Movies Came Out In (2014)
Winner:
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Oh. My. God. This movie was awful. I can’t believe anyone would voluntarily watch this. I have no idea how it won. It was one of the stupidest, boring, and overhyped movies I’ve ever watched. A washed up action hero actor tries to revive his career with a Broadway play, it is a bad as it sounds, lol.
American Sniper – Good flick. Sad. I enjoyed it, but wouldn’t watch it again. A Navy SEAL (played brilliantly by Bradley Cooper) returns home after serving in the Persian Gulf, has trouble adjusting to his old life, and eventually makes his way back home only to find tragedy meet up with him one final time. A true story which I’ve read is pretty accurate but too somber for me to have multiple viewings.
Boyhood – W.T.F. Shave off 15 minutes and this thing could easily have been on Lifetime channel. This story wasn’t remotely interesting, unique, or intriguing. It’s about a boy’s life from early on to college. The only thing interesting about it is that it’s the same boy, i.e. it was filmed as he aged, so it took a long time to make this film.
The Grand Budapest Hotel – It was okay. Had some funny moments. But overall, I wouldn’t watch again. A concierge at a world famous hotel between World Wars befriend the bellhop and have some unique adventures. Again, there are some funny moments, but they’re few and far between for my liking.
The Imitation Game – Really liked this movie. Great acting, great true story about Alan Turing and his quest for breaking the German enigma machine’s code. Besides the code breaking, the film examines Turing’s personal life (he was gay) and the persecution of the man, despite his enormous contributions to defeating the Nazis.
Selma – Good story (i.e. it’s true), compelling acting, but overall left me a little flat. I.e. didn’t really do more than tell the story (Martin Luther King Jr. march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965), but not in any fresh or unique way. Worth watching, of course, but left me wanting more.
The Theory of Everything – Interesting movie. Nice to know the background of Dr. Hawking, which I’m afraid to admit I was mostly ignorant of. Kept my interest, I’d recommend watching.
Whiplash – Knew nothing about this movie. Was pleasantly surprised. Totally worth watching. Pretty foul language, but didn’t matter to me. Good acting, interesting “twists” as a student drummer gets pushed to the limits by an instructor/mentor that knows no boundaries.
Brian’s Winner:
The Imitation Game – However, ANY movie would have been a better choice than Birdman.
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#2014
Ceremony Year (2015) – Movies Came Out In (2014)