My Top 10 Best films of 2014

   2014 was such a good year for films that it was very difficult narrowing down the best to just 10. Movies that didn't make the cut: Noah, The Raid 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Boyhood, a film that I very much enjoyed the first time I saw it, but failed to grip me the second time.

10. Her

   Spike Jonze's story about a man who falls in love with an operating system is beautifully shot and wonderfully acted.  The film challenges what love is and what love can be.

9. How To Train Your Dragon 2

   While The Lego Movie was a blast of pure entertainment and Big Hero 6 was a fun time, when animation in 2014 comes to mind, one film stands out. How To Train Your Dragon 2 is The Empire Strikes Back of animated movies. This movie raises the stakes from the previous film in every way, delivering a dark entry into this series.  Toy Story better watch it's back because if the third Dragons movie is better than this installment,  then Woody and Buzz will have serious competition. 

8. Edge of Tomorrow

Possibly the funnest movie on this list, Edge of Tomorrow is a great sci-fi action movie. Despite other films having a similar premise, Edge of Tomorrow makes it feel fresh. Tom Cruise was great and Emily Blunt steals the show. This criminally under-viewed movie is everything a summer popcorn movie should be.

7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

   Marvel's take on the spy genre is their most socially conscious film to date. The Winter Soldier is filled with terrific action and manages to make a 74 year old character relevant to modern audiences. This is the best stand alone Marvel film since 2008's Iron Man.

6. Gone Girl

   David Fincher's mystery film is  about a wife gone missing and a husband blamed for her disappearance. Fincher gets Ben Affleck's strongest performance out of him and a career defining performance out of Rosamund Pike. This was a great film that really got the audience involved in story. This is a very well made film that you should check out if you missed it.

5. X-Men: Days of Future Past

   The most emotional superhero film of the year takes on the themes of abandonment, identity, and friendship. The heart really overtakes the action in the film despite the standout moments such as the spectacular Quicksilver scene. Days of Future Past also manages erase the blunders that were X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

4. Nightcrawler

   The creepiest character study since American Psycho, Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Louis Bloom, the most intense sociopath in 2014. Sporting nail-biting tension and unbelievable chase sequences, Nightcrawler is an instant classic.

   The last three films on this list could have been a tie for first.  I loved each of these so much that I have shifted around the number one spot more times than I can count. On this particular day, this is the order on which they land.

3. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes

   Caesar reigns as the leader of the apes after a virus has  wiped out most of humanity. Dawn of The Apes is a Shakespearean-like tale of a knight using a pawn in an attempt to topple a king. Koba is the best villain of the year, because like every character in the film, you can understand where he is coming from. Andy Serkis delivers one of the best performances of the year as Caesar. This is an epic that blows the previous entry out of the water. I cannot wait for the next time the apes are on screen.

2. Interstellar

   Christopher Nolan's space odyssey is a film about leaving a dying earth to find another planet to sustain the human race. In the heart of the film lies a father-daughter story.  Science vs. Love is the basis of the film. Interstellar is the most ambitious film of recent memory. It dares to take the audience to places we've never been and show us things nothing else has been able to. It is a visually immersive experience unlike any other.  This film wowed me with its visuals, intrigued me with its science and tugged on my heart. This is the only film of 2014 to make me cry. I have seen this film 5 times and have been moved every single time. I love this movie.

The best film of 2014 is...
1. Birdman

   Michael Keaton is back. Keaton stars as a movie star who got famous for playing a superhero in his early career, now struggling to stay prominent.  This film boasts an electric performance from Keaton and a brilliant Edward Norton. Emma Stone and Zack Galifianakis were terrific in this artful masterpiece that was shot in less than a month. Structured to look as though it is all one shot and sporting a score that is composed almost entirely of drums highlights the fact that Birdman is a film that takes risks. If even one of these risks didn't pay off then this film would have fallen on its face. Instead it soars to the top of my list.