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Top five best and worst movies of 2014

 
Brad Pitt as Wardaddy in Fury.
Brad Pitt as Wardaddy in Fury.
Published Dec. 17, 2014

As the end of the year approaches, it's time to reflect on the year in movies. Here are our top five best and worst of 2014.

Best

5 Fury

Several war films were released in 2014, and at least two of them were about World War II: The Monuments Men and Fury. The latter was definitely the better of the two. Director David Ayer brought the horrors of war to the forefront of this character-driven film. The performances by the whole cast, particularly Brad Pitt and Logan Lerman, helped drive the film to a higher level of drama, which makes the shocking violence that much harder to watch.

4 The Grand Budapest Hotel

It's unfortunate that many awards voters seem to have forgotten about this movie. Being released in March probably hasn't helped. Either way, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a breathtakingly beautiful and original piece by Wes Anderson, who continues to expand his track record with so many great films. His humorous and witty script is elevated by the all-star cast, especially Ralph Fiennes (a.k.a. Voldemort from the Harry Potter series) as hotel manager Gustave H. His lines are delivered flawlessly and quickly, adding even more humor to an already hysterical performance.

3 Guardians of the Galaxy

Fury may have great characters. The Grand Budapest Hotel may have smart humor. But only Guardians of the Galaxy has both. James Gunn takes a mostly unknown group of ragtag heroes and turns them into the coolest thing since rock 'n' roll. There's a star-making performance by Chris Pratt plus a well-rounded supporting cast … that consists of a hilarious CGI talking raccoon and talking tree. It's a surprisingly emotional journey, with dialogue that would make even the biggest grouch chuckle.

2 Gone Girl

In a tight race for No. 1, David Fincher's dark — and darkly comic — take on marriage, media and murder takes the silver medal. With a script that adds a massive amount of humor to a disturbingly twisted plot, Gone Girl raised the bar for how a mystery-thriller should be executed. Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and a surprisingly fantastic Tyler Perry led an experienced and perfectly chosen cast in a film that will surely dominate awards season.

1 Interstellar

While Gone Girl made me cringe and sickly laugh more than any other movie this year, no movie moved me more than Christopher Nolan's science-fiction masterpiece Interstellar. Nolan's filmmaking ability is unmatched, but his writing ability is even more exceptional. The story creates some of the most mind-blowing scenes as well as some truly tear-jerking, heartfelt moments. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and youngster Mackenzie Foy all bring their absolute best.

Worst

5 The Monuments Men

Does anyone remember George Clooney's foray into the war/art stealing/comedy genre? That's what I thought. I, unfortunately, do remember Clooney's failed attempt to bring an all-star cast (including himself, Matt Damon and Bill Murray) to the saddest excuse for Oscar bait that has come out in the last few years. The actors seemed uninterested, the dialogue is not funny and there was no tension.

4 Ride Along

Kevin Hart is funny. This movie is not.

3 Transformers: Age of Extinction

Michael Bay's newest, and worst, Transformers movie can't be saved by Mark Wahlberg. The actors try their best, or at least some of them do. But in the end, Age of Extinction is just the same movie we have seen three times before, except much longer and not as well done.

2 The Legend of Hercules

No, not the Dwayne Johnson vehicle Hercules that actually saved the Greek hero from true embarrassment. I'm talking about the Kellen Lutz January release The Legend of Hercules. This film is about as bad as it gets in the fantasy genre. It's a horribly acted and sloppily written "epic" with the appeal of an episode of The Days of Our Lives. When Hollywood funds a $75 million movie and the visuals look worse than half of the videos on YouTube, that's a serious problem.

1 Left Behind

Is it fair to include a movie that grossed only $19 million worldwide at the box office? Yes, because a movie like this shouldn't even make $19. Left Behind has absolutely no positive qualities. The acting, even by Oscar winner Nicholas Cage, is completely wooden and emotionless. The writing is cliched in every aspect, trying to shoehorn a religious message. What's even more ridiculous is the execution by stunt-coordinator-turned-director Vic Armstrong. The scenes are horribly shot and angled wrong, and even the musical score is complete garbage. Left Behind is a "religious experience" that should not be experienced by anyone.