Up next in 10
Must See Movies of 2014
Apr 30, 2024
It has finally come to that time of the year, to take a quick look back and pick out the best of the best. In today’s video we’re taking a look at the 10 best movies of 2014 as Luke Dormehl’s list has finally been released for this year. Make sure to subscribe to the Cult of Mac so you don't miss a single video!
View Video Transcript
0:00
It has finally come to that time of the year where we take a look back and pick the best
0:06
of the best. In today's video we're going to take a look at the 10 must see movies of
0:10
2014 as Luke Duhamel's list has finally come out. So let's get started
0:24
It's easy to think that it's been a forgettable year for movies. There's been no obvious Oscar
0:28
contenders such as 12 Years a Slave or no box office smashers like The Avengers. But
0:34
that's not technically true. Take a closer look and you'll see that it's been a fantastic
0:37
year for movie lovers. From emotional masterpieces like Richard Linklater's Boyhood to Martin
0:43
Scorsese's return to form The Wolf of Wall Street to action packed blockbusters like
0:48
Guardians of the Galaxy, there's been something for everybody. Based on real events, Wolf of Wall Street follows 90s New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort
1:02
as he climbs to the top, living the high life with his drug fuelled parties to his fall
1:06
involving crime, corruption and federal government. Now I like most people am a huge Scorsese
1:11
fan. But you'd be hard pushed to say that his recent films have lived up to the likes
1:15
of Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, The Departed and his other disputed classics. But thankfully
1:21
2014 saw the 72 year old director return to form, throwing himself back into comfortable
1:27
territory with a blue collar rise and fall story full of Scorsese's energy and black
1:31
comedy. But this was also a return to form for the star Leonardo DiCaprio, who delivers
1:37
his best performance since 2000's Catch Me If You Can. Speaking of Scorsese, he's
1:52
a great actor and a great actor. When Lou Boom, desperate for work, forces his way into the world of LA crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant
2:00
to become the star of his own story. Featuring Jake Gyllenhaal in a role that draws inspiration
2:04
from the likes of Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle and The King of Comedy's Rupert Pupkin
2:09
Gyllenhaal plays a weird drifter who becomes a sort of TMZ style crime reporter. We won't
2:13
spoil it any more for you, but it's an amazing performance in a tight, slickly produced script
2:18
from the writer of The Bourne Legacy. If you enjoyed 2011's Drive in Look and Feel, you
2:23
will definitely love this. Few filmmakers have a credits list as varied as Richard Linklater's. From Dazed and Confused
2:43
to The Before Trilogy, Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight and School of Rock, Linklater's films leave
2:49
us never entirely sure what to expect next, and Boyhood continues that tradition
2:58
Filmed over the course of 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater's Boyhood tells
3:02
the story of a young man growing up, through the eyes of a child named Mason, who literally
3:07
grows up on screen before your very eyes. Compared to some movies on this list, not
3:12
a lot really happens. The movie is total high concept. Start out filming a movie about
3:17
a kid and shoot new scenes every year until he's 18. The result of this though is deeply
3:22
touching. And in a way, it's a film where everything happens. If you've found yourself
3:26
wiping away a tear or two at last year's misunderstood iPhone commercial, you have to give Boyhood a go
3:42
The Grand Budapest Hotel follows the adventures of Gustav H, played by Bond's new M, Ralph
3:56
Fiennes. A legendary concierge at a famous hotel from the fictional Republic of Zubrukoa
4:01
Directed by Wes Anderson, whose quirky career is almost 20 years old and still going strong
4:06
the Grand Budapest Hotel is as offbeat and stylised as ever. With a mixture of great
4:10
cast, surrealistic style, humour, romance and amazing cinematography, easily makes this film a winner
4:27
Anyone who's old enough to remember the dark days of the 1990s are now spoiled in the golden
4:31
age of comic book movies. For Marvel however, continue to find ways to surprise us. And
4:37
one of those ways is not just sticking to its heavy hitter stars, and instead branching
4:41
out to establish new characters. Guardians of the Galaxy isn't based on a long running
4:45
hugely successful franchise the way that say Captain America is. But it manages to resonate
4:51
and get past it fairly by the numbers. Everyone wants a super powerful object plotline, by
4:56
virtue of some great characters, a lighter than usual tone and a few spectacular set pieces
5:02
If you only watch one comic book movie this year, make sure it's Guardians
5:21
Anyone watching or reading a tech blog should definitely be interested in the story of Alan
5:25
Turing, the genius mathematician who helped shape computing as it is today. And according
5:30
to legend, whose death inspired the Apple logo. There have been previous movie attempts
5:34
to tell the story of the code-breaking efforts that went on in Britain's Bletchley Park
5:39
but none of them have pulled it off so well. And certainly none that have showcased the talents of the incomparable Benedict Cucumberbatch. If you enjoyed A Beautiful Mind, another film
5:47
about a troubled maths genius, then you'll be sure to love The Imitation Game. Ok, so make that two comic book movies you need to see this year. Except Birdman isn't
6:06
really a comic book movie in the same way that Guardians of the Galaxy is. Instead
6:10
it's a film in which former Batman actor Michael Keaton plays, you guessed it, a former
6:15
Hollywood actor who once put on the tights to play a big screen comic book hero, known
6:19
as Birdman. In the years since, he's fallen from view as a blockbuster actor and sets
6:24
about trying to redeem himself by staging a Broadway show to prove he's still got it
6:29
Think Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, but with Gareth Spandex instead of… ok forget
6:33
it, but it's definitely worth your time. On paper, Live Thy Repeat doesn't sound that promising. It stars Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise
6:52
a former heartthrob actor who's now in his 50s, and probably still best known for his
6:57
bizarre Scientology-inspired rants. It arrived at cinemas with a different name, Edge of
7:02
Tomorrow, and it was rebranded for the home video market. Usually a sign that producers
7:06
are keen to make money as quickly as they can, before audiences can cotton on to the
7:10
fact that they're paying twice for the film they hated the first time round. And it did
7:14
very mediocre at the box office as well. But what happened? Well, it turns out Live Thy Repeat was a whole lot better than these pieces of information
7:23
suggest. It was almost inarguably the year's best sci-fi action according to Luke, but
7:27
I'd rather class Guardians as the best sci-fi. But, Luke Duhamel calls Live Thy Repeat a
7:32
fun alien invasion movie that more than delivers on its Starship Troopers meets Groundhog Day
7:36
high concept premise. So I'm guessing he's definitely recommending it. And last but not least, the LEGO Movie. In short, it's the Pixar movie that Pixar didn't
8:04
make. It's light-hearted, full of in-jokes and genuinely touching. Something that is
8:10
slightly surprising when you consider that the whole film is made of CGI LEGO blocks
8:15
Anyone who has played a LEGO video game will know just how inventive the franchise can be
8:20
This is everything you'd want for and more. So, there you have it, the 10 must-see films of 2014. But I wanna know, what was your favourite
8:34
movie this year? Let me know in the comments down below. Until next time, please hit the
8:39
like button if you enjoyed this video and if you haven't already, hit the subscribe
8:43
button so you don't miss a single video from Cult of Mac. I'll see you next time
#Consumer Electronics
#Drama Films
#Movie Reference
#Movies
#Romance Films