The Top 10 Movies of 2014

Dinner and a Movie

According to Steve Herte

This time of year most critics start to rank

The top ten movies of a year ago,

Before the nominees step up to thank

the world, and more. The pattern’s one you know.

But few of my Top Ten will likely win,

‘Cause entertainment is my bottom line;

Of fifty-two I’ve seen, (the field is thin).

Front runners – gone, the rest are mine.

If adaptation’s not your thing you’ll groan,

And when you hear “a musical,” what then?

You’ll realize that I might be alone

in placing Annie as my Number Ten.

Though ninth place, Chef is ev’ry bit as good

as any of the others in my ten.

It’s not just that the subject matter’s food

as Dustin Hoffman shows his best again.

In Eighth Place I’ve a sequel, it’s Planes 2,

which managed to eclipse the one before;

The tale of forest “Fire and Rescue”

was one of Pixar’s best. Need I say more?

The Book of Life deserves its Seventh Place;

Its animators made wood come alive

With culture and great music as its base

It will be shown when Halloweens arrive.

In Sixth I have a samba sequel grand,

It’s Rio 2, fantastic as the first,

A Busby Berkeley bird-filled forestland

In which the awe-struck viewers are immersed.

Bill Murray was quite serious this year

And in St. Vincent he poured out his heart;

And though he joked, behind his rakish sneer

His acting glowed. Fifth Place! He lived the part.

A sorceress got ranking number Four,

The re-told story of Maleficent;

Ms. Jolie proved her character was more

than just a pretty face. ‘Twas excellent!

In Third Place are four comic birds (not three),

The Penguins, Skipper, Rico, Kowalski,

And Private (newly hatched), a laughter spree,

Not Madagascar-born but fun and free.

The Theory of Everything out-shines!

The Stephen Hawking story (per his wife)

Wins Second Place – performances divine!

A quite impressive biopic, real life.

With all my eccentricities away,

Ms. Meryl Streep was star-like, as the sun!

The Hundred-Foot Journey, superb, I say!

It duly merits honor Number One.

So there you have it, you may not agree,

But choosing ten was not a simple chore,

Of many good films this year I did see

The tie for runner-up was Twenty-four.