Best? I dunno, I’m not a movie critic.
My favorite? Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Hard to say. Lots of very enjoyable movies, including Guardians of the Galaxy, The Force Awakens, and Zootopia, that I look forward to their sequels and would rate very highly. But I think the best was actually The LEGO Movie.
At least as far as Oscar consideration goes, it’s a bit premature to be calling this overlooked.
Although it played the U.S. at AFI Fest a year ago, it doesn’t get an official U.S. theatrical release until next year. It will not be eligible for Oscar Nominations until the 2018 ceremony (honoring the films of 2017).
Interstellar. Not a perfect movie, but it made me think more than any other movie in the last few years.
Honorable mentions to Boyhood, Brooklyn, and Room.
My first thought was Whiplash, then somebody said *Kingsman *and I was torn, and The Martian and *Deadpool *are also in the running. With a gun to my head I’d say Whiplash.
I didn’t enjoy Mad Max very much, probably because I so enjoyed the originals I had a cabinet like Max’s but mine was stuffed with leather motorbiker gear. I got a thrill every time I opened it to go for a proper ride.
English-language film: THE WITCH
Foreign-language film: MUSTANG
Whiplash and The Big Short are the two that left me a bit breathless afterward, like I’d just stepped off a really great roller coaster that took a lot out of me. Kingsman, The Book of Life and Grand Budapest were probably the most fun movies I’ve seen during that time period. Ex Machina may have been the best at setting a mood and delivering its intended effect.
I’d have to make that my pick, but it is a little too outré for many. The Martian is up there, too.
I couldnt finish The Mad Max Fury Road, once they got to the “promised land” and it was another shithole and they had to do it over again, I lost interest. The “science” also made no sense.
Guardians was perhaps the most* enjoyable* film, and one I bought.
I’m going to vote for a 2013 movie that wasn’t released in the US until September 2014:
Robin Wright plays Robin Wright, an aging actress whose glory days are behind her because society has moved on from watching people act to watching the dreams in their head. She takes one last job and has to deal with the consequences.
Not a universally beloved film, The Congress has its detractors, and the animated portions may work better on the big screen than the little screen, but it’s an original movie, at least by American standards, and I’m thrilled my wife and I went to see it on a lark. And, given it’s American box office ($130,000), we were apparently 2 of 13,000 people in this country to see this movie… regardless, it deserves to be mentioned in a thread like this.
I’m going to add one more, although very few people I know actually saw it: Locke. A film with a gimmick I would never have expected to work, but the acting was exceptional and they pulled it off beautifully.
Mad Max, hands down. I will ride eternal, shiny and chrome.
The Witch
Son of Saul
Victoria
These three stood out to me the most.
I just added both of these to my Watchlist at Amazon Prime (both are free with membership).
Thank you for the recommendations.
For me, the best films I’ve seen in the last 3 years (and I’m only selecting films I’ve seen in the theaters) were:
Guardians of the Galaxy - my all time favorite Marvel film.
Phoenix - great exploration of human attitudes after WW2 in Europe with an INCREDIBLE ending!
Birdman - you had to see this in the theater to get the full effect of the tension with the “one-continuos shot” feel.
**The Rover **- A MUCH better post-apocalyptic that takes place in Australia that beats the hell out of Mad Max. An ending that will make you cry.
**Captain America: The Winter Soldier **- my 2nd favorite Marvel film.
Boyhood - one of the best portrayals of a real family life ever put on film
Room - The strength of a mother to protect her son from danger and ugliness then the son’s response to the real world, unforgettable.
Frank - Fassbinder was phenomenal, and almost the entire movie behind a mask.
Ex Machina - pure science fiction
Her - an amazing love story (released only in NY & LA in 2013 but the rest of the country in 2014)
More to add:
Birdman
The Martian
Tomorrowland
Interstellar
Witness!
Agreed (though I haven’t seen Tomorrowland). I quite enjoyed The Force Awakens as well, but not quite Best Picture material. Some of my favorite “films” have actually been short films of the YouTube genre, like that Pixar one with the suicidal cowboy. Can’t remember the name.
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I’ve added the following to my viewing list:
The Witch - Amazon Prime
Phoenix - Netflix
The Congress - Amazon Prime
Happy to come back and let folks know what I thought. Please share if you saw any movies recommended in here.
American Sniper was fantastic. As was Straight Outta Compton
Also Boyhood and Room. The latter one in particular had a resonance that stayed with me for months after viewing. So did Boyhood, actually. Incredible stories, acting, directing and cinematography.
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