-- Perhaps this was hurt by being split into two parts, but I felt this was a slight step back from Catching Fire, which I thought was excellent.
Into The Woods-- Ugh. A musical. I thought it was just a fantasy story with maybe a little bit of singing. Putting that aside, though, I enjoyed the mishmash of Disney and Mother Goose type elements and it was decently funny. I think Meryl Streep got a nom on name, although she wasn't bad, of course.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit-- I love the Ryan series in the books. This isn't too bad, but it's pretty forgettable. No one has come along to replace Harrison Ford in my mind for this character.
The LEGO Movie-- I liked this better the second time I saw it on cable. Fairly solid and funny flick.
Lucy-- I like a good scifi flick. I don't know if this truly qualifies as good, but it kept my interest. Or Scarlett kept my interest. Of course I could watch her just eating breakfast and reading a paper.
The Maze Runner-- I didn't know what I was getting with this one, and it ended up being pretty decent. I'm not sure about the twist ending, though. Since it is apparently a franchise starter, I guess we'll see where that goes.
Neighbors-- The good: Rogen versus Efron. Fairly funny. I normally love Rose Byrne, but I didn't like her in this one. Rogen naked--big negative (as you would expect).
Noah-- I enjoyed the moral complexity of this one, and the effects were massive and well done. But, frankly, it was pretty boring.
Snowpiercer-- This one went for style over story, IMO. Lots of good visuals and effects, but the silly plot and ending really took away from its grade.
XMen: Days of Futures Past-- This is another example of a sequel which was a little less than the first one (referring to First Class). It's not bad, but not as good as I had hoped it would be.

[Buccaneer]

Chief and Johnny, thanks for your lists and recommendation. I now have more movies to consider watching.

[whomario]

Is it weird that i would have been much more interested in seeing the backstory to Interstellar on the screen ? From a story/narrative standpoint this movie fell off a cliff once they went to space (or even earlier, once Cooper found the secret facility of NASA) for me and never really recovered, adding one contrived story tidbit after another and being complicated for the sake of being complicated. Real pretty movie of course and inherently fascinating (and decently realistic) from a science-standpoint, but that story ...


I also really liked Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Great setting, good acting and had a real force/dynamic to it in the action sequences that reasonated very well with me.

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

2. Whiplash-- I only ended up seeing this on the recommendation of a friend, but wow, glad I did. This is an intense flick, and JK Simmons is a total badass. I want to watch this again just to update my list of handy one line insults. Miles Turner is terrific, too, and the climactic scene was just enthralling. Just pulling off the drumming done in this movie (whoever stepped in for the actors) was worthy of placing this movie in the top ten.

they were actually doing it themselves for the most part: Is 'Whiplash' actor Miles Teller really playing the drums in Damien Chazelle's jazz drama?: Mike's Movie Mailbag | NOLA.com

[Butter]

Frank - 9/10

This is now on Netflix, and is the story of a wanna-be musician who falls in with a cult-like music group led by a singer who wears a fake papier-mache head at all times.

Yeah, it sounds like it's just full of quirk for quirk's sake, but I found it surprisingly effective and moving and actually liked a good bit of the music within.

Recommended if any of that sounds even vaguely interesting.

Bonus fact: The "band" in question actually made an appearance on The Colbert Report, so that's fun to watch in retrospect.

[Edward64]

Jupiter Ascending - 7/10

I know its gotten some bad reviews but I enjoyed it. Take it for what it is, a nice escapism action movie. I wouldn't mind a sequel.

[ISiddiqui]

Fella, Intersteller wasn't loud because it on IMAX. The score, by Hans Zimmer, was purposely supposed to be overly loud. It was to add to the grandeur of the proceedings (or something like that - it was Chris Nolan's choice).

Haven't seen nearly enough, but Selma is definitely in my Top 5 this year.

[heybrad]

Project Almanac - 1/10

My wife and I found we had a free Friday and made a last minute decision to head for the movies. We figured Project Almanac at the least would be a fun, entertaining movie about time travel. It's a 'found footage' type of film that couldn't decide if it wanted to be serious or fun. It failed on both fronts. Throw in some teenage angst ("You time traveled and then lied to me!") and I was left to hope for a great twist of an ending to rescue the entire thing. The ending was a complete dud. If I could invent a time machine I'd go back and get my money.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by whomario

they were actually doing it themselves for the most part: Is 'Whiplash' actor Miles Teller really playing the drums in Damien Chazelle's jazz drama?: Mike's Movie Mailbag | NOLA.com

Wow, that's nuts. Way to go, Teller!

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Fella, Intersteller wasn't loud because it on IMAX. The score, by Hans Zimmer, was purposely supposed to be overly loud. It was to add to the grandeur of the proceedings (or something like that - it was Chris Nolan's choice).

Haven't seen nearly enough, but Selma is definitely in my Top 5 this year.

I can totally see that. It's the kind of thing Nolan does.

That said, I have spoken about Interstellar with a number of others, and it was only the ones who saw it in IMAX who had a problem with the score drowning out conversation. So while I don't doubt Nolan did this "oversound" intentionally, I am guessing playing it through IMAX accentuated the score somehow in relation to the dialogue.

[cubboyroy1826]

John Wick - 7/10 First off let me say that my ratings typically are for how entertained I was and I understand this not a great work of art. The action scenes were of course over the top which I love. There was a sprinkling of chuckle out load moments and some pretty cool ideas which I will not spoil. For those who have seen the movie I really loved the "Dinner reservation for 12". Overall a bit of a dark movie kept me entertained and had some very good action scenes.

[Groundhog]

John Wick would also be a solid 7 or 7.5 out of 10 for me. Much better than I expected thanks to some great fight choreography.

[Edward64]

Agreed on John Wick as being 7/10. It was entertaining.

[ISiddiqui]

Tried to get in the two favorites for the Oscars before the awards last night. Both seen on the small screen - which may have diminished it slightly, but I don't think much (more for the later than the former, IMO).

Boyhood - 8/10: Highly impressive. I mean, I knew the "shtick" before I saw the film, but it was still very well done. Great slice(s) of life over the adolescence of the boy and how the parents changed themselves (basically I disagree with the folks who say nothing happened). Some really good acting as well (esp Patricia Arquette, and thankfully the boy ended up being a decent actor himself). Very impressive technical achievement.

Birdman - 10/10: Holy crap. I mean, just holy crap. That was fantastic! That was what I see movies for. How brilliant! The acting was phenomenal from every role - Keaton, Stone, Norton, even Galifianakis. The story, about the ego of a washed up actor, was very well done. It all just kept you on your toes, wondering what fun turns to dialogue was going to come next. But all of that (and it was quite impressive) was overshadowed by the amazing cinematography. It resembled one long take, following people around, and making you feel as if you were there. Quite an achievement.

[Groundhog]

I don't know what I'd rate Birdman. I can't remember ever seeing a movie where I thought every actor absolutely nailed their part and yet I still didn't really enjoy the actual movie itself all that much.

[ISiddiqui]

Kind of sounds like how I feel about Silver Linings Playbook (though, I guess maybe I thought the first 2/3rds were enjoyable and the final bit was annoying)

[Grover]

Kingsman: The Secret Service - 8/10 The film is hilarious. It is extremely self aware and is a great callback to the spy movies of the past. The church scene will give you an entirely new view of Freebird's guitar solo. SLJ is fantastic as a megalomaniacal villain with a lisp. Colin Firth is excellent. Had a great time in the theater with this one.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I don't know what I'd rate Birdman. I can't remember ever seeing a movie where I thought every actor absolutely nailed their part and yet I still didn't really enjoy the actual movie itself all that much.

Thank you. I feel exactly the same way. Great performances. Impressive feat with the few camera takes. The story was interesting. And the tongue in cheek poke at Hollywood was fun.

But, really, I just didn't much enjoy the experience of watching it. Not sure what that is about, but there it is.

[Buccaneer]

That was why I did not bother with scoring it here (there are others too). While I like good performances (which this movie had), I simply did not like most of the actors involved and did not care that they gave a good performance or not.

Imran, it seems yet again that I need to go the opposite of you for movies.

[ISiddiqui]

Tell me what you liked so I can avoid it!!

[Groundhog]

Thanks For Sharing - 5/10
Watched this randomly on cable TV a few days ago. Lightweight story about a group of sex addicts going through the 12-step process together, starring Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, and Gwenyth Paltrow. Some mildly amusing scenes, but a typical by-the-numbers Hollywood picture with all the usual twists and turns.

[PadresFan104]

Twelve O'Clock High - 7/10

I started playing B-17 Queen of the Skies this weekend, and decided to watch this film to get a feel for the back story. It was actually a better movie than I expected. Today I went on line and watched clips from Memphis Belle... I'm glad I watched the Gregory Peck version instead.

[Buccaneer]

I spent the last two weekends watching Bond movies: a 3-pack for Brosnan and the 3 Craig ones. I thought each of the Brosnan ones were forgettable and completely interchangeable. Each of locations, characters and plots seem to run together, as in if you place that hot French girl in Iceland trying to blow up dam, it wouldn't make any difference. The only part that stood out as different was the NK torture. The Craig ones were better with Casino Royale being quite good and probably in the minority in thinking Skyfall fell way below expectations (for its hype and popularity).

[Buccaneer]

This got me thinking of award-winning and/or highly praised acting that you did not like or actors you do not like regardless how good he/she is. I have a brother that does not like anything Tom Hanks have done and believes he is a by-the-number actor. As jolting as that was for me, I realized I feel the same way about Meryl Streep - I simply do not understand how she could get so many nominations. I have also been running across polarizing views regarding Jennifer Lawrence and so I get that. I think I have an aversion to anything with Edward Norton for some reason.

So, what award-winning and/or highly-praised acting performance that you did not like or actors you do not like regardless how good/quality he/she is?

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

This got me thinking of award-winning and/or highly praised acting that you did not like or actors you do not like regardless how good he/she is. I have a brother that does not like anything Tom Hanks have done and believes he is a by-the-number actor. As jolting as that was for me, I realized I feel the same way about Meryl Streep - I simply do not understand how she could get so many nominations. I have also been running across polarizing views regarding Jennifer Lawrence and so I get that. I think I have an aversion to anything with Edward Norton for some reason.

So, what award-winning and/or highly-praised acting performance that you did not like or actors you do not like regardless how good/quality he/she is?

Julianne Moore x 1000

[Groundhog]

Although he's been in some really good movies, I have to say that I find it impossible to buy into Ryan Gosling playing anything else but a rom-com guy. No matter how tough the character is that he's playing, I need to force myself to suspend disbelief to try and enjoy the story... Drive is the best example. Liked the movie, but would've probably liked it more with another lead.

[ISiddiqui]

I also believe Meryl Streep is a bit overrated, but then again, I've never seen "Kramer v. Kramer" or "Sophie's Choice", so my opinion isn't based on her most iconic work. I base my opinion on recent films starring her.

[ntndeacon]

Well I don't know how Streep was nominated for Kramer v. Kramer. I thought she was hardly in the movie long enough to get any kind of recognition. She was fantastic in Sophie's Choice.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by rowech

Julianne Moore x 1000

I'm the exact opposite. Ever since I first saw her in that rather awful Banderas/Stallone movie I've thought she was great. She usually picks well but I've certainly sat through some clunkers.

[digamma]

I'm biased because my best friend wrote it, but I thoroughly enjoyed McFarland, USA this weekend.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Boyhood - 8/10: Highly impressive. I mean, I knew the "shtick" before I saw the film, but it was still very well done. Great slice(s) of life over the adolescence of the boy and how the parents changed themselves (basically I disagree with the folks who say nothing happened). Some really good acting as well (esp Patricia Arquette, and thankfully the boy ended up being a decent actor himself). Very impressive technical achievement.

Other then the stuff after the hair cut, and feel free to spoiler tag, what happened? Seriously....

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I have also been running across polarizing views regarding Jennifer Lawrence and so I get that. I think I have an aversion to anything with Edward Norton for some reason.

So, what award-winning and/or highly-praised acting performance that you did not like or actors you do not like regardless how good/quality he/she is?

I have yet to see a thing i didn't think Jennifer Lawrence is amazing in. Ofcourse, i do not watch those x-men movies, but she kills it everytime I see her. Have you seen Winter's Bone? Her first nomination, 4-5 years ago.

Ed Norton is very hit and miss. Sometimes i think he's amazing, sometimes I think why is he even an actor....

I always felt the way you were describing about Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I just generally didn't find his films that entertaining.

[Young Drachma]

Jupiter Ascending - 4.5/10: It was just as bad and not as bad as everyone said. I think the real problems were the lack of a real backstory and the one they had was kind of interesting except they tried to do too much. I think it would've worked better with different casting, though there were some gems.

I thought the visuals were fantastic on the whole and the costumes obviously A++, even if the shit made no sense.

I appreciated their ambition, even if it was kind of a shitshow, I was entertained on the whole and even though it went on too long, I didn't necessarily want to rush out because I was bored. It was just kind of predictable.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

Other then the stuff after the hair cut, and feel free to spoiler tag, what happened? Seriously....

Really?

Spoiler

Aside from the buildup of the professor husband's alcoholism, and the ex-military husband's gradual dissent into ass, the movie was about the big moments in our lives and the growth that occurs. The entire movie was about growing up and not just the boy growing up, but the growing up of the father and mother. And so you had these moments - the marriages but also people from earlier in the film come back later. I loved it when Jimmy showed up again and then the family that sheltered them returns during graduation.

So what happens - dad comes back into boy's life after being 'away' for a while; mom marries a professor, professor turns out to be a drunken ass, dad gets his life back together (he's going to school to be an actuary), professor becomes violent drunk, family leaves and gets put up by someone who backs battered women, mom becomes a professor, marries a dude she meets at a party, they move into a bigger house, boy continues to grow and mature, moves to new schools and tries to fit in, dad gets married and has a kid, boy gets a girlfriend, military stepdad is sitting in wait getting drunk to confront him, mom divorces military stepdad, girlfriend cheats on boy with college lacrosse dude, dad helps to lift boy up, boy graduates high school, goes to college and realizes all the possibilities yet to come.

There is a plot. Stuff happens. It may feel sometimes like mundane stuff, but that's life. And while I rolled my eyes when boy talks about the moment living in you (rather than living in the moment), that's kind of what the story is about (as well as mom's sad notion of whether life is merely living from moment to moment and that's it).

It's kind of beautiful in a very meditative way

[Buccaneer]

Johnny, funny you mentioned about x-men. I watched both first class and the last one just a couple weeks ago and while such movies are not my thing, I wanted to see Lawrence in them. Truthfully, I was not impressed but then again, I think she is one that carries a movie instead of a bit part in an ensemble cast. I was more impressed by Jackman, fwiw, despite not liking the movies much. Winter's Bone is on my list to get soon.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Really?

Spoiler

Aside from the buildup of the professor husband's alcoholism, and the ex-military husband's gradual dissent into ass, the movie was about the big moments in our lives and the growth that occurs. The entire movie was about growing up and not just the boy growing up, but the growing up of the father and mother. And so you had these moments - the marriages but also people from earlier in the film come back later. I loved it when Jimmy showed up again and then the family that sheltered them returns during graduation.

So what happens - dad comes back into boy's life after being 'away' for a while; mom marries a professor, professor turns out to be a drunken ass, dad gets his life back together (he's going to school to be an actuary), professor becomes violent drunk, family leaves and gets put up by someone who backs battered women, mom becomes a professor, marries a dude she meets at a party, they move into a bigger house, boy continues to grow and mature, moves to new schools and tries to fit in, dad gets married and has a kid, boy gets a girlfriend, military stepdad is sitting in wait getting drunk to confront him, mom divorces military stepdad, girlfriend cheats on boy with college lacrosse dude, dad helps to lift boy up, boy graduates high school, goes to college and realizes all the possibilities yet to come.

There is a plot. Stuff happens. It may feel sometimes like mundane stuff, but that's life. And while I rolled my eyes when boy talks about the moment living in you (rather than living in the moment), that's kind of what the story is about (as well as mom's sad notion of whether life is merely living from moment to moment and that's it).

It's kind of beautiful in a very meditative way

Really.

Spoiler

What you describe is why i find it boring. It's not a bad movie, I'm not saying that. It is most definitely boring though. When I say nothing happens, I mean every plot point you mention is glossed over as the film has to keep moving on until the kid is 18. He keeps growing, the family keeps growing, that's why so little attention can be payed to any real interesting plot point.

I get it was going for realism, and i feel it absolutely accomplished this, but I am watching to be entertained. Once it's over, i looked back and thought "that's it?" No killing anyone off, no real struggle, no earth shattering incidents, no obstacle that keeps bringing the kid down. And if there is something that could become something, the movie continues past it as time stops for noone.

Maybe if they focused on the kid having a goal, or a dream, or that husband was around for longer and the kid wanted revenge. I'm not movie writer, and realize these are stupid ideas, but they are examples of having some sort of goal, something to root for.

I'll never watch it again, which doesn't make it bad. Its just dull.