What Was the Best Movie of Summer 2014

Every year, there;s an unofficial song of the summer, a particular jam that makes the season special. Not that this is something universally agreed upon by anyone, just a topic for discussion and a means to good times. If there had to be any movie equivalent in 2014, it;s Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course, it helps that the movie has a great soundtrack full of retro tunes that could count as songs of the summer. It;s an awesome mixtape for playing out by the pool.As far as this summer;s blockbusters go, Guardians might just be the best. But it has some strong competition from movies that are so differently great that it;s hard to compare them. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes proved once again that sequels can be as great as if not better than the original -- not to mention that franchise reboots in general can be done really well. That was also evidenced in Godzilla, a remake with flaws that don;t matter in the grand scheme of its impeccable execution.Oh, and I can;t forget Edge of Tomorrow -- or are we calling it Live Die Repeat now? The Tom Cruise sci-fi actioner wasn;t a big hit at the box office, which is a shame since it was the greatest theatrical thrill ride of this year so far, in any season. For many of us, the actor redeemed himself after last year;s immensely faulted sci-fi flick Oblivion, as well as especially his last summertime release, 2012;s Rock of Ages. There;s nothing like a good Cruise in the summer (then again, I likeKnight & Day and War of the Worlds).As for the smaller movies, often referred to as counterprogramming in the summer, I;ve regrettably not seen the films with the best buzz, such as Boyhood, Snowpiercer, The Rover, Ida, Chef, The Trip to Italy and Calvary. But I did finally seeObvious Child, and it;s hilarious and surely will still be among my favorites once I catch up.There have also been a lot of excellent documentaries released over the past few months, some that will definitely be on my best of the year list, including Life Itself, The Internet;s Own Boy, Rich Hill, The Kill Team and Expedition to the End of the World, which opens this week. If you think docs can;t be as exciting as most summer blockbusters, definitely check that last one out. It beautifully and humorously follows a ship full of artists and scientists to the Arctic to another awesome soundtrack mixing up Mozart and Metallica.What was the best movie of this summer?Here are some responses received so far via Twitter:@thefilmcynic Guardians of the Galaxy— Justin S. Robinson (@TheJSRobinson) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic It;s hard to decide between Edge of Tomorrow and Guardians of the Galaxy.— Ashwin (@ShinobivsGast) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic Best blockbuster was GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, best indie was BOYHOOD.— Ethan Anderton (@Ethan_Anderton) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic Boyhood (honorable mentions to Guardians of the Galaxy, Neighbors, and Chef)— Trevor Cox (@Trevor_R_Cox) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic boyhood— Love Too Tweet Chris (@NationalTragedy) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic BOYHOOD was good, as well as CHEF— Garry Swanson (@Garry_S) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic I;m going with BOYHOOD. It;s the one we;ll remember most, and it;s the one I can;t stop thinking about.— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic Boyhood, though Frank and We Are The Best! were great fun.— Kyle Pinion (@kylepinion) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic best overall: Boyhood (obviously). Best Blockbuster: Edge of Tomorrow.— Daniel Howat (@howatdk) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic Boyhood, but The November Man has yet to be screened.— Jordan Raup (@jpraup) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic Boyhood.— Matty Mcboy (@RealMattyMcBoy) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic For me - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes along with Guardians, Godzilla, Boyhood.— Alex Billington (@firstshowing) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic Good q. Honestly, Edge of Tomorrow or Chef.— Alex Rosenberg (@workinpractice) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic Edge of Tomorrow.— Jack Giroux (@JackGi) August 18, 2014@firstshowing @thefilmcynic Big: Edge of Tomorrow. Small: Ida.— Justin Kownacki (@JustinKownacki) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic IDA.— Jacob (@MercuryMN) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic The Purge: Anarchy— Jamie (@filmnerdjamie) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic Snowpiercer.— Noah Gittell (@ReelChanger) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic A MOST WANTED MAN for small, GODZILLA for large.— Josh Rosenfield (@JoshRosenfield) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic I have not seen BOYHOOD yet so CALVARY is the one to beat. Though I reserve the right to actually see BOYHOOD.— Matthew Monagle (@LabSplice) August 18, 2014@thefilmcynic UNDER THE SKIN (opened in may over here).— Point de vues (@Pointdevues) August 18, 2014Join in the next discussion:and