2014: World Premieres 2014: U.S. Releases 2014: Still Left to See 2014: Cannes Festival 2014: Chicago Festival 2014: Toronto Festival 2014: Prep for Toronto 2014: Venice Festival 2014: Best Collaborations Looking Back Moving Ahead Browse Films by Title / Year / Reviews Home / Blog / E-Mail The Movies of 2014: U.S. Releases  By Title // By Grade, with Top Ten List // By VOR Rating  (what's this?) Complete Reviews ★ = Full Review   /   ★ = Capsule Review   /   ★ = Special Feature or Blog Review (new window) ★  American Sniper Dir. Clint Eastwood. Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Jake McDorman A– ★  The Missing Picture Dir. Rithy Panh. Documentary about the Khmer Rouge A– ★  Selma Dir. Ava DuVernay. David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Stephan James A– ★  Stranger by the Lake Dir. Alain Guiraudie. Pierre Deladonchamps, Patrick d'Assumçao B Full Listing of Films Screened 22 Jump Street Dirs. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller. Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum C 300: Rise of an Empire Dir. Noam Murro. Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Callan Mulvey D+ About Last Night Dir. Steve Pink. Joy Bryant, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart B Abuse of Weakness Dir. Catherine Breillat. Isabelle Huppert, Kool Shen B– Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq Dir. Nancy Buirski. Documentary C+ American Sniper Dir. Clint Eastwood. Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Jake McDorman A– Archipelago Dir. Joanna Hogg. Kate Fahy, Tom Hiddleston, Lydia Leonard, Amy Lloyd B The Babadook Dir. Jennifer Kent. Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney B+ Bad Hair Dir. Mariana Rondón. Samuel Lange Zambrano, Samantha Castillo B+ Bad Words Dir. Jason Bateman. Jason Bateman, Rohan Chand, Kathryn Hahn C– Before You Know It Dir. PJ Raval. Documentary about three elderly gay men B+ Begin Again Dir. John Carney. Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine B+ Belle Dir. Amma Asante. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Reid, Sarah Gadon B– Beyond the Lights Dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker B+ Big Eyes Dir. Tim Burton. Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Krysten Ritter D Big Hero 6 Dirs. Don Hall, Chris Williams. Animated. Voices of Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit B+ Bird People Dir. Pascale Ferran. Anaïs Demoustier, Josh Charles, Taklyt Vongdara B– Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu B+ The Blue Room Dir. Mathieu Amalric. Mathieu Amalric, Stéphanie Cléau, Léa Drucker B– Blue Ruin Dir. Jeremy Saulnier. Macon Blair, Amy Hargreaves, Devin Ratray, Kevin Kolack B+ Borgman Dir. Alex van Warmerdam. Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval B+ The Boxtrolls Dirs. Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable. Animated C Boyhood Dir. Richard Linklater. Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke B Butter on the Latch Dir. Josephine Decker. Sarah Small, Isolde Chae-Lawrence B Cake Dir. Daniel Barnz. Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Sam Worthington D Camp X-Ray Dir. Peter Sattler. Kristen Stewart, Peyman Moaadi, Lane Garrison B Captain America: The Winter Soldier Dirs. Anthony and Joe Russo. Chris Evans B The Captive Dir. Atom Egoyan. Ryan Reynolds, Mireille Enos, Rosario Dawson C– Child of God Dir. James Franco. Scott Haze, Tim Blake Nelson, Jim Parrack, Nina Ljeti C Child's Pose Dir. Călin Peter Netzer. Luminiţa Gheorghiu, Bogdan Dumitrache B The Circle Dir. Stefan Haupt. Matthias Hungerbühler, Sven Schelker, Ueli Jäggi C+ Citizenfour Dir. Laura Poitras. Real-time record of Edward Snowden's disclosures B+ Closed Curtain Dirs. Jafar Panahi, Kambuzia Partovi. Kambuzia Partovi B Cold in July Dir. Jim Mickle. Michael C. Hall, Vinessa Shaw, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson C+ The Congress Dir. Ari Folman. Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Danny Huston B– Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Dir. Matt Reeves. Jason Clarke, Andy Serkis B– Dear White People Dir. Justin Simien. Tessa Thompson, Tyler James Williams B– Devil's Knot Dir. Atom Egoyan. Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Alessandro Nivola C+ The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them Dir. Ned Benson. Jessica Chastain C– Divergent Dir. Neil Burger. Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jai Courtney, Zoe Kravitz C The Dog Dirs. Frank Keraudren, Allison Berg. Documentary about John Wojtowicz B The Double Dir. Richard Ayoade. Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn C+ Edge of Tomorrow Dir. Doug Liman. Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson A– Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me Dir. Chiemi Karasawa. Documentary about the actress B– Enemy Dir. Denis Villeneuve. Jake Gyllenhaal, Sarah Gadon, Mélanie Laurent B– Evolution of a Criminal Dir. Darius Clark Monroe. Documentary about ex-convict B+ Exhibition Dir. Joanna Hogg. Viviane Albertine, Liam Gillick, Tom Hiddleston A– The Face of Love Dir. Arie Posin. Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Robin Williams C– The Fault in Our Stars Dir. Josh Boone. Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern B The Final Member Dirs. Zach Math, Jonah Bekhor. Documentary about penis museum B Finding Vivian Maier Dirs. John Maloof, Charlie Siskel. Documentary B– Force Majeure Dir. Ruben Östlund. Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Fanni Metelius B Foxcatcher Dir. Bennett Miller. Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo C+ The Foxy Merkins Dir. Madeleine Olnek. Lisa Haas, Jackie Monahan, Alex Karpovsky D Frank Dir. Lenny Abrahamson. Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Fassbender C– Frankie & Alice Dir. Geoffrey Sax. Halle Berry, Stellan Skarsgård, Phylicia Rashad D+ Fury Dir. David Ayer. Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña C+ The German Doctor Dir. Lucía Puenzo. Florencia Bado, Àlex Brendemühl, Diego Peretti B Get On Up Dir. Tate Taylor. Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis C+ A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Dir. Ana Lily Amirpour. Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi B+ The Giver Dir. Phillip Noyce. Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Odeya Rush, Meryl Streep C– Gloria Dir. Sebastián Lelio. Paulina García, Sergio Hernández, Luz Jiménez B+ Godzilla Dir. Gareth Edwards. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe C+ Gone Girl Dir. David Fincher. Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon C A Good Marriage Dir. Peter Askin. Joan Allen, Anthony LaPaglia, Stephen Lang C+ Goodbye to All That Dir. Angus MacLachlan. Paul Schneider, Melanie Lynskey B Goodbye to Language 3D Dir. Jean-Luc Godard. Héloise Godet, Kamel Abdeli A– The Grand Budapest Hotel Dir. Wes Anderson. Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori B– Guardians of the Galaxy Dir. James Gunn. Chris Pratt, Zoë Saldana, Dave Bautista B– The Guest Dir. Adam Wingard. Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer B– Happy Christmas Dir. Joe Swanberg. Anna Kendrick, Joe Swanberg, Melanie Lynskey B Hateship Loveship Dir. Liza Johnson. Kristen Wiig, Guy Pearce, Hailee Steinfeld C Heli Dir. Amat Escalante. Armando Espitia, Juan Eduardo Palacios, Andrea Vergara A– Hide Your Smiling Faces Dir. Daniel Patrick Carbone. Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson B– The Homesman Dir. Tommy Lee Jones. Hilary Swank, Tommy Lee Jones B+ Honey (aka Miele) Dir. Valeria Golino. Jasmine Trinca, Carlo Cecchi, Vinicio Marchioni B Horses of God Dir. Nabil Ayouch. Abdelhakim Rachi, Abdelilah Rachid, Hamza Souidek B+ How to Train Your Dragon 2 Dir. Dean DeBlois. Animated. Voice of Jay Baruchel B– Ida Dir. Pawel Pawlikowski. Agata Trzebuchowska, Agata Kulesza, Dawid Ogrodnik B+ Ilo Ilo Dir. Anthony Chen. Koh Jia Ler, Yeo Yann Yann, Chen Tian Wen, Angeli Bayani B+ The Imitation Game Dir. Morten Tyldum. Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley C The Immigrant Dir. James Gray. Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Renner A– Inherent Vice Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. Joaquin Phoenix, Katherine Waterston B– Interior. Leather Bar. Dir. Travis Mathews. Val Lauren, James Franco, Travis Mathews C Interstellar Dir. Christopher Nolan. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway C+ Into the Woods Dir. Rob Marshall. Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Emily Blunt C+ It Felt Like Love Dir. Eliza Hittman. Gina Piersanti, Giovanna Salimeni, Ronen Rubinstein B– Joe Dir. David Gordon Green. Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan, Gary Poulter C+ The Judge Dir. David Dobkin. Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vincent D'Onofrio D– The Last of the Unjust Dir. Claude Lanzmann. Documentary about a Nazi camp A– The Lego Movie Dirs. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller. Animated. Voice of Chris Pratt C+ Leviathan Dir. Andrei Zvyagintsev. Aleksey Serebryakov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov B Life Itself Dir. Steve James. Documentary about life and career of film critic Roger Ebert B Like Father, Like Son Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda. Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono B– Lilting Dir. Hong Khaou. Ben Whishaw, Cheng Pei-Pei, Andrew Leung, Naomi Christie C+ Listen Up Philip Dir. Alex Ross Perry. Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss C Locke Dir. Steven Knight. Tom Hardy, voices of Andrew Scott, Ruth Wilson, Olivia Colman C+ Love Is Strange Dir. Ira Sachs. John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Charlie Tahan B+ Lucy Dir. Luc Besson. Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked C– Maidan Dir. Sergei Loznitsa. Documentary about Ukrainian independence protests B Maleficent Dir. Robert Stromburg. Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley C Miss Julie Dir. Liv Ullmann. Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton C The Missing Picture Dir. Rithy Panh. Documentary about the Khmer Rouge A– Mommy Dir. Xavier Dolan. Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément C A Most Violent Year Dir. J.C. Chandor. Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, Albert Brooks A– A Most Wanted Man Dir. Anton Corbijn. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams B+ Mr. Turner Dir. Mike Leigh. Timothy Spall, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson A– National Gallery Dir. Frederick Wiseman. Documentary about the celebrated museum A– Neighbors Dir. Nicholas Stoller. Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, James Franco B– Night Moves Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard D+ Nightcrawler Dir. Dan Gilroy. Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, Bill Paxton B– Noah Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman D+ Non-Stop Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra. Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery C+ The Normal Heart Dir. Ryan Murphy. TV Movie. Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch B– Norte, the End of History Dir. Lav Diaz. Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayani, Archie Alemania A– The Notebook Dir. János Szász. András Gyémánt, László Gyémánt, Gyöngvyér Bognér C+ Nymphomaniac, Vol. 1 Dir. Lars von Trier. Stacy Martin, Charlotte Gainsbourg C Nymphomaniac, Vol. 2 Dir. Lars von Trier. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård C Obvious Child Dir. Gillian Robespierre. Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann B+ Oculus Dir. Mike Flanagan. Katie Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Annalise Basso, Garrett Ryan C+ Omar Dir. Hany Abu-Assad. Adam Bakri, Iyad Hoorani, Samer Bisharat, Leem Lubany B Once Upon a Time, Verônica Dir. Marcelo Gomes. Hermila Guedes, W.J. Solha B– The One I Love Dir. Charlie McDowell. Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss, Ted Danson B– Only Lovers Left Alive Dir. Jim Jarmusch. Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt A– The Overnighters Dir. Jesse Moss. Documentary about pastor housing migrants B+ Palo Alto Dir. Gia Coppola. Jack Kilmer, Emma Roberts, Nat Wolff, Zoe Levin B Pioneer Dir. Erik Skjoldbjærg. Aksel Hennie, André Eriksen, Wes Bentley, Stephen Lang B– Pride Dir. Matthew Warchus. Ben Schnetzer, George MacKay, Faye Marsay A– Rosewater Dir. Jon Stewart. Gael García Bernal, Kim Bodnia, Shohreh Aghdashloo B– The Rover Dir. David Michôd. Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy, David Field F Rudderless Dir. William H. Macy. Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, Felicity Huffman C+ Selma Dir. Ava DuVernay. David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Stephan James A– She's Beautiful When She's Angry Dir. Mary Dore. Documentary B The Skeleton Twins Dir. Craig Johnson. Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson B Snowpiercer Dir. Bong Joon-ho. Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Ko Ah-sung, Tilda Swinton C A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness Dirs. Ben Rivers, Ben Russell. Robert A.A. Lowe B+ Starred Up Dir. David Mackenzie. Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend B Still Alice Dirs. Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland. Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin B– Story of My Death Dir. Albert Serra. Vicenç Altaió, Lluís Serrat, Montse Triola B+ The Strange Little Cat Dir. Ramon Zürcher. Jenny Schily, Mia Kasalo, Anjorka Strechel B Stranger by the Lake Dir. Alain Guiraudie. Pierre Deladonchamps, Patrick d'Assumçao B Stray Dogs Dir. Tsai Ming-liang. Lee Kang-sheng, Lee Yi-cheng, Lee Yi-chieh, Lu Yi-ching B The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Dir. Isao Takahata. Animated. Voice of Aki Asakura B+ Tammy Dir. Ben Falcone. Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Mark Duplass C The Theory of Everything Dir. James Marsh. Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones B They Came Together Dir. David Wain. Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Ellie Kemper, Bill Hader C Thou Wast Mild and Lovely Dir. Josephine Decker. Joe Swanberg, Sophie Traub C+ A Thousand Times Good Night Dir. Erik Poppe. Juliette Binoche B– Top Five Dir. Chris Rock. Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union C– Tracks Dir. John Curran. Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver, Roly Mintuma, John Flaus B– The Trip to Italy Dir. Michael Winterbottom. Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, Ronni Ancona B– Two Days, One Night Dirs. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Marion Cotillard B+ The Two Faces of January Dir. Hossein Amini. Oscar Isaac, Viggo Mortensen D Unbroken Dir. Angelina Jolie. Jack O'Connell, Miyavi, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund D Under the Skin Dir. Jonathan Glazer. Scarlett Johansson, Lee Fanning, Scott Dymond B+ Unrelated Dir. Joanna Hogg. Kathryn Worth, Tom Hiddleston, Mary Roscoe A– Venus in Fur Dir. Roman Polanski. Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric B The Way He Looks Dir. Daniel Ribeiro. Ghilherme Lobo, Fabio Audi, Tess Amorim B We Are the Best! Dir. Lukas Moodysson. Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne A– Le Week-end Dir. Roger Michell. Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum B What If Dir. Michael Dowse. Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver, Megan Park C+ Whiplash Dir. Damien Chazelle. Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser C Wild Dir. Jean-Marc Vallée. Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski C Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Dir. Arvin Chen. Richie Ren, Mavis Fan B– Winter Sleep Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Haluk Bilginer, Melisa Sözen, Ayberk Pekcan B+ Young & Beautiful Dir. François Ozon. Marine Vacth, Géraldine Pailhas, Frédéric Pierrot B You're Not You Dir. George C. Wolfe. Hilary Swank, Emmy Rossum, Josh Duhamel B–