What was your favorite film of 2014?
I liked and shared this post because I really enjoyed the intro, which I thought was well-thought out and also fleshed out some concepts I've seen mentioned, though I think mostly in passing, around Hubski - the future of American cinema, how movies may become more and more like novels (I recently remember seeing a comment talking about how action movies with no real point but to draw crowds, etc - any genre is probably applicable - are becoming the norm instead of thought-provoking scripts or artistic content/development. Believe the comment mentioned Inception as an example of a movie everyone thought was deep but really, was just pretty - oh damn - maybe I saw this on Reddit) , how screenwriters don't make any money any more either (with a sigh), etc. I have only seen one movie on this list and that is thanks to Hubski Movie Club! I am bad at movies, it often takes me 2 days to watch one unless it is particularly engrossing. (The House of Yes. Don't look it up, don't read the description on Netflix, just watch it. It is a wonderful example of a really great script, not just for the dialogue, but for how it unfolds the story.) So I can't claim I have a favorite film of 2014. Lately I have been watching classics/film noir ("From Out of the Past," "Zeigfeld Girl," etc) as well as burning through my queue/current acting obsessions on Netflix. I have also gone through 2 dedicated horror movie binge periods this year. Each probably about a month long. I'm out of decent horror movies to watch on Netflix, I'm afraid.
I've only seen one of these, and that was The Grand Budapest Hotel, which is probably my favorite movie of 2014. Incredible film even after multiple viewings. I rarely see movies when they are released so it's not a big pool to choose from. The following films from The New Yorkers list are on Netflix: The Last of the Unjust The Immigrant Happy Christmas It Felt Like Love Jimmy P (Netflix says this was released in 2013 though) Stranger by the Lake Manakamana The Missing Picture (again, 2013) The Unknown Known (2013)
This was such a terrific year for film, seriously. Mine's a tie between Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel. I would say Inherent Vice but I haven't seen it yet. Stanger by the Lake is also fantastic. Boyhood was good, but I can only really say that as my life mirrored so much of the protagonist's. I haven't seen several of the films in this top ten, but I can't imagine American Sniper to be truly deserving, honestly. Seems like war porn and "apolitical" americana, but I trust PTA's take on america more than Clint Eastwood's. Goodbye to Language was as self-reflexive as Dance of Reality, with a better commitment to purpose and less daddy issues, but it just wallows in post-structuralism, with a lot of things better left unsaid, which means its hour-long runtime was even too much. It is good, though. I'm far more concerned with the films listed on the Negative Ten. Although it may not mean much to a film critic, as there has always been plenty of avant garde cinema to fill pages, there has been an impressive amount of experimentation being offered to the public and it has been widely accepted, and this is fantastic. Birdman is fucking beautiful and it knows it's audience. I can't really say for certain in a list form because I haven't seen Ida, Foxcatcher, Inherent Vice, Whiplash, Two Days, One Night, Leviathan... jesus christ I have to catch up. One thing that has stuck out to me in the past few years is the inclusion of films and narratives from southeast Asia. The Missing Picture is much better than The Last of the Unjust to me for this reason alone. The Act of Killing (2012) deserved every second of hype that it got, and the fabulous work of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (I recommend Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives).
To make a non-list list of films to see to get a feel for 2014, I would say: The Grand Budapest Hotel Under the Skin Ida Birdman Leviathan (hopefully) Foxcatcher Manakamana Big Men (to seen neo-colonialism and the abuse of Africa in action) Snowpiercer is bad an you are bad for liking it.