5. Boyhood
Written and Directed by Richard Linklater.
Starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater and Ethan Hawke.
Coming in at number five in our countdown of the year’s best movies is Richard Linklater’s acclaimed coming of age tale Boyhood, which follows the growth of a young boy and his sister from childhood through to to adulthood. Shot over a period of twelve years, Boyhood is a landmark film which has received near-universal praise, and topped four of our writers’ individual lists as their favourite of the year.
Read our review of Boyhood here.
4. Gone Girl
Directed by David Fincher.
Starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, David Clennon, Patrick Fugit, Lisa Banes, Missi Pyle, and Emily Ratajkowski.
Based on Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel, David Fincher’s Gone Girl was a hit with audiences and critics alike, giving the filmmaker the highest-grossing movie of his career to date (and his second appearance in our end of year lists after The Social Network, which came in at #3 in 2010). And it’s also the highest-placed film in our top ten this year not to top any of our writers’ individual lists.
Read our reviews of Gone Girl here, here and here.
3. Nightcrawler
Written and Directed by Dan Gilroy.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Paxton, Rene Russo and Riz Ahmed.
Just edging out Gone Girl by just two points in our voting for third place is Nightcrawler, the directorial debut of screenwriter Dan Gilroy (Real Steel, The Bourne Legacy), which stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom – an L.A.-based crime journalist, or “nightcrawler”. Nightcrawler topped three of our writers’ individual lists and only narrowly missed out on second place…
Read our reviews of Nightcrawler here, here and here.
2. The LEGO Movie
Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Featuring the voice talents of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Cobie Smulders.
It sounded like a pretty ridiculous concept on paper, but it turned out… well… awesome. Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s CG-animated The LEGO Movie was a big favourite of the Flickering Myth writing team, topping three of our writers’ individual lists and featuring highly on another fourteen. Still, it wasn’t enough to secure first place. That honour goes to another Chris Pratt movie…
Read our reviews of The LEGO Movie here, here and here.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy
Directed by James Gunn.
Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro and Peter Serafinowicz with the voice talents of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.
Yes, Flickering Myth’s favourite movie of 2014 is none other than director Marvel Studios’ space opera Guardians of the Galaxy, which took the crown by a clear margin, being the top pick for four of our writers, and featuring in all but three of the 33 individual top tens. A near-perfect piece of popcorn entertainment, Guardians of the Galaxy opened up a whole new world for Marvel, both in terms of exploring the cosmic side of the MCU, and convincing the studio that its lesser-known properties can enjoy just as much success as the likes of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America.
Read our reviews of Guardians of the Galaxy here and here.
Listen to the Flickering Myth Podcast discussion on our picks in the player here, or click the link below to continue on for those films which just missed our on a place in the top ten, along with our writers’ individual favourites of the year…
Originally published December 31, 2014. Updated July 3, 2023.
