~ Best Movies of 2014 ~

[MysteRy]

Best Movies of 2014



2014 has been a fantastic year for cinema, ranging from the routine spectacles of summer blockbusters, to the independently produced character pieces. Throw in new masterpieces from greats such as David Fincher, Wes Anderson, and Paul Thomas Anderson, and you have a year rich with cinema that is bound to butt heads come award season.

This list seeks to honor the films this year that stretched beyond entertainment, touched a part of the human spirit, and showcased the talents of all cast and crew involved. As we say goodbye to 2014, let’s look back at the masterpieces that will come to define this year for the generations to come.

[MysteRy]

Two Days, One Night – Luc Dardenne/Jean-Pierre Dardenne



Marion Cotillard gives a powerhouse performance in this Belgian drama about the goodness of people. She stars as Sandra Bya, a woman returning to work after a heavy bout of depression kept her away.

Sandra receives a phone call, letting her know that her job will be terminated as part of a downsizing initiative. The decision was made by Sandra’s co-worker who were forced to choose between her job and their year-end bonuses. It’s Friday afternoon, and Sandra must organize a revote before the end of the weekend in hopes of saving her job.

In spite of the stakes, the Dardenne’s direct the tone of the film with their usual casual tension, featuring hand-held camera movements and next to no music cues. Although the circumstances and style feel routine and mundane, the deliberate telling of her story draws us into the debate of what we would do in both Sandra’s shoes as well as her co-workers.

Thankfully, the film doesn’t devolve into sentimental mush, as each co-worker is unique in their motive of either denying or appealing Sandra’s request, ranging from the complex to those who simply shrug her off.

[MysteRy]

Foxcatcher – Bennett Miller



Foxcatcher is a slow burn of a biographical drama, occasionally moving at a slugs pace. However, its success lies in the terse atmosphere conjured up by director Bennett Miller. Even on a superficial level, Miller makes it apparent that this journey will lead all the characters of Foxcatcher to ruin. Channing Tatum and Steve Carrell surprise in their darkest roles yet, with Carrell achieving an unsettling presence as he masks John du Pont’s mental illness.

It tells the true story of Olympic-winning wrestler Mark Schultz who seeks to escape the shadow of his older brother, David Schultz, by joining John du Pont’s wrestling team, Team Foxcatcher. John urges Mark to convince his brother to join the team. When he fails to do so, their relationships become increasingly strained.

The film is too unbearably bleak to fall in love with, but that is also what causes the film to be as transfixing as it is, similar to watching awful things happen on the evening news. Without ever falling into clichés of mental illness, Miller and Carrell’s take on du Pont dares to show instead of tell, and at other times, it doesn’t show you anything at all, which is perhaps one of the scariest things you can say about mental illness.

[MysteRy]

The Rover – David Michod



The Rover portrays Australia Mad Max-style, taking place ten years after global economic collapse. The outback becomes a lawless wasteland where the powerful reign supreme. Although it takes place in a broken down society, the plot of the film is relatively simple: a man named Eric has his car stolen by a group of thugs, and he will do anything to get it back. He is joined by one of the thugs’ brothers, who was left behind in the wake of the attack.

Like most good westerns, the film features sparse dialogue, with director David Michod filling most of the silence with empty wind and droning bass tones. As brutal as it is nihilistic, The Rover manages to explore a certain buddy quality between its two leads, which is mainly fueled by exceptional performances from Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson.

[MysteRy]

Frank – Lenny Abrahamson



Frank is a film that explores the depth of the artist, diving down and exploring all of the bizarre, idiosyncratic crevices. It examines the inherent talents of some, and the brutal heartbreak that comes for those without such gifts. It’s, at times, an offbeat comedy, a satire, and a sobering take on the creative process.

It tells the story of a young aspiring musician, Jon, who joins an avant-garde band to help them record their first album. The band is led by Frank, a musical genius who hides his face beneath a gigantic mold of a cartoonish head. Jon, having felt tapped for talent and inspiration, pales in comparison to the talented and mysterious Frank. Assuming Frank’s talents and oddities come from a tortured past, Jon seeks to find what it is that exactly makes an artist talented.

Led with strong performances by Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Michael Fassbender, Frank manages to be a cornucopia of things, an amalgam of the characters that fill its frames, altogether weird and funny, and yet there’s a sad, thought-provoking reality beneath its surface for both the quirky artists and the boring, starved Jon’s of the world.

[MysteRy]

Whiplash – Damien Chazelle



Beautiful in its simplicity, Whiplash tells the story of young aspiring jazz drummer Andrew Neiman, who has nothing but tunnel vision towards his goal of success at his music conservatory. He gains entry into famed Terrance Fletcher’s music ensemble, and finds that Fletcher’s methods of teaching are manipulative and emotionally abusive.

Whiplash achieves a greater depth by extending its philosophy beyond jazz. There is a conversation near the end of the film where Neiman and Fletcher discuss his teaching methods, and how his abusive behavior could discourage the next great musicians from ever becoming great. Fletcher retorts that his methods weed out those who don’t have the gall to become great in the first place.

This theme of success and failure permeate the film, and as anyone who went to some form of art school knows, permeates our lives.

Andrew’s father is a failed writer, his cousins are successful college athletes, and his extended family members criticize him for having his head in the clouds. This added onto Fletcher’s abuse wears away at Neiman, and yet, he continues to improve his drumming due to consistent, rigorous practice. The question then has to be asked: would Neiman be as successful and talented as he becomes without the abuse?

[MysteRy]

American Sniper – Clint Eastwood



Clint Eastwood directs this emotive biographical action film that tells the story of a brave soldier, and explores the effects of PTSD. Based on the real life of famed sniper Chris Kyle, American Sniper pays tribute to Kyle’s achievements and sacrifices while also not sugarcoating the material in overt patriotism.

In order to see his full transformation, Eastwood starts us off by seeing Kyle when he was still a happy go lucky country boy, steadily working his way up to the American dream. Kyle nearly earns it, as he enlists to serve for his country, settles down and gets married, and all seems well. That is, until 9-11.

The war sequences work similar to any of the westerns Eastwood has done, with Kyle playing the lone gun-touting outlaw, chasing after an equally powerful nemesis sniper. Fortunately, the film does not portray his enemies as savages or without motive. This coupled with Cooper’s apt portrayal of a soldier dealing with PTSD makes Sniper both a compelling war and anti-war movie.

[MysteRy]

A Most Violent Year – J. C. Chandor



Director J.C. Chandor, best known for his previous films Margin Call (2011) and All is Lost (2013), eases into A Most Violent Year with a familiar quiet tension. Oscar Isaac stars as an immigrant in New York attempting desperately to legitimize his business, while trying to avoid becoming swept up in the rampant violence that plagues the city and threatens his family.

Like Foxcatcher, A Most Violent Year’s strength lies in the atmosphere that Chandor builds. It works on multiple layers as both a character driven drama and as a crime thriller. Isaac’s portrayal of businessman Abel Morales renders the character empathetic in every way as we watch him struggle to both provide for his family and not compromise his integrity. Fortunately, this character piece is split up by equally engaging chase sequences, helping to push its plodding pace.

[MysteRy]

Nymphomaniac – Lars von Trier



Lars von Trier concludes his Depression Trilogy (the previous two films being Antichrist and Melancholia) with the two-part drama Nymphomaniac. It tells the story of Joe, a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, who relays her life story to Seligman, an elderly hermit who saves her after finding her beaten in an alleyway.

Although this film is a part of Trier’s Depression trilogy, Nymphomaniac is surprisingly hilarious for its first half. Whether it’s the absurdity of comparing number of hip thrusts to the Fibonacci sequence, or a distressed housewife showing her all-too-young children where daddy has his affairs, Volume I makes Joe’s escapades seem fun, explorative, and as she herself puts it, trivial. If Volume I is the comedy, than Volume II is the tragedy. Joe begins to dabble in sadomasochism, neglects her child in pursuit of pleasure, and even exiles herself to a life of organized crime.

Trier has always been a centerpiece of his films for critics, as they ponder whether he holds the polarizing nihilistic views his films portray, and Trier takes pleasure in turning those critics on their heads. Nymphomaniac is no exception. While telling her story, Joe continually lambasts her insatiable libido, as she feels it left destruction in her wake, but Seligman assures her that she only feels this guilt because of her gender.

They both have well-formed arguments that display themselves throughout Joe’s tale, and one has to wonder which character von Trier is speaking through. It isn’t until the film’s last five minutes, that Trier shows he is aware of your probing critique, and gives one last middle finger to let you know that it doesn’t matter what he thinks. While the film stumbles through a few sequences, especially during the second half, its ambition and what it manages to achieve are commendable on their own.

[MysteRy]

The Raid 2 – Gareth Evans



The Raid 2 may very well be the perfect sequel. What makes The Raid 2 succeed both as a film and as a sequel lies in three key elements: it does not attempt to repackage its predecessor, it features a more complex plot while at the same time, includes greater stakes for the hero, and lastly, it tops the grandiosity of the originals action sequences. And yet, none of this dulls the blade of the first film. The Raid remains excellent for its simplicity and balls to the walls action. The Raid 2 is superb for its depth and balls to the walls action.

The story begins only two hours after the conclusion of the first film. It continues the all out barrage of fists, bullets, and whatever the hell Rama can find as he goes undercover to uproot corruption within his city.

For a modern martial arts movie, many might be anticipating the type of choreography they are going to see, but even going off its predecessor, The Raid 2 is fresh and inventive in the many ways Rama finds to destroy his enemies. It manages to have the fully fleshed three-dimensional characters necessary of any great crime drama, while it also appeals to your desire to watch an Indonesian chick take out a train car of guys with nothing but two hammers.

[MysteRy]

The Theory of Everything – James Marsh



Inspired by the memoir of Stephen Hawking’s first wife, Jane Hawking, the British biographical film The Theory of Everything is an Oscar contender that brings the life and struggles of the famous physicist to life. Both the book and film cover Stephen and Jane’s blossoming relationship followed by Stephen’s battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Do not go into The Theory of Everything expecting to come out a learned astrophysicist. As a work of fiction, it is more of a love story than a direct adaptation or biopic. Knowing that Hawking, and other physicists, would see the film, director James Marsh and screenwriter Anthony McCarten brought a physics adviser on set to make sure that the science and math presented in the film were accurate. This results in many of Hawking’s concepts being put in layman’s terms, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a film.

The film is visually striking, which is supplemented by Marsh’s masterful direction. It appeals to man’s quest for knowledge and our insatiable thirst to understand our place within the universe. McCarten’s script portrays a couple whose relationship feels neither cheesy nor formulaic. The characters feel authentic in their battle to make their relationship work, despite many of the obstacles they face. All elements coalesce to make The Theory of Everything a poignant, touching effort.

Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones both deserve high praise for their performances as Stephen and Jane, respectively, and Redmayne, in particular, deserves an Oscar nomination. Aside from hitting all the necessary emotive beats, Redmayne effectively makes the audience forget that he, himself does not suffer from Lou Gehrigs disease, and that is a feat all on its own.

[MysteRy]

Fury – David Ayer



Acclaimed writer of films such as Training Day and The Fast and The Furious, and director of films such as End of Watch and Sabotage, David Ayer returns to helm Fury, a World War II film about a five-man crew in a Sherman tank. It’s as visceral and unrelenting as war movies come, where there is no patriotism or romantic heroics, only hell. The fantastic part about Ayers flick is that it does not feature blood and guts to disgust or shock, but it is instead an integral part of the character development.

The film is more than the sum of its parts, and despite its grotesque and grisly content, you’ll want to re-watch the film soon after just to experience the rollercoaster of emotions it imposes on you.

[MysteRy]

The Double – Richard Ayoade



Loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novella of the same name, The Double is as black as black comedies come. Richard Ayoade’s visual palette and tone heavily contrast his debut effort, Submarine, which, while being light-hearted, also featured Ayoade’s dark wit.

It tells the story of Simon James, a socially inept office drone who encounters James Simon, his charming doppelganger. As if Simon couldn’t blend more into the background, James begins to take over his identity by stealing Simon’s job, and seducing his crush.

Despite its bleak mood and setting, Ayoade’s offbeat comedic timing provides enough lightness to make his tale easier to swallow. While some of the character’s quirks feel contrived, Ayoade seems self-aware of this, as his world is portrayed through comic book quality colors and frames.

[MysteRy]

Calvary – John Michael McDonagh



Brendan Gleeson is the anchor in Calvary’s ship. He stars as Father James, a priest who receives a death threat in his confessional by a man who was molested by a priest as a child. The man states he wants to kill James because he is a good priest, and it will send a bigger message to the Catholic Church than if he killed a bad priest.

Calvary stars an ensemble of bizarre supporting characters that make up James’ congregation, each whom James suspects of being his would-be executioner. Featuring themes of forgiveness, the film explores how no individual is without fault or sin of their own, even Father James.

Gleeson’s character is a positive portrayal of a Catholic priest whose story doesn’t get watered down in proselytism, which, in this day and age, is refreshing. Although the film is tagged as a black comedy, it manages to take a few stabs at the heart before reaching its conclusion.

[MysteRy]

Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson



Paul Thomas Anderson adapts Thomas Pynchon’s novel of the same name. A sidesplitting ride of a noir film, Inherent Vice is filled with bizarre characters, marijuana, and subtle period detail. In many ways, Inherent Vice feels like a contemporary Big Lebowski, with the actors and characters that fill its frames reveling in their drug-addled state to the point of caricature.

It stars Joaquin Phoenix as private investigator Doc, who, upon his ex-girlfriends request, investigates the disappearance of her current boyfriend who is a property developer.

Many will walk away from Inherent Vice when they realize, about ninety minutes too late, that the plot is not going to be wrapped up nice and neat. Many others will walk away when they notice they just watched a Paul Thomas Anderson comedy without realizing it. Phoenix and Josh Brolin play Doc and Bigfoot immaculately, surprising with their tact for comedic timing. Whether you watch Inherent Vice with your thinking cap turned on or off matters not, it will be enjoyable all the same.