My Top 10 Films of 2014

10) Gone Girl

A damn good book adaptation and the closest we’ll ever come to getting a David Fincher rom-com, Gone Girl managed to chill and amuse in equal measure as the director dissected modern marriage and satirised mainstream media while still applying his trademark dark overtones. The end result was the ultimate anti-date movie, capped off by an unflinching performance from Rosamund Pike.

9) Guardians of the Galaxy

This was a much better year for comic book movies than 2013 (Thor: The Dark World anyone? How about The Wolverine?) and the titular Guardians were the undiscussed breakout stars. A space opera that included a talking raccoon and a walking tree, this really should’ve been Marvel’s Green Lantern. Instead, thanks to clever characterisation and spot-on comedic sensibilities, it turned out to be its Star Wars. Good luck beating these guys, JJ.

8) X-Men: Days of Future Past

You’d be forgiven for thinking Fox has been jealous for some time of Marvel Studios’ success at building a shared cinematic universe, but after seeing Days of Future Past, they needn’t be worried. An epic time-travel flick that echoed The Terminator and matched the scale and spectacle of The Avengers, DOFP pulled off the near impossible feat of tying the plot lines of First Class and the first trilogy into one coherent narrative (more or less). Also, major kudos should go to Bryan Singer for deciding to sideline Wolverine and make Professor X the coolest character for once. Best X-Men film so far? Oh, go on then.

7) 12 Years a Slave

With lynchings, lashings and the N-word being dropped left, right and centre to varying degrees of xenophobia over the course of 134 minutes, 12 Years a Slave was easily the toughest film to sit through this year. As a matter of fact, it’s amazing it’s taken so long to make a film with this level of audacity on the enslavement of African-Americans in pre-Civil War era USA. Director Steve McQueen didn’t shy away from adopting the same uncompromising approach witnessed in his previous films, while all the actors involved were at the top of their game, especially Lupita Nyong’o and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who both deserve long, rewarding careers for their bruising performances.

6) The Wolf of Wall Street

When is a sex & drugs comedy worthy of being Oscar-nominated? When it is populated with tracking shots, sudden freeze frames and an ever present voiceover, along with underlying themes of excess and corruption – in other words, when it is directed by Martin Scorsese. After the warmth and childlike wonder of Hugo, it made sense for the legendary director to gravitate towards more adult material and the tale of Jordan Belfort’s real life stock frauds and coke-fuelled shenanigans was the perfect choice. As for Leonardo DiCaprio, it was great to see the usually uptight actor let himself loose – here’s hoping that a road trip comedy with co-star Jonah Hill will be on the cards in the near future.

5) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Wiretapping. Government secrecy. Orwellian surveillance programs. These topics wouldn’t be out of place in an Edward Snowden biopic directed by George Clooney or Paul Greengrass, but the fact that they were tackled in the Captain America sequel was a big surprise to everyone. Here was a movie that not only proved its titular character was way cooler than people had been giving him credit for (Quinjet? Meet Vibranium shield), but also that he was the most relevant superhero to the times we live in. Who says blockbusters can’t entertain AND tackle big questions we’re confronted with on the evening news? The decision to eschew lavish CGI set-pieces in favour of more grounded, practically choreographed action scenes didn’t hurt either. With $700 million now in the bank, good ol’ Cap has deservedly become the single most popular Marvel hero after Iron Man, which means Civil War can’t come soon enough.

4) Locke

Locke is the kind of film that should (and most likely will) be on the curriculum of every screenwriting class in the world come 2015. Ask the average film student to link the notions of “car” and “thrilling” and they’ll likely respond with “chase” and “explosions”, rather than “phone calls” and “cement”. Seriously, if director/screenwriter Stephen Knight has managed to make a concrete pour the stuff of gripping entertainment, then there’s hope for populist cinema yet. But of course, it’s not just about the script – driving this compelling drama (pun intended) is the ever reliable Tom Hardy, who delivers a quietly powerful performance as he makes a series of life-changing calls from his car, some fraught, some touching. But he is ably supported by the voices on the other end of the phone, played by a host of talented British actors from popular TV shows – including Alice from Luther and Moriarty from Sherlock, fact fans. 

3) Her

The best science fiction films are the ones that, despite being set in a futuristic fictional world, manage to speak directly to us by addressing a present issue, and in the case of Her, it’s our ever-growing dependence on technology for emotional fulfilment. With social networks, matchmaker apps and online dating services becoming a constant in our day to day lives, is it really that much of a stretch to believe we will eventually have portable devices programmed to respond to our emotional needs? Spike Jonze handles the potentially risible concept with the skill and confidence of an expert filmmaker and in the process delivers the year’s most unlikely love story, as Joaquin Phoenix’s isolated writer falls for the artificial intelligence behind his operating service, Samantha (charmingly voiced by Scarlett Johansson). If all this still sounds amusing, do yourself a favour and go watch the movie: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll never look at your iPhone the same way again.

2) Nightcrawler

No, not a spin-off about a teleporting blue mutant, but a film starring one of the creepiest anti-heroes since Hannibal Lecter and Patrick Bateman. Yet what sets Lou Bloom apart from those guys is that he’s not so much a homicidal psychopath (technically, he doesn’t kill anyone on-screen), but as a careerist sociopath hell-bent on making a name for himself in the news industry. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Bloom with a chilled detachment that’s both eerie and mesmerising to watch, while first time director Dan Gilroy uses the character as a conduit into two worlds: the violent streets of night-time LA and the morally grey halls of a local TV station that thrives on urban crime reports. It is an unforgettable debut from Gilroy made all the more memorable by a central character whose self-motivational quotes appear to be tailor-made for aspiring business moguls – “Why you pursue something is as important as what you pursue”; “Get out of your head, Rick, it's a bad neighbourhood”; “If you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy a ticket” – just don’t repeat the lines in monotone and with a blank stare.

1) Boyhood

Oh, where to begin? There are so many reasons why Boyhood is the best film of 2014. Is it perhaps the fact that indie darling Richard Linklater managed to successfully pull off what could’ve been a doomed cinematic experiment, i.e. a feature film shot intermittently over a twelve-year period in order to convincingly portray the growth of a young boy into a young adult? Is it the fact that said film shoot resulted in the most genuine and endearing performance not only from newbie Ellar Coltrane, but also the professional actors playing his parents, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette? Could it be the film’s refusal to follow a linear (and therefore unnatural) narrative and instead stick to reproducing a successions of unrelated events from one character’s life, like flicking through a family photobook? Or perhaps, with its shots of CD players being replaced by iPods and a soundtrack ranging from Coldplay’s “Yellow” to Family of the Year’s “Hero”, the film functions as a time capsule for the 2000s? Or maybe Boyhood is simply one of those movies that feels like a classic as you start watching it. You could almost say it seizes you. Bring on Adulthood.

Unbroken

Starvation. Shark bait. Solitary Confinement. Sustained punches to the face. These are just a few of the many forms of torture Louis Zamperini had to endure as a marooned Air Force pilot and a WWII POW and boy, Angelina Jolie is NOT going to let us forget this in her sophomore effort as a director. Spectacularly shot and confidently helmed, Unbroken could’ve been a real hit if only Jolie had allowed time for some character development amid all the bruising and beatings. Still, it’s nice to see the talented Jack O’Connell graduate from typecast thug to Hollywood leading man (although his Yankee accent still needs working on).

3/5

The Imitation Game

Much like The King’s Speech before it, The Imitation Game is a WWII biopic that comes sprinkled with old school British patriotism and features an affecting performance by its lead actor. There’s a little bit of Sherlock in Benedict Cumberbatch’s Alan Turing, the Enigma code-breaker whose overwhelming intelligence impinged on his ability to relate with others, while his latent homosexuality was a constant source of inner conflict throughout his life. Cumberbatch superbly pulls off the complex role but is somewhat ill-served by a script that is split over three different timelines, one of which feels underwritten. Classic Oscar bait then, but a more focused narrative could’ve made this a truly exceptional film.  

3/5

Interstellar

In the not too distant future, the inhabitants of planet Earth are faced with an alarming shortage of food and resources, while an increasing number of sandstorms threaten to make life even more unsustainable. In a bid to find a new world that the human race can make their home, a small team of astronauts board NASA’s last remaining spaceship and set off on a pioneering mission, as they try to explore a new galaxy via a mysterious wormhole.

Ever been in the presence of someone who got so caught up in explaining a theory they had just stumbled upon, that they lost you halfway through their earnest monologue overflowing with scientific jargon? That’s a big fat metaphor that aptly summarises Interstellar, one of the smartest blockbusters to ever grace our screens yet also an unexpectedly dissatisfying movie-going experience.

You certainly can’t fault the Nolan brothers (Christopher directing, his brother Jonathan penning the screenplay) for a lack of effort. From the moment Michael Caine and Anne Hathaway’s scientists launch into detailed explanations on wormholes, binary coordinates and gravitational waves, it becomes clear the two filmmakers have done their homework. Problem is, they probably got into it a little too much. It’s never a good sign when characters in science fiction films need to explain a convoluted narrative with the aid of a whiteboard (Emmett Brown’s timeline diagram in Back To The Future Part II being the rare exception) - Interstellar resorts to this device not once, but three times, clearly suggesting that the Nolans have bitten off more than they can chew.

That’s not to say that Interstellar should’ve been dumbed down – if anything, it’s got the opposite problem of the Transformers movies, which could do with more brains to go with all the brawn. But by cramming in so much scientific exposition, the Nolans often risk alienating their audience completely, when there’s clearly a very powerful human component to the plot that is far too often overlooked.

At its core, Interstellar is the story about a man trying to get home to his family, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. In the hands of Matthew McConaughey, who’s currently experiencing an astounding career renaissance, the scenes in which lead astronaut Cooper is either breaking away from his daughter as he’s leaving Earth or watching his kids rapidly grow up before his eyes on video logs transmitted to the spaceship, pack an undeniable emotional punch. If there’s anything keeping this space odyssey grounded, it’s McConaughey’s bravura performance, which inevitably overshadows all the supporting players, including fellow acting heavyweight in the making, Jessica Chastain.

Also worth mentioning is that, despite the afore-mentioned misgivings with the way he handles his subject matter, Christopher Nolan remains nonetheless the most gifted mainstream director currently working in Hollywood, proving once again that he’s just as adroit at delivering a monumental set-piece (superbly conveying the right balance of dread and excitement that one would feel at entering a black hole for the first time) or handling the more quietly powerful moments, such as the scene in which a stranded astronaut breaks down after seeing another human being for the first time in years.

But then Christopher’s studies on physics and relativity kick in again, resulting in a final act twist that is likely to confound casual viewers and infuriate astronomy students. It’s daring, it’s different, it’s definitely something new that we haven’t been exposed to before on the silver screen, but there will be some head scratching. Worst of all, it comes neatly bow-tied with a “love conquers all” message which is seriously out of place with all the scientific babble we’ve had to endure until this point.

Is Interstellar a bad film? Far from it, it would actually be nice to see more blockbusters with this much drive and originality. But the end product certainly doesn’t live up to the audience’s expectation and, quite possibly, the Nolans’ ambition.

3/5

Locke

Let’s be honest, watching a bloke drive down the M40 for an hour and a half hardly qualifies as high octane filmmaking. And yet, in the hands of screenwriter-turned director Stephen Knight, Locke turns out to be one of the must-see films of the year. There are no car chases or explosions here, just a quietly brilliant Tom Hardy making a series of fraught calls on what is set to be the worst night of his life. Hardy’s tender performance brings a minimalist but powerful screenplay to life, although Knight is guilty of indulging in what is rapidly becoming a big no no in Hollywood scripts, i.e. the heart-to-heart conversation with an imaginary character. Seriously, this needs to stop.

4/5

Nightcrawler

Spare a thought for Jake Gyllenhaal, if you will. A professional child performer who has managed to hone his craft over the years, young Jake never seems to have earned the critical acclaim that has been bestowed on other actors of his generation. Just look at his Brokeback Mountain co-stars: Heath Ledger cemented his position as a Hollywood legend with a couple of stellar roles before his premature death, while Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway have since established themselves as nomination bait during award seasons. And Gyllenhaal? Well, he went on to make Prince of Persia. Which puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?

What Nighcrawler represents is an opportunity for the erstwhile Donnie Darko to show critics and audiences what he’s truly capable of, and in Lou Bloom he has found an unlikely saviour. Isolated, introverted and emotionally detached, he’s a Los Angeleno hell-bent on getting hired and forging a career in today’s competitive market. The job doesn’t matter, nor does the sector, as long as it puts him on the map. When he comes across a TV crew filming the carnage caused by a highway accident, Lou finds his calling and decides to become a freelance video reporter. It’s not long before success goes to his head and he starts interfering with crime scenes in a bid to secure higher ratings.

It’s the perfect role for an up-and-coming actor to sink his teeth into and Gyllenhaal clearly relishes the opportunity. He goes through the traditional “Method” motions (weight loss, unappealing hair), but it’s in the delivery of his character’s unusual dialogue where he truly shines. With his unsettling propensity to speak in buzzwords and positive action verbs, Bloom sounds like he’s constantly giving a job interview – or hosting it, depending what side of the metaphorical table he is sitting at. “I've made up my mind to find a career that I can learn and grow into. Who am I? I'm a hard worker. I set high goals and I've been told that I'm persistent”, he says to a prospective employer at the beginning of the film, before delivering the already classic line “If you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy a ticket”. Most of the times the lines will raise a few laughs, but there’s no denying that these are the warning signs for a sociopath. Either way, expect Lou Bloom quotes to appear on business students’ dorm walls in the very near future.

But while Gyllenhaal does an excellent job at bringing this 21^st Century Travis Bickle to life, it would be a mistake to overlook Dan (brother of Tony) Gilroy’s dual role as director and screenwriter. By tackling a dark subject matter – the media’s exploitation of urban crime – the first time director manages to generate chills and thrills from the most controversial of scenarios, the key one being a gruesome domestic invasion accompanied by the jaded commentary of two news anchors. Of course the irony is that, by having us so engrossed in these scenes, Gilroy is making the audience complicit in the sensationalism he’s criticising. Also, he pulls off what must be the year’s messiest car chase and is all the better because of it.

With awards season just around the corner, is it worth pondering Nightcrawler’s chances at the 2015 Oscars? It’s probably just a waste of time, especially with so many biopics hovering around at the moment. Whether he gets nominated or not, it’s worth highlighting that Gyllenhaal’s performance is one of the best of the year and one that should finally prove his credentials as a serious actor. Move over Donnie, Lou is here to stay.

5/5 

The Judge

If there's one thing The Judge succeeds in, it's reminding us that there's more to Robert Downey Jr. than iron suits and deer stalkers. Here is a movie star that many forget was garnering serious acting kudos in the early ‘90s and in David Dobkin’s drama he puts his quick wit and outstanding improv skills to good use as a slick city lawyer who returns to his hometown to represent his estranged father (Robert Duvall), the titular judge, in a murder trial. It’s just a shame that the courtroom scenes are misguidedly overshadowed by the family drama, which often feels ham-fisted and rarely poignant. Not even the winning Duvall/Downey combo can save this from being a mistrial.

2/5