dispatch From Roku Post Studios

Roku’s big year in review

Grab your forks and stick them in the year’s rear. 2014 is done. It had its up and downs, but for entertainment it was nothing but solid. Making downtime even better is the ever-increasing access to films, shows, and music through streaming technology. But if you feel a little lost at sea out there among the myriad choices, you are, therefore, in dire need of a Roku player or Roku TV.

2014 was a banner year for Roku. They sold their 10 millionth (modestly priced!) unit in the U.S. in September, rolled-out the super portable Roku Streaming Stick (never worry about a boring Airbnb stay again!) and licensed a reference design and Roku OS directly to television manufacturers TCL and Hisense to manufacture Roku TV models. What’s truly remarkable about Roku is how its search function acts as a gateway to the delirious abundance of entertainment options streaming chaotically through the ether. Roku sorts through all the mess and organizes it by showing the streaming channels that have what you’re looking for ordered by price; if we can just figure out a way for it to do the same to the rest of my apartment.

As we ready for 2015, let’s take a look at the top three films that were searched by Roku customers in 2014, plus seven more titles we’ve chosen from 2014 to show you the best of streaming that’s just a few easy clicks away.

 

Top 3 Searches

#1 Frozen – Available via Time Warner Cable, VUDU, M-GO, Amazon Instant Video

The children of the world just can’t let it go. Luckily, the story of Princess Anna is one bursting with good lessons and enlightened values. Sure, a handsome ice delivery boy with a goofy pet reindeer is nice, but reconnecting with your long-lost sister is nicer. And a snowman who longs for the warmth of summer is a great way to talk to your kids about the dangers of self-destructive behavior. It’s unlikely you haven’t seen “Frozen” yet (it’s the highest grossing animated film, and fifth-highest grossing overall) but it’s nice to know you can poke a few buttons and get it to play NOW if you need to distract the kids for 102 minutes.

 

#2 The LEGO Movie – Available via HBO GO, Time Warner Cable, M-GO, VUDU, Amazon Instant Video, CinemaNow

Probably not one to show the youngsters just before bed, as the antic, high-fructose visuals are likely to wind them up into maniacs shouting “Spaceship!!!” and running all over the house. But the anarchic spirit of creative play is what this extremely clever film is all about. “The LEGO Movie” is also funny enough that you don’t need the excuse of having a kid around to watch it. After all, Everything Is Awesome!

 

#3 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Available via Netflix, Time Warner Cable, VUDU, M-GO, Amazon Instant Video, CinemaNow

The best of the “Hunger Games” movies thus far, part two of four sends Katniss Everdeen on a press junket tour and back into the arena. But which is more deadly? This one has action and smarts and Jena Malone on some weird spinning contraption in the middle of a lake. The odds are ever in its favor.

 

Other Great Streaming Titles

20 Feet From StardomAvailable via Netflix, Blockbuster On Demand, VUDU, Amazon Instant Video

This year’s Academy Award-winning film for best documentary, “20 Years From Stardom,” is a fantastic and uplifting look at voices we know but could never name. Background vocals are often what separate a good song from a great one, and these hardworking (mostly) women have been part of the winning formula for decades. Finally, they get their due.

 

The Wolf of Wall StreetAvailable via Netflix, Time Warner Cable, VUDU, M-GO, Amazon Instant Video, CinemaNow

With a year since its theatrical release it’s only now that we can say we’ve caught up to the Wolf. A lengthy film, a controversial film, a somewhat vulgar film, but one that is quickly establishing itself as a modern classic. Martin Scorsese’s fast-paced, funny, and very ugly look at corrupt business practices isn’t just good entertainment – it’s there to remind you that wherever you work, it probably isn’t as bad as this.

 

Peter Pan LiveAvailable via Hulu Plus, Time Warner Cable, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video

Now you can hate-watch in comfort and ease as many times as you want. The spectacularly fun and campy musical that gave us Christoper Walken in a cravat, blatantly looking at cue cards off screen, is even better the second time around on your Roku.

 

Under the SkinAvailable via VUDU, Amazon Instant Video

Arguably the weirdest movie of the year, this one involves Scarlett Johansson roaming around Scotland and luring men back to her home where she entraps them in a floating black void and saps the flesh and bone from out of their skin. A black widow, indeed! You see, she’s an alien, not that you’d really know that – just like half the “actors” in the film didn’t know hidden cameras were trained on them. This is a hazy, hallucinatory and beautiful movie with odd imagery, atonal music, and lots of sultry Scarlett. Watch this one and we guarantee it’ll stick with you, even if you don’t know what the heck you’re watching.

 

We Are The Best! – Available via Netflix, VUDU, Amazon Instant Video

An adorable exploration of pre-teen exuberance, three friends decide to form a punk band in a fun ‘80s-set celebration of girl power. The reason you haven’t heard of “We Are The Best!” is because it’s in Swedish and nobody likes to read subtitles. But you do! Or, at least you should. Watch this one and you’ll be singing along with Klara, Hedvig and Bobo in no time.

 

How To Train Your Dragon 2Available via M-GO, VUDU, CinemaNow, Amazon Instant Video

Hardly a hidden film, but maybe one deserving of a second look. The adventures of Hiccup and Toothless are enjoyable, but it’s the design work in the “Dragon” films that really set them apart. Not a bad idea to just chillax and let the images of enormous winged creatures in flight over fantastical landscapes stream all over ya. This is the closest we’ll ever get to a filmed version of a 1970s prog-rock album cover.

 

As Above/So BelowAvailable via Blockbuster On Demand, VUDU, M-GO, Amazon Instant Video

When there are so many cheap horror films that use the “found footage” gimmick flooding the marketplace, it’s hard to know which are the good ones. Well, this is one of the good ones – a claustrophobic nightmare set in the labyrinthine catacombs under the streets of Paris. Filled with jump scares and gross-outs and plenty of moments to ask, “Gee, what the heck would I do?” this is one to watch with the lights down and your loved ones close. But maybe not too close!