Movies I Saw in 2014 Ranked
Jan. 1st, 2015 11:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bookishwenchI saw only 8 movies in the theatre in 2014, some of them fairly forgettable, some of them very well done. Here we go.
8. Rio 2 - For some reason, my mother wanted to see this. Considering neither of us had seen the first one, I really don't get why. It was fairly bland, and I wasn't crazy about the characterization either. Generally forgettable.
7. Night at the Museum 3 - Again, I don't know whether Robin Williams's death affected me too much on this, but the film felt forced to me and the ending made little to no sense. Darn it.
6. The Giver - That actually does it for lackluster films. I liked this one, and I'm sure I'd like the book more. It did feel like something was missing in places, but it was still quite good.
5. Jersey Boys - Again, a very good movie, well done, well directed (hi, Eastwood, still lookin' good), and something I was glad I saw. Also, Frankie Valli's music is always good. People walked out of the show singing and smiling.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy - At times I wasn't quite sure what tone this one was trying to hit as it was so different from anything else in the Avengers universe to this point. I liked Groot, though. And it was fun. And any superhero who tries to solve a problem via dance off is going to be liked by me.
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - I like Cap. I have liked Cap since he threw his stubby self on that grenade. Consequently, unless there was major character assassination in this film, I was going to like it. This is the one that completely rebooted S.H.I.E.L.D. It was a good addition to the Marvel universe.
2. Maleficent - I love fairy tales, and I love retellings. This one was really well done, and I don't think it quite got the attention it deserved. Maleficent became a three dimensional character, and I liked the way Jolie played her.
1. Frozen - Yes, it has been overmarketed to death by Disney (though weirdly, no Anna or Elsa Hallmark ornaments, which struck me as odd). Random five-year-olds sing medleys from this in every restaurant, mall, waiting room, grocery store, park, or other place you go. One of my cousin's kids spontaneously burst into "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" at the Christmas Eve dinner table with absolutely no visible trigger, and her mother seemed to have accepted this at the same level as say, their dog vomiting unexpectedly at various times. That said? Doesn't matter. It's a darn good bit of film-making and storytelling, and even if it resembles Andersen's version about as much as it does the plot of The Godfather, it's still a very well done movie. I can honestly say I think Walk would have applauded this one.
And there you have it.
8. Rio 2 - For some reason, my mother wanted to see this. Considering neither of us had seen the first one, I really don't get why. It was fairly bland, and I wasn't crazy about the characterization either. Generally forgettable.
7. Night at the Museum 3 - Again, I don't know whether Robin Williams's death affected me too much on this, but the film felt forced to me and the ending made little to no sense. Darn it.
6. The Giver - That actually does it for lackluster films. I liked this one, and I'm sure I'd like the book more. It did feel like something was missing in places, but it was still quite good.
5. Jersey Boys - Again, a very good movie, well done, well directed (hi, Eastwood, still lookin' good), and something I was glad I saw. Also, Frankie Valli's music is always good. People walked out of the show singing and smiling.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy - At times I wasn't quite sure what tone this one was trying to hit as it was so different from anything else in the Avengers universe to this point. I liked Groot, though. And it was fun. And any superhero who tries to solve a problem via dance off is going to be liked by me.
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - I like Cap. I have liked Cap since he threw his stubby self on that grenade. Consequently, unless there was major character assassination in this film, I was going to like it. This is the one that completely rebooted S.H.I.E.L.D. It was a good addition to the Marvel universe.
2. Maleficent - I love fairy tales, and I love retellings. This one was really well done, and I don't think it quite got the attention it deserved. Maleficent became a three dimensional character, and I liked the way Jolie played her.
1. Frozen - Yes, it has been overmarketed to death by Disney (though weirdly, no Anna or Elsa Hallmark ornaments, which struck me as odd). Random five-year-olds sing medleys from this in every restaurant, mall, waiting room, grocery store, park, or other place you go. One of my cousin's kids spontaneously burst into "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" at the Christmas Eve dinner table with absolutely no visible trigger, and her mother seemed to have accepted this at the same level as say, their dog vomiting unexpectedly at various times. That said? Doesn't matter. It's a darn good bit of film-making and storytelling, and even if it resembles Andersen's version about as much as it does the plot of The Godfather, it's still a very well done movie. I can honestly say I think Walk would have applauded this one.
And there you have it.
