It gives us great pleasure to do the things we love to do. We feel most content when our time is spent approaching desires and goals we hold dearly to our hearts. Time spent otherwise is usually ponderous. Our ungovernable passions then dictate how we go about our lives, be it either influencing us in choosing our profession, religion, or lover. An indefinable delight arises within us, rendering us beyond excitable, and also rendering us completely oblivious to what potentially awaits us outside of our seemingly impregnable bubble.

Cinema in 2014 dared to expose examples of deeply shadowed avenues of peoples’ existence. The best films showed us territories of individuals’ lives once they became disconnected from that precious desire they held so closely to their hearts. Questions were asked, such as how can I get back the past? In short, the 2014 cinema year recognized a world where individuals were forced to face a harsh reality – what happens when we once thought all that was infallible and undeniable proves us wrong?

Hey there freaks and geeks, BAADASSSSS! is here with a list of the best films I saw in 2014. Instead of doing the traditional top ten list as originally planned, I decided to take a cue from the great Nigel Tufnel and crank this sucker up to 11 (yes, I am aware that some people are doing top 20 lists, top 50 lists, top 100 lists, etc., but I didn’t see enough of last year’s releases to make a list quite that long). So you will find on this list my ten favorite films that were released last year, one that wasn’t, and my three choices for the worst of the year. And the hell with round numbers.

We are a few weeks into 2015, so it’s time to go through all the movies I have seen this year to pick the best of the best, the cream of the crop. For those of you who’ve followed my few posts here on Geeks of Doom, you may have read my Top Ten Movies Of 2014 So Far back in August. Now, instead of revisiting that list, I’ve gone through to select my finalized Top 10 with a fresh view. (Although, to be honest, I had the top few movies memorized already.)

So without further ado, here’s my Top 10 Movies Of 2014.

2014 was a pretty amazing year for cinema. We saw new work by visionary filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson, Richard Linklater, David Fincher, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Bennett Miller, and Wes Anderson.

We witnessed incredible performances by Michael Keaton, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Carell, J.K. Simmons, Rosamund Pike, and David Oyelowo. And we were entertained and awe-struck by one of the best slates of summer blockbusters in recent history, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Edge of Tomorrow.

I saw 100 new releases this year. That’s a pretty low number, actually. To put it into perspective, The New York Times reviewed nearly 900 films in 2013. Usually, I see close to 200 new films a year, but this year I needed a break. Seeing 2-3 new releases a week can be great for a movie-lover, but doing it year after year can lead to burnout and an increase in overall disenchantment.

Luckily, I saw some truly great films that renewed my love for film and kept (most) of the cynicism and negativity buried beneath awe, joy, and optimism. Here are the films that did just that: 30 films that moved, inspired, and entertained me. Here are 30 reasons I love movies.

There has been a lot in the news these past few days about how poor the box office was in 2014. I make the case often that people aren’t willing to fork over money for just any movie. In this age of streaming content, Redbox, and the “Internet” (wink wink), people are wanting bigger and bigger spectacles for their dollar.

Take a look at 2014 and you’ll see that some of the best performing movies at the box office were indeed some of the more “You gotta see it in a theater” movies. My top flicks of last year are pretty consistent with that theory. Check out the list here below of my Top Flicks of 2014.