Well, here we are!  This is my favorite part of the TSL’s look back at the previous year!  Below, you’ll find my picks for the 26 best films of 2014!

(Why 26?  Because Lisa doesn’t do odd numbers.)

Before looking at the list, there are two things that I would ask you to keep in mind.  First off, these are my picks and my picks alone.  There are 12 writers here at the TSL and we are all very opinionated individuals.  Needless to say, we don’t always agree.  Just because I love a film doesn’t mean that Arleigh, Leonard, Ryan, or anybody else here agree or disagrees.  (Even my own sister occasionally disagrees with me…)  When the other writers get around to posting their picks, I imagine that some of the films below will appear on those lists. And some of them most definitely will not.  Vive la difference!

Also, it should be understood that, unlike some film critics, I only list movies that I’ve actually seen.  Unfortunately, since I live in the middle of the country, that means that there are a few 2014 films that have yet to be released in my part of the world.  Over the upcoming two weeks, I plan to see Inherent Vice, Selma, American Sniper, A Most Violent Year, and The Imitation Game.  Any one of these films could potentially end up in my top 26, in which case I will update this post to reflect that.

(1/10/15 Update — I have updated the list to include Inherent Vice.  And, since I don’t do odd numbers, I also added Blue Ruin so that the list is currently an even 28 films.)

As for my list, as I look over it, I have to admit that I’m a little bit surprised by some of the films that made the biggest impression on me this year.  Whereas in previous years, my favorite films were far outside of the mainstream, my favorite film of 2014 was the epitome of blockbuster entertainment.  The list is an interesting combination of spectacle and existential dread, featuring everything from the latest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a few neglected masterpieces of ennui.

(If you’d like to see my picks for 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, click on the links!)

And without further ado, here’s the list!

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. Wild
3. Boyhood
4. Under the Skin
5. The LEGO Movie
6. Nightcrawler
7. The Fault In Our Stars
8. Foxcatcher
9. Palo Alto
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel
11. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
12. Joe
13. Birdman
14. Venus in Fur
15. A Field in England
16. California Scheming
17. Gone Girl
18. Chef
19. Snowpiercer
20. Cold In July
21. Jodorowsky’s Dune
22. Whiplash
23. Inherent Vice
24. Begin Again
25. The Purge: Anarchy
26. Devil’s Due
27. Only Lovers Left Alive
28. Blue Ruin

Agree?  Disagree?  Let me know in the comments below!

Previous Entries In TSL’s Look Back At 2014

1. 2014 In Review: Things Dork Geekus Dug In 2014 Off The Top Of His Head
2. 2014 In Review: The Best Of Lifetime and SyFy
3. 2014 In Review: Lisa’s Picks For The 16 Worst Films Of 2014
4. 2014 In Review: 14 Of Lisa’s Favorite Songs Of 2014
5. 2014 In Review: Necromoonyeti’s Top 10 Metal Albums of 2014
6. 2014 In Review: 20 Good Things Lisa Saw On TV In 2014
7. 2014 In Review: Pantsukudasai56’s Pick For The Best Anime of 2014
8. 2014 in Reivew: Lisa’s 20 Favorite Novels of 2014
9. 2014 In Review: Lisa’s Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2014