By Anthony Kuzminski
2014 was possibly the best year for film since 1997 when
Good Will Hunting, LA Confidential,
Boogie Nights, The Ice Storm,
Wag the Dog, In the Company of Men,
Titanic, Jackie Brown and The
Full Monty invaded cinemas with a diverse and delectable line-up. Seventeen
years later, I feel that way once again with a mass of films that confronted
the viewer, remunerated them and opened up worlds to them. Whether it was the
high octane punch of Guardians of the Galaxy or the humble
nature of everyday life portrayed with splendor and curiosity in
Boyhood I walked away from the cinema contemplating,
questioning and thankful for every breath that escapes my lips. It’s been said
that film is in a creative funk with television taking over the social dialogue
and grip film once had. While I can’t disagree, I saw entirely too many dazzling
films this past year to outright dismiss the joys of entering a cinema and
having the lights go down. Below you will find more than sixty films worth your
time. Not every film was in the mainstream or had prominent advertising, but these
are the stories that took hold of my imagination and allowed me to escape the
world for a few hours every week.
2013 Honorable Mentions
I don’t belong to any guild that gets me screeners in
advance and because I work a full-time day job, this is a passion for which I
do a lot of homework. The truth is I simply do not get to see every film I want
every year and usually one or two slip out of my view when I make my year-end
list. After I published my 2013 list, I caught the following five films and
each one deserved a spot on my top-twenty list last year. Many are now on your
respective cable movie channels, so keep your eyes open for them.
Rush: Ron Howard’s adrenaline rush
focusing on the 1976 Formula One motor-racing season focuses on its two main
opponents; James Hunt and Niki Lauda. I don’t watch car racing and if I had
known Rush would have been so gripping, I would have ensured
I saw it in the theater last year. It’s a film you don’t have to love cars or
even sports to love and admire.
About Time: Richard Curtis may be best
known for Love Actually but this quirky love story wrapped
up with a time travel slant may have come across offbeat in the film’s trailer,
but it’s a vigorously affecting film about love and one of the best I’ve seen
in recent years. Bill Nighy gives a performance that could have been overly
sentimental, but he plays it close to the vest thus allowing the anguish and
the eventual miracle be all that more real. It’s one of the truly great comedic
performances in recent years.
Blue Is The Warmest Color: Capturing the
essence of teen love is missed continually in film but this foreign film. The
film is sadly best known for the controversy surrounding the graphic love
scenes between two young women and the ensuing fallout with the film’s director,
while the raw emotions displayed by the films two leads have been overlooked.
Each woman held nothing back and tapped into the very essence of what it is to
be human and that is nothing to be ashamed of but should be heralded and
encouraged.
All Is Lost: Robert Redford is a one-man
show in this film of survival and isolation. He speaks few words, but his face
tells us everything we need to know as we see trepidation and horror nearly
define him as he is lost at sea.
The Kings of Summer: Coming of age films
are a dime a dozen, but the inventiveness of the script and downright charming
teen leads will make you smile from beginning to end and I can offer no film a
higher compliment than that.
As long as we give of ourselves in a prolific and progressive
fashion, then these films help remind us that not only do our lives matter, but
they’re also extraordinary. So here’s 2014’s list:
The Best Films of 2014
#1 Boyhood
What can you say about Richard Linklater’s
twelve-years-in-the-making epic surrounding a boy’s growth into adulthood? Some
have been critical that the unique shooting nature of the film is why it’s
receiving all of its accolades, but the real reason this film resonates with so
many is because it feels more like a documentary than a dramatic film. There
are scenes where I revel in their joy, their fears and at times the sheer
horror that life births. It’s the simple moments of singing a song, taking a
picture, going to a ball game, bowling, sitting at a dinner table, watching
your parent share their disappointments with you and falling in and out of
love. My daughter will be six years old within weeks of me writing these words,
the same age that actor Ellar Coltrane embodied the fictional character of
Mason Evans, Jr. I sit back and look at
all of the life I have shared with her so far and yet, it’s gone by in a blink
of an eye. Films like Boyhood remind us of the shortage of
time we all have. Since seeing this film last July, I am not sure if there’s
been a day that has gone by where I haven’t thought about this film. More than
anything, Boyhood reminds us of the passage of time we all
experience. It’s awareness of this passage that makes our lives extraordinary.
#2 Interstellar
Aside from Martin Scorsese, there is no greater living
filmmaker than Chris Nolan at this moment. His ability to tackle any type of
film and make it unlike anything I’ve seen before is no easy feat. Interstellar
is the type of film I watch and when the lights come on as the credits begin to
roll, I am emotionally spent. He’s part Kubrick, part Spielberg but in the end,
he’s vision is singular as he doesn’t let his influences overwhelm. I sit there
and ponder what I witnessed, I envisage the life I have and above all else, I
ruminate about where I am going. I was flabbergasted by the science, I was
awestruck by the performances, I was electrified by the special effects, but in
the end, it was the underlying transcendent element that has left an impression
on me. Families that are torn apart by space and time and yet the film’s lead
Cooper (played with inconspicuous ease by Matthew McConaughey) has to look
within for a reason to keep searching every possibility not for himself, but
for the survival of his family and everyone else on Earth. His mission is based
on science, but his decisions are based on faith. The script by Jonathan Nolan (originally written for Steven Spielberg
to direct) was enhanced by his brother Chris and it’s one of the most ambitious
stories to be given the silver screen treatment in recent years. In the end,
science will save us, but it’s the wonder of this world and the next that will
fuel us when all else is lost.
#3 Whiplash
Miles Tellar wants to be the greatest jazz drummer who ever
lived but his teacher, played with brutal brilliance by J.K. Simmons pushes him to edge of sanity.
Teller and Simmons don’t just face off in the rehearsal room but on screen
pushing and pulling one another in a acting fist fight that is not just
brilliant but bloody as hell. There is an underlying tension throughout the
whole film that culminates in a finale you quite simply will never forget as it
is one of the greatest climaxes in film so far this century.
It’s like watching a “Greatest Hits” collection from Wes
Anderson. Never one to shy away from quirkiness or large casts, Anderson has
managed to take everything he’s learned in all his previous films and infused
it into this perfect cinematic creation. Every Anderson film takes you into a
world we can marvel at, smile at and at times, cry. His characters intrigue me,
the art direction is unparalleled and an ensemble cast that relishes every
second of their screen time. Whenever I enter the world of Wes Anderson, my
only regret is when the film ends because I wish I could spend more time with
each and every one of these characters.
#5 Birdman
Why is it in the entertainment game that if you are not on
top, you don’t matter? Riggan Thomson, performed in a career defining
performance by Michael Keaton, is a man who is lost literally and figuratively.
The film delicately dances around what it means to be a relevant artist but the
real heart of the film is the emotive underbelly where Thomson can never see
beyond what he once was and it nearly destroys every important relationship in
his life. There is redemption in Birdman but to whether it’s
redemptive in the spiritual sense or the artistic sense I can’t say, but it
will left me wanting more.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing, the man who helped
crack the German’s Enigma in World War II, with intense authenticity. Shifting
between his mathematical brilliance and his suffering for harboring a secret
that could land him in jail, Cumberbatch owns this film and draws the audience
in. The film brings to light the importance of the team who cracked the code,
the horror of the war and the awfulness of what eventually happened to Turing.
#7 Life Itself
Steve James’s documentary on the late Roger Ebert is largely
based on his best-selling memoir, but something unexpected happened during the
filming; Ebert died. James doesn’t just go to the heart of Ebert’s gifts as a
writer, but his importance in bringing cinema to a wider audience. This would
make for a fascinating story, but he goes further exploring all aspects of
Ebert’s life, both good and bad and this is what makes the film so engaging and
important. In the end, we see how Ebert combated illness and even when in great
pain, tried to make those around him smile. In the end, he understood the
meaning of life and those watching it will hopefully learn the same.
#8 Nightcrawler
To say this film is creepy is an understatement. It’s
commentary on modern journalism is sadly spot on but like the shows portrayed
within the film, you can’t keep your eyes off this one thanks in part to the
astounding performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. As a morally off-center man who will
do anything to succeed you are drawn into his darkness and will revel in the
horror as he drives towards success at any cost. One of the year’s great
surprises and a film that will be the topic of discussion for years to come.
#9 Chef
Sometimes you watch a movie and it appears so graceful you
wonder why there are not more films like it. Jon Faverau’s
Chef is one of those films. The last several years have
found him deep in Marvel territory as a director and executive producer of the
Iron Man and Avengers films, but this is
a breath of fresh air because it’s so simple, so true and so profoundly real.
It manages to demonstrate the highs and lows of life naturally and above all
else, it’s endearing message of being true to what you love.
#10 Foxcatcher
A disturbing portrait of a man obsessed with winning. Bennett Miller, who helmed
Moneyball, takes no prisoners in this story “based upon true
events”; he messed with the true timeline for dramatic effect, but it works.
Steve Carrell is a revelation as John du Pont in a bone chilling performance
that leaves you uneasy from the moment he arrives on screen. Equally
mesmerizing is Channing Tatum who never quite gets the credit he deserves. He’s
a muscular heartthrob at this moment, but the steely innocence and later the
dread he displays is nothing short of extraordinary. Tatum does more than play
an athlete physically; he tackles the expressive weariness with succinctness.
#11 Snowpiercer
The year’s most inventive film that was almost cut down by
Harvey Weinstein and when director Bong Joon-ho refused, the film was almost
buried. Thankfully it wasn’t and the media came to its rescue praising it for its
brilliance. Is it a simple dystopian story, a commentary on our society as it
stands today, a morality lesson from the past we should take notice of or a
warning shot of what is to come? I love films that have a foundation strong
enough to be interpreted in numerous ways. Chris Evans may be Captain America,
but here he’s a different kind of hero and one that leads us through a train
that is full of surprises.
A documentary you can’t take your eyes off of once you start
watching. Vivian Maier was a nanny in the Chicagoland area and took her camera
with her everywhere she went. She never published her images and in 2009,
someone bought her negatives in an auction, which led to a storage facility and
led to the man on a search to find out specifically who Vivian Maier really
was. The documentary is a picture of what goes into a life. Imagine having a
gifted eye
An invigorating crime thriller where Oscar Isaac and Jessica
Chastain plunge head first into a world where one man wants to keep his morals
in a world that won’t allow him. This was a film I did not see until recently
and despite not receiving any Oscar nominations, but the bedroom intimacy of
several of the scenes have a Godfather aesthetic as the
characters in crisis mode trying to find a way out of the mess they have found
themselves in. I watched from the edge of my seat as each scene unfolded
waiting for the next move on the metaphorical chess board.
#14 The LEGO Movie
This was insanely great family entertainment.
Everything about Stephen Hawking’s life is a miracle of some
sort and this film is no different. Showing an unflinching portrait of his life
and marriage to Jane Wilde, the film highlights his triumphs, their marital
struggles and the triumph of his survival. Eddie Redmayne physical
transformation is on par with Daniel Day Lewis’ in My Left
Foot and Felicity Jones is equally impressive as she steers the
audience showcasing strength and vulnerability.
#16 Wild
If you felt Reese Witherspoon’s career was over, you were
sorely mistaken. After her first decade of brilliant (and mostly indie)
performances, she became a part of the Hollywood machine and (mostly) made good
films but in Wild, based on the best-selling book, she
plunges further into the darkness of the human psyche than ever before. It’s a
performance for the ages and one I think that will be talked about for years to
come.
This is arguably the greatest film adaptation from Marvel
and one that could have been strong enough to nab a Best Picture nomination. If
every comic adaptation is as good as this one, all I can say is bring them on.
Watching this film made me realize how much I am going to
miss Philip Seymour Hoffman, in this disparaging look at the war on terror.
Director Anton Corbijn doesn’t sugar coat any frame in this film with patriotic
majesty, he breaks down the distrust between governments in a devastating
manner that leaves you in shock as the credits roll. Hoffman balances his
characters brilliance against his faults, which are equal with one another.
Because of these vulnerabilities, Corbijn is able to pull his audience into his
world of dread.
#19 Locke
Tom Hardy spends 90-minutes driving in a car talking to his
wife, his lover and his employer as his life dissipates. The nuanced direction
grips you and Hardy plays his character so close to the vest you forget you are
watching a movie. On paper this doesn’t sound like a film that can invigorate a
mass audience, but trust me on this, you will be thankful once you see it.
#20 Big Hero 6
Disney animation continues its run of spectacular non-Pixar
films with a perfect balance of action and heart.
#21 Blue Ruin
A film that doesn’t have any actors that can drive audiences
to the box office, nevertheless, it intrigued me and then absorbed me wholly
within the first 30-minutes. Just when you think you know what is going to
happen next, it steers off into a different direction. Lead actor Macon Blair
is a revelation in this tale of revenge that is as good as the best Coen
Brother blood bath.
#22 Selma
A film every single person should be forced to see to
remember the horrors of the past so they never happen again. David Oyelowo is a
revelation as Martin Luther King Jr. He speaks and embodies King with
authority, burden and veracity.
If you feel Lance Armstrong has been treated unfairly by the
press, by the end of this film, you will despise what a sociopath this man
truly was and is and how many lives he destroyed as a result of his lies. Like
any great documentary, once you start watching, you will not be able to stop.
#24 St. Vincent
Bill Murray is good in everything he does, but he elevates
this grumpy old man tale to another level. Is the film predictable and possibly
tied up nicely a little too much for its own good at the end but I still loved
every second he was on the screen and you will as well.
#25 Ida
Stoical, pure and desolate, Ida should
win the foreign Oscar for its starkness and story about deep and dark secrets. The
film’s real revelation is Agata Trzebuchowska, whom the director found in a
coffee shop with no acting experience, but he felt she looked the part. Prepare
to sit back and be awed by what she brings to the role and the film.
Mike Myers directs this documentary on Shep Gordon, the
manager of Alice Cooper and the man who invented the celebrity chef. He’s one
of the most powerful men to ever be a part of Hollywood, but what makes his
story so engaging is the man himself who, like Roger Ebert in Life
Itself, is not afraid to hold back on his faults and mistakes.
#27 The Wind Rises
The legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki is
responsible for a whole generation of animator’s (including most of the Pixar
team) and this film appears to be his swan song. Focusing on the career of Jirô
Horikoshi who created planes used in World War II, this film will divide some
audiences, but the scope in which Miyazaki creates is a world filled with great
love, inspiration and above all else, beauty. The theme of “beauty” comes up
time and time again and instead of focusing on what the planes were ultimately
used for, Miyazaki, in his final cinematic adventure, urges his audience to
fill their lives with “beauty”, which will stay with me forever.
Marvel is on a roll and while I may prefer the first Captain
America film, there’s no denying the impressive nature of The Winter
Soldier.
The reboot from 2012 made my top-ten list, and in any other
year this one might have as well. In what could have been a film that was
rushed to production to make a quick buck, the filmmakers wisely kept the
Caesar storyline from “Rise”. Director Matt Reeves deserves immeasurable credit
for keeping the Caesar storyline in tact because without it, the series and
franchise wouldn’t have as much heart and in the end, we wouldn’t be as
emotionally invested in these characters. What could have been a throw away
sequel is now part of a larger franchise that I will return to again.
#30 Still Alice
What can you say about Julianne Moore as she plays a
character with the early-onset Alzheimer's disease? She’s one of our greatest
treasures in the world of acting and she brings the disease into focus and into
the lives of those who have been fortunate to not experience this most painful
of diseases.
#31 How To Train Your Dragon 2
This sequel to the 2010 animated film takes the audience
into a broader world full of complexities one would not expect from a family
film. Don’t let this film’s ranking put you off, in a different year, this
could have been a top-ten contender because of the depth of the script.
#32 What If
Every once in a while there is a perfect romantic comedy and
in 2014, this was it, as its feet are clearly set in reality. The films leads
Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan capture the difficult nature of being friends
who deep down have strong feelings for one another. What I loved most about the
film was how it didn’t create scenarios for cheap laughs, but respected these
characters and their feelings. One of the great surprises of 2014.
#33 The One I Love
On the surface this film looks like a standard indie film
sent straight to video, but within 15-minutes, it becomes clear this film is a
nightmare that you can’t take your eyes off of. Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss
is a couple on the verge of a divorce when they go off to a cottage for a
weekend away as suggested by their therapist (played by Ted Danson). Simple
arguments aren’t that simple as their world in invaded by mystery I would not
dare reveal here.
#34 Joe
The saddest part of Nicolas Cage’s descent into C-level
films is how brilliant he can be with the right material.
Joe is an incredible return to form for director David
Gordon Green who understands and films rural disconnect as well as Scorsese
directs films about organized crime. Cage is downright dazzling in this film as
he is able to flex all of his acting muscles for once in a film that captures a
part of America we know about but don’t often see every day.
#35 Neighbors
Big laughs ensue in this Nicholas Stoller directed comedy.
Stoller is now four-for-four (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him To
The Greek, The Five Year Engagement) and his direction takes the characters to
extremes that keep the audience on the edge of their seat but more importantly,
laughing.
A documentary for a film that sadly never came to be and yet
we finally get a sense of what could have been. Alejandro Jodorowsky in the
early 1970s started the process of making the most ambitious film ever made
around the best-selling book Dune. He lined up Mick Jagger,
Orson Welles and every top tier designer to make his vision a reality. What
happened? Watch and find out what went wrong, but more importantly, how this
vision, while never produced, went on to be seen in dozens of other films.
#37 Under The Skin
A polarizing sci-fi film with a mesmerizing performance by Scarlett
Johansson who is ice cold as an alien sent to Earth to seduce. Her resolute
mannerisms are a revelation and despite being an object of lust for many, she
reveals several shades of skill over the course of the film from a lack of
emotion, to confusion, to growing into someone with a moral center.
#38 Gone Girl
No one captures humanity at its worse than David Fincher. He
has an ability to reveal ugliness from mass murderers, jealous wives,
sociopathic inventors and schizophrenic fighters, he is able to dial into this
madness and somehow not make it feel alien. His ability to translate this best-selling
book into a mind bending date night is a testament to his talents.
#39 Begin Again
I love music and unapologetically love this film. Director
John Carney (director of Once) gets to the core of music as
a lost soul, played with great vulnerability and heart by Keira Knightley who
simply needs to express herself after a break-up. Mark Ruffalo is the washed up
label executive who hears salvation in her voice and songs. Their journey to
capturing the intrinsic beauty of her music is at the heart of the film and
it’s a joy to watch.
#40 The Interview
The most controversial film of the year was also one of the
funniest. Seth Rogan and James Franco play off one another perfectly as they go
to interview and potentially assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Let’s
just say this, while the film is not set in reality, it gives credence to why
Katy Perry may be responsible for our freedom and that was enough for me.
#41 -50: X-Men: Days of Future Past, Fury, Maleficent, American
Sniper, 22 Jump Street, Calvary, Labor Day, Cuban Fury, The Best Offer, Unbroken
#51-60: The Obvious Child, Lucy, The Boxtrolls, The Railway
Man, The Monuments Men, Grand Piano, Edge of Tomorrow, Afternoon Delight, Veronica
Mars, Fading Gigolo
Also worth seeking out: Inherent Vice, Godzilla, Magic in
the Moonlight, Hector and the Search for Happiness, Frank, Only Lovers Left
Alive, We Are The Best!, Edge of Tomorrow, The Overnighters
What’s Missing?
I missed Citizenfour when it had a brief
theatrical run in Chicago (I would have paid for VOD) but it airs on HBO on
February 23rd. The Judge never felt like Oscar bait to me
but I’ll need to see it in coming weeks to check out Robert Duvall’s Oscar
nominated performance. Ditto for Marion Cotillard’s award winning turn in Two Days, One Night. The foreign film entry for Russia,
Leviathan never appeared to open near me (yet another reason
why VOD should be standard for these films) and I simply ran out of time in
getting to the theater for Mr. Turner, which I regret.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special
Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings
can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at
tonyk AT antiMUSIC DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
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