Spencer's Top 10 of 2014
Although I call this a "Top 10", I must admit to being terrible with keeping to whatever number I restrain myself to. With that said, I have a Top 10 of 2014 , with several honourable mentions and a few that I sadly missed as well. I felt 2014 was a good year for movies, that or maybe I just got lucky with what I picked. From the looks of it, 2015 will be strong as well, considering some of the films I had the pleasure of seeing at TIFF this past fall. With that said, that's making the assumption that some of the more exceptional films at the fest don't get stuck in distribution hell for the next few years.
A side note: I always find that with Oscar season filling the last few months of each year, it becomes hard to remember the other great films that spread themselves out over the preceding months. I will admit that the past two years have had a fairly solid selection for Best Picture. However, comparing 2013 to this past year, I would deem this year more successful as there were more than enough films to stand out in the crowd, even from the beginning of 2014. Not to say there aren't ambitious films every year, but I think there are a number of new faces showing up that I cannot wait to see more from.
Without further ado, in no particular order, here is my list.
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Probably the most Wes Anderson-y film to this date, yet one that feels a bit more mature than previous outings, The Grand Budapest holds its place as my favourite Anderson picture yet.
2. Nightcrawler
Initially when I saw the film listed at TIFF this past year, then looked into Dan Gilroy's writing credits, I was expecting a typical Hollywood action flick and typical big name movie to attract more of a mainstream crowd to the fest. Luckily, I was wrong. Tense and propelled forward with strong direction and an even stronger performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, I was engaged from start to finish.
3. John Wick
Keanu Reeves kills everyone over his dead dog and a stolen ride. That should be enough of a motivator as is, but some of the best action choreography in a North American film I have seen in a while, and a welcoming comeback from Reeves in ass-kicking, stone-cold form, made this one of my top action films in the past few years.
4. Gone Girl
While perhaps not David Fincher's strongest outing, even a "good" Fincher flick is exceptionally well put together. As an avid fan of the book from which the film is based, this film works quite well as a companion piece, as well as on it's own.
5. The Raid 2
By far the craziest and most awesomely gruesome action movie I have seen, The Raid 2 ups the ante in almost every way from the original. While certainly convoluted in plot, the action paves over any narrative cracks. A side note - I never thought I would actually have to give warning on an action film, but the gore goes to horror movie heights at points so this one isn't for the faint of heart.
6. The Lego Movie
Self-aware, incredibly funny, and all-around solid family entertainment, I just really loved The Lego Movie. There is more than enough charm to go around here and the direction the film heads near the end warms your heart more than I thought a bunch of building blocks ever could.
7. Birdman
Technically brilliant and well-acted all around, Birdman is my pick for the Best Director Oscar this year for sheer ambition alone. The one take idea of it could have been a gimmick, but considering the plot's focus around a theatre performance, the idea works and the execution pays off.
8. Boyhood
Speaking of ambition, Boyhood had an idea that sounded amazing, but could have fallen through. It had a central device that could have also been a gimmick. You know what though? It worked. The most honest coming of age story I have seen yet, Boyhood worked it's nostalgic magic on me. Despite it's ambitiousness, Linklater hardly makes a spectacle out of it. It's a film about time and growing up and I recommend this lengthy journey highly.
9. Ida
Technically released last year, but only released on this side of the world this past Spring, Ida is worthy of it's current position in the Oscar race. The film is sparse and certainly not for everyone with it's pacing and visual style, but all the same an engaging and human tale that was a fresh viewing experience from all the big and melodramatic tendencies of a typical Hollywood drama.
10. The Rover
Also not for everyone and pretty damn bleak to boot, The Rover sucked me in with it's atmosphere and director Michod's slow burn style. As my mother would say, the film is not a toe-tapper, but if you can get past the brutality of it's environment and characters, The Rover was an eerily different take on the post-apocalyptic genre that has been popular the past couple years.
Honourable mentions include: Guardians of the Galaxy, Whiplash, The Imitation Game, and Big Hero 6. In the case of most of these, with the exception of The Imitation Game considering all the buzz around it, I did not have high expectations for going in. Even with positive reviews, the trailers just didn't do much for me, or I had other films that were of a higher priority.
Big Hero 6 and Guardians were, for me, just a lot of fun. Maybe a little manipulative in both of their tonal shifts and hankering to make you laugh one minute and want to cry the next, but still great entertainment.
Whiplash and The Imitation Game were both very well performed, directed, and made for enjoyably tense viewings, despite such different subject matter. I have no doubt that The Imitation Game will be heavily considered for Best Picture, but it just doesn't sit in my Top 10 as I am fighting myself from typing out the number 11. I have been staying pretty caught up with my other Oscar contenders (or tenative contenders until officially announced), which all seem deserving as well, but I don't feel they warrant repeat viewings.
Honourable mentions from TIFF 2014: Big Game, A Second Chance, and In The Crosswind.
These films technically came out in 2014 and I bared witness to them this year too, however I have decided that as most will not have the chance to see such great films until sometime later in 2015 and thus, will not show up on people's lists until later on, I consider the three aforementioned films to be my Tenative Top 3 Films of 2015 (so far).
A side note: I always find that with Oscar season filling the last few months of each year, it becomes hard to remember the other great films that spread themselves out over the preceding months. I will admit that the past two years have had a fairly solid selection for Best Picture. However, comparing 2013 to this past year, I would deem this year more successful as there were more than enough films to stand out in the crowd, even from the beginning of 2014. Not to say there aren't ambitious films every year, but I think there are a number of new faces showing up that I cannot wait to see more from.
Without further ado, in no particular order, here is my list.
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Probably the most Wes Anderson-y film to this date, yet one that feels a bit more mature than previous outings, The Grand Budapest holds its place as my favourite Anderson picture yet.
2. Nightcrawler
Initially when I saw the film listed at TIFF this past year, then looked into Dan Gilroy's writing credits, I was expecting a typical Hollywood action flick and typical big name movie to attract more of a mainstream crowd to the fest. Luckily, I was wrong. Tense and propelled forward with strong direction and an even stronger performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, I was engaged from start to finish.
3. John Wick
Keanu Reeves kills everyone over his dead dog and a stolen ride. That should be enough of a motivator as is, but some of the best action choreography in a North American film I have seen in a while, and a welcoming comeback from Reeves in ass-kicking, stone-cold form, made this one of my top action films in the past few years.
4. Gone Girl
While perhaps not David Fincher's strongest outing, even a "good" Fincher flick is exceptionally well put together. As an avid fan of the book from which the film is based, this film works quite well as a companion piece, as well as on it's own.
5. The Raid 2
By far the craziest and most awesomely gruesome action movie I have seen, The Raid 2 ups the ante in almost every way from the original. While certainly convoluted in plot, the action paves over any narrative cracks. A side note - I never thought I would actually have to give warning on an action film, but the gore goes to horror movie heights at points so this one isn't for the faint of heart.
6. The Lego Movie
Self-aware, incredibly funny, and all-around solid family entertainment, I just really loved The Lego Movie. There is more than enough charm to go around here and the direction the film heads near the end warms your heart more than I thought a bunch of building blocks ever could.
7. Birdman
Technically brilliant and well-acted all around, Birdman is my pick for the Best Director Oscar this year for sheer ambition alone. The one take idea of it could have been a gimmick, but considering the plot's focus around a theatre performance, the idea works and the execution pays off.
8. Boyhood
Speaking of ambition, Boyhood had an idea that sounded amazing, but could have fallen through. It had a central device that could have also been a gimmick. You know what though? It worked. The most honest coming of age story I have seen yet, Boyhood worked it's nostalgic magic on me. Despite it's ambitiousness, Linklater hardly makes a spectacle out of it. It's a film about time and growing up and I recommend this lengthy journey highly.
9. Ida
Technically released last year, but only released on this side of the world this past Spring, Ida is worthy of it's current position in the Oscar race. The film is sparse and certainly not for everyone with it's pacing and visual style, but all the same an engaging and human tale that was a fresh viewing experience from all the big and melodramatic tendencies of a typical Hollywood drama.
10. The Rover
Also not for everyone and pretty damn bleak to boot, The Rover sucked me in with it's atmosphere and director Michod's slow burn style. As my mother would say, the film is not a toe-tapper, but if you can get past the brutality of it's environment and characters, The Rover was an eerily different take on the post-apocalyptic genre that has been popular the past couple years.
Honourable mentions include: Guardians of the Galaxy, Whiplash, The Imitation Game, and Big Hero 6. In the case of most of these, with the exception of The Imitation Game considering all the buzz around it, I did not have high expectations for going in. Even with positive reviews, the trailers just didn't do much for me, or I had other films that were of a higher priority.
Big Hero 6 and Guardians were, for me, just a lot of fun. Maybe a little manipulative in both of their tonal shifts and hankering to make you laugh one minute and want to cry the next, but still great entertainment.
Whiplash and The Imitation Game were both very well performed, directed, and made for enjoyably tense viewings, despite such different subject matter. I have no doubt that The Imitation Game will be heavily considered for Best Picture, but it just doesn't sit in my Top 10 as I am fighting myself from typing out the number 11. I have been staying pretty caught up with my other Oscar contenders (or tenative contenders until officially announced), which all seem deserving as well, but I don't feel they warrant repeat viewings.
Honourable mentions from TIFF 2014: Big Game, A Second Chance, and In The Crosswind.
These films technically came out in 2014 and I bared witness to them this year too, however I have decided that as most will not have the chance to see such great films until sometime later in 2015 and thus, will not show up on people's lists until later on, I consider the three aforementioned films to be my Tenative Top 3 Films of 2015 (so far).
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