Oh, is it 2014? OK then. Time for a brand new version of that list I do every year (2012 & 2013). I made 136 visits to the cinema in 2013, beating 2012's record of 106. I think I'll try and break that, but I don't know whether logistics may get in the way. I don't know. I'm not going to set a target. The previous few years this little pre-blurb has included a promise or a target or something. I'm not doing that this year. I might not even include the obligatory 'How I score' thing, because hopefully people have got the idea that 5/10 means average. Last year, I seemed to give more 6/10s than ever before, but last year was phenomenally good year. Oh, this is a list of films I've seen at the cinema in 2014, not a list of 2014 films I've seen. I recommend checking out my Letterboxd page for a fuller list of films what I've done a watch of with more better reviews because I haven't consigned myself to five words. Always rambley, this bit. Living up to the blog thing's name. Anyway-
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: 7/10- Surprisingly neat in all senses.
Last Vegas: 5/10- Sexist, ageist, annoying, passively funny.
American Hustle: 5/10- Lightweight and empty. J-Law's fantastic.
12 Years a Slave: 8/10- A masterpiece of historic proportions.
The Railway Man: 7/10- Surprisingly good, watchable and un-Oscar-y.
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom: 5/10- Mandela & Elba are great. Otherwise not.
The Wolf of Wall Street: 7/10- Gatsby meets Apatow. Pulpy fun.
Inside Llewyn Davis: 8/10- My favourite Coen Brothers film.
August: Osage County: 5/10- Endless irritating monologues. STOP IT.
Robocop: 5/10- Some interesting things. It's alright.
The LEGO Movie: 8/10- Your inner child deserves it.
Dallas Buyers Club: 8/10- McConaughey does very good acting.
Out of the Furnace: 5/10- An actor's movie, easily forgotten.
Lone Survivor: 5/10- Graphic injury balances flag-waving.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: 6/10- It's actually kinda good fun...
Mr Peabody and Sherman: 6/10- Worth it for the puns.
Her: 7/10- A touching study of love.
Stranger by the Lake: 8/10- A haunting study of dicks.
The Invisible Woman: 4/10- Charles Jog On, more like!
Prince Avalanche: 6/10- Performance of Paul Rudd's career
Only Lovers Left Alive: 8/10- So arty, but so good.
Cuban Fury: 6/10- Throwaway but funny. Frost's great.
300: Rise of an Empire: 5/10- Schlock saved by Eva Green
Non-Stop: 6/10- Actually kinda great. Who'd've guessed?
Under The Skin: 8/10- Good god. What a film.
The Grand Budapest Hotel: 8/10- Wes Anderson's funniest film yet.
Need For Speed: 4/10- Car chases are fundamentally boring.
A Long Way Down: 6/10- A fun romp, badly pitched.
Starred Up: 7/10- Gritty and gripping. Great performances.
Labor Day: 5/10- Nicholas Sparks with A Levels.
The Muppets: Most Wanted: 7/10- A funny enough follow-up.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier: 7/10- Marvel does politics. Very well.
The Legend of Hercules: 3/10- Dull, hollow codswallop without merit.
The Double: 8/10- The most Ayoade film ever.
Calvary: 8/10- Brilliant. Chris O'Wowd more like.
The Last Days on Mars: 4/10- So forgettable I've already SQUIRREL
The Raid 2: 6/10- It's not quite The Raid.
Noah: 7/10- Straight from the Bonkers Testament.
The Quiet Ones: 5/10- The Quiet What? Forgotten it.
Suzanne: 7/10- Interesting characters. All else superfluous.
The Love Punch: 6/10- Thompson & Brosnan are a joy.
Transcendence: 5/10- Half-baked Nolan aper.
We Are The Best!: 7/10- Very, very easy to like.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2: 7/10- Oi, action, gedoutta my romcom.
Locke: 8/10- Man talks about concrete. Compelling.
The Lunchbox: 7/10- Characters characters characters characters CHARACTERS
Blue Ruin: 6/10- Very solid Coens-esque thriller.
Tarzan: 1/10- DON'T LOOK INTO THE EYES!
Tracks: 7/10- Extreme dogwalking with Mia Wasikowska
Plastic: 4/10- #Bantz #Lads #LadsOnTour #FitBird #Misogyny
The Other Woman: 4/10- A passable attempt at filmmaking.
Bad Neighbours: 7/10- Told you Zac Efron's funny.
Frank: 8/10- Blimey. Bizarre, black, bewildering, brilliant.
The Wind Rises: 8/10- A beautiful meditation on life.
Sabotage: 2/10- How has Arnie got worse?
In Secret: 5/10- Liz, you can do better.
Pompeii: 5/10- Entertaining up to a point.
Concussion: 5/10- Saggy ending undermines good hour.
Godzilla: 7/10- A well-crafted blockbuster spectacle.
The Two Faces of January: 5/10- Solid enough thriller lacking tension.
X-Men: Days of Future Past: 7/10- The greatest ensemble cast ever?
Postman Pat: The Movie: 4/10- Early in the BORING morelikeamIrightguysamIright
Blended: 6/10- Sweet and good-hearted fluff.
Fading Gigolo: 6/10- Woody Allen's value for money.
Exhibition: 6/10- Sporadically successful artistic life-slice.
Maleficent: 7/10- Surprisingly great Disneyfied Jolie vehicle.
Grace of Monaco: 3/10- I laughed the whole way.
A Million Ways to Die in the West: 5/10- Let's say it's not Ted.
Edge of Tomorrow: 8/10- Smart, witty, sharp science fiction.
Oculus: 7/10- Freshest horror film in years.
22 Jump Street: 8/10- So funny. Love Lord & Miller.
Belle: 6/10- Well assembled, important genre piece.
The Fault in Our Stars: 6/10- The book, word-for-word.
3 Days To Kill: 3/10- McG. Please. Stop it. Please.
Devil's Knot: 5/10- Just Wikipedia the story instead.
The Art of the Steal: 6/10- AKA Ocean's Thirds Team. Fun.
Jersey Boys: 7/10- Big! Girls! Don't! Cry! Big...
Walking on Sunshine: 4/10- Hannah Arteton isn't her sister.
Cold in July: 6/10- An effective if forgettable thriller.
Chef: 7/10- Tasty metaphors and appetising comedy.
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared: 7/10- Deadly knockabout Sweedish comic fun.
Transformers: Age of Extinction: 2/10- About seven hours too long. And it's only three hours long.
Boyhood: 9/10- Richard Linklater's historic magnum opus.
Begin Again: 8/10- Charming, beautiful stuff. Great soundtrack.
How To Train Your Dragon 2: 6/10- Perfectly entertaining, well animated fare.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: 7/10- Visual miracle, storytelling to match.
Tammy: 5/10- An absolute mess. Occasionally funny.
Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie: 2/10- About as funny as cornflakes.
National Theatre Live: SKYLIGHT: 8/10- Mulligan and Nighy. Phenomenal acting.
The Purge: Anarchy: 6/10- Such an improvement. Horrory fun.
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie: 2/10- Awful. Jessica Hynes, what happened?
The House of Magic: 5/10- Forgettable, but not without charm.
Earth to Echo: 6/10- Old-fashioned Spielberg-style romp.
Guardians of the Galaxy: 7/10- An awful lot of fun.
The Nut Job: 5/10- That ending. Those credits. ...Wow...
Step Up: All In: 5/10- Another Step Up movie. Shrug.
What If: 7/10- Zoe Kazan on world-beating form.
The Inbetweeners 2: 8/10- The best Inbetweeners film imaginable.
Hercules: 4/10- Prespcription: More mythical beast punching.
Planes: Fire and Rescue: 3/10- Shonky and boring. Good combination.
Into the Storm: 5/10- Fun nonsense, but nonsense nonetheless.
The Unbeatables: 5/10- Poorly dubbed Argentine Footballing twoddle.
Hector and the Search for Happiness: 5/10- Simon, stick to Edgar & JJ.
Deliver Us From Evil: 5/10- Disappointing yet decent Sinister follow-up.
The Rover: 8/10- Wrenchingly atmospheric and sprawlingly brilliant.
SIN CITY DOUBLE BILL- Sin City: 6/10- Style > substance, but what style.
SIN CITY DOUBLE BILL- SinCity 2: A Dame to Kill For: 6/10- Refreshingly fast paced noir nonsense.
Lucy: 8/10- Brilliantly inventive, creative and existential
The Expendables 3: 4/10- Just read the cast list.
Let's Be Cops: 4/10- Let's just go home instead.
Two Days, One Night: 7/10- A Marion Cotillard acting masterclass.
If I Stay: 6/10- I cried. It's still meh.
The Keeper of Lost Causes: 5/10- Generic, but Scandinavian, detective guff
Obvious Child: 7/10- Frances Ha meets Juno. Wonderful.
Million Dollar Arm: 6/10- Feel good Disney nonsense. Fun.
Before I Go To Sleep: 6/10- Excellent casting, decent enough thriller.
The Guest: 7/10- A worthy You're Next follow-up
Sex Tape: 3/10- Diaz: most annoying woman alive.
Pride: 8/10- Wonderful. Angry, funny, moving, brilliant.
A Most Wanted Man: 5/10- I'm going to miss Hoffman.
The Boxtrolls: 7/10- More please, Laika, and soon.
The Hundred-Foot Journey: 6/10- Sweet film about sour food.
The Riot Club: 7/10- God, it made me angry.
A Walk Amongst the Tombstones: 4/10- Liam Neeson is Liam Neeson
Wish I Was Here: 5/10- Average indie fare. Sporadically meaningful.
Magic in the Moonlight: 6/10- Minor Allen but still good.
The Giver: 5/10- Good ideas without the execution.
I Origins: 7/10- Cult classic in the making.
What We Did On Our Holidays: 6/10- Outnumbered without Karen. Still works.
Maps to the Stars: 8/10- A brilliantly twisted pseudo-satire.
Dolphin Tale 2: 5/10- Rufus the Comedy Pelican forever.
Gone Girls: 8/10- So gripping. Affleck is excellent.
Life After Beth: 5/10- Entertaining if sloppy zombie fare.
The Maze Runner: 5/10- Hunger Games intensity, no ideas.
The Rewrite: 5/10- It's a Hugh Grant film.
Effie Gray: 5/10- Up and down. Solid performances.
'71: 8/10- Intense, shocking, moving, powerful. Fantastic.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 3/10- A shellish experience. Ha ha.
Annabelle: 5/10- Another forgettable, average faux-horror.
Dracula Untold: 2/10- Unbelievably boring. A fangless task.
The Judge: 5/10- Umm, it's alright, I suppose.
Fury: 6/10- Needs to stop and breath.
The Book of Life: 7/10- Wonderful, affirming, well-meaning stuff.
Bogowie: 7/10- Tomaz Kot. An incredible presence.
The Babadook: 8/10- You can't get rid of...
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: 5/10- Steve Carrel equals free pass.
This Is Where I Leave You: 5/10- Great cast, poorly used. Formulaic.
Love, Rosie: 5/10- Meh. Collins and Claflin work.
Serena: 5/10- Sufficient J-Law. Insufficient Toby Jones,
Mr Turner: 7/10- Much admired, but not loved.
Ouija: 3/10- So, so, so, so boring.
Horns: 6/10- Great first hour, falls away.
Nightcrawler: 8/10- Jake Gyllenhaal. So very good.
Interstellar: 8/10- Hugely ambitious, largely successful. Impressive.
Laggies: 6/10- A Rockwell/Knightley bouncing party
The Skeleton Twins: 8/10- Outstanding. But keep it secret.
Nativity 3: Dude, Where's my Donkey?!: 2/10- In the ditch. It's dead.
The Drop: 7/10- An actor's film, well acted.
The Imitation Game: 8/10- Important, timely, fantastic. Cumberbatch shines.
What We Do In The Shadows: 7/10- Funny funny funny funny funny.
The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1: 7/10- Still intense, but weakest yet.
Get On Up: 7/10- Chadwick Boseman IS James Brown.
No Good Deed: 3/10- Not even Elba can save it.
Paddington: 8/10- Endlessly charming and so wonderful.
Leviathan: 8/10- Dangerous and powerful Russian thriller.
Men, Women and Children: 6/10- Awful dialogue. Good everything else.
Get Santa: 5/10- It's alright. Very ITV Christmas Eve.
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies: 4/10- Well I'm glad that's over.
Black Sea: 6/10- Pretty good claustrophobic nautical thriller
St Vincent: 6/10- It's funny. And I cried.
Annie: 6/10- Just stay away from Diaz.
Unbroken: 6/10- Jack O'Connell rules the roost
Penguins of Madagascar: 7/10- I laughed the whole way.
Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast: 6/10- I enjoyed it. Shut up.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb: 3/10- Beyond boring. Don't make another.
Dumb and Dumber To: 5/10- Funny enough, but not properly funny.
Big Eyes: 8/10- Delicate and moving; Adams fantastic.
REPEAT VIEWINGS
If I've seen a film for a second (Or third) times, it goes down under
here. The rating is out of 5, from 'Well, I didn't really want to see it
for a second time...' to 'Already booking my third trip'. It's entirely
on how the film holds up, seeing it again within a month, rather than
the quality of the piece. If there's another rating after the initial
one, that means I've seen it three or four or how many ever times.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: 4/5
The LEGO Movie: 4/5, 4/5
The Muppets: Most Wanted: 5/5
The Grand Budapest Hotel: 5/5
The Amazing Spider-Man 2: 2/5
Boyhood: 5/5
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: 2/5
Guardians of the Galaxy: 4/5, 5/5
The Babadook: 3/5
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1: 3/5
