The Fault in Our Stars
Birdman
Obvious Child
Whiplash
The Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game
Pride
Magic in the Moonlight
The Skeleton Twins
Wish I Was Hereand this is why...
The Fault in Our Stars is my favorite movie of the year because it was the most satisfying film going experience I had all year. Fault is wonderful all around - one of the best written films EVER and the performances are simply stunning. Shailene Woodley is rapidly becoming a seriously great actress and Ansel Elgort seemed to come out of nowhere this year to be both radiantly charismatic & heartbreakingly vulnerable in this film. It is a beautiful story of first love which was made for 12 million dollars and has already grossed ten times that. It is proof that real stories about real people, when done well, can perform at the box office.
Birdman is definitely the best picture of the year because there is nothing else like it. It is a technical marvel. It deserves Best Picture and Best Director and every technical award it can get. All the performances are great as well – especially Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. I love Michael Keaton and would love to see him win an Oscar, but this year Redmayne edges Keaton out.
I wrote a whole blogpost about how remarkable Eddie Redmayne is in The Theory of Everything and how he SHOULD win Best Actor. He simply is THE best actor this year.
Whiplash is the most aptly named film of the year. It is one of the most distinctive, exciting and unpredictable films I have ever seen. Everything about it is electrifying, including JK Simmons, who deserves every award for Best Supporting Actor.
Obvious Child is bold, honest & hilarious and I want Jenny Slate to win Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards because she is wonderfully dimensional and this is the epitome of a great, low budget, female helmed indie.
The Imitation Game is a gorgeous, very British, tragic period piece and Benedict Cumberbatch does an impressive job in the lead. Keira Knightley also matured as an actress in her role. Amazing to me is the fact that Mark Strong is not getting any acknowledgment for his supporting performance.
Pride is the little indie that could. It’s great. A true story of the unlikely alliance of an LGBT club and a group of miners. Wonderful ensemble led by breakout Ben Schnetzer and including Paddy Considine, Bill Nighy, Dominic West and the always superb and underrated Imelda Staunton. Just see it.
I wrote a blogpost about how special Magic in the Moonlight is. The best part is the extraordinary script and how Colin Firth commands attention every moment he is on screen.
The Skeleton Twins is another great indie – a dramedy about survival and the resilient connection between siblings. It was great to see Bill Hader take on more serious material and the whole film, whether it makes you laugh or cry, is emotionally impactful.
And – after all the hoopla about Zach Braff raising money on Kickstarter, Wish I Was Here is an exceptionally funny and sweet movie about the definition of family and finally growing up in your 30s.
2014 was another great year for films big and small – but mostly small.
OK, here we go. This is my best list. I once worried about placing films on it that I didn't actually see in the calendar year, but since adhering to that policy would leave off two of my major choices, I forego that requirement for 2014.
ReplyDeleteSelma
Boyhood
Birdman
Pride
Whiplash
Grand Budapest Hotel
Initiation Game
Gone Girl
Obvious Child
(I think I'll keep it at 9)
The most moving experience I had in a theater for a 2014 movie was Selma. It's my emotional pick for Best Picture. If Selma and Boyhood were not in the competition, my best picture pick would be...
Birdman - This one will live on as a supreme showbiz satire, and as a compendium of amazing performances, as well as a great technical feat of filmmaking.
Boyhood - I can't deny or downplay the major technical conceit of this movie, shooting it over 12 years as the protagonist grows in real-time, and as his world and co-stars grow around him. It's the kind of conceit that gets respect from filmmakers around the world, and that is why this movie will be a historical touchstone. That said, I have some ambivalence about it. The main character is, unfortunately, not very interesting, and the film itself seems to have very little import beyond the novelty of it's execution. Now I'm not saying that an uneventful life is an unworthy life, God forbid I want the kid to have drama and accidents during the time covered by the filmmakers. This is also not a documentary, it's still a scripted story, and as such it's not that compelling. But, some would say that's part of it's charm, it's relatability, that it's about an everyman, or every-boy, so to speak. Anyway, I admire the movie, and it will likely win Best Picture and I won't be too sorry if it does, but it did not move me the way Selma did.
Pride was the movie for which I was on-board after my first screening. I encouraged everyone to see it, and I still do. Pride earned the moniker of a 'feel-good' movie, and it was one of few movies this year that made me feel hopeful about humanity.
No movie this year ended as perfectly as Whiplash. Damien Chazelle expertly expanded his short film into this feature that I love for it's storytelling, acting, and especially music and it's ethic towards music. J.K. Simmons is the engine of the piece, and it wouldn't work without him and his ferocious yet sublime performance. Miles Teller has previously done no better work than this.
Grand Budapest Hotel struck me as a valentine to the disappearing gentility and class of Europe. Funny yet somewhat sad at the same time, it seems that Wes Anderson compiled all his obsessions & curiosities into this movie, and was rewarded with public acceptance and critical acclaim.
A tour-de-force of acting skill by Benedict Cumberbatch, and a wonderful turn by Keira Knightley elevates The Imitation Game to revered status, as well as the masterful telling of another story which needs exposure.
Gone Girl goes beyond simply elegant thriller status to a film that makes us think about marriage, committed relationships, what we want from them and what we're searching for when we engage. It gave people a lot to talk about, and it contained performances that worked across-the-board, even for Tyler Perry!
No rom-com or relationship movie will be the same after Jenny Slate's Obvious Child. This movie is alive and real from the moment it begins until it ends.
OK, done. Had to edit a lot of comment, but generally, this is it!
Nice list Aaron! Interesting how similar our lists are - and how different.
DeleteI struggled with Selma. It is great for many reasons and I felt as if I should put it on my list just because of the subject matter, but there was something missing for me. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe (and I know this is going to sound naive) because they portrayed MLK as a human being and that was a bit jarring. I don't know. I was in tears in the theater but left it off my list because for whatever inexplicable reason it didn't rock my world.
Most people will notice that I left off Boyhood. There was no 2014 film that I anticipated more and no film that disappointed me so deeply. I am admirer of Linklater's work and I completely appreciate the unprecedented process that everyone involved committed to. I truly wish I enjoyed the labor of their efforts more. It was absolutely tedious sitting there for almost 3 hours. I agree with a lot of your comments about the conceit of it. I found it completely un-engaging and that is why I am not jumping on the Boyhood bandwagon.
I stand by my declaration that Birdman is the best film of 2014.
All I can say besides that is you need to see The Fault in Our Stars to round out your 10.
Thank you for honestly saying that there was something about Selma that did not move you. I hope you have not felt or been made to feel bad about it. I've been searching myself to make sure that the way I feel about the film isn't simply, or completely because of who I am. We all perceive the world and works of art through our own cultural lenses and experiences. I am seeing Selma again today, Dr. King Day, and I am interested to feel what my reaction will be on a second viewing. This movie has been on my mind and heart since I first saw it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, last night I watched part two of a documentary I own which chronicles Dr. King's life through actual footage. That part began with the Selma campaign, and I was pleased to see how well Ava DuVernay's film recreates that history.
What are your post-Oscar nom thoughts? I'll give you one of mine for starters. I was all ready to believe that the Academy would crown Boyhood best picture, but now with the inclusion of American Sniper, I sense something different happening. I'm feeling that Academy voters who would have been coerced into voting for Boyhood may now go to Sniper, thinking that they're riding the wave of a different cultural zeitgeist. I'll stop there.
I probably need to write an entire post-Oscar nom blogpost. Maybe I'll do one after the SAG Awards this weekend.
DeleteIn terms of Oscar momentum, I believe that American Sniper has been acknowledged largely due to the Clint factor. Eastwood is an Academy superstar with 4 golden trophies and I think many old guard Academy voters will support anything Clint does. Is it enough to upset Boyhood winning the big award? We shall see what happens over the next few weeks.
I still can't believe that Birdman isn't a lock for Best Picture, so I am way behind the curve.
I think it's more than the Clint factor regarding American Sniper. Notice that the director's branch of the Academy didn't nominate him for Best Director. I get the feeling that Boyhood could suffer an upset by Sniper, and though either Birdman or Selma would be my pick for Best Pic, I never considered Birdman a lock, I'd thought Boyhood held that status. Birdman is a picture that seemingly has the elements that the Academy likes, but I don't believe that they can get past the arch, sardonic tone of the picture. We'll see when the votes are counted!
ReplyDelete