Rather than break down my year-end lists ad nauseum, I like to combine as many as I can into one article. There reaches a point where a writer can go overboard, inundate the reader, and the article simply serves as a brag of "Look how many movies I watched!" We're film critics. We get paid to watch movies and we watch a lot of them. The important part is to share them with you rather than be self-congratulatory. I've been proud of our Best of 2014 content so far, and I hope you've enjoyed it.
Now we come to my choices for the best performances, directing, and miscellaneous categories I made up. 2014 illustrated how there's an embarrassment of riches for male actors and the lack of great female roles is embarrassing. We also had some shocking violence, easy paychecks, and other odds and ends. Hit the jump and let's get to it.
[Note: Runners-up are listed alphabetically]
Best Actor
Jake Gyllenhaal as "Lou Bloom" in Nightcrawler
Runners-up:
- Steve Carell as "John du Pont" in Foxcatcher
- Ralph Fiennes as "M. Gustave" in The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Tom Hardy as "Ivan Locke" in Locke
- David Oyelowo as "Martin Luther King Jr." in Selma
Best Actress
Julianne Moore as "Dr. Alice Howland" in Still Alice
Runners-up:
- Rose Byrne as "Kelly Radner" in Neighbors
- Essie Davis as "Amelia" in The Babadook
- Felicity Jones as "Jane Hawking" in The Theory of Everything
- Rosamund Pike as "Amy Dunne" in Gone Girl
Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons as "Fletcher" in Whiplash
Runners-up:
- Nicholas Hoult as "Flem Lever" in Young Ones
- Toby Kebbell as "Koba" in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Edward Norton as "Mike" in Birdman
- Mark Ruffalo as "Dave Schultz" in Foxcatcher
Best Supporting Actress
Rene Russo as "Nina Romina" in Nightcrawler
Runners-up:
- Patricia Arquette as "Mom" in Boyhood
- Agata Kulesza as "Wanda" in Ida
- Tilda Swinton as "Mason" in Snowpiercer
- Uma Thurman as "Mrs. H" in Nymphomaniac: Vol. I
Best Director
Richard Linklater for Boyhood
Runners-up:
- Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Ava DuVernay for Selma
- Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler
- Phil Lord & Christopher Miller for The LEGO Movie
Continue Reading for Breakthrough Performance, Easiest Paycheck, Best Kill, and More
Breakthrough Performance
Chris Pratt as "Peter Quill / Star-Lord" in Guardians of the Galaxy
Runners-up:
- Riz Ahmed as "Rick" in Nightcrawler
- Carrie Coon as "Margo Dunne" in Gone Girl
- Ansel Elgort as "Gus" in The Fault in Our Stars
- Evan Peters as "Peter / Quicksilver" in X-Men: Days of Future Past
Easiest Paycheck
[For a respected actor with a small amount of screentime, who appears in only a few locations, and whose character has no significant impact on the plot.]
- Alan Arkin â Million Dollar Arm
- Samuel L. Jackson â RoboCop
- Michael Keaton â Need for Speed
- Sigourney Weaver â Exodus: Gods and Kings
Scene Stealers
- Jillian Bell â 22 Jump Street
- Ike Barinholtz â Neighbors
- Jerrod Carmichael â Neighbors
- Tyler Perry â Gone Girl
A Very Good Year
Phil Lord & Christopher Miller â The LEGO Movie (96% RT score; $468 million worldwide) / 22 Jump Street (84% RT score; $331 million worldwide)
Runners-up:
- Jake Gyllenhaal â Enemy / Nightcrawler
- Ansel Elgort âThe Fault in Our Stars / Men, Women & Children
- Channing Tatum â 22 Jump Street / Foxcatcher
Best Kill
Hammer Time - The Raid 2
Runners-up:
- Stop, Drop, Roll, Squish â Edge of Tomorrow
- All the Tools You Need â The Equalizer
- Breath Deep Godzilla's Atomic Breath â Godzilla
- Rough Sex â Gone Girl
For more of our Best of 2014 coverage, browse the links below:
Movies
- Haleigh's Top 10 Films of 2014
- Top 10 Trailers of 2014
- Best Popcorn Movies of 2014
- Best Worst Movies of 2014
- Perri's Top 10 Horror Films of 2014
- Best Cinematography of 2014
- Adam's Top 10 Films of 2014
- The Top 10 Scores of 2014
- 10 Best Surprises of 2014, From Emily Blunt as an Action Star to THE LEGO MOVIE Not Sucking
- 5 Great Film and Music Moments From 2014
- 10 Great Films of 2014 You May Have Missed and You Should Absolutely Watch
- Oscar Beat: For Your Consideration â Overlooked Films, Performances, and Directors from 2014 That Warrant Recognition
TV
- Comicbook Countdown: The Best Comic Book Shows of 2014 Including ARROW, THE FLASH, CONSTANTINE, GOTHAM, S.H.I.E.L.D., and THE WALKING DEAD
- 10 Best TV Episodes of the Season Thus Far
- Allisonâs Other TV Bests of 2014
- Allisonâs Top 12 Returning TV Series of 2014
- Allisonâs Top 12 New TV Series of 2014