My Top Films of 2014.

Spending the end of 2014 packing up my life and moving across the country and then unpacking for the last month was not conducive to being timely about my annual Top Films post! But here we are, and hopefully I can press publish before we hit February. While I lagged a bit in written updates, I definitely saw a lot of movies in 2014. Jesse remarked a few weeks ago that he actually saw more movies in 2014 than any other year because he finally gave in to my every film-going whim and said yes when I invited him. It was a grand time to see a lot of movies with my husband; in years past I certainly saw more movies alone. I am smiling big right now -- I feel like something has been conquered! And it's a good thing that lot of the movies I dragged Jesse to were pretty good.

And so, I unveil, my favorite movies of 2014... as it exists today, subject to different order or whims of mood on other days -- but the beginning of this list is pretty solid.

01 BOYHOOD

Linklater strikes again for the second year in a row! I wasn't sure what to expect with Boyhood; when the film began I was like why is this is starting out with Coldplay's "Yellow"? And then I was taken back to when I first heard that song... twelve years ago. And then: I understood. As the movie unfolded, following a family and their world through the eyes of their son Mason, I was mesmerized by the way in which the director/writer Linklater and the actors were able to create--more than anything--an immersive feeling. It's definitely part nostalgia because there was a lot I recognized (the big sister/little brother dynamic to name one). The story is simple, but the way in which Linklater filmed the movie (aside from the once-a-year-for-12-years thing) evoked such a quietly thrilling perspective on a childhood journey. I saw it twice in theaters, and the first time I was lucky enough to meet Richard Linklater and the main actor, Ellar Coltrane. I might have known then, back in July, that it would be the best film I saw this year.

02 WHIPLASH

This movie surprised me. As I was putting together this list I was surprised that it came in at #2. But, the best films I saw this year provoked emotional reactions from me. Whiplash not only hit me emotionally, but physically as well. Seeing this film on the big screen, with the music almost another character between the two main characters (played superbly by J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller -- an actor whose hype I never understood until this film), the tension on screen froze up my body as well. When the lights went on in the theater, I let out a breath I must have been holding without realizing. An excellent script, fascinating directing, and good acting. A solid, great movie... if you must watch it at home, watch it with the volume loud.

03 UNDER THE SKIN

A beautiful, eerie, dark film that captivated me from the start. A somewhat silent film that still told a story, at once otherworldly and yet recognizable. It was uncomfortable, mostly, but enthralling. I like having to pick up the clues in a film to understand what's happening; my brain was churning through this whole viewing. The end culminates into a tableau of alien horror--based in a true, familiar, sad reality. The incredible visuals elevate the story to an even higher plane.

04 SELMA

I'm not one for biopics; I've always been more of a fan of fiction and creative storytelling as opposed to depicting fact -- mostly, I'd like to leave it to documentaries. Trust me, no Hollywood film based on a true story is going to get every fact correct. Fellow true story Academy Award nominees American Sniper, The Imitation Game, Theory of Everything, Foxcatcher -- all have "fact" issues. Let's also talk about facts -- how a different perspective sees facts differently (it took a show like The Affair to really demonstrate that outrightly) -- and how Selma is from a perspective most films don't show, it's a familiar story told from someone else's valid perspective. Hurrah for that perspective! The predictability and remake barrage has bored me in the theaters; Selma told a great story freshly, and well. And the LBJ historical critics? The film is more than fair to his legacy, I didn't understand it's criticisms as I watched. As written in the New Yorker in defense of this film: "Indeed, there is no moment in “Selma” where King really thanks Johnson or, Hollywood-style, puts his hand on his shoulder and tells him, “You’re a good man.” If that’s what the “Selma” critics crave, there are plenty of movies that offer it." It's just stunning to me that this is the film being attacked; it's a great film. The acting, the script, the directing are superb. As a woman, it's truly amazing and stupefying to make realizations mid-film like "wow, I'm watching more than one scene of two women speaking to each other." That's because the film was directed by a woman. And that's why it's important: representation and balance on many, many levels. Ava DuVernay is a gifted director, and I look forward to more of her work. As the film ends with a speech by the extremely talented David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr., there's a point that the crowd in the film begins to clap, and I was jolted as many people in the theater erupted into applause as well. I couldn't help but agree.

05 THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Wes Anderson, usually an acquired taste, seemed to have hit something this year with audiences -- was it the ending? Either way, I'm glad more people are on board. I mean, a Wes Anderson film is nominated for an Academy Award?! What! But it's a great film, a movie that retains Anderson's style and whimsy and humor with punctuations of disturbing darkness -- so colorful, and yet -- that ending. The directorial effort on display, the camerawork, set design, and images are all wonderful. I've never liked Ralph Fiennes as much, it was just a perfectly played role. I was excited by this film (saw it twice in theaters) and I've never been more excited for what Anderson has planned next.

06 ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE

Under the guise of treating my husband to a special event by one of his favorite directors, I bought tickets to a screening of Only Lovers Left Alive that included a post-film concert of the soundtrack live. Jesse loves Jim Jarmusch--Dead Man is his favorite film of all time--and I thought, hey, maybe Tom Hiddleston will show up? Two birds, one stone, you know what I mean? Sadly, Hiddleston did not, but we watched with Jarmusch a few rows behind us. I'm smiling as I type this because it really was a fantastic night: the entire Sunshine Theater in New York was booked for Only Lovers, decorated and dimmed, eerie music playing as we waited for the film to begin. And what a film! Gothic and beautiful and TILDA and funny and me thinking, huh, this is really Jarmusch? It's, in my opinion, his most accessible film. I played the soundtrack on loop for months afterwards--those guitars!--and perhaps that was because we saw that soundtrack played live amongst sets reconstructed from the film??

Me in Adam's studio

I don't know what PR firm handled that event, but that's how you promote a film--centering every detail to recall the film, and make it memorable. The film itself was perfect for the treatment given the acting, the directing, but also the essential music.

07 WILD

Here's a film I was excited for because I read the book -- and I was happy that Cheryl Strayed's flawed, beautiful, persevering spirit was captured so well by Reese Witherspoon and the movie. Most of the moments in the book are depicted similarly, there are many passages in the book I read and felt so visceral and gut-punching, and the film accomplished that as well. Though there were parts that made me nearly look away from the page (something that's not happened very often while reading anything), the film managed to sliver them in, and I liked the way the film's script and directing handled Strayed's small but engrossing story.

08 SNOWPIERCER

Yeah, this movie has its flaws and some weird special effects, but damn if it isn't a great ride of a film. It's a spectacle in the best way -- with twists and turns that kept me guessing, and I love not knowing what's about to happen in a movie these days. Chris Evans impressed me most here than any other work he's done, and the cast of characters, dystopian story, and jumble of metaphors provided a lot of fun for the viewer. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie from beginning to end.

09 BELLE

Here's a true story that's never been told on the screen! And despite earlier protests in this post, I really just loved this movie because of it's heartache and uplift, for its superb acting in Gugu Mbatha-Raw (she will win an Academy Award one day -- she should have been nominated for this), and for its sweeping period directing (I really, truly, love sweeping period films. LOVE THEM). Another film that depicts a time in the past, that still attests to the issues we face in the present. (And like Selma, it also co-stars Tom Wilkinson? And was directed by a woman!)

10 BEGIN AGAIN

Woah woah woah left field, right?! I mean, I wanted to put 22 Jump Street here (that's not really a joke) but this one came in late and under the radar at the tail end of 2014. And wow! I remember loving Once, and when I started this movie I had no idea it was by the same filmmaker. I had heard mere blips about this movie. Nobody was like: Hey, Jessica, you might like this, it's got good music and heartfelt storylines and wonderfully rendered characters that don't fall into gender tropes -- so, this is me telling you: watch this movie. (You know who did recommend it to me? Jesse's dad! My father-in-law suggested this film!) Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo are grand. Adam Levine is also in this movie, but he's not as grating as I expected. And the soundtrack is on repeat -- did you hear the featured song in the film "Lost Stars" is nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars? -- little did I know Keira Knightley could sing in that singer-songwriter style I love. The emo girl in my heart, she was satisfied.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS (that probably, given my mood, could have made my Top Ten -- 2014 was a *#$&!& great year in movies in my opinion)

WE ARE THE BEST! - currently streaming on Netflix, this Swedish film about a trio of pre-teen girls who start a punk band made me smile with glee. Punctuation point! Similar to Boyhood, there's something recognizable about watching these girls' journey in adolescence.

IDA - a black and white Polish film that searched down corridors I was not expecting. Awe-some.

22 JUMP STREET - if you know me, you know why. Best comedy of the year. Channing Tatum 4 Lyfe. Something Cool.

THE EDGE OF TOMORROW - on the insistence of one of my best friends, I relented and watched this Tom Cruise flick, and then watched it again the next night (he may or may not have gifted me the movie on iTunes for my birthday). This is a GREAT movie. Tom Cruise, yet again, proves why he's a great star and actor. Emily Blunt, you rule. I had one minor quibble, but other than that: spectacular.

GONE GIRL - one of my favorite theater-going experiences on opening night. You could almost hear the difference between the people who had read the book against the shocked waves of those who hadn't. There's some mishandling of the material, but I love watching that dark, brooding Fincher directing, unapologetically.

BIRDMAN - spectacle, spectacle, not GREAT, but damn good. A little too clever, perhaps? The cinematography shines above all else.

BLUE RUIN - WHAT IS THIS AMAZING MOVIE? It's streaming on Netflix right now and I urge you to watch it immediately. Jesse and I were -- I'm about to use this word -- gobsmacked as we watched. I won't even mention anything about it, just watch it.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - because it was the most entertaining film I saw all year.

THE ONE I LOVE - SCRIPT. Low budget science fiction might be my favorite screen spectacle; I loved that this is essentially sci-fi but more grandly about human romantic relationships. A more cynical Eternal Sunshine, but worth the ride all the same. Plus, Moss + Duplass! And though I love low-budget sci-fi there's still something about...

INTERSTELLAR - I didn't even know if I liked this movie upon first viewing. But after several conversations (SEVERAL!) and me watching myself slowly to fervently start defending it, I really love that there's a director like Nolan out there who gets the big bucks to tell unpredictable stories in IMAX.

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OH YOU WERE VERY GOOD, TOO

THE GUEST
LOVE IS STRANGE
OBVIOUS CHILD
FRANK
THE DROP
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
THE IMITATION GAME
CHEF
VERONICA MARS
THEY CAME TOGETHER
NEIGHBORS
MALEFICENT

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I MEAN, OKAY? BUT I EXPECTED MORE FROM YOU!

INHERENT VICE
LUCY
FOXCATCHER
HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
GODZILLA

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MEH 

CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER
THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU
BIG EYES
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
THE JUDGE
SPIDERMAN 2
AMERICAN SNIPER

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#NOPE

NOAH
THAT AWKWARD MOMENT
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

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And now, your thoughts! What were your favorites?? What did I miss? I have a list of films still to see -- Nightcrawler, The Babadook, Two Days One Night among them.


Some of my past top film posts: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

My Top Films of 2013.

As you know, I'm quite an avid movie watcher. Movie-goer. Film fanatic. If you meet me in the street, start talking about a movie and we'll be there a while. I'll invite you to the nearest coffee spot. Maybe we'll have a piece of pie. I could talk about movies for a bit. The below was a hard list to curate and rate. There were a lot of movies I liked in 2013, and some days I like one movie more than another. However, I'm pretty solid in this list - especially after watching my #1 film the other night again, for the third time (first time on DVD), this time with Jesse who hadn't seen it yet. I exclaimed at the end, "This is it! This is definitely the best movie I saw in 2013!"

01 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

I've long loved the previous two films in this series -- I made Jesse go with me on a walking tour of Before Sunset when we went to Paris last year. I plotted it out myself. I saw Before Midnight twice in theaters; one time by myself in which I cried a whole lot, and the second time with two girlfriends in which I laughed a lot. Last week Jesse and I watched the DVD together, when I was wondering which movie I loved the most this year. We watched the movie about Jesse and Celine, and we paused at times because we felt we had the need to say something right at that moment. Whether it was about the relationship we were seeing displayed or about a certain line they said or just an idea mentioned, Jesse and I stopped and talked about it. There's power in a script that can do that. It was the best script of 2013. Which isn't to say that that was the only superb thing about it -- the directing, cinematography, setting, and the actor/screenwriters themselves are all perfection. Watch Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and then this - perhaps the best trilogy ever made.

02 12 YEARS A SLAVE

I've long heralded the amazing work of director Steve McQueen - from first witnessing his debut film Hunger and being completely awestruck, and then once again marveling at his perspective and hauntingly visceral work in Shame. From that first movie he was already a GREAT director. Here is an important story; I went into the movie telling myself that at least the main character depicted was able to escape long enough to write down his story for publication. The film is unflinching and needn't be, because there's no reason to make a story like this easy for people to watch. This is a tale that people actually had to live. I've never seen a movie like this; it's a story of slavery from the point of a view of a slave (played by the best actor of the year, hands down, Chiwetel Ejiofor - nobody comes close), a rare story because slaves were not allowed to read and write. The narrative is ghastly, haunting, and superb. The acting across the board (including newcomer Lupita Nyong'o) are all at the same level of perfect. And of course, McQueen's visuals astound.

03 HER

I am so happy for filmmakers like Spike Jonze, who, like Michel Gondry, Charlie Kaufman, and to an extent P.T. Anderson, is able to create a film that is unlike anything else out there. I mean, it's essentially a sci-fi movie, but nobody would really categorize it so. He made a concept and plot that seems so weird on paper relatable. It starts with a future that's different, but doesn't seem so far off. We're all currently in relationships with our technology (just look around a restaurant these days - more than half of us are on our phones at any given moment), and this just takes it a bit further. The film is truly beautiful in how it looks, and what it says about love and intimacy and relationships.

04 FRANCES HA

This one took me a bit my surprise. I started watching it and I didn't even know if I liked it. But something happened a little ways in; I realized I was watching a movie that was not about the normal tropes evident in most movies about a young woman -- this wasn't a movie about said woman finding a guy. It was about herself, but also about her closest friendship. As someone with close girlfriends, all of whom I could not live without, Frances resonated with me. And that Greta Gerwig! I never got Greta Gerwig before this; I even went back and tried to watch her last collaboration with director Noah Baumbach, Greenberg, and that was terrible. But she co-wrote Frances Ha with him, and I can't wait for her next writing effort based on this. I loved the black-and-white filming, the harkening to French New Wave styles and Woody Allen, and I especially loved the script. It's a movie where you journey with this woman through her embarrassing, trying, and eye-rolling moments, and yet I loved her. Because maybe we haven't all been there, but, I get it. And you have to pay attention to that well-written script, because it all comes together in the end and I laughed giddily to myself as the credits rolled.

05 SHORT TERM 12

Just looking through stills of this movie to use with this post nearly made me weep as I recalled the film. The movie takes place at a foster care center for at-risk teens, and despite that setting, it never veers into that dreaded sentimentality. At its center, and its heart, is twenty-something supervisor Grace, played by Brie Larson (in an award-worthy performance - I'm hoping to see her name nominated on Thursday!). She takes care of the kids that come in more than she takes care of herself, and those teens have some gut-wrenching scenes of their own. The pacing is wonderful and I love the way it's shot; I'm looking forward to more from young writer/director Destin Cretton. If you haven't seen this, do yourself a favor.

06 GRAVITY

I'm not sure what much else I could say that everyone hasn't said already. Though the film was hyped - nobody lied. I rarely watch movies in 3D, but it was my only option at the time, and Alfonso Cuaron (like Ang Lee last year) was able to use the dated technology in an interesting, innovative way. Sandra Bullock once again proves her abilities as an exceptional actress - the woman can do drama and comedy effortlessly! At least it looks effortless. A film that felt like a true cinematic experience of sight and sound. The minimalism of the script was more intriguing than lacking to me, and I'm obviously someone that places a lot of esteem in a screenplay.

07 FRUITVALE STATION

Michael B. Jordan has had a great career so far in television - from The Wire to Friday Night Lights and with a memorable guest stint on Parenthood. His turn as Oscar Grant, a man shot and killed by the Oakland police a few years ago (no spoilers: the actual video footage of his accosting opens the film), marks the start of what I'm sure will be an illustrious career in film; he's brilliant. Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz are also great here. I remember the sounds in the theater as this movie ended: nobody was speaking, and there were only stifled sniffing of noses, and wet faces around me. My own face was shiny and tear-streaked. It's one of the most powerful films of the year.

08 SPRING BREAKERS

Yes, I loved this movie. I went into the film thinking, oh I am going to hate this. When the film began I thought, yes this is everything that I hate. And then I was laughing. I was enjoying myself. And then it gets darker without losing it's panache. It's about crime and women and youth culture but mostly it's about The American Dream. Hey, there's those antiheroes people love like Tony Soprano and Walter White, I'd say maybe Brit, Cotty, and Candy should be grouped alike. They get mixed up, they do what they want anyway, and it's all filmed in dazzling neon bursts. I didn't know Harmony Korine could make a good movie.

09 DON JON

This film had a small budget, but debut writer/director Joseph Gordon-Levitt packs a wallop of human behavior observation. I've always liked Gordon-Levitt as an actor, but I didn't know he had this in him. It's a great film that surprises continually; I enjoyed Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore in their roles immensely. My girlfriend and I walked home together after watching the movie talking about men and women these days, sex films and romantic comedies, and the role of the internet amongst it all - maybe a little similar to Her in that last respect regarding technology these days. But the best part of the movie? Where it ends up -- completely unexpected.

10 SIDE EFFECTS

Damn! Steven Soderbergh's last feature film?! I hope it ain't so, because I love that man's work. I love this film for what everybody thought it was going to be and what it ended up truly being. You think it's going to make this big serious condemnation and it's just so much more glossy and gleeful than that. Soderbergh was asking "Why so serious?" and I was enjoying his work. Here's an adult drama that keeps you guessing, and looks great to boot. The cast is wonderful as well, and I've never seen Jude Law act so well. I think Rooney Mara is still killing it with each role she gets, and I keep hoping that her and David Fincher will re-team for a sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

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Honorable Mentions: these are the movies I kept on putting in and taking out of my Top 10 and then were left off as I wrote this post (but could very well be considered in my Top 10 of 2013 at some other moment of reflection) --

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR
ENOUGH SAID
THE HEAT
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

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Good stuff:

BLACKFISH

HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
PRISONERS
UPSTREAM COLOR
THE CONJURING
ABOUT TIME
THOR: THE DARK WORLD
AMERICAN HUSTLE
IRON MAN 3
WORLD WAR Z
THIS IS THE END
PACIFIC RIM
WARM BODIES

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Just okay:

THE BLING RING

ROOM 237

ELYSIUM

ENDER'S GAME

THE EAST
NOW YOU SEE ME
47 RONIN

THE WORLD'S END

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER
WE STEAL SECRETS
MAMA

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Disappointments: films I held to a higher standard because of their directing or writing or acting pedigree and I failed to like --

BLUE JASMINE

STOKER

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
THE GREAT GATSBY

Sorry, Leo.

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The Worst.

MAN OF STEEL

CARRIE

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

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The absolute worst movie of the entire year: ONLY GOD FORGIVES

I love debating with people who have differing film opinions than me. What a bleak world it would be if we all had the same opinions. I love conversations about Spring Breakers. But I seriously question anybody who defends Only God Forgives. I respect everyone's opinion, but this film barely respects human beings, acting, or narrative.

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What were some of your favorites of 2013?

Some of my past top film posts: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012