In 2014, I started paying attention to the birds. Straining to divine their daily message. Toward the end of the year, I bowed to the familiar form of human communication and took it as a sign that "Birdman" and "Bird People" spoke to me in special ways. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki unleashed a mesmerizing visual display in "Birdman," with a touching story and powerful performances, in a film that feels both modern and old-fashioned.
The rest of my favorite films were mostly cynical and twisted, or just plain moody. The main exceptions were "We Are the Best!" about three Swedish girls discovering punk rock in the early '80s, and another retro treat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel."
There are a few glaring omissions here, from some of my all-time favorite directors: "Winter Sleep" from Nuri Bilge Ceylan and the Dardenne brothers' "Two Days, One Night" played or will play only in Santa Fe, and the timing was just off there. Tsai Ming-liang's "Stray Dogs" arrives on video in just a couple of weeks. It's a good bet that one of those or all of them would have found a way into my top list.
Speaking of, here it is:
THE TOP 15
1. Birdman - The thrill of cinema, with a whirlwind story, great performances and the year's best director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
2. Ida - Visually stunning, with a simple, heartbreaking story.
3. Foxcatcher - Bennett Miller establishes himself as a new American master with this deeply troubling tale.
4. We Are the Best! - A moving and wickedly funny tribute to grrrl power and the life-affirming qualities of rock 'n' roll.
5. Citizenfour - A true-life thriller expertly reported from behind the scenes.
6. Listen Up Philip - A mature offering from Alex Ross Perry, with a perfectly acerbic Jason Schwartzman in the title role. The best screenplay of the year.
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel - More uninhibited joy in another new world created by Wes Anderson.
8. The Skeleton Twins - I adored the chemistry between Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader in this emotionally powerful film.
9. Finding Vivian Maier - A fascinating character study from the Ordinary People genre.
10. Memphis - A lovely, haunting ramble that is all mood and style.
11. Frank - A quirky but affecting comic-drama, with an ending that goes straight for the gut.
12. Inherent Vice - A shambling mess of a movie that conjures up a distinct time and place, with a mix of hard-boiled storytelling and broad humor.
13. The Blue Room - A taut, smart little thriller about the risks of infidelity.
14. It Felt Like Love - Runner-up for best director, newcomer Eliza Hittman nails the ache of adolescence with her intimate camerawork.
15. Young & Beautiful - A quiet gem from the master storyteller Francois Ozon.
JUST MISSED THE LIST
- Gloria
- Top Five
- The Only Lovers Left Alive
- God's Pocket
- The Babadook
- Force Majeure
- Blue Ruin
- The Dirties and What's In a Name? (both technically from late 2013)
TOP DOCS
IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME
(Good films where we just didn't click)
GUILTY PLEASURES
- On My Way
- Space Station '76
- Bird People
- The Trip to Italy
- The Strange Little Cat
- The Road to Paloma
- Adult World
TOP PERFORMANCES
- Carla Juri in "Wetlands"
- Paulina Garcia in "Gloria"
- Tilda Swinton's teeth in "Snowpiercer" and "The Zero Theorem" and the rest of her in "The Only Lovers Left Alive"
- Ralph Fiennes, born to play M. Gustave in "The Grand Budapest Hotel."
- Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Turturro in "God's Pocket"
- Josh Brolin hamming it up and Katherine Waterston toking and smoldering in "Inherent Vice"
- J.K. Simmons on the brink of aneurysm in "Whiplash"
- Manuela Martelli in "Il Futuro"
THE DUDS
- Nymphomaniac
- Abuse of Weakness
- Under the Skin
- A Night in Old Mexico
- The Rover
- The Lego Movie
- St. Vincent
COMING ATTRACTIONS
(Wish I'd seen these)
- "Stray Dogs" from Taiwanese master Tsai Ming-liang.
- The aforementioned "Winter Sleep" and "Two Days, One Night"
- On DVD in time for Valentine's Day, "Beyond the Lights"
- Godard, "Goodbye to Language"
- Next in the queue, "Dear White People"
- The documentary "Actress"
Stay tuned for reports on those last seven titles once I catch up with them -- and plenty more -- as we forge ahead into 2015 . . .
2 comments:
Sweet snuggy Moses, I've seen two of the movies on your list and one of them is the Lego movie. I clearly need to class up my movie watching.
I did see "Birdman". I thought it was well written, well-acted and I heart Edward Norton, but it I would rather have my cuticles repeatedly shoved down by the hostile lady who does my nails than watch that again. I was muy bored and I sinceriously longed for it to be over. Maybe I am a meathead?
Pleased to see "Ida" make your list. It was such a quietly beautiful movie, I feared it would be overlooked. I sighed at the end because I didn't want it to be over: I could have watched Anna's entire life unfold.
Great list, as always. But I take issue with "Inherent Vice" (which I've dubbed Incoherent Vice). Ugh. Why did they have to show Joaquin Phoenix's feet? To quote your other reader, Mary-Ann: "I'd rather have my cuticles repeatedly shoved down by the hostile lady who does my nails than watch that again." Great line.
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