Top Ten Favorite Movies of 2014 + The Rest

1) Whiplash

Why it's worth watching: Who would have thought a movie about jazz drumming could have the most intense ending of 2014? My hands were gripping hard to the armrest on the chair. I still remember my body tensing up and sweating profusely during the climax. From the fantastic soundtrack to the impressive performances of Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, Whiplash will leave you wanting more once the screen goes black.

2) Boyhood

Why it's worth watching: Shot over the span of twelve years, Boyhood follows the life of Mason from 1st grade all the way to the end of 12th grade. It's a landmark achievement in film making and every growing boy (and mother) will find something they truly identify with here.

3) Nightcrawler

Why it's worth watching: Coming into this movie, I wasn't expecting much but after it ended, I was blown away. Nightcrawler stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a man who finds a new career in recording grisly crime scenes and selling it to the local news stations for money. What impressed me about Nightcrawler was its night time cinematography and oh my goodness, that car chase. That car chase! Rarely do you ever see an exhilarating car chase where the camera is stable. You see everything here. Finally, this might be Jake Gyllenhaal's best performance to date. Creepy and sociapathic and yet charismatic to watch. Gyllenhaal has been on a roll in these past few years. The box office failure of Prince of Persia might have been the best thing that's ever happen to his career.

4) Gone Girl

Why it's worth watching: You think you know the movie. You think you have it all figured out. The first hour of Gone Girl is fairly procedural when it comes to the typical mystery/thriller movies. It's about midway in when the first big twist unfolds and Gone Girl shows its true colors as a great film. Saying any more would ruin the fun.

5) X-Men: Days of Future Past

Why it's worth watching: First and foremost, The sequence where Quicksilver does his thing is one of THE best scenes of 2014. That said, I really enjoyed Days of Future Past. I really did. What sets this apart from movies like The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier are the performances of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Both actors always deliver and the chemistry between them is a treat to watch. There's also Hugh Jackman, who plays the charismatic lead and following him through the 1970's in this movie was a great adventure. That's what I really liked about Days of Future Past. From start to finish, it was a fun movie.

6) Edge of Tomorrow

Why it's worth watching: The other dynamic duo I enjoyed watching onscreen was Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow. Tom Cruise is known to play tough and badass characters in his long career but here, he actually plays a coward named Cage. He gets recruited to infantry, thrown into the middle of a battlefield, and dies very early in the movie. Suddenly Cage wakes up and finds himself in a familiar place. Later on, we meet Emily Blunt's character, Rita and through the course of the film, she trains him to become a better soldier. Unfortunately, Cage dies a lot and every time he does, the day resets. This means he has to start all over again. Fantastic chemistry between Blunt and Cruise. Rita is one of the best female heroines in recent memory. I wish I could say more but you have to watch this movie. More people do. Extremely underrated.

7) Birdman

Why it's worth watching: Presented as one long take for the entire movie, Birdman is about Riggan Thomson (played by Michael Keaton), a struggling actor who had former success as a cinema superhero, who attempts to revitalize his career by performing an ambitious Broadway play. Filled with gorgeous cinematography done by Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity, Children of Men) and knockout performances by Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone and even Zach Galifianakis, Birdman is a must watch.

8) Enemy

Why it's worth watching: I'll say it right now, I think Enemy has the scariest movie ending of all time. What makes it work is the fact that you DO NOT see it coming. Nobody, I mean NOBODY could have predicted that! However, after witnessing it, you begin to wonder about its significance and that's where the magic of Enemy continues. It's a fantastic film that's very thought-provoking. The movie has you engaged from start to finish, especially once Jake Gyllenhaal's character finds out that he has a doppelganger.

9) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Why it's worth watching: I never cared for the Planet of the Apes franchise. Even when Rise of the Planet of the Apes was released, I had no interest. The Blu-Ray was on sale during Black Friday and I decided to buy it. After watching Rise, I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. Caesar, a completely CGI character onscreen with live actors, had so much humanity in him. It was amazing. When Dawn of the Planet of the Apes came out, I wasn't hyped as I should have been and after seeing that movie, I'm now ready for more. More Caesar!

10) The Raid 2

Why it's worth watching: Bigger and badder than the first movie, The Raid 2 pushes the limit of action cinema combat. If I'm not mistaken, there are at least 15 different action sequences in the 150 minute run time. I remember watching the movie with a hyped up crowd, two weeks before its North American release, and the experience was unforgettable. Every final blow resulted in an enthuastic "Ooh!" or "Aah!" from the crowd. To top it off, director Gareth Evans and lead actor Iko Uwais came onstage for an entertaining Q&A. The climactic showdown between Rama and the Assassin, also known as "The Kitchen Fight", is definitely one of the best onscreen fights of all time.

...and the rest:

11. Foxcatcher
12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
13. Interstellar
14. Fury
15. Predestination
16. The Equalizer
17. Guardians of the Galaxy
18. Locke
19. John Wick
20. 22 Jump Street
21. The Lego Movie
22. Blue Ruin
23. The Drop
24. The Babadook
25. Neighbors
26. The Guest
27. My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn
28. The Fault In Our Stars
29. A Walk Among The Tombstones
30. As Above So Below
31. The Rover
32. Snowpiercer
33. Godzilla
34. The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin
35. The Purge: Anarchy
36 The Sacrament
37. Robocop
38. Need For Speed
39. Deliver Us From Evil
40. The Expendables 3
41. Sabotage
42. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Most Anticipated Movies of 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road

 An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and almost everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. 

What to look forward to: Tom Hardy, head shaven Charlize Theron, George Miller returning to the Mad Max franchise, practical car stunts, and a big Hollywood budget to play with. Sign me up! Until then, those two amazing trailers will keep me occupied for now.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

A veteran secret agent takes a young upstart under his wing.

What to look forward to: The action in the trailer looks absolutely ridiculous and Colin Firth gets to kick some royal arse in Matthew Vaughn's comic book adaptation of The Secret Service.

Jane Got A Gun

A woman asks her ex-lover for help in order to save her outlaw husband from a gang out to kill him.

What to look forward to: After enduring through many changes in the lead roles as well as a director swap during production, the current cast is promising and having Gavin O' Connor taking the reins is very exciting. His previous effort, Warrior, was one of my favorite movies of 2011.

Furious 7

 Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for the death of his brother.

What to look forward to: Director James Wan's first big blockbuster project, Jason Statham taking on Dominic Toretto and his crew, the first movie to take place after the events of Tokyo Drift, and how Paul Walker's character will be retired from the franchise.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

 When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

What to look forward to: Honestly, I don't have much to say other than the fact that the trailer looks awesome. Seems very dark. I am however, very excited to see the additions of Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Tayor-Johnson as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

Entourage

Film star Vince Chase and his cronies take on Hollywood.

What to look forward to: Vincent Chase and his buddies on the big screen? Yeah I'll be there. It's Sex and the City for men.

Jurassic World

 Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park (1993), Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor's interest, which backfires horribly.

What to look forward to: I'm not a huge Jurassic Park fan, but come on, who doesn't want to see dinosaurs on the big screen again? I'm also curious to see how director Colin Trevorrow will deal with the gigantic property. Jurassic World is only his second feature length film, after the excellent small indie flick, Safety Not Guaranteed.

Magic Mike XXL

 The continuing story of male stripper, Magic Mike.

What to look forward to: I really enjoyed the first Magic Mike. Heck, I even went to go see the movie at a midnight screening on the day it came out. Channing Tatum says the sequel will be a lot bigger and more wilder. Although Steven Soderbergh isn't returning as the director, he's still behind the camera as cinematographer and editor.

Crimson Peak

 In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds...and remembers. 

What to look forward to: Guillermo Del Toro's directorial return to the horror genre.

Spectre

 A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

What to look forward to: Daniel Craig's James Bond now has to deal with Christoph Waltz and Dave Bautisa as potential villains. Sam Mendes returns to direct.

The Martian

 An astronaut, stranded on Mars, struggles to survive.

What to look forward to: Matt Damon stranded on planet Mars. Ridley Scott to direct. Hopefully this will be better than Prometheus.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. 

What to look forward to: Star Wars returning to the big screen along with the original cast.

Mission: Impossible 5

What to look forward to: Christopher McQuarrie directs the next installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. I want see what Tom Cruise will do to top the insane Dubai Burj Khalifa sequence from the previous movie, Ghost Protocol.

Ballet 422 

 

From first rehearsal to world premiere, Ballet 422 takes us backstage at New York City Ballet as emerging choreographer Justin Peck crafts a new work.

What to look forward to: During the past couple years, I've had the opportunity to dance in a couple productions at Pasadena City College. There's a lot of unseen preparation that goes on before performance night. The chance to get a behind the scenes look at a New York production has me extremely interested.

Lost River

A single mother is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town.

What to look forward to: Ryan Gosling's directorial debut.

Horror Review #10 - "The Conjuring" (2013)

Horror Review #10 - "The Conjuring" (2013)

The key ingredients for a horror movie to be good in my opinion are likable characters and legit scares. It doesn't have to be dirty or violent. As long as we have people to care about in a terrifying situation, I'm sold. The Conjuring does exactly that.

Set in the early 70's, we follow a family who has been terrorized by a demonic presence in their new house. They contact a couple of paranormal researchers, simply known as the Warrens, hoping to have them solve the problem.

Director James Wan (Saw, Insidious, and the upcoming Furious 7) has crafted an old fashioned movie that relies more on tension buildup and heavy atmosphere than cheap jump scares and gross out gore scenes. There is very little blood onscreen and yet, it was the scariest movie of 2013 for me.
The characters are super believable. We care about their well being and want them to be safe. Ed and Lorraine Warren might be my favorite dynamic duo in the horror genre. When they investigate possible paranormal cases, there's usually a logical explanation on those "weird noises" that's happening in the attic. One scene has Ed telling a young couple that the strange noises they're hearing is because of a pipe expanding. However, when they meet the Perron family and make the confirmation that there really IS a demonic presence lurking in the house, the Warrens do their homework and do their best to help them out.

There are also little snippets where we see their affection for each other. You can really tell that Ed and Lorraine love each other. They're portrayed beautifully by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Without these two, The Conjuring would not be as perfect as it is. It's great chemistry I never expected to see in a horror movie.

As for the scares, they're all done with technical skill. None of it is lazy. There's a fantastic scene where one of the daughters thinks she sees somebody behind her bedroom door. We never see anything and yet, it had me covering my eyes a lot. Another scene has the camera following the mother around the house after she heard a noise downstairs. It's a long take that creates tension because we know something bad is nearby. The idea may be obvious but it's the execution that makes it work.

Filmed with flawless technical skill and supported by a talented cast, The Conjuring delivers legit scares and is one of the best modern horror movies in recent years. 5/5

Horror Review #9 - "The Terminator" (1984)

Horror Review #9 - "The Terminator" (1984)

The Terminator can be considered as a horror film. Think about it very carefully. Unstoppable cyborg on a mission to kill a woman. It will do whatever it takes to complete the task, no matter what. Here's a quote from one of the characters in the movie:

"Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."

That sounds quite frightening to be honest.

One of the movie's most intense scenes takes place in a police station. The Terminator knows that Sarah Connor, his target, is in there. He asks if he can see her because he knows her. The desk cop says visiting hours are over and the Terminator replies back with, "I'll be back." He steps out of the front door, only to crash into the front of the building. What follows after is a shootout where the police have absolutely no chance against the killer.

By the time we get near the end of the movie, the Terminator is shown in its full glory. No human flesh, only metal. It's chasing after our heroes and there's a part where they find a door with the Terminator closing in from behind. Now back then, technology wasn't so advanced so the director had to resort to stop motion on a few parts. It's effective though because the Terminator's movements look very nonhuman like. During this specific part, it really felt like a slasher movie where our killer was chasing after his next victim.

With its cast of actors, terrifying vision of the future, kinetic pacing, awesome soundtrack, and a one of a kind performance from Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator is an excellent film. 5/5

Horror Review #8 - "The Thing" (1982)

Horror Review #8 - "The Thing" (1982)

If I had to name my top 3 favorite horror movies of all time, The Thing would definitely be on the list. To this day, it still holds up. The amazing practical creature effects, the tension between the characters, the increasing paranoia, and the creepy synth score. The damn blood test scene still managed to scare me last night when I watched it.

If you haven't seen The Thing, it's about a shape shifting alien that enters a base and begins to inhabit its occupants. The movie always has this eerie feel and you are never sure who's who. 

During the occasions where the creature's cover is blown, we get these extremely grotesque transformation break outs where it tries to get away. The effects are absolutely fantastic and it makes me wonder how they even managed to pull them off so perfectly. One of the first scenes where we get to see the creature is in a dog pen. It's truly impressive but I never want to know how they actually did it. I love watching behind the scenes footage but on certain films like Star Wars and The Thing, I do not want the movie magic to be ruined.

Watching the characters dealing with the situation is part of the fun. When they gather together to talk about it, one of them asks,

"So, how do we know who's human? If I was an imitation, a perfect imitation, how would you know if it was really me?"

It's a great question that later leads up to a suspenseful scene where they find the answer.

The Thing is one of the greatest horror movies of all time. It's one of my favorites and I try to watch it every year around October. See it if you haven't. 5/5

Horror Review #7 - "30 Days of Night" (2007)

Horror Review #7 - "30 Days of Night" (2007)

After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires (taken from IMDB).

I'm not a fan of vampire movies. Plain and simple. They never appealed to me. The idea of a well dressed being who had pale skin and sucked blood wasn't scary. They're usually elegant in their movements and talk in some sort of sophisticated way. That wasn't my type of horror. It wasn't until I saw 30 Days of Night that made me go, "Hey you know what? Vampires can be pretty cool."

The movie paints them in a bold new way. They're fast, aggressive, violent, and have no mercy preying on their victims. There's a little part where somebody tries to shoot the main vampire and it has no effect on him. The scene keeps going and the shooter realizes that he can't do anything. It's very brief but I thought it was extremely effective on showcasing the hopelessness of the humans in that situation.

30 Days of Night isn't the best horror movie out there but it does have a few decent strengths. The cinematography has to be mentioned. There are some spectacular shots sprinkled in this movie. You can see one of the shots in the images provided below. Another shot in the movie that impressed me is a bird's eye view of the town where the humans and vampires are fighting each other. The camera follows the action and it's something you rarely see in a movie like this.

Another aspect that I liked about 30 Days of Night was Ben Foster, who plays The Stranger. Every line he delivers here is golden. He is by far the best actor in the movie.


As for the weak points, some of it has to be the acting. Josh Hartnett isn't exactly good but he's serviceable and easy to root for. The same goes with Melissa George. However, I did buy their relationship and it was one of my favorite things about the movie. Seeing it develop throughout was nice.

Another weak point was the anticlimactic battle near the end. Really? I'm not gonna spoil anything but that was not satisfying at all.

With its unique graphic novel-like visuals and unflinching violence, 30 Days of Night offers some decent goods to horror fans. Go in with an open mind and you might find yourself enjoying it. 3/5

Horror Review #6 - "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974)

Horror Review #6 - "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974)

Five friends visiting their grandfather's house in the country are hunted and terrorized by a chain-saw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals. (from IMDB's description)

The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is not a fun movie to watch. I have only seen it two times in my life. Once on DVD with my brother back in 2006. We both found it somewhat boring but there were definitely a few effective scenes. The second time was a few weeks ago at Beyond Fest in Hollywood, CA. It was playing at the Egyptian Theatre with a live rescore performance. Basically a new re imagining of the soundtrack for the movie, but performed in person. This experience made me watch "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" in a whole new way.

It was very interesting to say the least. The movie had this very surreal feel to it. Every scene became suspenseful and the pacing felt right. In the original version, there was barely any music in the movie (from what I remembered).

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has a few memorable moments. For me, they were all the encounters with Leatherface, the chainsaw wielding maniac. I still remember jumping out of my seat when he kills his first victim. It's quick, brutal, and you know it's coming but it's jarring. Another moment is the final scene where he's in his full glory. No spoilers here but it's by far my favorite scene in the entire movie. There's also the infamous kitchen scene. It's very grueling to watch but I'm sure the director wanted the viewer to feel what our main protagonist was experiencing at that moment.

As for my problems with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, it's the pacing. Some scenes drag on for too long. A couple of the characters are downright annoying. These two attributes are showcased in the beginning of the movie where the group picks up a hitchhiker.

It's not a fun movie to watch, but The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will no doubt leave a very strong impression. It's one of the first great horror slasher movies in its genre and the influence is obvious. 3.5/5

Horror Review #5 - "As Above, So Below" (2014)

Horror Review #5 - "As Above, So Below" (2014)

Tomb Raider + The Descent + Found footage = As Above, So Below.

When a team of explorers ventures into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. (taken from IMDB) 

As Above, So Below was surprisingly enjoyable. I had very low expectations going into the movie and came out satisfied.

Favorite parts were the puzzle solving aspects. There are several scenes where the crew had to solve things in order to get further into the catacombs.

Least favorite was the very last scene. The resolution was weak.

As Above, So Below is forgettable after a couple hours but it's worth watching if you' got nothing to do and don't mind found footage movies. 2.5/5