Brad Avery’s Top 10 of 2014

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It’s obligatory. Top 10 lists have become a staple of film writing. Web content producers have long known that humans have an innate psychological attraction to lists, and what causes it I can’t exactly say. Is it the compartmentalization of ideas? An enticing sense of exclusivity? Regardless, I love them. I can’t get enough of seeing what everybody’s favorites are, even when they start looking more and more like the same list repeatedly.

So, why not throw my hat in the ring with the rest of ‘em? I saw 54 movies this year (55 if you split Nymphomaniac) and out of those I liked about 30 or so. There’s still a lot of big ones that I either missed or haven’t been released in my area yet (namely Inherent Vice and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) but I’ll give you what I’ve got. And because we all love the suspense, it’s in countdown format:

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Jenna Ipcar’s Top 5 of 2014

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An honorable mention.

Ah yes, December. The month in which we all gather round the fireplace with a warm glass of wassail, cozy up to our loved ones, and talk about how many movies we regretted spending thirteen bucks on over the last twelve months.

Just kidding—I was actually pretty impressed with 2014 overall as far as new releases went. Of the 103 movies I watched this year—26 of which came out this year—I found that I enjoyed most of the new releases. I only actively disliked about one of them, Gone Girl). So, whereas 2013 was a year of ‘meh’ for me, I’d say 2014 was a year of three-star or higher films—a good solid year. 

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Want our Best of 2014 Holiday Special? Join Smug Film Club!

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Alright, you little pipsqueak! We know you like our podcast, and we know you’ve been waiting with bated breath for a new episode.

Well, you’ll be pleased to learn that Season Two of the podcast starts on January 5th, with new episodes going up every Monday after that! But, if you join Smug Film Club (our awesome mailing list where we never email you unless we’re giving you cool free exclusive bonus stuff) you can listen to a brand new podcast episode right now!

It’s our Best of 2014 Holiday Special, where we discuss our favorite movies of the year, and holiday movies in general. This special bonus episode will never be on iTunes or anywhere else—the only way to hear it is by becoming a Smug Film Club member, which is a completely free and painless process. Find out more about Smug Film Club here!