2014: A CINEMATIC REFLECTION
"What a year for the cinema!" - A thing I say every year.
1) Under the Skin, dir. Jonathan GlazerÂ
This just checked off all my boxes I normally require of my top slotted film - formally innovative and experiential, a tangled web of gender and sexual politics, thick accents, facial deformities...(kidding, sorry). It was the most effective cinematic representation of the perils and pleasures of female embodiment I’ve ever seen - and a wicked hybrid of the steely formalism of Kubrick and the emotional provocation of Von Trier, at that. The sequence on the beach was the most terrifying scene of the year (maybe of the past few years?). An instant classic.
2) The Grand Budapest Hotel, dir. Wes AndersonÂ
I have this truly cringeworthy Facebook post from 2007 (my first semester at NYU) where I matter-of-factly state that Wes Anderson is a hack. Granted, I felt pretty let down by The Darjeeling Limited at the time, but 18-year-old Marie was an asshole and Wes is awesome. I think this may even be his *best* film? Tragic and hilarious and beautiful and intricate and profound and smart as hell. I rolled my eyes at suggestions that you had to see another much-heralded 2014 release more than once to “truly get it,” (cough Inherent Vice cough) but watching The Grand Budapest Hotel multiple times is an absolute pleasure. So much to discover in every packed frame! Ralph Fiennes gives - in my humble opinion - one of the best performances of the year in a tricky role, and the supporting cast is uniformly excellent.
3) The Guest, dir. Adam Wingard
The most fun I had at the movies this year, no contest. I guess it’s a 2014 trend to “pay homage” to John Carpenter (see also Cold In July, which I saw at Sundance this year and enjoyed), but The Guest worked on another fun level as the flip side of the Marvel superhero coin. What would happen if we fucked up when creating Captain America? THIS MOVIE. Dan Stevens is charming (and SEXY) as hell, Maika Monroe is a great discovery (can’t wait to see It Follows in 2015!) and the movie has the best soundtrack of the year.
4) Boyhood, dir. Richard LinklaterÂ
Gonna brag here and tell you all that I was in the audience for the premiere at Sundance and it was a magical experience being completely unspoiled and in the dark. I started off the film in a total nostalgia trip - Britney Spears! Harry Potter! - and then ended up identifying with Patricia Arquette’s character by the film’s conclusion. Time moved so fast! When did Mason turn into a greasy college kid? This would have been higher up on my list if Linklater ended the film before the groan-inducing freshman year Texan desert mushroom conversation. But whatever, still an achievement!
5) Whiplash, dir. Damien Chazelle
Best male-on-male heterosexual S&M film of all time? Very into JK Simmons’ bald veiny head and jazz muscle daddy attire. Miles Teller still seems like a dick IRL, but this movie was good enough to distract me from that fact. People complaining about the ending being unrealistic need to chill. It’s a movie and it was THRILLING. Did you think the film was “realistic" beforehand and that sequence just shattered your perceptions? The narrative is as crazy a tale as the Charlie Parker Nearly Got Decapitated by a Cymbal story that plays such a big part in the movie (both are over the top legends about the genesis of genius!)
5) Force Majeure, dir. Ruben Ă–stlund
This movie answers the question, "What would a Haneke comedy be like?" so it’s basically incredible. The retracted compliment scene at the resort bar is the best scene of the year. Electric toothbrushes have never seemed as menacing, and drones have never been as welcome. I gotta see the rest of Östlund's movies when they come to FilmLinc in January!
6) Gone Girl, dir. David FincherÂ
I would love to see this again with a better audience, because everyone in the theater was an idiot who didn’t know the movie was supposed to be FUN. Yes, it’s a blistering critique of marriage and of the media. Yes, I think the movie and book *are* indeed feminist (Amy has never been in control of her own narrative and forcefully wrestles subjectivity away from her parents and her husband / women are allowed to be “unlikable protagonists, DUH). But it’s also just plain bonkers and silly and sexy and a blast to watch. Ben Affleck has a nice dong. Bet it's nicer than Matt Damon's.
7) The Babadook, dir. Jennifer Kent
A new entry in the horror cannon (“No, it’s not that scary, but you should definitely still see it!” - me to everyone I recommend it to). When was the last time I cried during a horror movie? Has that ever happened before? This just hit me right in the gut. Parenthood is one of the scariest subjects, and this film manages to speak to that very real fear without resorting to the “evil kid” trope. The kid in this is just annoying and then heartbreakingly sweet.
8) Neighbors, dir. Nicholas StollerÂ
Kinda shitty that The Interview ended up getting so much attention towards the end of the year, because this was truly the Seth Rogen-starring masterpiece of 2014. A bro-comedy with an actually funny, active, and intelligent female lead (the fabulous Rose Byrne)! A brilliant turn from Zac Efron, who uses his blank handsomeness to chilling effect. Really fucking funny. And it taught me that you have to milk your boobs when breastfeeding because otherwise they will explode. I didn’t know that before, and now I am prepared!
10) Snowpiercer, dir. Bong Joon-ho
"BABIES TASTE BEST.” - line of the year. Another fun time at the cinema! Great Tilda character, great Chris Evans beard, great difficult ending, great action setpieces! "A dystopic amusement park ride I wouldn’t mind riding over & over again!” - Marie Bardi (my hypothetical pull quote).
11) Nymphomaniac Vol 1, dir Lars Von Trier
I watched 1 & 2 back to back, but Vol 2 was pretty miserable (minus the VERY SEXY JAMIE BELL SEQUENCE!) so Vol 1 gets this coveted spot. If Von Trier really never makes another film again in the name of sobriety, I’ll be glad he went out with this as a kind of sly summation of his career as a troll. The best kind of troll, though! Glad to see Uma Thurman chewing some scenery in her brief appearance. The actress who plays teen Joe is beyoooond sexy but I wish Shia wasn’t in this or anything else, quite frankly.
12) Listen Up Philip, dir. Alex Ross Perry
Shares its spot with the accompanying Alex Ross Perry Q&A tour of 2014. Absolutely uncompromising, ballsy, yet perceptive and sensitive without trying to “redeem” its protagonist too much. Elisabeth Moss is a treasure. “Making Me Nervous” is a lovely song that is unfortunately unavailable to stream on Spotify. Also the best book cover movie of 2014 (Zac Efron actually plays a book cover designer in the appalling That Awkward Moment, which no one should ever see).
13) Beyond the Lights, dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood
Includes the most dramatic and arresting sequence to take place on stage at the BET Awards in cinema history. Gugu Mbatha-Raw needs to be a superstar. Minnie Driver’s razor-sharp cheekbones brutalized me. A movie about popular culture that was able to accurately reproduce and reflect said popular culture! Like, the music videos and songs created for the film were realistic AND good! The log line sounds cheesy, which I guess kept audiences away, but the movie absolutely earns your respect. I saw this with my friends Sarah, Tyler and Rod, and we all had a fabulous time at Bareburger afterwards, which gives the movie extra points.
14) Actress, dir. Robert Greene
A really tricky, sticky film that I couldn’t stop thinking about for days afterwards. “Brandy Burre” is one of the most interesting characters on screen this year. The sequence where she gives the tour of her home to visitors around Christmas time is pretty extraordinary.
15) Enemy, dir. Denis Villeneuve
A cinematic Rorschach test. Really fun to read so many different interpretations of the film. I personally thought it was about the struggle to be a “good male,” but whoo knows. A brisk, enigmatic 90 minutes (or something like that) with the year’s best ending.
16) It Felt Like Love, dir. Eliza Hittman
My boyfriend is from Gravesend, so it was really nice to see a film about that “other” Brooklyn that doesn’t fetishize it or condescend to it. An American Fat Girl (one of my favorite films, natch). Looking forward to Eliza Hittman’s next film, a description of which I read in the Sundance Labs press release, and sounds like a worthy follow-up.
17) Wild, dir. Jean-Marc Valée
I saw this alone and I had an emotional, personal moment with it. Not much else to say!
18) Edge of Tomorrow, dir. Doug Lyman
Affirms why I disliked Godzilla and Pacific Rim so much: you need a movie star to carry an action film and not one of those vacant, charisma-less pretty boys. Tom Cruise is a legend (and he gets to play a slimy coward in this!) and Emily Blunt is perfect and badass. The ending was a bit of a cliche, but everything leading up to it was super fun! Fun fact - when we saw this, my boyfriend sat next to a couple on a date and the young gentleman was translating the movie line by line into Korean for his girlfriend.
19) The Lego Movie, dir. Chris Miller & Phil Lord
This movie is a million times better than it has any right to be. Relentlessly clever and earns its laughs. EVERTHING IS AWESOME is still stuck in my head several months later.
20) Guardians of the Galaxy, dir. James Gunn
Marvel finally gets it right, you guys! The emotional core of this film is the strongest in any of the MCU movies. I cared so much about that fucking raccoon in people clothes and the Vin Diesel tree!Â
NOTES:
I have not seen Ida, Thou Wast Mild & Lovely / Butter on the Latch, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Only Lovers Left Alive, Two Days One Night, Mr Turner, The Raid 2, Citizenfour, Blue Ruin, Winter Sleep, or A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. I just saw Selma this week, and don’t think I can properly evaluate it yet, but I thought it was quite good and would rank it up there with Lincoln as a “biopic done properly.” I have no desire to see Goodbye to Language, Unbroken, or The Imitation Game.
I saw Buzzard and Heaven Knows What this year but as they are technically 2015 releases, I will save them for next year’s list. Both are excellent.
I am still debating my opinion of Birdman. I didn’t love it when I first saw it, but ask me in a few months. I keep recommending it to people, so that must be a good sign.
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