2014 pumped out some of the highest-grossing movies of all time, but somehow each year has more than one hidden gem we haven’t seen yet. Geek movies had an exceptionally good run at the box office this year, and some are even among the top 50 rated movies. Unfortunately we don’t always get to see some of the best movies released around the world, but hopefully we can make you aware of some of the good movies you may have missed. We decided to take a look at the best rated movies according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Top 10 Rated Movies Of 2014

Top 10 Rated Movies Of 2014

Here is a bit more information about Rotten Tomatoes:

“Rotten Tomatoes is the most trusted measurement of quality for filmed entertainment. As the web’s leading aggregator of movie and TV reviews from professional critics, Rotten Tomatoes offers the most comprehensive guide to what’s fresh. The world famous Tomatometer™ rating represents the percentage of professional reviews that are positive for a given film or television show and is often cited as the “tie breaker” among decision-challenged couples worldwide. For the most discerning moviegoers and TV watchers, Rotten Tomatoes designates certain films and TV shows Certified Fresh. That accolade is awarded with Tomatometer ratings of 75% and a required minimum number of reviews.”

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 Rated Movies Of 2014

1. Boyhood (2014) – 99%

Boyhood

Boyhood

Critics Consensus: Epic in technical scale but breathlessly intimate in narrative scope, Boyhood is a sprawling investigation of the human condition.

Official synopsis for Boyhood:

“Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater’s BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (a breakthrough performance by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason’s parents and newcomer Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, BOYHOOD charts the rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has before. Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners to birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent, set to a soundtrack spanning the years from Coldplay’s Yellow to Arcade Fire’s Deep Blue. BOYHOOD is both a nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting. It’s impossible to watch Mason and his family without thinking about our own journey.”

 

2. Life Itself (2014) – 98%

Life Itself

Life Itself

Critics Consensus: Rich in detail and warmly affectionate, Life Itself offers a joyful yet poignant tribute to a critical cinematic legacy.

Official synopsis for Life Itself:

“Acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and executive producers Martin Scorsese (The Departed) and Steven Zaillian (Moneyball) present LIFE ITSELF, a documentary film that recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert—a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful, and transcendent. Based on his bestselling memoir of the same name, LIFE ITSELF explores the legacy of Roger Ebert’s life, from his Pulitzer Prize-winning film criticism at the Chicago Sun-Times to becoming one of the most influential cultural voices in America.”

 

3. The LEGO Movie (2014) – 96%

The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie

Critics Consensus: Boasting beautiful animation, a charming voice cast, laugh-a-minute gags, and a surprisingly thoughtful story, The Lego Movie is colorful fun for all ages.

Official synopsis for The LEGO Movie:

“The 3D computer animated adventure tells the story of Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.”

 

4. Whiplash (2014) – 96%

Whiplash

Whiplash

Critics Consensus: Intense, inspiring, and well-acted, Whiplash is a brilliant sophomore effort from director Damien Chazelle and a riveting vehicle for stars J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller.

Official synopsis for Whiplash:

“A pedagogical thriller and an emotional S&M two-hander, Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash is brilliantly acted by Miles Teller as an eager jazz drummer at a prestigious New York music academy and J.K. Simmons as the teacher whose method of terrorizing his students is beyond questionable, even when it gets results. Dubbed “Full Metal Jacket at Juilliard” at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, Chazelle’s jazz musical was developed from his short film of the same name, which premiered at Sundance the previous year. The live jazz core that is fused with Justin Hurwitz’s ambient score, the blood-on-the-drum-kit battle between student and teacher, and the dazzling filmmaking will keep your pulse rate elevated from beginning to end. A kinesthetic depiction of performance anxiety—you don’t need to be a musician to feel it—Whiplash also presents us with a moral issue open to debate.”

 

5. Gloria (2014) – 99%

Gloria

Gloria

Critics Consensus: Marvelously directed by Sebastian Lelio and beautifully led by a powerful performance from Paulina Garcia, Gloria takes an honest, sweetly poignant look at a type of character that’s all too often neglected in Hollywood.

Official synopsis for Gloria:

“A vibrant Chilean divorcée falls for a handsome ex-naval officer, but finds any chance for lasting happiness hinging on her willingness to confront a painful chapter from her past. In the wake of her divorce, 58-year-old Gloria (Paulina García) is determined to live her life to the fullest. Her children have all grown up and moved out, so rather than sit home alone, Gloria spends much of her time at local nightclubs and singles parties. Later, just when Gloria has started to realize that her active new lifestyle offers precious little emotional sustenance, she’s swept off her feet by a dashing former naval officer in his sixties. Before long she’s dreaming of a bright future with him. But true love never comes easy, and before Gloria can enjoy her twilight years with the man who makes her feel truly fulfilled, she must make peace with a harsh truth that could drive him away forever.”

 

6. The Babadook (2014) – 98%

The Babadook

The Babadook

Critics Consensus: The Babadook relies on real horror rather than cheap jump scares — and boasts a heartfelt, genuinely moving story to boot.

Official synopsis for The Babadook:

“Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her ‘out of control’ 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love. Samuel’s dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called ‘The Babadook’ turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he’s been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control, he becomes more unpredictable and violent. Amelia, genuinely frightened by her son’s behaviour, is forced to medicate him. But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of a sinister presence all around her, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may be real.”

 

7. Nightcrawler (2014) – 95%

Critics Consensus: Restless, visually sleek, and powered by a lithe star performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler offers dark, thought-provoking thrills.

Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler

Official synopsis for Nightcrawler:

“NIGHTCRAWLER is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling — where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou thrives. In the breakneck, ceaseless search for footage, he becomes the star of his own story.”

 

8. Starred Up (2014) – 99%

Starred up

Starred up

Critics Consensus: Smart, hard-hitting, and queasily realistic, Starred Up is an instant classic of U.K. prison cinema.

Official synopsis for Starred Up:

“19-year-old Eric, arrogant and ultra-violent, is prematurely transferred to the same adult prison facility as his estranged father. As his explosive temper quickly finds him enemies in both prison authorities and fellow inmates—and his already volatile relationship with his father is pushed past breaking point—Eric is approached by a volunteer psychotherapist, who runs an anger management group for prisoners. Torn between gang politics, prison corruption, and a glimmer of something better, Eric finds himself in a fight for his own life, unsure if his own father is there to protect him or join in punishing him. Written by prison system therapist Jonathan Asser, STARRED UP is a merciless, uncompromising portrayal of a dehumanizing life behind bars.”

 

9. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2014) – 100%

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Critics Consensus: Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal.

Official synopsis for The Tale of the Princess Kaguya:

“Legendary Studio Ghibli cofounder Isao Takahata revisits Japan’s most famous folktale in this gorgeous, hand-drawn masterwork, decades in the making. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (James Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen), a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady (Chloë Grace Moretz). The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime. From the studio that brought you Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Wind Rises comes a powerful and sweeping epic that redefines the limits of animated storytelling and marks a triumphant highpoint within an extraordinary career in filmmaking for director Isao Takahata.”

 

10. The Missing Picture (2014) – 99%

The Missing Picture

The Missing Picture

Critics Consensus: Thrillingly unorthodox and emotionally searing without being didactic, The Missing Picture is a uniquely poignant documentary — and so much more.

Official synopsis for The Missing Picture:

“For many years, I have been looking for the missing picture: a photograph taken between 1975 and 1979 by the Khmer Rouge when they ruled over Cambodia…On its own, of course, an image cannot prove mass murder, but it gives us cause for thought, prompts us to meditate, to record History. I searched for it vainly in the archives, in old papers, in the country villages of Cambodia. Today I know: this image must be missing. I was not really looking for it; would it not be obscene and insignificant? So I created it. What I give you today is neither the picture nor the search for a unique image, but the picture of a quest: the quest that cinema allows.”

 

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