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The Top 10 Movies of 2014

The Top 10 Movies of 2014

Family, friendship, and the struggle to find oneself’s place in the world were the big themes on my list this year. Looking back the year might not have offered me the clear winner to top the list (I gave out no perfect score for any film this year), but it still offered a solid list of ten movies worth noting and celebrating. As always, I tried to see as much as possible but there are a few films, most notably Whiplash and Gone Girl, which eluded me. Others like Foxcatcher, Inherent Vice, and American Sniper won’t release in my home market in 2014 (and which I was unable to view and/or review before the publishing of this list) are also not included (although you might see a couple of them turn up in my mid-year list of Best Movies of 2015 So Far next year). Enough with what didn’t make the cut, here is my list of the Top Ten Movies of 2014.

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Big Hero 6

  • Title: Big Hero 6
  • IMDb: link

Big Hero 6Based (very) loosely on the comic of the same name, Big Hero 6 is Disney’s first animated feature film adapted from Marvel Comics. Taking quite a few liberties with the original story (including replacing the all-Asian proven group of warriors with a more diverse cast of would-be heroes), the plot involves a group of scientists in San Fransisco-ish city brought together by the genius younger brother of one of their former colleagues (Daniel Henney) who uses their combined know-how and the medical robot designed by his late brother named Baymax (Scott Adsit) to create a super-team.

Although the story is presented from the perspective of young Hiro (Ryan Potter) dealing with loss and an uncertain future, the big fluffy robot is the real star of the film providing most of the film’s big laughs. Rounding out the team are a perky chemistry wiz (Genesis Rodriguez), a high-speed adrenaline junkie (Jamie Chung), a neat-freak (Damon Wayans Jr.), and comic-book obsessed slacker (T.J. Miller) whose williness to go with Hiro’s super-hero concept helps get the others on-board.

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Big Hero 6 (New York Comic Con Sizzle)

  • Title: Big Hero 6
  • IMDB: link

This new trailer for Disney’s upcoming animated super-hero film based on the comic of the same name was originally released at this year’s New York City Comic-Con. The film’s cast includes Josh Hutcherson, Freddie Highmore, Jamie Chung, T.J. Miller, Samuel L. Jackson, and Maya Rudolph. Big Hero 6 opens in theaters on November 7th.

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Planes: Fire & Rescue

  • Title: Planes: Fire & Rescue
  • IMDB: link

Planes: Fire & RescueLast year’s Cars spin-off starring Dane Cook as a cropduster with dreams of becoming a world-class racer came and went without much fanfare. Made by Disney rather than Pixar, Planes certainly had the feel of far too many of Disney’s straight-to-video sequels (despite the movie actually getting a theatrical release). I found the first film to be more than a little clunky, and certainly the weakest of any of the movies set in the Cars universe, but it still had enough charm and beautiful animation to keep my interest. Planes‘ sequel feels much the same with some uneven writing and cheap fart jokes. However, along with its impressive look, the sequel does celebrate the service of firefighters and offer a nice lesson for its target audience.

Planes: Fire & Rescue returns Cook as cropduster turned world-famous racer Dusty Crophopper whose career is put in jeopardy thanks to nonrepairable damage to the plane’s gearbox. In an attempt to help out an old friend, and keep the local airstrip open, Dusty signs up to train as with a fire and rescue team hoping to become certified as a firefighter.

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