As far as the movie world is concerned, 2014 will be remembered as the year in which things ended with an international bang and a corporate whimper. After having massive numbers of files hacked, presumably by representatives of North Korea, Sony Pictures was forced to capitulate to terrorist demands and shelf the Seth Rogan-James Franco political comedy The Interview that revolves around an assassination attempt of that country’s leader, Kim Jong Un. What the ramifications of this unprecedented act are is anybody’s guess, and if we’ll ever get to see the film remains to be seen (Hey, things are leaked online all the time, right?) but you can be sure that this is a game-changer that Hollywood studios will have to come to terms with sooner rather than later.
Adding insult to injury for the studios is the fact that it was not a banner year at the box office. The summer season, where most of their profit is made, was lacking in quality films, so much so that the consumer finally wised up and stayed away from the tepid fare on display. Only August’s blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy, the most profitable movie of the year, provided any solace.
There were films I liked that you didn’t (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, 3 Days to Kill, Bad Words, Need for Speed, A Most Wanted Man, The Giver, John Wick, Hercules, As Above, So Below), movies you liked that I didn’t (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Interstellar, Dumb and Dumber To, Big Hero 6, St. Vincent, Fury, No Good Deed, The Fault in Our Stars) and those that no one liked (Left Behind, Robocop, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Transcendence, Blended, And So it Goes, Men, Women and Children, This is Where I Leave You).
If there is one certainty on the modern movie scene it’s that superhero movies are going nowhere. Marvel Films announced their slate of adventures, averaging three features a year and stretching past 2020, while Warner Brothers finally got their ducks in order and announced a similar series of movies with their four-color characters (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman et. al.) stretching just as far into the future. Ironically these tent poles hearken back to the serials of the 1930s and 1940s with their episodic nature, fantastic characters and adventure-based stories, some of which featured Captain America, Superman and Batman as well.
The predominant theme that ran through so many films this year was a search for identity. So many characters set out or were forced to go on existential journeys in order to discover why they exist. Foxcatcher, Gone Girl, Wild, Birdman, Still Alice, American Sniper, Dracula Untold, Exodus: Gods and Kings and Enemy were just a few of the movies that revolved around protagonists unsure of their purpose, confused by their environment and searching for inner purpose. If this is a reflection of the nation’s inner psyche, I’ll leave that to you.
It wasn’t a great year at the movies but it was a surprising one as more low-budget, independent features found a foothold with viewers than every before. The list that follows reflects that. Daring, thought-provoking cinema flourished outside Tinsel Town, which has and continues to flounder like never before.
1. Boyhood
It was obvious from the moment I first saw Richard Linklater’s masterpiece in June that this would be the best film of the year. Sure, there was another six months of movies on the docket but I knew that none would have the emotional resonance of this one-of-a-kind feature. Filmed over the course of 12 years – one week each summer – this chronicle of one boy’s life from childhood through his teen years grabbed me like few films ever have. As the ever-inquisitive Mason, we see young actor Ellar Coltrane age from six to 18 years of age. If you were to ask me for a plot summary I’d be hard-pressed to come up with a traditional one. The film is a series of vignettes that recreate universal formative experiences – Mason starts to think about death when he finds a dead bird, he must deal with not doing well in school, he has to contend with peer pressure as a teen, he discovers love as he begins college, etc. Yes, he must contend with two abusive stepfathers and the fact that his own dad (Ethan Hawke) drops in and out of his life. But as far as a traditional narrative is concerned, nothing really happens… yet everything happens to turn Mason into a mature, likable, curious young man. Watching Coltrane seemingly grow and develop before our eyes over the course of the film proved to be one of the most emotionally rewarding experiences I’ve ever had at the movies and one that will stay with me for years to come.
2. Whiplash
Damien Chazelle’s fascinating look at one young musician’s quest to achieve greatness is propelled by two powerhouse performances as well as the director’s willingness to take no prisoners in regards to commenting on the current state of our nation’s work ethic. Miles Teller is Andrew, a budding percussionist who longs to be the next Buddy Rich. He comes under the tutelage of Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), a tyrannical teacher who not only teaches them music but mental toughness as he builds his students up only to tear them down in the most humiliating manner. The music is incredible as is Teller, who literally bleeds for his art, and Simmons, who channels the drill sergeant (R. Lee Ermey) from Full Metal Jacket to create a portrait of a man driven to achieve perfection in himself and anyone who enters his sphere of influence. Their final confrontation is one for the ages as the film shows that the pursuit of genius is not for the weak-hearted or the lazy and that backbreaking, hard work is the only avenue in which to achieve not only a sense of pride, but emotional and moral well-being. (Whiplash will start in Springfield in mid-January.)
3. Wild
Director Jean-Marc Vallee’s (Dallas Buyer’s Club) moving adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling memoir manages to avoid the many dangers inherent to presenting material such as this. Never maudlin or manipulative, the film follows Strayed’s attempt to come to terms with the loss of her mother (a great Laura Dern) as well as other mistakes in her life as she takes a 1,100-mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. This meditative journey has her traveling from one treacherous environment to another, having to contend with potentially dangerous fellow hikers and her own doubts. As Strayed, Reese Witherspoon is more honest than she’s ever been, digging deep to bring to the fore this woman’s pain and desire to be whole again. Beautiful, haunting and moving, this proved to be one of the biggest surprises of 2014.
4. Ida
Pawel Pawlikowski’s devastating look at post-World War II Poland revolves around one young woman’s search for herself and family. On the verge of taking her vows to become a nun, Ida (Agata Trzebuchowska) is told that she is not Catholic, but Jewish, and that she should visit her Aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza) in order to speak to her about her heritage. The young woman does just that and what occurs is a road trip across a still-recovering, early-1960s Poland, in which these women uncover secrets about their family and their past, forced to come to terms with how they will live the rest of their lives. Shot in gorgeous, rich black-and-white, Ida’s journey of self-discovery is Poland’s journey as well as it stumbles towards finding a place in the modern world. Ida and Wanda approach their futures in different ways, both beyond our judgment in this haunting, beautiful film. (Ida is available on home video.)
5. Calvary
John Michael McDonagh’s film grabs us from the start as Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is told by one of his parishioners while in confession that he will kill him in a week in retribution for abuse he suffered at the hands of another man-of-the-cloth years ago. The priest then sets out to minister to his flock for the last time, questioning whether any of his efforts have been worthwhile as nearly all of his followers appear hopelessly lost. Gleeson carries the film on his broad shoulders, the most human of priests, willing to show anger, disappointment and humor in the face of everything he’s believed in being thrown to the wayside. While the mystery of who James’ would-be-assassin is provides a degree of interest, it’s the priest’s adherence to his beliefs that proves compelling.
6. The Babadook
This out-of-left-field horror film from Australia contains the most impressive directorial debut of the year and serves as a reminder that where fright flicks are concerned, less is always more. Amelia (Essie Davis, in a powerhouse performance) is a single mother trying to deal with her troubled 6-year-old son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), who’s convinced that a creature called the Babadook is lurking in his room. There’s much more at play here than something going bump in the night as this creature is the ever-growing personification of Amelia’s rage and grief over the loss of her husband on the day of her son’s birth and the resentment she feels towards him. Genuinely disturbing, darkly atmospheric and containing a story of hard-earned redemption, director Jennifer Kent has delivered an impressive calling card, making her a filmmaker to watch.
7. The Imitation Game
Morton Tyldum’s examination of the efforts of Alan Turing and other mathematicians to break the Nazi’s Enigma Code is a multi-layered narrative in which each plot strand reflects the other as a form of deception is at the core of each. In looking at Turing’s youth and his final days as well, a tragic portrait emerges of a man forced to live a lie, made to feel like an outsider his entire life though sacrificing a great deal for his country. As Turing, Benedict Cumberbatch is able to find the humanity beneath the scientist’s various tics, while Keira Knightley as his colleague, fellow outsider and would-be wife proves moving as well. Far more than a historical drama, this is a reminder of the dangers of prejudice and the shortsightedness of government.
8. Begin Again
John Carney’s delightful tribute to the redemptive power of music is also one of the most romantic movies of the year as it provides a view of New York City as a place of infinite possibility and recurring redemption as well as a portrait of a young woman who’s able to come back from a devastating emotional blow, transforming herself into a stronger, more independent person. Keira Knightley delivers her second great performance of the year as Gretta, a despondent young songwriter trying to mend her broken heart after being dumped by her soon-to-be-pop-star boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine). She crosses paths with down-on-his-luck music producer Dan (a scruffy Mark Ruffalo) who recognizes her unique talent before she does. The music they make is magical as they each help the other become whole again while Carney refuses the temptation to take us down the usual narrative road. No movie in 2014 left me smiling or happier than this one.
9. Gone Girl
David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s bestseller proved to be far more than a murder mystery as it looked at the institution of marriage with a suspicious eye. When Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) goes missing and suspicion slowly turns towards her husband, Nick (Ben Affleck), as the prime suspect, revelations about the true nature of their marriage emerge from conflicting points of view. In the end, we’re not sure what anyone truly feels about each other or their state of affairs, but what we do know for sure is that no one trusts anyone and the viewer ends up questioning how well we know that person we’ve promised to be with “’till death do us part.”
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
A comic book movie on the top 10 list?!? You betcha’ and that’s because there’s much more going on than superheroics in Anthony and Joe Russo’s espionage thriller. Cap (Chris Evans) finds himself on the outside looking in when he uncovers a nefarious plot being carried out by a faction of the government agency S.H.I.E.L.D., which he’s sworn allegiance to. The action is thrilling and Cap’s struggles to fit into the modern world continue to be humorous and poignant. However, it’s the film’s openly critical view of our modern Big Brother government that gives this one bite. Few films released this year were as timely as this one.
Tied for 11th place
Bennett Miller’s gripping tale of murder and entitlement Foxcatcher… Keanu Reeves’ excellent return to form in the action genre John Wick… Ava DuVernay’s moving look at Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights marches in Selma… Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s manic look at art, life and love in Birdman… Marvel’s rollicking space opera Guardians of the Galaxy… Luc Besson’s action showcase for Scarlett Johansson Lucy… The funniest film of the year, 22 Jump Street… David Michod’s haunting post-apocalyptic road movie The Rover… David Gordan Green’s Joe featuring a moving turn from Nicolas Cage’s… Wes Anderson’s delightful and poignant The Grand Budapest Hotel…
This article appears in Dec 25-31, 2014.
