My Favorite Movies of 2014!

2014 has come to a long overdue and bitter end and that can only mean the always highly controversial list of my favorite movies of the year is finally here. I should also mention someone knocked on my door at roughly 2:30 AM last night.  Actually, "banged" on my door might be more accurate.  All day I've been wondering if this same individual will come to my home at the same time tonight.  I have strong suspicions as to this individual's identity but the implications are so terrifying I dare not write them.  

Before the list commences I would like to repeat something I wrote last year: this is not a list of the "best" movies of 2014.  I was unfortunately not able to view every release from the past 365 days and I would never presume to have the intelligence, wit or depth of understanding of the art of cinema to craft such a list.  These are simply my favorites of the year, the ones that moved me the most and they should only be taken as such.  

13. Dredd

Some may find it odd that a movie which was released in the fall of 2012 has managed to appear on my lists for 2013 and 2014 but that’s just testament to this film's greatness and staying power!  It’s even doubly relevant this year due to the release of the awful Robocop remake.  You see, before Paul Verhoeven directed the original 1987 Robocop he was actually seeking to make a Judge Dredd movie but this was halted due to rights issues and so much red tape.  However, the character's influences are all over that flick - just look at the similarity in helmet design - and it remains a rightful classic.  The remake was all kinds of terrible and just shows how difficult it can be to craft that rare perfect blend of action, humor, gore and general grooviness.  Dredd had all this is in spades two years ago and is already taking on the sweet and somber hues of a classic.  As its following only continues to grow I'm sure it will survive the coming years without issue.  

12. True Detective

I've been watching more television these days and catching up on the countless programs my so called friends have been recommending for the past few decades.  That doesn't really apply in this case because no one I knew actually watched True Detective but I tried it just the same as it seemed like the perfect show for someone like me: mystery, serial murder, great actors like Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Monaghan, and best of all it was only 8 episodes; a complete story, little chance of overstaying its welcome and stretching on to interminable lengths of repetition, padding and banal nothingness.  And across those eight episodes I was hypnotized like a psych patient recounting horrific memories of unspeakable parental abuse.  The mystery is great but what made this show list worthy is that it’s actually a very sophisticated character study of these two detectives and how their own inner turmoil in equal turns drives and threatens to destroy them.  And yes, the tracking shot that ends episode 4 is as amazing as everyone said. 

11. Hannibal Season 2

Intimate followers of my work know all too well my deep love and devotion for this show and may recall season 1 also appeared on this list last year.  That this love sprang forth like cleansing baptismal water from my initial skepticism somehow makes it all the more pleasurable.  I love being proven wrong in such a gleeful manner.  But I must say as much as I adored season 1 and how it consistently blew me away and restored my faith in television it seems almost primitive now that I witnessed the rapturous glory of season 2.  Leads Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen push themselves ever further in what is a delightfully grim and absurd exploration of the darkest corners of the psyche.  This season had so many twists and – far more importantly – nuanced characterization that I was left every week in a state of dry-heaving withdrawal until the next episode.  Highlights would practically be every episode but the creators led by Bryan Fuller outdid themselves with some truly wondrous examples of elegant gore and the overall tone of the season, especially as it reaches its end, of sheer operatic tragedy feels so utterly proper.  Hannibal satisfies my thirst for psychological intrigue, for darkness, for gore, for wit and it does this all in style.  I'd like to comment on the score now: Brian Reitzell provides the music for Hannibal - sometimes working in classical themes as well - and the music is as important as any character or storyline.  Whether it is playing up the horror or the absurd it cranks every scene up several notches.  This is no more true than in the climactic scene of the entire season set it Hannibal's kitchen; a scene already fantastic for its direction, acting and photography becomes tear inducing beauty with the score.  The producers seem to recognize the greatness of the music since 4 soundtrack albums (2 for each season) have been released so far.  It is hard for me to imagine how this show could increase in greatness but if it somehow stays the course I have no doubt this will simply become one of my favorite pieces of art.  Period. 

10. Interstellar

This was the most difficult choice for me and I considered just making this a top 9 list but somehow Christopher Nolan’s latest kept sticking in my brain like melted cheese drying out on a greasy pan.  This movie is so all over the place it almost makes me sick.  I would say it is even sloppier than The Dark Knight Rises (maybe, its close) and I would be quite comfortable calling it Nolan's worse movie.  And yet!  And yet there are so many ideas here!  Passion literally bursts out of the screen and strangles me until the blood vessels in my eyes pop.  There are entire sections and characters I feel could be written out entirely and the movie would be none the worse and I would even ultimately say that the final payoff does not work at all.  And yet!  And yet I also believe and feel that Nolan continuously challenged himself with this movie and challenged the audience’s expectations over simple popcorn entertainment.  Does it scale the Kubrickian heights of 2001: A Space Odyssey or does he have Spielberg’s touch for effortlessly selling the over-saccharine?  Definitely not and almost not at all.  And yet!  And yet within this movie are moments small and large that completely captured me and immersed me in that big screen spectacle in a way so few movies can anymore in this special effects saturated age: the massive wave about to crash down on the crew, a climactic ship docking scene that had me pissing my trousers, the unexpected majesty of a "sounds of thunderstorms" musical selection being played over the sojourn through space.  The ideas are thrilling and audacious (just the fact that such a big movie has ideas is a thrill) and the robots have a rare and surprisingly original design.  I desperately hope Nolan goes back to smaller fair for his next flick but despite all of its many problems I think I will be cherishing Interstellar for a long time as a testament to exploration not within space but within cinema and the glory of pushing your artistic goals and achievements.  

9. The Lego Movie

Those who know me best know I am not one to watch movies aimed for children.  I'll be raped and skinned alive for saying this but I don't really even care for Pixar or Disney movies.  I was suckered into watching The Lego Movie after losing a game of cards to a harpooner while we drank Singapore Slings and discussed baseball but I was ultimately glad for this loss as the film won me over in mere seconds.  Its kinetic energy kept slapping me in the face like a large mouth bass.  The story is ultimately simple and revels in the tropes of “the chosen one” type tales but while still promoting values I hold dear such as individuality.  But it is the rapid fire humor and great characters which kept me literally glued to my television screen.  There is also truly excellent voice work; Bad Cop is easily one of Liam Neeson's best roles.  Maybe I should start watching more movies aimed at youngsters.  Maybe I've just been wrong all this time with the only logical solution to be suicide.  Also, I loved the animation in this! I miss the old days of traditional 2d style animation but this is the first time in what feels like decades where I’ve felt excited by this newfangled all computer animation.  Just like the story, characters and jokes the look of the flick is a superb sugar rush and the animators come up with all sorts of creative ways to use Lego.  I'm also quite sure the maddening song "Everything is Awesome" will stick in my head until the end of my days.  

8. Noah 

2014 was definitely a year of religious movies of all colors and stripes from cash‘ins like Son of God to evangelistic films like God's Not Dead and Saving Christmas to big epics like Exodus: Gods and Generals and even a Nicholas Cage movie like Left Behind but the biggest of these - financially if not critically - was Darren Aronofsky's Noah and I would lay down my life to say it was also the most interesting and one of the most interesting movies I saw all damn year.  What Aronofsky has cannily done is something so few directors seem willing to do and that is treat a biblical tale with the same fervent devotion to artistic integrity and expression as they would any other narrative.  Simply put he remains essentially true to the verses while not allowing them to put a chain on his creativity. The end result is something that feels far more personal and layered as opposed to the dry paint-by-numbers style of Ridley Scott’s Exodus.  Some believers were put off by what they felt were outrageous changes such as rock angels, a Cain on the arc and a possibly homicidal Noah bent on viciously murdering his grandchildren.  Some non-believers were put off simply because they hate anything in any way associated with a Christian belief system. Many from both groups are complete idiots.  Aronofsky pulls and culls from biblical mythology in a way I’ve never seen done before – seeds from Eden, Nephilim fighting to protect the arc, Noah recounting creation to his family – and films scenes that are both beautiful and haunting such as Noah's visions, people clinging to rocks and screaming while the arc floats nearby and the new promised land found at the end. It is surely scattered, messy, oddly paced, riddled with uneven performances and difficult to call good in most traditional ways.  Yet each time I’ve watched I’ve been swept away just like all the other soggy sinners. 

7. Snowpiercer 

Bong Joon-Ho’s adaptation of Jacques Lob 1982 comic book (or graphic novel if you're a pretentious and self-hating slob) Le Transperceneige is a simple tale that maximizes its potential and setting in a way most films never do.  At some point in the future mankind has mostly died off after the earth has become a frozen wasteland.  What's left of humanity rides around the world in a big train with the poor and destitute in the back cars and the rich and controlling in the front.  All is in order until a rebel group decides to spark a revolution and make it to the front of the train without being slaughtered.  The symbolism is obvious but never feels heavy handed thanks largely to a great performance from Chris Evans and Joon-Ho’s commitment to keep things moving as fast as the titular train.  Each new car brings equal parts thrills and surprises and the story moves more fluidly than it has any right to.  This was one of the most fun times I had watching a feature film all year (though there are certainly some very real and very grim elements).  I'm known for being a notorious asshole and perennial buzzkill but sometimes even I enjoy a little fun.  

6. The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears 

The directing duo of Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani first got my attention back in 2009 with their gorgeous neo giallo Amer and they've done it again in mad style with this flick which carries on the long standing giallo traditions of having an amazing title and a story that may not make complete sense (or none at all) but that gives way to dizzying imagery and atmosphere by the buckets.  I grappled with this movie which is about a man named Dan played by Klaus Tange who returns home from a business trip to find his wife missing and upon further investigation stumbles into a world of intrigue inside his own apartment complex involving serial murder, bizarre eroticism and other missing women.  That sounds simple but by the end I had very little idea what was happening or why.  This movie was difficult, it was challenging, it was frustrating but it always had me.  The imagery is horrifying and dizzying and pretty as a painting and the sound design as immersive as Amer.  Essentially, this is a ghoulish and sexy fever dream and I wish there existed more.  There was a filmic technique which annoyed the piss and shit right out of me for the majority of this picture but is cannily revealed at the end as not merely a stylistic choice but a legitimate narrative device which develops the central storyline and themes.  That being said, I'm not really sure what the central themes are though it definitely has something to do with vaginas though whether it’s fear of them or love of them I can't say with any degree of certainty.  Such is the bizarre magic of this movie, it has stayed with me as something equal parts sadistic punishment and garish beauty and I have no idea to whom I would recommend it other than myself but that's good enough for me.  Our dark side is indeed our best side.  

5. Boyhood  

Richard Linklater claimed the much coveted top spot in my list last year with Before Midnight but he could only manage a hard 5 this year. Still, there is no shame in not being able to replicate the audacious perfection of his Before… trilogy (the best cinematic film trilogy ever? Probably.  Though the Hobbit films must certainly come close as well as Episodes I, II and III).  By now everyone who isn't an idiot knows the story behind this movie's filming: Over the course of 12 years or so Linklater and actors Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Linklater’s daughter Lorelei and most prominently Ellar Coltrane – who was 7-years-old when filming began in 2002 – gathered together for a bit each year to film additional scenes with the end goal being a filmic portrayal of Coltrane's character growing from a child to college age.  That is certainly an epic experiment but I submit it wouldn't matter much if the end result wasn't worth a damn.  Thankfully, the final product is extremely heartfelt while blissfully void of the saccharine.  Hawke oozes as much charisma as ever and Arquette anchors things with a reliably great performance but this is Coltrane's movie and over the course of 12 years condensed into two and a half hours he is intensely likable, relatable and wonderfully human.  This is an extremely rich and rewarding movie which frequently somehow made me feel both nostalgic and hopeful by highlighting life's experiences, life's difficulties and life's promise.  I very much look forward to growing with this film.  

4. Under the Skin

As countless others have pointed out, it’s easy to think of this as an ominous distant cousin to Nicolas Roeg’s 1976 movie The Man Who Fell to Earth though with Scarlett Johansen in the David Bowie role.  The plot can be very easily described as an alien disguised as a very attractive human woman (Johansson) drives around Glasgow, Scotland to lure men back to a mysterious place where bad things befall them.  That's basically it as for what happens.  But what is it about?  Ah, that is a much more difficult question (at least for a doddering fool like yours truly).  The questions it raises about sexuality - both in how we grapple with it in life but perhaps especially how we grapple with it when viewed through the prism of art - have stayed in my brain since the first viewing.  Along with those questions are some of my favorite scenes of the entire year that still resonate with a haunted beauty (in style if not necessarily in content): a ship hidden in the clouds above a cityscape, a child left alone on the beach, what happens to the men once the woman takes them back to her "home", and a particularly effective drive involving a deformed and doomed hitchhiker.  And above all this is Johansson's vacant and penetrating stare, cutting through everything else on screen and straight into my soul.  Like Interstellar this is full of Kubrick homages, though to a much greater effect.  Unfortunately I do think the final scene is a bad misstep but by this time the movie has built up so much good will it could have done just about anything and I still would love it.  I would also posit this flick as having the best score of any movie I've seen this year.  Mica Levi’s music is wonderfully creepy and gives me that glorious "something wrong is going down" feeling that I love so much.  

3. The Raid 2: Berandal

The Raid: Redemption was easily one of the best action movies of the past decade but director Gareth Evans somehow topped his already insanely high standards with an action epic for the ages.  This one ups the ante by combining the insane Indonesian martial arts style pencak silat of the first flick with an expansive crime narrative about rival gangs, undercover cops and usurpers to the corrupt thrones of power.  I won't belabor the plot details.  Potential viewers are here for one thing: the martial arts.  This aspect is so mind explodingly incredible it will make any fan of this genre weep with joy.  Not enough can be said about star Iko Uwais who reprises his role from the first film and who is a very human protagonist who still believably sells the near indestructible force of pencak silat that can fight through anyone in his way.  The speed and technical precision on display by Uwais, Cecep Arif Rahman and several others frequently left me giddy.  Throw in the best car chase of the year and two incredible new additions in the form of Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Man and fights that keep raising the stakes and I was in fighting movie heaven.  The final battle in the kitchen between Uwais and Rahman is astonishing, bloody, brutal and utterly joyous to behold. As a man who loves his crime movies and his martial arts movies I can say it is merely very good in one aspect but a supreme near unparalleled masterpiece in the other. 

2. Birdman

Michael Keaton plays Riggan Thomson, an actor who once attained huge success in a superhero franchise but whose star has largely faded and is attempting a credibility comeback by writing, producing and starring in a Broadway adaptation of a Raymond Carver short story.  The movie chronicles the last few days leading up the premiere as Riggan has to grapple with his difficult relationship with his stagehand and daughter Sam (Emma Stone), the unpredictable and newly appointed lead actor Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), a critic who may destroy his last chance at doing something worthwhile, and, chiefly, his own ego and insecurities which threaten to crush him as he makes one last desperate stab for relevancy.  Director Alejandro González Iñárritu has crafted a gorgeous movie designed to look like one continuous shot.  The theatre, its roof, the streets of New York City and the stage all come to vivid life and I would say this is the best looking movie I've seen this year.  But even beyond that the rewards it provides are surprisingly strong.  The way Iñárritu shows Riggan’s crippling insecurities and crumbling sense of self is both tragic and comical and Antonio Sanchez’s drum score does everything right to enhance these themes. Norton does great work here and adds a substantial amount to a character that could have easily been one note.  But it is Keaton who is most definitely the center of this storm of the ego and though I certainly can't pretend to be impartial - I've loved Michael Keaton as long as I've loved movies - I can say his work is worth all the hype that's been lauded upon it.  As a man slowly crumbling from pressures both external and internal Keaton's work is masterful and crucially subtle.  His character is largely self-absorbed but impossible to hate because he feels so real and complex and through this Keaton offers several moments that are likely career best. His performance is at once the restrained anchor that holds it all together and the kinetic force of creative desperation that sends it to the stars.  Brilliant and layered, this a rare one that was worth all the hype.  Bravo to all.  

Also, for anyone who loves this or Keaton in general I would recommend a 2006 movie in which he starred called Game 6 that is also fantastic and has a few rather striking similarities. 

1.      Only Lovers Left Alive

And here we are.  My number one pick who's reputation is about to skyrocket thanks to my recommendation.  Tom Hiddleston and especially Tilda Swinton (who also did great work in Snowpiercer) are unbelievably perfect in their respective roles as a married couple who have lived for centuries due their vampire lifestyle.  There isn't so much a plot per se.  Sure, a few unexpected twists happen to push things along and some mild suspense is generated by a situation in the third act but this is mainly concerned with their relationship.  Director Jim Jarmusch lets the scenes breathe and the resulting tone is hypnotic with the performances heartfelt and gradually more absorbing.  Just when I thought I may never see another interesting vampire movie along comes this gem to blow my brains out.  It is also one of the most romantic flicks I’ve seen in ages.  And despite its more wistful tone Jarmusch did have time to slip in one classic and striking horror image and it makes for a beautiful and pitch perfect conclusion.  It’s an unassuming little motion picture and perhaps a left (or is that right?) field choice.  It’s not without its flaws and I do believe there are flicks on this list more proficient technically and even narratively. But when I review my list there are no other two characters with whom I bonded so fiercely as these and no relationship I cared more about. This is the one which has stayed with me the most of any new release I’ve seen this year and the one which most demands my return. I look forward to many future midnight viewings.

And there it is!  The list proper.  But the fun isn’t quite over yet!  Let’s take a look at a few honorable mentions and pontificate as to why they couldn't clear that last hurdle.  

Non-Stop – Liam Neeson on a plane.  I was sold just knowing that much about it.  This was a serious contender and I do believe it is fantastic lark.  It is essentially perfect up until the reveal of the perpetrator's motivations for the dastardly acts.  Normally, I can look past things like this but the reasoning was so convoluted - and frankly stupid - it brought everything down.  Still, just about everything is highly enjoyable and I expect this one to rise in coming years.

  

In the Blood – Woman loses husband in the Caribbean and goes on a rockem sockem manhunt to get him back.  Basic stuff but well done and the setting and female protagonist are quite interesting.  My incredibly unhealthy Gina Carano obsession is likely giving this one a bit more credit than it deserves though.  Actually, I'm sure it is.  

300: Rise of an Empire: This sequel takes out all the endless idiotic speeches of the first 300 which gave college guys everywhere pulsating erections before they promptly creamed their pants in their manliness while watching sweaty nearly naked men grappling with one another.  I love that guys like to watch muscly guys.  I love to do it too!   I love myself!  This movie is a thousand times better by being about 45 minutes shorter.  Lots of fast death and Eva Green chewing scenery like it was Red Man Chewing Tobacco (still America’s best chew) and being one of the best villains of the year.  In the end it was either too stupid or not stupid enough, not sure. 

Enemy/Nightcrawler: Two Jake G movies where he plays varying levels of creepy doing various creepy things.  Both held my attention and I would recommend Nightcrawler to most (Enemy to only a few).  Ultimately Nightcrawler was too contrived and shallow to advance further (his performance and the final car chase are doozies though!) and Enemy failed to rise to the artsy and pretentious greatness of something like Under the Skin.  The very final scene of Enemy did make me defecate in my trousers however and for that I doff my hat to it.  

Guardians of the Galaxy - Marvel is definitely stepping in the right direction by allowing some legitimate creativity to show through in what is arguably their best movie. I suspect this will be a one-off but that does not change this being a surprisingly enjoyable corn movie brought down by the standard Marvel formula (and formula of just about every blockbuster involving superheroes, aliens, robots, magic, vampires, hobbits and Will Smith) of the last third or so being nothing more than a giant and incredibly uninteresting CGI battle.  

Exodus: Gods and Kings: Like Noah (even with another infamous jerkface in the lead role) but a lot less weird and a lot more epic Ridley Scottish.  I loved the plagues and all the Old Testament goodies but it’s all so familiar it fades rather quickly.  

Grand Budapest Hotel – Real humorous.  Ralph and Willem do well.  Tons of wit.  Not quite sure why this one didn’t make it actually. 

Edge of Tomorrow – I always complain that big budget movies are like video games these days but this actually takes that idea to another level.  It only grows tiring when that gimmick stops.  Also, Tom Cruise terrifies me. 

John Wick - Keanu Reeves shooting a bunch of people.  Liam wasn't available?  The dog is really super cute and the action - especially the nightclub scene - is shot so cleanly with such lovely brutality.  Still, it does all get rather repetitive after a while.  Even these types of movies need to mix things up a little.  

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: Close.  So damn close.  I’ll probably enjoy this more on subsequent viewings than I will Interstellar.  And yet!  Hmmm, not sure exactly.  Robert Rodriguez’s direction is as surefooted as ever, the actors are all game and even after so much cheap imitation the look of the film is as immersive and impressive as the first.  But it just had a little too much modern Frank Miller writing and not the glorious crap kind like in The Spirit.  

The Taking of Deborah Logan - Every year I trudge through seemingly endless amounts of godawful horror in the hopes of finding those ever elusive diamonds in the rough.  I watched this just because it had a creepy cover and I’m glad I made such a choice as it genuinely unnerved me.  Its independent origins are its strengths and its weaknesses.  Despite its creepiness there’s a bit too much cheapness on display to really make the leap to greatness.  Still a great effort though and worth seeking out for horror fans. 

Locke – Tom Hardy in a car talking on the phone for 90 minutes. One could and should not ask for anything more than this in a movie. It didn't make the top 10 because he talked too much about some things and not enough about others.  

Chef –  John Favreau wrote, directed and starred in this flick about a former restaurant chef striking out on his own and following his food oriented dreams.  This has a great cast including Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt and Robert Downey Jr. and is great food porn and overall a fantastic movie.  Truth be told I completely forgot about it but it may have otherwise made the list proper.  It's too late to revise now though.  

Now, I don’t do any kind of “worst” or “least favorite” lists because it’s too mean spirited but I will be upfront with my Most disappointing of 2014:

Godzilla - what a piece of crap.  They should have called it Boring Ass Military Movie instead.  Contrary to what a lot of losers think, Godzilla's limited screen time isn't actually a huge problem.  There are plenty of old school G movies where he doesn't appear much until the end and there examples aplenty of classic films new and old like Jaws and The Dark Knight where central antagonists and movers and shakers like the shark and the Joker have little screen time.  But the two differences between these movies is staggeringly important: 1. Regardless of whether they are on the screen or not, the shark in Jaws and the Joker in The Dark Knight ALWAYS have their presence felt and ALWAYS feel like they are moving the story along with everyone else desperately trying to catch up, this makes for compelling drama. 2. Whether the perfect trifecta of shark hunter, police chief and ocean guy in Jaws or the cast of awesomeness in The Dark Knight the characters who are on screen a majority of the time are equally compelling, very well written and we actually give a shit about them.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson's boring ass army guy is the definition of stock incredibly dull military dude and no one else in a talented but completely wasted cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche and Ken Watanabe is given a damn thing to do but stare wide-eyed and do a little running.  This movie was like eating a big steaming bowl of horseshit stew washed down with a tall frosty glass of cat piss.  It broke my heart. 

And that’s it faithful readers!  Thanks for scoping this list and please feel free to comment below and tell me what an idiot I am for having such shitty taste!  Also please chime in with some of your faves and least faves.  Let’s toast to cinema too, huh?  See you soon….