CS's Top Ten Movies of 2014

I'll try this weekend. I just have some mildly significant gaps in viewership.

1 - Gone Girl
2 - Guardians of the Galaxy
3 - Nightcrawler
4 - Interstellar
5 - St. Vincent
6 - Joe
7 - John Wick
8 - Bad Words
9 - Fury
10 - The Equalizer



I have yet to watch Birdman, The Judge, Foxcatcher, Whiplash, or Chef. I am sure one or more of those might have made the list but this is what I have.

1. Boyhood
2. Interstellar
3. American Sniper
4. Foxcatcher
5. Birdman
6. Gone Girl
7. Chef
8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9. X-Men: Days of Future Past
10. Guardians of the Galaxy

Alright, we're past the original due date, if anyone wants to get in a last minute vote please do so soon. I will probably formally close voting and announce the final list this evening.

The list is made, I'll get to the list but first an explanation. I took all the top ten lists and gave points for each movie on each list. Putting a movie at # one on a list gave it ten points, #2 gave it 9 points and so on down to #10 which gives it a mere one. The more points the higher on the big list.

so with out further ado here's the list

(all summaries are plagiarized from various people at IMDB.com)

10. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (40 Points)

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

9. Edge of Tomorrow (53 Points)


An alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop-forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Vrataski take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy!

8. Captain America: The Winter Solider (60 Points)


For Steve Rogers, awakening after decades of suspended animation involves more than catching up on pop culture; it also means that this old school idealist must face a world of subtler threats and difficult moral complexities. That becomes clear when Director Nick Fury is killed by the mysterious assassin, the Winter Soldier, but not before warning Rogers that SHIELD has been subverted by its enemies. When Rogers acts on Fury's warning to trust no one there, he is branded as a traitor by the organization. Now a fugitive, Captain America must get to the bottom of this deadly mystery with the help of the Black Widow and his new friend, The Falcon. However, the battle will be costly for the Sentinel of Liberty, with Rogers finding enemies where he least expects them while learning that the Winter Soldier looks disturbingly familiar.

(We have a tie for sixth and seventh place, ranking decided by total number of ballots each appeared on)

7. Nightcrawler (63 Points)

A thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling - where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.

6. Guardians of the Galaxy (63 Points)


After stealing a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space, Peter Quill from Earth, is now the main target of a manhunt led by the villain known as Ronan the Accuser. To help fight Ronan and his team and save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team of space heroes known as the "Guardians of the Galaxy" to save the world.

5. Boyhood (67 Points)

Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (a breakthrough performance by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason's parents and newcomer Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, BOYHOOD charts the rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has before. Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners to birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent, set to a soundtrack spanning the years from Coldplay's Yellow to Arcade Fire's Deep Blue. BOYHOOD is both a nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting.

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past (68 Points)

Sentinels, robots that were created for the purpose of hunting down mutants were released in 1973. 50 years later the Sentinels would also hunt humans who aid mutants. Charles Xavier and his X-Men try their best to deal with the Sentinels but they are able to adapt and deal with all mutant abilities. Charles decides to go back in time and change things. He asks Kitty Pryde who can send a person's consciousness into the person's past to send him but she can only send someone back a few weeks because if she sends someone back further it could harm them. So Logan decides to go back himself because he might be able to withstand it. So Charles tells him that it's Mystique who's responsible because when she learned about the Sentinels she sought out Bolivar Trask the man who created them and killed him. She would be caught and studied and her ability to change was somehow added to the Sentinels which is why they can adapt. Logan must go to the younger Charles and ask him to help.

3. Interstellar (93 Points)

In the near Points) future, Earth has been devastated by drought and famine, causing a scarcity in food and extreme changes in climate. When humanity is facing extinction, a mysterious rip in the space-time continuum is discovered, giving mankind the opportunity to widen its lifespan. A group of explorers must travel beyond our solar system in search of a planet that can sustain life. The crew of the Endurance are required to think bigger and go further than any human in history as they embark on an interstellar voyage into the unknown. Coop, the pilot of the Endurance, must decide between seeing his children again and the future of the human race.

2. Birdman (94 Points)

Actor Riggan Thomson is most famous for his movie role from over twenty years ago of the comic book superhero Birdman in the blockbuster movie of the same name and its two equally popular sequels. His association with the role took over his life, where Birdman is more renowned than "Riggan Thomson" the actor. Now past middle age, Riggan is trying to establish himself as a true artist by writing, directing, starring in and co-producing with his best friend Jake what is his Broadway debut, an adaptation of Raymond Carver's story, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. He is staking his name, what little artistic reputation that comes with that name and his life savings on the project, and as such will do anything needed to make the play a success. As he and Jake go through the process of the previews toward opening night, Riggan runs into several issues: needing to find a replacement for the integral supporting male role the night before the first preview

1. Gone Girl (109 Points)

On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne reports that his wife, Amy, has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

Also here is the full point chart:
Total Votes: 21

Gone Girl 109

Birdman 94

Interstellar 93

X-Men: Days of Future Past 68

Boyhood 67

Guardians of the Galaxy 63

Nightcrawler 63

Captain America: The winter solider 60

Edge of Tomorrow 53

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 40

Lego Movie, The 36

Chef 35

American Sniper 34

Grand Budapest Hotel 32

Whiplash 20

Begin Again  18

Inherent Vice 17

Foxcatcher 14

John Wick 14

Big Hero 6 12

Fury 12

The Immigrant 10

Boxtrolls 9

Raid 2 9

Two Days, One Night 9

Wild 9

Winter Sleep 9

Annabelle 7

Coherence 7

Mr. Turner 7

Rover, The 7

Enemy 6

Ida 6

Purge: Anarchy, The 6

Selma 6

St. Vincent 6

Devil's Due 5

Joe 5

Leviathan 5

Alien Abduction 4

Big Bad Wolves 4

Blue Ruin 4

Calvary 4

Drop, The 4

Guest, The 4

Imitation Game 4

Under the Skin 4

Bad Words 3

The Equalizer 3

Extraterestrial 3

Nymphomaniac 3

22 Jump Street 2

Babadook 2

Most Violent Year 2

Vampire Academy 2

Dracula Untold 1

Filth 1

I Origins 1

Poor Ida.

mindless cineplex zombies

Too many Oscar movies got released late into the year. Most people haven't seen Selma yet. Whiplash, despite its growing popularity, is still under-the-radar. I hope this year the studios follow in the footsteps of Birdman and Boyhood and release these movies earlier. Then again... American Sniper was a blockbuster and it got its wide release in January. So we'll probably see more of that.

Dracula will be too preoccupied with the Oscars.

Quite the solid list.

I agree.