Holly's Reading Hollow: Top 14 Movies of 2014

As a part of the 10th goal I added to my 2014 life goals (to watch one movie/show a week), I was going to list all the new-to-me movies and shows at the end of the post about my life goals results but thought ehhh that'll be boring. Instead, I'm going to highlight my 14 favorite movies/documentaries/TV series out of the 56 I watched this year!

A brief run-down of how I rate movies:

5 stars - Rarely use them, but when I do they mean what they imply: I think its perfect

4 stars - Not perfect, but loved it!

3 stars - I enjoyed it.

2 stars - Some aspects were decent.

1 star - Did not enjoy.

My Favorite Movies of 2014

(No particular order)

When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions - 5 stars (Netflix)

Absolutely fascinating and mind blowing! If you love learning about space or simply want to learn about the NASA space missions, this 6-episode series is chalked full of real footage, interviews from NASA employees including astronauts on the missions. Seriously, this TV series is the definition of "mind blowing"!

The Fault in Our Stars - 5 stars (In Theaters)

I started crying practically as soon as the movie began. My fangirl heart could not handle it the sheer beauty of this story. Around the end of the movie when tears were actually acceptable, I was sobbing and you know what the best part was? I forgot to bring TISSUES. So after the movie, a hiccuping Holly went straight to the bathroom to attempt cleaning up the swollen, bloodshot eyes and a snotty face. :P People who in the same theater as me were smirking as I tried to clean up and I wanted to yell, "I heard you crying too!"

TINY: A Story About Living Small - 5 stars (Netflix)

I'm not sure if I could ever live in a tiny home, but the idea of simplifying our material needs to the bare necessity, thus, being able to focus on the things that matter most around us and live a happier life was such a refreshing, reinvigorating concept. I watched this documentary 3 times because I had to share it with family members.

Fried Green Tomatoes - 4.5 stars (DVD)

One of my mum's favorites and when I was spending quality time with my aunt this summer we chose this as one of our movies. So happy we did because it was truly a great story! Kind of like the Titanic in that it's an undeniably great movie.

Stuck in Love - 4 stars (Netflix)

Chose this on a whim as a destresser before finals and the entire time I was reveling in how much I was enjoying it! I loved the cast (Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Nat Wolff, Lily Collins, Logan Lerman, and Kristen Bell!!) and the story line! It's extremely relatable to book lovers, writers, and all artists!

White Oleander - 4.5 stars (Amazon)

One of the first movies I watched this year. I tried reading the book a few years ago, thought it was disgusting, but I think I just wasn't ready at the time to handle its mature content. This movie was incredible though! So impacting.

The Spectacular Now - 4.5 stars (Netflix)

So cute and relatable! I loved how special the film was made and how clip used was either the first or second (rarely third) shot! Really speaks for the talent of the cast and crew.

The Hundred Foot Journey - 4 stars (College Early DVD Release)

This movie is a must see for anyone who loves food. Seriously, the cinematography was beautiful and the way it portrayed the art of food... mmm that was an art in its own category! Some parts were predictable, but I honestly loved it start to finish.

Mockingjay - 4 stars (In Theaters)

I didn't love it as much as Catching Fire; some scenes were dragged out a bit too far for my liking, but overall I loved the adaptation of the book and cannot wait to see Part 2!

The King's Speech - 4 stars (Netflix)

I love movies about history and especially loved this because I don't know too much about England royalty. That aspect was really intriguing but the acting and cinematography was great!

Divergent - 4.5 stars (In Theaters)

All of my issues with the book had to do with the writing so in a different art form I loved it! Click here to read my full spoiler-free review on the Divergent movie.

The Maze Runner - 4 stars (In Theaters)

My friend Trina from Between Chapters told me how amazing it was and I was kind of skeptical. Based on what I had seen in the trailers, I was excited to see it but didn't know exactly what to expect from it. I was thoroughly surprised by how much I enjoyed it! No complaints here!

In Your Eyes - 4 stars (Netflix)

Finished watching this a few hours ago and it's what ultimately made me decide to do this post. I LOVED the concept of this movie. If you haven't heard of it, it's about two strangers who are linked within their minds since they were kids and can sometimes experience, hear, see, and feel what the other is feeling. They don't fully comprehend what's going on until they're adults. I loved what happened from there, loved the concept of two strangers being linked like that, and kept thinking I wish I had written a book about this!

Thanks for Sharing - 3.5 stars (Netflix)

To be honest, this is not one of the greatest movies out there; the ending was a little flat for all the great material and build up throughout the movie, but it is SO underrated. I cracked up at so many points during this movie and I thought the plot was really interesting. With a grain of salt, I would totally recommend this to everyone.

Honorable mentions:

Monster's University

Good Will Hunting

I Am Legend

How I Live Now

Little Women

Gimme Shelter

Pitch Perfect

Silver Linings Playlist

Vampire Academy

Camp Takota

Curious to know what else I watched in 2014? Here's a full list of all the movies and shows I watched!

Did you have any favorite movies, documentaries, or TV shows this year? Let me know!