Year-End Lists

Matt Singer: The Best Movies of 2014, as published by ScreenCrush

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Boyhood
   Richard Linklater
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
   Wes Anderson
3. Whiplash
   Damien Chazelle
4. Under the Skin
   Jonathan Glazer
5. Jodorowsky’s Dune
   Frank Pavich
6. Force Majeure
   Ruben Östlund
7. Selma
   Ava DuVernay
8. The Trip to Italy
   Michael Winterbottom
9. We Are the Best!
   Lukas Moodysson
10. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
    Matt Reeves

Honorable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)

• Blue Ruin
  Jeremy Saulnier
• Citizenfour
  Laura Poitras
• Gone Girl
  David Fincher
• The Immigrant
  James Gray
• Life Itself
  Steve James
• Listen Up Philip
  Alex Ross Perry
• Nightcrawler
  Dan Gilroy
• The Overnighters
  Jesse Moss
• Snowpiercer
  Bong Joon-ho
• Wild
  Jean-Marc Vallée

IndieWire Poll: Top 50 Films of 2014 (as voted by 220 critics)

NOTE: Although there appear to be a few ties in the list when you examine the scores, IndieWire presents the films in this order, with no ties.

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Boyhood
   Richard Linklater
2. Under the Skin
   Jonathan Glazer
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
   Wes Anderson
4. Birdman
   Alejandro G. Iñárritu
5. Inherent Vice
   Paul Thomas Anderson
6. Goodbye to Language
   Jean-Luc Godard
7. Ida
   Pawel Pawlikowski
8. Whiplash
   Damien Chazelle
9. Only Lovers Left Alive
   Jim Jarmusch
10. Selma
    Ava DuVernay
11. Gone Girl
    David Fincher
12. Two Days, One Night
    Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
13. The Immigrant
    James Gray
14. Force Majeure
    Ruben Östlund
15. Snowpiercer
    Bong Joon-ho
16. Nightcrawler
    Dan Gilroy
17. Listen Up Philip
    Alex Ross Perry
18. Mr. Turner
    Mike Leigh
19. The Babadook
    Jennifer Kent
20. Citizenfour
    Laura Poitras
21. MANAKAMANA
    Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez
22. Stranger by the Lake
    Alain Guiraudie
23. Stray Dogs
    Tsai Ming-liang
24. Calvary
    John Michael McDonagh
25. We Are the Best!
    Lukas Moodysson
26. A Most Violent Year
    J.C. Chandor
27. Closed Curtain
    Kambuzia Partovi and Jafar Panahi
28. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
    Isao Takahata
29. Winter Sleep
    Nuri Bilge Ceylan
30. Foxcatcher
    Bennett Miller
31. Norte, the End of History
    Lav Diaz
32. Mommy
    Xavier Dolan
33. Blue Ruin
    Jeremy Saulnier
34. Leviathan
    Andrey Zvyagintsev
35. Life Itself
    Steve James
36. The Strange Little Cat
    Ramon Zürcher
37. Love is Strange
    Ira Sachs
38. The Lego Movie
    Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
39. Interstellar
    Christopher Nolan
40. National Gallery
    Frederick Wiseman
41. The Overnighters
    Jesse Moss
42. Guardians of the Galaxy
    James Gunn
43. Locke
    Steven Knight
44. What Now? Remind Me
    Joaquim Pinto
45. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
    Ana Lily Amirpour
46. Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1
    Lars von Trier
47. The Missing Picture
    Rithy Panh
48. The Imitation Game
    Morten Tyldum
49. The Last of the Unjust
    Claude Lanzmann
50. Wild
    Jean-Marc Vallée

A.O. Scott: Top 21 Films of 2014, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Boyhood
   Richard Linklater
2. Ida
   Pawel Pawlikowski
3. Citizenfour
   Laura Poitras
4. Leviathan
   Andrey Zvyagintsev
5. Selma
   Ava DuVernay
6. Love is Strange
   Ira Sachs
7. We Are the Best!
   Lukas Moodysson
8. Mr. Turner
   Mike Leigh
9. Dear White People
   Justin Simien
10. The Babadook
    Jennifer Kent

Runners-up (alphabetically)

• Beyond the Lights
  Gina Prince-Bythewood
• Bird People
  Pascale Ferran
• The Dance of Reality
  Alejandro Jodorowsky
• Jodorowsky’s Dune
  Frank Pavich
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
  Wes Anderson
• A Most Violent Year
  J.C. Chandor
• Particle Fever
  Mark Levinson
• Snowpiercer
  Bong Joon-ho
• Top Five
  Chris Rock
• Two Days, One Night
  Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
• Wild
  Jean-Marc Vallée

Slant Magazine: 25 Best Films of 2014

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Under the Skin
   Jonathan Glazer
2. Stranger by the Lake
   Alain Guiraudie
3. The Immigrant
   James Gray
4. Boyhood
   Richard Linklater
5. Inherent Vice
   Paul Thomas Anderson
6. Two Days, One Night
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel
   Wes Anderson
8. Only Lovers Left Alive
   Jim Jarmusch
9. Stray Dogs
   Tsai Ming-liang
10. Force Majeure
    Ruben Östlund
11. Mr. Turner
    Mike Leigh
12. Goodbye to Language
    Jean-Luc Godard
13. Listen Up Philip
    Alex Ross Perry
14. National Gallery
    Frederick Wiseman
15. The Strange Little Cat
    Ramon Zürcher
16. MANAKAMANA
    Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez
17. Closed Curtain
    Kambuzia Partovi and Jafar Panahi
18. The Story of My Death
    Albert Serra
19. Ida
    Pawel Pawlikowski
20. The Naked Room
    Nuria Ibañez

Manohla Dargis: 20 Best Movies of 2014 (listed alphabetically, as published by The New York Times)

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

• American Sniper
  Clint Eastwood
• Beyond the Lights
  Gina Prince-Bythewood
• Birdman
  Alejandro G. Iñárritu
• Boyhood
  Richard Linklater
• The Dog
  Allison Berg, Frank Keraudren
• Edge of Tomorrow
  Doug Liman
• Gloria
  Sebastián Lelio
• Goodbye to Language
  Jean-Luc Godard
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
  Wes Anderson
• Inherent Vice
  Paul Thomas Anderson
• Interstellar
  Christopher Nolan
• Listen Up Philip
  Alex Ross Perry
• MANAKAMANA
  Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez
• Manila in the Claws of Light
  Lino Brocka
• The Missing Picture
  Rithy Panh
• National Gallery
  Frederick Wiseman
• Selma
  Ava DuVernay
• Snowpiercer
  Bong Joon-ho
• Violette
  Martin Provost
• Top Five
  Chris Rock

Fandor: Top 25 Films of 2014 (as voted by 100 of Keyframe’s favorite critics and cineastes)

1. Boyhood
   Richard Linklater
2. Goodbye to Language
   Jean-Luc Godard
3. Under the Skin
   Jonathan Glazer
4. Inherent Vice
   Paul Thomas Anderson
5. Ida
   Pawel Pawlikowski
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel
   Wes Anderson
7. Citizenfour
   Laura Poitras
8. Only Lovers Left Alive
   Jim Jarmusch
9. Birdman
   Alejandro G. Iñárritu
10. Winter Sleep
    Nuri Bilge Ceylan
11. Love is Strange
    Ira Sachs
12. Gone Girl
    David Fincher
13. MANAKAMANA
    Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez
14. Stranger by the Lake
    Alain Guiraudie
15. Whiplash
    Damien Chazelle
16. Blue Ruin
    Jeremy Saulnier
16. Force Majeure
    Ruben Östlund
16. Listen Up Philip
    Alex Ross Perry
19. Mr. Turner
    Mike Leigh
19. National Gallery
    Frederick Wiseman
21. Snowpiercer
    Bong Joon-ho
22. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
    Ana Lily Amirpour
22. The Dance of Reality
    Alejandro Jodorowsky
24. Maidan
    Sergei Loznitsa
25. Stray Dogs
    Tsai Ming-liang

Film Comment: 20 Best Films of 2014

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Boyhood
   Richard Linklater
2. Goodbye to Language
   Jean-Luc Godard
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
   Wes Anderson
4. Ida
   Pawel Pawlikowski
5. Under the Skin
   Jonathan Glazer
6. Stranger by the Lake
   Alain Guiraudie
7. Citizenfour
   Laura Poitras
8. Birdman
   Alejandro G. Iñárritu
9. Inherent Vice
   Paul Thomas Anderson
10. The Immigrant
    James Gray
11. Two Days, One Night
    Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
12. Only Lovers Left Alive
    Jim Jarmusch
13. Mr. Turner
    Mike Leigh
14. Force Majeure
    Ruben Östlund
15. Norte, the End of History
    Lav Diaz
16. Whiplash
    Damien Chazelle
17. Stray Dogs
    Tsai Ming-liang
18. National Gallery
    Frederick Wiseman
19. MANAKAMANA
    Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez
20. Snowpiercer
    Bong Joon-ho

David Edelstein: 19 Best Movies of 2014, as published by New York Magazine’s Vulture

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Boyhood
   Richard Linklater
2. Selma
   Ava DuVernay
3. The Babadook
   Jennifer Kent
4. Whiplash
   Damien Chazelle
5. Tales of the Grim Sleeper
   Nick Broomfield
6. Only Lovers Left Alive
   Jim Jarmusch
7. Citizenfour
   Laura Poitras
8. Mr. Turner
   Mike Leigh
9. Two Days, One Night
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
10. The Immigrant
    James Gray
11. The Overnighters
    Jesse Moss

Plus

• The Homesman
  Tommy Lee Jones
• Rosewater
  Jon Stewart
• The Hunger Games: Monckinjay – Part 1
  Francis Lawrence
• The Theory of Everything
  James Marsh
• The Imitation Game
  Morten Tyldum
• Love is Strange
  Ira Sachs
• Low Down
  Jeff Preiss
• Beyond the Hills
  Cristian Mungiu

Eric Kohn: 10 Best Films of 2014, as published by IndieWire

[see also 2023 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2012]

1. Boyhood
   Richard Linklater
2. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
   Ana Lily Amirpour
3. MANAKAMANA
   Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
   Wes Anderson
5. Leviathan
   Andrey Zvyagintsev
6. Ida
   Pawel Pawlikowski
7. Starred Up
   David Mackenzie
8. Only Lovers Left Alive
   Jim Jarmusch
9. The Double
   Richard Ayoade
10. Inherent Vice
    Paul Thomas Anderson

Richard Lawson: The 10 Best Movies of 2014, as published by Vanity Fair

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2013]

1. Love is Strange
   Ira Sachs
2. Mommy
   Xavier Dolan
3. Force Majeure
   Ruben Östlund
4. Citizenfour
   Laura Poitras
5. Boyhood
   Richard Linklater
6. Selma
   Ava DuVernay
7. Snowpiercer
   Bong Joon-ho
8. Mr. Turner
   Mike Leigh
9. Pride
   Matthew Warchus
10. X-Men: Days of Future Past
    Bryan Singer

Best of the Rest

• Wild
  Jean-Marc Vallée
• Gone Girl
  David Fincher
• We Are the Best!
  Lukas Moodysson
• Ida
  Pawel Pawlikowski
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  Matt Reeves
• Laggies
  Lynn Shelton
• Chef
  Jon Favreau
• Still Alice
  Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland
• Under the Skin
  Jonathan Glazer
• The Theory of Everything
  James Marsh