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Welcome to the 15th anniversary Decent Films redesign!

This is the first completely new Decent Films in ten years. It’s also the first version ever that feels more or less complete to me. Not that there aren’t still bugs and tweaks to be addressed — and not that I wasn’t thrilled about the 2010 (and 2005) iterations when they were new.

 Boyhood [video] POST

Boyhood [video] (2014)

I’m not sure we get to know any characters in all of cinema quite the way we get to know Mason Evans, Jr. and his family.

 Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) [video] POST

Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) [video] (2014)

Cinematically, Birdman is sort of an anti-Boyhood, at least with respect to how they each play with time. That’s not necessarily to pit them against one another, although at the end of the day my feeling is that Boyhood tells me about life, whereas Birdman only tells me about Alejandro Iñárritu.

 Selma [video] POST

Selma [video]

Very few historical films so successfully deconstruct the Great Man view of history while nevertheless offering a credible portrait of a leader who was, in fact, a great man.

Annie [video] POST

Annie [video] (2014)

I want to say I love the idea for Little Orphan Hushpuppy … but I’m not convinced there’s actually an idea here.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies [video] POST

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies [video]

“Will you follow me … one last time?” Well, if you promise it’s the last time.

 Exodus: Gods and Kings [video] POST

Exodus: Gods and Kings [video] (2014)

The director of Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven and Robin Hood takes on the story of Moses.

 Penguins of Madagascar [video] POST

Penguins of Madagascar [video] (2014)

Stick a fork in them, they’re done. Or maybe that’s just me.

 The Theory of Everything [video] POST

The Theory of Everything [video] (2014)

Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde’s 30-year-marriage gets the Wikipedia treatment, if Wikipedia were prettier, and sanitized.

 Big Hero 6 [video] POST

Big Hero 6 [video] (2014)

It’s a Marvel movie! It’s a Disney cartoon! It’s … a Marney movie! It’s set in San Fransokyo! Wait, what?

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What’s Up, Michael Bay?

What if Pixar’s Up had been directed by Michael Bay instead of Pete Docter? This seems pretty accurate, actually.

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Magic in the Moonlight [video] (2014)

Watching Woody Allen’s latest, starring Colin Firth and Emma Stone, is like watching your uncle doing a card trick you’ve seen him do a hundred times.

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Get On Up [video] (2014)

From the star of 42 and the director of The Help comes a film I enjoyed more than either of those.

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The Hundred-Foot Journey [video] (2014)

While I didn’t care for this movie as much as I hoped I would, I will say I went right from the theater to an Indian restaurant, where I got something I enjoyed more.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [video] (2014)

Thanks to this film, I’ll be adding “Shrinking World Syndrome” to SDG’s Very, Very Little Movie Glossary.

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The Christ of Muscle Beach!

“Christ in Majesty” is the official name of the striking, somewhat controversial mosaic on the apse wall of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, but someone Suz and I once knew jokingly nicknamed it “the Christ of Muscle Beach,” in reference to its half-bared chest and arm, muscular build and intimidating gaze.

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Hercules [video] (2014)

A question I couldn’t get to in 60 seconds: What’s the real story with the creepy, green spaced-out tribal warriors? Can anyone explain that?

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Snowpiercer [video] (2014)

This is the summer’s most thought-provoking action movie.

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Planes: Fire & Rescue [video] (2014)

Looking at those Cars eyes is worse than having no remnant of Pixar at all this year.

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Deliver Us From Evil [video] (2014)

Édgar Ramírez might be my favorite horror-movie priest.