Favorite Movies & Albums of the Year

Hey Everyone,
 
Just figured I'd maybe get a little discussion going on everyone's favorite movies and albums of the year. I just posted my list on my blog at
 
http://www.bydavidrosen.com/2014/12/29/this-stuff-rules-my-favorites-of-2014/
 
Spoiler Alert: Birdman is my #1 Movie and Ryan Adams Self Titled is my #1 Album... Haha
 
Check it out. Would love to hear your picks.
 
David

Film- "The Trip to Italy" with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. The perfect antidote to the CGI heavy action blockbuster.

Seen some great movies lately, but none from 2014.
 
Best album for me;
 

 
http://www.distant-towers.com/timetoflycd.htm
 
 

Which year?
 
For 1974, the list too long. :P
 
 
For 2014 - I dig the new U2 and How to Train your Dragon 2.
 
New movies I can still dig, as long as they're fresh. I haven't seen many because we don't have much time for TV and we usually end up watching series.
 
Music's too close to my heart.
 
I've finally heard St. Vincent recently - I did not hate it, but it only make me want to listen to music that I actually like, and feel an emotional link to. And the best of what comes out these days only seems to remind me of such things.
 
I'd rather listen to Pretty Hate Machine for a millionth time than to the latest NIN. I let you imagine where that laves St. Vincent. 
 
That's called getting old I suppose.
 

David, your movie list includes "Edge Of Tomorrow". Just thought I would mention this movie is also known as "Live, Die, Repeat" (starring Tom Cruise). I agree this was a great sci-fi. Catches your attention at the start and keeps it pretty much.
 
There were a lot of movies released this year that I haven't seen, so I am always hesitant to throw out a best list. But I did see "Fury" (Brad Pitt) which was an exciting WW-II movie. Recently saw "Intersteller" (Matthew McConaughey) which gets a thumbs up.  A nice, family sports-themed movie is Disney's "Million Dollar Arm". Another very good sports movie is "Draft Day" (this one was a surprise for me). Really gives an interesting insight into the U.S. professional football college draft. I personally couldn't care less about the football-draft but this movie made it very entertaining and enlightening. I will not say these are the best of 2014, but are movies that I feel are good to very good.  I am still waiting for the next "Shawshank Redemption" or "Taxi Driver", etc., to come out (i.e., those movies that you leave the theater with in some way).
 
And I shouldn't omit the re-release in Ultra-HD of the Beatles "A Hard Day's Night". The movie plot itself is actually silly and boring at times but the Fab Four performance pieces are superb.  

My discoveries of the year would actually be:
 
Rush - 2112
The Best of the  Allman Bothers Band 
The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd
Wanda Jackson (I can't believe I hadn't heard of her before).
The Best of Scorpions
 
There's so much music from the past that I haven't got to just yet - considering that I prefer the production values of older stuff, that puts new music on a very, very low priority.
 
Given the option to finally get into, say, old Genesis or to listen to the latest album by some new artist, I'll obviously opt for the first choice.
 
I did buy a couple of new albums by artists that I like but either the mastering made it unbearable to listen to more than one song, either the album was way too long and filled with songs I couldn't get into. The perspective of 80 minutes of brickwall limiting isn't too appealing.
 

Made in Germany by Rammstein would probably stand out as one of my most listened to album in 2014. Lots of Judas Priest, a couple of old AC/DC's, tons of Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath and KISS.
 
And Bach.

Some interesting responses you guys. I gotta try to at least dig into a few of the things that you all are mentioning.
 
A couple things... KenB, "Live Die Repeat" was originally the tagline for "Edge of Tomorrow" but when people wouldn't see it because of the name, they basically changed the name by blowing up the tagline bigger than the name on the DVD/Bluray box... which I think was unprecedented. So weird. Hopefully it works, because it's seriously overlooked. Also, movies that leave the theater with you... Absolutely the thing that I go to the movies for, and there has been at least one every year the last decade or two. This year there were three... "Birdman," "Nightcrawler," and "Foxcatcher." "Foxcatcher" in particular I just couldn't stop thinking about and found myself up at night just reading about the story obsessively. 
 
Also I find this interesting... Obviously everyone makes music for different reasons... But I make music because I LOVE music, film and entertainment. So that goes hand in hand with me seeing and listening to tons of the movies and music that comes out every year. I don't love all of it, but there's lots of great stuff out there... Big and small, Hollywood and independent... Local too (my friend's band just put out a new surprise album that would probably have made my Top 10 albums list if I had heard it prior to putting the list out). Anyway, the point being... I'm surprised how many of you don't seem to really stay up on all the new releases. I'm not suggesting you sit around listening to every new Katy Perry song haha, but seeing at least a handful of new movies and listening to new albums. Seems like a lot of you either don't bother or are mostly digging into new old stuff.
 
And kakku, GOTG was the first 3d film you've seen? I don't even like 3d and I've seen like 20 haha.
 
And Rain, Wanda Jackson rules, and for the most part, I'm with you. There was a funny Stereogum article a couple weeks ago: "The Top 5 Tom Petty Albums of 2014" because aside from him coming out with a new album, a lot of bands were coming out with stuff that sounds like his classic work... My #1 and #3 picks being two of them.
 
 

Must see Edge of Tomorrow now. Thanks for the tip. 
 
I only saw it this year but I actually enjoyed the Tom Cruise one called Oblivion. Everyone else hated it but I loved it.
 
also: happy people are aping the Tom Petty sound. He has made a TREMENDOUS number of great recordings 

Oh, ya, saw Oblivion also. Different, not as good to me as some others though.
Oh well.
 

I've seen quite a few movies released this year, but none of them made a great impression me. Best movie I've seen lately was 'Get Low' with a genius performance by Robert Duvall (2009).

 
 
[<font]ALBUMS 
 
TOP FIVE:
 
#1 Stiff Little Fingers - No Going Back
 

 

 
A welcome return from Belfast's finest - not a duff track on it. And Jake Burns still sounds as angry as he did in 1979.
 
 
#2 Judas Priest - Redeemer Of Souls
 

 

 
Richie Faulkner's first studio album with the Metal Gods, and his contributions both as a songwriter and a guitarist have rejuvenated the band. There are some real Priest classics on here that will stand alongside anything on Sad Wings of Destiny, Defenders of the Faith or Painkiller.
 
 
#3 Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey - Going Back Home
 

 

 
Simply wonderful. A sound born in an era when 'R & B' still meant 'Rhythm & Blues'.
 
 
#4 Various - Ronnie James Dio ~ This Is Your Life
 

 

 
Metal and rock legends (and Metallica) pay a fitting tribute to the great man.
 
 
#5 Dragonforce - Maximum Overload
 

 

 
Incredible guitar pyrotechnics, anthemic choruses and a free T-Shirt. What's not to like.
 
 
BUBBLIN' UNDER (do the hip cats still say that in the music press?)
 
Pink Floyd - The Endless River
 

 
Maybe not a 'real' Floyd album, maybe not a 'real' album. But the Blu-ray production on the extra disc is simply stunning.
 
 
Toseland - Renegade
 

 

 
I bought this after seeing Toseland when they were support band at the 'Frantic Four' Quo gig we went to last March. In a way, and in the age of mp3 downloads and The X Factor, it's refreshing to see a band actually putting in the groundwork of building up a fan base by touring. Some cracking hard rock tunes on here.
 
 
Status Quo - Aquostic (Stripped Bare)
 

 

 
A very enjoyable trip through some Quo classics given the 'unplugged' treatment.
 
 
MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT:
 
Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie
 

 
A collection of potentially excellent rock songs completely ruined by the unnecessary and annoying vocal treatment.
 
 
[<font][<font]MOVIES:
 
I'm not much of a film fan or cinema-goer, but these would be my pick of the year:
 
The Unbelievers (Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss
 

 
 MUSIC DVD/BLU-RAY:
 
Status Quo - The Frantic Four's Final Fling
 

 
 
The Stranglers - The Ruby Tour 2014
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SteveStrummer I DEFINITELY have been meaning to check out that Dio tribute album. I bet it's freaking great.
 
and jamesg... Good list. I don't agree with all of them, but definitely some great films in there. Especially Seven Psychopaths which I absolutely loved.

great movie

Haha yea that was some epic formatting man. Love it. Reminds me of what happens when I try to copy & paste something into my Wordpress blog and everything goes haywire. haha.