2014 has been a pretty great year for films. The indie scene did some really interesting things. The foreign films have really been killing it. Even the blockbusters haven't been totally terrible (not that there hasn't been complete garbage *cough NINJA TURTLES*). It's about time to narrow down the list of Top 10 films this year. Worth noting, not all of these films saw a wide release in the US yet, but they've at least hit up some of the festival circuits.
10. GODZILLA
After a disastrous and insulting take back in 1998, it was pretty clear from the getgo that Garth Edwards' Western take on Godzilla was going to be noticeably better. And hands down it was. But it was also a strange movie that was weirdly polarizing. Some fans loved its early Spielberg-like restraint, and others bemoaning the lack of monster action. (Although to be fair, there is about 40 minutes worth of monster action in the film.) While lacking the substance and depth of the original Ishiro Honda film, Edwards attempts to mix pure entertainment value that Hollywood (and nerd fandom) demands with some semblance of depth and metaphor of the source material. It might be a little muddled and inconsistently paced, but the more you watch or think about it, the more you really start to notice how well crafted the film actually is. As a die hard Godzilla fan, I can't help but appreciate his effort. Some fans might have hoped for non-stop action like Pacific Rim, but I appreciated its restraint. Not perfect or how I'd have done things by any means, but I like it just a little bit more every time I watch it. It was also kind of nice to see Edwards mix elements of both the Showa and Heisei era Godzilla films, with the tone being more serious, but Godzilla playing the role of hero.
Director: Gareth Edwards (Monsters)
Starring: Bryan Cranston, David Strathairn, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
9. IDA
Ida is a quiet and dark film following a young nun in Soviet run Poland who has no real family left except an aunt. Her superior tells her that she should visit her aunt before she takes her vows. There, she discovers a lifestyle she never knew. Yet as different and interesting as it may seem, her aunt battles depression as a result from it. The film depicts differing lifestyles without really promoting one over the other. (If anything, it almost suggests that both the complexity of city life and the simplicity of sisterhood are both kind of depressing.) No film this year utilized silence and stillness as effectively as this one. Be warned though, it's not a popcorn flick. It's pretty intense and you probably won't say anything for about an hour after you watch it.
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski (My Summer of Love)
Starring: Agata Trzebuchowksa, Agata Kulesza
8. THE LEGO MOVIE
Another surprise of the year, The LEGO Movie could have easily turned into an overdone product placement. Yet instead we got a fun, genuinely heartwarming, and extremely positive message about the importance of individualism and creativity. Part of the charm is the cast, in which Chris Pratt really began to emerge as the world's most charming man of all time, but also featuring a huge cast of awesome actors like Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, fellow Parks And Rec co-star Nick Offerman, and Will Ferrell. It's not just the story of an average man finding his place in a world of individualism; it's the story of a father and son coming together. Kudos to LEGO for giving us one of the best family-friendly films in the past decade. And of course, this is nothing to speak of the awesome soundtrack and incredibly unique visual style. There's also something to be said about a movie in which the protagonist saves the day without truly changing himself, instead saving the world by merely being truly himself and being comfortable with it.
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller (22 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs)
Starring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman
7. FORCE MAJEURE
I was pretty much sold on the premise of the film alone. A family is at a ski resort on vacation, where controlled avalanches are common for safety reasons. One day at lunch, an avalanche heads toward them. Initially they don't seem worried because they know about controlled ones. But it starts to pick up steam and heads toward them. Just before it appears to hit them, the mother tries to protect her children while the father grabs his iPhone and runs away. In the end, it turns out it was controlled. No one was hurt. The rest of the film deals with their relationship struggling with the fact that when danger appeared imminent, the father just left. They wind up dragging their friends into it, and the stress itself grows like an avalanche. It would probably bore many people, but it does an incredible job with subtle humor and quiet drama.
Director: Ruben Ostlund (Play)
Starring: Johannes Kuhkne, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Kristofer Hivju
6. THE ONE I LOVE
One of the nice things about The One I Love is how it marketed itself. Not quite the deceptive campaign Woody Allen pulled for Midnight in Paris, but you watch the trailer and the only thing it really gives away is the tone of the movie. Everything else within it is so weird and unexpected, it's really refreshing. You knew something strange was going to happen, but not that! It's a funny and engaging look on a dying relationship with top notch acting from Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass, who kills it with his subtle gestures.
Director: Charlie McDowell (debut feature film)
Starring: Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss, Ted Danson
That's the bottom half of the top ten films I've seen in 2014. Some of them may be available online either on Netflix or Amazon On Demand, but some of them might still be only accessible at your nearby theaters. Either way, these are films you should definitely consider checking out.
And just to show how great a year it's been, here are five films that very nearly made the list, but just missed out.
EDGE OF TOMORROW
Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers, this was one of the surprises of the year.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
One of Marvel's stronger efforts, it's one of the most fun and entertaining blockbusters in a while. (Even if I have no idea how Peter Quill is able to make cultural references to things he was way too young to know before he got abducted as a child.)
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
A very well crafted film around the incredibly difficult dilemma of what to do if you find out the child you've been raising for years was actually switched at birth, and that your biological child is being raised by other parents.
FRANK
Making fun of indie hipster noise prog-rock bands. What can I say? I love making fun of them. Plus, Michael Fassbender is awesome.
WE ARE THE BEST
A Swedish-Danish film about a trio of young girls who want to start a punk rock band. It's like a less depressing, more all ages friendly SLC Punk (but maybe even a little bit better).
No comments:
Post a Comment