Reel Life Wisdom – Reel Life’s Top Ten Movies of 2014

2014 was the year of over-rated films.  There were many very good films.  The two highest regarded films of the year – Boyhood and Birdman did not make our Top Ten.  We prefer well-written stories, like Fury, Frank, Locke, Snowpiercer, Nightcrawler, and The Theory of Everything, each which would make our Top 20 but did not make out Top Ten.  Here are our favorite movies of 2014.

  1)   The Drop – A man with a past steps out from behind the bar to right a wrong. 

2)   American Sniper – Rationalizing the acts of war isn’t easy.

3)   The Imitation Game – Ignorance trumps brilliance, no matter how great your work.

4)   Calvary – A key man in the community weighs his beliefs against his own mortality.

5)   Interstellar – Mindblowing story of man seeking a new home for humanity.

6)   Starred Up – Ultra-violent young criminal uses prison to define all he can be.

7)   Whiplash – Does a coach have to be demanding to get the most from gifted people?

8)   Still Alice – Language specialist tries to manage the loss of her mind.

9)   Foxcatcher – High school drifter comes of age.

10) Mr. Dynamite – The Rise of James Brown – Loneliness often leads to amazing talent.