MY TOP 5 MOVIES of 2014:
5.Big Hero 6 (Nov 7th, 2014/Lego Movie (Feb 7th,2014)-Tied
Kids movies took over last year with big box office numbers and families continually going back to the theater weekend after weekend to keep these films in their number 1 spots for weeks but these movies even though aimed at kids are great entertainment for us adults as well.
Big Hero 6 really surprised me in so many ways. The CG animation was by far the best I have seen in an animated film (next to how to train you dragon II, which was boring and that's why its not a contender). The voice acting was great, the story was solid even though they deviated from the source material quite a bit (there was a short run of great Marvel Comics back in the day) and on top of all that greatness the film has the movie also film at my emotional heart strings more than once. Yes as a parent a few scenes made me drop a few tears.
To the point of where my son Justice had to ask " Dad why are you crying." My response was simple "Son when you have your first child you will understand." This Movie also had quite a few LOL moments and the Stan Lee cameo although subtle was one of my favorite Stan Lee cameos to date. If you haven't seen big hero 6 because you don't have kids or you think its just another CG movie clone attempt to grab your money..You are wrong...Give Disney your money when the Blu-Ray drops Feb 24th, 2015. you wont regret it. I know I will be first in line waving my money at the register that day.
In closing I hope this franchise gets a few great sequels and hopefully one day the success of this franchise will spawn a live action movie that ties into the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) one can only hope.Fingers crossed true believers.
The Lego Movie was a film that I honestly wasn't interested in at all. Justice would beg me every time he would see a trailer for the movie to go see it. After the 1000th pretty please Dad! I finally took him to go see the movie and wow was I impressed. The movie is a tale of a nobody, your everyday run of the mill guy who just follows what everyone else does in society.Just another cog in the corporate machine. Sound familiar...it should because that's 99% of us in America today. Emmett the main character goes on to find out what his destiny truly is and that story is what makes this movie shine.
1st off if you haven't seen Lego movie yet...go see it. Right now..leave my blog post..rent the movie watch it with your family or by yourself it doesn't matter this movie is great. I don't think a kids movie has ever made me LOL as much as this movie did. I had times I was wiping tears of joy away from the funny moments in this movie. The cast of characters is great Chris Pratt killed it in the voice acting dept and of course Mr. Morgan Freeman and all his sage wisdom was on board as an actual sage with wisdom and anytime you hear Mr. Freeman speak its magical. Will Arnett was a great batman and had me laughing quite a bit. Besides the voice work this movie is absolutely beautiful to look at and when you know how they actually made the movie it makes it much more impressive (real lego's were used in the making of this film)
When they announced a sequel to this film in late 2014 I was all about it and I hope you are too. As long as they keep coming with the funny and the ingenuity I will see 10 more Lego films because "Everything Is Awesome"
4. Edge of Tomorrow (June 6th,2014)
Okay I know what your saying to yourself. Tom Cruise really, but yeah Tom Cruise...REALLY. I can say with the utmost confidence that Mr. Cruise has been crushing it lately with Mission Impossible 4, Oblivion and even Jack Reacher (sounds like a code name for a handy) his acting and films have been on point. I don't think Mr. Cruise has done anything in the pat 2 years that wasn't great. This movie starts off as a generic alien invasion film, but then turns the corner fast and adds a groundhogs day twist to it. Sidebar-Its also based off a Japanese manga titled "All we need is Kill"
Spoilers Below!!! continue reading at your own risk.
Tom's character (William Cage) in the film is a army recruitment type guy who is just their to glamorize the war between humans the the aliens who invade our planet and threaten our livelihood. He is a figure to bring new recruits into the fold. He is then asked by a general to go to the front lines with a film crew to show the world that we are winning this battle. he politely declines the generals offer but is thrown into the midst anyway against his will.
This leads Cage to the front lines of battle with no actual battle experience. This leads to Cage coming up close and personal with Alpha type of alien that when their blood is spilled on you, said person obtains the power to reset the day. Once Cage gets this ability things become very interesting and actually quite funny at times...their are a lot of memorable moments in this film and quite a bit of action. Mrs. Emily Blunt is known as the Iron Bitch to the rest of the army and kicks all kinds of a$$ in this film. She is basically a love interest in the film but has more depth to her than that. She once had the power to reset time as well, but lost it due to a blood transfusion. Her character in the beginning is the only one who believes Cage about his ability to reset the day and begins to train him to become a bada$$ just like herself.
Visually this film is stunning, the story is great and keeps things open for more action in the future (although the box office draw wasn't huge so probably not) and the characters are great as well. They in a way remind me of the ragtag group of people that so long ago rode in a spaceship called the Nostromo. This film makes me ask for more Tom Cruise in a sci-fi setting such as this one and I hope we get it. also #emilybluntforMs.Marvel...start the movement.
3. X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 23rd, 2014)
Based on one of the greatest X-men comic book story lines ever written and maybe even the best comic story line ever IMO. This film delivers. I had fears going into this film. As did the rest of the ONCJME crew. My 1st and only red flag was Matthew Vaughn being pushed out of the way to bring back Bryan "Pedophile" Singer to direct. The reason I say that is because Vaughn did such a great job to bring life back to this franchise after the horrible atrocity that was X3. 1st class was a great X-men film and I feared the Singer would backtrack and bring it back to those dark days.
However something surprising happened.The movie turned out to be one of the greatest freaking films to hit the silver screen in the summer of 2014. I came in with low expectations and walked out with my mind blown. (pieces of nerd brain everywhere) This film is the definition of bringing back an franchise that could have honestly died quietly.
Spoiler Alert!!! proceed at your own risk
The film starts off in a bleak future that could be. We see weathered superheroes that look like they have been fighting a losing battle for years. At one point Kitty Pryde mentions they are the only ones left fighting.Everyone else is dead. This sticks close to the comic book which I really appreciated. Enter your killing machines the sentinels. Now in our comic we had Nimrod but honestly the dudes name was Nimrod I can see why they didn't go this route, which is honestly okay with me. The sentinels of the future are nothing to play with. These future sentinels can adapt their powers to match or counter others powers being used against them. Although they can be destroyed its not easy and the film does a good job of showing this.
Eventually the A-team of mutants gets together for one last stand and an idea to send someone back in time to stop the sentinel program from being started. Enter wolverine the baddest mofo to ever be a mutant. Wolverine is sent back into his younger self (who doesn't look any younger mind you. sans the grey stripes in his hair)
Wolverine spends his time tracking down a young professor X in order to stop Bolivar Trask from starting the sentinel program.While he is doing this Mystique has her own plans to assassinate Trask. Which is what fast tracks the sentinel program in the future. In the midst of all this going on Professor Xavier realizes they cannot stop the sentinels or locate Mystique without Magneto.
Magneto is being held deep below the pentagon and must be broken out in order to track down Mystique. Enter the best moment in the movie. QUICKSILVER!!!!!
Quicksilver played by Evan Peters is the fastest mutant on the planet and he is the only one is fit for the job of breaking Mags out of his prison. This entire scene gets a 10/10 IMO. greatest thing to happen on the silver screen in a superhero movie ever. This is coming from the biggest Quicksilver skeptic when they first released images of his atrocious costume. Which now after seeing the film makes sense. I put this Blu-Ray in my ps4 sometimes just to fast forward to the quicksilver scene..that's how great it is.
The ending of the film is something that honestly surprised me. In a world of spoilers and leaked information Fox kept the big secrets under wraps. Bravo to them for keeping a lid on what I would have never expected to happen.
All in all the film redeems the mistakes of the past and sends our favorite mutant team to a path now known Xmen: Age of Apocalypse set for a 2016 release and I cant wait to see more quicksilver and of course one my favorite villains Apocalypse.
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4th, 2014)
Based on one of the greatest cap graphic novels ever written. Captain America: the winter soldier follows are favorite marvel boyscott into the depths of treachery,deceit and all around badassness.
Once again Spoilers!!! turn away if you haven't seen Cap. Which means you live under a rock.
Captain America starts off with Cap and Black Widow on a mission from Nick Fury to rescue some SHIELD agents from a ocean freighter. Enter a captain america that we have yet to see in the movies. Bad A!! mutha shut your mouth. Cap hits the ship firing all guns. Shield throws, Kicking enemies off the ship, throwing knives in cats hands and then going toe to toe with UFC legend GSP who plays Batroc the leaper. This is just the 1st scene in the movie and I don't think I have ever had chills in a movie theater until this film. Cap was not playing any games with these villains but that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Once off the ship Cap begins to question his work for SHIELD and Nick Fury's intentions. Little does Cap know Nick Fury also has his suspicions about the current state of SHIELD. After a few scenes of dialog we enter the Nick Fury shoot everything and supped up SUV scene. This scene was ridiculously epic and had me on the edge of me seat the whole scene. this is the first time we see the winter soldier and man is he a bad man.
After this scene we continue with the high action scenes with funny moments snuck in here and there thanks to Mr. Anthony Mackie who plays Falcon. The Mall scene in the apple store also had my LOL'ing.
Speaking of which the Falcon suit was all kinds of badass. I cant wait to see how Stark improves on the design. Because you know that's coming.
At the climax of the film we find out that since the first cap film that Hydra has infiltrated SHIELD and has been working the the shadows all along. Controlling everything of importance. This causes distrust for SHIELD and even trickles into other Marvel staples such as Agents of SHIELD. We also get a reveal of Winter Soldiers true identity which rocks Caps world. This story line of discovery will eventually trickle over into Captain America 3: Civil War.
In closing Cap is a non stop action ride with a great story mixed in between. The costume designs were great and the suspense factor was there as well. It sets up the MCU's future and does it with style. I cannot wait to see whats next for Captain America and if you were a fan of this film I know you cant wait either. I leave you with one more GIF because I just cant help myself.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy (Aug 1st, 2014)
Like everyone didn't see this coming. I loved the guardians of the galaxy before they were a household name. I remember talking with Jay about how to obtain the omnibus comics and began my pursuit of getting my hands on the older comics. In this pursuit all I would hear from people who were unaware of this awesome marvel space team is Guardians of the Galaxy cant work from the haters or naysayers. Well haters...I bet you saw the movie 3 times in the theater just like I did because 333,055,258 domestic box office dollars don't lie. This figure isnt including foreign sales or blu-ray/dvd sales. GOG basically crushed all kinds of records for the month of August.
Spoilers!!! Spoilers!!! Spoilers!!!
Okay if you are still with me Guardians of the Galaxy follows our main character Peter Quill played by Chris Pratt and his journey that will eventually lead him to meet the rest of the Guardians crew. The film starts with a young quill in a hospital were his mother is slowly passing away from cancer. After this scene we see Peter get abducted by a spaceship and then enters the most epic Marvel comic book screen ever... I loved the way this movie stared and I was immediately in it for the whole ride. People were even cheering in the theater at this point and we were only 4 minutes into the film.
After this scene we are introduced to a shot of a beautiful galaxy and then a ship landing on a planet that is desolate and abandoned. We are now introduced to a adult Peter Quill who is now a bounty hunter/ravager/mercenary. This whole scene was great. I immediately was reminded of one of my favorite film series Star Wars in this beginning scene. It even had a little lighthearted dance scene to go along with it...LOL's could be heard throughout the theater.
Our hero is searching for what we later find out to be an infinity stone. more on that later but Mr. Quill is interrupted in his endeavor by some of Ronan the Accusers goons. They are also after this artifact...A chase begins and ends with Peter leaving the planet to fence his newly found treasure.
When Peter gets to this planet he finds he cannot fence the item because the shop owner is shaken up by Quill mentioning the Ronan is also looking for the artifact as well. Little does Quill know that Gamora played by Zoe Saldana is also on the hunt for him and the artifact so she can sell it to The Collector. As Quill leaves the shop Gamora is waiting for him. They have a quick chat and then she takes the Stone from Quill and its a game of cat and mouse. This is where Rocket and Groot are introduced as well. After this crazy fight scene our hero's end up in a prison ran by the Nova Corps.
The prison scene is honestly one of my favorite scenes in this film. Mixed with hilarious dialog and action. In this scene we get introduced to Drax the Destroyer played by Dave Bautista. Drax is on the hunt for Gamora because of her ties to Ronan who he believes is responsible for the murder of his family. Quill steps in during this interaction between Drax and Gamora to save her life. After this scene our 5 hero's join up to break out of the prison together.
After the prison break our hero's venture to see The collector to fence the artifact which is then explained to be a what I believe is the power gem/stone. Chaos occurs during this scene and a drunk and disorderly Drax contacts Ronan's people so he can battle Ronan for revenge. Ronan makes short work of Drax and ends up getting the Infinity stone from our team in the end. This leads to Ronan fusing the stone with his hammer and getting puffed up enough to talk good s### to his master. The man calling the shots from the shadows. THANOS!!!
Yeah Thanos is in the film. In all his terrifying glory. This is the first time we get a good look at the Mad Titan and James Gunn is spot on with the look of this badass villian. Thanos is voiced by Mr. Josh Brolin. Who actually looks like Thanos which is hilarious to me. Sans the purple Skin.-Side Bar if you haven't read the comic line Thanos Rising. Do yourself a favor read these comics. It will give you a better insight on this villain and why he is the way he is. I honestly hope Marvel makes a one shot for Thanos or gives him his own film before infinity wars. One can only Hope.
In Closing this is the best Marvel film to date. I cant find one flaw in this film. The story is great, the action is awesome and exhilarating, the soundtrack is phenomenal, the visuals are mind blowing and the casting is spot on and perfect. I honestly cant see anyone else play Peter Quill other than Pratt. He killed it...The voice work was great. Bradley Cooper was great as Rocket(I was a skeptic when he was first announced as the voice. He made me a believer.). Vin Diesel although he said one line the whole movie got the emotions of Groot across to the audience.
(We are Groot...TEARS yeah I cried. Want to fight about it. I got kids everything is emotional when you have kids.) This movie only took 8 or 9 months to film..I cant imagine what James Gunn will do with the two years to make Guardians II. The 2nd film is set for May 5th, 2017. I know you will be in the theater as will I. I am hoping this movie takes the #1 all time box office spot and knocks Avatar out of the way. Until then I will be dancing like baby Groot.
Now on to my favorite Games of 2014. hang on to your butts. I may rattle some cages.
5. Destiny (Sept 9th, 2014)
Destiny was easily one of my most anticipated games for 2014. The hype train was definitely in full effect for this game and the storm of what was supposed to be an awe inspiring game swept us all up. I played the Alpha and Beta to death and was hoping that when the full game came out that it would be a game that set the precedent for future games in this genre.
Instead I got a generic FPS with RPG elements that are not only confusing but frustrating. Oh I hit level 20 and then I gotta get light.Well what the hell is light, what the Faq do I do with all this spin metal and why is the glimmer limit set to 250,000 and whats the point of money when everything needs rank to buy the good stuff and also why does this A-hole cryptarch keep giving me garbage armor and weapons when my equipped items are 10 times better? These questions were never answered and probably never will be. Bungie you see has signed with the dark side of the force. They inked a deal with Activision after leaving Microsoft.
Their (Activision's) hand prints are all over this game. I feel when the game was first announced it was pitched as a open world FPS with this excellent story ala Fallout or Elder Scrolls. Instead its a FPS MMO with a story that really isnt a story...I still don't understand the purpose of the traveler or why you are doing what you are doing. I just play....and I guess that's okay for some people, but for me I need a deep story with my RPG's.I need to feel immersed in your world.It takes more than pretty visuals sometimes to quench that thirst for story. This game definitely doesn't have that, but if you like fast paced multi-player and fun with friends (because that's the only time this game is fun)
In closing I give the game a 5 out of 10. Get ready for a future of micro-transactions and paid upgrades and updates in the future with this franchise because I feel the wave coming. If you don't see it with this franchise then maybe you are blinded by the Bungie name, but if we don't stop feeding into the DLC for everything barrage as of late we are doomed to have a terrible future with Destiny. I guess only time will tell.
(As of now I truly hate this game and loathe everything it stands for but am to busy to find a replacement #5 for this blog. In a nutshell Bungie/Activision should be ashamed of themselves for the way they deliver content in this game, how they don't listen to the consumer at all in any form and their ability to sell you the same content over and over again )
4. Infamous: Second Son
Infamous Second Son was the game that everyone was waiting for...and why is that..well it was a title that was post launch and post launch games are always supposed to bring the heat...Well guess what Infamous delivered. With beautiful visuals a great engaging story and powers that made me feel like a modern day Marvel comics god. This game took chances and it all payed off. I enjoyed this game thoroughly spent countless hours talking about it at length with other ONCJME crew and honestly can find no flaw in this game. I even platinum'd the game. Its my first platinum trophy ever and i never feel like trophy hunting so that speaks volumes in my opinion. You may ask why not number 1 then..well because games that tuned into me more as a gamer were better, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Infamous is a solid 9.5 possibly a 10.
I would talk about its absolutely wonderful DLC staring Fetch Infamous: First Light, but I will save that for another blog post. I will just say this...I enjoyed being Fetch just a little more the Delsin.
In closing..I leave you with pretty gifs..All in game mind you...
3. GTA V
Grand Theft Auto...just the name alone brings about chaos in the form of parents waving picket signs or feelings of nostalgia and joy for those of us who love the series. My first trip into Rockstar's open world sandbox extravaganza started with GTA III and ever since then I have been a fan of what I find to be the most pleasing and entertaining open world sandbox games you can find on the market today.
I started my GTA V journey on old gen consoles, days before the next gen systems dropped for both Microsoft and Sony. I didn't get to complete my journey through the streets of Los Santos which made me sad but what I did play and see was simply amazing. The horsepower that Rockstar was able to utilize with this now old tech astounded me. I had many gasp moments of how did they get this to look so good and are the NPC's really having side conversations.
The game was just a great swan song for both systems IMO, but then Rockstar did something that I honestly expected from the get go (because Money right?) they re-released GTA V for current gen systems and let me tell you this wasn't just a pretty coat of new paint but a host of new upgrades that made this great game even better. Rockstar puts other studios to shame that release their older titles that just slap an HD skin on it but no other enhancements or upgrades are given to the consumer. Please dont get me wrong as a graphics connoisseur I love some pretty visuals but I need more...and Rockstar delivered....
Sharks for one...and you can also be a shark and various other animals in this re-hash (peyote missions)..and the animations are just crazy...
A FPS camera view was added and is quite epic.
In addition to these add-ons the frame rate, draw distance, graphics were all updated. The soundtrack had quite a few new tracks added as well as new dog and animals roam the streets and seas as well as new missions. Rockstar put their foot in this upgrade for the X1 and PS4 and if you haven't taken a 2nd trip to Los Santos for the current gen systems then you need to wake up from your peyote dreams and buy this game now. Micheal, Franklin and Trevor's story deserves another go round... I cant wait to see what Rockstar has in store for us in the future. I respect this studio a lot sans all the disgruntled employee mumbo jumbo from a few years back. Rockstar knows how to take their time with games that they love and are passionate about their product and the proof is in the pudding. I will gladly wait for the next adventure even if it takes another 4-5 years (hopefully a Red Dead sequel) I know the wait will be worth it.
2. Dragon Age Inquisition
\\\Dragon Age how I love your vast forest, beautiful mountains, and magnificent shorelines. First off this game is absolutely stunning and just great to look at. From the castles you visit to the deserts you travel every detail just gives you that wow factor. I couldn't tell you how many pictures I have stored on my PS4 of just OMG how did they do that moments. The game play is fun attention grabbing and intuitive, the crafting is understandable and addictive once you start to get the hang of it.Which brings me to finding new schematics for better armor and weapons scattered across various levels. This game is an RPG lovers wet dream...however it does come with flaws...because no matter how much we hate to admit it as gamers..all games even cherished ones have flaws... My flaw with dragon age is kind of a big one...continue this quest at your own risk..no spoilers but...maybe disappointment.
My one gripe with all the vast improvements they made over the 2nd entry in this series is.............THE STORY...its lacking..almost as though it doesn't exist..I mean..you create your character that is entered into an already existing dragon age world, but the story is just lack luster. I found myself in mundane land time after time after time. Asking myself when is the story going to interest me..What kept me moving forward was the games characters, the games mechanics and its beautiful scenery. You may ask yourself. Shawn...how is this a #2 on your list if the story is non fantastical...Good question..It was the only solid RPG of 2014..and well I love RPG's..So that's why.
1. Shadows of Mordor
Shadows of Mordor caught me off guard. I say that because this usually is not my type of game. I for the most part am sick of Assassins Creed clones and Assassins creed in general and after the whole controversy where a designer of ACII said he saw assets of his in Mordor. I had no intention of playing this game.
I however was unable to resist this urge when all the hype surrounding the game began to come to a head. My friends and colleagues were praising the game for its fun combat, great story and just overall how solid of a game it truly is. The one common thing that we all pointed out as did the entire industry is THE NEMESIS SYSTEM...The nemesis system is something to behold...truly a new innovation in today's meek and boring wasteland of clones and copy cats (honestly surprised this system has not been copied several times over at this point).
I am too lazy to explain how this awesome system works so I will let an except from @IGN explain
The Nemeses (singular: Nemesis) are randomly named enemies in Sauron's Army that are generated uniquely with each play-through of the game. Each nemesis has their own personality and will rise or fall within their social structure as the game progresses. They are affected by Talion's actions, and each will react differently to Talion's incursion into Mordor, be it fight, flight, or some other reaction. By defeating these notable enemies, the player is rewarded Runes.
To be brief the game is great..the main character Talion voiced by Troy Baker(the new Nolan North) has depth to him and the world of characters has depth to it. I love how every action has a reaction in this game as well. If you haven't experienced this game. Play it..Its worth it..You will find yourself hoping that every game that is an Action/RPG hybrid has some sort of nemesis system implemented into it. It just makes the game more lifelike and realistic while bringing new challenges. Great Job Monolith. You have a franchise on your hands now.
As always I leave you with some gifs of Talion in action.
