Let me tell you: being a critic isn’t easy. By the end of the year one has to rank their favorite films from the past 12 months. Plenty of films a critic may love don’t even come close to cracking their list or honorable mentions, and some of those movies go on to stick with a critic more than what did make their top 10, always making them look back, asking, “What was I thinking?”
Tough life, right?
Okay, not tough at all, but the point stands. Writing a top 10 is also a reminder of how lucky we are as film fans — unless the year in question blows. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case with 2014. All kinds of great films came out this year, including a few that made my own top 10.
Honorable Mentions
10. John Wick (David Leitch and Chad Stahelski)
John Wick is a refreshingly streamlined action movie. There’s not an ounce of fat in David Leitch and Chad Stahelski‘s film, and Derek Kolstad‘s script gets right everything so many revenge pictures get wrong. The familial scenes in the Taken movies, for example, are an afterthought — crap you have to trudge through to get to the shootouts. Actual time and care was put into the set-up of John Wick. When Wick’s dog dies, it’s an earned moment for the character and the film. It’s a strangely heartfelt movie, and far more sincere than most pieces of Oscar bait. What follows that effective set-up is a wildly entertaining action movie, filled with a variety of set pieces, fun kills, style, and a world that begs for a sequel.
9. Birdman (Alejandro González Iñárritu)
If there’s one movie I didn’t imagine would make my top 10 this year, it’s Birdman. For one, director Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s gorgeous misery porn generally isn’t for me. Second his ambitious dramedy was an all around enjoyable movie, but little more, on a first viewing. However, the film gets better and better over time. It’s about as subtle as the superhero movies it takes aim at, but also so funny, sad and imaginative. What makes Birdman a memorable experience isn’t the long take, but the relationship between Riggan (Michael Keaton) and his daughter, Sam (Emma Stone) — that’s what makes Birdman, both the character and movie, fly.
8. Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller)
Here’s a movie that actually shows us what it’s about. Bennett Miller‘s drama is summed up best by its visual motif: a fog. There’s no easy answer to this tragic true-life story. One has to lean in to make sense of Miller’s film. There’s many ways to interpret the events in Foxcatcher, but, at its core, it’s a powerful (and outrageously funny) drama about two characters living in shadows, never living up to what they wanted to be. No matter how much money John Du Pont (Steve Carell) has, he’ll never be half the man David Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) is, and how this eats away at Du Pont is chilling.
7. Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch)
Jim Jarmusch‘s Only Lovers Left Alive is a hypnotic romantic comedy that just so happens to follow vampires, played by the immensely lovable Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton. The pair of vamps in Jarmusch’s film are more like hippie dopers than savage beasts — the hilariously mopey Adam hates the state of music and pop culture more than he does humans. Only Lovers Left Alive is an unabashedly romantic story. This is a movie with no shortage of style, cool tunes, or ideas, but it’s Adam and Eve that make it so delightful.
6. Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy)
Dan Gilroy‘s antihero, Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), is the ultimate doer. He’s a driven loner with a childlike smile and a mind raised off the Internet. Bloom wants to be successful, but why? Every dime he makes is put back into his work. His cheap apartment and wardrobe goes unchanged through the entirety of Nightcrawler. Bloom wants to climb the ladder, but not for financial gain. This is an unforgettable character study, Gilroy’s directorial debut brimming with confidence and nailing every chance it takes. The same goes for Gyllenhaal, who completely disappears behind Louis Bloom’s dead eyes.
5. Edge of Tomorrow (Doug Liman)
We need more summer blockbusters like Edge of Tomorrow. Doug Liman‘s film doesn’t take itself terribly seriously, nor is it as light as a piece of gum wrapper — while also delivering on almost every level. It’s a fun blockbuster with the right amount of dramatic stakes. Just as exciting as the set pieces are the performances from Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Blunt is vulnerable, funny, and badass as Rita, playing the real hero of the movie — she arguably drives the narrative forward more than Cage (Tom Cruise). Cruise’s blockbuster image is initially subverted and milked for a great comedic effect. Once he’s in full action-hero mode, though, there’s still plenty of sharp humor in this ideal action movie.
4. Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
A movie with propulsion that completely glosses over its minor issues. Would Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) really let Andrew (Miles Teller) play when he shows up all cut-up after the car accident? Probably not, but who cares? This tightly paced drama gives you no time to dwell on these kinds of choices in the moment. Any bumps along the way, which there are so few of, are in service of a great story, and one that raises questions to debate. Is Fletcher a good teacher? He gets results, no matter the cost. What if Andrew listened to his nonchalant father? He wouldn’t wind up where he does at the end, that’s for sure.
3. Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer)
Jonathan Glazer’s latest is one disturbing coming-of-age story. The alien, played by Scarlett Johansson, is beginning to discover fear, love, compassion, and all these emotions in the world, which don’t exactly fit into her terrifying mission of luring men in for… well, a reason that doesn’t really matter. Glazer’s third feature is a beautiful horror movie. The sound design, the score, and these haunting landscapes — don’t even get me started on the beach scene — produce an unnerving effect few directors could achieve. It’s a pity we don’t see more movies from the English filmmaker, but if he needs 10 years to make a film like Under the Skin, he should take all the time in the world.
2. Gone Girl (David Fincher)
Gone Girl is David Fincher‘s best B-movie to date. The director builds an atmosphere of utter dread, and yet made a film that couldn’t be more enjoyable to watch. Gillian Flynn adapted her own best-selling novel for the screen, and while, on the surface, her story is pulpy and silly, it’s human at its core. One of the most haunting shots in the film — and of the year — isn’t when a character’s throat is slit, but when we see Nick (Ben Affleck) standing in front of his house on the day of his anniversary, appearing completely beaten by life. Affleck turns in subdued work as an empathetic loser, and it’s the kind of effortlessly natural performance that never gets recognized come awards season.
1. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson)
At once Paul Thomas Anderson‘s loosest and densest film, Inherent Vice presents a world that’s easy to get lost in. Not because his adaptation of Thomas Pynchon‘s novel isn’t interested in handholding — it is a mystery from the point-of-view of a paranoid and confused pothead, mind you — but its melancholic tone, the Blake Edwards-like comedy, and array of endlessly eccentric characters, all of which add up to a transcendent two-and-a-half hours. This is a movie that washes over its viewers as long as they’re willing to go along for the ride. It’s a strange, funny, and surprisingly sad story, almost more about a bad breakup than the mystery Doc has to unravel. Shasta Fay’s (Katherine Waterston) presence is almost always felt in Inherent Vice. Doc confronts equally confusing internal and external struggles in this dreamlike LA story.