BEST NEW FEATURE dir. by Thomas McCarthy
Director Tom McCarthy returns to form with an absolutely incredible journalistic drama that is easily one of the year's very best films.
dir. by Lenny Abrahamson
Deserving of all the critical acclaim it's gotten, Room contains so many fascinating and important topics within its intense two hours that it's undoubtedly one of the best films of the year.
dir. by Steven Spielberg BEST NEW FEATURE
Formulaic though it may be, Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies remains a superbly crafted thriller with just enough beneath the surface to stand out among the pack.
Season 3 episode 5
A very different episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. provides a nice respite from the usual action but lacks much excitement or tension on its own.
This week's Steven Universe provides considerable world building and a decent amount of depth, but is ultimately tangential to the main plot and weak in the humour department.
This week's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't quite as exciting as the premiere, but it has more than enough exciting plot developments to keep the story going.
Massive spoilers for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.follow.
dir. by Denis Villeneuve BEST NEW FEATURE
Lionsgate's best bet for awards in a few months comes in the form of Sicario, a brutal, intense thriller that offers an often horrifying glimpse at the harsh world of the drug war.
BEST NEW FEATURE
Ridley Scott's return to form isn't quite the intense thrill ride that was expected, but as a crowd-pleaser on an epic scale, it's nothing short of wonderful.
Continuing the plot threads of the previous episode, the latest episode of Steven Universe builds up new plot threads while making some awkward attempts at character moments.
dir. by Scott Cooper
With September already more than midway through, gangster drama Black Mass begins the Oscar bait season in typically dull fashion.
In its second season, Steven Universe has been on a winning streak, with the only bum notes being a non-canon crossover episode (which I didn't watch) and a pair of filler episodes that Cartoon Network detached from the season at large. Unfortunatly, its latest episode, "Sadie's Song", breaks the streak by indulging some of the show's worst habits, although it does manage to still have some pathos despite that, resulting in an episode that is still above the worst that other shows have to offer, but is disappointing nontheless.
dir. by James Ponsoldt BEST NEW FEATURE
This independent film based off David Lipsky's obituary of David Foster Wallace is a fantastic road trip movie filled with rich dialogue.
With its second season resuming, Steven Universe once again proves why it's among the best shows on television right now, with an episode that encapsulates all that's great about the show.
BEST NEW FEATURE dir. by Christopher McQuarrie
The fifth instalment in the long-running spy action franchise is a wonderful reminder of why we like these movies in the first place.
dir. by Judd Apatow full cast/crew at IMDB BEST NEW FEATURE
Amy Schumer's new romantic comedy is offbeat and funny, but also contains unexpected depth by working as a character study.
dir. by Peyton Reed distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures full cast at IMDB
The newest superhero origin story from Marvel Studios may not be the studio's best effort, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable watch all the same.
BEST NEW FEATURE
The Sundance-acclaimed adaptation of Jesse Andrews' novel of the same name has finally reached indie cinemas, and while it's not the best film to win Sundance's Grand Jury Prize, it's a touching, funny, and smart teen film.
dir. by Paul Feig
The third movie from the potent duo of Melissa McCarthy and writer-director Paul Feig is a hilarious success that contains as many thrills as it does laughs.
BEST NEW FEATURE
After a few rocky years, Pixar re-emerges in top form with Inside Out, a film as smart, funny, and emotional as the studio's very best.
Jurassic Park is widely regarded a classic, but its sequels are... less so. Jurassic World seeks to reboot the series, with an all-new cast and all-new technology. So does it reach the heights of the original? Not even close.
Brad Bird's Tomorrowland seemed promising from all the previews, and it's clear that he has a vision, but in just about every area, this vision is compromised by its own muddled screenplay.
BEST NEW FEATURE
George Miller's return to his iconic Mad Max franchise is not only the series' strongest entry, but quite possibly one of the best action movies ever made.
BEST NEW FEATURE
Writer Alex Garland's directorial debut Ex Machina has finally arrived here after weeks of waiting, and thankfully it's a triumph of intelligent sci-fi in spite of its faults.
The sequel to 2012's smash hit The Avengers was bound to be the biggest film of the year, and nothing seems poised to top it at the box office. Marvel Studios films are reliably high-quality action fare, and Age of Ultron is not the studio's first failure... but it also doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor and isn't one of the studio's strongest efforts.
BEST NEW PICTURE
This French-Mauritanian film is an early contender for the best film of 2015, and is an absolute must-watch... though you may have to wait for the video release.
Furious 7 is the newest instalment in the long-running The Fast and the Furious franchise. It's also the first one I've watched. Thankfully, this is a great piece of testosterone-fuelled fun, with just enough substance to serve as high-quality entertainment.
BEST NEW FEATURE It Follows has been getting a lot of buzz recently as one of the greatest horror movies in recent years. It might drag a bit, but the film is more than terrifying enough to earn that distinction.
BEST NEW FEATURE
Having finally come to North America after receiving much acclaim overseas in Britain, the historical thriller '71 proves that it deserves every bit of praise it's gotten.
Generally, I don't review films outside the year of their theatrical run. However, as The Theory of Everything has been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, I've decided to break my usual rule and give my thoughts on it. In summary: Often poignant, even more often funny, but its loose structure often makes the film feel interminable.
After a lot of buzz overseas, British family movie Paddington has finally made a splash in North America. Thankfully, the film lives up to its acclaim, delivering cute fun for the whole family.
So Clint Eastwood's new film, American Sniper, has been hitting it big at the box office and at the awards shows. In case you're wondering if the film deserves all the hype, the answer is no. Not even a little bit.
BEST NEW FEATURE
This new biopic about Martin Luther King, Jr. is an powerful, important film that reflects on the current situation, and would certainly be on my Top 10 List had I been able to see it on the date of its premier. It demands to be seen.
2014 ended on Thursday. This weekend, I will not be watching a film. Instead, I will be looking back on everything that I watched last year and selecting my ten (okay, fourteen, with honourable mentions) favourite movies from 2014.