First off, disclaimer. These are the movies that I managed to catch in the year 2014, and all of them have official release dates within 2014.
There are many more movies that I wish I could catch before the writing of this list but unfortunately, I'm in Brunei and not many of the Oscar nominated movies get to us before the turn of the year, or at all.
I'm still very much looking forward to movies like Whiplash, Foxcatcher, The Imitation Game, The Theory Of Everything, Unbroken, American Sniper, Still Alice, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (even with all the bad reviews), The Interview, St. Vincent, Inherent Vice, Maps To The Stars, Horns, Skeleton Twins and Into The Woods.
So now, let's get on with the countdown:
10) Boxtrolls (8.5/10)
It's so easy to fall in love with the Boxtrolls, and we did right away from the opening sequence. The characters were colourful and the story was beautiful. I was hoping this would get an Oscar nod and it did.
9) Nightcrawler (8.5/10)
Jake Gyllenhaal is super creepy. He became this character. he made it so believable that this kind of person actually exists. It's a shame he didn't get nominated this year for an Oscar.
8) Guardians Of The Galaxy (8.5/10)
This is a space opera. And for those like me who didn't get to watch Star Wars on the big screen and never experienced that kind of feeling when a Star Destroyer filled the screen, this came really close to giving us that. James Gunn mixed his style of directing with the Marvel's style of storytelling with fantastic results.
7) The Grand Budapest Hotel (9/10)
Wes Anderson got nominated for Best Director and the movie Best Picture. It's about time too. Visually stunning and the pacing was excellent.
6) The Lego Movie (9/10)
Chris Miller and Phil Lord are the go-to guys for crazy and whacky ideas. Full of jokes and it's a journey to discover a Lego minifigure's "purpose in life".
5) Big Hero 6 (9/10)
There's so much heart in this movie, and like every Disney movie there's some messages to learn from. Just the way it's directed and how the story was told, it culminated into a few very touching and tear-jerking scenes that resulted from a beautiful friendship that unfolded onscreen.
4) Gone Girl (9/10)
One of David Fincher's best work. I've said this many times, this was a horror movie. And it's because of Pike's performance that really made this movie so great. I would have thought she would be the one to beat this year at the Oscars but apparently Julianne Moore has a better chance.
3) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (9/10)
An 80s espionage thriller with flawless action sequences and have never been tighter in a Marvel movie. This raised the bar for all comic book movies once again after the Dark Knight trilogy.
2) Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (9.5/10)
Matt Reeves made this sequel even better than the first. Almost perfection, he was able to make the audience feel for the apes but at the same time also for the humans. The story centered on the theme of humanity, showing that even apes had it. And humans can be the bad guys too.
1) X-Men: Days Of Future Past (10/10)
Simon Kinberg wrote an amazing story about time travel and Bryan Singer told the story to perfection. Pacing was just right, so many characters and all used in the right way. Blink was an awesome character even though she had only one line. Quicksilver stole the show. And James McAvoy gave an incredible performance that moved me every single time I watch this.
And now, some honorable mentions that couldn't make the list but I wish I could keep them in there were:
Snowpiercer (8.5/10)
Bong Joon Ho's storytelling of letting information flow out bit by bit to the audience was great way to pace the progression of the storytelling. The concept was astounding and Bong's direction brought out a lot of the nuances from the actors. But just creating this world was incredible enough.
Interstellar (8.5/10)
Christopher Nolan's epic space adventure involves concepts that you either accept or don't. Either way, there's no denying the brilliance in Nolan's direction by creating this ambitious work of art.
The Raid: Berandal (8.5/10)
Gareth Evans bringing more crazy fight scenes and choreography that continue to amaze the world. This time with even meatier a story, though not everything worked.
Edge Of Tomorrow (8.5/10)
Nobody expected this to be that good. And it's all because Doug Liman knew exactly how to do a sci-fi Groundhog Day with action sequences that reminded me of District 9.
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