Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg Archives

Ranking the Movies of 2014: #s 78-71

January 6, 2015March 4, 2021 Jeremy BeckFeatures

The Manifesto is ranking every movie we saw in 2014. If you missed it, here’s what we’ve covered so far:

Tier 10: Second-Rate Sequels, and Other Disappointments

78. Muppets Most Wanted (directed by James Bobin, 79% Rotten Tomatoes, 61 Metacritic). I loved the first Muppets movie, and the general formula—sly meta gags, ironic cameos, enjoyable songs—remains in place the second time around. But this one just doesn’t click. The story is pitiful, which wouldn’t matter if the movie were funny, but too many of the jokes land with thuds, and the songs, while functional, never spark. Ty Burrell steals the show as an epically lazy French detective, but he’s the only memorable character. The Muppets gleefully recalled the wide-eyed wonder of childhood. Muppets Most Wanted just made me feel old.

The Executors of 2013, Pt. III: Feat. World War Z, Star Trek Into Darkness, and This Is the End

August 8, 2014March 4, 2021 Jeremy BeckFeatures

Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in Star Trek Into Darkness

Today, we’re wrapping up our look at the Executors. If you missed them, you can find Part I here and Part II here.

Nebraska. It’s not quite accurate to say that Alexander Payne has matured. He’s older than he used to be—most of us are—but Payne’s directorial signature already seemed fully formed when he debuted in 1996 with Citizen Ruth, and his follow-up, the brilliant satire Election, felt like the work of a visionary. It’s not as though he ever needed seasoning. But if Payne hasn’t grown up as a filmmaker, he’s definitely changed, trading in the jaundiced worldview of his earlier work for something more mellow and contemplative. It’s a shift that’s produced The Descendants, one of 2011’s best films, and now Nebraska, an even quieter and more reflective picture about love, death, mental illness, and human decency. Election 2.0 this is not.