Movies That Entertained Me In 2014

In no particular order...

The Theory of Everything
Top Five
Whiplash
Interstellar
Unbroken
Nightcrawler
Rosewater
Birdman
Dear White People
Fury
Tracks
Pride
Alive Inside
The One I Love
Calvary
Boyhood
Guardians of the Galaxy

Unbroken

What I liked:

• All the actors were great: Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, Takamasa Ishihara, Finn Wittrock, Jai Courtney, John Magaro, Luke Treadaway, and Ross Anderson.
• Angelina Jolie did a find job as director.
• The story is pretty remarkable and hard to believe that one person had to endure so many crazy events in one life time.
• I like Coldplay's song, Miracles, that plays in the credits.

Into The Woods

What I liked:

• What a very talented cast: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Huttlestone, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, Tracey Ullman, Lilla Crawford, Billy Magnussen, Mackenzie Mauzy, Chris Pine, and Meryl Streep.
• Hearing Blunt and Pine sing was a surprising delight.
• The costumes were fantastic, especially Streep's blue ensemble. 
• I did like that not all of the stories had a happy ending.  It made it more true to life.

The Gambler

What I liked:

• Mark Wahlberg as an English Professor.  Too bad the movie wasn't about that.
• Brie Larson!
• Michael Kenneth Williams!

Big Eyes

What I liked:

• It's based on a true story.
• Amy Adams looked the part.
• Christoph Waltz was just the right amount of sleaze.
• It also starred Jason Schwartzman, Danny Huston, Terrence Stamp and Krysten Ritter.

Foxcatcher

What I liked:

• Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo all give wonderful performances.
• It's based on a true story.
• Hair, make up, and whoever made the prosthetics all did a fantastic job.

Wild

What I liked:

• It's based on a true story.
• Reese Witherspoon gives a great performance.
• Laura Dern is as lovely as ever.
• Thomas Sadoski!

The Imitation Game

What I liked:

• Benedict Cumberbatch gives a great performance.
• The supporting cast is wonderful: Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, and Mark Strong.
• It's based on a remarkable true story.
• It's interesting to know how much power they had in their hands at one point and how they choose who lived and who died.

Top Five

What I liked:

• It has a fantastic cast: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Andres Holm, Cedric the Entertainer, Brian Regan, Ben Vereen, Michael Che, Sherri Shepherd, Jay Pharoah, Hassan Johnson, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, Luis Guzman, and Kevin Hart.
• The cameos are awesome.  Don't want to spoil them here.
• Rock wrote and directed it.
• The story has something for everyone.  It's funny, romantic, gross, and interesting.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

What I liked:

• It's finally over!
• Thranduil on a moose is a pretty impressive sight.
• Great cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Hugo Weaving, Billy Connolly, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, and many many more.

The Wedding Ringer

What I liked:

• Josh Gad and Kevin Hart have good on screen chemistry.
• Olivia Thirlby is looking as lovely as ever.
• Cloris Leachman!
• Hurley!
• The crowd thought it was hilarious.

The Homesman

What I liked:

• It has a great cast: Hilary Swank, Tommy Lee Jones, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, William Fichtner, John Lithgow, Tim Blake Nelson, Hailee Steinbeld, and James Spader.
• Oh, and Meryl Streep.

The Theory of Everything

What I liked:

• Eddie Redmayne is perfect in this role.  He's the one to beat for the Oscar.  My only concern is that he might not be as popular as the other nominees and therefore might not get the votes...he better start schmoozing.
• Felicity Jones is wonderful.  She too should get a Oscar nomination.  This girl's star is on the rise.
• The story is so interesting, partly because it is true.  It also shows the human side of people.  Flaws and all.
• Hair, makeup, wardrobe,...it's all great.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

What I liked:

• It has the same great cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Clafin, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci, and Jeffrey Wright.
• The new blood is just as good: Julianne Moore, Mahershala Ali, Natalie Dormer, Evan Ross, Elden Jenson, and Sarita Choudhury.
• It's as entertaining as the previous films.

What I didn't like:

• Why can't Katniss be a strong, independent woman who can see the bigger picture?  Why is she just a pawn?
• RIP PSH.
• Why is this a Part 1?  I mean, I know why...it makes them more money.  It's just very annoying.

Grade: B-

Horrible Bosses 2

What I liked:

• Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day have great chemistry together.
• It's interesting to see Jennifer Aniston in a role like this.
• Chris Pine is a great addition to the cast.  He seemed really into it.
• Christoph Waltz!
• Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jonathan Banks, Lindsay Sloane, and Keegan-Michael Key also star.

Whiplash

What I liked:

• If J.K. Simmons doesn't get award nominations, I would be disappointed.
• Wouldn't be surprised if Miles Teller also received some nominations.
• Simmons and Teller are mesmerizing on screen.
• Paul Reiser!
• Obviously, the music is fantastic.
• The characters develop before your eyes.
• It's intense.

Rosewater

What I liked:

• Jon Stewart wrote the screenplay and directed it.  Yes, that Jon Stewart.
• Gael Garcia Bernal is wonderful.  
• It also stars Dimitri Leonidas, Haluk Bilginer, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Golshifteh Farahani, Claire Foy and Nasser Faris.
• It's based on the true story of Maziar Bahari.
• It takes an interesting look at the way technology/the internet play a role modern warfare.
• It showcases the importance of hope and freedom.

Laggies

What I liked:

• The story is relatable in the sense that a lot of people don't know what they should be doing with their lives.
• What's not to love about Keira Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz or Sam Rockwell?
• The supporting cast includes Mark Webber, Ellie Kemper, Jeff Garlin, Gretchen Mol, Daniel Zovatto and Kaitlyn Dever.
• It has a good soundtrack.
• Best worst first dance ever?

Interstellar

What I liked:

• It was co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan.
• It is beautifully directed, choreographed, and shot.
• Matthew McConaughey is wonderful.
• Mackenzie Foy is adorable.
• The supporting cast is outstanding: John Lithgow, Timothée Chalamet, David Oyelowo, Bill Irwin, Anne Hathaway, David Gyasi, Michael Caine, Wes Bentley and Jessica Chastain.
• There are two other great supporting cast members but I think it is better that you are surprised when seeing them then finding out about them here.
• Hans Zimmer put together an amazing score. With that being said, the moments of compete silence were just as powerful.
• It is an interesting story.

Happy Birthday YHG!

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