Our Favorite Movies of 2014

Paul: This is the third year-end recap we’ve done on this blog. In blogosphere years, that seems like a long time. But I look forward to it a little more every year. It’s an opportunity to take stock of where our individual movie-watching journeys have taken us, beyond the particular films Daniel and I decide to focus on at the same time. Once again, we’ve invited Erigena to add another voice to the conversation, and once again we present three individual lists of top fives for the year. Let’s begin.

 

#5

 

Paul: Night Moves, directed by Kelly Reichardt

 

Introspective and observant, this tightly constructed film stretches its viewers, and its characters, until we/they snap. The story of eco-terrorists plotting to blow up a dam as an act of protest unfolds according to genre rules — on paper, anyway. But Reichardt doesn’t ratchet up the suspense in traditional ways, instead looking at small moments, allowing some of the tensest scenes to play out in hair-raising stillness. Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard put on their poker faces, but when things start to go wrong, the actors astutely reveal the mistrust and silent paranoia that were there to begin with. This film is calmly horrific, static but riveting, like the slate gray water that transports the three protagonists into an interpersonal Hades.

 

Erigena: Maleficent, directed by Robert Stromberg

 

A beautiful and creative tale that strikes at the heart of human experience told from Princess Aurora’s point of view. The tale starts with Maleficent, a young fairy, who grows close to Stefan, a human boy. They eventually fall in love, but Stefan, blinded by pride and a hunger for power cuts off Maleficent’s wings. This act of betrayal provokes her to place a curse on his daughter, an act of revenge. As “fate” has it, Maleficent raises Aurora as her own, but maternal affections and a softness of the heart bring Maleficent to repentance.

I think of Maleficent as a magical and adventurous movie. Angelina Jolie delivers every line with perfection and a power that penetrates the heart. The eeriness of the enhanced cheekbones, the cobalt glistening eyes, the curvy horns, and ruby lips demand full attention.

 

Daniel: Edge of Tomorrow, directed by Doug Liman

 

I honestly forgot how good an actor Tom Cruise is. This looked like a pretty fun Groundhog Day-esque “repeat one day over and over” type of movie with a really generic alien invasion story to boot. And in essence, that wasn’t too far off. However, you don’t have to break the surface much to realize the quality between this and something like Cowboys and Aliens is vastly different. Both have decent actors and very large budgets, but Edge of Tomorrow knows how to use those tools. The performances are convincing to the story, with Cruise absolutely committing to his role in a way that sucks you in with an intensity that few sci-fis of late have managed. The best part about this movie was just how fun it was. Sure it had a few problems and we’ve seen similar gimmicks, but pacing is tough with movies whose plot centers on one day being played over and over again; they nailed it.

 

#4

 

Paul: Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher

 

This was the most enjoyable movie theater experience of the year for me. The atmosphere, at times uncomfortable, was always engaged and energized. People were talking as they walked down the aisles. Popular films don’t always inspire that. Expertly adapted by the book’s author, Gillian Flynn, this mordant scavenger hunt of a mystery plot transcends its potboiler aspects thanks to Fincher’s control. There are a couple bravura sequences, but for the most part Fincher is content to gently poke and prod at his audience until we’re ready for absolutely anything. Grace notes are provided by the eclectic supporting cast. Rosamund Pike’s performance is pitched at a level that had me wondering, at first, just what she was going for. But then the movie’s big twist happens, and it all makes sense.

 

Erigena: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, directed by Peter Jackson

 

The Hobbit makes it on my list again this year. The series started slow but ended with a rush. It was not as thrilling as the LOTR trilogy, but still a fitting conclusion full of adventure, action and some drama. The story is increasingly compelling as it moves forward to completion of the trilogy prequel. Every character, from Thorin to Bilbo, from Smaug to Gandalf, has a clear and visible goal. Each goal raises the stakes and the conflict, elements that draw the franchise fans to this epic finale. The transformation of Thorin is my favorite aspect about this movie. His newfound heroism brings more obstacles that test and reveal his emotional fears, fall and rise. Jackson masterfully forces the audience to suspend disbelief and embrace the fantasy world with such characters that react in a similar way to people in the real world.

 

Daniel: The Lego Movie, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

 

What was slated in my mind to be the big nostalgia money grab of the year turned out to be just that…and so much more. I’ve grown accustomed to having beloved childhood franchises turned into over-expounded cinematic abominations. Seriously, this movie should have been just terrible but it turned out to be, despite what the Academy says, the best animated film of the year. (To be fair, I didn’t get around to watching every animated movie, or even most of the big contenders in the awards season this year.) This movie took everything that makes the Lego franchise so great and accurately portrays it on screen. Not since Who Framed Roger Rabbit has an ensemble cast this broad been presented to the movie-going audience, and the intellectual properties are far from wasted. Of the two films this year featuring mutant ninja turtles, this one was the superior in just about every aspect. The vocal casting was absolutely dead on, the story was creative and fun while the writing was razor sharp.

 

#3

 

Paul: Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater

 

Linklater’s roving time capsule has a cumulative effect that’s difficult to describe. I can’t deny feeling some kinship with the characters, which makes the experience of watching them age incredibly poignant. But there’s a lot more to this than just a collection of “home movies” over twelve years. Put in sequence, the mundane, everyday moments chronicled in Boyhood reveal their importance. More than the milestones, it’s the simple conversations and connections between people that make life special. We might not always recognize that until those connections are in the rearview mirror, but life is generous enough to keep throwing them our way. Maybe we just need to throw out the script sometimes. Boyhood does have a script, but the plottiest elements are easily the least distinguished. I’ve always enjoyed Linklater’s ability to craft dialogue that is at once totally believable and sneakily significant. Whales are magical, etc.

 

Erigena: The Imitation Game, directed by Morten Tyldum

 

I enjoyed this thought-provoking story based on the life of Alan Turing, the British mathematician who created the machine that broke the Nazi Code and was instrumental in winning World War II. It is a serious, well-acted film that presents several occasions of exceptional ethical dilemmas. However, the single driving force is the major dramatic question: Am I a war hero or am I a criminal? Which it answers with subtlety, “Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a remarkable performance and the audience feels for Alan Turing as he goes through life. The film focuses on three distinct periods of this complicated and fascinating man, with seamless transfers between each. It is a beautifully made film that reveals an important piece of history unknown to the general public until recently.

 

Daniel: Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn

 

For anyone who wasn’t super familiar with the Marvel Comic Universe, myself included, this one kind of threw us for a loop. I was optimistic when I heard the premise of the comic. Then they went ahead and released the best teaser trailer I’ve ever seen and I could not wait. With hype building to critical levels, it was going to be very easy to leave us disappointed, which they didn’t even come close to doing. I’ll be the first to admit that certain aspects of the movie bordered on the generic, particularly in the villain department. It was so fun to have a well made action/comedy/space opera. James Gunn was an oddball choice for this universe, but he was the right choice and I only hope Marvel gives some flavor to their creations by allowing a wide range of directorial talent to tinge individual films with their own unique take.

 

#2

 

Paul: Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan

 

When Nolan is really on his game, I feel the pacing of his films in my bones. Intercutting is such a basic film technique, but he’s one of the few blockbuster filmmakers working today who seems to have a knack for it. Combine that with Hans Zimmer’s beautiful score and Matthew McConaughey’s resurgence as a serious actor, and you have the great space symphony of the twenty-first century (so far). Plenty has been said about Nolan’s ambition. With story contours that worship at the altar of 2001: A Space Odyssey and an ultimate solution to its time-travel paradox that recalls Chris Marker’s La Jetée — well, it just doesn’t get more ambitious than taking your inspiration from the two greatest science fiction films ever made. Nolan’s sentimental side (which, frankly, is a relief after the somberness of some of his other films) may cause eye-rolling, but it won me over.

 

Erigena: Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan

 

A spectacular, physically realistic sci-fi movie with a heart.

I’ve come to believe and expect that anything Nolan creates will have a deep emotional meaning and impact on the viewer who “gets” his abstract worlds and ideas. This movie reminds his fans once again that he’s a thinker, dreamer, and an idealist. He likes to turn worlds upside down. As a longtime fan of astronomy, I loved the stunning visual effects and the ethereal, astral sounds. But more important, I appreciated the subtext that “Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends time and space.” Really, Interstellar was more of a love letter from a father to his daughter. Maybe quirky at times to some, this film encourages deep exploration not only of space but also of the human mind and heart.

 

Daniel: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

 

Marvel knocked another one out of the park. The cinematic universe they’re setting up is unlike anything we’ve seen in Hollywood, and just when I was worried they were running semi-generic villains with un-ambitious goals, the whole Hydra plotline took off in a way that is becoming the driving force of future Marvel films. Chris Evans reprises his role once again as the Avengers’ cookie-cutter hero, only this time he’s forced to fight against those he respects and trusts. Everything about this film from the action sequences to the pacing just oozed a new level of tension and severity that we’ve been waiting for from this new cinematic universe. It’s awesome that we got both the most serious and the funniest Marvel films yet in the same year.

 

#1

 

Paul: Under the Skin, directed by Jonathan Glazer

 

I’m calling it: this one feels like an all-timer. There wasn’t a more visually stimulating film this year, or the last couple years, for that matter. Beginning with an eye made of light, ending with fire and snow, Glazer lets his images do the talking. It was such a rush seeing a movie that refused to explain itself, that simply put its metaphors out there for the audience to interpret. None of the characters have names, and what little dialogue there is mostly just locates the movie in a specific time and place. Scarlett Johansson uses a convincing British accent, but this is only the third or fourth most impressive thing about a performance that’s perfectly aligned with what Glazer is doing. It’s all about her face, her body, and the kaleidoscopic variety of ways they’re photographed. Add Mica Levi’s truly subcutaneous music, and the experience of viewing humanity from an alien perspective is complete. This film is ruthless, attacking all of our species’ fragility, turning our predatory instincts against us. It’s also kind of funny if you view it from just the right angle. I loved every minute of it.

 

Erigena: Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn

 

Even Honest Trailers could barely find anything wrong with this movie. Appealing characters, a group of misfits who find hints of heroism, build and sustain the meaningful plot. Each of them undergoes this amazing character arc, this transformation from selfish, broken individuals at the beginning of the film to loving, interdependent friends and new family at the end. I especially enjoyed what I like to call an “original” scene when the Nova planes “interlock and form a blockade” under the enemy spaceship. What a fascinating idea! The themes of triumph over adversity and good vs. evil revolve around the main protagonist and the supporting characters throughout. The villain may not have been the scariest and most goal-oriented character, but still powerful enough of an obstacle to unleash death at any moment. I found the movie very funny, serious at times, action-packed with fantastic special effects, and heart-warming. It’s also well-paced with a sharp and witty story.

 

Daniel: Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan

 

I haven’t had a poor movie-viewing experience with a Christopher Nolan film, which is why I was a little surprised I wasn’t more excited for Interstellar. The promotional material perfectly displayed the beauty that the movie managed to convey at an even greater level and the cast was just as good as any other Nolan film. Despite my hesitations, I figured I ought to see it in theaters, for the visuals if nothing else. Once again, I walked out of the theater completely satisfied with my ticket purchase. Looking past the visuals, which were genuinely incredible, it was also entertaining. Look, I can appreciate what 2001: A Space Odyssey is, but I had no real desire to watch it a second time in a row afterwards. That can’t be said about Interstellar for me because I had an absolute blast watching it. Pacing was decent and the storyline was tangible enough to let me follow along and complex enough to keep me thinking. It was a little corny at points, something I was surprised to see, but not enough to detract from my viewing experience. There was a level of emotion to it that managed to give you both euphoric highs and gut-wrenching lows; an accomplishment every filmmaker hopes to achieve.

Tags: Daniel Robison, Erigena Sallaku, Favorite, Gaffer MacGuffin, Movies, Paul Boyne, top picks