Top Movies of 2014

10. How to Train Your Dragon 2

 

 

This summer time release had a lot to live up to with great success of its predecessor and much to my delight it lived up to the hype and more. The character developments and new relationships that were brought to life were able to suck me in and really make me care about the main character Hiccups’ family and friends. Which I’ll gladly admit had me a bit emotional when we lost his dadL. However The Epic finally where we got to see toothless take charge was both uplifting and exhilarating. Solidifying its place in my list of favorite movies from last year.

9. Divergent

 

 

While I can’t give any credit to Divergent for being original in its story or plot, I can say that this movie was very successful in telling a familiar plot line in a new way. The Divergent world was fascinating to learn about as the movie began and didn’t disappoint with its intriguing politics and class system dynamics. Also having a strong female lead was a welcome change of pace that was in my opinion executed quite well. 

8. X-men Days of Future Past

 

 

When I heard that they were going to be bringing back the Original X-men for this movie I was very excited to say the least. And to then see that they were going to be crossing over with X-men Days of Future Past cast just made things even better. Personally I felt that the X-men franchise was starting to really miss the mark with their last 3 or 4 films, but this Movie breathed new life into the otherwise mediocre past. I particularly loved the timeline reset at the end giving us a chance to forget the events of the travesties that these two films ended up being… and opening up new possibilities for a Deadpool series and the new X-men Apocalypse movie.

7. The Amazing Spider-man 2

 

 

 

I personally quite enjoyed this film and all the things that it attempted to set up for the future of the franchise. Electro became a villain you sympathized for and yet were terrified of at the same time. Boasting some of the best visual effects of the year you could practically frame any scene that you paused and call it a work of art. This was also supported by one of the best soundtracks as well (by Hans Zimmer big surprise) I particularly liked the song Electro Suite from the movie soundtrack that takes you through the steps of Electro’s journey into madness. (Link here to find it on YouTube). Furthermore Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone’s on screen chemistry was expertly played, and while any comic buff knew Gwenn Stacy was eventually going to meet her fateful death, I found myself hoping that they would find some way to save her, just so we could see more of them together on screen. Unfortunately destiny ran its course, as it had to do, and left us with one of the most heart wrenching scenes I’ve witnessed in recent memory. We’ll miss ya Gwenn…

6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Mostly getting points for creativity and originality I found this movie to be deeply engaging and intriguing. While they certainly are taking a long time getting to the point where the planet actually becomes a planet of the Apes. Watching the ensuing drama unfold that precedes that tragic end is quite a ride. Watching the way the apes interacted with each other and the new human threat kept me on the edge of my seat. And the slow tense feeling the encompassed the greater part of this film was reminiscent of The Dark Knight movies. All of these things worked very well and was capped off with an epic chimp fight that left you satisfied with a well thought out story that has me excited to see what the next installment will have to offer.

5. Godzilla

 

I’ll admit that in this case I am a little bit biased. (I grew up a major Godzilla fan, so much so that my Dad went to great lengths to get me into an exclusive early showing of the 1998 Godzilla movie…in costume and everything…) So for me when I saw the original leaked teaser trailer for this movie I got goosebumps! Seeing the king of monsters on the big screen in the most detailed and massive form yet was an absolute rush for me. And while many fans have valid reasons to complain about the lack of actual Godzilla screen time as well as the misleading role of actor Brian Cranston, I felt that the directors choice to stay close to Godzilla’s roots in terms of story and character development was an excellent move that showed that they were committed to telling an accurate and epic story. I’m just sad that we have to wait till 2018 for the sequel.

4. The Lego Movie

This wonderful little explosion of awesomeness was a huge surprise. I mean who expected a movie that was targeted at little kids around the ages of 10 or 12 to be so much fun! All I can say is that few movies in this genre have been so successful at appealing to such a wide variety of people. I don’t think I’ve met a single person who didn’t enjoy watching this film. It hits surprisingly deep topics about the nature of childhood, playtime, and parenting, while simultaneously delivering a hilariously epic story that combines nostalgia and comedic relief together for a mash up of pure fun. I also found the unique animation style to be visually appealing too. If you don’t walk away from this movie with a smile you don’t have a heart, just sayin.

3. Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier

I didn’t really care much for the first Captain America Movie. However this one is now one of my favorite Marvel movies yet.  The story brings the massive scope of the Marvel universe down to a more earthly level and gives you enemies that seem like they could be real in today’s world. Watching Cap fight in this film was one of coolest moments for me last year. From the first massive kick that Cap delivers to a poor unsuspecting guard to the final blows to the Winter Soldier and every shield toss and broken wall in between. The fights are choreographed with expert precision and by far make for some of the best action sequences I’ve ever seen.

 

The mystery and deception along with the brother v brother drama made for an ambitious plot that can’t be missed. While some of the twists are predictable I didn’t feel that these detracted from the movie in anyway and served to move the story along in a way that will have rippling effects in the universe to come. 

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

 

Yet another movie that took me by complete surprise. Who would have thought that a marvel movie based more on comedy than a serious story could be so insanely fun! This movie was a serious contender on my list and was only just edged out for the top spot. The truly original story that brings us into the now bigger than ever Marvel universe was so engaging in every scene. Chris Pratt cemented himself as a one of the biggest new stars in Hollywood with his amazing performance as Star Lord.

And of course then there’s Groot who became an internet sensation overnight. Never has a marvel character spoken so few lines and had such a massive reaction from the fans. 

 

This film delivers on just about every level. It gives you a set of characters with deep and intricate pasts that create an on screen chemistry that hasn’t been done in recent years. The teases with Thanos and the Infinity Stones were great hints at what is to come. All of this was topped off with the Awesome Mix Soundtrack that fit perfectly as an anthem for this wild ride of a movie. 

1. Interstellar

Interstellar secured the top spot on my list because it forced me to redefine my perspective on well…everything. I went into this movie not knowing anything about it other than that I had heard everyone talking about how good it was…Good was an understatement. Christopher Nolan once again proved his mastery for cinema with this delightful work of art. Bolstered by a star studded cast that delivered in every way this film has one of the must gut wrenching scenes that will hit you in your soul.

 

 Exploring ideas about the nature of love and science along with survival vs living.  Interstellar manages to keep you on your seat practically no fight scenes or over the top CGI. This is purely an amazing story that keeps you guessing all the way through and demands that you watch it again to fully grasp all its intricate details.  I particularly loved the amazing sound track by none other than Hans Zimmer again. His amazing use of the organ to portray the grand and consuming nature of this adventure was one of the most captivating pieces of work I’ve ever heard. 

 

After watching this movie and learning more about the dimensions that we live in I was forced to reevaluate my perspective on the nature of God, science and the entire universe. Not many movies have ever had such an impact on me that way and it’s for this reason that I give interstellar the top spot on my list.

 

Well there you have it, my top ten movies for 2014. Do you agree with my list? Should another movie have made it that I left out? let me know what you think in the comments! 

Jared Leto the new Joker!!!

Just recently the cast for the upcoming suicide squad movie was shown complete in costume but it was still lacking one very important member… Jared Leto as the Joker! The fan pressure has made DC very much aware of the need to get the joker right in their next rendition, and in an effort to build hype for this new joker they have been slooowwllyyy releasing little teases here and there about what he’s going to be like. 

Jared Leto is the lead singer in Thirty Seconds to Mars and has also played in a variety of Indy films most of which you’ve likely never heard of (I hadn’t). The only one I even recognized right away was Fight Club. He also was in a role recently as a woman, but he apparently was good enough to earn an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor so at least we know he can act right? 

 

Now you might be thinking he looks more like Jesus than the Joker and you’d certainly be right. However after being cast for the role he slowly has been going through a transformation to become the new Clown Prince of crime. 

First this image surfaced on twitter 

So he looked more like this 

Now here is where it gets interesting. Eagle eyed fans began to notice that his photos had an uncanny resemblance to famous pictures of the Joker from the comics. Whether a fun accident or an intentional homage to the comic book version of Joker we don’t really know but I’m more inclined to believe the later. 

Eventually he died his hair white and shaved his eyebrows

  

A month or two later he colored his hair green

 

Apparently he's also been bulking up for the role

And then this image was posted on his twitter

 

If you think the tattoos are a weird way to go with the character I won’t disagree with you on that, but it may ease your worries to know that it has been done before…

Now all these refrencess to the comics can also have some interesting implications for what the new Joker’s personality will be like. I think I’m safe in saying we all loved Heath ledgers performance as the Joker but it was by no means a classic version of the character. His modern take on him was amazing and will never be forgotten but I think that it would be a mistake to try to recreate Ledgers version on screen simply because nobody will be able to hit it just right. Based on what we’ve seen from Jared Leto so far I think it can be inferred that they are instead going to go with an entirely new version of the Joker that we’ve never seen before on screen, but yet is a closer version to the comics than Ledger's was, (much like the new Batman as well). Personally I think this is the best way to go. By avoiding Heath Leger's style they won’t have to worry about falling short, and can instead bring us a new, original, and exciting villain for us to see. 

Leto’s Joker seems to take most of its inspiration from the Dark Night Returns, and Batman Endgame comic lines, and I couldn’t be happier about that since those version are regarded by many as the most creepy and evil of all the Joker stories. I mean just take a look at a few of these scenes. (Spoilers for Batman Endgame) 

 

  

 

 

Of course I suppose there is the even creepier Death of the Family storyline where he cuts off his own face…

 

 

 

But I doubt that we’ll see that one on screen...

Other teases have been surfacing recently too, like this clip that shows what his voice may sound like.

It's a bit repetitive but there is one more clip at the end so keep watching 

Or these leaked images that might show him in costume

 

In the end it’s still just too early to know if Jared Leto will be successful as our new Agent of Chaos, but I think that the direction that they are taking him seems promising, and I can’t wait to see him on the big screen.

What do you think, will Leto be able to pull it off? Who’s your favorite version of the joker? (mine’s Mark Hamill)