Count Agranoff's Top Ten Movies of 2014

Top ten movies of 2014

10. Horns

This is a very weird bizarro horror film faithfully based on Joe Hill’s novel. Daniel Radcliffe is fantastic and coming from French director Alexander Aja (High Tension) everyone involved was stretching into fresh ground. Movie was funnier than I expected.

9. Captain America: Winter Soldier

I love that this film felt like Captain America in a 70’s political thriller. Not much else to say.

8. Cold in July

Not much to this bare bones crime thriller but it was a faithful adaptation of a novel I really love. So it made me happy.

7. Interstellar

I know Nolan wanted this to be his 2001, but it lacked the mystery of that film. That said it was a blockbuster that’s plot was dependent on the physics of time dilation. I think Danny Boyle’s Sunshine is a better entry in the hard sci-fi genre. None the less I think it was Nolan’s best since Memento.

6. The Babadook

This emotional intense, heartbreaking boogeyman movie is the best descent into madness put on film since Requiem for a Dream.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy

I don’t need to convince you right? This movie was almost perfect.

4. Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon

So combine Crouching Tiger style kungfu fantasy with young Sherlock Holmes, then add a Lovecraftian style sea creature. All put together in amazing 3D visuals by visionary director Tsui Hark. I need to watch this one again actually.

3. The Raid 2

The difference between my #2 and #1 movies could not be more different. The Raid 2 has more story than the first film and that is not exactly a positive. That said The raid 2 is a epic action movie. Amazing ride, and awesome theater experience.

2. The Rover

This Australian apocalypse movie is brutal and powerful. Made all the more amazing by powerful performances from Guy Pierce and Robert Pattinson.

1. Boyhood

Yeah this is a one of a kind movie. It will never happen again. Huge gamble and if Richard Linkletter doesn’t win best director something is wrong.

Honorable mentions: Snowpiercer, Lucy, Edge of Tomorrow, The Monkey King.

Ones I wanted to see:

Only Lovers Left Alive, Fist of the Dragon, Journey to the West,Once upon a time in Vietnam, Die Fighting, Nightcrawler, Over Your Dead Body, Jordorowsky’s Dune, The Chemist, Calvary, 71,Blue Ruin.