Should auld acquaintance be forgot.
2015. Here at the ReelGood office our brains are still feeling rather meek after some hearty New Years Eve celebrations, but we’ll soldier on out of love for king, country and film. By the end of this year a new Star Wars movie will have been released. If that doesn’t bake your noodle, we’re not sure what will. But just as important as looking to the future is reflecting on the past and 2014 was a hell of a year for cinema. Some great films made a lot of money (Guardians of the Galaxy), and some bad films made even more money (Transformers, Maleficent). Australia had an amazing year in film, from the enormous success of Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook to the personal favourite of our Editor, Kasimir Burgess’ Fell. Here’s lookin’ at 2014, kid.
2014 International Box Office
1 | Transformers: Age of Extinction (dir. Michael Bay) $1,087,404, 500 (our review)
2 | Guardians of the Galaxy (dir. James Gunn) $772, 565,525 (our review)
3 | Maleficent (dir. Robert Stromberg) $757,752,378 (our review)
4 | X-Men: Days of Future Past (dir. Bryan Singer) $746,045,700 (our review)
5 | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (dir. Peter Jackson) $722,867,000 (still in theatres – our review)
6 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier (dir. Anthony and Joe Russo) $714,083,572 (our review)
7 | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (dir. Marc Webb) $708,279,489 (our review)
8 | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (dir. Matt Reeves) $708,279,489 (our review)
9 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (dir. Francis Lawrence) $695,475,000 (our review)
10 | Interstellar (dir. Christopher Nolan) $653,442,000 (our review)
2014 Notable Deaths
Saul Zaentz (“The question is why does Hollywood go on making crap they pass off as movies? The answer is money.”)
Maximillian Schell (“Everything you do has certain significance, a certain weight. I think there is a film in everyone.”)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (“I think you should be serious about what you do because this is it. This is the only life you’ve got.”)
Shirley Temple (“Time is money. Wasted time means wasted money means trouble.”)
Harold Ramis (“I never work just to work. It’s some combination of laziness and self-respect.”)
James Rebhorn (“Uh… excuse me, Mr. President? That’s not entirely accurate.” – from Independence Day)
Mickey Rooney (“You always pass failure on your way to success.”)
Bob Hoskins (“I’ve played so many historical characters because most horrible dictators are short, fat, middle-aged men.”)
H.R. Giger (“You get talent when you discover the ground of your pain.”)
Ruby Dee (“The greatest gift is not being afraid to question.”)
Eli Wallach (“Having the critics praise you is like having the hangman say you’ve got a pretty neck.”)
Robin Williams (“I’m sorry, if you were right, I’d agree with you.”)
Lauren Bacall (“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.”)
Richard Attenborough (“There’s nothing more important in making movies than the screenplay.”)
Mike Nichols (“The only safe thing is to take a chance.”)
ReelGood Staff Highlights + Lowlights
John (Editor/Founder/Hero of the People)
5 | Frank
4 | All This Mayhem
3 | Jodorowsky’s Dune
2 | Guardians of the Galaxy
1 | Fell
And the worst? Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Overrated: Interstellar, Nightcrawler, The LEGO Movie, The Imitation Game
Ruth Richards (Regular reviewer/sound person extraordinaire)
5 | The Babadook
4 Nightcrawler
3 | The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
2 | Whiplash
1 | Obvious Child
And the worst? I, Frankenstein, Lucy
Overrated: Transcendence
Derek Armstrong (Regular contributor/enjoyer of The Interview)
5 | The Edge of Tomorrow
4 | The Skeleton Twins
3 | Ida
2 | Like Father, Like Son
1 | Birdman
And the worst? I, Frankenstein, The Nutjob, I Origins, Dom Hemingway, Wolf Creek 2
Overrated: Guardians of the Galaxy, The Immigrant, Nightcrawler, Calvary, The LEGO Movie
Blake Curtis (Filmmaker/Poet/Warden of the North/Philosopher/Magician)
5 | Calvary
4 | Fell
3 | Whiplash
2 | Interstellar
1 | Gone Girl
And the worst? Maleficent, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
Overrated: The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Wind Rises
Anissha Vijayan (ReelGood PR/Genius/Billionaire/Playboy/Philanthropist)
5 | That Awkward Moment
4 | The LEGO Movie
3 | The Grand Budapest Hotel
2 | Gone Girl
1 |Frozen
And the worst? Horrible Bosses 2, The Other Women, And So It Goes, Maleficent, Bad Neighbours
ON HORROR – John Morrissey (Regular reviewer/Person/Human)
5 | The ABCs of Death 2
4 | The Purge: Anarchy
3 | The Town That Dreaded Sundown
2 | Starry Eyes
1 | It Follows
Overrated: The Babadook
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