Posted by : Patrick | I could expound upon what many consider to be a weak year for movies, and I’m not sure that I’ll be watching more than one or two of last year’s offerings for years to come, but there were some very worthy hours of time to be spent nonetheless. As usual I didn’t catch as many movies as I would’ve liked in 2014, but just like with the Chicago Cubs, there’s always next year. Here’s the best of what I saw: One of the most entertaining and funny animated movies I have ever seen, at least as an adult. Sharp writing and visual fireworks I would’ve never expected out of something titled “The Lego Movie”. Don’t be scared off, ladies! 4.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier I watched this a bit late in its theatrical run, so I never really had the time or inclination to type out a proper review, but forget what all those Guardians of the Galaxy supporters are touting- this is the Marvel movie that packed the most punch this summer. But while most of them deliver the goods when it comes to mindless superhero action, this one ALSO injects a paranoid undercurrent straight out of Watergate 70s about government corruption and eerie NSA-type supervision and control over citizens.
And it does so with surprising intelligence. Chris Evans as the Cap did a great job playing the ideal American WWII patriot in the first, but in this superior sequel he brings actual emotional layers of confusion and sadness to a man out of time, an idealist who is coming to realize that his codes of honor are seen as old-fashioned and naïve in the present day world which he now inhabits. It’s a wonderful, understated performance that gives more depth to the character than we are used to expecting from such material, and provides a solid-ground anchor to all the digital wizardry, turning Captain America into the most interesting and complex of all the Marvel heroes. I expected this to be disposable fun, but its themes are strong enough to linger. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually am looking forward to the sequel. So creepy I consider it a horror movie, Gone Girl has the best mid-movie twist since Psycho. Everyone is terrific in this movie about modern marital relations, and director David Fincher is at his precise, exacting best.
See this with someone you love and then dump them right after. Should I go cliché and say that Birdman soars? No, that doesn’t quite cover it. It whizzes, bangs, snaps, crackles and pops. A dizzying display of filmmaking prowess with a seminal performance from the great Michael Keaton. The chaos of the stage and a disdain for the brainless products of studio machines, I left the theater with a buzz, something it takes at least a couple whiskeys to normally achieve. You knew this was coming, didn’t you? I have taken more flak than I can remember for touting this masterpiece, but I’ll gladly endure for what was locked in as my best movie of the year almost nine months ago. I waited for something to hit me as hard and stick to my guts as long as Darren Aronofsky’s brilliantly imagined and realized take on the mythic biblical story. I’ve seen it 5 or 6 times more since that initial viewing and it has only continued to enthrall. I’m in the minority, I know, but everyone else is wrong and I’m right.
Best of 2014, hands down. 1.) The Grand Budapest Hotel I was a bit cold at first on this one, though I still liked it. A second viewing has solidified my appreciation. A great performance from everyone’s darling little Benedict Cumberbatch and an interesting story of the cracking of the Nazi Enigma Machine by Alan Turing and his team of British nerds. It’s a tad unfocused in parts, which kept it from true greatness, but none could go wrong with this one on movie night. A weird little movie about a creepy little weirdo, Nightcrawler could not have worked without a career performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. He inhabits and oozes Louis Bloom, creating a character I won’t soon forget. The story didn’t quite command my attention as much, but it’s no slouch. The Okay (with link to review if applicable) -Edge of Tomorrow, Lucy, A Most Wanted Man, Anchorman 2, The Skeleton Twins The Crap (with review if you’re curious) -Robocop, Maleficent, Guardians of the Galaxy (superhero movie post), Godzilla (monster movie post)
There are always some things I missed over the year that I wanted to catch, so hopefully soon for these: –A Walk Among the TombstonesFor a list of Stephanie’s favorites that don’t include Noah, go here. Tags: 2014 movies, 5, best movies, Birdman, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Gone Girl, Noah, The Lego Movie The Journey to One 4 (+ 1 prologue) March 4 – July 29, 2016 Lego Bionicle: The Journey to One is an animated web television series created for Netflix based on the Lego toy theme Bionicle, chronicling events from its 2016 storyline. The series follows the Toa, part-organic, part-machine beings with power over the elements in their quest of safeguarding their island home of Okoto and protecting its inhabitants from the evils of Makuta, the main antagonist. Consisting of four episodes, the series premiered on March 4, 2016 with its first two episodes and a preceding prologue, with the latter two being released the following July 29. On the mythical island of Okoto, the forces of darkness are on the move and the evil Makuta is working to cast the world into darkness.
The desperate island inhabitants enlist six heroes - called the Toa - to help save their beloved island. Only when the heroes are united, will they be able to battle the forces of evil, defeat Makuta and save Okoto. The series was first announced in late 2015 as a four-part mini-series exploring the 2016 story of the Bionicle toyline as part of an upcoming slate of children-orientated television programming for exclusive release onto Netflix. The show was estimated to start in February 2016, before an official release date of March 4, 2016 was confirmed. Lego Bionicle: The Journey to One is animated by Canadian-based studio The Volta, while scripts were written by Mark Palmer with input from the Lego Bionicle team and directed by Nicholas-Denis Robitaille, with Geneviève Savard producing and Mathieu Boucher and Jean-François Tremblay as executive produces. Matt Betteker, one of the artists for Bionicle, created concept work for the series. Additionally Cory Hunter appeared in unknown roles.