So 2014 has been and gone (I know, I’m just as shocked as you) and it was definitely an interesting year for cinema. This summary is a little later than expected as I had a few films I still wanted to check out before I compiled this list. Some films listed here are actually from 2013, but didn’t see releases in the UK until 2014. I’m sticking to that rule, so you sadly won’t be seeing the likes of Birdman on here.
I’ve ran out of stuff to say, so let’s go.
10 – Fury
Kicking off this list is David Ayer’s Fury, one of the more pleasant surprises of 2014. I’m not usually one for serious war films, much preferring the likes of Full Metal Jacket and Jarhead as they inject a sense of irony and humour to the proceedings. Fury however does not have the black comedy edge of those films, instead focusing on realism and tension to grip its audience. Realism being one of the key phrases here, as there’s a lot of grisly violence and harrowing imagery on display that shows the ugly side of war, not the soaring patriotism we are used to seeing. This gives the film a much meaner edge, which it uses to its advantage. The film’s climatic battle for example is a wondrous exercise in suspense and tension that had me gripping the arms of my cinema seat. It’s a simple case of stacking the odds, setting the playing field and letting all hell break loose, not caring who lives and dies in the process. It was a much appreciated punch to the throat that the film had been antagonising me with from the beginning.
The characters here aren’t your typical Hollywood war heroes either; they are flawed, dangerous and above all else human. Some of their actions and plans are morally dubious (That rather unsettling dinner scene springs to mind) but being surrounded by such atrocities it is only natural that the darkness would eventually corrupt them too. We may not agree with everything these people do, but we can at least understand them and their plight.
The film’s cast are all on point, particularly Brad Pitt and Logan Lerman who get the most screen time and definitely make the best of it. The supporting cast are also strong, with Shia LaBeouf actually standing out for a change, despite limited screen-time. The visual style is grey and murky, reflecting the grim nature of the story. It never really lightens up, it just gets grimier and bloodier the further in we get. Much like war itself I suppose.
9 – Guardians of the Galaxy
Quite frankly, I’m shocked that a Marvel film has made it into my top ten of the year, but how can anyone not fall in love with James Gunn’s joyous (and let’s face it, best) entry to the Marvel canon? Guardians delivers in all areas, the acting is superb, the script is finely tuned, the presentation is slick and it also has a talking tree who is best friends with a gun-loving racoon. What more do you honestly need?
James Gunn deserves serious kudos for taking the superhero genre (Although you could debate this film doesn’t really fit within that genre confinement), which has grown stale in recent times with the constant onslaught of sequels to films that’s weren’t that good in the first place (Yes Thor, I am talking about you) and completely turned it on its head. Offering us more excitement, character development and thrills than any Marvel outing before it. This film really appealed to me because it was fun, an element that I feel is sorely missing from Marvel’s recent output. There’s a great energy to this film in both its acting and visuals, owing more to films like The Fifth Element than say The Dark Knight. Not one shot feels drab or out of place, none of the jokes fall flat, it all just works.
I did have a toss-up between this or Captain America: The Winter Solider being on the list, as I didn’t want to have two superhero movies on here. I have a reputation to establish after all. In the end I settled for Guardians because despite Winter Solider being the dose of seriousness that the Marvel movies were crying out for, Guardians is much more memorable and joyous. Now, let’s get Age of Ultron out of the way so we can get Thanos back in the frame for a big cosmic showdown.
8 – The Wolf of Wall Street
There are two things that really help sell a movie for me, they are excess and energy. Two things that The Wolf of Wall Street has in buckets and loves to flaunt throughout its three hour run time like the grotesque little tart it is. This film succeeds for two reasons; the first being the entirely fearless and quite frankly brilliant performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, the second being that it never loses momentum.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that The Wolf of Wall Street has a plot; it is merely a sequence of events over the course of a few years, with each event becoming increasingly more gross, excessive and hilarious as the movie progresses. It’s a black comedy through and through, which is a nice touch in a biographical film as our protagonist is not what we’d call a good person. Morally we’re not supposed to root for him, but we do. He has no limits, no loyalties outside of himself; he lives to make himself happy and does just that.
Frankly it’s a joy to watch, if not slightly disgusting and borderline tasteless in areas; but I loved every filthy fucking minute of it.
7 – Nightcrawler
Here’s a film that I knew very little about before seeing it. The showing I attended was a “secret screening” in which you buy a ticket at a reduced price and only find out what the film is once it starts. I definitely got value for money because I was blown away by Nightcrawler. The dark tale of a simple thief turned crime-scene videographer sounds rather flat on paper, but the film chimes in enough tension and character growth that by the third act you’ll be squirming in your seat. This is another film, like The Wolf of Wall Street¸ which despite a strong script and good camera-work (Which believe me, I could rattle on about) is sold on the performance of its lead.
Let me tell you, Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance here is nothing short of a career-best, he brings an intensity and immediacy to the role that I genuinely wasn’t expecting. The character himself is also somewhat relatable, which above all else is truly terrifying. Nightcrawler will forever be to me, one of the best surprises of recent years, I urge you to check this one out.
Also, I swear that Jake Gyllenhaal doesn’t blink once during this film, he’s that intense.
6 – The Lego Movie
I was sold on this movie by the trailer featuring a sarcastic Batman voiced by Will Arnett.
Going into The Lego Movie, I expected a fun little film that’d bring back some childhood memories. What I got however was a smart, witty, hilarious and surprisingly sweet tale about the power of imagination. It crams in so many different characters, pop-culture references and well-timed jokes that the appeal of the film spans all ages. That is something you really must commend.
Accompanying the clever script is a stellar voice cast who add a real personality to the film, with the aforementioned Will Arnett stealing the show completely. There’s not a lot I can really say about this film that hasn’t already been said. Critics and audiences have been singing its praises and it’s easy to understand why. This is one of the few films of 2014 that left me grinning for ear-to-ear at the end and has continued to do so on each subsequent viewing.
5 – The Babadook
It’s not a well kept that secret that I’m a huge horror fan. It’s my genre of choice and my first real love in cinema. So you can probably imagine my disappointment in recent years when we’ve been spoon-fed torture-porn and constant sequels to films that weren’t as great or as revolutionary as the posters claimed (Cough, Paranormal Activity, cough). Upon hearing the hype and slew of positive reviews for The Babadook I went in with a sense of both excitement and dread. Thankfully, the sense of the dread was the one that stayed with me throughout.
I’ll put this bluntly, The Babadook is brilliant, truly, truly brilliant.
I can’t think of another modern horror film where the emphasis was really on the characters, not the titular creature who tends to be plastered all over the posters. These characters are believable, their actions are believable, their struggle is believable and that is why The Babadook is not only a good horror film, but a good film in general. Despite it having a traditional monster, the real evil here is the mental state of a bereaved mother and her struggle to make ends meet. The Babadook himself is merely there to gently push her over the edge she’s been teetering on for many years.
The film’s visual style owes a lot to David Lynch and even Kubrick in places; it has a dark, surreal look but is still grounded within reality. The acting is also top notch from a cast of unknowns and this really helps to sell the terror of the story, adding a sense of authenticity to the more fantastical moments. For fans of horror, The Babadook will more than satisfy. Even on repeat viewings, which I highly suggest in order pick up some of the more interesting aspects of the story.
4 – The Grand Budapest Hotel
![Main Quad_AW_[26611] Grand Budapest](https://toomuchfreetimethesedays.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/tgbh-launch-quad.jpg)
I wouldn’t say I’m a “fan” of Wes Anderson, I’ve not seen enough of his films to really have a solid opinion on him, however the ones I have seen I have enjoyed, so perhaps it is time I really sat down and powered through them. Going into The Grand Budapest Hotel I was expecting the usual charm and light-heartedness that comes with the territory. Safe to say, my expectations were well and truly surpassed.
Despite my limited viewing of Wes Anderson’s films, I can say that Grand Budapest sits as his very best (or at least the best I have seen), the whole film just oozes charm and energy. There’s also a big feeling of confidence from Anderson here. On paper this is a rather ambitious film and he handled it like a champ. The film is clearly a throwback to classic British and American comedy, owing more than a pound of flesh to the Peter Sellers Pink Panther movies.
The jokes shift with the story, beginning rather slapstick before transitioning into slightly darker and more vulgar areas. The pacing is swift and feels right for the movie, it constantly flits all over the place, jumping around locations for a multitude of cameos that never fail to raise a smile. There’s a lot going on but the film never falls flat in the plot department, each small vignette we see is well rounded and interesting.
As per usual, the film is gorgeously shot, featuring some exquisite camera-work, a gorgeous colour pallet and impeccable framing. The acting is also beyond superb, with Ralph Fiennes giving a powerhouse performance, personally I think he’s never been better. He makes swearing sound almost Shakespearian.
3 – Snowpiercer
This is another film that I was unaware of for quite a while. There wasn’t a big fuss made over here in the UK, and seriously, why the fuck not? Snowpiercer is one of the most original, bizarre and deliriously entertaining movies I’ve seen for a long time. A dark, yet fantastical film about a train (the titular Snowpiercer) which houses the last surviving humans on earth after a new ice age has wiped out life as we know it. This train however has an evil class system in place, keeping the rich and powerful at the front, gorging themselves on all of life’s decadence whilst the poor and homeless are crammed in the back, living on a diet of protein jelly.
As you’d imagine, some of the poor people aren’t happy and launch an assault towards the front of the train to rectify the situation. That plot alone should be enough to sell you, but it’s the film’s gorgeous visuals and fantastic performances that really cement Snowpiercer as one of 2014’s best films. However, it’s rather difficult to discuss the film without giving away its many surprises. I’ll just say that there are a lot of bizarre scenes in this film, including a wonderfully creepy classroom scene that juxtaposes rationality with insanity to great effect, often bringing to mind the video game series Bioshock in its imagery and execution.
Another selling point for this movie would be its stellar cast including Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, John Hurt and Tilda Swinton, who for my money steals the entire show. The woman chews scenery every chance she gets and it fits the tone perfectly. On the visual side of things, there are no complaints. It’s very evident at times that this was helmed by an Asian director who adds an oriental flair to the action and camera-work, which only lends itself to the films strangeness.
Seek out Snowpiercer, you won’t regret it.
2 – How to Train Your Dragon 2
Considering all the films that have come before it in this list, this entry sticks out like a sore thumb, but what a wonderful, joyful and magical sore thumb it is. The original How to Train Your Dragon was a film I liked a lot. It was sweet, had a neat premise, impressive animation and it somehow managed to turn dragons into some of the most adorable creatures in cinema. How to Train Your Dragon 2 on the other hand takes all of that and ramps it up to ten. Set a good few years after the original, our protagonist Hiccup is now a man in his 20’s, wanting to explore the world with his scaly companion Toothless and avoid the inevitable mantle of becoming the Viking Chief of his homeland Burg.
The big difference this time around is that the story holds a lot more weight, both emotionally and for the characters, which is much more appropriate given their ages. I was surprised by how mature the film became in its third act, really pulling the rug out from underneath me and clutching at my cold, dead heart. This is a family film in every sense of the word; there is something here for everybody, cute and funny dragons for the kids, mature and relatable story for the grown-ups. The animation here is stunning, almost photo-realistic in places; Dreamworks deserve serious kudos for that.
This film is miles better than a film about CGI dragons ever deserves to be. I love this film and have watched it several times since its release, I don’t want to talk about it too much as I feel it’s a film that you should just sit down and watch without any knowledge of its story. I am awaiting the third and final instalment with baited breath.
1 – Under the Skin
My number one choice goes to this strange little beast of a film that has polarised opinions since its release. Many people know it as “that weird film where Scarlett Johansson stalks men in Scotland”, others know it as “that shit film where Scarlett Johansson got naked”. To the people of the latter opinion, I couldn’t disagree with you more. Under the Skin is a beautifully crafted film in every sense of the word. It revels in its unabashed weirdness and doesn’t care about alienating viewers if they can’t get on its wavelength.
The film follows a mysterious young woman who drives around Scotland in a white van, picking up men and taking them to a derelict house where they meet an untimely and very fucking weird fate. That’s all I’m telling you about the plot as that’s all you need to know going in. From the opening credits I was captivated by the strange series of images and sounds I was being subjected to. What followed was a slow-burning story that grows in intensity and darkness, culminating in a tremendous finale that left me stunned. The first act of the movie presents you with a simple idea; the following two acts take that idea and subvert it, mixing in themes of identity and the human condition that many of us could find relatable.
It’d be a crime to not mention Scarlett Johansson’s performance, which subtly evolves with the progression of the film. Initially she is very eerie and stiff, but slowly unravels, becoming more human and relatable in the film’s final act. It was a very brave step of her to take on something quite like this, especially considering her powerful stance in Hollywood at the moment. But lo-and-behold, her performance here easily ranks amongst her best and is definitely the one that will spring to my mind in the future when she is mentioned in conversation. Whilst the technical side of things is definitely of a high-standard, it is Scarlett herself who is the true anchor of this film, tying it all together into one intoxicating package.
The visuals are jaw-dropping, the atmosphere is thick and the plot is vague. Three ingredients that I often look for in a film and this one delivered on all fronts.
An utterly absorbing piece of work and my pick for the best film of 2014.
Too Much Free Time 