10 Underrated Performances/Films Of 2014

People and films that I adored this past year.

1. Miles Teller in Whiplash.

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With so much praise and recognition given to J.K. Simmons, which is well-deserved, I feel like everyone forgets about the absolutely stunning and powerful performance Teller gives in Whiplash. Teller has to be one of the greatest young actors out there right now and I can't wait to see what character he will tackle next.

2. Channing Tatum in Foxcatcher.

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Another eerie performance was given in Foxcatcher and it was given by Channing Tatum. Steve Carell was absolutely amazing and captured the eeriness of John Du Pont perfectly, but one must not forget the equally incredible performance given by Channing Tatum who played Mark Schultz. Channing Tatum amazes me with every film he makes with his continued growth as an actor.

3. Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler.

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Jake Gyllenhaal has once again been overlooked for his ability to play any character you throw at him. *cough cough* Prisoners (2013). His performance in Nightcrawler was remarkable! His ability to make his character (Lou Bloom) have an eeriness about him while still making us question if we should actually look up to Lou Bloom for his overly enthusiastic nature. Plus the physical transformation he added to the character was incredible.

4. Chris Evans in Snowpiercer.

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Snowpiercer was one of those films you probably should only see once in your life. Not for the fact it wasn't fantastic (it was fantastic), but it was just so gruesome to watch the first time I can't imagine watching it a second time. Snowpiercer had the finest ensemble cast I have seen in a while. Not one actor fell short. Chris Evans displayed he could play more than Captain America (But in all fairness he has already proven his chops in Sunshine). Evans gives one of the most gruesome monologues of the film and it makes you cringe, yet with that same breathe you feel for his character.

5. Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader in Skeleton Twins.

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Skeleton Twins was one of the most underrated films of 2014, but especially the performances given in this film. Leave it to Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader to make one of the gloomiest films of 2014 and still manage to add humor. This film provided Wiig and Hader to show off more of their comedic genius, but as well as their ability to play grim characters. We should all petition to have at least one film every year with this dynamic duo.

6. Logan Lerman in Fury.

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In one of the most powerful war films of the decade, yes I am very comfortable with making a proclamation like that. This film was a powerful story of the unity of what war can bring, but also the undoing of one's humanity. Logan Lerman plays a very green solider who is forced to do unthinkable actions. The beauty of Logan Lerman as Norman Ellison was the evolution of his character. You can relate to his character's fear, his constant battle of what is right and what is wrong, and overall Logan Lerman played it with such ease and held his own with some of the greatest actors.

7. Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Belle.

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Gugu Mbatha-Raw was in my favorite film of 2014. Belle was an extraordinary tale of a mixed child being raised in a time where slavery still exist. So many scenes of Belle were utterly heart wrenching and GuGu excelled those emotions with her fantastic performance. She is an actress who will definitely be everywhere soon and I can't wait to see what other characters she decides to tackle.

8. The Book Of Life.

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Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez. This was one of the best animated films of 2014! I adored The Lego Movie and many others, but Book Of Life was sensational! It provided an immense amount of diversity and I loved that it told the story in such a wonderful way. The fact that one didn't need to have prior knowledge of what Day Of The Dead was, provided the film to appeal to all audiences. It was just a dazzling story and told a story of people of a different culture that we aren't use to see on film let alone in an animated film. Lastly the modern songs that were given a latin twist on it was absolutely genius!

9. Interstellar.

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Directed by Christopher Nolan. The best cinematography of 2014 goes to Interstellar! If this film didn't ignite some type of love inside of you I feel deeply sorry for you. This film crushed me in more ways than one, but the raw emotion of the daughter/father storyline made me sob so deeply I wish I had been alone in the theater. I adored this film and it was one of my favorites of the year.

10. Begin Again.

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Directed by John Carney. A wonderful film for really anyone, but especially music lovers. It had the best soundtrack of the year and with brilliant performances.