50 MORE MUST-SEE MOVIES OF 2014

Here’s 50 more must-see movies, but how many did you catch?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Gist marc Webb spins a sprawling sequel. must-see, why? Andrew garfield’s grounded web-head commands attention and the emotional pay off is startlingly bold. seen it

Cold in July

The Gist michael C. hall’s family man turns true detective. must-see, why? an ’80s-set neo-noir with texas locales and Don Johnson as a pig-farming Pi with a brick-sized portable phone. What’s not to like? seen it

Exodus: Gods And Kings

The Gist ridley scott returns to the swords-and-sandals epic as moses leads 600,000 slaves out of egypt. Must-see, why? huge practical sets mixed with Cg spectacle. and Christian Bale as moses! seen it

Gone Girl

The Gist David fincher adapts gillian flynn’s bestselling crime thriller. must-see, why? a vicious dissection of marriage: Ben affleck and rosamund Pike are to die for.

How To Train Your Dragon 2

The Gist hiccup, toothless and friends face a dragon god’s army. must-see, why? the franchise stays airborne with miraculous creatures, engaged voice-work and emotion-seared twists. Blue ruin the Gist Cannes-lauded tale about a homeless man out for vengeance. must-see, why? an old-school indie thriller with twists to the formula. Jeremy saulnier carves out tension with precision. seen it

Dallas Buyers Club

The Gist homophobic rodeo star turns Aids victim turns self-medicating mother theresa. must-see, why? oscar winners matthew mcConaughey and Jared leto in a true story that’ll make you burn with anger.

seen it

franK

The Gist lenny abrahamson’s off-piste comedy lifts the mask of an outsider-pop savant. must-see, why? this riff on music and mental illness plays to its own key. Michael fassbender nails every note.

seen it

The Guest

The Gist a war veteran cosies his way into a family’s life. shit hits fan. must-see, why? high-grade B-pic smarts. Dan stevens terminates Downton Abbey’s shadow with muscular ease.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

The Gist out of the frying pan of the arena, into the fire of all-out war. it’s the beginning of the end. must-see, why? for J-law’s revolutionary Katniss.

Calvary

The Gist John michael mcDonagh follows The Guard with the Priest. must-see, why? a state-ofthe-nation clarion call in which Brendan gleeson excels as the Catholic churchman under physical and spiritual threat. seen it

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes

The Gist sequel to the prequel, as san fran’s simians get smart. must-see, why? Photo-realistic mo-cap apes, led by andy serkis. the emotive script doesn’t monkey around either. seen it

Fruitvale Station

The Gist ryan Coogler’s version of the shooting of an africanamerican man by a white cop. must-see, why? Coogler and star michael B Jordan bring a raw, ragged humanity to the gut-punching tragedy.

seen it

Her

The Gist spike Jonze logs on to a man/machine virtual romance. must-see, why? a melancholy valentine to romantic connection. Joaquin Phoenix’s open-book emotions move, scarlett Johansson speaks volumes.

The Imitation Game

the Gist morten tyldum’s thriller cracks open WW2 codebuster alan turing’s secrets. must-see, why? Cumberbatch aces another genius, and the direction and taut script meet his magnetic precision head-on.

Chef

The Gist Jon favreau cooks up a storm in this mouthwatering dramedy about a food truck. must-see, why? the chance to see favreau back to his pre-Iron Man roots, delivering a bit of personal soul food.

seen it

The Double

The Gist former TF columnist richard ayoade puts his own spin on Dostoevsky’s doppelgänger drama. must-see, why? Jesse eisenberg rocks as a corporate drone and his cocksure nemesis.

seen it

Fury

The Gist Brad Pitt tanks into second World War-fare. must-see, why? David ayer’s direction pulverises: as it should. Pitt’s weathered lead and logan lerman’s green rookie ground the experience. seen it

The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

The Gist Bilbo and co. fight smaug and just about everyone else in middle-earth. must-see, why? it’s the end of Peter Jackson’s epic undertaking, and it’s enormous.

The Inbetweeners 2

the Gist a trip down under for e4’s boy-men. must-see, why? the gross-out pleasures are poop-yourself funny, but it’s the sweet empathy for growing pains that lingers.

Citizenfour

The Gist eye-opening doc on whistleblower edward snowden. must-see, why? We’re locked in a hideaway with snowden as his inside info breaks to alert the public that Big Brother is watching.

seen it

Edge Of Tomorrow

the Gist tom Cruise fights aliens. Dies. fights aliens. Dies. fights aliens… must see, why? Cruise’s taut time-looping actioner offers smarts as well as spectacle, and a kick-ass emily Blunt.

seen it

Godzilla

The Gist Brit director gareth edwards breathes new life into Japan’s galumphing gecko. must-see, why? the original godzilla design is lovingly recreated with Cgi, while set-pieces bring the awe.

Horns

The Gist his girlfriend murdered, Daniel Radcliffe wakes up with the horn(s). must-see, why? Based on a book by Joe hill (Stephen King’s son) this is another step in Dr’s transformation to adult star.

Inside Llewyn Davis

The Gist the Coens’ ballad of a ’60s folkie presents another of their seriously flawed men. must-see, why? the Coens blend mirth, music, moggies and melancholy. oscar Isaac is pitch-perfect.

Lucy

The Gist a super-drug boosts scarlett Johansson’s skills in luc Besson’s sci-fi brain scrambler. must-see, why? set-pieces, pulp metaphysics and superhero origin riffs. Johansson owns every giddy moment.

seen it

Nightcrawler

The Gist Jake gyllenhaal prowls la for crime footage in Dan gilroy’s satire of media amorality. must-see, why? this stylish horrorshow sees a gaunt, vampiric gyllenhaal give a career-best performance.

seen it

Pride

The Gist Who knew striking miners and gay campaigners had so much in common? must-see, why? saucy, uplifting and astute, matthew Warchus’ vibrant Brit-flick was the crowd pleaser of the year.

seen it

Stranger By The Lake

The Gist mesmeric menace as a gay hangout becomes a murder scene. must-see, why? love and death in the great outdoors, with graphic couplings and more than one fatal attraction.

seen it

Unbroken

The Gist true tale of the Olympian who crashed his plane in WW2, surviving months on a raft and years in a Japanese PoW camp. must see, why? angelina Jolie directs another breakout performance by Jack o’Connell.

seen it

Maleficent

The Gist Sleeping Beauty’s wicked witch gets a makeover in a fairy-tale of feminist revenge. must-see, why? star charisma roaring, angelina Jolie upends Disney clichés (motherhood, morality) with sly, wry humour.

seen it

Noah

The Gist let there be rock monsters, sayeth Darren aronofsky, reimagining the Bible. must-see, why? Aronofsky plays god with a $125m budget and russell Crowe rediscovers his mojo as the ark knight.

seen it

’71

The Gist a lone squaddie separated from his unit runs for his life in 1970s Belfast. must-see, why? Jack o’Connell excelled in a nail-biting thriller with a foot chase to rival Point Break’s.

seen it

22 Jump Street

The Gist undercover idiots schmidt and Jenko go to college. must-see, why? Channing tatum and Jonah hill pump up the bromance in a raucous sequel that deconstructs sequels. roll on 23!

seen it

We Are What We Are

The Gist a family of cannibals struggles to survive in a bleak southern backwater. must see, why? Jim mickle’s us horror remake improves on the mexican original. Composed and classy.

seen it

Maps To The Stars

The Gist David Cronenberg engineers a genetic mutation of the hollywood satire. must-see, why? Probes parts other tinseltown take-downs don’t reach. Julianne moore revels in the sex and psychosis.

seen it

Nymphomaniac

The Gist Charlotte gainsbourg shares her sex-capades in lars von trier’s art-grot two-parter. must-see, why? mixing filth and philosophy, lvt delivers maximum provocation in his friskiest picture for years.

seen it

The Raid 2

The Gist intrigue. fight! Car chase. fight! shoot-out. fight! must-see, why? gareth evans re-staked his claim as the master of mayhem in this bigger, bolder follow-up to his seminal 2011 actioner.

seen it

Transformers: Age Of Extinction

The Gist three hours of autobot Bayhem. must-see, why? four films in, the franchise keeps raising the bar for eye-popping spectacle. the biggest hit of 2014.

seen it

What We DoIn The Shadows

The Gist Flight Of The Conchords team serve a mockumentary about three vampire flatmates. must see, why? Vampires haven’t been this funny since Breaking Dawn.

seen it

The Maze Runner

the Gist James Dashner’s novel about an entrapped teenager is Lord Of The Flies-meets-Lost. must-see, why? mazes. running. monsters. Dylan o’Brien’s energised lead hoists this lean sci-fi thriller above Ya fatigue.

seen it

Oculus

The Gist mirror, mirror on the wall, why do you want to kill us all? must-see, why? on reflection, only The Babadook beat mike flanagan’s time-hopping chiller in spooky dread.

seen it

Robocop

The Gist old bot, new suit. must-see, why? José Padilha silenced the nay-sayers with a respectful, intelligent reboot. lacked verhoeven’s viscera but wielded plenty of kick-ass combat and hi-tech thrills.

seen it

Two Days, One Night

The Gist marion Cotillard must persuade her co-workers to give up their bonuses to save her job. must-see, why? the Dardennes capture the panic, sadness and desperation of the recession. a small drama with great import.

seen it

The Wind Rises

The Gist the life and love of Japan’s foremost aircraft engineer Jiro horikoshi, as told by hayao miyazaki. must see, why? this deeply personal biopic forms a fitting swansong for ghibli’s guru.

seen it

Mr Turner

The Gist mike leigh paints a rich picture of romantic artist J.m.W. turner. must-see, why? timothy spall dives into the artist’s personality; leigh opens out his canvas with living, breathing conviction.

seen it

Only Lovers Left Alive

The Gist two vampires rekindle their centuries-long romance in Detroit and tangiers. must-see, why? Tom hiddleston and tilda Swinton made a decadent double act in Jim Jarmusch’s deadpan delight.

seen it

Starred Up

The Gist father and son convicts reunite behind bars. must-see, why? Forget Porridge. David mackenzie’s drama showed prison as it is and got a turn from Jack o’Connell which marks him as a future star.

seen it

The Two Faces Of January

The Gist sun, sea and suspicion as viggo mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and oscar isaac charm each other. must see, why? slick, stylish and pleasingly old-fashioned, it’s a hitchcockian beach-noir with bite.

seen it

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

The Gist the ‘new’ X-men meet the ‘old’ X-men to battle time loops and giant robots. must see, why? More ambition, more thrills and more a-listers than all the other X-flicks put together.

seen it