The Top 10 Films of 2014

Boyhood one of 2014's best films

Well here we stand at the end of yet another year and the beginning of another. It’s time to take a look back at the best that 2014 had to offer in films. Ultimately 2014 was a solid year for films especially in the indie film department. This list is made up almost entirely of independent or foreign motion pictures (save for a big exception) that not only told great stories, but also found new and innovative ways to tell them. As usual with this list the caveat applies that I have not seen everything that 2014 has to offer in particular a few big “December” releases (I’m really sad that Inherent Vice and Selma were two of them) that don’t hit Vancouver until the middle of January. That being said there are still plenty of amazing films to list and here they are the best of 2014…

Honorable Mentions:

The Raid 2, Locke, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Lego Movie, X-Men Days of Future Past, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Snowpiercer, Blue Ruin, IDA, Goodbye to Language, The One I Love

10. Gone Girl

Taking Gillian Flynn’s perspective bending novel and turning it into a film seemed like no easy task, but if there was anyone who could do it of course it’s David Fincher. Beautifully shot and perfectly acted Flynn’s novel shone on screen with all the creepy shine that only Fincher can provide. All the greatness of the novel translated beautifully from the twisty and morbidly comedic plot, to the fun play with perspective and storytelling. David Fincher continues to be on a role and Gone Girl is another great film in his portfolio.

9. Birdman

A love letter to live theatre and a beautiful achievement in filmmaking Birdman took the concept of a continuous tracking shot to a new level. Never before have I seen a film that has attempted to simulate being one continuous shot nor could I have ever imagined it being executed to such perfection. Throw in some amazing performances from Michael Keaton and Edward Norton and a script that strikes the perfect balance of comedy and melancholy and you have one of the great filmmaking achievements of 2014.

8. Only Lovers Left Alive

2014 was a great year for meditative, nearly plotless endeavours and Only Lovers Left Alive was one of the very best. Dripping with cool, brimming with beautiful images, and filled with meditation on the human condition Only Lovers Left Alive is one of the most unique experiences of the year. Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleson shine as the centuries old lovers, and their relationship they share at the film’s centre is stunning. In a year full of films trying to tell narrative in new and unique ways Only Lovers Left Alive stands out as one of the best.

7. Life Itself

A near perfect look at the life of one of America’s biggest treasures, Life Itself provided one of the most emotional film going experiences of the year. Capturing the full story of the life of Roger Ebert both the good and the bad really made for a great and surprisingly moving documentary. Seeing Life Itself change as Roger Ebert’s health degraded is both sad and super powerful and it never flinched when portraying the challenge of remaining hopeful during the end of his life. I don’t see many documentaries every year but I’m glad I went out of my way to see Life Itself. RIP Roger Ebert.

6. Whiplash

One of the first thrillers based entirely around music, Whiplash thrilled using the power of some of the best American music. Whiplash is a masterwork of a thriller revolving around ambition and what can happen when the quest to be the best in the world begins may be pushed to a self-destructive level. Two brilliant performances from both Miles Teller and the dastardly JK Simmons drive this intense experience to a whole new level. Music is beautiful but it is also demanding, no other film captures this as perfectly and with as much intensity as Whiplash.

5. Nightcrawler

Tough economic times call for drastic measures in order to achieve one's goals. Nightcrawler takes this to the extreme and presents a scary version of the rags to riches story for a new era. The film pushed capitalism to its moral peek showing what it would be like if the concept of success is taken to its most extreme. To top it all off Nightcrawler had the very best performance of 2014 in Jake Gyllenhall whose virtuosic, detailed oriented performance that soars on the screen. It elevates this film to the next level and makes it one of the best films of the year.

4. Interstellar

Christopher Nolan has done it again. Hugely ambitious and awe inspiring at nearly every turn Interstellar was one of the most unique and powerful filmmaking experiences of the year. The sense of exploration and imagination in this film is simply stunning. There are visual moments in this film that are unlike anything I could have imagined being visualized and often left my jaw dropped. Was this film flawed in ways, yes, but it also gave me a feeling of awe that wasn’t replicated in 2014. Simply put Interstellar was one heck of an experience one that should be experienced by all.

3. Under the Skin

The most unique experience of 2014, the more I think about Under the Skin the more I fall in love with it. This is a film that challenges the conventions, breaks down traditional storytelling, and creates something strange and radically different. This film is so powerful in so many ways, a beautiful film that touches on the perception and the reality of female sexuality through the strange framework of a wandering alien discovering what it is like to be human. Under the Skin has been a film that has never let go of me from the moment I initially viewed it, and has only gotten better through subsequent viewings.

2. Like Father, Like Son

As impactful as a film can be, Like Father, Like Son is a testament of the ability to take a melodramatic premise (finding out that your son was switched at birth and really isn’t yours) and make it something incredibly grounded and profound. Moral questions are presented, parenting choices are questioned, and the value of love vs the value birthright is challenged. It all culminates in a masterful film that gave me a gut punch that I’m still feeling since the moment I saw the film in the early part of the year. No other film in 2014 challenged my emotions and brought me as close to tears as Like Father, Like Son, a truly powerful experience.

1. Boyhood

Richard Linklater has done it again. His 2014 masterpiece Boyhood is not only an achievement in sheer filmmaking (although don’t get me wrong filming something over 12 year is an achievement of sheer filmmaking) but an achievement in perfectly capturing time, place and emotion. No film has captured the feeling of growing up as perfectly as Boyhood. I grew up in nearly the exact same timeframe as Boyhood and while Mason and I aren’t really alike this film managed to send me back to so many places in my own short life; I relived the innocence of being young, the awkwardness of being a teenager, and the hope that maybe just maybe there is a place for me somewhere all in just under three hours. There is no other film like Boyhood, a masterpiece on a grand level and a film I will remember for a very long time.

The Top 10 TV shows of 2014

It was a great year for Television Were did True Detective stand at the end of all of it?

Photo Credit: HBO 

It’s that time of year again! It’s time to look back at the year and all that has transpired in the world of television. 2014 was another great year for television, and one that many have actually had the problem of having “too much good TV” (as ludicrous as that statement may sound). There was just so much in so many different place it was insane and it made it even harder for me than usual to even watch all of the “noteworthy” TV that hit the airwaves in the year 2014. That leaves me to the disclaimer that comes before every single top 10 list that I make which is that I have absolutely not seen everything that Television has to offer this year most notably Comedy Central’s Review and Amazon Prime’s Transparent (both of which were hard to access in Canada). That being said there still was a lot of great Television and this list is packed. Here are my picks for this year’s top 10…

Honorable Mentions:

Girls (HBO), Game of Thrones (HBO), Bojack Horseman (Netflix), Parks and Recreation (NBC), Louie (FX), The Knick (Cinemax/HBO Canada), Boardwalk Empire (HBO), You’re the Worst (FX)

10. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

John Oliver may be the revelation of 2014. It’s not that most didn’t know he was good nor did most not think he could be the host of his own show, but I don’t think anyone ever imagined that Last Week Tonight would be this great. Oliver took a format that worked and reinvigorating it by focusing on long and detailed pieces instead of just the usual short and snappy segments that the Daily Show provides. Heck it made long form investigative journalism cool to the common public eye! Who can say that?

9.  True Detective (HBO)

No show has gone through as much of a swing in popular opinion this year as True Detective. At the beginning and even all the way through its first season run True Detective was said to be the greatest thing to hit TV, and post run it was almost completely turned on. I really like this show for the most part, from the great performances from both Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, to the beautiful direction from Cary Fukunaga, to the wonderful and ambitious ideas that filled its mere eight episode run. Did it fall under the weight of its own ambition near the end, yes but the sum of True Detective managed to overcome its few flaws and make it one of the most intriguing shows of 2014.

8. Happy Valley (Netflix/BBC)

I caught onto Happy Valley almost by accident near the later part of 2014 and boy was I glad I did. Happy Valley was one of the most harrowing and powerful television shows that 2014 at the same time being a great slow burn crime drama and a fascinating look at the effects of a kidnapping. And then there is that scene at the end of episode four that will forever be burned into my consciousness and is one of the single best sequences in all of 2014. I’m glad that every once and a while Netflix will bring over some foreign television gems, a trend that I hope continues into 2015 and beyond.

7.  Fargo (FX)

When FX announced that it would be doing a television show version of the Choen Brother’s classic (and one of my favorite films of all time) Fargo my initial thought was that this is a bad idea, a really bad idea. On paper it still is a really bad idea but somehow, someway Noah Holley and crew managed to make it work extraordinarily well. This is a show that tried to capture the spirit of Fargo but never tried to dwarf it nor did it try to be a television remake of the film itself. Fargo the television show is not only a perfect companion piece to the film but a great season of television filled with phenomenal acting, a twisty plot, and fantastic since of mood and atmosphere. The idea of taking a film and creating a television show based around it is still an idea that should not be replicated, but Fargo made it work and that’s an amazing achievement.

6. Rectify (Sundance/Netflix Canada)

The second season of Rectify continued and expanded the strange fish out of water story of Daniel Holden. With the expansion of season two to 10 episodes the show was allowed to explore characters that had previously not received their due (who knew I could get invested in Ted Jr. as much as I did) allowing the show to expand its universe in the most fascinating ways. Rectify remains a one of a kind show one that explores mood, character, and faith in a way that no other show even attempts. This is art TV at its finest.

5. Mad Men (AMC)

No matter how much the backlash piles on Mad Men remains the same great show it has always been. Sure the seven episode split was admittedly not all that kind to the show providing us with a bit of an uneven start to this half season, but when the show is in peak form as it was for the last three episodes it is better than anything on television…. Period. Even in the short and at times uneven season we got Ginsberg vs the computers, Don’s worst threesome ever, a little bit of closure to the best relationship that the series has done, and Bert freaking Cooper singing and dancing from beyond the grave. This show remains as great as it has been since day one and while it had some trouble with the half season format (which is AMC’s fault) by the end of the season it felt like the show never missed a beat.

4. The Americans (FX)

No show made a bigger leap in 2014 then FX’s The Americans. Ramping up the tension for the characters by having some fellow agents go down and adding the kids into the main fray spiced up the proceedings considerably. Gone was the strange break up and get back together fu of the first season and in its place came some great drama with Elizabeth and Phillip’s failings as parents which made for a season that felt much more fluid and interesting from both a plot and character perspective. Let’s hope that unlike recent FX dramas (ie Justify and Sons of Anarchy) that season two is not the peak of the show and instead continue on this great path it laid for itself in season two.

3. The Leftovers (HBO)

2014’s award for TV’s most depressing hour goes to the polarizing new HBO drama The Leftovers. No other show made for as much of a sustained punch to the stomach as The Leftovers providing some of the most disturbing and truly emotionally damaging material of the year. This may sound awful at first glance but while no other show punched like The Leftovers few if any rewarded the viewer more. The payoff to the emotional punches were always perfectly executed through great acting (especially Carrie Coon another big revelation in the year 2014), a haunting score, and beautiful direction established early on by Peter Berg. The Leftovers may be a depressing show to sit through but the power of the show makes it all worth it and more.

2. Hannibal (NBC)

The winner of the how the heck is this show still airing on television let alone network freaking television is Hannibal, the show that continues to surprise around every corner. This is a show that pulls no punches with its gruesome violence and genuine creep factor, but at the same time manages to be a big beautiful piece of operatic cinema. Hannibal is high art TV at its most strange and fascinating, each week challenging the viewer in so many different ways. The season went from being a great game of cat and mouse between Hannibal and his imprisoned patsy Will throughout its first half to becoming one giant inescapable nightmare as Will got closer to Hannibal in its second and seamlessly transitioned between the two. It all led to one of the most stunning and disturbing finales ever put on television, one that haunts me to this very moment. But the show’s biggest achievement is that, while it is a show that focused on a serial killer, never for a second became exploitative like so many serial killer shows tend to. Hannibal remains the most fascinating show on television and I can’t wait to see what strange and messed up directions season three takes us (yes this show has now somehow been renewed twice).

1 Orange is the New Black (Netflix) 

No season of television felt as complete and as close to perfection in 2014 as the second season Orange is the New Black. This is a show that has continued to expand its world and breadth of characters and at the same time give us such a tight almost Wire esque plot thread. This show somehow managed to hit all the emotions, it made me laugh, cry, and made me feel for characters that at the end of last season I could have never imagined I would feel for on such a deep level. Everything that the first season did so well the second did better, we got deeper back stories, more complicated situations, and the best cast of characters on television. By the time Don’t Fear the Reaper played at the end of the season there was no show that achieved the level of power and depth on television in 2014. A stunning achievement to say the least.

That's just me though. What did everyone else think?