Ah, the incessant human need to rank things. To take a look at a pile of similar objects and decide which you like the best. It just seems to be part of our DNA. I’m guessing as soon as Adam was done naming the animals he posted some sort of blog to the Eden-net detailing which of the beings he liked the best. “In at #7? Snakes. I mean, I love the cool forked tongue thing, but I just get the sense they’ve got it out for me. Also, why is it no matter how much effort I put into these posts, I can only seem to get one subscriber?”
And for the modern human that ranking need is even more prevalent due to the way we break up our living cycle. With the turn of the calendar to a new year it feels somehow even more necessary to sort and organize the things we loved about our most recent trip around the sun.
And for me that’s movies.
More accurately, stories told as moving pictures. Just last night I was sitting next to my wife, on our bed, listening to her plead to a dramatic recreation of a baseball game on our TV to “not to let the Oakland A’s lose, or I’m not even kidding, I’m going to cry.” Now my wife is not particularly a sports fan, and certainly not of the A’s, but the movie “Moneyball” had told the story so well, and painted these characters so beautifully, that her emotions were fully invested in a baseball game that had been finished for over a decade. That’s the power of story telling, and that’s why it’s so much fun for me to take this quick look into the “year-view mirror”.
But before we get to the list, one quick clarification. This list is personal and subjective. I hold no secret on what makes one piece of art more valuable or important than any other, except the impact it had on me and my connection to the story. I can recognize the things that might connect to others and the general principles of “good movie making”, but we are all different unique beings with experiences, tastes, and world views that naturally impact what we are drawn to. It’s really the beauty of the whole thing. These 41 movies are MY favorites, the ones I would be most excited to see again, the ones that gave me joy, taught me something, and made me think. Your list might be completely different and I not only think that’s wonderful, but would love to hear what movies were your faves.
Here, in order, and linked to the full review, are my favorite 41 movies of 2014.
YMF’s Fave 41 2014
(Click the pics for full review and watch the video above for thoughts on the top 15)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
John Wick
The One I Love
The Hundred-Foot Journey
Bears
Fault in Our Stars
Boxtrolls
The Good Lie
What if
Fury
Million Dollar Arm
Book of Life
Maleficent
Unbroken
The Maze Runner
Boyhood
Nightcrawler
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wild
Begin Again
Big Eyes
Snowpiercer
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
Birdman
American Sniper
Gone Girl
Chef
Interstellar
Whiplash
X Men: Days of Future Past
Edge of Tomorrow
Into the Woods
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Locke
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Selma
Big Hero 6
Lego Movie
The Imitation Game
I enjoyed your list – many of my fav’s of the year were there (a surprise), and now because of that, I’ll be looking for the others on your list – since you obviously
have such good taste! 🙂
Thanks!
Winder Lyons