The 10 Most Entertaining Movies of 2014

5. Veronica Mars

This is the section of this article that I like to call the ‘Well, now you’re losing me’ moment.

‘Veronica Mars? In the Top 5 for movies you watched ALL YEAR? The Kristen Bell movie reuniting all of those random peeps from that canceled WB/CW show? That was only made because of Kickstarter? The movie where she pretends to be a detective…but she’s not a detective…but her dad’s a detective…and they base it in some lame TV-named place called Neptune, California…but it’s really just fan service? That movie? Well, now you’re losing me.’

Guess what? I’m a fan. Both of the series AND the movie. Know what else? I helped pay for this bad boy (or girl as it were) via said Kickstarter and it was worth every single penny. Is it fan service? Damn right it is, and if it were pie, it would be delicious. For fans of the series, we finally got a movie that ties up all of the loose ends we never received in the series finale, as well as gives us an update into the crazy world of ‘Veronica Mars’.

Creator Rob Thomas obviously loves the fans and he loaded the movie with throwbacks for pretty much everyone who ever caught a glimpse of the show. Is it a movie for the uninitiated? It probably would not rate in that person’s Top 10, but I found it to be entertaining throughout several viewings after I had rinsed off my nostalgia-tinged glasses. Wherever you stand on the character, this was easily one of my most precious memories in a theater this year.

‘You’re still losing me. This is a film nobody cares about.’ Did you see ‘Serenity’, hipster? Fans always care.

Listen to our review of Veronica Mars

4. Guardians of the Galaxy

Duh.

Have you ever listened to our podcast? Hell, ANY podcast in the last 6 months. If not, let me clue you in…‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ comes up a LOT. Now, it was not my favorite movie of the year, but there is ZERO denying that it is one of the most fun. A rag-tag group of loveable criminals coming together for the common good, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is Marvel’s solution to a question they didn’t even need to ask: ‘How do we make Star Wars-level money?’ How indeed, Rocket. How indeed.

This has been a monumental year for special effects and the fact that I could walk out of a theater believing a tree and a raccoon could legitimately engage in equal measures of conversation and fisticuffs is no small reason why.  Yes, Chris Pratt became a bona fide movie star. That’s great for all of you Parks and Rec fans. While Pratt was great, he didn’t hold a candle to the Rocket / Groot relationship that stole every inner-child’s heart from here to Bangkok.

Lastly, for me, this was like reliving the Joss Whedon / Avengers immersion. James Gunn has been a filmmaker I have followed for years, his unappreciated skill seemed to be in danger of being lost forever after a few career misses. Guardians’ success has brought absolute delight to my face, to finally witness the mass-market acceptance of a truly gifted and talented gentleman.

Bravo, James. Bravo.

Listen to our Guardians of the Galaxy Podcast

3. The Guest

With ‘You’re Next’, director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett exhibited the mischievous playfulness in their works by turning a tired horror cliché on its ears. With ‘The Guest’, they cranked that Looney Tunes lunacy up to 11 and made a film that, after it carefully sets up its characters, rocket launches their balls to the proverbial wall for the duration. This is one nutty-ass film that was built with 80’s action-genre fans in mind and NO ONE else. Even the score by Steve Moore sounds like it was recorded in 1984 with Brad Fiedel in the co-driver’s seat.  If you are THAT audience, this movie just jumped into your must-see list.

Dan Stevens (Yes, of the Downton Abbey Stevens’) revels in the attempt to stretch his acting AND action skills as David, a relentless killer pretending (or is he?) to be a friend to a family’s deceased veteran son. This is a performance of 100% commitment and Stevens never lets up. While Wingard continues to throw eventual-cadavers in David’s way at every possible turn, Stevens continues to chew each and every scene as though it were a thespian buffet. And damn if it doesn’t look scrumptious.

Grab a case of Mountain Dew and some Cheetos. Hunt down your Poison t-shirt (we know you still have it). Then throw on The Guest and prepare for an ass-kicking of epic proportions.

Listen to our review of The Guest

2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

You know who deserves an Oscar? Andy Serkis. You know who won’t even get a nomination? Andy Freakin’ Serkis. Hollywood is slower than Comcast internet, which means they still see his brilliant (and I am not abusing that word) performance as Caesar as nothing more than fancy special effects. Motion-capture is constantly evolving, and at the forefront of that evolution is Serkis. The nuances, tics, inflections, emotions, and regrets that Serkis drowns in this performance are astounding and he deserves, no DEMANDS, some damn recognition. Not even JUST Serkis either! Every single motion-captured ape performance (was there a better villain this summer than Koba?) trumps any of the human actors, and squashing Gary Oldman is no easy feat. Just ask Batman.

Alas, I digress. I realize I have better odds of Congress throwing a Coming Together For Unity party than I do of Serkis being recognized for yet another breakthrough performance. Instead, let’s talk about how director Matt Reeves finally made an Apes movie that evoked the original’s social commentary on man’s abusive nature without sacrificing an engaging film in the process. After many attempts, I had pretty much given up hope that anyone still understood the message in the old Charlton Heston classic. Then Reeves shows up, slaps me in the forehead, and reminds me there are still directors out there capable of delivering spectacle and heart, laced with a hearty message.

And none of those directors are named Tim Burton.

Listen to our review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

1. Nightcrawler

Louis Bloom is an American nightmare. A red-blooded, created and molded in the good ole USA nightmare. The worst part is, I have met people like Louis Bloom in my life. Repeatedly. Businessmen, retail clerks, reporters, assistants, public relations, government officials – everywhere I look, there are more and more Louis Blooms. That is the genius of Nightcrawler. Sure, this is Bloom’s story…but THIS story could happen in any setting. Most likely, it is happening right around your general vicinity. In the next cubicle or the street over. But it is happening, and it is happening right now.

What makes it all work is Jake Gyllenhaal’s magnificent performance as Bloom. This is a con-man who decides to venture into crime reporting by being the guy who will do whatever it takes, even lining a body up to get the right light, to snap that one shot that will keep taking him to the next level. Gyllenhaal at first seems leeringly creepy, as he trades favors with Rene Russo’s news producer, then glides in to take his rightful place as today’s American businessman.  By the end of the film you will be both riveted and repulsed by Bloom, and you will finally realize what this movie has actually been saying since the moment it began. You will understand all of this because Gyllenhaal has just given you the performance of the year.

This is not a simple crime story. Director Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler is a literal representation of today’s cynical American success stories. People are getting filthy rich off of horrible and despicable acts, and all we do as a society is watch. Peer without any semblance of guilt or concern. We have all become aquarium patrons wandering through the hallways of life, and Nightcrawler perfectly captures each of us whilst we stand by glaring, mindlessly unaware. Gilroy captures our modern society so masterfully that he echoes early Scorsese in his way to show you a fictional world that does not quite so fictional.

This is a film that made me ashamed, both of myself and of our media-obsessed culture. This is a statement. This is an accomplishment.

THIS is the best movie of 2014

Listen to our review of Nightcrawler

That does it for my list. What about yours? What films did you love in 2014? Any surprises? 2015 looks to be a banner year in movies, so if 2014 has been an indication…the best is yet to come!

 

Honorable Mentions: Boyhood, Blue Ruin, Gone Girl, Big Hero 6, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Expendables 3 (yea, I said Expendables 3. Skip you if you hate fun)

 

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider