*Note: I reserve the right to adjust these rankings in any way in my year-end lists. And one more thing: SPOILERS
Top 5 Movies of the Year (so far)
5) Edge of Tomorrow
*A summer blockbuster that's not a sequel, threequel, or prequel? Sign me up. It is an adaptation though, plus it adds elements from some great movies such as Groundhog Day, Source Code, and Saving Private Ryan. Add some great chemistry between Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and you have a winner, even though it underperformed at the Box Office. This is the Sci-Fi movie people should be watching this summer, not the new Transformers.
4) Under the Skin
*This movie has you in a trance from the very first shot and it doesn't let go until the very end. It features some very disturbing scenes but it complements those with a magnificent original score and a solid lead performance from Scarlett Johansson(featuring the 1st nude scenes of her career). The movie creates more questions than it answers, so I actually can't wait to watch it again(it will be available on Blu-Ray / DVD on July 15).
3) Chef
*Start with a solid ensemble cast featuring Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Pratt, and Dustin Hoffman. Add a plot about following your dreams that includes some great father & son bonding moments on a cross country drive. Finish it up with the most delicious food you can imagine and you have the recipe for the Feel Good Movie of the Year.
2) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
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*The best summer blockbuster of the year, even though it came out in April. From the first moment to the last, starting with Cap jumping from that plane without a parachute, the movie's pace never lets up. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way: the main villain is not who you think it is(more on that later), important characters dying, important characters coming back from the dead. I mean, this movie has everything you want. It also features a strong cast including Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, and Scarlett Johansson(her 3rd appearance in my Top 5).
1) The Lego Movie
*Everything is awesome indeed. Awesome story, awesome voice cast(featuring Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman), awesome animation, awesome cameos, awesome twist, and, of course, an awesome song. It's the story of how we're all special and we all have the ability to create and inspire others, told through the magic of Legos.
*2 Sequels just outside the Top 5
4 Top 4 Lists
I Best Moments (so far)
4) Slo-Mo with Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past - A much needed funny moment in this emotional mutant film.
3) Toothless kills Hiccup's father, Stoick, in How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Bold choice for a "kids" movie.
2) The crying toddler alone on the beach in Under the Skin - Very disturbing scene. You could hear a pin drop in the movie theater.
1) The man upstairs(Will Ferrell) appears at the end of The Lego Movie - Mind blown!
*Bonus: Every meal presented in Chef. Beignets, Cubanos, Brisket, Chocolate Lava Cake. Yum!
II Best Cameos (so far)
4) Robert Downey Jr. in Chef - Tony Stark and Happy Hogan together again. It's a great scene where we get to see Downey Jr. play someone other than Tony Stark.
3) About Last Night(original movie) in the About Last Night remake - Genius meta-moment where the main characters watch the original movie while on a date.
2) Every cameo in Muppets Most Wanted, including Usher playing an usher, and Christoph Waltz dancing the waltz.
1) The Millennium Falcon in The Lego Movie - In another movie full of cameos, this is the best. Featuring Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams reprising their roles of C-3PO & Lando Calrissian respectively, the scene also gets a boost from Lego Batman's actions which are pretty funny(more on him coming up).
*Bonus: 2 Teases from Marvel - The Stephen Strange mention in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the post-credits Apocalypse(the world's 1st mutant) scene in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
III Best Characters (so far)
4) Emmet Brickowski, voiced by Chris Pratt, in The Lego Movie - You gotta love the hero of The Lego Movie. From his morning routine following instructions, to his love of every chain restaurant, to his great cowboy impersonation, and, of course, all of his idiotic ideas such as ... The Double Decker Couch(with cupholders and seats that flip up with coolers underneath).
3) Laura in Under the Skin - A mysterious seductress from outer space that takes the form of Scarlett Johansson. I still don't know how I feel about what happens to her at the end of the film. Might be the most intriguing character of the year so far.
2) Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men: Days of Future Past - With the early 70s setting it's not surprising that someone was doing drugs in this movie, but Professor X? Shocking! Honestly, it was a great representation of a person struggling with drug addiction and the most interesting storyline of the film(Aside: Wolverine is key in helping the Professor beat his addiction in the film, but I was left thinking: How did he beat his addiction in the original timeline and become the Professor X we all know from the original trilogy? What if Wolverine hadn't traveled from the future? Movie time travel is so confusing.) Add in his tumultuous relationship with Erik(Magneto) and Raven(Mystique) plus the encounter between past Xavier(James Mcavoy) and future Xavier(Patrick Stewart) - one of the best moments of the year so far - and you have another candidate for the most intriguing character of the year so far.
1) Lego Batman, voiced by Will Arnett, in The Lego Movie - The supporting character of the year. From the moment he flies in on his batwing to save the day and says: "I'm Batman" he steals every scene he's in. Will Arnett does a perfect parody of the Christian Bale Batman voice and turns the Dark Knight into an egotistic d*%^bag. Turns out a d*%^bag Batman is Laugh-Out-Loud funny. Installing speakers in the Batmobile, the Bat-puns, working only in black(and very very dark gray), being the only person in the universe who doesn't know that Bruce Wayne is Batman. This is my favorite character of the year so far.
IV Best Villains (so far)
4) The Mimics in Edge of Tomorrow - Combine the Sentinels from The Matrix with the Bugs from Starship Troopers and give them the power to relive the past and you get this alien species with an incredibly unfair advantage.
3) Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future Past - No, the villain isn't Bolivar Trask or the Sentinels. The real villain in this movie is Erik Lensherr, aka Magneto, who once again betrays Charles and his fellow mutants. If only past Magneto(Michael Fassbender) could've met future Magneto(Ian Mckellen). Let's just say that the apology at the end of the film was too little too late. And another thing: after the events of this movie Magneto is officially the most hated man in Washington D.C. Not only did he kill President Kennedy, but he also destroyed the city's Baseball stadium(now we know why they couldn't get a team for over 50 years)
2) Hydra in Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Speaking of the Kennedy Assassination, turns out that Hydra has been responsible for every tragic event in the last 70 years. Who knew, right?(Aside: The debate rages on. Who was actually helping Lee Harvey Oswald? Was it Hydra or Magneto? Was Magneto working for Hydra? Does anyone actually believe Oswald was working alone?) When Dr. Arnim Zola appears inside his super Nazi computer and explains Hydra's evil plan to take over the world I was actually a little scared ... then I remembered I was watching a comic book movie(man, this movie's political undertones are fascinating). Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. is so deep that throughout the movie it seems that there isn't a single good person left in the organization. That kind of ruins everything about The Avengers, but who cares, right?
1) Lord Business, voiced by Will Ferrell, in The Lego Movie - 2 things make him the best villain of the year so far. The first is Will Ferrell's voice, adding one more classic character to his fabulous resume. He delivers some great lines like: "Could you cancel my 2 o'clock, this next meeting could run a little bit DEADLY!" and, channeling Michael Corleone, "It's not personal, it's just business ... Lord Business." The second is the use of the most powerful weapon in all the land: The KRAzyGLuE, I mean, the KRAGLE!!! Another great character from my favorite movie of the 1st half of 2014.
*Dis-honorable mention: The Amazing Spider-Man 2's 3 villains: Elektro, Green Goblin, and the Rhino, who together don't add up to one decent villain.
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