The Best of 2014
Foxcatcher: This movie is so good, but I would only be willing to see it one more time (to show friends or something), because it is just too damn heavy. From front to back, a whole spectrum of emotions are displayed as we watch the recreation of the true relationships between John du Pont, Dave and Mark Schultz, two gold medal winning olympic wrestlers. Steve Carrell just isn’t fair—not only is he one of the funniest actors right now, but his portrayal of du Pont is so good that it’s scary. Toward the tragic end of the movie, I couldn’t believe that I was watching him in such a serious role that he absolutely nailed.
- Interstellar: This movie is an enigma. I don’t know if it deserves phrase or criticism,
because I love every aspect of it, except for the plot itself. At the end of the day, I would see it again with enthusiasm, so I’m putting it on this list. Screen Junkies said it right—we can’t forget that this is the plot of the movie: “A movie about a girl whose dad flies into a black hole and through the power of love, travels back in time to his daughters bedroom to haunt an old wrist-watch so that it taps out the secrets to the universe in Morse code.” I don’t know if it’s impressive that Nolan was able to cover that up, or if it was lazy, ridiculous writing (aside from the time lapse part). Either way, the film was a visual masterpiece. The scientific concepts were intriguing and Zimmer’s soundtrack was breathtaking—I refuse to view this movie again until I get a massive surround sound system and a 75 inch tv to hear that damn organ.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Being a fan of comic books and comic book movies, I will say right now that including this movie, there are three comic book themed movies on this list. While being a great movie, I can’t help but think that “Guardians” was just a little bit overrated because of its corny moments. At the same time, James Gunn took a group that no one was familiar with in the least bit, and turned each and every member into a lovable character, even a talking tree that says four words (it does say “we”). “Guardians” is simultaneously funny and action packed—it’s a fantastic edition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a great appetizer for Phase Three.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: The old and new casts are blended seamlessly together throughout
the contents of this film. I can’t believe that the same studios that made romance-with-some-mutants movie X-3 and the crappy Wolverine movies came out and made this film. The movie is perfectly paced and it utilized the massive cast so well that very character is shown. I was able to distill the apprehension that came with the potential failure of Wolverine’s mission throughout alternate timelines. Did I also mention the sentinels? SENTINELS! I am stoked for Apocalypse because of the execution of this movie.
Dawn Of the Planet of the Apes: It’s crazy how much I loved this movie and its 2011 predecessor when the original franchise sucked so badly. Planet of the Apes is almost like the reverse Star Wars right now—I am aware that the original series was older and the technology to recreate real looking apes didn’t exist yet, but the writing for the two prequels is also much better. Andy Serkis is an intriguing, loving, and terrifying Caesar who flawlessly displays the conflict of a king who is stuck between the welfare of his people, and the uneasy alliance of the human faction (in almost a literary fashion). While there is evil amongst both factions, the amount of humanity in this film is stunning—the greatest moments aren’t displayed by dialogue, but rather physical action. I got pretty emotional when Caesar said “a good man…like you.”
- The Imitation Game: The Morten Tyldum thriller film depicts the bittersweet rise and fall of Alan
Turning, the genius behind the cracking of the Nazi enigma code throughout WWII. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the man with such detail, depicting a struggle of balancing his developing humanity that he wants to be able to feel, along with the cold, calculated nature of his work. He reluctantly learns of the corruption, secrecy and sacrifices that exist alongside war as the film progresses and becomes increasingly intriguing. Not to mention his monologues and and WWII sequences are awesome as well.
Birdman: I had to watch this movie twice in order to truly appreciate it. There’s such an intricate level of detail within every character, their personal struggles and how that is reflected within Riggan Thomson’s (Michael Keaton) broadway play. Along with Keaton’s bizarre (in the best way) character behavior and the monologues in his head, it was too much to follow. He plays a washed up former superhero who tries to resurrect his carrier by placing all of his chips on a new broadway play that he’s making. One second it’s hilarious, then sad, then plain freaky. Keaton is spastic, bouncing all over the place with such explosive character—it’s mesmerizing to watch, especially since it’s filmed to resemble one massive take.
- Whiplash: As a drummer, I am in love with this movie. You don’t even need to be a drummer to be
in love with Whiplash. Straight from the get-go, the controlled chaos of jazz drumming (that Miles Teller plays himself) grips you, refusing to give a moments relaxation. The movie centers around the theme of pushing yourself to the the very limit of your abilities, and then taking the extra step beyond that. Teller is the recipient of the theme, letting his voice of pain and triumph be heard from behind the kit, while J.K. Simmons drives the message down his throat (the rushing or dragging scene was the definition of being on edge). The amazing part of Simmons performance is that I still have no idea if he should be considered a hero or villain—his methods were egregiously extreme, driving students to unparalleled types of stress, but if they reach his desired level, they would shine. It’s one of the best teacher/coach-student movies I’ve seen in a long time and the last fifteen minutes are completely unreal. See this movie.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier: There isn’t much I really need to say about this movie, but I assure you it is #2 worthy. This movie came out of absolutely nowhere and kicked my ass. As of right now, it is my favorite MCU movie, and with good reason. It demolished its predecessor in every single way and establishes the sense of foreboding apprehension in relation to the freedom vs. fear debate that our post-9/11 world has set up, whilst fusing it with an action packed and well written superhero movie with a legitimately terrifying villain. This is the movie that made me realize that as of right now, Marvel is infallible and has drastically raised the standard for superhero movies from here on out (until they eventually make a bad one).
- Gone Girl: Before I go on my little pro-Gone Girl rant, I’d like to say some things. One, I am fully
aware that this movie has completely divided audiences and a number of people reading this are bewildered or labeling me as a total idiot. Two, David Fincher is one of my favorite directors of all time and the team of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are my favorite film composers—in short, this movie was set up for me to love it.
With that being said, I’m not deliberately trying to sound hyperbolic here, but if I have a child and he/she becomes old enough and conveniently asks to watch a movie that displays the zeitgeist of the 2010s, I would show them Gone Girl. Now of course the movie is a drama, so it does exaggerate aspects of domestic life, but the contemporary themes are there. I would tell them that in my time, the American dream has changed, and marriage simply isn’t valued as much as it used to be; there is more adultery, there are more divorces, there are more cases of domestic abuse, more of an information flow via social media, and money is as much (or even more) of a factor than love a majority of the time. Characters aside, people bite off more they can chew and it’s noticed when real turbulence such as unemployment and relocation tests their relationships and changes behavior. There could even be a debate about gender dynamics in relation to the ever-changing roles of the husband and the wife that can be derived from this movie. I would also tell them that the movie depicts the tabloid society that we are currently living in, where the media possesses the ability to frame a story to contrive heroes, sweethearts, monstrous villains and stirring controversies from its contents, now more than ever.
Fincher is completely on point as always—he delivers his stylistic dark thriller in yet another captivating way. The twists were crazy, and the pacing and aesthetics had me completely enraptured. The truly amazing thing about this movie is that he derives top notch performances from the entire cast, without any bad spots. He turned the lovable Neil Patrick Harris into this clingy, unbalanced stalker that made me uncomfortable in every scene. He turned the annoying Tyler Perry into a charismatic lawyer that I actually wanted to watch for more than five minutes. After watching this movie, I couldn’t believe that Ben Affleck (the compelling anti-hero) was in Gigli, and do I even need to say anything about Rosamund Pike? She was an absolute ice queen and one of the best female villains I have ever seen. Amy Dunne is a master manipulator, completely aware of her position in the media conflict, and SPOILER ALERT: she basically wins in the end. She played one of those roles that I will associate with her for a long time. Pike will always be Amy Dunne, just as Downey Jr. has become Tony Stark (if we’e talking comics).
There isn’t much else I can say about Gone Girl aside from the fact that it was my favorite of the year. Fincher and Reznor masterfully work together, resulting in another amazing film with an amazing tone and sound. If you haven’t seen it, I definitely suggest doing so, so you can formulate your own opinion on the matter rather than listen to me rant about it.
Ian Barbour