My Filmyear: 2014

My Filmyear 2014

Another year has (almost) passed, so time for the “obligatory” look back at the past year in blogging and movies (including my own top 10 movies of the year).

Blogathons

As you know you can always can expect a blogathon each year from me and this year I was running two of them.

Life, Love and the Movies blogathon
I started with the Life, Love and the Movies blogathon, which an amazing amount of bloggers joined. It was fun to see people sharing their personal stories about the last movie they’d want to see or if they had their first kiss at the movies. If you want to know more about the bloggers behind your favourite movie blog chances are they participated.

SixDegreesofSeparationBlogathonLogo

The other one was a relay race where bloggers were asked to connect a movie/director/actor to another one in six steps or less. It turned out that Hitchcock and Transformers were indeed connected and that Charlie Chaplin and Jason Statham had something in common as well. Many other interesting entries were added and it was fun to see how easily some people could show the connections and show their vast movie knowledge.

As for 2015 I already have an idea for two new ones, so keep an eye out for those. I will try to have the first one out in January if I can.

The statistics

collage2014big
The above picture (clickable for a bigger version) shows almost all the movies and TV shows I saw in the past year. The total number of titles is 307. If I hadn’t watched as many TV shows as I did, the number would have probably been a bit higher. That number of titles results in a total of 39463 minutes or almost 658 hours or 27,4 days of non stop movie watching. Which comes down to an average of one movie every 1.19 days.

Goals

I had set myself a couple of goals for the past year:

Movie related goals

– Watch at least 300 movies: As you can see at the statistics, I have met this goal
– Try to see at least two movies a month at the cinema: This was a goal I had not managed to reach in 2013, so had set it again for this year. As I have a card which allows me an unlimited number of visits I had to see at least two a month in order to get my money out of it. At the end of the year I’ve seen 38 movies at the cinema, so I have managed to reach it.
House of Cards - Season 2
– I had set myself the goal to watch at least 1 season of 4 different TV shows and more than managed that. I saw both seasons of Black Mirror, which probably is the best tech related series there is. The recent Christmas episode was awesome. I also saw season 2 of The Bridge, True Detective, House of Cards season 2, Lilyhammer season 2, Orange is the New Black season 2, A Young Doctor’s Notebook season 1, Scandal seasons 1,2 and 3, Gomorra season 1 and Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey season 1.

Blogging related goals

– Start at least two new blogathons: Done!
– Write some guest posts: Although I did this, I think there were only three of them.
– Finish my “The Lost Cinemas of Rotterdam” project: Although I’ve written one new entry, I didn’t finish the series
Dolby Cinema entrance
– Do some interviews: Although I interviewed some bloggers I didn’t interview any directors or actors. I had a chance to interview Patricia Arquette, but had to cancel it because I was the best man at a wedding and had to help preparing for it. Sometimes friendship is more important (although I would have loved to talk to her). I did talk to the people from Dolby about the new Dolby Cinema concept they have presented, with the first one having opened its doors over here. Their passion for the optimal movie experience is apparent and you can read my thoughts about it here.

The My Filmviews tens

her3
The amount of perfect scores I have given this year was extremely low, with only three titles receiving them:
Taxi Driver (not written a review for this yet)
Her
Black Mirror – Season 1: National Anthem

Worst movies

The Hobbit five armies
Unfortunately not all movies can be good and there were quite a few movies I did not like or really disappointed me. The first one I have to think of is the final Hobbit movie. Although that movie scored a 4, the following movies did even worse:
Glory Daze (1996)
Timequest (2000)
Aanmodderfakker (2014)
Bottled Life: Nestle’s Business with Water (2012)
Da-reun na-ra-e-suh (2012)
Jungle Shuffle (2014)
Mall (2014)

Mommy (2014)
The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology (2012)
Runner Runner (2013)

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
Sweet November (2001)
Think Like a Man Too (2014)
What Happens in Vegas (2008)

The Zero Theorem (2013)
What I take from this list is that I should actually start writing about the bad ones more.

Top 10

And finally the one it is all about. What were my favourite ten movies of the past year? (click the pictures for the full review)
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10. The Fault in Our Stars

[/mlprx][mlprx effect=”fadeInRight” delay=”450″]Review The Fault in Our Stars[/mlprx]

A movie which I had absolutely no expectations of, but which managed to win me over in no time. The story is excellent and the portrayal of the main characters by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort really works on those heartstrings.
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9. How to Train Your Dragon 2

[/mlprx][mlprx effect=”fadeInRight” delay=”450″]Review How to train your dragon 2[/mlprx]
I wasn’t expecting this second movie to add much to the original movie, but it succeeded in doing so. It added new dragons, a layer of emotion and took the story into unexpected territory. A movie which really surprised me.
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8. Under the Skin

[/mlprx][mlprx effect=”fadeInRight” delay=”500″]Review: Under the Skin[/mlprx]

Probably the movie which is the most controversial as many people hated it. When shown during a film festival over here many people walked out. It is understandable as this isn’t a movie that is easily accessible. There isn’t much story, it is unsettling and the music will haunt you. It leaves the interpretation of it up to the viewer. I quite like challenging movies and this was a big one.
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7. Gone Girl

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Review Gone Girl[/mlprx]

David Fincher just shows he is one of the masters of cinema, always making his movies stand out visually and able to seamlessly blend CGI with the rest of what he has shot. This roller coaster, filled with various twists, plays with your emotions and keep you wondering constantly about the truth and often letting you think you know, to suddenly prove you wrong. A movie which I couldn’t leave out of this list.
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6. Enemy

[/mlprx][mlprx effect=”fadeInRight” delay=”450″]Review Enemy[/mlprx]

Just like the previous movie this is also a movie which stimulates your brain. The story about a man who finds out there is someone out there who looks exactly like him is compelling, but the haunting imagery of spiders all through the film will unsettle you. The movie is a puzzle you want to solve even though you know it might not be possible.
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5. Wild Tales

[/mlprx][mlprx effect=”fadeInRight” delay=”450″]Review Wild Tales[/mlprx]

This collection of dark, humorous short stories came out of nowhere for me. Its twisted sense of humor and criticism of society made it stand out for me. It’s a movie not a lot of people will have seen, but which I really can’t recommend enough.
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4. Nightcrawler

[/mlprx][mlprx effect=”fadeInRight” delay=”450″]Review Nightcrawler[/mlprx]

Another movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal and what a film it is. This modern King of Comedy/Taxi Driver type of story shows the current state of the media and how it enables a character like Lou Bloom to thrive, despite his utterly despicable way of doing his work.

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3. Whiplash

[/mlprx][mlprx effect=”fadeInRight” delay=”450″]Review Whiplash[/mlprx]

Probably the movie I want to revisit most (as soon as it is available on home formats) on this list. This movie grabs a hold of you and doesn’t let go until the end. With stunning performances by J.K.Simmons and Miles Teller it will leave you exhausted and shows you that some are willing to give up everything to be the best at something. Even if that makes them horrible people outside of their passion.
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2. Grand Budapest Hotel

[/mlprx][mlprx effect=”fadeInRight” delay=”450″]Review The Grand Budapest Hotel[/mlprx]

Although I initially wasn’t a fan of Wes Anderson, his last couple of movies have changed my thoughts on him. Grand Budapest is a great movie because of the way it tells its story, frames it imagery and the great performances by the cast. One of the few movies I went to see twice at the cinema this year.
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1. Her

[/mlprx][mlprx effect=”fadeInRight” delay=”450″]Review Her[/mlprx]

This one shouldn’t come as a surprise if you have seen which movies I have awarded a ten this year. Although most of you will have seen it last year, it didn’t come out over here until early this year. Everything about it is just perfect. I love the world it shows, which feels futuristic, but very grounded in reality as well. Joaquin Phoenix is amazing as the man who falls in love with his operating system and Scarlett Johansson is magical even if we never get to see her. I’m still using the sound of the phone in this movie as my notification sound for new messages. A movie which I will be revisiting many times in the future.

So what was your film year like and what were your favorite movies? (If you have made a similar post/top 10 list please leave your link in the comments)

39 thoughts on “My Filmyear: 2014

  1. Wow, that’s an awesome top 10 lists. 2 films starring Scar-Jo makes the top 10. That is fucking cool. She’s had a great year and deservedly so. If things were more fair, she would be getting accolades and an Oscar nod for Under the Skin.

  2. Very nice top 10 list. Really glad to see Under the Skin and Gone Girl make it. Her is amazing, as well. I’ve never even heard of Wild Tales. Thanks for putting it on my radar!

  3. Loved the effect of your Top-10 sliding onto the screen from the right. Also, you had a good year with Jake Gyllenhaal–to bad not many people saw those films.

    • Thanks Victor, I was looking for something different for showing the top 10 and thought this one was cool. Adds a bit of “suspense”. Both are amazing films.

  4. Scarlett Johannson had an EXTRA special year didn’t she! Very interesting performance in the equally interesting/baffling Under The Skin. Good choice for number one though.

    • Yeah, she showed she is a good choice actor, can act without saying much and even pulled off action with Lucy. Great year for her. Happy to see others give my number one as much love.

  5. I saw Her earlier this year on DVD, and it would have made my “best of 2013” list if I’d seen it in time. I wasn’t that excited about the premise and didn’t rush to see it, and that choice felt silly once I started watching it. Great choice!

  6. I love seeing Her at number one. I just adore that film so much. I had fun participating in your blogathons this year. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next year! 🙂

  7. Solid top ten list, though I am shocked to see Mommy in the worst of the year section. Read your review and completely understand where you are coming from, but for me it was my favourite film of the year.

    • Thanks. Yeah, I really couldn’t get into that movie even though I understand some people being completely grabbed by it. It simply did not work for me.

  8. Wow, you certainly have great achievements this year! In terms of blogathons too. I meant to join that Life, Love and the Movies blogathon but was quite busy back then.

    Didn’t expect you’ll include the fault in our stars there. It was pretty dreamy movie, and Woodley was irresistible.

    Her is definitely one of a kind movie

    • Yeah, I’m pretty happy how my year in blogging and movie watching turned out. The blogathons I really enjoy because it always surprises me how many people join in and give nice feedback about them, so I’ll definitely do more of them.

      I actually watched Fault in Our Stars twice and don’t do that often with movies. Enough reason to include it.

      Yeah, there really is nothing like Her!

  9. Happy New Year Nostra, and all the best for 2015. Interesting to read all your activity and nice to see Her come out on top. I left a few of those early releases out of my best of but probably should have included them.

  10. Happy 2015, Nostra! And what a great list! I strongly disagree with your number 10 though, despite the talents of the wonderful Shailene Woodley (I called the film hypocritical and predictable in my review). But, y’know, we can’t be on the same page all the time.

  11. Very cool post and a great recap of the year, you’ve done some very cool stuff. Apologies for not being around very much, I’ll try and pop by more this year!

    • Thank you Chris! Hope this year will be even cooler 🙂 Already scored my first interview of the year so I’ve started it well. Hope to see you around more!

  12. Great post and a very interesting list. I liked “Her” but didn’t love it. There were a few things there that just didn’t work for me. What’s really interesting is that we don’t share a single movie in our Top 10 lists. But I don’t think that is a bad thing. Instead I think it shows just how good 2014 was in terms of movies.

    • Interested to hear what didn’t work for you in Her.

      Yeah, that’s surprising, isn’t it? I agree though that 2014 was an awesome year and it pained me that I could only pick 10 movies as there were a couple which I really wanted to include but had to leave out (Interstellar and Edge of Tomorrow come to mind immediately)

  13. Well, it’s tough to argue with that list (Her was my #1 of 2013 and Whiplash my #1 of 2014), but the standout is The Fault in Our Stars. I have Shailene Woodley on my actress ballot, I think that scene where she’s in bed and the phone rings got me as close to tears as any moment in a theater this year.

  14. Awesome post, Nostra! Sounds like you accomplished many of your goals for the year – congratulations on all of that work!

    I can’t believe I haven’t seen five of the films on your top ten list (including Her!). But the five I have seen, I think are great to include on your list. Happy to see a lot of love for both Whiplash and The Fault in Our Stars. Loved both of those movies a bunch!

    • Thanks Kristin. Already working hard on my goals for this year (at least for the Dutch version of this blog).

      Go see Her as soon as you can! Which other ones didn’t you see?

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