The 10 Best Movies Of The Year....So Far

 THE 10 BEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR....SO FAR

It's that time of the year again. Yep, unbelievably it's the middle of 2014 and that can only mean one thing; my chance to count down the ten best and ten worst movies of the past six months. 2013 was a fantastic year for cinema and this one is shaping up to be no different. Of course there's been a fair share of stinkers and believe me, I'll get to those wastes of time in a later post. But for now, I'm going to honour and celebrate the films that have impressed me, surprised me and entertained me. To show you just how great the past six months have been at the movies, here is a list of the films that didn't quite make it into the final ten;

'Edge To Tomorrow' - Tom Cruise successfully revives his somewhat dormant career with this hugely entertaining sci-fi/action time twister

'Captain America : The Winter Soldier' - A darker tone and a brilliant central performance from Chris Evans makes this the best film in the 'The Avengers' series so far

'Nymphomaniac' - Lars Von Trier pushes the boundaries of censorship and good taste to breaking point with his most bombastic and audacious picture to date

'Transcendence' - I don't care if it was kicked around mercilessly by critics, I loved Wally Pfisters quirky and bold science fiction thriller with an unusually sombre performance from Johnny Depp

'X:Men - Days Of Future Past' -  One of the best superhero movies I have ever seen

'Under The Skin' - Scarlett Johansson is wonderfully creepy in this home grown horror gem

'Noah' - Darren Aronofksy and Russell Crowe both bring their A game to this gigantic Biblical epic

'Oculus' - The scariest movie of 2014 so far

'Fruitvale Station' - An engaging and compelling reconstruction of a terrible tragedy

All of these movies were really terrific and I would love to have any of them in my final countdown. However, I must be diplomatic and separate the good from the great. So, without further or do, here is my list of the ten best films of 2014 so far.

10) 'THE WIND RISES'

  

Anime maestro Hayao Miyazaki ends his illustrious career with 'The Wind Rises' his most adult and mature movie to date. Telling the story of a young Japanese man who dreams of designing aircraft at the dawn of World War II, 'The Wind Rises' is a beautifully told and gorgeously drawn fable that perfectly proves that 2D cel-drawn animation is just as impressive and as compelling as modern 3D computer graphics.

Read my full review here : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/the-wind-rises.html

9) 'HER'

 

  

It may be one of the weirdest movies of the year but Spike Jonze's 'Her' is also an incredibly charming and irresistibly watchable science fiction - themed romantic drama. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as a man who falls in love with his omnipresent operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson, it is a beautifully odd love story combined with a wry satirical stab at mankinds ongoing obsession with and reliance in technology,

Read my full review here - http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/her.html

8) 'THE ZERO THEOREM'

Never one to follow the  mainstream, director extraordinaire Terry Gilliam delivers his latest vision of an authoritarian future with 'The Zero Theorem', a funny, portentous and profound representation of mankind's numerous perceptions of fate and religion. Starring a stoic Christoph Waltz as a man who is given the horrifying task of proving the ultimate pointlessness of our existence, 'The Zero Theorem' is a dark, ominous, zany and hugely entertaining picture that could only have been made by the man responsible 'Brazil', '12 Monkeys' and 'The Meaning Of Life'.

Read my full review here  : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-zero-theorem.html



7) 'THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL'

Ralph Fiennes heads an all star cast in Wes Andersons downright hilarious 'The Grand Budapest Hotel', a beautifully told and majestically silly romp that makes great use of it's colourful locations and even more colourful characters. Telling the story of an elderly hoteliers' rise from bell boy to owner over the course of war, the film is a rosy cheeked piece of nostalgia that benefits from the snappy dialogue and multiple terrific performances. While movies like 'The Life Aqautic With Steve Zissou', 'Rushmore' and 'The Royal Tenenbaums' may be genuine cult hits, I have a very good feeling that 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' will become a true mainstream success, as well as a key player at next years Academy Awards season.

 

Read my full review here : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-grand-budapest-hotel.html


6) 'THE WOLF OF WALL STREET'

At over 3 hours long, 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' is Martin Scorsese's longest film to date. But thanks to an out of control central performance from Leonardo Dicaprio, it is also one of his most entertaining and enjoyable. Reconstructing the true story of notorious money launderer and wall street giant Jordan Belfort,  it is a non-stop avalanche of debauchery, sadism, decadence and profanity. And I loved every single deprived second of it!

Read my full review here : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-wolf-of-wall-street.html


5) NEXT GOAL WINS


 

The World Cup hopes of England fans may have long since been dashed but the utterly wonderful documentary 'Next Goal Wins' serves as the perfect antidote to the melancholy and bad will felt by millions of people across the globe at this time. Telling the story of the so - called worst team in the world, 'Next Goal Wins' follows the national team of American Samoa who desperately try to shake off their negative publicity by endeavoring to qualify for the 2014 tournament. I may be no fan of football whatsoever but I do know that if players were as humble and as charming as these guys, then I could understand why they get paid ten million quid for blowing their noses.

Read my full review here : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/next-goal-wins.html

4) 'THE LEGO MOVIE'

On the face of things, 'The LEGO Movie' may seem like the most blatant and exploitative example of cinematic product placement possible but thanks to a hilarious script, extremely likable characters and an infectiously good heart, it actually turns out to be one of the best animated films I have ever seen, If this doesn't win the Oscar for Best Animated feature next March, I will eat my metaphorical hat. 

Read my full review here :  http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-lego-movie.html
 

3) 'DALLAS BUYERS CLUB'

 

Despite some heavy competition from the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christian Bale and the aforementioned Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey won the coveted Best Actor Oscar eariler this year for his astonsihing performance in the very written and well judged drama 'Dallas Buyers Club'. Losing an incredible amount of weight to portray real life AIDS victim and campaigner Ron Woodruff, McConaughey completely shakes the shackles of his rubbish rom-com past clean off to deliver a monumental screen presence that is comparable to the greatest work of some of the most respected actors ever to have lived. Heartbreaking, hilarious and unbearably poignant, 'Dallas Buyers Club' stands out as one of the best films of the decade so far.

Read my full review here : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/dallas-buyers-club_4.html



2) '12 YEARS A SLAVE'

The deserving winner of the Academys  highest accolade, '12 Years A Slave' is an earth shattering movie that has been named by many critics, including myself, as one of the best movies ever made; and for very, very good reason. Chiwetel Ejiofor is utterly mesmeric as Solomon Northup, a young African American who was kidnpped and brutally sold into the slave trade in the 18th century. With a supporting cast that includes Lupita Nyong'o, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt and a terrifying Michael Fassbender, '12 Years A Slave' is a horrific, upsetting but essential picture that perfectly encapsulates why cinema is just as valid an art form as literature, paintings and sculpture. 

For many months, '12 Years A Slave' was my favourite film of 2014 and I couldn't possibly magine that anything could top it as the best. But alas, something did. It may not be as important or as vital as '12 Years A Slave' but for me, it did absolutely everything that I want to see in a film.... 

1) 'THE RAID 2 : BERENDAL'

Without a doubt, my favorite movie of 2014 so far was Gareth Evans ultra-violent and ultra-entertaining martial arts extravaganza 'The Raid 2 : Berendal', the sequel to one of the best action movies ever made. Expanding it's characters, it's plot and it's themes, 'The Raid 2 : Berendal' takes it's brutal original and develops it into a skull smashing, ankle breaking, eye gouging, hammer wielding, blood spurting thing of gory, visceral beauty. Iko Awais proves himself to be the greatest living action star and director Evans shows the indignant Western world that language is no barrier whatsoever when it comes to enjoying cinema. The films' poster proudly boasts 'ONE OF THE GREATEST ACTION MOVIES EVER MADE' and I would agree wholeheartedly. In fact, I would go further and say that it is the best action film made in the history of the motion picture.

Read my full review here : http://dc-moviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-raid-2-berendal.html

So that's it. The ten movies that have proved to be the greatest so far in 2014. Will the next six months prove to be as wonderful? I truly hope so. However, it's time to turn away from the good and concentrate on the bad and unequivocally ugly.......