The Best And Worst Movies Of 2014

Well, I guess it's that time of year for me to yet again sum up my favorite and least favorite movies for 2014. This isn't a new tradition, as I've ranked movies at the end of the year several times before. However, it seems like my lists change every year, as in 2012 I only did my top 10 favorite movies and in 2013 I did my top 10 and bottom 5. But this year I wanted to change it up again and I felt like my favorite 3 and least favorite 3 movies would make a well-rounded list. Overall, I feel like this year has been pretty solid in the movie department. There weren't a lot of terrible movies that I saw, but there also weren't many outstanding movies either. However, a few did stand out to me on either side of the spectrum. I also want to add that all of the movies that I evaluated for my list this year were both released in 2014 and watched by me in 2014. Enjoy, and tell me what your favorite and least favorite movies of 2014 were.

BEST MOVIES OF 2014:

1. Interstellar:
Overall, I really enjoyed Interstellar and I feel like it brought not only great directing, acting, screenwriting and visuals to the table, but also had an outstanding soundtrack. I had some minor issues with this film (which I won't elaborate on as this isn't a review for Interstellar), but the high points exceedingly outshone any negative aspects about this film, and ultimately this is why I chose it as my favorite movie of 2014.
My Rating: ★★★★☆

2. Nightcrawler:
The crime thriller Nightcrawler "crawled" its way to number two on my favorite movies list for this year. I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but maybe that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did. It's certainly a dark film, but is pulled off with the perfect combination of elements. Overall, I was very impressed with the acting on Gyllenhaal's part, and also the atmosphere that Nightcrawler evoked. These are the reasons why it's one of my favorite films of 2014. (Read my movie review for Nightcrawler here).
My Rating: ★★★★☆

3. Lucy:
The 2014 science fiction film Lucy, starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman, landed in third place on my list for the best movies of 2014. I thought that this movie had a fast-paced, unique and very intriguing plot that I had never seen before, and it held my attention from beginning to end. I will admit that this movie did not have it all; certain parts of it were a little over-the-top. However, to me this does not overrun the many aspects about Lucy that I really enjoyed, and so it is my 3rd place pick for the best movies of 2014.
My Rating: ★★★★☆

WORST MOVIES OF 2014:

1. Divergent:
What can I say about this film, other than predictable. Having never read the series of books that the film Divergent is based on, I had no preconceived notions about this movie. But between the easily predictable plot from beginning to end, poor acting, and cookie cutter character relationships that I have seen all too much of in many movies recently, Divergent left me sorely disappointed. Ultimately it was, in my opinion, the worst movie that I saw all year. (Read my movie review for Divergent here).
My Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

2. Men, Women & Children:
I wanted this movie to be good, but boy did it let me down big time. This movie was simply too messy, and what could have been a solid concept for a film was over-complicated. There were too many different storylines going on for there to be any real substance, and in addition I found all of the storylines to be overdramatic and unrealistic. Ultimately, director Jason Reitman took what could have been a great movie and bogged it down with too much drama, landing this movie at number two for my worst films of 2014.
My Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

3. Heaven Is For Real:
This movie wasn't entirely bad and did have some positive elements. But with this being said, its plot lacked the anchor that it desperately needed to really pull the audience in. It also didn't help that throughout the length of Heaven Is For Real, I kept feeling like religion was being shoved too far down my throat. I feel like the religious part of the film could have been handled in a different way that would have made it much more enjoyable to watch. This is why Heaven Is For Real is one of my least favorite movies of 2014.
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆