This list is probably more contentious than my list of ten turds: I haven't, for example, included the critical darlings Snowpiercer (which I saw and was underwhelmed by) or The Grand Budapest Hotel (because I just don't like Wes Anderson). Am I saying that the following are are the ten finest films made this year? Maybe not; there are a couple of clear candidates (Boyhood, The Birdman) that I haven't been able to see. These may not all be acclaimed, but all of them were a damn good time at the movies.
10) Noah. Okay, this one was actually really uneven and overlong, but I appreciate Aronofsky's aesthetic; whatever else they are, his films are always sumptuous visual experiences. The evolution-Creation story Noah tells is a gorgeous short film in itself, and I love the idea of examining exactly what kind of a madman loads his family and a shitload of animals onto a boat, convinced the world is ending. While it didn't always hit its marks, Noah tried something really original and ambitious, and in a world where we're seemingly doomed to have five Transformers movies foisted upon us, that's worth taking note of. *** out of ****
9) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Much more than its predecessor, Dawn marries huge action setpieces with thoughtful character moments. There are no clear bad guys in this movie, which I appreciate: all the characters, ape and human, have good reasons for doing what they do, even when what their goals are utterly incompatible. It's unusual to find this level of thoughtfulness in a summer blockbuster, which is why this was one of my favorite movies of the year. *** out of ****
8) The Lego Movie. I wish it had had more of a strong female presence, but I understand what the filmmakers were going for. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie, which celebrates simple things like creativity and collaboration over perfection. It's not necessarily groundbreaking, but for a kid who grew up with several giant tubs full of the little plastic bricks, it delivered on the nostalgia front. *** out of ****
7) Gone Girl. I hadn't read the book when I saw this film, which made the whole experience even more effective. Sure, the characters don't always have clear motives for what they do, and almost every character is fairly loathsome. But I found it an interesting character study in the pressures to perform perfect femininity that face women in American society, and it's also a nailbiter if you don't know what to expect next. Poor Neil Patrick Harris. *** out of ****
6) The One I Love. A weird indie little movie amongst the megabudget, megastar flicks on this list, but I had to include it. Saying basically anything about the plot would ruin much of the pleasure of discovery, but this film delivers an interesting, original premise with quiet, thoughtful performances from its cast. It's one of the most unusual meditations on romantic relationships and what they mean that I've seen in a long time. ***1/2 out of ****
5) Edge of Tomorrow. Poor marketing choices are all I can think of to explain why this movie didn't do better in theaters. It's surprisingly funny and generally clever, despite the occasional plot silliness, and refreshingly original for a sci-fi action flick. Tom Cruise is best when he's willing to poke fun at his starpower, and he and Emily Blunt (who is simply kickass) have great chemistry here. The ending is a bit of a cop-out, but overall this movie is a ton of fun. ***1/2 out of ****
4) Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I've enjoyed nearly all of the Marvel movies to date (Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 being the big exceptions that I can think of). Even when they verge into formulaic territory, Marvel has worked hard enough to create a universe between these movies that they satisfy. Winter Soldier, though, is the first comic book movie that can also stand as a great political thriller. It's also the first to deliver a diverse team: Chris Evans is still the blond apple-pie 'Merican here, but he clearly can't succeed without the work of Falcon, Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Agent Hill. In a world that can feel really white and really male, it's refreshing to see more attention paid to figures other than Muscular White Guys. Solid story and surprisingly poignant emotional beats make this one of my favorite Marvel movies so far. **** out of ****
3) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One. Its title's a mouthful, but this first half of the final installment delivers on all fronts. Even more than Catching Fire, Mockingjay explores how propaganda and mass media function, and the tolls they take on the humans they touch. It's a quieter movie than the first two (to be expected, as it's the first movie without a Hunger Games), but the performances are again first-rate and clever parallelism ensures no side emerges unscathed. **** out of ****
2) Interstellar. Christopher Nolan is famously far better at mindbending plots than he is at building characters, and that is still largely the case in Interstellar. There are some attempts to create emotional depth and resonance, and to his credit they're Nolan's best attempts to date, even though they don't always land. Despite the fairly wooden script, the actors all give phenomenal performances; this might be the best I've ever seen Matthew McConaughey. But let's be honest, nobody went to this movie for its humans; the most compelling character in Interstellar is space itself. The scale and beauty of some scenes took my breath away, and if you were lucky enough to see it in IMAX, there was no better onscreen experience this year. For its sheer visual power, this movie gets four stars. **** out of ****
1) Guardians of the Galaxy. I went back and forth on ranking this one, but in the end, Guardians' sheer sense of fun won out. This movie may be goofy, its plot and characters sometimes hastily sketched, but it has heart for days and it's refreshing to see a character in a comic book adaptation whose superpower is empathy (We are Groot!). This movie knows exactly what it wants to to deliver, and it boy does it ever. **** out of ****
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