HULKSTA’S TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2014

 

X: NIGHTCRAWLER

No, not a film based off of X-Man and teleporting mutant; but still a thoughtful and insightful look into the world of media and journalism. While a lot of attention has gone to Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance (and justifiably so) that’s not to say the film doesn’t encourage a thought-provoking look into how the media contorts stories to fit the business demands of the media.

My main issue (and reason it’s not higher on my list) is that the film never really does much with what it’s given as the film climaxes. Not to spoil anything, but for a film like this it wraps things up almost too neatly. I was having a conversation with a friend, where I said that other directors could’ve resolved this movie a bit better, and in a sense that’s it only real fault is that it just ends less so on a period then it does on a ellipsis.

 

IX: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

This has been touched on by ComicBookMovie.com user DrDoom and I want to give credit for him mentioning it but I think with a movie like TMNT, some people will adopt a reviewers take on something as their own. I didn’t see TMNT in theatres due to the bad word of mouth it received, I sure missed out.
While not a perfect film, it had a decent story, great special effects, lots of references to prior Ninja Turtle lore (lol), and it also was just plain fun! I go to movies not to necessarily be challenged, or have points raised on issues. Sometimes I like to just be entertained. Which you may notice as this list goes forward, that I generally try to balance fun movies with thought-provoking ones; and I generally don’t enjoy movies with muddled tones.

Sure there’s things about this movie that stand out such as Splinter learning Ninjitsu from a book he found, and pretty much any scene with Megan Fox; but I’ll say the Turtles had great personality, a bit over the nose, but at least you understood these characters and none of them do an about-face half-way through the film.

VIII: X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

While initially I was lukewarm to this movie, I’ve since warmed up to it. As a whole it tells a great story regarding time-travel and the repercussions of our actions. There’s some melodrama most definitely, but characters such as Quicksilver, Mystique, and Magneto get some excellent chances to shine, and while this film dips into the territory of becoming ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ it does keep a balance with other characters moreso then past X-Men movies.

While not the best CBM of the year, the film certainly does fared a lot better then say The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

VII: JODOROWSKY’S DUNE

Every few years, word gets out of a failed movie project. We’ve seen and heard of these countless times, and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune is one such project. While this film celebrates his vision, which certainly looks fantastic, and very surreal, it’s also worth noting that as a film, Jodorowsky’s Dune never really tells the story of the Producers and Financers. Rather, it celebrates this man’s vision. On one hand this makes for one of the most interesting documentaries of the year, even if you aren’t really a fan of Dune; simply because this gives you an idea for a film that may have been a seminal piece of science-fiction.

VI: THE LEGO MOVIE

Everything is awesome, including this movie. No really, this movie was pretty awesome. Chris Miller and Phil Lord pretty much were in a battle with Marvel this year over most awesome movies that Hulksta wanted to see. While a children’s movie, the humor was pretty mature and witty, so much so that people of all ages, even my 26 year old ass could enjoy.

In a lot of sense too, this movie celebrates what it feels like for kids to play with legos. That unbridled imagination coupled with a loose sense of logic. I won’t spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it; but this movie celebrates what Lego is and what it means to kids these days, what it meant to me as a kid. At the end of the day it’s very simple and powerful.

V: GODZILLA

While I was also lukewarm on this movie upon seeing it in theatre’s, I’ve since warmed up to it quite a bit. The movie is in many parts dark and depressing, but also realistic. How characters maneuver this world is great in showing the humanity behind the monster brawling. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the brawling, but this film had a perfect sense of understanding the scale of the picture.

I didn’t like some of the human scenes in this film, but for the most part this film delivered on giving us a gripping, mature, and entertaining take on the Godzilla mythos without sacrificing much of what makes the character so great.

There’s also this fantastic scene:


Godzilla 2014 Kills the Female Muto by dylanrocket

 

IV: CAPTAIN AMERICA THE WINTER SOLDIER

I’ve expressed my opinion on this site countless times that I’m not a huge fan of both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. I certainly thought they were ok movies, and entertaining; but neither of them captured a unique energy that The Avengers had.

What was so great about The Winter Soldier is that this is a Cap movie, and even with the myriad of side characters, the tone was right, the action was physical and intense. We got to see years worth of Captain America characterization come to the screen in a meaningful way. Seeing cap chase the Winter Soldier, seeing Cap fight all those SHIELD Hydra Agents, and even the final battle, which for as big and bombastic as it was, was still quite grounded in reality. Which is sort of what Captain America always felt like to me, a somewhat heightened character. He’s not realistic, but he’s not quite as fantastical as many other Marvel characters.

It’s also worth noting too that The Winter Soldier on top of being a great Marvel and Comic Book Movie was also just a well-made movie no matter how you look at it.

III: 22 JUMP STREET

As someone who was a big fan of 21 Jump Street, I was hesitant how they’d pull off the sequel; the answer was with some sarcasm, wit, and some slightly different dynamics.

Throughout the movie they reference how everything in the film looks “more expensive for no reason at all” which is hilarious because that’s true in many sequels and we never quite see it addressed in such a fun meta way.

The action was fun and well-choreographed, the characters were fun and college changes up the dynamic between Tatum and Hill.

In my view, best comedy of the year, although Neighbours was also quite hilarious!

II: BIRDMAN

If you’re reading this article on ComicBookMovie.com then this film is for you. Birdman is about a struggling actor who once gave up a superhero character. Questions are called as to whether he’s an actor for the money or the craft, and when he decides to stage a comeback, everything goes disastrously downhill.

I am tempted to not say more as it would spoil what is a fantastic film. The callouts to Man of Steel and The Avengers are subtle and effective, and they serve to showcase this guy who has essentially destroyed himself in the pursuit of his comeback. The film is a visual treat, and uses a single camera with the illusion (?) of a single shot to emphasize this tension throughout. It’s visually interesting and showcases the psyche of the main character in what I’ll say is the best way all year. It’s not that often that cinematography is tied to characterization like this.

I’ve seen the movie anticipating a fun comedy, and while that’s not quite what it is, it’s still interesting as a film and no one should be discouraged at all from seeing this film.

I: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Ever since August 1^st, all I’ve been is Guardians of the Galaxy, it was the movie I was most anticipating, and while also not a perfect film, I still think it’s the best film all year.

With great characterization, great storytelling, and a great visual style; this film revels in self-confidence, it knows what type of film it wants to be and accomplishes it quite well.

My favourite scene of this year was when Peter and the other Guardians harness the power of the Power Gem to defeat Ronan. It’s a great scene with a lot of subtle things that made it fantastic. The part where Peter sees his mother and a single tear rolls down his face, how the other Guardians, who have all been sort of stand-offish the entire film, all come to Peter’s aid. It in some sense is cheesy but it incorporated enough that it wasn’t cheap; it wasn’t just for effect. A part of me choked up, another part of me cheered.
When people on this site claim one film is better than another I think it’s sort of a joke because at a point it’s all personal conjecture. Some people don’t like Guardians, but I think if you’ve read the book like I have you’ll find it’s an engaging film and just a great adaptation overall.

What are some of your guys' favourite mvoies of 2014? As always comment in the field below. If you liked this article (even slightly) please give it a Thumbs Up. I'd love it if you did.