Top Ten Movies of 2o14

Nice & Not So Nice:

Woodie’s Favorite Movies

2o14

Disclaimer

Okay, I didn’t see EVERY movie released in 2014! Reason? Because not EVERY movie came to my little Norman Town and since I don’t have a car to shuffle off to OKC to see a flick . . . well, you do the math. Another reason for not seeing ALL the movies that came out in 2o14? Hey! I’m retired. I can’t afford to go to EVERY movie even if they do show up in my town, and my friend who goes with me (he has the car) may not want to see every movie that was made in 2o14! Yes, I do own a bicycle, and yes, I do go to the movies by myself . . . but still I can’t see everything! So, get off my cloud! {smile} Anyway, here are my “Nice & Not So Nice” movie lists for 2o14:

 

Nice

1o. I, Frankenstein

Yeah, that’s right; I liked this Frankenstein rip-off brought to you by the same guy who created the graphic novel, I Frankenstein. Critics and fans pretty much buried this one. And to tell the truth, when I saw the previews for it, I decided to pass on it. But one day, I’m looking for a DVD at Walmart and saw I, Frankenstein on the discount rack and bought it. Much to my surprise it wasn’t as bad as the previews, reviewers and movie fans made it out to be. What’s not to love about a movie that has Frankenstein (the original loner/bad boy), gargoyle-angels and demons from hell kicking CGI ass on each other? Actually, it’s a pretty entertaining little film.

 

o9. Godzilla

I disliked this film at first because of the false advertising by the studio. First, it is NOT a remake of the original (1954). Secondly, Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) has only a bit role in the film. I hate it when advertisers “mislead” me. But that aside, the movie is pretty good. The actors do okay, but they really don’t have much to do acting wise other than to look worried, frightened or simply unhappy when G and his band of rampaging monsters kick the crap out of each other . . .  and every skyscraper they come in contact with! The wonderfulness of this film is the CGI monsters. They are very affective. It’s worth the watch.

 

o8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Okay, Marvel and Chris Evans are starting to show me a little something with this movie. Although it doesn’t go into great depths, it does play around with political issues facing the
US of A right now. The fight scenes are better, But the director is still using schlocky camera techniques that he THINKS makes the action sequences more interesting to a “younger” audience, but they don’t. And Chris Evans as Captain America does appear a bit more human and less the pretty boy/actor robot that he was in the first Captain America movie.

 

o7. The Lego Movie

Surprisingly, this CGI cartoon based on a toy franchise has a lot of adult appeal to it. They create a universe where these Lego characters really come to life. Very funny, very charming and a stunning use of computer generated images. “Everything is Awesome!”

 

o6. The Maze Runner

Another big surprise. I try to stay away from movies based on popular (or obscure) YA novels. I mean, come on! For most of these movies you’d have to be a thirteen year old girl to appreciate them. But this one is a bit different. Not so much the story of youngsters flirting with the idea of sex, this one focuses more on the idea of being trapped, imprisoned by a totalitarian society. Yes, of course, teenagers are the imprisoned and the adults are the ones doing the incarcerating, but the story is pretty good, and unlike most of the YA movies out there. I found myself identifying with characters. Particularly interesting is how the audience views the movie, through the experiences of a new arrival. It’s an engaging film. Hats off to the producers who made it AAV: Appropriate for Adult Viewing.

 

o5. The Drop

Now, I’m finally getting down to the more “adult” movies. And The Drop is that. If you enjoy dialogue and really engaging acting, this movie about low life thugs who dream of becoming “made” is for you. Neatest thing about this movie: nothing is what it appears to be. Enough said.

 

o4. John Wick

This is the BEST damn action film I have seen in a long while! Directed by stunt performers, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, this movie kicks the right amount of ass, and does it without a bunch of jump cuts and camera tricks. I’m not kidding; this movie is a well-greased ballet of violence. Some critics have said there’s not enough dialogue to the movie, and they are right there’s not a lot. But what little there is, is well placed and well used by the actors. See this and learn what the term “old school action” really means.

 

o3. Gone Girl

Man, if you love Hitchcock and/or Agatha Christy you are going to love this tale about a man whose wife goes missing. I really don’t want to say more about it. I will say . . . go see it.

 

o2. Snowpiercer

Another film that barely got out to American audiences, but not because of production quality. Politics between the director and distributor almost sank this gem of a political action film. Seems the Weinstein Company wanted to cut some of the film for Americans, but the director wouldn’t allow it, and so the WC decided NOT to give the movie a wide release. It’s possible you’ve never heard of this movie loosely based on a French graphic novel . . . but see it you should. Chris Evans does his best acting in this taunt little film. Congrats to all involved with it.

 

o1. The Grand Budapest Hotel

When I go see a movie, I hope to see something that I’ve never seen before, and The Grand Budapest Hotel is like not nothing else I’ve seen this year. I think it can be best described as an absurdist farce. It’s highly stylized, extremely colorful and uses film techniques that come straight out of the slapstick era of silent film. A beautifully crafted, visually stunning film with wonderfully crafted, over the top characters.  A must see movie for the movie junky!

 

That’s it for the Nice list. There are a few honorable mentions that I should . . . well . . . mention!  {another smile} They are: Lucy, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Judge, Divergent, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Big Hero 6

 

& Not So Nice 

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

My friend David shook his head as we came out of the 1pm showing of the third hobbit movie. “I don’t know,” David said, “I should like this movie but I don’t.” And that’s pretty much it. I went to see all three of The Hobbit movies just out of respect for The Lord of the Rings series. The third film in this The Hobbit trilogy is probably the best of the three but that’s not saying much. The cast, the directing the writing, the usually stunning CGI work from WETA lacked inspiration. Shakespeare has a workable quote for this short review, “. . . It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/Signifying nothing.” Yep, that sums up my feelings about the whole The Hobbit trilogy.

 

Fury

One of those naturalistic looks at a tank crew during WWII that’s both gripping and grizzly enough to make you hope you never see a real war. Why is it on my Not So Nice list? Because of the use of CGI muzzle flash from the tanks and the rifles fired by the actor/soldiers. Nothing ruins naturalism more than cartoonish weapon fire. I mean, we are supposed to be in WWII not Star Wars.

 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1

I know that a book can’t be translated as is to the screen. But the whole story of The Hunger Games trilogy is based on a realistic description of what it’s like to be in a war. Maybe because they need a PG-13 rating for this film, the production cut back on the graphic violence, which makes it rather bland and uninteresting to this adult-child. MJ Part I tries to explore the role of propaganda in a war, but it too is just bland. The big problem with this movie is that it never changes gears. It tries to be thoughtful . . . but misses the mark.

 

The Giver

If the production team of The Giver wants to give me something, they can start by giving me back the popcorn money I spent on this lack luster movie! The storyline isn’t the problem with this film. The leaders of this futurist government have figured out a way to rid their dystopia society from  unpleasant emotions. They’ve blanked out everybody’s memory through genetic engineering, eliminated art, music, war . . . Hell, they even eliminated changes in weather, and no color! Yes, a black and white world they’ve created where people are always pleasant, always smiling, always unemotional.  However, there is one person in the community that carries all those bad things around in his head just in case they need some good old human behavior. He’s called the Keeper, and he’s old. And the community sends him a disciple that he can train to be the Keeper of the history of humanness. And that’s where the story begins with the training of the next Keeper. The story idea is a good one. We the audience can learn to appreciate things we take for granted as the fledgling Keeper sees for the first time color, emotion, art, etc. But most of the human feelings are not explored in enough depth. We really don’t get involved in the plight of this young human experiencing for the first time what it feels like to be human.

 

That’s it! See you in 2o15!