Hi there, I'm Andrej, author of Lost, but Homeward, but also I watch a lot of movies! I'm always inspired by them, finding new ways to convey stories and portray colors in them more than I do in any other medium. I wanted to share with you my favorite films of 2014 so we could have a conversation going about recent films -- or simply, your favorite, most note-worthy films. Last year I wrote a similar post around this time, so feel free to check that one out too!
Before I begin, what did I think about 2014, movie-wise? I've heard both sides of the arguement, that it's been a great year, or a weak year... frankly, I'm in between, slightly leaning towards the "weak". It's true we've had our masterpieces and gems this year, but everything felt so sparse and far-between. I went through droughts of honest-to-God quality movies, so much that by the time December came little had changed regarding my Top 10.
But what was good it was great, very alternatively so. We had epics of a different kind, genres deconstructed, societies under new lenses, unexpected heroes, and so much that definitely made 2014 a pretty distinct year. It was also a great year to get shot in the face, with actioners delivering the violent goods with lots of confidence; and the same goes to comedy -- especially considering how revelatory the genre was this year, giving an insight the laughs and punchlines often shy away from.
Let's start right away... with an honorary #11, of course.
11. The Missing Picture, directed by Rithy Panh
Panh's account of his teenage years in a hellish, Khmer Rouge-ruled Cambodia is quite a fiercefully personal one. As no footage of the harrowing events survived, he recreates them with solemnly and expertly crafted dioramas populated with clay figurines detailing every bit of his life -- his duties, his losses, his fantasies, his life before the chaos; all making for one of the most evocative films I've ever seen, transcending any of medium's limitations to make you grasp the direness of a reality. It borrows techniques from documentaries, dramas, animation and making-of, but it never lets any of them own it: this one's as proudly unorthodox as it gets -- and no matter how soberingly tragic this story may be, it's something we have to celebrate. This brand of cinema, one so intimately rooted in its author's identity, is what will inspire millions of artists everywhere to find new, more challenging ways to channel themselves into their art. It may not be an everyday movie, but it's one so rare and one-of-a-kind you must check them out for the sake of filmmaking.
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Wes Anderson
To many a folk, the first great film of 2014 -- when has March been this exciting, this literary, this finely decorated, or had this much ettiquete while still being this cold-blooded? So much has been said about this movie looking like a cake, but if I were to imagine its taste, I'd go with orange: a refreshing blend of acid and sweet -- a mix of harsh edges and unflinching, unforgiving natures mixed with companionship, loyalty and mutual mentorship. It's true I may be more in love with the runaway romances of Moonrise Kingdom, but I love Wes Anderson and this must have been his dream project, involving nearly every actor he's worked with, surrounding them in his most deeply produced signature decĂłrs ever, and having them plotting a maze of ironies and peculiarities. So spontaneous, so zigzagging, so sophisticated. So much life and mystery. All this just makes me wonder: could there be anything MORE Wes Anderson than this? I just can't wait his next film. Until then, this question's gonna be tormenting me.
9. Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan
Nolan's been getting bigger and bigger: bigger audiences, bigger technical challenges, bigger scopes. All fun and good, but it's true he's been putting his characters aside lately for the sake of narrative complexity. If anything, he's got half the homework done with Interstellar. Without a doubt it's his biggest film to date, involving the immensity of space and the intangibility of time, but also it's his most human thanks to a powerfully moving Matthew McConaughey. He's just one of us. Fatherly and affectionate, calm in the storm, but always desperate to return home while there's one. And that's why I chose this picture to represent this film over anything more recognizable, such as Saturn or Gargantua: if there's one truly iconic image in this movie, it must be this one: someone clinging to a dear one, fearful for a lonely, uncertain future. This movie may be shot entirely with green screens, but deep down it's beating a warm red. Oh, and TARS and CASE? More of this brand of comedy, Nolan! Lower your seriousness parameter to 75%!
8. To Kill a Man, directed by Alejandro Fernández Almendras
Three years in a row that I've been putting up our submission to the Foreign Language Oscar -- not by choice, but because they're just that good. This time around, we travel to Southern Chile, to the town of Tomé to experience the limits of patience and forgiveness in a story about an honest man slowly, but surely driven to do the titular act against his violent, manipulative oppressor; as he's trapped by an asphixiating reality and indifferent bureaucrats who won't bother to take proper measures. And it's never flashy or sensationalist about its deed: this is "To Kill a Man", with all the basic, heavy psychological weight it carries to end the life of someone you've known from up close. It's a day-by-day struggle to keep stoicisim intact, but solitude and truth keep chipping it away. Daniel Candia and Daniel Antivilo are paramount leads, but the cinematography is just as brilliant. Inti Briones makes a stunning work landscaping a beautiful town by the forest and the sea, highlighting a paradise lost to society's worst, unattended evils. I'm just loving every second of this new Chilean wave and all its masterfully faced risks. Who's next?
7. Paddington, directed by Paul King
In any case, I'm a guy who likes spending an easy, pleasant while at the movies. But here's the thing: "easy and pleasant" are among the toughest thing to do right. There's an unnoticed expertice in making everything seem so natural and laidback -- and it's so subtle I don't think the marketing team behind Paddington noticed it. After seeing the trailer, I really wasn't looking forward to this movie... but here it is. The simplest of storylines and characters, and all done so, so right. It just swept me with such a rare and candid gentleness and charisma I couldn't help keeping a smile from beggining to end. I recently learned it's based on a series of children's books -- and I just can't wait to go back to this world so expressive and joyous, see them doing whatever they feel like doing just to catch up with them. But still, if this movie's all we're getting out of this lovely bear from Darkest Peru, then I'd say this is one for the ages and to all ages: there's something for everyone here. And again, it's so effortless at it. You just gotta appreciate these moments of inspiration.
6. Wild Tales, directed by Damián Szifrón
I've seen a bunch of movies in my life, but only a few of them are as effectively therapeutic as Wild Tales. Six shorts, one after the other, each of them dealing with all the different kinds of shit days you may have. Troubles with yourself, someone you know, your partner, your family, society, the whole world. If you're going through some major crap you'll want to have this movie nearby: just out sheer morbidity you'll want to see these guys go through worse and worse just so they can detonate against everyone as strongly as possible, setting off a cataclysm so pure you'll be thankful you weren't within reach, but near enough to watch it all burn. These may be outlandish Argentinian stories, but they're so much part of our everyday that's is just great to see one of our own having enough at the whole thing, discarding façades and norms of conduct when decency's ran out or has gone terribly unreciprocated. And all these stories are so uniquely made, each of them with its own audiovisual signature, making for a rollercoaster of emotions. Fear, concern, doubt, temptation, release, joy, realization, retribution, catharsis. Experience it.
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past, directed by Bryan Singer
Things have gotten a bit hectic with comic book movies. Can you believe that Spider-Man had 5 movies and told itself twice in the time Hugh Jackman's been Wolverine? Sure, he's got his story told twice, too -- but you gotta commend the patience and commitment of the X-Men franchise, coming all the way from 2001 to today with nearly the same folk and universe intact. It's become the one series you can truly call mature, having aged properly, without letting all of it go to waste by one or two misfires. And now it's Bryan Singer, who's been with the franchise since its cinematic debut, bringing it all home, assembling not only the largest cast the series has seen, but one of the most well balanced in the history of cinema, too. No egos or personal bullshit here: just comics. It has a blast with its characters' godlike superpowers as much as it paints them in a tragic light, all with fantastic action and editing to get the most out of you, going from supremely inventive physical comedy to some of the most heartbreaking drama the genre has ever seen. Can't wait for the Apocalypse.
4. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, directed by Isao Takahata
It's true nobody died or anything, however I'm still at a loss for words about Studio Ghibli closing its doors. They were the banner carriers of an entire artfom, and now they're gone without us knowing for sure if they'll ever return. And it's even more painful when their next-to-last release, even if it's based on an old japanese folk tale, is so analogous to their own history. It's a girl from out of nowhere, who grows pretty fast and enjoys living outdoors and getting dirty -- living nature to the fullest; although only the classiest, most revered things are expected from her. And this girl, Kaguya, is honestly one of the best characters in the history of cinema, period. So vibrant and pure of emotion, so loving -- and in so much pain because of that. The artistry in this film is outstanding, from the drafty, heartfelt watercolor animation to Joe Hisaishi's soaring, tearful score (the best of 2014, in my opinion); it's all a testament to the one key aspect of this movie: Emotion. Few films will make you feel as much as The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Leaving the best for last never hurt this much.
3. Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater
But if we're talking about naturalism, look no further: Richard Linklater. No one else jumped so directly to Master status and had a film so easily and deservingly considered a Masterpiece as much as him and Boyhood. It's the grandest thesis on the way he does things and views the world around him, capturing the essence of the "right now" to contextualize it through time. And what's so great about Boyhood is that although it's a movie about Mason, Samantha, Olivia and Mason Sr., it's a movie about things we all live, each of us quite distinctly from anyone else: our first day of school. The first friend you left behind. Your first love. The time you realized what you wanted to be when you grow up. Boyhood may be about specific people, but not particular identities: this might as well be a movie about me, you, your neighbor, your idol, or someone you've never met before like Mason himself. It's one of the most ambitious, riskiest projects in the history of cinema, and dear God did it pay off. We all have something going on here. This movie is nothing short of a miracle.
2. Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle
Fuck. Yes. I really, REALLY needed this. This kick in the balls, this earthquake of attitude, blood, sweat and tears, all this rage and noise, but also all this precision and control. How do you bottle a hurricane if you're not a motherfucker with your entire cast and crew like Fletcher? What's your fucking tempo, Damien? Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons... I mean, what else can I add? They're making the hypest combo I've seen in years. The former's going a hundred miles per hour, doing his best to get there as soon as possible, uncaring about possibly crashing and burning. So suicidally hype. And the latter... so brutal. Merciless. Sharp as a tack. Uncaring about the "constructive methods" because dear God they just make pansies seeking a "good job!". The two of them build a torturous, art-loving-defying, perfectionally-minded give-and-take that leads to a straight-up gladiatorial battle to the beat of the sickest jazz and the most finely tuned editing and lensing this year had to offer. It's a fantastic finale for a fantastic film. And it's all just Chazelle's second film. FUCK. YES.
1. How To Train Your Dragon 2, directed by Dean DeBlois
Of course. The guy with the dragon comic puts the dragon movie in his #1. But seriously, there's something going on here I'm at a sincere awe: is this Dreamworks? Really? I mean, I know these are the same people who made the original one (which was my #1 of 2010, too!)... but this is taking a world record and breaking it three times in a row. There's such a richness here I can only describe it as being the one common denominator among the films listed here: family, legacy, time, war, freedom, nature, survival, friendship, tragedy, rage... these movies take a subset of them and make wonders with them, but it's Dean DeBlois who's invoked ALL of them in a single movie with the most graceful skill, without making it look hard or uneven; yet also keeping such a pace I could honestly say that if this movie had ended around the 70 minute mark I'd be still applauding it, easily putting it at this list, too. But it kept on going, getting better and better to the point that when the credits roll I was up in the skies, roaring with hype. And the visuals, Jesus. Not only it's the best looking 3D movie to date (a title which keeps getting broken, but seriously, this movie put the bar way up high), but it's also the most real looking film so far: there's stuff going on here you just can't simply animate or simulate. Small gestures you can improvise or become tiny habits gone unnoticed -- but they're all there, adding so much character in the most minute of ways. This ain't Dreamworks. It's Dean DeBlois' Dreamworks -- he's a monster on his way to claim the title of Best Animated Trilogy. Can't wait for 2017 -- Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid... all of them feel like old friends I get to see every once in a while. But damn do we have a blast every time we meet.
And that's that for 2014. As I mentioned, it wasn't up to par with 2013 or 2012, but whatever was great here was pretty distinctly great. Maybe things paid off less this year than before, but when it did, boy we were wealthy. Onwards to 2015 now! Thanks for reading