Film of the Year 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Firstly, I'm going to say sorry for the lack of posts during December - it was a busy month and blogging took a massive back seat which is not how I wanted to end a fantastic year on Ticket Stub. To make up for this, I'm starting 2015 with the Film of the Year for 2014! I will also combine a brief December Film of the Month to this post too.

So let's have a very brief look back at last month's films. This final month of the year was actually pretty disappointing for movie-going. I only managed to see two films during December, and didn't get the chance to see the biggest film The Hobbit! I know, this is very poor. (Don't worry, it will be in the January 2015 round up).

As usual here is the rating system:

* = Poor. Why did I even bother?!

** = OK. Could have done better.

*** = Good. Recommended though don’t feel bad you don’t get to see this one.

**** = Excellent. Not quite perfect but highly recommended.

***** = Masterpiece. You’d be a fool not to see this film.

All titles to films link to their respective IMDB pages so you can discover more about the plot, cast and crew.

Dumb and Dumber To

Image: imdb.com

The dumbest duo are back in a not-so-eagerly awaited sequel. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels look like they had fun making this themselves, but is it funny for the rest of us? Not so much. If you're a fan of the first film (really?!), then you'll probably enjoy this. For the majority though, there is no need to see it.

Rating: *

Big Eyes

Image: filmpulse.net

Tim Burton unexpectedly directs this movie starring Christoph Waltz and the brilliant Amy Adams. The story is exciting and it is actually rather refreshing to not have Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter starring in yet another Burton picture. Adams is excellent and Waltz plays the creepy crook very well. A great story that I would certainly recommend.

Rating: ***

Therefore, December Film of the Month is:

Big Eyes

Watch the trailer here:

Now to the main event - 

Ticket Stub's Film of the Year 2014. 

Let's look at the nominations:

Click on the links above to read each review in full.

January - 12 Years a Slave

February - Dallas Buyers Club

March - The Grand Budapest Hotel

April - Divergent

May - X Men: Days of Future Past

June - The Fault in Our Stars

July - Boyhood

August - Guardians of the Galaxy

September - Night Will Fall

October - Gone Girl

November - The Imitation Game

December - Big Eyes

There have been plenty of outstanding films throughout 2014 that it's genuinely hard to just pick one.
However, one must be crowned the winner so here are the top three:

Third Place - Boyhood



Second Place - 12 Years a Slave




First Place - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Do you agree with my choices?

What was your Film of the Year?

Next up will be a New Year's Resolutions post (much needed I think!)

Here is to 2015!

August Film of the Month

August is over and it is time to look back at the best Film of the Month.

Have you seen any of these films? What did you think? Do you agree with my ratings?

To help your decision, here is Ticket Stub's rating system:

* = Poor. Why did I even bother?!

** = OK. Could have done better.

*** = Good. Recommended though don’t feel bad you don’t get to see this one.

**** = Excellent. Not quite perfect but highly recommended.

***** = Masterpiece. You’d be a fool not to see this film.

Each film title links to their relevant IMDB pages so you can find out about plots, cast and crew.

So let's get on with it and see which movie will come out on top. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter @TicketStubBlog

Guardians of the Galaxy

Image: metrokids.com

At first, I wasn't too sure where this film was going - with a talking raccoon and special effects galore, my initial impression was 'oh, god what have I walked into? Is this just some silly movie for kids?'. However, once we get going, this film is a hoot. The script is brilliantly funny, almost bordering on spoofing the superhero blockbusters. The charismatic Chris Pratt (The Lego Movie, TV's Parks and Recreation) is a brilliant piece of casting as Peter Quill. He knows how to play comedy but we can also take him seriously as the hero of the film. Each character is intriguing and entertaining, put altogether their chemistry bursts a huge amount of energy on the screen. The plot may be a bit frantic in places, but a highly recommended film nonetheless. Another stand out moment? It has to be the soundtrack which is based on Quill's mixtape from the 1980s. Tracks include: I Want You Back by The Jackson 5 and Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Highly recommended for all the family.

Rating: ****

The Inbetweeners 2

Image: metro.co.uk

The Inbetweeners 2 has been extremely successful at the box office. The movie, based on the popular E4 TV series, took £12.5 million in its first five days at the UK box office. So with its success in sales, is the film itself any good? Well, yes and no. Yes in the sense that the four socially inept guys are back, visiting Jay in Oz. The jokes are pretty funny including Will serenading his love interest in a great piece of cringe-worthy comedy. There are also plenty of snarky remarks on gap-year students and culture. However, some of the humor may be too vulgar for viewers - with physical comedy involving excrement and misogynistic themes throughout. Some jokes fall flat but if you don't like one, they'll be another to have you laughing. For fans of the TV show and first movie, it is more of the same and you know what to expect. Stay for the credits, as they are just as funny. Recommended to fans of the show, but do not worry if you miss this one.

Rating: *** 

What If

Image: sideonetrackone.com

Daniel Radcliffe stars as Wallace - a geeky British med-school dropout living in Toronto. He meets Chantry who has a boyfriend. The film asks the inevitable 'will they/won't they' questions and the all important one - can men and women be just friends? I liked the themes of this, mainly because it reminded me of When Harry Met Sally (1989), however What If falls into the predictable rom-com cliches. I thought Radcliffe plays the comedy pretty well, but he doesn't have the same charm and heart-throb attractiveness as say, Hugh Grant. It is pretty certain that if this was made in the 90s, Grant would be all over this. What If is enjoyable but is certainly not a stand out rom-com.

Rating: **

Lucy

Image: eadavisblog.wordpress.com

Scarlett Johansson stars in the thriller which, although slightly ridiculous, keeps you guessing as to what will happen when Lucy reaches 100% of her brain capacity. The movie is thrilling and having the weighty Morgan Freeman as the professor always adds a sense of dramatic seriousness. Lucy is great, up to a point. As she accesses more capacity, her powers become hard to fathom and the movie spirals out of control. Maybe that is the point though? The ending is very disappointing. When the credits rolled, I asked 'is that it?'. A fairly good thriller which starts as an entertaining piece, but soon becomes nonsense. 

Rating: **

A huge variety of films this month. Which is Ticket Stub's pick?

August Film of the Month is...

Guardians of the Galaxy

Check out the trailer below:

What is your August Film of the Month?

Let me know in the comments or tweet @TicketStubBlog