johnlink’s 2014 in review
Wrapping up my sixth year of writing about every movie I watch. This remains the only New Year’s Resolution I’ve ever kept (it’s one I made as 2008 turned into 2009). Had a year of change in my life this year. Left my job of seven years for a new job, and a new career, (and I love it… teaching in a small school system in Maine and running a Performing Arts Center). But one constant has remained (well in addition to things like, you know, my wife and kids) and that constant is that I love movies, and I enjoy writing about them.
I watched 178 movies in 2014. Below are the top and bottom rated movies in my ranking system. Before we get going, some notes:
*****Any movies mentioned will include a link to the original article.*****
***** I mention scores a bunch here. If you want to have some idea regarding what the heck the numbers mean, hit up this link! If you don’t care to do that, here is a brief overview… scores for ACTING and WRITING are self explanatory. FILM considers filmmaking qualities and thematic elements. MOVIE is purely a score which considers entertainment value. All are on a scale from 1 to 10, and I sometimes give bonus points for things like superior musical score or cinematography, etc. I very rarely give a 10 in any category for any movie, barely over 2% of the when considering the four categories together this year. I would then average these totals to come up with a final score which is based, again, on a scale from 1 to 10. *****
***** Lastly, and this is huge, this is IN NO WAY A BEST OF 2014 LIST! This is a list of my own personal movie watching in 2014. *****
So here we go…
TOP 7 (The 7 movies which scored an average of at least 9 out of 10)
My kids must have watched this a 100 times this year. I can deal with them having that kind of taste.
I had never seen this classic epic. It earns its reputation.
KUMONOSU -JO (THRONE OF BLOOD) – 9.25
This Japanese telling of the Macbeth story is powerful.
LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING – 9.0
One of the true classic series of the 21st century.
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS – 9.0
I somehow didn’t watch the 3rd one. That hurts my OCD.
TRUMAN SHOW – 9.0
Saw this in the theater projected from a Blu Ray. So glad we got to do that. This is a forgotten masterpiece.
LINCOLN – 9.0
One of the best historical dramas of recent times.
BOTTOM 5 – With the score, out of 10, next to the title.
THE BAY – 1.75
Almost unwatchable pseudo horror.
HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN – 1.75
This is some people’s bag, but it sure ain’t mine.
THE CORRUPTED – 2
This was a small indy film that I almost felt bad giving such low scores to.
FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE – 2.25
The absolute nadir of the Freddy series.
THE APE MAN – 2.75
There are tons of wonderful films to watch from the silver age of horror. This is not one of them.
BEST FILMS – These are the two that scored a perfect ’10’ in ‘Film’
WALL-E (movies already posted above with a link won’t get the link and a photo treatment a second time)
In addition to being a wonderfully fun film, the themes and filmmaking of WALL-E make it the strongest animated film ever made.
KUMONOSU -JO (THRONE OF BLOOD)
Kurosawa was at the top of his craft with this movie.
WORST FILMS – I gave out two ‘1s’ in ‘film’
FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE
Nothing of merit happens in this film.
HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN
Thematically, this is possibly one of the worst movies ever made.
BEST MOVIES – Of the 178 movies I watched this year, I gave 8 of them perfect ’10’ scores for entertainment.
WALL – E
Such a fun movie!
TRUMAN SHOW
I could watch TRUMAN SHOW multiple times in a row.
The movie responsible for the horror renaissance of the mid 1990s still stands up.
I might be the only person in the world who really enjoyed this movie.
Revisiting this series is always a pleasure.
This may have led to too many generic Liam Neeson action films, but the original is still great.
Wonderfully smart and fun sic-fi. Tom Cruise may be a nut job, but he almost always makes fun movies.
This is definitely a childhood favorite that I can’t watch objectively.
WORST MOVIES – the lowest I gave this year was a ‘2’ and it was to:
HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN
I found almost no entertainment value out of this movie whatsoever… and I wanted to like it!
BEST ACTED – I gave out two ’10s’ for acting…
LINCOLN
Daniel Day Lewis does it again.
This was a surprise find with wonderful performances all around.
WORST ACTED – I gave a single ‘1’ out for acting…
THE CORRUPTED
Again… Sorry to the makers of this film. It just didn’t work.
BEST WRITTEN – I gave out three ’10s’ for writing this year and they could not be from three more different movies…
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
The epic scope of this film was made all the better by how personal a story it ultimately tells.
I saw both of the CAPE FEAR movies on the same day in reverse order. The remake was good, but the script of the original is top notch.
My surprise find of the year. This honest teenage story would have been an all time favorite of mine if it came out when I was in high school.
WORST WRITTEN – I gave out two ‘1s’ in writing. You’ve seen these titles above…
THE BAY
This barely had a coherent script.
HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN
Ugh.
DOCUMENTARY CONSIDERATION – I give out a score for ‘effect’ rather than ‘acting’ when it comes to documentary, since there are no actors in a documentary. I only watched three documentaries this year (an embarrassingly low number), but two of them were among the most effective documentaries I have ever seen and scored a perfect 10 in the EFFECT category.
This story of a dude trying to recreate a classic Vermeer is amazing!
DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER
Devastating film.
And that is all for the top and bottom stuff! And now for some raw data to wrap up 2014:
Number of films watched: 178
Number of films watched that were new to me: 142
Number of films watched which I had previously seen: 36
Number of films seen in theaters: 6
Number of films between 1900-1929: 4
Number of films between 1930s: 6
Number of films between 1940s: 5
Number of films between 1950s: 8
Number of films between 1960s: 8
Number of films between 1970s: 5
Number of films between 1980s: 13
Number of films between 1990s : 19
Number of films between 2000s: 28
Number of films between 2010-present: 82
Number of films from current year: 10
Most represented year: 2013
Number of films which spawned sequels or were sequels: 42
Number of films which were later remade: 11
Number of films which were remakes themselves: 14
Number of films viewed in 3D: 0
Number of foreign (non-English speaking) films: 5
Number of animated films: 8
Number of documentaries: 3
Number of black-and-white films: 22
Number of films ranked for a second (or more) time: 7
The following are all out of 10:
Average FILM score total: 5.76
Average FILM score for films new to me: 5.69
Average FILM score for previously viewed films: 6.06
Average MOVIE score total: 7.54
Average MOVIE score for films new to me: 7.35
Average MOVIE score for previously viewed films: 8.31
Average ACTING score total: 6.47
Average ACTING score for films new to me: 6.42
Average ACTING score for previously viewed films: 6.67
Average WRITING score total: 5.85
Average WRITING score for films new to me: 5.70
Average WRITING score for previously viewed films:6.47
Net bonus points given:44
Number of films given bonus points (negative or positive):56
Average bonus point per film: 0.247
Negative bonus points given: 7
And the REALLY raw data:
| Date | Title | film | movie | acting | writing | bonus | total | avg | bonus category | 1st viewing? | year made |
| 1/2/2014 | Inglourious Basterds | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 7.5 | ~ | y | 2009 |
| 1/3/2014 | The Thirteenth Floor | 4 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | n | 1999 |
| 1/4/2014 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 31 | 7.75 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 1/5/2014 | Total Recall | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 6.25 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 1/6/2014 | Olympus Has Fallen | 5 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 6.5 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 1/7/2014 | Dumbo | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 6.25 | ~ | y | 1941 |
| 1/9/2014 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 36 | 9 | score | n | 2001 |
| 1/12/2014 | A Good Day to Die Hard | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 4.25 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 1/18/2014 | Walkabout | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 31 | 7.75 | cinematography | y | 1971 |
| 1/20/2014 | 50/50 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 8 | soundtrack | y | 2011 |
| 1/22/2014 | Broken City | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 5 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 1/25/2014 | Pain & Gain | 3 | 8 | 7 | 4 | -1 | 21 | 5.25 | based on a ‘true’ story | y | 2013 |
| 1/25/2014 | Dangerous Crossing | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 6.25 | ~ | y | 1953 |
| 1/27/2014 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 36 | 9 | score | n | 2002 |
| 1/29/2014 | Bab el hadid (Cairo Station) | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 7.5 | ~ | y | 1958 |
| 1/29/2014 | Wall-E | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 38 | 9.5 | music | n | 2008 |
| 1/31/2014 | Stoker | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 31 | 7.75 | editing | y | 2013 |
| 2/3/2014 | Good Night, and Good Luck | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 33 | 8.25 | ~ | n | 2005 |
| 2/4/2014 | Zero Dark Thirty | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 7.5 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 2/4/2014 | What! No Beer? | 4 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 5.5 | ~ | y | 1933 |
| 2/5/2014 | 101 Dalmatians | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 28 | 7 | animation | y | 1961 |
| 2/8/2014 | Would You Rather | 4 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 2/9/2014 | The Debt | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 29 | 7.25 | ~ | y | 2010 |
| 2/13/2014 | Singin’ in the Rain | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 30 | 7.5 | music | y | 1952 |
| 2/13/2014 | X-Men | 6 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ~ | n | 2000 |
| 2/14/2014 | World War Z | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 7.5 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 2/19/2014 | Side Effects | 3 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 4 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 2/22/2014 | Now You See Me | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 2/23/2014 | American Hustle | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 32 | 8 | authenticity of an era | y | 2013 |
| 2/24/2014 | The Truman Show | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 36 | 9 | art direction | n | 1998 |
| 2/27/2014 | Kumonosu-jo (Throne of Blood) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 37 | 9.25 | cinematography | y | 1957 |
| 3/3/2014 | Killing Kennedy | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 3.5 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 3/3/2014 | Yoru no onnatachi (Women of the Night) | 9 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 29 | 7.25 | ~ | y | 1948 |
| 3/4/2014 | Chain Reaction | 4 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | y | 1996 |
| 3/5/2014 | Caddyshack | 5 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 7 | improv | n | 1980 |
| 3/6/2014 | Deadfall | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 3/7/2014 | Seven Chances | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 7.5 | ~ | y | 1925 |
| 3/8/2014 | Lincoln | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 36 | 9 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 3/8/2014 | Stand Up Guys | 7 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 8.25 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 3/11/2014 | Thunderball | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ~ | y | 1965 |
| 3/18/2014 | The Conjuring | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 33 | 8.25 | 70s aestheitc | y | 2013 |
| 3/19/2014 | Who’s That Knocking At My Door | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 7.5 | ~ | y | 1967 |
| 3/22/2014 | Dredd | 6 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 3/28/2014 | The Bay | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 7 | 1.75 | terrible found footage | y | 2012 |
| 3/29/2014 | Divergent | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | y | 2014 |
| 3/31/2014 | Elysium | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 6.75 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 4/3/2014 | Alice in Wonderland (1915) | 6 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 6 | animal costumes | y | 1915 |
| 4/4/2014 | Death Race 2000 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 24 | 6 | cineamtograhy for cars | y | 1975 |
| 4/6/2014 | Killing Season | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 25 | 6.25 | score | y | 2013 |
| 4/8/2014 | Messenger of Death | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 4 | ~ | y | 1988 |
| 4/9/2014 | Grand Budapest Hotel | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 8 | ~ | y | 2014 |
| 4/12/2014 | The Blair Witch Project | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 26 | 6.5 | ~ | n | 1999 |
| 4/19/2014 | White House Down | 3 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 5 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 4/19/2014 | Gone | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 4.25 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 4/21/2014 | Dark Skies | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 6.5 | music | y | 2013 |
| 4/23/2014 | L’Inferno (Dante’s Inferno) | 9 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 6.75 | innovation | y | 1911 |
| 4/25/2014 | Iron Man | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 30 | 7.5 | score and soundtrack | n | 2008 |
| 4/26/2014 | Iron Man 2 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ~ | y | 2010 |
| 4/27/2014 | Robot & Frank | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 32 | 8 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 4/27/2014 | Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father | 8 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 8.25 | ~ | y | 2008 |
| 4/29/2014 | Gray’s Anatomy | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 27 | 6.75 | ~ | n | 1996 |
| 5/2/2014 | Iron Man 3 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 7.25 | CGI | y | 2013 |
| 5/4/2014 | Seven Psychopaths | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 6.25 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 5/6/2014 | The Killing Room | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | y | 2009 |
| 5/9/2014 | Like Crazy | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 8.25 | ~ | y | 2011 |
| 5/15/2014 | Jeff, Who Lives At Home | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 6.75 | ~ | y | 2011 |
| 5/16/2014 | Safe | 6 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 5/17/2014 | Three Days of the Condor | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 34 | 8.5 | ~ | y | 1975 |
| 5/20/2014 | You’re Next | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 26 | 6.5 | second half; score | y | 2011 |
| 5/21/2014 | 2 Guns | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 6.5 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 5/22/2014 | The Little Shop of Horrors | 4 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 27 | 6.75 | music | y | 1960 |
| 5/26/2014 | Trance | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 7 | editing | y | 2013 |
| 5/27/2014 | Solitary Man | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 5.25 | ~ | y | 2009 |
| 5/28/2014 | X-Men 2 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 29 | 7.25 | ~ | n | 2003 |
| 5/29/2014 | Seven Miles From Alcatraz | 5 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | y | 1942 |
| 5/30/2014 | Les Miserables | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 35 | 8.75 | music | y | 2012 |
| 6/2/2014 | Metropia | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 31 | 7.75 | sound design | y | 2009 |
| 6/2/2014 | X-Men: The Last Stand | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | -1 | 14 | 3.5 | botching a franchise | n | 2006 |
| 6/3/2014 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 7.25 | CGI | y | 2014 |
| 6/4/2014 | Silver Linings Playbook | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 7.25 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 6/7/2014 | Taken | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 8 | fight choreography | n | 2009 |
| 6/8/2014 | Spider-Man | 5 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 6.5 | ~ | n | 2002 |
| 6/9/2014 | In the Line of Fire | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 27 | 6.75 | ~ | n | 1993 |
| 6/11/2014 | Awake | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 6.25 | ~ | y | 2007 |
| 6/13/2014 | The Killing | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 8.25 | ~ | y | 1956 |
| 6/14/2014 | The Interpreter | 4 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 6.25 | ~ | n | 2005 |
| 6/16/2014 | Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 3 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 6/18/2014 | Independence Day | 4 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 5.5 | miniature work | n | 1996 |
| 6/19/2014 | The Incredible Burt Wonderstone | 4 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 5.5 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 6/21/2014 | R.I.P.D. | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 4.25 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 6/21/2014 | Diamonds Are Forever | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 5.25 | ~ | y | 1971 |
| 6/24/2014 | Godzilla (2014) | 6 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 7.25 | monster creation, CGI | y | 2014 |
| 6/24/2014 | Ten Days to Tulara | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 3.5 | ~ | y | 1958 |
| 6/26/2014 | Arlington Road | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 31 | 7.75 | ~ | n | 1999 |
| 6/28/2014 | Unthinkable | 4 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 4.75 | ~ | y | 2010 |
| 7/2/2014 | The Parallax View | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 5.5 | ~ | y | 1974 |
| 7/9/2014 | The 40-Year-Old Virgin | 4 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 6.5 | ~ | y | 2005 |
| 7/9/2014 | Creep | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 6.5 | villain makeup | y | 2004 |
| 7/10/2014 | The Last House on the Left (2009) | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 30 | 7.5 | score | y | 2009 |
| 7/12/2014 | Winchester ’73 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 7.5 | ~ | y | 1950 |
| 7/13/2014 | Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil | 5 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ~ | y | 2010 |
| 7/14/2014 | This Thing With Sarah | 5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 7/14/2014 | Lawrence of Arabia | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 37 | 9.25 | score, editing | y | 1962 |
| 7/16/2014 | Puss in Boots | 5 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 6.5 | ~ | y | 2011 |
| 7/17/2014 | Thor: The Dark World | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 5.25 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 7/20/2014 | A Modern Musketeer | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 8 | fight choreography | y | 1917 |
| 7/20/2014 | Lara Croft: Tomb Raider | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | -1 | 14 | 3.5 | terrible score | n | 2001 |
| 7/23/2014 | Jack Reacher | 6 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 7/24/2014 | Top Gun | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 29 | 7.25 | ~ | n | 1988 |
| 7/25/2014 | Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | y | 2014 |
| 7/29/2014 | Face/Off | 4 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | n | 1997 |
| 7/30/2014 | Arbitrage | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 8/1/2014 | The Great Gatsby (2013) | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 26 | 6.5 | coloring | y | 2013 |
| 8/6/2014 | Cape Fear (1991) | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 34 | 8.5 | score | y | 1991 |
| 8/6/2014 | Cape Fear (1962) | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 34 | 8.5 | ~ | y | 1962 |
| 8/13/2014 | Raw Deal | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | -1 | 13 | 3.25 | bad fight choreography | y | 1986 |
| 8/14/2014 | The Iron Giant | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | y | 1999 |
| 8/17/2014 | A Fistful of Dollars | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 6 | score | y | 1964 |
| 8/20/2014 | City Lights | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 30 | 7.5 | score/special effects | y | 1931 |
| 8/22/2014 | Back to the Future | 7 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 33 | 8.25 | ~ | n | 1985 |
| 8/23/2014 | Back to the Future Part II | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | -1 | 22 | 5.5 | trailer at movie’s end | n | 1989 |
| 8/24/2014 | Back to the Future Part III | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 6.5 | ~ | n | 1990 |
| 8/25/2014 | Laura | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ~ | y | 1944 |
| 8/26/2014 | Miami Vice | 6 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 28 | 7 | soundtrack | n | 2006 |
| 8/27/2014 | Primal Fear | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 7.5 | ~ | y | 1996 |
| 9/8/2014 | Despicable Me | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ~ | y | 2010 |
| 9/13/2014 | Django Unchained | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 31 | 7.75 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 9/13/2014 | Robin Hood: Men in Tights | 4 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 6.5 | ~ | n | 1993 |
| 9/18/2014 | For a Few Dollars More | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 7.25 | score | y | 1965 |
| 9/19/2014 | Two Seconds | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 30 | 7.5 | monologue | y | 1932 |
| 9/20/2014 | Space Jam | 4 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | y | 1996 |
| 9/24/2014 | The Monuments Men | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | y | 2014 |
| 9/29/2014 | The Ape Man | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2.75 | ~ | y | 1943 |
| 10/1/2014 | Tim’s Vermeer | 6 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 8.25 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 10/2/2014 | Captain Phillips | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 31 | 7.75 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 10/3/2014 | The Possession | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 6.25 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 10/4/2014 | Eraser | 4 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | n | 1996 |
| 10/7/2014 | Signs | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 7.25 | score | n | 2002 |
| 10/8/2014 | I Spit On Your Grave (2010) | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 4 | ~ | y | 2010 |
| 10/14/2014 | The Ghost of Yotsuya (Tôkaidô Yotsuya kaidan) | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 6.75 | ~ | y | 1959 |
| 10/15/2014 | A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 4.25 | ~ | n | 1984 |
| 10/17/2014 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 4 | ~ | y | 1985 |
| 10/18/2014 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 6.5 | music | y | 1987 |
| 10/19/2014 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 3 | ~ | y | 1988 |
| 10/21/2014 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 4.5 | ~ | y | 1989 |
| 10/23/2014 | Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2.25 | ~ | y | 1991 |
| 10/24/2014 | Wes Craven’s New Nightmare | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 6.5 | innovation | y | 1994 |
| 10/28/2014 | The Vampire Bat | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ~ | y | 1933 |
| 10/30/2014 | The Fog (1980) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 7 | music | y | 1980 |
| 11/4/2014 | Scream | 7 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 34 | 8.5 | music | n | 1996 |
| 11/6/2014 | Reasonable Doubt | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 4.25 | ~ | y | 2014 |
| 11/12/2014 | Parkland | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 7.25 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 11/19/2014 | The Corrupted | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | ~ | y | 2010 |
| 11/20/2014 | Savages | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 11/22/2014 | The Prestige | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 32 | 8 | ~ | n | 2006 |
| 11/23/2014 | Pride and Glory | 6 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 7.25 | ~ | y | 2008 |
| 11/25/2014 | The Call | 5 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 6.5 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 11/26/2014 | Frozen | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 32 | 8 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 11/26/2014 | Under the Skin | 9 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 7.25 | soundscape | y | 2013 |
| 11/26/2014 | Fireman, Save My Child | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 4 | ~ | y | 1932 |
| 11/29/2014 | Star Trek Into Darkness | 5 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 27 | 6.75 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 11/30/2014 | DeepStar Six | 4 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 5.25 | ~ | y | 1989 |
| 12/1/2014 | Pompeii | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 4.25 | ~ | y | 2014 |
| 12/4/2014 | Hobo WIth a Shotgun | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | -1 | 7 | 1.75 | terrible coloring | y | 2011 |
| 12/5/2014 | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 6.25 | lead pairing | y | 2014 |
| 12/9/2014 | Edge of Tomorrow | 6 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 31 | 7.75 | ~ | y | 2014 |
| 12/11/2014 | Some Velvet Morning | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 6.25 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 12/14/2014 | Suspect Zero | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 5.25 | ~ | y | 2004 |
| 12/16/2014 | The Spectacular Now | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 34 | 8.5 | ~ | y | 2013 |
| 12/19/2014 | Autoreiji (Outrage) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 29 | 7.25 | ~ | y | 2010 |
| 12/20/2014 | Scrooge (1935) | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 6.25 | Christmas Future | y | 1935 |
| 12/20/2014 | Meet the Parents | 5 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 28 | 7 | ~ | n | 2000 |
| 12/22/2014 | Red Dawn (2012) | 3 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 4.5 | ~ | y | 2012 |
| 12/23/2014 | The Hunger Games | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 8 | ~ | n | 2012 |
| 12/24/2014 | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 8 | ~ | n | 2013 |
| 12/25/2014 | Hugo | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 31 | 7.75 | ~ | y | 2011 |
| 12/28/2014 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 6.25 | ~ | y | 2014 |
| 12/31/2014 | Troy | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 5.75 | ~ | n | 2004 |
johnlinkmovies 
I think you must be channeling Bruce!
That’s a lot of movies. I’d say it’s admirable that you were even able to keep a record of all the movies you saw this year, I know I certainly couldn’t. I will agree that Lawrence of Arabia is a classic, but I haven’t seen a lot of the others in your lists.
I tried doing something along those lines last month, but the best I could do was rank the worst movies I’d reviewed (http://hitchcocksworld.blogspot.ca/2014/12/retrospective-top-ten-worst-movies.html), and I’ve written about some really bad movies (to be honest, I actually was surprised at how high Rambo: First Blood Part II got ranked on that list).
Thanks for reading! I have a spreadsheet dating back to when I started this blog. I’m north of 785 movies in 6 years, so I’m far behind some of the other sites I’ve seen. But I’ve tried not to let the blog dictate my movie watching, but rather merely document it.
But the spreadsheets give me away. I’m a dork.