First of all, I think 2014 was a pretty good year for
cinema, objectively. But I personally didn't love much of 2014's output I'm
sorry to say. By December 31st, I'd only seen 5 of the films on this list. I
picked up the other half from end-of-the-year recommendations from friends
& online 'top lists.' I probably love 3-4 of the films on last year's list
more than anything on this list. In fact, I loved the offering of the last two
years better than 2014. That's just my opinion, but there it is. Maybe their
lack of longevity in my heart & mind is the biggest factor when judging the
quality of the year. But there were so many 'pretty good' films to choose from
that it was quite difficult for me to only choose 10 this year. I really wanted
to postpone posting this list until a few more films, which I'm sure might have
knocked a couple of these titles out, were available to watch. But I try to
keep to my deadline of The Academy Awards telecast (because who really wants to
discuss top film lists after that?). So sometimes you've just got to go with
what you've got. And I really can't complain about what I had to work with.
I'm going to let these titles stand on their own merit & let you be the judge this time, so my reviews are much shorter this year. I have very eclectic taste, am cynical, well-educated in the history of film & hard to please. So my list is probably not for everyone. But hopefully some or many of these films will be for you. I hope you enjoy them & they make you happy. Without further ado, here are my favorite (which is not at all to say 'the best') films of 2014.
My favorite feature films
This list is in alphabetical order
All my reviews are spoiler-free
BIRDMAN (OR THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
I don't know about you, but my first reaction was that this
film seemed like Hollywood trying to make a more accessible version of a
Charlie Kaufman script without the genius of that amazing writer who can easily
confuse most people. The main draw here is the cinematography which is
disguised to look like one continuous shot throughout most of the film. This is
done with creative techniques & which really draws the viewer into the
story quite effortlessly without distracting from it which is does really,
really well. In fact, I'd give this film the best cinematography as well as
editing Oscar, without hesitation. It's just the acting awards I'd question,
although everybody gives a really good performance.
The story is a little banal, being a stage-drama-as-film
idea which is not at all new. However, the quirky angle of execution is
everything & the fact of Michael Keaton being Batman (in the Tim Burton
films) & the film playing upon that being the central attraction of
mainstream appeal being a major foundation of this story is something which is
really unexpected. It's almost like 1999's BEING JOHN MALKOVICH in terms of the
main actor being essential to the casting. You really couldn't make this film
without Keaton being the lead & therefore the film wouldn't have any weight
whatsoever without him. Which is what makes the film really remarkable. It
takes a lot of luck to put all of the pieces in place to make a film like this
& it's a minor miracle that it was done. But Iñárritu is a really good
director & this is unlike anything else he's ever done. Previously,
Iñárritu made 2000's AMORES PERROS, 2003's 21 GRAMS & 2006's BABEL. It's
kind of interesting that he copied fellow Mexican-born director Alfonso
Cuarón's disguised 'one long shot' form of direction / editing to tell this
story which is so out of character for his particular form of previous-effort
storytelling. He 'stole' Cuarón's Oscar-winning cinematographer from 2013's
GRAVITY, Emmanuel Lubezki, to do it & this film is also nominated for an
Oscar for his amazing job here.
CALVARY
Of the 10 films I've chosen, this is the last film I chose
for this list. Competing for that 10th spot against fierce competition, I
decided to go with this one, but there were about 5 other films I almost chose.
Many of the films you might be surprised I didn't choose for this year's list
could well have been the ones I was also considering. I've added my #s11-20
after my top-10 list. So you can judge for yourselves which ones should be here
instead & debate it in the comments. But upon reflection and re-watching
parts of this & the other titles, there's something about CALVARY that
couldn't be denied the status of one of my most favorite films of the year. For
one, when I was in film school, I made a short 8mm film about this same topic.
So you could say that this is a film I have been waiting to see done well for
many years & am a bit jealous I wasn't the one to make it. Although this is
a 'whodunit' type of story, I actually guessed who the 'guilty party' was
pretty early on so that entire aspect of the plot wasn't something I was caught
up in. Despite this, there's a lot to love about this film. I recently watched
the director's previous film, 2011's THE GUARD, which is fantastic & I
highly recommend. It also stars Brendan Gleeson & is the first of the
director's thematic trilogy (but not a continuing story) which CALVARY
continues. To tell you the name of this running theme would be a spoiler but
you can find it at the bottom of this page if you've already watched this film.
Director John McDonagh is the brother of Martin McDonagh,
who directed the 2008 film IN BRUGES, which I absolutely love, more than this
film in fact. McDonagh is a big fan of French director Robert Bresson, who I'm
a big fan of as well, & CALVARY was partly inspired by his 1951 film DIARY
OF A COUNTRY PRIEST as well as Ingmar Bergman's 1963 film WINTER LIGHT.
Something else interesting about CALVARY is that it features 12 supporting
characters, just like the 12 disciples of Jebus the Anointed One. Also, the
title of course refers to the site just outside of Jerusalem where Jebus was
crucified, or so the story goes.
FRANK
Of all the films on my list, this is the one which probably
doesn't 'deserve' to be here the most if I were to objectively criticize it
& compare it to a number of other films I like from 2014. But I don't care.
I loved this film & need to include it for personal reasons. Yes, that's
really Michael Fassbinder under there throughout the entire film. I mean come
on! You've gotta love that! So yeah, I guess I can't really shower this film
with a lot of critical praise other than the fact that it's really good, for
what it is. Although I'd gladly do that in person. Oh, I swear to Vishnu that I
saw a young woman wearing Frank's head on Prague's underground a few weeks
after I saw this film. I didn't feel like getting a photo because I was running
late for something, but now I really wish I had! It might have been for the
premiere of the film in Czech cinemas, I don't know.
A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT
The 'other' art-house vampire film of the year.
Self-described as being the first 'Iranian Vampire Western,' this film was a
darling at the Sundance Film Festival and for good reason. This is writer /
director Amirpour's 1st feature film & it's a remarkable debut. Although
she'd made a number of short films previously. I can't find how old she is, but
she seems to be in her mid-late 20s. Amirpour is heavily inspired by David
Lynch & it's obvious when watching this film. It's an underdog work &
sadly had a smaller budget than its vision. But every frame within every scene
is gorgeously shot in haunting black & white. I saw this at Prague's
Iranian Film Festival. But it needs to be said that this film was filmed in
California. It's being promoted as if it's an 'Iranian' film, but that is not
the case.
For those of you who liked 2014's ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE,
please know that I really appreciate that film, but not enough for it to make
this list. I'm also a big fan of this 2014 mocumentary about vampires in
Wellington, New Zealand which I highly recommend called WHAT WE DO IN THE
SHADOWS, but it didn't make my list either. I am very excited about Amirpour's
next film which is currently called THE BAD BATCH, which is described,
according to Wikipedia, as 'a post-apocalyptic cannibal love story set in a
Texas wasteland where a muscled cannibal breaks the rule don’t play with your
food. It’s ROAD WARRIOR meets PRETTY IN PINK with a dope soundtrack. She has
also described it as very violent & very romantic & and like EL TOPO meets
DIRTY DANCING'. If it's half as good as I think it can be, it's very possible
you'll be seeing it listed on my fave film list of that year as well!
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
When I first saw this film a year ago, I didn't think it
would make my top-10. I mean it's good, but it took me some time to really
appreciate it. This is probably the most 'Wes Anderson' film that Anderson has
made. It's the epitome of every Anderson film preceding it. Anyone who doesn't
like his best work (which this is not, but I'd say is now probably tied for my
3rd favorite of his), probably wouldn't appreciate this film. I really liked it
due to the Central European setting, which reminded me of the charming Czech
city of Karlovy Vary, but which was shot in Germany & Poland. Some people
found the changing aspect ratio of the film annoying & pretentious, but you
should just ignore those people, because they're stupid. It was a creative
choice & helped Anderson compact his typical perfect framing into a tighter
space which I think was pretty cool. In case anyone wants to know, my 3
favorites by Anderson are probably: 1998's RUSHMORE, 2001's THE ROYAL
TENENBAUMS & 2012's MOONRISE KINGODOM. I would love to hear what yours are
as well.
INHERENT VICE
Watching this film is like 'watching a book' as one review
put it. Well, yes, it's based on a book. And it's a sophisticated work. I love
this book, which is not hard to understand, despite the author's other, more
complicated work. I mean the novel is less than 400 pages! Yes, it's a
'thinking person's' film, but I am one of those, so I loved it. I'm sure that reading
the novel beforehand will significantly increase your enjoyment of this film.
It's even possible you won't enjoy this film without having read the novel
first. My experience was having read the book recently enough to remember most
of what was going on while I was watching the movie so I personally can't
relate to seeing this film without knowing what was going on beforehand. Please
let me know how it was for you if you hadn't read the book first, I'm curious.
The original music was composed by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood (who also
composed 2007's THERE WILL BE BLOOD) & it's amazing, hypnotic & fits
the tone of the film perfectly. You should get the soundtrack. I read this
novel last year knowing P.T. Anderson was working on the film & highly
recommend it. It's very accessible & nowhere near as long as Pynchon's
longer works (about 370 pages).
Director P.T. Anderson is one of my favorite directors
working today & needs no introduction since he's a great filmmaker. But
anyone not familiar with his work should watch: 1997's BOOGIE NIGHTS, 1999's MAGNOLIA
& 2007's THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Fans of INHERENT VICE shouldn't miss older
films by different directors, but of a similar genre, such as: Robert Altman's
1973 THE LONG GOODBYE, which is a better film and a classic. Then there's
Michelangelo Antonioni's 1970 ZABRISKIE POINT, whose soundtrack was composed by
Pink Floyd. It's really trippy & amazing & captures the tone of this
film, if not the story. But storywise, I'd recommend Ivan Passer's 1981 CUTTER'S
WAY, which is also a slow-burn, but great double-feature.
NYMPH( )MANIAC (VOLUMES 1 & 2 - DIRECTOR'S CUT)
'Tasteless, exploitative trash' is what some people might
think about these two films (which I'm counting as one because my list = my rules!).
This is a Lars Von Trier film. Context is necessary. Just about every film he's
made divides audiences & spurs fierce debate. He's really a 'love him or
hate him' film director. I love him & subject myself to his films as
experiences instead of simply distractions. If that's not the type of person
you are, then this & most of his previous work is maybe not for you. And
that's OK.
If you haven't seen the director's cut of this film, then
you haven't seen this film. Not really. You missed 30 minutes of volume 1 and
60 minutes of volume 2. Think about that. You've missed 90 minutes of the film.
That's the typical length of an average film. The reason I mention that is
two-fold. First, if you've only seen the shorter version, there's more than
enough which was butchered from it to warrant checking out the director's cut.
And second, if you haven't seen the film yet, don't bother with the shorter
version because the content that was excluded (just what I know about) robs you
of some really important material which is what made this film (for better or
worse) so memorable for me. I haven't seen the butchered version & not
having seen it, I can't comment on it. I waited all year while the original
theatrical cut was in cinemas & then on DVD & avoided watching it
because I was waiting for the director's cut to be available. And it was worth
the wait. Because I knew that there would be a director's cut hitting cinemas
in late 2014 & I had two incredible nights, back to back, at Prague's Kino
Oko, experiencing these two films in all their extended glory.
Volume 1 is universally regarded as being better than
volume 2 & I agree. I just want to highlight the scene with Uma Thurman,
from volume I, as being one of the most amazing scenes in any film I saw from
2014. Volume II is much 'harder' & less enjoyable & there is a scene
during which I had to divert my eyes for a minute. If you've seen it (which is
only in the director's cut), you know which scene I'm talking about. It was one
of the most disturbing scenes I've ever seen in any film, ever. But that
shouldn't dissuade you from seeing these two films. There's a lot to love. And
that while I don't like Shia LaBeouf as an 'actor,' he's not bad in this film
& I was able to tolerate him. By the way, have you seen him in Sia's music
video for Elastic Heart? That's some pretty disturbing & freaky shit I've
gotta say. If you liked this film, you should check out this 2014 German film
called WETLANDS, which I think is also great.
THE RAID 2: BERANDAL
OMFG, how amazing is this film! It's some critics favorite
film of the entire year & for good reason. I'd respect anyone who praises
this film so highly. It's by far the best action film of the year. Even
possibly the best martial arts / action film of the last 10 years. Which is
funny since it was a Welshman who wrote & directed the original & this
sequel. I've read one critic call it 'THE GODFATHER II of martial arts films'
which I can't agree with because the original film, 2012's THE RAID, isn't
something you can compare to the epic that is Coppola's first in his trilogy.
At 2 1/2 hours long, this is an epic story & far surpasses the scope of the
original, which is not necessary to see before watching this film. But you
should see that film as well because it's really good & one of my favorite
films of 2012. The story of the sequel picks up 2 hours after the ending of the
first film, then flash-forwards 2 years later. So watching the original first
might not be a bad idea. I can not wait for the final film in this trilogy!
WHIPLASH
Such amazing performances. 30-year old director Damien
Chazelle lead his team to shoot, edit & then submit this film to the
Sundance Film Festival in just 10 weeks. It was shot in just 19 days. Although
the actors began practicing the music involved months before everything got
under way. This is a fleshed-out feature of the writer / director's
Sundance-winning short film of the same name so a lot had already been
conceived & planned. Another great film from 2014 was GRAND PIANO, which
Chazelle also wrote. A very busy couple of years he's had! The music in this
film is awesome. I love jazz drumming & the great music is one of the
things which makes this film so enjoyable & for me, re-watchable. J.K.
Simmons outdoes his best work in the past & certainly deserves the Oscar
nomination. Miles Teller gives a stunning & dedicated performance,
literally giving blood, sweat & tears to the role. Some of the blood you
see in the film is really his blood. The practice scenes really caused the
actor to bleed & they kept that in the film. I've watched the last 15
minutes or so of this film about 10 times now & absolutely love it.
WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL?
The direct translation of the Japanese title is Why Is Hell
(So) Bad? Last (alphabetically), but certainly not least is this batshit-crazy,
Yakuza comedy. Technically released in Japan in 2013, this extremely
entertaining crowd-pleaser wasn't released in the U.S. until late 2014, so I'm
counting it. It joins the ranks of great films about making a film within the
plot which can easily be a banal story concept, but when laced with such
lunacy, slapstick violence, style & unpredictable plot twists, this film is
re-watchable & very enjoyable. There's often a Japanese film which finds
it's way into my top-films list & I'm proud to say that this one was a
no-brainer. I'm only sorry I didn't get the chance to watch it in the cinema so
I could enjoy it in a crowd.
Japanese director Sion Sono is probably best known for his
very long, 237-minute masterpiece from 2008 called LOVE EXPOSURE. He first got
my attention with 2001's SUICIDE CLUB, which is a great, twisted film. He even
has another, more recent film from 2014 called TOKYO TRIBE, which is a great
double-feature, though not as critically acclaimed as my choice but I don't
care. And there's already a trailer for one of his next films in 2015 called
SHINJUKI SWAN. He's entering Takashi Miike territory here and anyone who loves
that director needs to start watching everything Sion Sono does from now on.
There's also already a trailer for his upcoming LOVE AND PEACE, which would
appear to be his Gamera film, involving a turtle which grows large enough to
attack a city, which of course is awesome. As well as for his upcoming
war-on-schoolgirls film TAG, which looks amazing. Apparently, Sion Sono will
release 6 films in 2015. Holy fraking poop!
The runners-up (in alphabetical order)
BLUE RUIN
BOYHOOD
COHERENCE
THE EDGE OF TOMORROW
ENEMY
FORCE MAJEURE
GONE GIRL
INTERSTELLAR
JODOROWSKY'S DUNE (DOC)
NIGHTCRAWLER
UNDER THE SKIN
