The 2nd Annual Coopies! The 5 Best Films of 2014

The Poopie Coopie (Most Disappointing Film of the Year): Guardians of the Galaxy
ORIGINAL REVIEW

This is probably a sign of things to come. A paint by numbers approach to adapting comic book to film. Hits the predictable beats and reaps big profits. Just because a movie makes a ton of movie does not make it good. What is this movie other than an space-age version of The Avengers that basically just rips the oddball soundtrack off of Reservoir Dogs? Unlikely friends who come together to defeat a common enemy. The Avengers just did it better. I know its sacrilege right now in early 2015 to criticize anything that Chris Pratt stars in, but this one needed more. A lot more. The only memorable moment in this film is when they fly into the city with Bowie playing.


5. Edge of Tomorrow
ORIGINAL REVIEW

We only seem to see Tom Cruise pop up in the Sci-Fi genre these days, and that's fine. This hybrid of Groundhog Day & Starship Troopers was really entertaining.

4. Force Majeure
ORIGINAL REVIEW

Force is one of the more enduring and unique films to be released in 2014. Hard to say if its the family dynamics, the dark humor, great performances, or the great film-making. Or all of it.

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
ORIGINAL REVIEW

Possibly Anderson's best work since Rushmore.

2. Whiplash
ORIGINAL REVIEW

Such a well put-together film. Great outlet for Teller and Simmons. They work off of each other brilliantly. A really tense piece about pushing ones own limits, and the personal cost of success. 

1. Boyhood
ORIGINAL REVIEW

A true cinematic masterpiece. One that people will be talking about for a long time, and for me, and easy choice for the best film of the year. The second viewing was even more enjoyable than the first. A touching coming of age drama that spans 12 actual years. So risky hoping to retain a cast for more than a decade, and somehow it all worked out better than anyone could have expected. Linklater explores his fascination with time that he's done so often through his career. Hopefully the widespread acclaim of this movie sets up a "Manhood" sequel like he did with the "Before" trilogy. It would be so great to see Mason experience life through his twenties.

Here is a list of the 2014 films I watched:

After the Dark
Awful Nice
Birdman
Blue Ruin
Boyhood
Burt's Buzz
Calvary
Captain America: Winter Soldier
Cheap Thrills
Chef
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead
Edge of Tomorrow
Enemy
Frank
Fury
Godzilla
Gone Girl
Guardians of the Galaxy
Happy Christmas
Joe
Last Passenger
Locke
Mistaken for Strangers
Neighbors
Nightcrawler
Noah
Obvious Child
Only Lovers Left Alive
Print the Legend
Ragnarok
Snowpiercer
The Battered Bastards of Baseball
The Fault in our Stars
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Heart Machine
The Lego Movie
The One I Love
The Purge: Anarchy
The Theory of Everything
Under the Skin
Whiplash
Willow Creek
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Starred Up

Force Majeure