It’s been about three weeks since we passed the halfway mark of 2014, so I figure I should get this list up before the end of July. As I did the previous years, I’m including some films that might’ve opened internationally prior to 2014, but I’m including them here as I’m using the USA release dates (either wide or limited releases). These are movies that I consider a cross between a ‘best of and favorite’, so the criteria is that these films made an impression on me, combining the virtue of being entertaining, deeply moving, thought-provoking, and indelible. Re-watchability is a big factor but it doesn’t account as high as the other virtues I’ve mentioned, because some of the films here are more of a one-time-viewing-only types (for me anyway), but I still very much appreciate the artistry and passion that goes into making them.
So without further ado, I present to you my TOP 10 list (in reverse order):
10. The Grand Seduction (full review)
I almost missed seeing this one at the MSPIFF earlier this year but I’m glad I was able to catch the second screening. I had a lot of fun with this one and I’d be happy to watch this again at some point. You can always count on Brendan Gleeson to entertain, and here he delivers once again along with Newfoundland’s most famous celebrity Gordon Pinsent and surprisingly enough, Taylor Kitsch is fun to watch here as well. This comedy is delightfully funny, heartwarming and beautiful to look at, it could practically doubles as a tourism video for the Canadian province!
9. Edge of Tomorrow (full review)
I’ve been seeing this movie in fellow bloggers’ favorite-of-the-year list and I can see why. I bet it was as much a pleasant surprise for them as it did for me, as I was ready to dismiss this one as yet another Tom Cruise’s meh sci-fi. Well, it ended up being massively entertaining and has a worthy female heroine in the form of Emily Blunt. The movie is not as profound as some people made it out to be, but props to director Doug Liman for pulling off the ‘repetitive’ aspect of the story that is far from boring. I certainly don’t mind a repeat experience of seeing this one again on rental.
8. The LEGO Movie (full review)
Everything is awesome! Now that’s a bold tagline to live up to, but guess what, this movie did just that and then some! Apparently February is NOT just for duds and I’m pretty sure this one will get a nomination come award season. The LEGO Movie is easily one of the most fun experience I had in the movies in a long time, it’s every bit as cute and hilarious as the trailers and featurettes promised us. It’s the perfect geekstravaganza for everyone of all ages, an awesome escapist from the Winter Dump Months for the young and the young-at-heart.
7. The Machine (full review)
Ok so some of you might think because Toby Stephens is in this that this movie ends up in my top 10… and well, you won’t be entirely wrong 😉 But I really do think this is a worthy sci-fi that’s well-made, well-acted AND thought-provoking. Made with a shoestring budget (less than $2 mil), The Machine has more heart than its big budget sci-fi counterparts (think Elysium) which proves that it takes way more than big budget and big stars to make a memorable movie. The two leads, Stephens and Caity Lotz are impressive here, and their performances are able to overcome the flaws of the movie, and their scenes are what make this movie watchable over and over.
6. Locke (full review)
It’s a testament of Tom Hardy‘s strong screen presence and Steven Knight‘s taut script and direction that this one-man show is gripping even when practically nothing happens on screen. The entire film takes place inside a car with Hardy’s Ivan Locke behind the wheel. It’s certainly one of the most unique cinematic experience that immerses you into the world of its protagonist. Visually it’s striking too, somehow Knight’s able to make highway driving look so dramatic and even artistic. If you ever had any doubt about Hardy’s acting prowess, well then I suggest you check this one out and prepare to be blown away.
5. The Grand Budapest Hotel (full review)
I don’t love everything Wes Anderson put out there, but this one works for me. It captivated me from the opening scene all the way until the end. It’s more fast-paced than his other films but has all the things you expect from Wes: the quirky characters, the perfect symmetry of every single scene, playful music, etc. I was quite invested in the two lead characters, particularly Zero Mustafa (played by F. Murray Abraham and Tony Revolori), more than I’ve ever felt about previous Wes Anderson’s characters. Mischievously whimsy, but with heart. Like a charming hotel, it’s one I wouldn’t mind revisiting again and again.
4. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (full review)
I adore the first film so I was a bit nervous this sequel would not live up to it. Well clearly I LOVE this one too as it made my top 5 so far. Despite the more complicated storyline, writer/director Dean DeBlois still made the adorable duo Toothless and Hiccup the central focus of the story. The additional character played by Cate Blanchett delves more into Hiccup’s family background, which makes you appreciate him and his father Stoick (Gerard Butler). With John Powell’s rousing score once again, this ranks high in my favorite animated features and would probably be among the nominees come award season!
3. Belle (full review)
For a fan of period dramas, Amma Assante‘s sophomore feature has everything I could possibly want from this genre, and then some. Some critics call it ‘Jane Austen with a conscience’ as the protagonist’s story is set in the backdrop of slavery and racial injustice. Gugu Mbatha-Raw gracefully carries the film with her heartfelt performance, surrounded by a stellar cast that includes Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson. Sam Reid also impressed me with his performance as Belle’s unlikely confidante/love interest, I definitely would love to see both Mbatha-Raw and Reid get more prominent roles in the future. I can’t wait to own the Blu-ray that’s out next month, this one will definitely get a lot of play in my house!
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (full review)
I happen to LOVE the first movie which my hubby and I have watched repeatedly. It’s rare to see a sequel that not only lives up to the original but manages to be even better! Billed as a ’70s political thriller masquerading as a superhero movie’, The Winter Soldier delivers on that front and gives us something that’s genuinely intriguing and massively entertaining. I LOVE espionage movies so the story definitely appeals to me, but of course it also has the exciting action sequences that’s the bread-n-butter of any superhero blockbuster. It’s filled with adrenaline-pumping geek-gasm scenes without being banal or vapid. Chris Evans‘ much more confident in the role which makes him even more watchable, and Robert Redford + Anthony Mackie are great additions to an already-fantastic cast. This one has become my favorite Marvel stand-alone feature and Cap my favorite Marvel superhero!
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1. X-Men: Days of Future Past (full review)
It took me a while to decide between The Winter Soldier and X-Men: DOFP as my #1 pick, but after much deliberations, this one wins by a slim margin. I give this one an edge because the time travel aspect and the back-and-forth across multiple dimensions are tough to pull off, but Bryan Singer did a tremendous job making it all work beautifully. I have a soft spot for the X-Men franchise and despite the disappointing The Wolverine, this is one of my most-anticipated films of 2014! It certainly did NOT disappoint. Glad to see Singer back at the helm for this one, after relinquishing his directorial efforts to other directors for X-Men 3 and X-Men: First Class. Now, I’m a big fan of the latter and a lot of the emotional high notes of that first prequel are carried over here as well. Emotional drama and complex relationship are mixed together well with witty humor and thrilling action. Similar to Nolan’s Batman films in some ways, it’s character & plot-driven punctuated by exhilarating action sequences. As far as superhero movies go, this one has everything that makes going to the movies so gratifying.
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
These aren’t stellar by any means, but it was pretty entertaining and worth-seeing. So yeah, I’d recommend these for a rental!
WORST of the year so far:
I’m glad I’ve been able to avoid what’s poised to be stinkers like I Frankenstein, Blended, Pompeii, Tammy,etc. but I wish I hadn’t wasted my precious 2+ hours on these two!
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
I haven’t seen a lot of 2014 releases but here is my list for the best films of 2014… so far: http://letterboxd.com/thevoid99/list/the-best-of-2014/
Hi Steven! Nice to see we’ve got DOFP in common. I haven’t seen some on your list yet.
Nice list here, Ruth. Edge of Tomorrow and Days of Future Past would both appear on mine so far (and I’m glad DOFP took that #1 spot over Captain America, lol. :P). Haven’t seen a couple of these just yet, though, as I’m waiting for them to be available in some form around here. Really interested in seeing Locke especially.
I won’t be doing a best of year post till the end of the year, but so far my top 5 would probably be:
1. The Raid 2
2. Edge of Tomorrow
3. Godzilla
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
5. Need For Speed
Been a good year so far, I’d say!
It was a tough decision to pick Winter Soldier over DOFP but I think I made the right decision 😉 Locke is really very good, and so is The Machine.
Locke and The Machine are on my must-see. Fine list, Ruth.
Hope you see those soon, Michael, I think you’d enjoy both of them.
Great list, Ruth! Very similar to mine. You know what they say 😉
Ahah yes, great minds Fernando, great minds 😀
😉
Hey, three of my Top 5 of the year (so far) are on your list! Edge of Tomorrow would be too if I expanded it to 10. That’s pretty good! 🙂
Glad to hear Keith, tho I almost put one of your top 5 in my Worst list but it’s really not that bad, just disappointing IMO [sorry!].
Hey no worries. I know the one. In fact your #5 is my biggest disappointment of 2014 so far. It may be a case of ridiculous expectations on my part. I just didn’t feel Budapest matched up with his past films. But (once again) I find myself in the minority! Ha Ha
Yeah, expectations certainly play a factor, that’s why I don’t think that film belongs in my Worst list. I hear ya about Grand Budapest, as you already know, I wasn’t fond of Darjeeling Limited, generally Wes’ work is hit and miss for me. Hey, a lot of times I’m in the minority too Keith, we can’t always agree on everything 😉
*sniff sniff “We’ll always have Snowpiercer”.
He..he.. yeah and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. You like that one too, right? I think that might end up in my final top 10.
I only saw 4 of the movies from your list there, but my top 2 is exactly the same as yours! After so many disappointing X-Men films, I wasn’t a big fan of First Class, The Wolverine was good for about 60% then it just turned to crap the last 40 minutes or so; the less we talk about X-3 and Origins the better. So I was stunned how much I loved Days of Future Past, I kept my expectations low and I blown away at how great it was. I saw both Days of Future Past and Winter Soldier twice in theater and DOFP was even better the second time, not saying Winter Soldier wasn’t as good the second time around, it was but DOFP was even better when I saw it again.
The Wolverine is truly disappointing, I put that on my Worst list last year. I quite like First Class, it was quite emotional, esp the finale, but this one is right up there as well for me. I have only seen DOFP once on the big screen, can’t wait to see it again. I definitely will get the BD of both DOFP and Winter Soldier! 😀
Excellent list, Ruth! Locke is phenomenal! I really need to see Belle, I love Sarah Gadon :).
I knew you’d be happy to see Locke here but Hardy really is fantastic in it. I actually never saw miss Gadon before BELLE, but she’s quite good. It’s Gugu Mbata-Raw who’s a revelation here, so yeah do see Belle straight away, Joseph!
Great roundup! Pleased to see Budapest Hotel so high up, I agree it was faster-paced than his usual, so maybe that was a factor in appealing to a wider audience. And wow, the look of the film was breathtaking.
A few of my fav of 2014 so far. I should say some of them are listed as 2013:
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Double
We Are The Best!
The Past
Nymphomaniac
The Trip To Italy (3 hour tv version on dvd)
A Story of Children and Film (sequel to 2011’s The Story Of Film: An Odyssey)
Under The Skin
The Wind Rises
Hello Chris! I’m curious if Budapest would end up in my final top 10 but I really did enjoy that very much. It’s funny and heartwarming all around, and I really do enjoy seeing Zero’s journey.
There are still lots of movies on your list I haven’t seen, and for sure I’ll never see Nymphomaniac even if someone paid me. Looking forward to checking out The Trip To Italy, as you know I dug The Trip, that was quite fun to watch.
Love it! completely agree with Days of Future Past also, such a great return to form for the whole series. Great list 🙂
Hi Rhys, welcome to FC! Glad you agree about DOFP, which is nice to see because I LOVE the X-Men series!
Although there are a couple of movies in your list I have not seen yet I do agree with the ones I have seen (although the X-Men movie will not make my list. I enjoyed it, but wasn’t so crazy about it). Am missing Under the Skin and Enemy in your list. Those would definitely make mine 🙂
No love for DOFP? Oh no, surprised it won’t even crack your Top 10. Ah well, I suppose you love Godzilla more, ahah. I haven’t seen Under The Skin and Enemy yet, that’s why it’s not on here.
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I was just about to ask where’s Dawn of the planet of the apes? then I remember that it’s on July 😉
The only two I am interested and curious with are Locke and The machine, I am putting those two in my to watch movies.
Ahah yes Nov, I wouldn’t want to incur your wrath by not having Dawn of Apes here, I think it’d make my final top 10 of 2014. Glad you love it too, I’ll be over to read your review.
Locke and The Machine are both great, you have to see the latter especially since you’ve never seen anything my Toby has done. He’s absolutely fantastic, it’s an understated performance with a lot of heart 😀
Excellent picks here Ruth! Two of mine are on here, too, and some that I have fallen in love with that aren’t. Ooooh. difficult toss up between Days of Future Past and Captain America there!
Hello Zoë! Oh which of the two you’ve fallen in love with? I probably just haven’t seen those. Yeah, I agonized over which two films would make my #1 but DOFP wins by a slim margin 🙂
🙂 I love Days of Future Past and The Winter Soldier. Others I have fallen in love with this year are Enemy and Filth, both bloody fantastic films!
Would love to hear how it stacks up when the year closes!
Ah yes Enemy has been present in a lot of people’s list. I definitely want to see that, not sure about Filth tho, doesn’t sound like my cup of tea at all I’m afraid. So Zoë have u posted ur top 10 list yet?
Enemy was great (for me) but I can see it dividing a lot of people. To be honest, I had a totally different idea of what Filth was going to be before I watched it. It was EXCELLENT, and McAvoy’s finest role so far. He was excellent. It is engaging, but I don’t know how much you will like a drugged up detective trying to win his wife back?
Nope, I reckon I will only be doing one at the end of the year for an overall one.
I was actually planning on seeing ENEMY a couple of weeks ago but didn’t get around to it. I hope very soon 😀
Crossing my fingers 😀
PS: Hope you catch Enemy soon!
Hi, Ruth:
Exceptional and well laid out list of films!
2014 is shaping up up to be an about average year for films. Some intriguing offerings that are well put together and executed. On the cusp of an economy that places going to see films
lower on the list of family and personal essentials.
Very pleased to see ‘How To Train Your Dragon: 2’ and ‘Locke’ make your cut and rate so highly! Tom Hardy has been deserving of a breakout role for a long time. Kind of surprised to see ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ where it is, too.
Nicely done!
Hi Kevin, I actually don’t know if this year will end up being *average* or not, there are some I REALLY dug so far, but we’ll see how the year as a whole shapes up by December 🙂
Tom Hardy is really a fantastic actor, he’s got the charismatic leading man quality Hollywood needs but he’s also got the indie cred to set him apart from the *pretty boys* variety.
Then I have an offering for your Netflix queue.
‘The Take’. A three part mini-series from 2009. Where Mr. Hardy plays Freddie. The older, bullying, drunken slob and perhaps psychotic older brother in a multi-generational London crime and drug dealing family.
His performance is one of the reasons I believe Mr. Hardy would excel in Noir. Or in a ‘The Long Good Friday’ kind of film!
Oh it’s on Netflix? I hope you meant Netflix Streaming as that’s the only subscription I have. That sounds like a good one, I do think Hardy would excel in Noir though he’s quite versatile that he’d be good in anything!
Yeah! How To Train Your Dragon 2!! That and Snowpiercer are my favorites of the year. I liked Grand Budapest hotel too. It was so weird and random, but I still liked watching it.
I LOVE HTTYD 2! Such a fun movie. Snowpiercer just might end up on my final top 10, we’ll see 😉
I only saw several of those, but I think Edge of Tomorrow and GBudapest Hotel would be on my list too, though for me so far the only 2 film this year that truly stand out are Enemy and Under the Skin.
I still need to see Enemy and Under The Skin! Based on some of the reviews I’ve read (including yours), I might like ’em enough that perhaps they might make my final top 10 🙂
man, i really need to see Edge of Tomorrow.
I like that you included Lego…
Hi Ian, that was a pleasant surprise to me, so yeah, do see it maybe on matinee before it’s gone from your local multiplexes 🙂
Good stuff here Ruth! I really enjoyed Days of Future Past as well. I’m also really excited about the rest of 2014 – some great stuff coming!
Hi Alex! Glad you’re a fan of DOFP too, yay! Well, speaking of the rest of 2014, I’m already working on a most-anticipated list for movies out in Sept – Dec, so yeah, still lots of great stuff coming, in fact, the best is yet to come 😀
How embarrassing…I’ve only seen The Grand Budapest Hotel and X-Men!! Clearly, I have work to do. I know you mentioned above that you still need to see Under the Skin, and I think you definitely should! That would probably be in my current top 5 of the year thus far.
Hi Courtney, welcome to FC! Do you have a movie blog too? Oh no worries, there are still lots of movies I haven’t seen either. But all of these on my list are highly recommended obviously, hope you’ll check ’em out, esp the two indies: Locke and The Machine. Yeah I’ll be checking out Under the Skin at some point as well.
What a great list Ruth, I still need to see a lot of these. So far one of my faves would also be Grand Budapest Hotel! PS been watching Black Sails couldn’t help but think of you!
Dahling Queen Mel! How’ve you been girl? If only I had you by my side when I was hyperventilating over Toby last week. There’s always SOL-ing going on but this was FULL-ON nervous breakdown, ahah.
You haven’t seen The Machine have you?? It’s on iTunes girl, definitely a must-see for all Toby fans 😀 Ooooh and Black Sails, glad you’re watching ’em now. Would you please blog about ’em as you usually write about TV? Please… please… I have some tidbits about season 2 but I’ll share with you only if you want to because I don’t want to give you any spoilers 😛
Lady Ruth Stephens! Your poor husband did he have to perform CPR and bring you back to life?! HAHA
No not yet, I almost did the other day but we chose that stupid Winter’s Tale movie. Due to my Downton Abbey obsession, but it’s on my radar. I have so many movies I need to see that is definitely on my list. I am on episode 4 or 5 I believe. Yup I will do a post about it for sure! And yes give me deets when I am done with show. So far so good. It’s pretty bloody how did you handle it?! So far I am liking John Silver he’s pretty cool and cute.
Ahah, well I don’t think Toby’s wife would be happy that you call me Lady Stephens but hey, she’s not reading this so who cares right? 😉 I think if I were to require CPR because of Toby, my hubby probably just leaves me for dead, mwahahaha!
Oh I see, well I hope you would see The Machine soon. You can even see it w/ your hubby as it’s an action sci-fi, so he’d be glad it’s not another period drama, ahah. My hubby actually liked that one, but that was before I went ga-ga over Toby, this movie practically started this Toby-itis so now he probably wished we hadn’t seen it, ahah.
Yes Black Sails is pretty bloody, so I have a blanket handy to cover my eyes 😛 I asked my friend next to me to tell me when the brutal scenes are over then I’ll come out from the covers, tee…hee… that’s how chicken I am with blood and gore!! Fortunately Toby’s most brutal scenes was only in the first episode, there’s quite a lot of dialog which is great. Oh I like John Silver too, I think there’ll be more interactions between him and Flint in the second season. You will LOVE the tidbits then as it involves both Toby and Luke Arnold who plays Silver. He’s cute isn’t he, I think he’s half-Thai and half-English, that’s why he has such a nice tan to go along w/ his piercing blue eyes!
I just LOL! Yes your husband would just step right over you, good bye Ruth! Hahaha that’s what you get for being obsessed with Toby. Omg too funny!
The Machine is on my list girl. I thought of that while watching it, you know that scene where the guy got his leg stuck under the boat? OMG! I was like Ruth must have died watching this part. I told my husband did you know Capt Flint is the Dowager’s son, he was impressed by that. 🙂
Ahhh I knew I could count on you to tell me his ethnicity. I was trying to figure it out! The tan skin and blue eyes and accent, such a cool combination. PS… tomorrow is comic con I will be on the look out for anything Black Sails related!
Ahah yeah and I don’t blame him, poor guy 😛
Toby’s soooo handsome in The Machine, he looks so different from his Captain Flint look, way more preppy and he’s got such gorgeous hair 😉 But I’ve grown to love his pirate look, soooo sexy and he’s got so much swagger! I love that he’s got like a cape or something, blowing in the wind, makes him look like a superhero, ahah.
Oh yeah I know that scene is soooo bloody! I had my head under the blanket the whole time, I know if I saw it I’d have nightmares! My friend kept groaning next to me so I knew it was a VERY brutal scene! Ha..ha.. I think people are surprised to see Dowager’s son is a pirate, mwahahaha. Another British actor I like who’s in the BBC Persuasion, Rupert Penry-Jones, is joining season 2 as an English Lord and he said it’s funny that Toby is so posh yet he’s playing a pirate!!
Actually I made a mistake, he’s Australian not English: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2315197/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm I saw a photo of Toby with Luke Arnold & his mom and she’s this petite lady who looks like she could be Thai or Filipino. He’s on Twitter too btw, I just followed him 🙂
Yes that was so bloody and gross. But I am pretty used to blood and craziness in movies and tv shows I think I am immune at this point.
Very cool can’t wait to finish the show so you can give me more deets. Now if only Toby was in Game of Thrones! Then I could convince you to partake. I am sure you would recognize every actor on that show. Another Toby related tid bit, Ruth Wilson is going to be in a new Showtime show with Dominic West (from the Wire but I am sure he is from other British stuff you know). So maybe she will become more famous in the US.
Yes I saw on IMBD he was Aussie, looks like a lot of the actors on the show are Aussie too. Cool I am going to find him so I can follow him too. We are so much nerds! We need help! #therapy
I’ve seen six of the ten you listed, I would not disagree with any of them on a top ten list myself. Lego and Edge both higher. The most fun at the movies in the first half of the year was Muppets Most Wanted. Like a Bond movie, Muppets will almost automatically get a spot from me. Looking forward to Belle when it is on the satellite. I’ll have to go back and see your reviews for the other three I’ve not caught.
Hi Richard! Oh I haven’t seen Muppets Most Wanted yet. Ahah, you’re a big fan of Muppets in general I take it? I love the first movie but I didn’t grow up watching them so there’s not really a nostalgia factor for me, but I do LOVE the Bond franchise!
BELLE is lovely and heart-wrenching, I hope you check that one out soon. It needs to be seen!
I was thinking about Dawn Of The Planet Of the Apes but then realised it came out in the 2nd half of the year. I’d have X-Men and Captain America at the top too! Other movies like How To Train Your Dragon, Edge Of Tomorrow, Lego Movie and The Grand Budapest Hotel would make my list also.
Ahah don’t get ahead of yourself Asrap. Yep, Dawn is out in July but I have a feeling that’ll end up in my final top 10. Glad we have a lot in common on what we enjoyed this year!
Great choices. A few I haven’t seen that I need to get to.
Thanks Abbi! Which ones haven’t you seen? Well I hope you get to see ’em soon 🙂
This list shows how out of it I’ve been this year when it comes to film, but I’m beginning to change that this month. Incredibly, I have not watched a single one of these, even though I intend to watch them all come the end of the year. I have a lot of catching up to do I guess.
There are two movies I’d highly recommend that I did not see on your list, and they could not be more different from each other. One is Under the Skin, which is currently sitting pretty at #1 and will probably remain in the top 5 by year’s end. The other one is Neighbors, which can be a pretty wild and unnecessarily raunchy but hilarious. It’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to humor but it worked wonders for me.
I hadn’t heard of “The Machine” so I’m now very curious to see it based on your thoughts on it. I’m a sucker for low budget yet good sci-fi films. Thanks for sharing Ruth!
Hi Niels! Well, a lot of these movies are now available on Blu-ray or On Demand, so it’d be easy to catch them. I’m curious about Under the Skin but I have no desire to see Neighbors, raunchy, foul-mouthed comedies are not my cup of tea at all and I don’t really like any of the cast.
The Machine is highly recommended. It’s got an intriguing concept and it’s well-executed. It’s not perfect but still well worth a look for sci-fi fans. Hope you do give that a shot!
Great list Ruth! Love that you have X-Men and The Grand Budapest Hotel in the top 5! I’m dying to see Locke, and I want to check out The Grand Seduction, The Machine and Belle as well.
Hello Josh! I hope you check out those four soon. I believe Locke is now on VOD. I know the BD/DVD of The Machine is out already and it’s also on iTunes. Belle should be out in mid August. I’ll definitely be getting the Blu-ray 🙂
Good stuff, Ruth! I am still woefully behind in this year’s releases, but I did really enjoy X-Men, Locke and The Grand Budapest Hotel from your list. Right now my favorite of the year is Enemy with Snowpiercer a close second.
Snowpiercer might end up on my final top 10, and hope to see ENEMY soon. I hope you give some of the indie movies here a shot, they’re a heck of a lot better than a bunch of the big-budget fares out there.
Great list! Glad to see The Grand Budapest Hotel, Locke and The Lego Movie make it!
Hi Jack! Well they’re all great films for different reasons. Have you made your top 10 so far yet?
This list just reminds me how many films I haven’t seen this year! So many. A nice group of films up here 😀 Look forward to seeing… erm… a lot of them soon.
Hey it’s never too late I’d say. I’m always catching up on films I haven’t seen in previous years. Which one(s) are you MOST looking forward to from this year, Jaina?
Edge of Tomorrow, Grand Budapest Hotel, Locke, The Raid 2, The Double, Under the Skin, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes…so many!
Oh I still haven’t seen The Raid 2, The Double, & Under the Skin. Hope to see that last one soon as I’ve been hearing so much great things about it. The Raid is way too violent for my taste tho, but it’s filmed in my hometown so that’s pretty cool! Most of the actors are Indonesians as well.
Your list is GREAT, Ruth! I actually found a lot of my favorites of the year (so far) floating around on your list. But I think the best part is that we actually share the top spot – ever since I saw X-Men: DOFP, it’s been my absolute favorite. I had high expectations going in, and I was just such a huge fan afterwards. 🙂
Hi Kris! Did you ever get the package I sent you? I hope it made it to Waukesha safely! 🙂
Hey, glad to see we agree on #1! DOFP is just so awesome from start to finish and the four actors playing Magneto & Prof X are all excellent!
Hey Ruth! I did!! So sorry I have not sent you a note yet – I am in the process of working on thank-you notes (this late in the game, I know). But yes, I did – we love the frame. Just waiting to get our wedding photos from the photographer so we can put one in there. It’s beautiful. Thank you so much!
I agree – I really just have a hard time finding anything negative in the movie. I loved it from beginning to end!
Some very strong picks in there Ruth and I’d definitely have The Lego Movie and Budapest Hotel in mine too. I really want to see The Grand Seduction, that sounds really up my street.
Hi there Chris! How’s your shoulder doing now, hope you’re doing much better man!
Oh I hope you’ll check out Grand Seduction soon. I love that movie, so funny & entertaining, such a charming little movie.
The shoulder is pretty much sorted now thanks Ruth so I’m almost back to normal!
Hoping to be around a little more now if I can too!
Glad to hear you’re on the mend Chris! Hope to see you around more on the blogosphere!
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Great list, Ruth. I haven’t seen Locke or The Grand Seduction yet (though I will eventually see both) and I don’t like X-Men or the Dragon flick quite as much as you, but I don’t think you’ve picked even one bad movie. They are all very entertaining and have plenty of merits. Great work!
Thanks Josh! I figure everyone’s going to have a different favorite list. Glad that you think none of these are bad 🙂
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Edge of Tomorrow was a surprisingly good, I only caught it recently! Very entertaining!
HHTYD 2 was all kinds of lovely, I’m glad it was recognised at the Globes 🙂
As for your worst picks? I have so far been successful in avoid Transformers, hahaha
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