Daily Archives: February 28, 2018
The Best Movies of 2014
The Best Movies of 2014
Below is my list of the best movies that I have seen that were released in 2014 (even if some were made in 2013). I have included trailers for each movie. I would love to eventually write a review of each of these films and talk about why I enjoyed them so much. But for now, just know that I highly recommend all of these movies. I will continue to add to this list if I see any more movies from 2014 that are worthy of this list.
American Sniper (2014)
Fury (2014)
John Wick (2014)
Gone Girl (2014)
Nightcrawler (2014)
Interstellar (2014)
Still Alice (2014)
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
The Imitation Game (2014)
Unbroken (2014)
Exodus: Gods & Kings (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Dumb and Dumber Too (2014)
Neighbors (2014)
Non-stop (2014)
Good movies that did not make the cut were:
This is Where I Leave You (2014)
The Equalizer (2014)
The Judge (2014)
The Gambler (2014)
Sex Tape (2014)
Let’s Be Cops (2014)
22 Jump Street (2014)
Sabotage (2014)
3 Days to Kill (2014)
Wonder (2017)
Wonder (2017)
I think you have to be in the right mood to watch this kind of movie. You know that you are going to feel bad for the main character. In a way, you feel their pain, so to speak. It’s the kind of story that makes you appreciate your life more because you realize that no matter how hard you may feel like you have it sometimes, there is always someone out there that has it way worse. This I could grasp just from watching the trailer.
Wonder is about a previously homeschooled boy with a facial disfigurement who faces the challenge of going to a normal school for the first time.
You have to prepare yourself mentally to watch this movie, because you know it is not going to be fun, exciting entertainment. It is going to be blunt and in your face honest. It is going to evoke emotion and make you think. It is not necessarily an escape from the outside world, like most films are. Instead, it is more of a reminder of what things are really like. That makes this a solid movie because it is more real.
The movie was directed by Stephen Chbosky and the noteworthy cast includes Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts, Izabela Vidovic, Mandy Patinkin, Noah Jupe, Bryce Gheisar, Elle Mckinnon, Daveed Diggs, Ty Consiglio, and Danielle Rose Russell.
The story of Wonder was told in chapters. Each chapter is a different characters perspective. I like that because it allows you to get into the mind of each character in a way that you otherwise might not be able to. It makes the storytelling more interesting
For those of you who have ever been an outcast, this film is for you. Childhood is hard. School is harder. Now, imagine that your face is deformed. Kids are mean.
Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts played their parts well as loving parents.
Jacob Tremblay did a wonderful job as the boy with a disfigured face. He is pretty talented for only being 10 years old when this movie was being made. This kid is only 11 years old and has already been in 8 films and has 3 more on deck.
The movie is pretty predictable at times, but it does tug at the heartstrings. The film is rated PG, so it is a pretty wholesome and clean movie. A nice one to watch with the family. It is a warm-hearted movie about how the struggles of life bring us closer together when we overcome adversity.
I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
If you liked this film then you might also enjoy:
The Cure (1995)
Rudy (1993)
Stand By Me (1986)
The Man Without a Face (1993)
24 Hours to Live (2017)
24 Hours to Live (2017)
Ethan Hawke in a shoot ‘em up, no holds barred action thriller is just the type of movie that I would want to see. So I did. It appeared like it would have a lot of similarities to Crank (2006). Crank is off the hook in all senses of the word, so 24 Hours to Live sparked my interest.
The film is about a hired killer out for revenge after he is brought back to life after being shot. The medical treatment he received is only keeping him alive for 24 hours, so he must seek his revenge in a hurry.
The movie was directed by Brian Smrz and the noteworthy cast includes Ethan Hawke, Liam Cunningham, Rutger Hauer, Paul Anderson, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Tanya van Graan, Qing Xu, and Jenna Upton.
The movie was fun, but convenient at times. The action was sometimes a little choppy. Lots of good ruthless ideas. Some worked and some fell flat. Not enough follow through. The film was a bipolar rollercoaster of really good sometimes, followed by a sort of fizzle and then back to better again. In a strange way, the film felt like a financial rollercoaster also. Sometimes it felt a little cheap and B-rated, while other times really expensive and classy. It just could not hold its momentum. Along with that problem, it was occasionally a bit hard to follow. Overall, it just felt like it was lacking something.
Hawke is dual-wielding and he’s got nothing to lose. His role was awesome and he pulled it off well. He is the same old slick, and smooth likable guy. His character developed well, but the supporting cast, not so much.
Cunningham was very enjoyable, but could have been better. He just was not used enough.
The film was reminiscent of Crank (2006), minus the extreme intensity throughout and not near the same caliber film.
24 Hours to Live was a fun concept. It was an entertaining flick, but a bit disappointing because it did not reach its full potential. However, it was nice to see Ethan Hawke carrying an action movie by himself again.
I rate this movie a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10.
If you liked this film then you might also enjoy:
Crank (2006)
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
Running Scared (2006)
Shoot ‘Em Up (2007)
Training Day (2001)
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
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