10. Big Hero 6
Admittedly, this wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be but Beymax still gave me all the feels. If nothing else, I enjoyed the unique east meets west designs of the characters and their world.
9. 22 Jump Street
This was probably the best comedy that I saw all year. Yes, it is a big budget sequel but it is fully aware of that fact and plays off of it nicely with clever meta-humor. Also, how can you not love a movie that opens with and then calls back to an homage to Annie Hall.
8. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Imagine every action movie cliche you can think of: jumping through fire with machine guns blazing on horseback, a high-stakes, rooftop confrontation between protagonist and antagonist, etc. Now, imagine it with monkeys. Yes, it is incredibly awesome.
7. Gone Girl
On another list this would probably be much higher and, admittedly, it is probably better than just about everything else on this list. But, this is my list, not yours so.... *sticks out tongue* Seriously though, Gone Girl is a taught thriller and Affleck and Pike both give brilliant performances. In fact, Affleck's performance gives me hope that he might not be such a bad choice for the Dark Knight after all (it's interesting how his casting has gone from being disappointing to being the most promising thing I've heard about Batman Vs. Superman--- seriously, it's going to be a train wreck). Added bonus: as I wasn't familiar with the book and had heard very little about the film before I saw it, the twist was that much more of a revelation for me.
6. The Lego Movie
I feel like this movie was made for me on many levels. Particularly in its embrace of its own blatant commercialism. It was fun, funny, clever and, occasionally, touching. Also.... SPACESHIP!!!!!!
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past
4. Interstellar
Again, objectively speaking, this is probably better than everything else on this list. It is brilliant science fiction of the kind that we see precious little of these days (that is to say hard Sci-Fi that actually speculates upon actual science). Kubrick's 2001 is clearly in its DNA but it succeeds on its own terms with a story that is as moving as it is awe-inspiring and mind-bending. It only loses a few points because, like all of Nolan's films, it takes itself a bit too seriously and, when they do attempt a bit of humor here and there, it usually falls flat. That being said, this is probably Nolan's best film to date.
3. Birdman (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
If I were doing a legit best of list, this would be my top pick. In many ways, I'm required to like it: absurdists, surrealist/magical realist comedy that features superheroes and one of my favorite short stories ("What We Talk About When We Talk About Love") as the backdrop to a man's simultaneous descent into madness and attempt at redemption, both on a personal and professional level. In many ways, the film itself could be seen as a sort of indictment of most of the rest of this list. However, I'm not quite sure that's the side the film necessarily comes down on.
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Leaps and bounds beyond its predecessor (which was actually pretty good), Cap 2 thrust the titular hero into the 21st century with a bang and greatest generation morality clashes with post-9/11 ambiguity for what is, perhaps, the most culturally relevant plot yet to emerge from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And that's really what this is: an MCU film; Black Widow and Nick Fury deserve top billing just as much the man himself. Thus far, the phase 2 sequels (Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Cap 2) have managed to elevate everything in terms of plot and depth of character, something I'm sure Joss Whedon will only build on in Avengers 2.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain America: The Winter Soldier was the better movie but this was just more fun. In fact, it was the most fun I have had at any movie in a long time. The soundtrack, the visuals, everything. Further, it proves that Marvel is willing to take some major risk with its properties both in terms of putting major muscle behind lesser known brands and in their choice of creative talent to bring those ideas to the screen. Added bonus: it had the best trailer (in some ways I think I may still like the trailer MORE than the movie).
