Earlier in the year, we asked for your favourite films of the year so far, and you came out in droves in support for The Lego Movie and Under the Skin. This time round, some of the year’s later dramas and thrillers rose to the top of the pile.
Thanks to everyone for their votes, and for sharing their reasoning behind each choice. We’ve compiled a handful of your submissions in the top 10 below, along with our critics’ thoughts on the film in question. Here we go:
1. Boyhood
“Such an audacious idea, wonderfully realised.” ID113608
“It’s unlike anything you’ll ever see – and it’s sensitive and brilliant as well as unique.” RoseateSpoonbill
“A truly original, touching and inspiring example of independent filmmaking. A painstaking labour of love by Richard Linklater and the cast and crew which deserves to be recognised as such.” MJWatts
What we said: “Boyhood is so ambitious and passionate that I can’t imagine anyone cranking out another conventional ‘coming-of-age’ picture.”
2. Under the Skin
“It was simply the most inventive, expressive, weird, wonderful, moving, and profound film of 2014.” Skinnyfists
“Like nothing else released this year, it lived with me and grew on me as the year went on.” foxtrotdelta
“Too many outstanding moments - from a haunting abandonment on a beach, an alien view of just how bizarre a shopping centre is, and Scarlett Johansson ‘on the pull’ in Glasgow. One of the films of the decade.” rm1970
What we said: “[Under the Skin] is visually stunning and deeply disturbing: very freaky, very scary and very erotic”.
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
“Wes Anderson is a virtuoso. The film is near perfect in so many different ways – cinematography, pace, cast, direction, soundtrack, nuance.” Simon
“I just found it visually stunning, very well-acted and exciting. It was a visual feast and funny and entertaining, too.” jetster123
“Quirky, fun and a wonderful story.” ID1801386
What we said: “As ever, Anderson’s world is created like the most magnificent full-scale doll’s house”.
4. Nightcrawler
“Nightcrawler is an insightful exposure of the immorality of the media business and of our own secret desires to ‘witness’ death and violence. Performances are outstanding and there are moments that really make your flesh creep.” ID2294755
“Sharp, dark, satirical and bone-rattlingly thrilling, with a career-peak turn from Jake Gyllenhaal.” robbiemt
“It’s dark. It’s funny. Jake is brilliant and its great to see Russo in something decent.” Lesley
What we said: “[Director Dan] Gilroy maintains the dramatic tension and satirical fizz to the very last second.”
5. Interstellar
“Grand scale. Compelling effects. Great acting.” homer1964
“I thought last year’s Gravity was the epitome of a technically brilliant space film (even though the plot was severely lacking). But Chris Nolan made a better space film in two years than Alfonso Cuaron could in seven. Sorry, Alfonso.” Coron
“Interstellar had the unique ability to reach a large audience, do well at the box office and ignite debates between casual filmgoers and buffs alike. A film that demands masses of viewers to form and share an opinion about it is a powerful film indeed.” Brady
What we said: “It’s a glorious spectacle, but a slight drama, with few characters and too-rare flashes of humour.”
6. Ida
“A spectacular and rich film, full of all-too-human contradictions. Sweet yet bitter; funny yet bleak; warm yet austere. Some kind of marvel!” jahn24
“It’s beautifully filmed, and an incredibly moving story. I have fallen in love with this film since I first saw it in last year’s BFI London Film Festival!” Kat
“Everything was perfect about this movie: the actors, the photography, music, story and mood. I watched it with my two young teenagers and they absolutely loved it! Did I mention this is a black-and-white movie in Polish?” Zayra
What we said: “Ida is a compelling film that achieves a great deal in a short time.”
7. Pride
“Charming and tongue-in-cheek portrayal of a previously forgotten story regarding LGBT rights in the UK. As a gay guy myself I had no idea these people managed to win over the NUM in the most flamboyant style possible. Great soundtrack as well.” ewan_whose_army
“A touching and affectionate portrayal of gay and lesbian activists supporting the miners’ strike of 1984. The applause at the end of the screening I attended was testament to how simply lovely the film was.” vandekamp
“A film that celebrates a common, decent humanity in the face of prejudice and greed is rare. One that does it with humour and truth is precious. I watched it, smiling, through tears of genuine pride.” Chris7572
What we said: “This a richly enjoyable film – and one that persuades you that the good guys might actually have won in the end.”
8. Guardians of the Galaxy
“I went in with no expectations at all, having seen a trailer that (to a comic book outsider) made no sense. What I got was one of the funniest films of the year: two hours of pure escapism, with engaging actors and a cracking storyline. Bring on the sequel (and more Chris Pratt).” NatashaS
“Pure joy injected straight into your eyeballs. Funny, exciting, cool to the maximum.” Baracus800
“Full of feel-good heart, piss-takes of 1980s motifs and stand-out malevolence from Karen Gillan. There’s nothing wrong with undemanding, funny movies.” MissGlenghis
What we said: “A smart, funny, self-aware bubblegum movie; like the recent X-Men film Days of Future Past, it features a retro playlist indicating an increasing possibility that middle youth, as well as actual youth, is an important target audience”.
9. Kajaki: The True Story
“The film is the most haunting and extraordinary film I’ve seen this year. The combination of the dramatic suspense and horror coupled with knowing it is a true story is something I have never encountered before at the cinema.” pukkaman
“For the first time in the modern era, a strikingly honest film depicting real events in a contemporary conflict. Accurate in every detail and devoid of sentimentality, this is so much more than a war film.” martinwelbourne
“100% true, harrowing story. No big stars, no special effects and no musical score, just a raw and brilliantly told story that fills you with fear, laughter but most of all pride.” BadfingerTaffy
What we said: “This film possesses a lacerating power that reinforces its self-contained claustrophobia.”
10. Gone Girl
“The film transforms from being a mere thriller to a deeper and sadistic look at what the expectations of relationships can make us.” Denis
“I just hadn’t had such a good time at the movies for a long while. It was very gripping, the voiceover kept me on edge and I loved the clever way the film plays with our expectations and faux morality.” metroisbetter
“Good acting with a fabulous twist for those who like me haven’t read the book. Genuinely unsettling.” Mark
What we said: “It’s a faithful adaptation of some faithless misbehaviour; a thriller that initially invites us to root for the woman and regard the man as pure evil.”
