50 Best Films of 2014 - #20 - #11

Now into the top 20 films from 2014

20. Under the Skin

A tricky one to recommend, Under the Skin is enigmatic and utterly, shockingly strange, and while I loved it obviously and I know others who did as well, I also know a fair share of people who would ask me why the hell I wasted their two hours, or they would turn it off halfway through in disgust. This is really only a safe bet if you meet one of these two conditions: a) you are physically attracted to Scarlett Johansson, or b) you find strange, abstract cinema with some real depth and meaningful thematic substance appealing.  

I will leave it at this: there is some really interesting stuff happening here regarding the way we view and treat women in society.

19. Blue Ruin

I really expected this to be a by the numbers, you can see what is approaching around every corner revenge thriller. I was so damn wrong. Blue Ruin is smart, edge of your seat stuff, if you have Netflix streaming I highly suggest checking it out.

18. Life Itself

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I used to walk to a store nearby to purchase a newspaper every Friday specifically for the movie reviews, and it wasn't a difficult decision whether I should pick up a Sun-Times or a Tribune. I wanted to read the words of Roger Ebert, and even when I disagreed with the man, I always admired him. Life Itself is a wonderful documentary that serves as a tremendous tribute to Roger, but the best thing about it is that it is honest rather than simply positive pandering. Steve James doesn't mind showing that his subject was flawed because it is human to be flawed, and as a result the film is truly special.

17. Foxcatcher

A chilling and brilliantly performed picture based on a true story, I was engrossed inside the world crafted by Bennett Miller from start to finish. Foxcatcher is a cold and dour experience without a doubt, and one looking for anything light and fun will surely be counting the minutes until it's over, but if you are like me and find odd amounts of joy watching something ominous this may work wonders for you too.

16. Inherent Vice

Luckily for me, I had read the delightfully strange source material this was based on before seeing the film, the novel by Thomas Pynchon of the same name, so I knew what to expect going in. I knew much of the narrative would seem incoherent and the style of storytelling would feel out of sorts, but strangely that was what makes Inherent Vice such a blast to witness unfold. Sure, it's a mess, but what a glorious mess it is. Directed by one of the brightest modern auteurs working today, Paul Thomas Anderson, even if you have no idea what the hell is going on you have got to admire just how well crafted the ride is.

15. Nightcrawler

Lead by my favorite male performance of the year by Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, Nightcrawler is another dark and creepy entry into my list, but unlike Foxcatcher it also has a wickedly clever sense of humor as well. The fact that this ended up at #15 on the year is a testament to just how strong 2014 was in cinema, because my goodness I love this movie.

14. The LEGO Movie

The first movie from 2014 I saw ends up being one of the finest of the year. It isn't often I can say that because typically the early months are the doldrums of the theatrical calendar, but The LEGO Movie turned out to be shockingly great. So clever, so warm, so much damn fun with a third act twist that brought quite a few tears to the eye, what initially felt like it was destined to be solely an advertisement for toys turned out to have an important and meaningful message in the end.

13. How to Train Your Dragon 2

Back in 2010, I was one of the few people who felt the first How to Train Your Dragon was the best animated film of the year. Understandable because the also amazing Toy Story 3 was released during that very same year, but How to Train Your Dragon just had this magical feeling that cast a spell on me and won me over immediately. I was concerned the sequel would be a let down, but that skepticism vanished quickly as the characters, the story and the stakes all matured since the release of the original. For quite some time this movie held my top spot of 2014 and with each revisit I am reminded why. How to Train Your Dragon 2 is an amazing film for any person of any age. 

12. Like Father, Like Son

The switched at birth story has been done before, but never this eloquently and with this much realism and passion. Like Father, Like Son is heartbreaking and thought provoking cinema, asking a rather important question: what makes a child yours? Is it the blood and genetics you share, or is it something more? A truly beautiful film, and as a father I made a very strong connection with this work.

11. The Raid 2

The first Raid film completely caught me off guard as I had assumed I would be bored by something that was essentially non-stop action, and instead I was pumped full of adrenaline and exhausted by the end of that insanely intense, blood soaked film. Within the first minute of The Raid 2, as the movie opens outdoors with a wide shot that is far different from the cramped and claustrophobic nature of the first film, it is clear director Gareth Evans wants bigger and better things with the sequel. That is exactly what he delivered, as this time around things are far more story oriented, yet when the action does show up it is just as intense and just as awesome as before. 

Next up, the top ten films of 2014. The picture above is from a work that landed not only on the list, but in the top 5 of the year.

Oscar Nominations 2015! Shameful Snubs! Reactions!

The Oscar nominations have been revealed, and all I can say is wow. So many surprised I never saw coming. Here they are, with the titles in bold being those that I correctly predicted, followed by my reactions to each category.

Warning: a couple of these categories are going to elicit emotional, angry responses from me.

BEST PICTURE

Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Birdman
American Sniper
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
Selma

My first reaction? I cannot believe Gone Girl didn't even earn a nomination, which will prove to be a familiar theme as we continue on down the list. I read somewhere that there was a gut feeling that the average age and general nature of the typical Academy voter would mean they would find that film to be a hard pill to swallow. Looks like this thought was accurate.

I was hoping for a nomination for Nightcrawler as well, but I am not surprised it was excluded. Just not the type of film that normally would make the Best Picture cut with that crowd. The Theory of Everything better than those two films? Ridiculous.



BEST DIRECTOR

Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

Four of the five correctly predicted, with the only hiccup being that I really thought more love would be thrown in the direction of David Fincher and Gone Girl. Oh well, he will always be receiving bouquets coming from my direction.

BEST ACTOR

Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper

I can't say I am surprised to see Carell and Cooper nominated, and I won't talk ill of the choices since those are two films I am yet to see. Personally I was rooting for Ralph Fiennes and Jake Gyllenhaal as they are my two favorite performances of the year, and honestly I am surprised by the Fiennes omission given how much love The Grand Budapest Hotel received this year from the Academy.

BEST ACTRESS

Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night

You know, had I picked these months ago I very well may have included Cotillard here because there was a time she was a pretty clear selection but then it seemed she went on a rather long stretch of being ignored, so I figured her potential had lost steam. Otherwise the choices were expected.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood

I said I expected no surprises here, and sure enough, no surprises.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Emma Stone, Birdman
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Laura Dern, Wild

I can't even claim Laura Dern as my alternate choice to Jessica Chastain, seeing as how I declared my alternate choice was Tilda Swinton for Snowpiercer.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, Foxcatcher
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler

5/5 correct, boom! Love that Nightcrawler got recognition here.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash

Essentially, Anthony McCarten wrote a screenplay based on every single other biopic made in recent memory, a predictable trope by numbers type of work. So he earns a nomination over Gillian Flynn for Gone Girl. Sure, why not?

BEST EDITING

Boyhood
American Sniper
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Whiplash
The Imitation Game


This category was the specific one that made me realize, holy shit, The Grand Budapest Hotel really is in the running for Best Picture. Not that the nomination isn't deserved, but I never expected it...clearly, since I only predicted two of the five correctly.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Mr. Turner
Unbroken
Ida


A part of me is really quite annoyed that Interstellar didn't get a nomination here, but my complaint of this isn't directed towards a film like Ida, which actually puts a smile on my face that the Academy went in that direction. No, despite the fact that I predicted it AND I am a huge fan of Roger Deakins, if you gave me the option over the photography of Unbroken or Interstellar, there is no contest.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Interstellar
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner
The Imitation Game


When I did my predictions, I said "Interesting to see if Mr. Turner gets a nod here as I expect it will for cinematography, very much a possibility it knocks The Imitation Game out of that last spot."

One portion of that thought came true, but the surprise for me is that it knocked off Birdman, which I thought was a lock.

BEST SOUND MIXING

Interstellar
Birdman
Whiplash
American Sniper
Unbroken

Unbroken for sound mixing? All I remember was Zamperini getting punched over and over again.

BEST SOUND EDITING

Interstellar
Unbroken
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Birdman
American Sniper

Unbroken for sound editing? See above.


BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Into the Woods
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Mr. Turner
Maleficent

As I said when I made the predictions, should be an interesting choice between Into the Woods and The Grand Budapest Hotel, as I would imagine those are the clear cut favorites.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Mr. Turner
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Interstellar
The Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game

On the one hand, I am thrilled to see the score of The Grand Budapest Hotel nominated, as I was just thinking the other day when I revisited that film that the music was sorely under-appreciated, as I had not heard it linked to a potential nomination. On the other hand, seriously? No love for the work of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross? This category was the exclamation point of the obvious mass snubbing of Gone Girl by the academy. What a shame that such conventional, unremarkable work like the score of The Theory of Everything gets recognized over it.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Timbuktu
Ida
Leviathan
Wild Tales
Tangerines

I can't complain because I have not seen it, but color me shocked that Force Majeure is not a part of this mix. I didn't think that was possible given the overwhelmingly positive reception and the fact that it was deemed a lock by anyone making predictions.

BEST DOCUMENTARY

CitizenFour
Finding Vivien Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

When I did the nomination predictions, I declared that CitizenFour was the "major competition to Life Itself". Notice anything above? Life Itself is not nominated for Best Documentary? Remember that warning at the start of this about my angry and emotional reactions to a couple of categories? Here we are, with the other one being next up.

I cannot comprehend the exclusion of Life Itself, a truly brilliant and beautiful documentary by the incredible Steve James. It actually feels insulting, that such a powerful and life affirming look at a man who passionately loved the medium of film could be ignored like this. Now, I have seen Virunga and it is a solid doc, but the idea that it is more deserving of this honor than Life Itself is a joke.

Hopefully people will continue to seek out the stirring tribute to the life of Roger Ebert despite the Academy ignoring it, because it needs to be seen. Currently my favorite documentary of 2014 and in my top 15 films overall, I cannot believe this snub.

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Song of the Sea
How To Train Your Dragon 2
The Tales of Princess Kaguya
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls

The LEGO Movie, which currently resides in my top 10 films of 2014, which happen to be the ten I have given a perfect score to, isn't even NOMINATED for best animated film?!?!

I actually slightly prefer the wonderful How to Train Your Dragon 2 to it, and I also enjoyed Big Hero 6 but the idea that it is more deserving than the genius work of Phil Lord and Chris Miller on The LEGO Movie is just awful.

I have a feeling my anger will only intensify when I see The Boxtrolls...

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Interstellar
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
X-Men: Days of Future Past

A little surprised that Godzilla wasn't a part of these five, but nothing too upsetting or shocking here.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

My first mistake here? Assuming there would be five nominees. Whoops.

BEST SONG

"Glory", Selma
"Everything is Awesome", The LEGO Movie
"Grateful", Beyond the Lights
"I'm Not Gonna Miss You", Glen Campbell...I'll Be Me
"Lost Stars", Begin Again

I predicted that the same five nominees from the Golden Globes would carry over here. One of the five made the cut.

On the one hand, I am thrilled to see "Everything is Awesome" nominated, because if you actually listen to that whole song it is ridiculously clever and fun, and well, awesome. Part of me though finds this nomination to be even more frustrating for the snub of The LEGO Movie in the animated feature category. My only thought when I saw it was excluded was perhaps they forgot about the genius of the concept and execution of the whole thing because it was released all the way back in February of last year, but if they find the song worthy of recognition this cannot be the case.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Feast
The Dam Keeper
A Single Life
The Bigger Picture
Me and My Moulton


I didn't really expect to do well here, as I have no idea what most of the short films are. Feast is wonderful though, without seeing the others it will be the one I am rooting for.


BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
White Earth
The Reaper
Our Curse
Joanna


Another category I can't really react to in any way as I have seen zero of them. Perhaps I will seek these all out before the ceremony though, understand what makes them great.


BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Butter Lamp
The Phone Call
Boogaloo and Graham
Aya
Parvaneh


Without seeing anything, I am included to root for anything titled "Boogaloo".

So the nominations have been revealed and now it is weeks of wonderful who will win. I cannot shake some of these snubs but I will get over it.

Keep an eye out for my predictions of who will win in each category, coming at some point just before the Oscars take place on February 22nd!

My Unofficial 20 Favorite Films of 2014 - #20 - #11

It's that time of the year when the best of 2014 lists come flying in from every direction, but I actually typically don't post mine just yet. My tradition is to make the previous year official on the day of the Oscars, as that gives me the first two months of the new year to catch up on films I am yet to see. While I have managed to watch 90 movies released in 2014 already, there are still so many more that I need to make sure to catch before I can really feel good about what I claim to be my favorites. Films like American Sniper, Into the Woods, Inherent Vice, Foxcatcher, Selma, A Most Violent Year, Wild, Whiplash, The Imitation Game and more, so many works receiving tons of praise that I must witness before my 2014 wraps up.

That being said, why not release an unofficial best of list now?

These are my the first ten of my current twenty favorite films of 2014:


20. Godzilla

My Review of Godzilla


Is it a flawless film? Of course not, but the pacing, the musical score by Alexandre Desplat, the confident direction by Gareth Edwards, and the jaw dropping visual effects all combined to make this a blast at the theater way back in May.


19. The Fault in Our Stars

My Review of The Fault in Our Stars


As a thirty year old man, I was apparently not the target audience of this film. As I always say though, there are no bad genres, only bad films, and The Fault in Our Stars is not one of them. I refuse to write off something for being a "chick flick" before I even get a chance to see it, and this hit so many wonderful notes for me and made me weep openly in the theater that day.


18. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

My Review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes


I was extremely pessimistic about a sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes as I thought the progression of the apes would prove to be silly. I am so glad I was proven wrong. Exciting action and excellent storytelling, not only was this a worthy second installment into the rebooted franchise, it turned out to be a rather large step up from the first in every way.


17. The Guest

My Review of The Guest


The 2014 film I most recently watched and I was surprised to find it entering my top 20 films of the year, but this fantastic genre film was a total blast and the final fifteen or so minutes were possibly the most entertaining of anything I have seen all year.


16. X-Men: Days of Future Past

My Review of X-Men: Days of Future Past


Another film that I admit I was pessimistic about in advance, as I thought it would be too crowded, a movie trying to do too much and thus it would succumb to its lofty ambitions. Again, glad to be proved wrong. I actually just revisited this on Blu-ray the other night and everything I loved about it in the theater held up just fine at home. A smart, stylish, entertaining film.


15. Enemy

My Review of Enemy


Last year the film Prisoners was my #2 of the year, a gritty, dark and disturbing thriller that had me truly riveted from start to finish. While not quite reaching those heights in 2014, director Denis Villeneuve is back again with his new film Enemy, a confounding and original work that made me literally yell out loud at the end, and then scratch my head as I wondered what I just saw. I am still not entirely sure, but I know it is great.


14. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

After a down year in 2013 for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I was hoping my boy Captain America would bring the intelligence and excitement back, with a little less focus on absurd humor and more on a solid script and some kick ass action. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was just what the doctor ordered, essentially a fantastically crafted spy thriller that so happens to have a superhero in it.


13. Under the Skin

My Review of Under the Skin


When I finished watched Under the Skin, the first thing I thought was "What the hell?!" but I had a pretty big smile on my face because I meant it in a very positive way. A truly bizarre experience, but the themes are pretty apparent and meaningful and I appreciated the way it was handled. Seriously though, some of the imagery seen here will keep you up at night. Some truly weird crap, without a doubt, and I loved it.


12. Blue Ruin

My Review of Blue Ruin


I thought I had Blue Ruin pegged from the get-go. I assumed it would go down a rather predictable path, but then something happened that surprised me: exactly what I thought would happen did...except all in the first act of the film. So much story to tell and I had no idea what to expect next. A smart revenge flick that keeps you on your toes until the very end.


11. Life Itself

My Review of Life Itself




Growing up, there was no Rottentomatoes or Metacritic to go to for every review you could imagine. I found my film criticism from two places: the Chicago Sun-Times, where I quickly flipped through in search of the written words of Roger Ebert, and also the television program Siskel and Ebert. I greatly admired Roger for his passionate love for film and the fact that he was able to create a connection with his readers and viewers by never seeming like he knew more than you. He wrote so that you would understand why he felt the way he did, and after you finished reading you truly were persuaded to either see or skip the film being reviewed.

Life Itself is hard to watch at times because it follows Roger to the very end and focuses on the good and the bad, but it is a remarkable tribute to the life of a great man.

My next list will be my current top ten of the year. Happy New Year everyone, here's to a hopefully great 2015.

Life Itself Review

Full disclosure: I grew up on the film criticism of Roger Ebert. Living just outside Chicago my entire life, when I wanted to read a print review of a new release I would turn to the Chicago Sun-Times and soak in the words of Ebert. Every chance I had to watch At the Movies, I would find myself in front of the television to hear the wonderful banter and debate between Siskel and Ebert. In a world before I could rely on various websites that would simplify the process, grouping hundreds of reviews in one location to form a consensus, I only knew of those two gentleman and their opinions. Whether or not their thumbs went up or down was a major influence on my young mind.

I felt the need to clear this up right off the bat because I will admit, this bias entering the experience of the film Life Itself may have enhanced my overall opinion of it. However, please understand that just because I loved and looked up to Ebert doesn't mean I held his word to be gospel. Often times I would disagree with him and wonder what in the hell he could have been seeing or not seeing in a film, but even when I felt like he and I were a million miles apart with our opinions, I never stopped appreciating his passion for film. Ebert wasn't cynical, he never acted like he was above anyone and he never came off as snobby. He broke down a film in a way that I could understand even at a young age, he loved what he did for a living and you could feel it in every word he wrote.

Life Itself is a documentary made by Steve James, the man behind incredible works like Hoop Dreams and The Interrupters, and I found so much joy within these two hours I am taking my time coming up with the proper words to do the feelings justice. Even at its most heartbreaking given the fate of the beloved subject, at its core this is a film that celebrates a life rather than mourns the loss of it. We are allowed into not only the life of Roger Ebert but also the various relationships that shaped him throughout his existence, and the emotional words from the people he was closest to resonated deeply with me.

The aspect of this film that I was most impressed by was the fact that James knew he couldn't merely throw together a giant love fest for Ebert, he couldn't just paint a picture of perfection that may have been what people wanted to hear but it wouldn't be real. The film is mostly positive, and it should be considering what an example of warmth and optimism the man was, but it isn't afraid to delve into topics such as his battle with alcoholism, his taste in women (and even the occasional prostitute) prior to meeting the love of his life, and the ugly moments between himself and his on screen partner Gene Siskel. It's important to understand that just because someone appears on television and seems to have their shit together doesn't mean they are perfect. Nobody is perfect, and even the most famous people on the planet fight their flaws and their inner demons. When you honor a life, you must honor everything, the good and the bad. It was his life, and even when things weren't perfect, Roger Ebert truly lived.

Everything I had hoped for when I first learned of this documentary came true. I got to experience nostalgic warmth but also learn something new about a man I admired deeply. I laughed repeatedly but I cried only once, but trust me, it was a good cry. As I said in the beginning, it is important to note my strong feelings for the man and what he has meant to be and my love of cinema, but I don't think it would have changed a whole lot even if I barely knew him or his story. The real reason Life Itself works is because of its storytelling, its honesty and ability to shower love onto the life of a man without pandering. This is a marvelous testament to the powerful potential of the genre.

Whenever I see a new film, whether I love it or hate it, I always wonder what Ebert would think if he were still alive today. It makes me sad to know that he never got to see some of the films either currently released or the ones that will be soon. I can't help but wish I could read his review of Boyhood prior to my entering the cinema, for example, and as morbid as it sounds for a relatively young man like myself to even entertain these thoughts, I couldn't help but consider the fact that someday I, too, would pass away and leave behind people I love and the opportunity to experience wonderful films going forward. I could dwell on this, sure, but that would suck all of the fun out of living, seeing, experiencing, and loving. Instead I choose to make sure I don't take for granted what an incredible gift it is to wake up each day and cherish life itself.

If I can live half as good as Roger did, I will consider myself lucky.




4.5/5