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Dan’s Miscellaneous Awards for 2014

Now that the more straight forwarded categories are out of the way onto a grab bag of categories that I’m calling my Miscellaneous Awards. These are awards that didn’t quite fit in any of the other categories.  For example I will attempt to name the best hero and villain of this year. Also I would travel to the land of digital movies to see which ones fared the best and the worst.

 

Emmet_filmstill3

Greatest Movie Hero:

Emmet

In a movie full of superheroes, cowboys, nights, magicians, pirates, and the LA Lakers the biggest standout character was an everyday construction worker. Of course it was a byproduct of the plot, but it also sends an all so important message. An unlikely hero for sure that quickly become a recognizable character.

Honorable Mentions: Steve Rogers (Captain America: Winter Soilder), Starlord (Guardians of the Galaxy), Father James (Calvary)

 

 

Koba

Best Movie Villain:

Koba

Once you have an ape riding a horse shooting duel machine guns the contest for this award was over and done with. Besides that he has the all so important element that all great villains need–distinct and justified motivations. He is not just evil for evil sake. We understand where he is coming from and can even sympathize with him to a certain extent.

Honorable Mentions: Winter Soilder, Artemisia (300: Rise of an Empire)

  

 

 

Nightcrawler movie

Best Movie Antihero:

Lou Bloom

There are those antiheroes who go about things in a wrong way, but are truly trying to do good. Then there is Lou Bloom. It is his sheer mesmerizing personality that makes you want to route for him even though what he is doing is awful. He is like the modern day Travis Bickle that has an even looser grip on reality and absolutely no sympathy for others.

Honorable MentionsMagneto (Days of Future Past), Eric Love (Starred Up), Dwight (Blue Ruin)

Nymph 2

Biggest Surprise:

Nymphomaniac: Volume I

I tend to gives this award to movies that fall into two categorizers. Either I thought the movies was going to be awful and it turned out good, or I heard absolutely nothing about it when I saw it and ended up really loving it. Nymphomaniac: Volume I falls into the former. I am no Lars Von Trier fan as he is one of the few directors I have no issue giving the pretentious label. Nymphomaniac: Volume I had a sense of humor I was not expecting. It never took itself too seriously which made me find it rather enjoyable.

Honorable Mentions: LucyThe Machine, Like Father, Like Son, Nymphomaniac: Volume I

Godzilla 1

 

Biggest Disappointment:

Godzilla  

 Godzilla  is a movie I ended up giving a positive review, but did not quite it the heights I was hoping for. The monster battles were impressive, while everything else was just plan bad. Aaron Taylor Johnson was bland as bland can be as a lead, and nearly every human characters was absolutely pointless. The more separation I get from it the less I tend to like it.

Dishonorable Mentions: Interstellar Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Monuments Men 

Calvary

Best Opening Sequence:

Calvary

 No opening scene was more important to its film than this one this year. Everything that came after was hinged upon this scene of a man speaking about the atrocities that were done to him. Sometimes all you need is a great actor to get your attention. When that actor is Brendan Gleeson a lot of your work is done for you.

Honorable  Mentions: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Captain America: The Winter Solider, Under the Skin, Borgman 

 

 

The Raid 2

Best Fight:

Kitchen Fight (The Raid 2)

There was no question this award was going to The Raid 2. The hard part was deciding what fight to chose from. You have the hammer fight in the subway, the prison mud brawl, and of course this intense fight sequence. As an overall scene I prefer the prison mud brawl, but as a strictly a fight the kitchen scene is superior. The complexity in the fight chorography is insane. The hours it took to shoot this scene was worth it, because it produced action movie gold.

Honorable  Mentions:  Winter Solider vs Captain America, Hammer Fight (The Raid 2),  Cesar vs Koba (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Future X-Men vs Sentinels (X-Men: Days of Future Past)

 

 

 

blog-nicoleherr-rocket-groot

Best Comedic Duo:

Rocket Raccoon & Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy)

I know this is an obvious choice. Groot and Rocket are the breakout characters of 2014. They went from a liability to a guaranteed money maker. Who would have thought a talking tree that says four words and a loud mouth raccoon could accomplish that. Credit goes to the entire team that brought their characters to life. From the special effects department to the voice actors to director James Gunn. Everything they did made them such memorable characters.

Honorable  Mentions: Milo & Maggie (The Skelton Twins)

 

 

Doc

Best Cameo:

Christopher Loyd (A Million Ways to Die in the West)

A new award for me this year. We all know Seth McFarlane loves his reference humor. This moment by itself is not all that funny–well most of A Million Ways to Die in the West is not all that funny to be honest. Truthfully it was just cool to see Christopher Lloyd play the role of Doc again just for one small instance.

Honorable  MentionsHoward the Duck (Guardians of the Galaxy)

 

 

A Fault In Our Stars

Best Romantic Duo:

Hazel & Gus  (The Fault in Our Stars)

I have to admit I wrote of The Fault in Our Stars long before I saw it. The idea of a teen romance centered o two teenagers suffering from cancer just seemed like a Lifetime movie come to life. There are times when that label does fit. Even still Shailene Woodley  and Ansel Elgort do work well as a couple. Plus its great to see a teen romance dealing with serious issues rather than choosing between a vampire or werewolf.

Honorable Mentions: Donna & Max (Obvious Child), Ethan & Sophie (The One I Love)

 

 

 

 

witching

Future Cult Classic:

Witching & Bitching

I do not think I have gotten this award right yet so here goes nothing. Witching & Bitching has what you need in a cult film. First its just absolutely crazy. When a man dressed up as SpongeBob Square Pants accidentally shooting a crowd of tourist during a robbery gone wrong is one of your more low key moments you know some out there stuff happens. This starts off normal enough. At first you may think you are watching some overly stylized heist movie, but by the end it becomes something very, very different.

Honorable MentionsAutómata, Ping Pong Summer, The Congress

 

 

 

starred-up-bg-3-620x400

Best On-Demand:

Starred Up

For what feels like years now I have been waving the On-Demand flag, and this year I think maybe a couple of people listened. Just because a movie is not released in theaters does not mean that movie does not deserve your attention.  If ever there was a movie that could destroy that stigma it is Starred Up. A movie I put alongside anything else that has come out this year.

Honorable Mentions: Blue Ruin12 O’Clock Boys, Mistaken for Strangers, The Double, Nymphomaniac: Volume I, Snowpiercer 

 

 

 

Virunga

 

Best Netflix:

Virunga

We all know Netflix has entered the world of television programing in the last few years. What has been less talked about is Netflix also buying distribution rights for some movies as well. Currently it seems they are more focused on documentaries which his fine by me. Virguna is the best of the bunch by far with it giving a unique first hand look into a part of the world we rarely see.

Honorable Mentions: The Battered Bastards of Baseball, Print the Legend, 

 

 

 

                                                                                             

 

                   like-father-like-son-02

 

Movie Most Likely to Be Remade:

Like Father, Like Son

Foreign films being remade is a common occurrence. Usually the best ones are retellings of movies that focus on universal themes that are relatable to multiple cultures. There may not be a more universal theme than family. Like Father, Like Son has a story we have heard before but treats it with new perspective. Those type of traits then to lead to Hollywood wanting to see what they could do with a similar premise.

Honorable Mentions: The BabadookCheap Thrills

 

 

 

 

Whiplash-5547.cr2

Biggest Regret:

Whiplash 

My last award goes to the movie I feel the worst about missing. There was quite a few this year that for whatever reason I was unable to get too. Ironicly the movie that won this award that last two years ende dup being my favorite film of that year. (Zero Dark Thirty and Her). I do not see that happening this year but you never know.

Honorable Mentions: Inherent Vice, Unbroken, American Sniper, Selma, Foxcatcher, Love is Strange

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Dan Clark

A fan of all things comics, movies, books, and whatever else I can find that pass the time. Twitter: @DXO_Dan Instagram: Comic_concierge

One Comment

  1. I’m glad I’m not the only one that regrets that many films that they missed throughout the year! Almost done making up for it now though!!

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