Disclaimers: I did not see every movie that was released over the course of the year, and I did not enjoy every movie that was beloved by audiences or critics. Therefore, this list is limited to what I have seen and enjoyed, so I will once again list the movies that I saw and disliked, as well as the best ones that I have yet to see (or never will). HOWEVER, this year I actually saw a lot of foreign films and documentaries (!), so those categories, as well as Best Animated Film, will be represented this year, unlike my previous years. As an added bonus, I've also decided to predict/pick the winners of each Oscar category that I match in some way. Without further ado, let us begin!
Movies That Were Viewed, Weighed, Measured, and Found Wanting
American Sniper (highly overrated...)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Foxcatcher
Gone Girl (executed very well by Fincher, but tremendously misogynistic story)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (this year's American Hustle: enjoyable but definitely not great)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (forgettable and filled with plot holes)
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything (absolutely nothing memorable about it)
Wild
Movies That JUST Missed the Cut
22 Jump Street
A Most Violent Year
Big Hero 6
Blue Ruin
Chef
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Drop
Force Majeure
Nightcrawler (Jake Gyllenhaal was phenomenal and worthy of an Oscar nomination)
John Wick
Top Five
Snowpiercer
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Movies That Eluded My Grasp
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
The Fault in Our Stars
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
Into the Woods
The Judge
Maleficent
Mr. Turner
Still Alice (Julianne Moore looks like she did great...)
Unbroken
I now present the Best Movies of 2014 according to Robert, as well as who I think should win each Oscar.
Oscar Categories That I Do Not Cover But Will Predict the Winners for Anyways
Costume Design - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Short Subject Documentary - No idea
Film Editing - Whiplash
Makeup and Hairstyling - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Production Design - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Animated Short Film - Feast
Live Action Short Film - Not a clue
Best Cinematic Song: Come and Get Your Love (Marvel: Guardians of the Galaxy)
What is the best way to introduce a brand new sci fi / adventure / Marvel hero? First, give him a sad background story (and don't show any titles!). Then follow it up with one of the best scenes of the year by having him sing Redbone while abusing many CGI lizards. Although this is not technically an original song (hence the altered award title), it was used so perfectly in a movie filled with great 70's and 80's pop hits that I couldn't resist. In regards to the film, I can easily say that Guardians of the Galaxy was Marvel's best since The Avengers, and I loved the characters and contagious fun it gave us. Who cares if the Oscars didn't nominate it?
My favorite original song was easily Coward from Interstellar (composed by Hans Zimmer and featured during the Dr. Mann incident), but Glory (Selma) and Everything Is Awesome (The Lego Movie) are definitely worthy of mentions here as well.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Glory (Selma)
Best Screenplay: The Imitation Game
As an engineer, I love whenever a film shows me the origins and reasons behind an invention. This movie details the journey that eccentric and antisocial Alan Turing took in order to create the very first digital computer, or Turing machine. His work allowed the British to crack Nazi Germany's "unbreakable code" and save countless lives. However, beyond just the historical value of the story, this movie delves deep into complicated issues that still plague us today, such as perception of homosexuality, perceived inferiority of women, political and military ethics, as well as the poor way that we tend to treat those who either act, think, or look different than us. Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch very much deserve their Oscar nominations (arguably the best performances in both of their careers), and combined with the terrific script, this is the best biopic since 2010 when we were blessed with The King's Speech and The Social Network. This should still be playing in a theater near you if you have not yet had the pleasure of viewing it.
Birdman (with excellent dialogue and an intricate plot) and Boyhood (spanning 12 years and perfectly depicting growing up in the 2000's) both came as very, very close seconds, but the perfect delivery of this screenplay trumped them both. Nightcrawler, Whiplash, and Snowpiercer all deserve honorable mentions as well.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Adapted Screenplay - The Imitation Game
OSCAR PREDICTION: Original Screenplay - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Best Foreign Film: The Raid 2: Berandal
How do you follow up an amazing, albeit plot-light action movie? You combine more action with a story that rivals The Departed in complexity. With martial arts action that could arguably be the best since the days of Bruce Lee (yes, even better than The Matrix), and creative choreography and direction from writer/director Gareth Evans, this indie from Indonesia exploded off the screen and wowed me from the very beginning. The story follows Uco, an undercover cop who must take down the large organized crime syndicates in a city, and while also providing pulse-throbbing violence, it still focuses on Uco as he deals with separation from his family, living in constant danger, and a lust for the vengeance of his brother's murder. I have yet to see this movie and not love every moment of it, including the best car chase of the last 5 years. If you have not yet seen this, rent it soon, despite this being my second pick that was not nominated for an Oscar.
Enemy, a Canadian psycho thriller from Denis Villeneuve and featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, very nearly stole this award, but Gareth Evans' masterpiece won out (and I eagerly await the final entry in this trilogy). The Babadook (Australian horror) and Force Majeure (Swedish family drama) both were great entries in this category as well.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Throw a dart, I saw a lot of foreign films but apparently not enough (I didn't see any of the nominees)
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
For all of those who remember Arquette from her role in True Romance, no, she does not say "You're so cool." Rather, she turns in a tremendous role that should define her career from now on. As she drags her two children around Texas, she has to deal with being a single mother, several alcoholic husbands, and raising her children in the best way that she can so that they will be great people. The juxtaposition of her vulnerability and internal strength shows throughout the film, which follows the entire cast and their characters as they both age during the movie's filming period of over 12 years. The way that she changes and deals with her life as the blows come really captures the reality and commonness of single motherhood nowadays, as well as the desire of every single person to find their soulmate while remaining independent, no matter how many misses we make with our choices of that soulmate. Compounded with a very emotional scene depicting her realization of how empty her life has become since she has reached all of the typical life goals, Arquette deserves this award completely. Take advantage of the many Best Picture-nominees theater runs right now and go see this if you have not already.
Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game) and Emma Stone (Birdman) both did extremely great in their respective roles as well, but none showed the genuineness or commitment that Arquette has.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Best Visual Effects: Interstellar
How do you make a great space film? As evidenced by 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, and (most recently) Gravity, it all begins with the visual effects. By that reasoning, Interstellar is truly one of the greatest space films of our era. By taking what Gravity did in realistically portraying the space beyond our atmosphere and extrapolating it beyond our current knowledge, Interstellar dazzles with its presentation of mile-high waves, wormholes, planets, and black holes. Working closely with Kip Thorne (the leading theoretical physicist in black hole theory), and pulling from the works of Stephen Hawking as well, Christopher Nolan poured funding into simulating the black hole shown in the movie, and in the process discovered that its true nature is much different than what we previously had envisioned, resulting in a scientific breakthrough. When a film not only impresses with its visuals but makes advances for the scientific community, it deserves to be recognized as the best visual effects of 2014. It's still in theaters in most areas, and is 100% a rewarding theater experience. But if not, just wait until it rolls through the rental phase.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was going to run away with this award until Interstellar was released, especially because of its detailed apes and realistic expressions and faces, but science trumps all in this case.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Interstellar
Best Ensemble Cast: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
In a film that's about plays, dialogue, and human interaction, not only is a strong screenplay needed, but a talented cast is tremendously important in its production, especially given the very long cuts. Birdman features this exact quality, hiring the likes of Michael Keaton (the confused and egotistical actor trying to create a play that shows he can act), Zach Galifianakis (in a great supporting role as Keaton's best friend and agent), Emma Stone (Keaton's rehabbed and abandoned daughter), and Edward Norton (an extreme method actor who irks Keaton often). I cannot overstate how well acted this movie was, especially considering that it was all edited together to look like one long shot, relying on the talent of its actors to stay in character and on point throughout what I imagine were very grueling takes. If you didn't get a chance to see this during its initial run in November, go see it now while its on that surprisingly widespread Best Picture-nominee rerun.
The aging and dedicated cast of Boyhood came excruciatingly close to winning this, but the perfect execution of Birdman's cast triumphed. Selma also deserves mention here for its plethora of supporting characters who were all brought to vivid life with great character roles.
Best Documentary: CitizenFour
Most people think of documentaries as either boring or overly informational, relying heavily on the impact of its nonfiction aspect to affect its audience. CitizenFour, however, is the exact opposite of boring, playing out like a real-life thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It follows Edward Snowden, a whisteblower who worked in the NSA and decided that the public should know how many of their rights were being trampled upon in the name of "security". He details the many things that they do, including monitoring every contact (texting, calling, IMing, etc.) that goes between anyone and where credit cards are used for every single person in the U.S. and the world. The bravery of Snowden and the shock of the actions by our government are enough to give anyone chills, and combined with a soundtrack that relies heavily on compositions by Trent Reznor (The Social Network, Gone Girl), this intense documentary both thrilled me and opened my eyes to the human rights war that is still being waged for our privacy (or lack thereof).
Life Itself (which follows the final days of film critic Roger Ebert) and The Overnighters (a modern nonfictional version of The Grapes of Wrath set in the oil-booming region of North Dakota) both were excellent documentaries that truly make you think hard about your life, but CitizenFour's power cannot be shaken.
OSCAR PREDICTION: CitizenFour
Best Sound Effects: The Babadook
"If it's in a word, or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook."
One of the most chilling lines of the year, establishing the presence of a monster within a small Australian family's house. As a mother and her child both deal with grief over the death of a loved one, a monstrous entity begins to haunt them, driving both to desperate measures and long nights of insomnia. The subtle knocks, the insect-like crawling, and the terrifying cry of "Ba-ba-dooook!" all combine to create an intense and creepy atmosphere that never rests until the credits roll. Writer/director Jennifer Kent does an amazing job in her first film, dealing with very strong themes as well as scaring us without the easy jumpscares or disgusting gore. In a very Tarantino fashion, she also throws many references to classic horror films throughout, which add an extra layer of pleasure to a dedicated horror fan. If you missed its VERY short theatrical run, just jump on Amazon or a similar VOD website and rent it now (or late at night with all of the lights off!). My theory on the Oscars' snub of this film is that it was independent, and therefore "unworthy".
Fury had great war sound effects (similar to Saving Private Ryan) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes did well throughout with its ape cries and speech, but neither were anywhere near as effective as The Babadook.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Sound Editing - American Sniper
OSCAR PREDICTION: Sound Mixing - Whiplash
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
For those of us who remember the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, you will recognize Jonah Jameson, the tough editor of the Daily Bugle. However, Simmons takes a tremendous step forward in Whiplash, turning in one of the greatest characters of the century with the vicious Terence Fletcher, a jazz studio band director at a prestigious music school in New York. He screams at his students and does everything short of striking them (though he flings a cymbal at on) while verbally destroying each of them, pushing them to become great musicians. We find out that he even drove a former student into a deep, suicidal depression. The sheer energy that Simmons brings to his role and the scary realism of Fletcher as a band director make him one of the greatest villains of the century as well. Although his character's methods are certainly in question (Simmons has often been compared to R. Lee Ermey, who played Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket), his results are undeniable. Many people missed this one back in November, so right that wrong and see it as soon as possible during its Oscar-nominee rerun!
Gary Poulter (a morally decrepit father in Joe), Ethan Hawke (an estranged but committed father in Boyhood), Edward Norton (Birdman), and Steve Carrell (a disturbed and eccentric millionaire in Foxcatcher) all turned in Oscar worthy performances as well, but Simmons' legendary screen presence in Whiplash will not be defeated.
OSCAR PREDICTION: J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Best Cinematography: Enemy
New nominee number four! And what a doozy it is, with a tremendous performance by Jake Gyllenhaal as not one, but two main characters. When a obscure professor discovers that he has a doppelganger in Toronto, he cannot rest until he figures out why this other person exists, and who he is. Filled with imagery of spiders, women, and a bleak Canadian city, and filled with dread (ambience created by both music and skillful director Denis Villeneuve), the cinematography keeps your mind constantly engaged, much like a Hitchcockian thriller. One of my favorite scenes shows Gyllenhaal driving through the city while wires weave overhead, showing a web engulfing the city and his own darkening mind. This clever and intricate film kept me guessing throughout the entire film, and then smashed all of my predictions to pieces with its final, horrifying shot. There is really nothing more to say than to rent Enemy as soon as possible and enjoy a terrific movie.
The choreography and amazing camerawork in The Raid 2: Berandal held this spot for a long time, but lost to this visually puzzling and detailed look into the mind of a man. Gone Girl, Birdman, and Snowpiercer also get honorable mentions here for excellent cinematography as well.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Best One-Hit Wonder Performance: Gary Poulter (Joe)
What is the greatest enemy to any child coming of age? The answer is complex, but the movie Joe seeks to answer it in the form of an alcoholic and homeless father, as portrayed by Gary Poulter. He gives us a man that we all despise, and plays it so well that RogerEbert.com has called him "one of the great one-shot performance in the history of the cinema." In showing us this man who beats his children, refuses to work for a living or take care of his family, and even steals from his working son, director David Gordon Green is able to explain very carefully why these domestic abuse situations continue to exist and flourish. Small moments like Poulter's character teaching his son to "break dance" show how his children both hate him and love him at the same time, but how far can one be pushed before they finally uproot their parents? On a side note, this was also probably the best Nicholas Cage performance I have ever seen, and worthy of viewing just for that. In the end, Poulter was a real-life alcoholic who was found dead a year before the movie was even released, so he truly was the character that he portrayed and was wholly effective. Rent this indie gem if you have not yet been able to do so.
Best Animated Film: The Lego Movie
I think it's safe to say that after writing and directing Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 and 22 Jump Street, and now the amazing Lego Movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have established themselves as masters of cinematic fun and pop culture. I want to personally nominate them for the next eccentric superhero film (a la Guardians of the Galaxy), because they would be perfect. "Everything is awesome" in this film, a fun-filled adventure of creativity and humor. With everything from satire of consumer culture, celebration of childhoods raised with Legos, and the importance of bonding with your children, there's no way that you cannot enjoy it. With a villain who wants everything to be perfect and controlled and a hero who's really just a boring guy who becomes unique (voiced by the illustrious Chris Pratt), I personally guarantee that you will enjoy every minute of it. Although I doubt you haven't seen this, rent it if that's the case! As for the Oscars snubbing it, funk them.
Big Hero 6 was also incredibly fun and inventive, but not as original as The Lego Movie. A quick shoutout to Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises is also deserved for another beautiful animated film.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Big Hero 6
Best Leading Actress: Essie Davis (The Babadook)
As I already mentioned, The Babadook turns up the intensity and immediately begins messing with your mind. But no mind is more confused than Essie Davis' single mother, struggling to raise a very troubled son while simultaneously resenting his very existence. When he hugs her, she pushes him away, yelling, "Don't do that!" She constantly gazes at any couple, longing for companionship and to be free of her perceived burden. These are just several of the many complex issues that The Babadook tackles, and it could not have been done with Davis' jarring performance that will horrify you, sadden you, sicken you, and finally fill you with warmth. She goes through such a range of emotions while maintaining a constant cloud of depression in her character that never seems to quite leave her, appearing disheveled and sleep-deprived constantly. Although other factors may lead to the intensity and scariness of The Babadook, that incredibly powerful human side of the film is driven by Davis. So add her to my list of non-nominees who win in my book.
Rosamund Pike (a very suspicious wife in Gone Girl) definitely deserves to be on the same level as Davis, and Reese Witherspoon (a lonely divorcee hiking through Wild) turns in a career-defining role, but neither can match the level of emotional commitment that Davis displays throughout The Babadook.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)
Although David Fincher (the perfectionist, style-driven director in the model of Stanley Kubrick) with Gone Girl, and Denis Villeneueve (up-and-comer who creates incredible ambience and moral ambiguity) with Enemy, both gave great direction in their respective films, Iñárritu really delivered with the clever, witty, and thought-provoking Birdman.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)
Best Music: Interstellar
Let’s just all agree that Hans Zimmer is one of the greatest film composers of our time. With a career that includes The Lion King, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, 12 Years a Slave, and now Interstellar, Zimmer has proven his magnificence time and time again. In this case, he uses the organ in a Gothic fashion to provide a mixed sense of wonder and terror throughout, setting the tone for how we feel about space travel. He also perfectly plays on the emotions of the crowd, combining stirring strings with the takeoff countdown while Matthew McConaughey’s character drives away from his family. The ticking of the clock (and the music with it) while on a planet where times passes slower, or when a man lies suffocating on a desolate surface, add to the tension and keep you invested at all times. With a film that relies almost totally on sound to overwhelm (by design from Nolan), Zimmer does his job in creating a soundtrack that can be listened to over and over again.
Birdman's unique and rhythmic drum soloing, Guardians of the Galaxy's incredibly catchy and fitting mixtape soundtrack, Gone Girl's atmospheric and dread-inducing compositions from Reznor, Enemy's ambient strings of confusion, and The Imitation Game's driving and wondrous music all deserved this award almost equally, but in the end, it came down to the soundtrack that was able to make a movie far greater than it should have been, and so Interstellar won.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Interstellar
Best Leading Actor: David Oyelowo (Selma)
Here is my final entry in the categories that should have been won by those who were not nominated. But I think there was no greater wrong than this snub. In an incredibly jaw-dropping fashion, Oyelowo was not nominated despite the single greatest performance of the year. Much like last year, an incredibly powerful acting performance goes amiss (Chiwetel Ejiofor was nominated but somehow lost), curiously. Regardless, Oyelowo has vastly surpassed all other actors this year with his role as the great Martin Luther King Jr., whom we all are afraid that we actually know very little about.
Selma captures a moment in MLK's life where he just got segregation ended and received a Nobel Peace Prize, but he knows the war has only just begun. Oyelowo gives us the awe-inspiring MLK that we know from speeches, delivering them in an outstanding fashion that seems identical to the man. But he also gives us the human side of MLK that we've never seen before, the side that doubts himself at times and does not always follow the straight and narrow path. But we also finally learn how pacifism and marches work, beyond the vague understanding that most of us have, and get a look into the politics of it and the extreme difficulty that those who marched with MLK in Alabama had to face each and every day. When I look back at 2014, I will remember it as a year of terrific lead acting roles, but one will always stand high above the rest. Selma is still in its theatrical run, and although it has been overshadowed by the idolatrous American Sniper, I highly, HIGHLY recommend that you go to see it, and take any person over 12 with you so that they can understand this important event in our history and see what a true American hero was.
Benedict Cumberbatch (the enigmatic mathematician who was vital to WWII) in The Imitation Game, Michael Keaton (the washed-up actor who must overcome criticism and fame) in Birdman, and Jake Gyllenhaal (as two men at odds with one another and a sociopathic cameraman) in both Enemy and Nightcrawler, all deserved Oscars for their performances as well, but sadly only one award exists. Honorable mentions should also be given to Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar), Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood), and Nicholas Cage (Joe) as well for their great roles.
OSCAR PREDICTION: Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
Best Picture: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
“You’re doing this because you’re scared to death, like the rest of us, that you don’t matter, and, you know what, you’re right. You don’t! It’s not important, okay? You’re not important! Get used to it.”
With that line, Emma Stone’s character delivers a blow to the egotistical actor-father that Michael Keaton plays, showing him that his play that he’s become so wrapped up in is not as important as he thinks. It’s exchanges like these that make Birdman so terrific in its simultaneous bashing of exploitational cinema (primarily superhero movies), overly snooty critics (both artistic/theater and gossip/movie), and a culture brimming with self importance and increasing desperation. In a movie about theatre and plays, the camera keeps rolling and the dialogue never stops. With one of the greatest screenplays since The Social Network, Birdman keeps us constantly entertained and interested without ever resorting to quick shots, action or explosions. One of my favorite sequences involves Norton and Keaton sitting down and working through the script. Norton tries to show Keaton how the flow of the script is wrong, and so they just go through it naturally, discovering the way to talk that sounds normal and not forced. These little things appeal to the writer within me.
As already explained, everyone is on their A-game here with acting, completely devoted to their respective roles and characters. Iñárritu delivers as one of the great upcoming directors, and Sánchez keeps the drums rolling and the film moving. The final twenty minutes left me at the edge of my seat as the entire movie came together perfectly, destiny and fate intertwining, and then left me wondering how it really ended. I really had my top 3 movies at an interchangeable level, but what made Birdman rise above the rest (much like its titular character) was its perfection. I literally cannot find a flaw at any point in this movie, like a perfectly executed stageplay.
The aforementioned close films were Boyhood and Selma, and both were well deserving of the award as well, but there were TINY flaws that I could find in those that I could not in Birdman. And so, I give you the Best Picture of 2014!!
OSCAR PREDICTION: Boyhood
TL;DR
- Birdman (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Ensemble Cast)
- Boyhood (Best Supporting Actress)
- Selma (Best Leading Actor)
- Interstellar (Best Music, Best Visual Effects)
- Enemy (Best Cinematography)
- The Raid 2: Berandal (Best Foreign Film)
- The Lego Movie (Best Animated Film)
- The Babadook (Best Leading Actress, Best Sound Effects)
- Joe (Best One-Hit Wonder Performance)
- The Imitation Game (Best Screenplay)
- Whiplash (Best Supporting Actor)
- Marvel: Guardians of the Galaxy (Best Cinematic Song)
- CitizenFour (Best Documentary)
Enjoy the rest of your day, hopefully as much as you enjoyed reading my list! Please comment with your opinions, good or bad, for or against, and let us reminisce on another great year in cinema filled with innovative films!
