BEST FILMS OF 2014 BAYLEY

TOP 10 of 2014- BAYLEY

How in the world is it that time of year again? The Golden Globes are tonight and I’m looking over my list of films I’ve seen this year, making that special list I love…The TOP 10 Best Films of 2014.

This year, I figured I would also give away my personal favorite awards for the best performances I’ve seen this year, as well as conclude my list with the five films that almost made it but you should still give a shot anyway.

So, without further ado, lets take a look back, shall we? Below is the spoiler-free, fancy-free, freakin-freebird-free Top 10 list…

10. Edge of Tomorrow: When I heard about this movie, I thought, “Oh great..A Tom Cruise action movie. I guess I’ll find my way to the theater if I lift my legs up really hard”. Somehow, I got my pessimistic ass to the theater and OH MY GOD IT’S A SCI-FI GROUNDHOG DAY WHAT IS THIS!!?!? 

Emily Blunt is badass force as the “Full Metal Bitch” and Tom Cruise reminds us why he’s a movie star. In the theater, I actually noticed what Cruise’s signature trait to acting is…he’s always frustrated. Literally, every performance you watch of Cruise in an action movie, he’s the good looking guy who is frustrated with the impossible situation around him (heh..impossible). And why wouldn’t he be frustrated in this film when he’s forced to live a day of war over and over again?

Take my word for it- THIS is the action film you skipped that you need to run and see. My only concern is the third act kinda falls into a Matrix Revolutions situation with just a bunch of man vs. robot action sequences that alienate all the comedy the first two acts gave us with the fun repetition (yes…this movie is surprisingly very funny). If this movie had a stronger ending, it’d be higher on my list. But for now, go rent Edge of Tomorrow!...or Live. Die. Repeat. Whatever they want to call it.

Dir. Doug Liman

9. What If- So it’s the summer of 2014 and I watch this trailer for a new Daniel Radcliffe movie, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A86JGbBEaBk

Adam Driver’s opening line was funny enough for me to be hooked. Hell, that might be my favorite line of the year. 

Yes, you’re not going to see this movie on any other Top 10 Film lists and I can see why because there are so many films trying to be groundbreaking or hit you with a heavy message. But looking back on the Top 10 Films that meant something to me this year, I walked out with this really putting a smile on my face. This is a romantic comedy done fresh and right. Romantic comedies can be such a throwaway in the stereotypical Katherine Heigl/Cameron Diaz sense of it all. But when put in the hands of some unlikely chemistry in Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, and some pretty punchy writing, it’s impossible to not feel the infectious love of it all.

My problems with the movie are only these two points: The writer seems to make EVERY character unbelievably quirky instead of it being just its leads, which makes it a bit unrealistic. It also has the worst title of a good movie in 2014 but I digress. Get yourself to a Redbox and enjoy a good time because you may think the trailer gave it all away, but I’m here to tell you it didn’t.

Dir. Michael Dowse

8. Nightcrawler- This movie was completely undersold to me. Everyone I knew who saw it all said Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance was award worthy but the ending was just “okay” or the film on the whole was lesser than the performance in it. I now disagree. I mean, this IS the Jake Gyllenhaal show but it’s exactly why this movie works so well. 

Within the first 5 minutes, we see his character, Lou, lie to a police officer and kill him and it’s never brought up again. We see here everything you need to know about his capabilities but we watch because we want to see how far he’ll go. The cinematography, the writing, the acting, it’s all note worthy. I want to refrain from spoilers but I’ll just say the car moment in the climax of the film can be said to be one of the most exhilarating moments from a movie this year.  If you need to be sold more, check out the trailer with the repetition of the signature line, “If you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy a ticket”. So good.

Dir. Dan Gilroy

7. X-men: Days of Future Past- Am I fan of superhero films? Yes. Do I believe this genre has become the equivalent of an 8 pound cashgrab in a 1 pound bag? Sure. Do I like asking myself questions until I stare into the void of my computer screen and question the meaning of life? We can discuss that in private. Basically, there are so many superhero movies..how can the SEVENTH X-Men movie be ANY good? Well, it is. And not only that, this is the best X-men movie BY FAR.

Not only do you have actual life or death stakes in this Terminator 2 storyline, not only do you have the top actors of today in a well balanced ensemble piece, not ONLY are you melding two different X-men film franchises together, you’re FINALLY eliminating all the elements fans hated about your franchise and giving them a new path to follow you on.

Every review you read will be about how awesome the Quicksilver scene was. Yes, this scene was really cool. But I’ll note my favorite scene being James McAvoy’s Charles Xavier going through the mind of time-traveling Wolverine to speak to his older self, played of course by Patrick Stewart. This scene brings the gravitas the film is going for and I won’t soon forget it.

Dir. Bryan Singer

6. Guardians of the Galaxy- “Another superhero film on the list? Dan, you jest. I thought you had taste!”. Well, remember back in 2012-2013 when you heard about this movie and laughed about how bad it was going to be? And how you thought a character that was a talking tree named Groot would only be silly? Man, weren’t we morons?

I’m sure you’ve seen this and loved it’s fresh take on an action space film and enjoy the soundtrack currently turning old songs back into #1 hits. But what I can point out that I loved so much about it was it’s direct act to make you constantly feeling light. Marvel and James Gunn noticed the overload of the “dark Nolan-y” hero films taking over and decided to go against it in a risky move that could’ve led them into Batman and Robin territory. But it was done confidently and correctly…I mean you have a talking raccoon crying about how he was taken apart and put back together and it’s moving! You have your lead talking about the tales of “the hero Kevin Bacon” from his home planet. You have Groot, a CGI talking tree voiced by Vin Diesel, making people cry in the theater. You know what? This movie will be remembered and I’m happy.

My personal favorite scene is of Chris Pratt’s “Star Lord” showing music to Zoe Saldana’s “Gamora”. I think in some way, this connects to the “iTunes generation” of people who share music on the daily or even just any music lover in us all. Music is a huge driving force in this movie…maybe it’s why I love it so much.

Dir. James Gunn

5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier- ANOTHER SUPERHERO MO- okay okay I’ve never had so many superhero movies on my Top 10 list before but this was an exceptional year for it. And this is not only the best superhero movie of the year, it’s possibly the best film from Marvel Studios to date. I’m serious. This is an exceptional spy thriller that takes its patriotic hero and forces him to make tough modern day decisions of war and terror. I love any movie that will take these kinds of chances. That scene in the streets when he’s fighting the Winter Soldier and the screeching Soldier score is blaring…oh man. That was the moment in the theater where my expectations were blown away. They took my least favorite Avenger, and gave him the best movie to work with. Perfect. Now go do that with Thor.

I have ONE problem with this movie. All the action is pretty much…PRETTY much…grounded in reality. But you have one scene where Anthony Mackie’s “Falcon” is getting perfect cellphone service as he’s talking to Black Widow in a helicopter as he’s jumping out of a skyscraper and lands perfectly in the plane. That’s just impossible for me to even write in a sentence. Otherwise, I buy everything.

This is a well directed, well written, fun action movie that’s just as smart as any other film that’ll be nominated for Best Picture this year. Screw it. I’ll stand by it. This film is in my Top 5.

Dir Anthony and Joe Russo

4. The Imitation Game- This film is getting compared very closely to another British Awards Season favorite, The Theory of Everything. But if you had to pick one film to see, I’d say see this. This is one of my favorite actors, Benedict Cumberbatch, in full form. Now, granted, I think he is really excelling in roles where he’s alienated and confused by society but massively intelligent (cough Sherlock cough), but here he’s wonderfully engaging. Look at the scene when Charles Dance (cough Tywin Lannister cough) wants to shut off his machine. He’s so broken up because he’s in love with his work…among many other deeper levels. It’s wonderfully moving.

There are so many moments to call out but one in particular is a story I’ll share. Of course, towards two thirds of the movie, there is a climax. But at this moment, every character is so electric in their excitement to what is happening, I found myself in the theater thinking, “Wow…I could pee right now I’m so happy”. That’s weird. That’s never happened to me before. But the film made me so happy I could pee. So I guess go see it so you can pee too? I need to get away from this point.

Bottom line: This is a very visually-ordinary telling of a very exceptional story. That sums up my feelings. Everything about this movie is Top 5 worthy except for maybe the unremarkable or non-memorbale filming. When you look back at films such as Atonement (also starring Keira Knightley) or maybe The Kings Speech, those have shots that will stick out. Atonement has the long tracking shot or Keira Knightley in the water at the end. The Kings Speech is shot in extreme close-up with a damn fish-eye lens that works so well at making you feel as off as it’s lead. This is just…basic. But it doesn’t detract in any way from the film. Most people complain elements of the story are too glossed over. That might be right, but I give this a #4 spot because I believe all the good in the movie greatly exceeded anything I would change about it. You should just go see it. We’ll talk later.

Dir. Morten Tyldum

NOTE: Now I MUST say that, while I love all the movies on my list, the Top 3 this year are the ones I believe you MUST go see. Any one of these could have been my Number 1. But this is the ranking I will go with.

3. Whiplash- 

Well this movie gave me damn anxiety. Let it be known, JK Simmons in this movie is the best movie villain since Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds and should (and hopefully will) win Best Supporting Actor come Oscar night. What a scary role. Hell, I’d call this movie a horror movie. This is a main character being pushed by a teacher so far to the edge that he’s willing to destroy every relationship he has for his passion.

When this film took over Sundance, I knew I had to find a way to see it, and I’m so happy it’s finding an audience through this awards circuit. Who knew jazz music could be the basis for such heavy hitting drama!? Fletcher’s signature line is, of course, “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than ‘Good Job’”. That’s his character in a line. I like any movie that can do that.

The ending is one of the best you’ll ever see this year. The way the camera pans from left to right is signature of the battle of Andrew and Fletcher as the music builds and builds. They are facing each other to see who can grasp the glory of what they love so deeply. This power struggle is absolutely outstanding.

Dir. Damien Chazelle

2. Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance- Man, do I love Michael Keaton. Ever since the “Descent Into Mystery” scene from Batman, or his other films I grew up with (Beetlejuice, White Noise, Jack Frost, Multiplicity, Much Ado About Nothing, Night Shift), I always chased his work. Well, director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu really slays this film with Keaton as his lead, giving him the best performance of his career. GIVE KEATON THE OSCAR.

I can’t imagine how much prep this film must have taken. This is shot like a play with no cutting back and forth but instead using all single takes throughout to make it almost feel completely flowing. There is no way you can do a bathroom break in this film. Birdman stops for no one!

The things I really want to point out are Edward Norton and Emma Stones performances because Keaton, of course as he should, will get most of the praise. Check out the “Truth or Dare” scene between the two. They are stand outs going back and forth together and I feel that scene encompasses their relationship perfectly. I only wish they didn’t drop off Edward Norton so quickly at the end but they had to go back to the films lead and give him the attention he deserved, so I’ll accept it.

The films ending has this kinda existential aura around it where you walk out and anyone could take anything from it. I walked with my friends to a pizza place right after and questioned them on the ending with this point….SPOILERS: Does the Keaton character A) Fly at the end B) Kill himself and it’s all a dream C) Who gives a shit? And I would go with choice “C” because really the ending isn’t the point of what we watched. The journey is where this film lies. It’s one of the best journeys at the movies you’ll take.

Dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

1. Gone Girl – Yes. Gone Girl. This is certainly not at the top of anyone’s list this year. But I ask why? This was a high grossing film in October that many people connected to, especially those having read the book. Maybe it’s because I didn’t read the book and didn’t know where it was going. But this has so many turns and SO much drama told so well by the great David Fincher, how could you not want to live in this world for 2 hours? The first half is a straight up mystery that follows the title, “Where has this girl gone!?”. The second half will have you questioning all the motivations of the characters and where the moving is going, instead.

I can say, I never took my gaze away from the screen and never daydreamed throughout. I was hooked. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are stellar. The cinematography is stellar. Everything about this gives me chills. And thank god we get another fantastic Trent Reznor score. I’ll see any film that’ll remind me of his Social Network music.

My favorite scene of the year is the big build up to the reveal towards the middle. The music rises as Ben Affleck walks over to his sister’s shed to reveal all the secrets we need to know. It hits and hits hard. Go see this movie. It’s in my Top 3 Best from Fincher and it’s my #1 of 2014.

Dir. David Fincher

Other Great Films to Watch from 2014 (in alphabetical order)

Frank

Into the Woods

Locke

Snowpiercer

Theory of Everything

Films I Still Need to See:

A Most Violent Year

American Sniper

Big Eyes

Selma

Unbroken

My Year End Awards:

Best Actor: Michael Keaton, Birdman

Bect Actress: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl or Emily Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow/Into the Woods (to me, Pike gives the best performance but Blunt just had an amazing year)

Best Supporting Actor: JK Simmons, Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress: Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Worst Movie: Godzilla

Most Overrated Movie: Boyhood

Best Newcomer: Jenny Slate, Obvious Child

FINAL NOTE: I’m sure everyone is questioning why I put three superhero movies over the soon to be Best Picture Boyhood. And to that I say…

In the meantime, thank you so much for reading and I will see you again for my Oscar Predictions come February. Have a wonderful day, movie-lovers!

-Daniel