Best Films of 2014

It's that time again, boys and girls. I will start by admitting I didn't see as many movies this year as I usually do and not nearly as many as I would have liked to, but I did see enough to make a "best" and "worst" list. I always start with the worst, which you can see here, so now I will get to the best ones. Didn't think these were great? Enlighten me on why.

Also note these are not in any particular order from best to worst or anything like that. If they are in any sort of order it's just in the order of when I watched them. I also will mention that some of these films were technically made in and/or received limited releases in 2013, but if they got a wide release in 2014 I'm counting them.


Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

Before you judge me on this one, let me explain. As a franchise bit this was by far the best one of the Paranormal Activity franchise. It was suspenseful and did what the previous four movies failed to do... IT KEPT MY ATTENTION. This movie had a lot more going on than just nighttime speed shots of people sleeping for an hour. It was actually fun to watch which is why it is on this list.

Devil's Due

As far as horror went this year, Devil's Due was one of the better ones. It kept my attention and was just fun to watch. Was it the best? No, but it wasn't the worst. It was better than what's on the worst of 2014 list.

The LEGO Movie

I can't say enough things about this one. It was funny, the animation was gorgeous, and it was just... I can't even put it into words. I loved it.

Bad Words

Hilarious. Just plain hilarious. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This skyrocketed to my favorite Marvel film immediately after I walked out of the theater. The suspense was amazing and seeing how Hydra was still in the picture even after all this time was fascinating. It took a comic character and gave us a great political thriller in the middle of a bunch of superhero movies with humor elements and cartoony characters. Fantastic.

Godzilla

For what it was it was great. The effects were on point and the story itself was a nice refresher to have. It could have been bad but it wasn't.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Was it as good as X-Men: First Class? No, but it was still pretty good even with a few disappointments.

Deliver Us from Evil

It was more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie and I appreciated that.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Despite the long title it was still good. By far some of the best visual effects of the year. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one but I still liked it.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Easily by top movie of 2014. It was funny, interesting, touching, and it really showcased its strengths. James Gunn is a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as is the group of criminal heroes. I can't even begin to describe why I loved this movie.

The Boxtrolls

Great animation and a fun story.

Interstellar

Long as hell but Christopher Nolan did it again. Loved it.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Not as good as it could have been and I still don't think it should have been split into two movies, but they picked a good stopping point and what they did do they did well. I'm looking forward to wrapping it up next year.

Camp X-Ray

This movie got a lot of crap and I don't really know why. I thought it was enjoyable for the kind of movie it was and it further proved that Kristen Stewart needs to get back to doing small films like this. It's really where she shines.

The Sacrament

Holy shit. That's really all I can say.

The Babadook

GREAT. The way this movie played with my mind was amazing. It was more psychological than visual gore and I really appreciate movies like this. The foreign horror market is really kicking America's ass right now.

Gone Girl

Wow! I'm really bummed I didn't get the chance to see this one in theaters.

I might still add to this list because I still have a couple movies I am trying to cram in before the year is up, so keep an eye out. Hope you enjoyed!

David Fincher turned down Star Wars: Episode VII

J.J. Abrams ultimately landed the job as director of the new Star Wars film, but he apparently wasn't Disney's first choice. Director David Fincher is in the spotlight right now due to the press surrounding Gone Girl, but the director recently revealed that he had been approached to direct Episode VII and also explained why he turned it down.

Fincher revealed that he did meet with producer Kathleen Kennedy but also went into detail about why he turned down the project. Apparently, Fincher didn't feel that he could properly go into the dark aspects of the franchise with just one film and didn't think he could do anything similar to The Empire Strikes Back.

This isn't terribly surprising as just about every director in Hollywood was approached for Episode VII. Not to mention that Fincher doesn't really seem like a good fit for a franchise like this. You win some, you lose some.

Full tracklist for Gone Girl is revealed

Last week we got a sneak preview of the score for Gone Girl, composed by Oscar-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. As "Gone Girl fever" is sweeping across the internet, we now have the full tracklist for the full score composed by the duo.

1. What Have We Done to Each Other?
2. Sugar Storm
3. Empty Places
4. With Suspicion
5. Just Like You
6. Appearances
7. Clue One
8. Clue Two
9. Background Noise
10. Procedural 
11. Something Disposable
12. Like Home
13. Empty Places (Reprise)
14. The Way He Looks At Me
15. Technically, Missing
16. Secrets
17. Perpetual
18. Strange Activities
19. Still Gone
20. A Reflection
21. Consummation 
22. Sugar Storm (Reprise)
23. What Will We Do?
24. At Risk

This marks the third collaboration between David Fincher, Reznor, and Ross. The duo previously composed scores for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network. The latter gave them a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Original Score. Nine Inch Nails frontman, Trent Reznor, recently described the score as, "Think about the really terrible music you hear in massage parlors'... The way it artificially tries to make you feel like everything's OK. And then imagine that sound starting to curdle and unravel."
Early reviews of Fincher's adaptation of the Gillian Flynn novel have been overwhelmingly positive so far and the film is set to open the New York Film Festival on September 26th. The film goes wide on October 3rd and the score will be available for purchase on September 30th.

Trent Reznor previews Gone Girl score

Gone Girl arrives in theaters in a couple weeks, but Nine Inch Nails frontman and Oscar-winning composer Trent Reznor has given us a preview of the score a bit early.

Gone Girl marks the third collaboration between Reznor, co-composer Atticus Ross, and director David Fincher. The duo previously won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for their score of Fincher's 2010 film, The Social Network. They also scored Fincher's 2011 adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
This score for this film sounds even creepier than the previous two and could perhaps be the best one yet. Reznor surprised everyone earlier this week by posting the song, "The Way He Looks at Me," on the Nine Inch Nails website. You can now preview the track via YouTube.





Gone Girl is an adaptation of the Gillian Flynn novel which follows an investigation surrounding the mysterious disappearance of a young husband's wife. As the investigation goes on, he becomes the focus of a media frenzy after it's suggested that he might not be innocent. It is set to open the New York Film Festival on September 26th, but it won't hit theaters until October 3rd. The film stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, and Tyler Perry. It also marks Fincher's first film on the big screen since Dragon Tattoo back in 2011.

New York Film Festival announces lineup

Soon after the Toronto Film Festival ends, we will have the New York Film Festival and it's time to reflect on what possible gems will be introduced to us then. The NYFF runs from September 26th through October 12th.


Opener: Gone Girl

Centerpiece Gala Selection: Inherent Vice

Closer: Birdman of the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

Main Slate:

Beloved Sisters
The Blue Room
Clouds of Sils Maria
Eden
Foxcatcher
Goodbye to Language
Heaven Knows What
Hill of Freedom
Horse Money
Jajua
Life of Riley
Listen Up Philip
Maps to the Stars
Misunderstood
Mr. Turner
Pasolini
The Princess of France
Saint Laurent
La Sapienza
'71
Tales of the Grim Sleeper
Timbuktu
Time Out of Mind
Two Days, One Night
Two Shots Fired
Whiplash
The Wonders


Ones to definitely watch for regarding this festival and in Toronto are definitely Whiplash, Gone Girl, Clouds of Sils Maria, Mr. Turner, Foxcatcher, and Maps to the Stars. Some of them screened at Sundance and received very good feedback then. Some have already predicted that Channing Tatum might get an Oscar nomination for Foxcatcher.

Full trailer for Gone Girl premieres

This movie just looks so good. Not to mention how great the score sounds already. I am so prepared.

Gone Girl - First Trailer

David Fincher's newest effort had its first trailer released and it looks pretty intense. By intense I mean awesome.

David Fincher leaves Steve Jobs biopic over disputes with Sony

David Fincher was all set to reunite with The Social Network team for a Steve Jobs biopic, but he has reportedly left the project over disputes with Sony.

The story is that Fincher left over disagreements with the studio and wicked demands regarding salary and control over the project. Apparently Fincher was demanding over $10 million in initial fees along with control over marketing. Sony was reluctant due to the overall failed marketing campaign for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo including allowing his "feel bad movie of Christmas" tagline and the ridiculously expensive, razor blade shaped one sheets that were banned from usage in theaters.
Sources claim that Fincher could re-sign with Sony for the project but that the studio will re-negotiate his ridiculous salary requests along with re-negotiating the marketing control. The matter at hand is being rewarded with quality and popularity, not being awarded with millions of dollars up front. Not to mention Fincher stating he would not make the movie unless Christian Bale signed on to play Steve Jobs.
Sony is trying to be a bit more fiscally responsible after the 2013 blockbuster failures including After Earth and White House Down. Sony has a bit of a reputation for spending more money than other studios and it has cost them in recent years.

The Steve Jobs project would have teamed Fincher back up with Aaron Sorkin and Scott Rudin. That team produced The Social Network back in 2010 and made $225 million worldwide along with Oscar and Golden Globe wins. Fincher's next project, Gone Girl, re-teamed him with musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and is set for release on October 3rd.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to score Gone Girl

This is exciting news.

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor will be returning to the world of Hollywood with his partner Atticus Ross to score Gone Girl, the new film by David Fincher. Reznor and Ross previously scored Fincher's films The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The pair won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for their work on The Social Network.

Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. It tells the story of a woman who mysteriously disappears on the night of her fifth anniversary. It is an adaptation of the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn. It is set for theaters on October 3, 2014.