My Top 25 Movies of 2014: Part II (#10-1)

Miss the rest of my top 25 movies of 2014? Look no further, for I just so happen to have a link for it somewhere in here...ah, here it is: *points at this link*. Click on that and it will send you to part 1! Now, onto my top 10. And it is quite a spectacular top 10, I might add.

10. Under The Skin
Directed by Jonathan Glaser

One of the most bizarre, creepy, and imaginative sci-fi/horror movies of the decade, this is a movie that focuses more on the subtleties of its character development and atmosphere than anything else. Scarlett Johansson gives one of the best performances of her career as one of the most interesting and complex roles she's taken on, with great support from a strong cast of characters. All of this paired with great music and equally awesome visuals help make this one of the best movies of the year.

9. The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies
Directed by Peter Jackson

Though I found the first Hobbit movie sorely disappointing and the second only slightly better, it was here in the third and final installment that I found Peter Jackson back on the top of his game, with the best movie he's made since the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Martin Freeman's excellent lead still stands out as one of the best performances of the decade, as the entire cast seem to more familiar with their roles and much more natural in their performances. The action scenes are magnificent, and for the first time in the trilogy, I found myself caring deeply for the characters. No, it's not as good as Lord Of The Rings, but it's still a pretty great film.

8. Gone Girl
Directed by David Fincher

The third fantastic film in a row by director David Fincher (who doesn't seem to be capable of going wrong at this point) and easily one of my favorites of his entire career. Rosamund Pike is absolutely incredible in one of the two leads in this film about a husband accused of murdering his wife. Ben Affleck seems to be in his element here, playing a man you aren't quite sure whether you're supposed to believe what he's saying or not (perfect casting if you ask me, considering his *ahem* acting abilities), and Carrie Coon is also quite powerful as his sister. The twists and turns this movie takes are never dull or predictable, and the result is a disturbingly effective thriller that's hard to forget.

7. Chef
Directed by Jon Favreau

Not all movies need to rock your world to be enjoyable, and Chef is one of those movies. A film with relatively little conflict, plot twists, or ingenious filming techniques, this is instead the kind of movie I could put on at any point and enjoy every second of it. The entire cast make the subject of the film (which is mainly cooking) seem important, and in doing so, make you feel it, too. Watching a movie about passionate people doing what they love can sometimes be dull, but in this case, I was absolutely charmed. Easily one of the most likable movies of the year, and one I can't wait to watch again and again.

6. The Lego Movie
Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

Not all kids movies or animated movies are capable of achieving this level of ingenuity. In fact, very few are able to even come up half as effective, original, or downright entertaining as this. That being said, The Lego Movie is not only one of the best animated movies of the year, but as you can see by its position on this list, one of the best movies of the year, period. Fantastic animation design, music, voice acting (Liam Neeson in particular is a stand-out), and one of the most daringly original third act twists I've ever seen in a movie, this is one that challenges everyone's expectations and delivers the goods on every level.

5. Cheap Thrills
Directed by E.L. Katz

Equal parts disturbing and hilarious, this blacker-than-black comedy is one of the craziest movies of the year, and an excellent reminder of the great talents that are still on the rise in American cinema. A gritty and comedic satire in many ways, but surprisingly poignant and almost painful in others, this is the kind of movie that doesn't just throw characters into a situation and let you watch them do terrible things, but rather one that makes you feel for them and share in (at least some of) their pain. All four main characters are interesting in their own ways, with Pat Healy and Sara Paxton providing my favorite performances. Not an easy movie to sit through at times, and definitely not one I would easily recommend to people, but still one of my absolute favorites of the year.

4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Directed by Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson can basically do no wrong. Every film he's made has been at least solidly entertaining, and with his past 6 outings, there hasn't been one I wouldn't consider one of the best movies of its respective year. Maybe he repeats himself somewhat; perhaps his tone and style can be a bit samey. But who cares? Ralph Fiennes is awesome, giving one of the best performances of his career, with excellent support from about 1000 other actors all giving their all. The screenplay, music, costumes, set design, cinematography, editing, direction, etc etc etc. are all great, absolutely earning the films 9 Oscar nominations and positions on nearly every year-end top 10 films of 2014 list. Obviously, my list is no exception. This just might be the best movie Wes has ever made.

3. Guardians Of The Galaxy
Directed by James Gunn

How did this movie happen? Watching trailers of it prior to its release, this looked like it was going to be one of the dumbest Marvel movies of the past several year. But then, out of nowhere, I was proven wrong. Quite possibly the biggest surprise of the decade, this movie met all possible expectations, exceeded them, and left me satisfied in every way a movie could. Everything about this movie was done right: the tonal balance between humor and emotion, the music, performances, visuals, pacing, and anything else you could name. I loved this movie. It's not often a superhero movie can be as fun, exciting, emotional, and instantly iconic as this. In fact, has that ever even happened before?

2. Birdman
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

And now for the best film of Inarritus career. There are few things, at this point, that can be said about Birdman that haven't already been made clear by critics and fans alike over the past several months. This is, quite simply, one of the best movies of the decade. Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Zack Galifianakis, and Naomi Watts are all at the top of their game, with Emmanuel Lubezki Showing off (yet again) the fact that he is one of the top 5 greatest cinematographers who has ever lived. This is yet another movie that does absolutely nothing wrong, and the result is (predictably) a movie that is difficult not to describe as essentially perfect. Hilarious, powerful, impressive, biting, and featuring one of the coolest musical scores I've heard in a while - which consists largely of jazz drumming - Birdman, or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance, is bound to go down in history as one of the best movies of our time.

1. Whiplash
Directed by Damien Chazelle

Who knew drumming could be so intense? With J.K. Simmons giving my favorite performance of the year, it should come as no big surprise that Whiplash would be really high on my list. Especially when you factor in just how awesome this movie is in every way from beginning to end. This is one of the most exhausting and effective movies I have ever seen in my life, and after watching it 4 times already, I can safely say my viewing of this masterpiece won't be slowing down after I add the blu-ray to my movie collection. Miles Teller, who I was already impressed by from his work in The Spectacular Now, goes all out here with a fantastic lead performance that sadly has slid under the radar due to the titanic presence of J.K. Simmons. The chemistry between these two is something to behold, as they face off throughout the entire film in some of the most intense sequences in movie history. But somehow, in the midst of all this intensity, there is a great deal of biting humor to be found here (largely provided by Simmons) through a series of quippy one-liners and a whole slew of snarlingly vicious insults. The whole experience is nerve-wracking at times, but absolutely hysterical at others -- and sometimes, by some miracle, both at the same time. And this is all without any mention of the spectacular lighting, editing, and cinematography, all of which only adding to the overall effect. There is still a great deal left to say about this absolutely incredible film, but I'll instead just leave you with this statement: It may seem soon, but this could go down as one of my favorite movies ever. Only time will tell.

So that's it. Agree/disagree? Leave your input in the comments section. You do NOT have to have an account or sign up for anything to leave your thoughts here, so you really have no other excuse than laziness not to. I'm always in the mood for a little healthy debate.

Enjoy my style? For more movie lists and write-ups, take a gander at my archives. For even more extensive material, more can be found at my old blog JeffSCPresents.