Can you believe that 2014 is over? We’ve just abolished that dreaded four for ten more years, and a cool, clean, sexy five has taken its place.

This year has been great for all types of media, so as always, we rounded up our ever-growing pool of writers to share with you our favourite things of 2014. Next up, movies!

Take a look at everyone’s top 5, top 10, or favourite film altogether below, and be sure to let us know yours in the comment section below!

David Traverso

1. Foxcatcher – With close ties to my neighborhood and my sport of choice growing up, Foxcatcher was I film I had been dying to see for two years until it was finally released in November. Needless to say, it lived up to all the hype and Bennett Miller’s spine-chilling tale of obsession and manipulation is brilliantly brought to life by the onscreen talents of Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo.

2. Boyhood – 12 years in the making and Richard Linklater’s groundbreaking cinematic achievement is well worth the wait. You literally watch the film’s leading character grow before your eyes in a truly magnificent coming-of-age tale that is guaranteed to stand the test of time.

3. Gone Girl – It’s clever, it’s unpredictable and it’s everything we love about the master of thrillers, David Fincher. Despite being a long-winded affair, Gone Girl is a showcase for the Oscar Nom shoe-in Rosamund Pike who helps take this adapted film to soaring heights.

4. Nightcrawler – 2014 was a phenomenal year for dark-toned thrillers and right there near the top of the pack is Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler. Jake Gyllenhaal gives an unforgettable turn as a sociopath seeking his place in the work force. As a unique blend of Drive meets Taxi Driver, this is a can’t miss film.

5. Chef – One of the year’s pleasant surprises was the culinary delight, Chef. Jon Favreau hangs up his Iron Man director’s crown and relocates to the kitchen as the writer, director and star of this crowd-pleasing father-son story about a man fully committed to his craft.

6. Interstellar – Filmmaker Christopher Nolan isn’t afraid to take risks, and that’s clearly evident in his latest sci-fi adventure, Interstellar. Nolan uses a handful of wonderful performances to help transform everything we know and understand about time and space in this undeniable instant classic.

7. St. Vincent – One thing we all could use a little more of in our lives is Bill Murray, and his spectacular work as an unconventional role model for his new young next door neighbor is completely priceless. There are plenty of laughs wrapped around a hearty centerpiece that’s enjoyable for audiences of all types.

8. Cheap Thrills – One thing I appreciate here at Geekscape is our access to the great independent films we receive from our friends over at Drafthouse. This year, Cheap Thrills was one of their films that left an imprint. A modern day game of “fear factor” pushes a loyal husband and father to unfathomable extremes as he becomes desperate to provide for his family.

9. The Fault in Our Stars – Some naysayers will unjustly label the teen sensation The Fault in Our Stars as nothing more than unearned sentiment. Truth be told, the film is an insightful and beautiful examination of love through the eyes of cancer-stricken teens who have no idea what the future holds for them.

10. Guardians of the Galaxy – I’m picky when it comes to action-packed films, mainly because I love a captivating story more than visually pleasing special effects. However, Guardians of the Galaxy offers them both together with an abundance of legitimate laughs as well. Once a skeptic, I’m now an eager fan who’s excited for the next installment.

Shane O’Hare

Now I’m probably the WORST Geekscapist when it comes to movies. I don’t often go see them in theaters, and don’t usually see the movies I should until they’ve been out for a while. BUT I was able to find 5 that came out this year that I enjoyed.

5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Not much TOO say about this film. Marvel by numbers and frankly those numbers make for an awesome film. I’ve recently finished Agents of SHIELD and watching it made me appreciate Winter Soldier so much more.

4. Guardians of The Galaxy

Pretty much same as old Cap. Guardians really exceeded my expectations. The film was paced wonderfully. I never felt like I was waiting for something to happen.

3. MLP: Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks

The second in the line of MLP movies, Rainbow Rocks had me LITERALLY smiling and giggling the WHOLE time. They really stepped up on the animation, and the huge amount of characters that was in it was amazing. If you’re a MLP fan and have been on the fence with the Equestria Girls films, you need to hop off the fence and join the herd!

2. Godzilla

Mutha. Fucking. Godzilla. I saw this movie TWICE in theaters. The atmosphere, pacing and payoff was so on point. It was as accurate to the old school Godzilla films that it could have been, but with that extra US flair.

1. Edge of Tomorrow

Groundhog Day with guns was how this movie was introduced to me. I saw the trailer and was fairly on the fence about the film. Then I was doing some research on the film and found out it was based on a fairly popular light novel from Japan, titled All You Need Is Kill. I found out that there was an English translated audio book version, and it topped in at about 5 hours. So I snagged it and listened to it before seeing the movie.

Having both versions back to back was probably the best way to consume this story. Edge of Tomorrow really paid proper homage to the book. The ending was a little bit too “Happily Ever After/Hollywood” for my taste, especially compared to the books ending.

The action, the pacing, the weapons and characters were all incredibly well done and is EASILY my favorite movie of the year.

Eric Francisco

Despite being a passionate film lover, there weren’t too many 2014-released films I had the pleasure of seeing. I saw the big blockbusters, sure, like Guardians of the Galaxy. But the few in the race for the Oscars (and thus the only films anyone will talk about from now until the awards) or the festival darlings passed me by. So, my claim for the absolute best film of the year will come with a severe handicap, but I assure you I stand by it.

But first, the runner-ups.

Big Hero 6

Twenty years of Power Rangers, Super Sentai, Ultraman, and Kamen Rider were all validated with Disney’s Big Hero 6. It was everything I loved as a kid, made palatable for everyone. Screaming out your attacks as you do them? Total staple of a tokusatsu. With hit after hit from Disney Animation Studios, 2014 may be the year fans turn from Pixar. I suspect a civil war brewing amongst the 3D animators of the House of Mouse. With the same warmth and care given to Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen, Big Hero 6 was like a Disney movie made especially for me.

And yeah, even though they’re cartoons, don’t forget the racial diversity of the characters, and (heavily stylized) Asian-American culture being front and center. That is so cool.

As Above/So Below

There’s a ton of rosy-colored glasses to this one, as it was the very first film I reviewed and interviewed the artists for Geekscape! But even so, I have a feeling As Above/So Below will become something of a modern classic in horror/Halloween marathons in the future. It will have to rise above genre perceptions — found footage is incredibly divisive — but for what it’s worth, As Above/So Below is better than anyone could have asked for. If anything, watch for Perdita Weeks as the very compelling Scarlett. She’s the kind of protagonist all films could use more of.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Anything good I have to say about this movie you probably already know from seeing yourself, heard from a friend, or read from another reviewer. Just know that Guardians may have been my favorite time in the movie theatre this year.

Snowpiercer – Eric’s Best Film of 2014

I’m sorry, Jonathan and Derek. But Snowpiercer is a neo-masterpiece.

Primal. Visceral. Gripping. It holds you and never lets go. This dystopian sci-fi starring Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, and Song Kang-ho stayed with me long after I finished watching. It made me feel how I always want to feel about movies: to be enthralled by the drama, pumped by the action, and forever musing on the aftermath. Much of the film’s detractors often point to the absurd premise; after spending twenty years watching teenagers from California wear multi-colored spandex fighting magical space aliens, no premise is too absurd for me.

And the action. Oh my god, the action filmmaking.

Like, you can watch this movie right now on Netflix. If you haven’t seen it already, the hell is wrong with you?

Jonathan London

2014 will always be memorable here at Geekscape as the year that we put out our first feature film, the Geekscape co-produced Doc of the Dead (now viewable in the States on Netflix, EPIX, VOD, etc. and in foreign markets in a lot of ways). But it was also a good year for everybody else’s movies… which only made it more difficult for me to make a list as I had to leave some great ones off. Of the films I think might be in contention that I just haven’t seen yet, I think Foxcatcher, The Babadook and A Most Violent Year could have been list possibilities. I was also intrigued by smaller films that I didn’t get a chance to watch like Under the Skin and The Congress. This was also a great year for documentaries, two of my favorites being I Am Santa Claus and Particle Fever (a really engaging look at the team behind the Large Hadron Collider, a must for any science fans out there). So with that disclaimer aside, here’s the list!

10 . Edge of Tomorrow (AKA Live, Die, Repeat, AKA All You Need Is Kill)

This one is the big marketing black eye of 2014… and it couldn’t have happened to a less deserving movie. Really, Xbox fanboys, if you want to see what a great Gears of War movie would look like, just watch the last 20 minutes of this film. But Edge of Tomorrow (because I have to call it SOMETHING) is much more than that: it’s one of the funniest movies of a year; an often morbidly hilarious Groundhog Day-style retelling of one completely unqualified and cowardly soldier’s repetitive attempts to first escape duty and then eventually undertake the responsibility of saving humanity. I was prepared for the massive action sequences and heavy FX work going in. I was not prepared for just how funny the movie would be. Watching Tom Cruise get tossed around and killed like a rag doll might be a welcome sight to some of his detractors but what it ultimately does is show that one of our last remaining mega movie stars has a great sense of humor about himself and a fantastic sense of craft. I wish more Hollywood blockbusters had this much of an interesting blend of tone, pace and scale. It’s got small character moments to balance the enormous, heavy action sequences to counterpoint the drama and some of the funniest repeating jokes to juxtapose against the moments in the film where you know humanity’s survival balances on the edge of extinction and the one soldier with a chance at saving it is the one who wanted the job the least. Don’t let this one slip past you because it was fumbled at the finish line. It’s a complete winner.

9. John Wick
I don’t know of John Wick is a good movie by most people’s standards. But I do know that it’s a fucking awesome one. When the unofficial tagline is “They killed my dog… so I killed everyone” you’ve already got me interested. Hearing the word out of Fantastic Fest that this film was a wall to wall action revenge film and a return to form for Keanu Reeves got me in the door. I NEEDED to see him make the bastards pay… and I needed to see him do it in high, gun blazing fashion. The entire movie is impressive from a visual and stunt perspective. Script wise, there are moments that are highly stylized and feel like they could easily have fit in a classic SNL skit. The sequence in which news of retired hitman John Wick’s return to the scene carries up the ladder of the Russian mob is one of the most hilarious, kick ass parts of the movie. “What did you do!?!” “I killed his dog.” Long dramatic beat filled with dread. “Oh (shit).” If you love your heroes with endless bullets and karate moves, this movie is a complete blast and I can’t wait to watch it again. And again. And again. Sequel please.

8. Animals
This movie is incredible, a semi-autobiographical telling of lead actor (and writer) David Dastmalchian’s battle with drug addiction on the streets of Chicago. It’s an incredibly personal and pensive experience and director Collin Schiffli’s often lyrical long lens way of telling the story both keeps you up close to the characters and the desperate battles they are fighting (and often losing) but it also keeps them trapped and isolated from each other in their self made prisons. This is the best movie that I saw at this year’s SXSW and watching Dastmalchian’s emotional post-screening Q&A about revisiting the tougher parts of his life in order to process, exorcise and possibly come to terms with his own past choices exemplified the power that film can have in changing people’s lives and creating a connection. You’ll cheer for these characters even as their decisions horrify you and you’ll pray that they find salvation before their demons drag them down for good. Put this at the top of your lists. It’s difficult to watch at times but it’s worth it in the end.

7. The Raid 2
Holy shit. Talk about a completely different yet equally breakneck experience than The Raid (which was on this list two years back). I wish all sequels dared to do what The Raid 2 does rather than the usual retread of the first film’s successes. If The Raid was a self contained powder keg of a single location action thriller, then the sequel is that powder keg’s resulting explosion. It both elaborates and escalates the storyline of the first film and does it in a way that is more stylized and complicated than the first. Here the setting isn’t a single battle up a criminal infested tenement building. It’s the entire city and criminal underbelly across a sprawling number of characters and locales. Watch this film for the prison yard fight and the car chase sequence if nothing else. It will all leave you on the edge of your seat. From the stunts to the choreography to the loud rogues gallery, The Raid 2 is a worthy successor to 2012’s best action film.

6. Blue Ruin
Another movie that a lot of people told me about that I didn’t watch until the groundswell around it became too great to ignore. first met Jeremy Saulnier at SXSW 2007 and we talked about his movie Murder Party, which he and his friends shot on a shoestring in Brooklyn. It sounded like fun but you’d never know from watching Murder Party then that Jeremy and collaborator Macon Blair would come back with one of the most gripping, sometimes dark and sometimes humorous revenge stories in recent memory. The movie starts off with such incredible visual and narrative momentum that you can’t help but hope that the pieces being set up don’t burn out by the end of the film, as they all circle the drain towards their inevitable conclusion. I’m glad to say that they don’t. In fact they surprise and exceed all your previous expectations. Don’t miss this movie. It’s dark. It’s mesmerizing. And it’s fantastic.

5. Birdman
Michael Keaton might be one of the best overlooked actors of the last 20 years and Birdman is both evidence to that fact and commentary on how it came to be. Not only does Keaton give arguably the best performance of the year (Eddie Redmayne in a completely chameleon-like role in The Theory of Everything is his stiffest competition) but he does it in a way that delivers skewering commentary on Hollywood, our current cultural obsession with big budget superhero films and Keaton’s own career. The entire film plays out in one long uninterrupted sweeping movement, the ensemble cast all deserve recognition and the technical and visual mastery from Alejandro Iñárritu and company deliver an emotional thrill ride that is as exhilarating as it is hilarious. Birdman is probably one of more artistic films of the year, and definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you are in the mood to appreciate some of the best work from some of the best artists currently working in film it will reward you with a very thought provoking and entertaining ride.

4. Big Hero 6
This year’s best superhero movie didn’t involve the X-Men or the Star Spangled Sentinel of Liberty. And it sadly wasn’t about your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. And of course, none of the Guardians of the Galaxy are superheroes at all. They’re aliens and science fiction characters. The best superhero film of 2014 was Big Hero 6… and it celebrated the idea of being superheroes in a great, colorful way. It’s easy to compare Big Hero 6 to Pixar’s The Incredibles, and with good reason. They’re both fast, fun commentaries on the idea of superheroes and comic books in general. But where The Incredibles is a fantastic roll through the history books of the Golden and Silver Age, Big Hero 6 is all about the modern day superhero. It’s sometimes dark and at times sad but always filled with a fresh attitude and inspiring sense of diversity and purpose. Oh… and it’s also the funniest movie I saw this year. You’ll be crying both from the humor and some of its most heart wrenching moments.

3. Whiplash
I love this movie. Holy crap, what a bunch of energy… and some incredible performances from Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. I put off watching Whiplash for a long time, simply because I couldn’t be convinced that a movie about a kid going to a prestigious music academy and butting heads with his instructor would be interesting to me. Legions of friends told me otherwise but I resisted. Man, what a mistake. From the opening shots I knew I was in for a great film. Then the dialogue starts up and you’re in hook, line and sinker. Whiplash is phenomenal, one of my favorite films of the last few years. Everything about it strikes with the right amount of honest storytelling precision and I loved seeing the character’s machinations and mind games fall into place. It’s suspenseful, exhilarating and inspiring and I can’t recommend it enough. Please don’t make the same mistake as me and seek this film out.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy is the most fun movie of the year, and like it’s characters, the biggest underdog story as well. Who’d have thought after Captain America 2’s big box office take that the movie with characters that nobody had heard of would become the biggest domestic earner of 2014? Nobody. I knew at the beginning of the year that I was definitely more interested in discovering what Guardians of the Galaxy was all about than I was about returning to the familiar world of Captain America 2 (a pattern that is repeating with my interests this year with Ant-Man and Avengers 2). I’m just more intrigued by the unknown. A talking raccoon and a sentient tree? How the hell is this going to play out? Sure. I was familiar with the characters… but as a movie? I was excited to find out if James Gunn could pull off the same magic he had on films like Slither on a scale this big. Well, he could. This movie has tons of personality, loads of energy and is one that I can watch over and over again and have a great time with. I can’t wait to see what’s cooked up for the return trip in a few years.

1. Boyhood
This is an easy run away favorite for me. Not only was Richard Linklater one of my longtime hometown heroes, someone that inspired me to go into filmmaking myself as someone from my own backyard, but he now made his best film to date, his most auto-biographical, and one that resonates with me on multiple levels. As an experiment alone, Boyhood is impressive. As a story, it’s incredible. As a film, it’s mindbogglingly phenomenal. Did it strike a deep chord with me as a native Texan and a child of divorce? Maybe. But I think the movie’s small charms and broad strokes would work on any male (or person) who remembers their coming of age years as a ping pong ball’s emotional vacillation between hopelessness, frustration, empowerment, discovery and back again. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke give the performances of their careers and Linklater’s simple, laid back observations about his own life pour together into a rich, emotional tapestry that profoundly and honestly captures those adolescent years. I’m shaken with so many emotions every time I re-watch the film.

Karson Braaten

For me 2014 was the year of animated movies. There are a few films I’ve yet to see that might make their way onto my list (notably Gone Girl, Boyhood, When Marnie Was There) but I loved these ones none the less!

Lego Movie

The Lego Movie proves that when taken seriously, anything can make an endearing, successful movie. The animation is fantastic! The lego pieces moved just as they do in real life. It’s packed full of humour, creative storytelling and a couple of surprises!

Big Hero 6

This movie makes you feel. There are moments of excitement, anxiety, sorrow and joy just to name a few. It delivered everything you could hope for from a movie right up to the credits (and after!). The short that plays before the movie, Feast, is every bit as awesome as the movie itself. It’s safe to say that Walt Disney Animation Studios has hit it’s stride.

The Boxtrolls

Laika’s follow up to ParaNorman is another visual masterpiece. The script is both tight and witty. I found myself laughing more at The Boxtrolls than Laika’s previous offerings. While it may not have the widespread appeal of Big Hero 6 and The Lego Movie, I still loved it.

Chef

I find something incredibly enjoyable about seeing people doing and pursing things they love. Yes, it probably oversimplifies becoming a successful food truck vendor. Yes, there are lot of Twitter pop-ups throughout. However, I think this feel-good movie is full of heart and there’s lots to love and learn from it.

Need For Speed

I had no expectations for this movie. There was no reason to think that it wouldn’t be a Fast and Furious rip off and in the best possible way that’s exactly what it was. While it took the Fast and Furious franchise a few movies to get their core group of characters nailed down, Need For Speed gets it right off the bat. While it’s sometimes over the top, I completely bought in and had a blast from start to finish.

22 Jump Street

This was hands down the hardest I’ve laughed at a movie all year. While it drug on a tad near the end, the laughs more than made up for it.

Derek Kraneveldt

I’ve missed a few heavy hitters over the past few months (Foxcatcher, The Boxtrolls, Whiplash, Wild, etc), but I saw more than my fair share of brilliant films this year. As always, the films listed below are not necessarily the best of the year, but they’re the movies I enjoyed more than any others. Just like last year, they’re in no particular order, aside from number one.

The Babadook

This movie is scary as shit and absolutely beautiful. The performances, with Essie Davis slowly descending into murderous madness and Noah Wiseman being the creepiest kid to ever be caught on film are beyond stellar. Writer/Director Jennifer Kent did an incredible job at keeping The Babadook (film and monster) terrifying well through its third act, and the fact that the film holds so many hidden and deeper means makes the conversations that follow the film wondrously deep.

This may not be my favourite horror film this year. This may be my favourite horror film ever. And it wouldn’t have happened without Kickstarter!

Guardians of the Galaxy

Ever since first seeing the film’s first trailer way back when, I knew we were in for something special with James Gunn’s latest. Then I got to go to the freaking WORLD PREMIERE. I still remember the moment Chris Pratt picked up that little lizard to use it as a microphone for Redbone’s ‘Come and Get Your Love’ during the film’s opening, when Jonathan leaned over to me and said “This is already way better than Iron Man 3.”

How right he was. I’ve seen the movie half a dozen times since then (and half a dozen more times than I saw Iron Man 3) and it really, really never gets old. It’s action packed, hilarious, heartbreaking, and more, and it’s definitely my favourite Marvel film to this date.

Gone Girl

Fuck. This. Movie. I went into Gone Girl having only seen a trailer or two, and I left wanting to sleep with one eye open. Fincher, Flynn, and crew did a commendable job at turning us against (and for) Affleck’s Nick Dunne (over and over again), and I don’t think anyone (well, anyone who didn’t read the novel) could have seen that ending coming. It’s an extremely powerful movie to watch a second time, as there are so (so) many elements you glossed over entirely the very first time, that are blatantly obvious in repeat viewings.

Big Hero 6

I was not expecting to cry during Big Hero 6. I was not expecting to cry multiple times during Big Hero 6. But I did. I also laughed my ass off and fell in love with Baymax. I wasn’t overly aware of any of these characters before seeing the film, but exiting the theatre (after wiping the tears away) I was beyond interested in these characters and their further stories.

This movie was gorgeous, and so much fun. Each and every character was lovable, and it’s also a rare film that really has you feeling for the villain at its conclusion. Baymax, of course, stole the show.

I can’t wait to watch this one again on Blu-Ray.

1. Boyhood

There’s really nothing that I could say about Boyhood that hasn’t been said a thousand times already, but this is really a life-changing and once-in-a-lifetime film.

Never mind the film’s incredible 12-year production or its Oscar-worthy performances (we better see some nominations here). Walking out of Boyhood this July seriously made me rethink the way I live day to day. It’s a movie about growing up (obviously), but it puts such an emphasis on the little moments. The moments we take for granted and often forget about, and the moments that I’ve spent far too long saying “no” too. I left Boyhood wanting to experience more of these moments, and have found myself trying to be more of a “Yes Man” (Jim Carrey style) ever since.

I love, love, love this film. It clocks in at just under three hours long, but I’d have happily watched another three hours if I could have.