Favorite films of 2014

Hi all, thought I'd throw together a little post about my favorite films from last year. Admittedly I have somewhat juvenile taste in films. I like action flicks, especially those based on comic books. So sue me :P


1. Guardians of the Galaxy

This was a tough call to make, as Marvel had a couple of really excellent films last year. But  I give the nod to Guardians for being generally funnier.

Chris Pratt was hilarious as Han Solo's nephew Peter Quill/Star-Lord, the group's leader. He always manages to step into trouble, and usually has some quip prepared for it as he tries to then dig his way back out. Bradley Cooper voices Rocket, an anthropomorphic raccoon with a bit of a foul mouth and some anger issues. On the note of anger issues is former WWE wrestler Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, who seeks vengeance for the death of his family (and has some unintentionally hilarious moments as he is incapable of understanding metaphors). Uhura Neytiri Zoe Saldana is Gamora, an assassin raised by Thanos (still currently a background player, and is the Bigger Bad for this film as he was for The Avengers. He gets lines this time though). Finally we have Groot, a humanoid plant voiced by Vin Diesel (who surprisingly can say a lot despite only being able to say "I am Groot"). Somehow this motley bunch has to learn to work together to stop the villain, Ronan the Accuser of the Kree Empire (played delightfully hammy by Lee Pace).

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This was Marvel's other excellent film, with a darker tone than Guardians, hence the 2 spot.

Chris Evans reprises his role as Steve Rogers/Captain America, now working for S.H.I.E.L.D. in preparation for the next Avengers film. Scarlett Johansson also returns as Natasha Romanov/Black Widow, and Samuel L. Jackson also also returns once again as Nick Fury. New to the franchise is Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, an Army veteran with an experimental exoskeleton capable of powered flight. Robert Redford appears as Alexander Pierce, a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. official, and the Winter Soldier is played by Sebastian Stan. Nasty things are happening within S.H.I.E.L.D., leaving Cap and Black Widow on the run trying to stop it...

3. How To Train Your Dragon 2

I am a huge fan of the first film, and went into this bracing myself for Sequelitis. Fortunately, the film did not disappoint.

The cast from the first film reprise their roles, now set 5 years later, with all the kids grown up. Hiccup went through a mighty growth spurt, and while still very lean (by Viking standards), he is no longer a scrawny weakling. Things are great in Berk, with the dragons fully assimilated into the Vikings everyday lives. But all this about to be shattered by a new threat, as someone is out to gather an army of dragons, which means capturing as many as possible. Naturally this includes the dragons of Berk. there are a couple of surprises in store for Hiccup, not all of them good. There are some terrific action sequences in this film. It can get a bit predictable but is no less enjoyable.

4. Transformers: Age Of Extinction

I might take some flak for this one, but I love Transformers. As a child of the '80s I grew up watching the cartoon, and back when the first live action film was in production, my skepticism ended the moment Peter Cullen was announced as the voice of Optimus Prime once more (this is arguably the moment the series became a financial success). I realize the scriptwriting can be brain-dead at times and the plot rarely makes sense (seriously? Why is Earth always the center of the damn universe???). But I watch these movies to see giant robots voiced by Peter Cullen smash giant robots voiced by Frank Welker (the original voice of Megatron, and many others, for those not in the know). This entry FINALLY brings us the DINOBOTS, my all-time favorite Transformers. Sort of, anyway, as Michael Bay likes to dick around with things. While Grimlock was a, well, lock to return, and Slag He's Slug now He'll always be Slag That's a bad word in England so he was renamed Slug the Triceratops one (my favorite) is present, Swoop (the pteranodon) is replaced by totally-not-Swoop Strafe )the difference being Strafe has two heads), and a Spinosaurid Dinobot named Scorn. Snarl, the Stegosaurus, gets left out (again), as does Sludge, the sauropod (but I doubt anyone misses him).

Anyway, giant robot dinosaurs, smashing stuff, explosions, YAY!

5. Big Hero 6

This was a pleasant surprise. I took my 6-year-old son to see this and he absolutely LOVED it.

So this tech-genius kid Hiro gets accepted to a rather prestigious tech school (his older brother, Tadashi, who is also a student there, is instrumental in this; he mainly wants Hiro to stay out of trouble). Shortly thereafter, Tadashi is tragically killed, and Hiro uses Baymax, Tadashi's robotic nurse project, to try and find his killer, teaming up with Tadashi's friends along the way. OK, that may not sound impressive, but go watch it anyway.