Essential Films of 2014
Favorites
Big Hero 6
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy (MCU)
Grand Budapest Hotel
The LEGO Movie
Nightcrawler
Selma
What We Do in the Shadows
Whiplash
Honorable mention
A Most Wanted Man (June 2024)
The Babadook
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Kingsman: The Secret Service
All ages
Annie
Big Hero 6
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The LEGO Movie
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Paddington
Guilty pleasures
3 Days to Kill
Divergent
Neighbors
Holiday
coming sometime
Want to see
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Iranian vampire noir)
Big Eyes
Birdman
Blue Ruin (Kickstarter funded crime drama)
Boyhood
Citizenfour
Cold in July
Draft Day (Costner)
Force Majeure
Foxcatcher
The Guest
Ida (Polish, almost-nun finds out she’s Jewish)
The Immigrant
Inherent Vice
It Follows
Leviathan (Russian)
Life Itself (doc of Roger Ebert)
Locke (Tom Hardy on the phone in his car for an hour)
The Monuments Men
One Lovers Left Alive (Jarmusch vampire love story)
Pawn Sacrifice (Toby Maguire, Live Schreiber Cold War chess)
The Raid: Berandal
The Tribe (Ukraine, school for deaf teens)
Two Days, One Night (France, Marion Cotillard)
Disappointing
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
X-Men: Days of Future Past
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Back to Film Index by Year
ESSENTIAL MUSIC OF 2014
Albums
Johnny Cash - Out Among The Stars
George Ezra - Wanted On Voyage
First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
James - La petite mort
Manic Street Preachers - Futurology
Sia - 1000 Forms Of Fear
Run the Jewels - RTJ 2
Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
Honorable mention
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - IX
alt-J - This Is All Yours
Bleachers - Strange Desire
Chevelle - La Gárgola
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Only Run
Leonard Cohen - Popular Problems
Coldplay - Ghost Stories
D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Black Messiah
Embrace - Embrace
Future Seasons - Singles
Pixies - Indie Cindy
Storm Large - Le Bonheur
The Raveonettes - Pe'ahi
Matthew Ryan - Boxers
Jack White - Lazaretto
Lucinda Williams - Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone
U2 - Songs of Innocence
The greatest songs of 2014
Boxers - Matthew Ryan
Cassy O’ - George Ezra (E)
Cedar Lane by First Aid Kit
Chandelier - Sia
Glory - Common & John Legend
Impossible Request - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Like a River Runs - Bleachers
Little Moments - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Nara - alt-J
Our Love by Sharon Van Etten
Rollercoaster - Bleachers
Seasons (Waiting On You) - Future Islands
Wake Me - Bleachers
We Are Libertines - Matthew Ryan
Spiritual
Glory - Common & John Legend
2014 Playlists by Month
January
Seasons (Waiting On You) - Future Islands
Cedar Lane - First Aid Kit
Boxers - Matthew Ryan
Dressed in Black - Sia
Intro - alt-J
Breakaway - George Ezra
February
Our Love - Sharon Van Etten
Wake Me - Bleachers
God’s Not Here Tonight - Matthew Ryan
The First Heartbreak - Matthew Ryan
March
Blame It On Me - George Ezra
Heaven’s Hill - Matthew Ryan
Glory - Common & John Legend
Did You Hear the Rain - George Ezra
Drawing Board - George Ezra
April
Impossible Request - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Fair Game - Sia
An Anthem for the Broken - Matthew Ryan
May
Chandelier - Sia
Budapest - George Ezra
Free the Animal - Sia
June
Happy - Pharrell Williams
Cassy O’ - George Ezra (E)
Jonathan - Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek
Like a River Runs - Bleachers
Elastic Heart - Sia
July
Rollercoaster - Bleachers
We Are Destroyer - Anberlin
August
Beyond Illusion - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Shadows - Bleachers
We Are Libertines - Matthew Ryan
September
Nara - alt-J
Little Moments - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
This One’s for You Frankie - Matthew Ryan
October
Red Eyes - The War on Drugs
November
The Queen of My Arms - Matthew Ryan