TOP TENS 2014

Here it is.

The tops.

From Stina.

For 2014.

In no particular order.

You're welcome.

Movies-

The Lego Movie

The best written comedy of the year. The Lego Movie came out of nowhere and sucker punched audiences everywhere with it’s fast paced plotting, lightning fast wit and heartwarming moral. A visionary piece of art full of dumb jokes. It’s one of my new favorite movies of all time.

Belle

Directed with exquisite beauty by Amma Asante, Belle is so much more than a costume romance. The issues of race and gender are wholly parallel to the issues today. This movie begs you to ask the question- have our attitudes really changed at all since the 18th century?  Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s star is just beginning to shine- she is bound for great things and this film is a wonderful stepping stone for her.

Interstellar

Christopher Nolan’s most poignant and moving film yet.  A visceral experience exploring (among other themes) the importance of time in our most meaningful relationships. I cried twice and didn't notice until the credits rolled how tense I had been during the film. Interstellar is beautifully emotional and another movie insuring I will NEVER be going into space.

The Book of Life

The Book of Life was a very unexpected treat. It’s a film that throughout it’s hour and thirty five minute run will lift up your spirits leaving you happier than you were before. This might be because the film’s biggest theme, death, is dealt with in such a beautiful way. The visuals are enchanting and introduce the rest of the world to the exquisite beauty that is Dia de los Muertos.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Days of Future Past is a movie whose sole purpose is to rid the X-Men film franchise of everything that happened in the train wreck of 2006’s X-Men 3: The Last Stand. It succeeds in a classy, fun and entertaining way. It feels so good to see our old friends back (Professor X) and be given a chance to meet new ones (Quicksilver).There are no small rolls and director Bryan Singer makes that clear as he gives every single mutant on screen their moment to shine.

Guardians of the Galaxy

The funnest movie of the year. Guardians is one of the most random properties Marvel could have produced. Who could have known a moderately popular comic series about a ragtag group of messed up people (aliens) could turn into a COMPLETE SENSATION forty five years later!? It's a fun action movie that's really about friendship. Guardians is also visually beautiful, one of the few of this year worth seeing in 3D.

Tracks

The stunning performance by Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) leads you down a path of discovery that will leave you emotionally raw as well as uplifted. I was tore up by the end. This may be a story of one woman's search for self in the Australian desert but it may also lead you down your very own.

In a World

Lake Bell (Surface, Children's Hospital) wrote and directed this quirky gem about the gritty sub-culture of movie trailer narration. In a World is fun, light, meaningful and hilarious. You might look at Bell's character Carol and want to be best friends with her. She is a bundle of awkward but in the most endearing way. A sweet comedy about family, the film industry, marriage, budding romance and life in THIS world.

The Babadook

Motherhood is a blessing? Actually it's a horror story. At least it is for Aussie mom Amelia- her son is wild, paranoid and full of crippling anxieties which do not pair well with hers. Watching their interactions and how they deal with one another is all together just as scary as when the kid's bed time story character Mr. Babadook comes out to play. The scariest movie of the year is also a truly honest look at motherhood that any mother would appreciate... if they can handle it.

Into the Woods

I played the Baker's Wife in Clayton Middle School's production of Into the Woods so I know every single word to this show. It's been apart of my life for a long time. I am more than thrilled by the film. It captures the themes perfectly and the performers- REAL HOLLYWOOD ACTORS MIND YOU- boy can they sing. Sondheim is not easy either but there is Blunt, Streep and Pine singing like they mean it. Everyone in the cast is PERFECT! Except.... can you guess??? I get that Johnny Depp is a big name and he is a moderately talented singer but... for such an short role as the wolf (spoiler) they could have gotten someone more talented to make it more impactful.

TV-

New Girl

I recently just caught up on this show and I’m totally loving the madcap adventures and uber personalities of all the characters. To all those naysayers out there who think this show is not your thing- there are SIX diverse main characters all with separate borderline personality disorders- one of them will click with you and your own silly sensibilities. Come for the great ensemble work but stay for your personal favorite. (Mine is Winston).

Selfie

From creator Emily Kapnek came this modern retelling of My Fair Lady, or for those literature savvy, Pygmalion. Selfie started off as awful as can be. Vapid, too quickly paced and uneven. It was the episode that aired the day before it was cancelled that quickly changed my mind. Suddenly it was self aware, hilarious and heartwarming. I will mourn Selfie and what it could have been but at the same time I see it as a whole piece with a mostly definitive ending. Ending the same way that My Fair Lady did- two very different people finding each other in a superficial world.

The Mindy Project

Mindy Kaling has survived the Moonlighting curse! Even after her two main characters finally became romantic, she has kept her show funny and relevant by making their relationship relate able and fun. Dr. Mindy Lahiri always gets her happy endings but not without some adorable and hilarious bumps along the way and that is why Mindy Kaling is the modern day Jane Austen.

The Walking Dead

Producing powerhouse Gale Anne Hurd leads this still mind blowing epic series about the dead who walk and the humans who kill them… and each other. The Walking Dead is heart pounding fun- literally- I have heart palpitations through most of the episodes. Making zombies into serious business is tough, but what Rick Grimes and company go through is no laughing matter. The perfect example of masochistic entertainment- you know it won't end well but you can’t stop watching.

Marvel: Agents of Shield

YAY it's so good now! Last season it took a while for the our Agents to get up to snuff but now we are rocking and rolling with great ensemble work. Usually adding more characters to a floundering show is a bad idea but leave it to that Whedon crew to make it work. By ditching the monster of the week approach and diving right into mythology we now have a rich tapestry of drama, characters and weekly dose of the Marvel Universe- which I've heard is required to not be brainwashed by Hydra...

Marry Me

Casey Wilson is a Lucille Ball of her day. She is so cute and so funny but also seems very accessible, like your older cousin. Ken Marino is... not Ricki Ricardo.... he is actually another Lucille Ball type too. SO two Lucille Balls are getting married and it's super awesome fun! Based on the real life engagement of Wilson and creator David Caspe- the mad cap adventures of Annie and Jake and their cooky friends is a fun frivolous time.

Doctor Who

All hail Peter Capaldi! The man with the eyebrows makes one terrifying Time Lord, but I like the prickly but soft on the inside Doctor. It's very reminiscent of Classic Who. The adventures were fun and Moffat episodes were SO MOFFAT. Missy was FREAKING GREAT and everything is chugging along at a great pace.

Sherlock

No episode of TV was better this year than "The Sign of Three" it showcased Benedict Cumberbatch's mad talent perfectly. While the whole season was slightly lackluster when compared to the spectacular second season- it still is a fabulous addition to the love story of John Watson and Sherlock Holmes- platonic or not.

Brooklyn Nine Nine

Good ensemble comedy is hard to come by. DIVERSE ensemble comedy is even harder. Excellent diverse ensemble comedy IS Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Legend of Korra

The end of a wonky era. I always loved Korra simply for the female Avatar aspect. Fans had a hard time liking her-Yes she was moody, and took forever to learn her lessons and stubborn... BUT SO AM I. I love seeing flawed powerful women on my screen. Korra faces a lot of scrutiny for simply being female. Overall I love the Avatar universe and I hope we get a new installment soon in some form.

If you missed any of these things in 2014- SUCKS FOR YOU!... oh wait... I just got word that everything will be view able forever due to technology... GREAT! Then everyone this is all required viewing!

Let's make 2015 even better!