Dec 23, 2014 7:00 AM

Gallery: Our Picks for the Best Movies of 2014

Fox Searchlight
01
Birdman
*Birdman* is easily the best long-take, metanarrative film about a washed up former comic-book movie star ever made. (Expand gallery to full screen to find out why we loved each film.)
Walt Disney Animation Studios
02
Big-Hero-6
*Big Hero 6* won us over with a smart story, fantastic characters, and the best animated robot this side of WALL-E.

Warner Bros.
03
the-lego-movie
Everything—including *The Lego Movie*—is awesome.
IFC
04
Boyhood
What director Richard Linklater and his remarkable cast achieved in *Boyhood* is much more than just a cinematic stunt. It's an emotionally rich, pitch-perfect tale of self-discovery.

Warner Bros.
05
Edge-of-Tomorrow
Although comparisons to videogames tend to be pejorative in the world of movies, that's exactly what makes *Edge of Tomorrow* so compelling.
Sony Pictures Classics
06
Foxcatcher
Dear Steve Carell and Channing Tatum: We always knew you had it in you. *Foxcatcher* just proved it.

Marvel Studios
07
GuardiansOfTheGalaxy
The Weinstein Company
08
Imitation Game
*The Imitation Game* is the movie we wish Alan Turing were alive to see.

Paramount Pictures
09
Interstellar
As cold and desolate as much of *Interstellar'*s setting is, Nolan’s tale of love and redemption and dreaming is warm, meditative, and ultimately as fulfilling as the connection between father and daughter.
Open Road Films
10
Nightcrawler
*Nightcrawler* let Jake Gyllenhaal crank the Creep Factor up to 11.

20th Century Fox
11
x-men-days-of-future-past
*X-Men: Days of Future Past* acted as a corrective, one that effectively deleted everything that infuriated us about 2006’s *X-Men: The Last Stand* with that age-old, failsafe narrative device: time travel.
20th Century Fox
12
Dawn-of-the-Planet-of-the-Apes
Andy Serkis' performance-capture work in *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* was incredible.

Radius/TWC
13
Snowpiercer
Director Bong Joon-ho’s disturbing dystopian tale, an examination of class issues set within a never-stopping train carrying the last survivors of the human race, messed with our heads in ways both wonderful *and* violent.

The Audacity Is the Broligarchy Takedown You Were Waiting For

AMC’s new black comedy about a manchild tech titan spinning out of control is a skewering Silicon Valley’s billionaire class deserves.

Miles Klee

A Lot of Shops Won't Fix Electric Bikes. Here's Why

Bike shop mechanics have lost fingers and their shirts while repairing ebikes of dubious origins. Make sure yours is repairable and third-party certified.

Stephanie Pearson

It’s a Tablet! It’s a Laptop! After Testing the Best 2-in-1s, Here’s What I Recommend

Whether you want a detachable tablet or a laptop screen that spins, these 2-in-1 devices manage to balance being both a tablet and a laptop.

Luke Larsen

There’s a Secret Ingredient to Making Luxury Ice at Home

Nice ice is big business, but you can get perfectly clear cubes at home without freezing your assets.

Jeremy White

The Screenmaxxers Who Spend Every Waking Hour on Their Phones

As debates over social media addiction rage, people with extreme screen times tell WIRED they have no plans to cut back.

Miles Klee

Mammotion’s Spino E1 Pool Cleaner Isn’t Bad for the Price—It's Just Not That Good

This compact pool robot keeps its price down, but its performance doesn’t match that of more capable cleaners.

Christopher Null

The Best Coffee Mug Warmers Are Smart. But They Don’t Need an App

The first rule of coffee is that it must stay hot. After weeks or even years of testing, these are the three coffee warmers that will best keep it that way.

Matthew Korfhage