2014 was another year chock full of brilliant cinema. Here are the 10 films that left the biggest impression on me.
Honorable Mentions: X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Skeleton Twins, Selma, The Interview, John Wick
10.Boyhood: Richard Linklater's 12-year film experiment could've easily been a cheap gimmick, but it ends up being a unique and wildly effective coming-of-age drama. The film forgoes a traditional narrative and instead focuses on the various experiences in the life of a boy named Mason (Ellar Coltrane) from the time he was in 1st grade through the start of college. There isn't a portion of Mason's journey that doesn't feel real and that level of authenticity makes Boyhood incredibly poignant. Boyhood is a special film that deserves every accolade and award that's been bestowed upon it.
9.Guardians of the Galaxy: Notorious indie oddball director James Gunn (Super, Slither) turned the superhero genre on its head with Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn's ability to balance traditional superhero tropes with twisted humor, and assemble an immensely likeable cast of misfits to lead the film made Guardians the most refreshingly dark and purely fun film Marvel Studios has released since the first Iron Man film.
8.The Raid 2: Indonesian writer/director Gareth Evans' follow-up to 2012's widely-acclaimed The Raid manages to raise the bar even higher for action filmmakers worldwide. The variety of action sequences- which include car chases, gun fights and hand-to-hand combat galore- The Raid 2 offers up are consistently exhilarating and groundbreaking in their execution. Any action junkie that isn't turned off by subtitles and has a strong stomach for blood/gore needs to put this film at the top of their must-see list.
7.Draft Day: I'm not going to lie, the only reason I loved Draft Day so much is because I'm a diehard football fan who is fascinated by the NFL Draft process. The proceedings of the film are not unlike dozens of other sports drama from the past 20 years, but I still found myself to be completely enthralled throughout. Sometimes pure entertainment value is all you need to love a film, and there is no stronger example of that than Draft Day.
6.Top Five: After spending two decades producing middling material, Chris Rock has finally made a film that matches the quality of his stand-up. Not only is Top Five absolutely hysterical, it also serves as a thoughtful, intelligent reflection on the pressures of fame, dealing with addiction and America's obsession with reality television. Hopefully Top Five will be indicative of Rock's future cinematic endeavors.
5.Nightcrawler: There was a lot of timely films released in 2014, but none stung harder than Dan Gilroy's satire on sensationalist journalism. Jake Gyllenhaal gives the performance of his career as Louis Bloom, a petty criminal turned freelance videographer who will go to any length to make sure he's the first person in Southern California at the scene of a grisly accident or murder. Nightcrawler is an unsettling, potent and startlingly accurate piece of cinema that will forever change the way you look at television news in the modern day.
4.Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: The long-delayed sequel to Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's 2005 cult classic proved to be well worth the wait. The graphic novel-esque visuals are every bit as stunning as they were a decade ago, and the performances from series newcomers (Eva Green, Joesph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin) and returning stars (Mickey Rourke, Powers Boothe, Jessica Alba) are equally great. A Dame to Kill For may be a slight step down from the original, but it's still a brilliant piece of modern film-noir.
3.22 Jump Street: The sequel to 2012's comic masterpiece 21 Jump Street is somehow even funnier than the original. Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Ice Cube once again play their respective roles perfectly and the addition of the amazing Jillian Bell (Workaholics) adds even more depth to this already talent-rich cast. The infectiously playful, self-aware tone and number of big laughs made 22 Jump Street the funniest film of the year.
2.Whiplash: Director Damon Chazelle's debut film is unlike any music drama ever made. The story of a 19-year old drumming prodigy (Miles Teller) at a New York music conservatory and his relationship with the brilliant but hot-tempered instructor of the school's jazz band (J.K. Simmons, who is equal parts terrifying and hysterical) that bristles with the white-knuckle tension and relentless intensity of a thriller. Whiplash is a rousing, electric film that demands to be seen by the masses.
1.Gone Girl: Of of the 90 films (and counting) I saw from 2014, none stuck with me more than Gone Girl. It takes a special film to simultaneously succeed as a deconstruction of marriage in the present-day and an engrossing mystery/thriller, and Gone Girl is just that. From Gillian Flynn's flawless script to David Fincher's haunting direction to the outstanding acting ensemble headlined by a powerhouse performance from Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl shows a level of sheer mastery that you seldom see in the world of cinema.
Films I still haven't seen that could potentially effect this list in the future:
Enemy
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Joe
Locke
The Grand Seduction
Lucy
Magic in the Moonlight
A Most Wanted Man
Life of Crime
Starred Up
The Drop
A Walk Among the Tombstones
Jimi: All is By My Side
Pride
Annabelle
Men, Women & Children
Kill the Messenger
The Judge
Dear White People
Laggies
Force Majeure
White Bird in a Blizzard
Citizenfour
Big Hero 6
Rosewater
The Theory of Everything
Dumb and Dumber To
The Homesman
The Imitation Game
The Babadook
Wild
Exodus: Gods and Kings
Unbroken
Big Eyes
A Most Violent Year
Cake
Still Alice
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