Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.
Click on the link to take you to the “Best of 2014” homepage.
Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.
Click on the link to take you to the “Best of 2014” homepage.
Best Family Flick
Big Hero 6
Book of Life
How to Train Your Dragon 2
LEGO Movie
Maleficent
WINNER – LEGO Movie
I am a huge LEGO buff so it makes sense this was one of my favorite movies of the year especially since I worked at The LEGO Store during a lot of the post release for the film and I can not tell you how many times I have heard “Everything is Awesome!” But this film held a very special place in my heart for films this year because of my love for LEGOs, but also because of my love of animation and all things pop culture which the film was filled with. The film itself was a perfect mix of family and adult humor. The ultimate message of that everyone has the potential to be special but it is how you use your talents and what you have that can make you special is a great message to kids. In addition, the hero of the movie was not Batman or the typical archetype, but your regular old construction worker; that is sure to make any normal child feel they have the talent to improve the world if they try. – Jacob
Second Place – How to Train Your Dragon 2
How to Train Your Dragon has become a very cherished movie to most. This year’s sequel only furthered this intoxication with all things Toothless. Build-A-Bear Toothless dolls sold out everywhere in anticipation for the film. As people swooped in to enjoy owning their very own pet dragon I even considered fighting a 6 year old girl at comic con for one when I couldn’t get my own. The second movie did the impossible, and gave us a reasonable back story for Hiccup’s absent mother, and again showcased what is possible when you have a loving companion dragon by your side. This movie made me laugh, cry, and hate my life for the single fact that I will never be able to live in this beautiful world of dragons. It’s too late to see this masterpiece in theaters, but I would strongly recommend making a point to watch this with any family and friends you have. – Sara
Third Place – Maleficent
I knew I was going to automatically like this movie even before I saw it. Does that make me biased? Probably, but I don’t care. Maleficent is hands down the baddest witch in town and being played by Angelina Jolie just made her perfect. But beyond the reputation and the actress who played the part (above and beyond), Maleficent did a fantastic job at drawing the audience in and giving us a lot of feels. Many times, a retelling can seem too far fetched, but the retelling of Maleficent’s story seemed plausible, if not probable. And those wings? Bad. Ass. – Adrian
RUNNER UP – Big Hero 6
Big Hero Six: the ass-kicking, robot-building, heart-warming movie of the year. Right off the bat it was awesome, a genius child with no direction using his prodigal engineering skills to enter robot fights. Later, with the guidance of his older brother he decides to use his talents in a more practical way. This all leads to him meeting his brothers invention, the medical robot Betamax and that is where his adventure begins. I loved this movie because of that warm, cliche feeling of the hero being triumphant in the end after overcoming physical and emotional hardship. It also is very diverse when it comes to the engineering department of his school, all of his friends coming from different racial backgrounds. I also loved that it could inspire kids to enter STEM fields in college and change the world through science. This movie definitely gets my vote for one of the best movies of the year. – Jojo
RUNNER UP – The Book of Life
With a better afterlife than Corpse Bride and better colors than a Sesame Street acid trip, The Book of Life is one of the best family movies in recent history. It’s a fun romp through the world of the dead. My favorite part is the fact that one of the producers is king of creepy goodness Guillermo Del Toro, unexpected and wonderful. The story is fun little love triangle between Manolo and Joaquin as they fight for the beautiful Maria. Channing Tatum brings a good humor to the story as Joaquin, a lady killer military man. In a wager between a fighting couple, of the spirit world variety, Manolo, Diego Luna, is sent to the Land of the Remembered after being bitten by a poisonous snake, he of course has to fight his way back to the realm of the living to win the heart of the lovely Maria, Zoe Saldana. Gather the whole family and enjoy this sugar skull full of fun. – Scott
Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.
Click on the link to take you to the “Best of 2014” homepage.
Best Film of the Year
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
LEGO Movie
WINNER – Guardians of the Galaxy
If you ask me, the best films are the ones you have the most fun watching. The most fun I had in a movie theater all year long was when I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy. I knew the film would be good, but I was not expecting it to be AMAZING! There were so many things that the Marvel team did well! They cast an unexpected lead role that did a fantastic job (Chris Pratt). They nixed the formulaic “superhero” movie model, creating instead a thrilling space adventure. They worked in one of the best utilization of a soundtrack EVER. They gave us a foul mouthed, short tempered, talking Raccoon and his best friend, a talking tree! It was a film for everybody – honestly! GOTG appeals to children and their parents, hard core fan-boys and fan-girls, the elderly, people who hate movies, mermaids, your dog, that guy over there, everybody!! I’ll wrap this up with one of the most profound, insightful and inspiring quotes of the film – ahem – … “I am Groot.” – Taylor
Second Place – Interstellar
Chances are, if a movie can make me ugly cry, it will be one of my favorites. Interstellar was no exception, and yes, I did ugly cry when it was all over. From the obvious aspects like acting to the small details like sound editing, this film was not just a film; it was an experience. And best of all? Christopher Nolan and his brother, Johnathan Nolan, pulled off a futuristic/dystopian/space exploration/science-fiction film and wrapped it in the bow of the love a father has for his daughter. How beautiful. – Adrian
Third Place – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Before watching Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, my favorite animal was a Gorilla for its powerful nature, commanding presence and authority. Now, I struggle with having my favorite animal also being the source of my nightmares for the exact same reasons. This movie was absolutely excellent. Between the apes creating their own society and the humans struggling to find a way to continue living, a story was developed which not only left the movie part of my brain satisfied, but also wanting more. A lot of times, sequels to highly rated movies with attempt to pack too much story into the film, leaving nothing but poor storytelling and drawn out action for the 3rd film. However, this movie discovered the secret formula to having the perfect amount of content, action, and story while allowing the audience to hope for the “main event” in the new movies to come. I’m just saying, if chimpanzees riding horses, shooting AK-47s engaging in “guerrilla” warfare wasn’t even part of the actual war, just imagine how screwed the humans are in the next one. – Evan
RUNNER UP – LEGO Movie
If you haven’t watched this movie, stop whatever stupid thing you’re doing and watch it right now. I can’t even put to words how amazing this movie was. I didn’t catch it in theaters because, come on, a LEGO movie? Ugh. Stupid, right? Who would have figured that a movie based on plastic blocks would be the thing to tell a story more meaningful than anything Disney’s produced in more than a decade – to have a thoughtful analysis of a son’s relationship with his father, to challenge our notions of the structure of the universe, to make me cry at the end like no other kid’s movie has done that isn’t The Land Before Time, and to be funnier than any other kid’s movie I’ve seen since… well, I’ll have to get back to you on that. I can’t think of the last kid’s movie I saw that made me genuinely laugh. BUT OH MY GOD! LEGO! AGGH, GET IT! – JH
RUNNER UP – Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Despite the media circus that Jennifer Lawrence became this year, Mockingjay was void of all the distraction that plagued its star throughout the year. The first movie of the third and final Hunger Games book was well-paced and had a very powerful message. Much like the Harry Potter series, the content has matured even more so than the characters in the story have. It was a great reflection of current political turmoil in a police state, one that may be too real by the time the final iteration is released. – Sherif
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