Top 10 Movies of 2014

This is my top 10 movies of the year.  There are many that I haven't seen yet, and wasn't able to review.  Enjoy, and Happy New Year

10 - The Babadook

Even for those that don't enjoy horror you have to admire the job of acting that both the lead actress and the son did in this unexpected gem.  The slow burn suspense is one of the best types of movies.  A women is trying to get over her husbands death when a childhood book is discovered.  It has the feeling of the Shining.  Wonderful flick.

9 - Still Alice

Heart wrenching tale of a brilliant professor that develops early Alzheimer disease.  She puts plans in place to be able to keep her memory.  Amazing performance by Julianne Moore.  This should be up for multiple Academy Awards.

8 - Grand Budapest Hotel

Story isn't quite as good as past movies by Wes Anderson, but watching the beautiful camera shots and wonderful acting makes you forget about the lack of storyline.  Anderson is a lighthearted Stanley Kubrick.
Story of a bus boy that starts working for a world famous hotel.

7 - Housebound

Another wonderful movie that has come out of New Zealand.  The movie has you scratching your head from the first twenty minutes onward.  You assume a typical haunted house movie.  Then it takes multiple twists and turns and ends up being something completely different. 

6 - Boyhood

This movies is a masterpiece.  Shot over 12 years by Richard Linklater.  Watching each character grow up and who they become over the years.  Thinking that it's going to go one way, but it actually goes another.  Original idea, and keeps you engaged.  It's a long one, but well worth the watch.

5 - Wild

It's one of the few times that I can say that the movie is better then the book.  Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy) does a great job of intertwining the story of Cheryl's struggle with her personal problems and the adventure of hiking the PCT. 

4 -   Gone Girl

Edge of your seat entertainment.  Beautifully shot, and wonderfully acted.  Shows us the power of the internet and public suggestion.  Man's wife is kidnapped, and the untangling of the web of lies and deceit. 

3 - The Skeleton Twins

Two siblings that have dealt with multiple depression issues while growing up end up living together.  You can feel the chemistry of Wiig and Hader from their SNL days.  Simple story that turns complex with the way that the characters look at the world.

2 - Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal should win best actor for this portrayal of a free lance camera man that is always looking for the best shot to sell to news stations.  Start to finish you see Gyllenhaal's characters obsession with night class business school jargon and becoming one of the best himself.

1 - Guardians of the Galaxy

This is a perfectly made comic book movie.  Smart script, perfect casting, and wonderful action sequences.  It had everything you could possibly want from a movie. If Big :League chew taste could last 120 minutes it would be this movie.  It was the best movie with a bullet this year.