Films watched for the first time and reviewed in 2014
Note: Since Trophy Unlocked has to pay for most of the movies we see in the
theaters and for most of the films we watch at home, we don’t have the scope of
a newspaper reviewer. We don’t see everything that’s out, so our ratings of
films are based on what we decide to spend our money on.
Best Films of the year
In no particular order:
While this is
not a film that will win Academy Awards, I really thought Michael Keaton showed
a lot of range and bravery with his performance. The filmmaking was
experimental with the attempt to make it appear to be one long continuing shot,
something Hitchcock attempted with Rope (1948), but technology has improved so
that director Alejandro González Iñárritu has more success. The soundtrack, which
won’t be eligible for the Oscars, is interesting, but a little tiresome. Not a
great film, but it has enough interesting pieces to make it a must see from the
year.
Perhaps the
most fun I had at the movies this year. While I had never read the comics it
was based on and was somewhat doubtful of the project, I really liked the movie.
So much in fact, that I actually bought the soundtrack as a audio-keepsake,
even though it is filled with songs that when they were first played on the radio
I would turn the dial so as to not listen to them.
There were a
lot of very fine animated films this past year, but perhaps the best all around
was Frozen. Released in 2013, this was reviewed on the blog at the beginning of
2014. The film features the voice acting and singing talents of Broadway
standouts Idina Menzel and Josh Gad as well as Kristen Bell and songs such as
Let It Go, In Summer and For the First Time in Forever.
Disappointments
of the year
In no particular order:
Not sure why
this film was made. While it does tell a story that is similar to what’s in the
Bible, that story is augmented with supernatural elements. I don’t know much
about Noah, but if he was anything like he was portrayed in this film, he was
not a very likeable guy. As with most biblical films, this one is slow paced
and uninvolving.
Not really a
bad movie, but one that definitely could have been better. A similar set up as
Guardians of the Galaxy, a movie based on a little known Marvel comic with a
cast of heroes. But while Guardians managed to flesh out their cast into
three-dimensional characters, most of the big six remain one-dimensional. I
also had some problems with the timing of events. While I’m sure there’ll be a
sequel, I hope they get it right the next time.
Since 2014
was the 75th Anniversary of Hollywood’s Golden Year, 1939, Trophy
Unlocked made an effort to highlight several films from that year. Not all
films from 1939 are great however and some have aged poorly. I’m sorry to say
Gunga Din falls into that category. As a Cary Grant fan, I have rarely seen a
bad performance from him and for the most part the acting is okay from all the
leads. The problem is the pacing, the story and the laughable special effects.
I had wanted to watch this film with my family for about a decade, so imagine
how disappointed I was when the only thing we talked about afterwards was the
poorly done snake pit scene.
Anniversaries
all around, this one goes back 100 years to the first feature length comedy
shot in Hollywood. Like Grant, I am usually a fan of Charlie Chaplin’s work,
but most of my exposure to him had been in films he wrote, directed and starred
in. Here he is given third-billing behind Marie Dressler and Mabel Normand and
is directed by Mack Sennett. This film, unfortunately, has not aged well.
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