Fuck the introduction, lets get started! again.

10: The Drop and Jersey Boys (Yes a tie. Sod off, its the only one)

These and the next entire, I would call my biggest surprises of 2014,  films I expected to be fine, passable, but what I got were entirely different beasts.

The Drop is anything but the generic thriller it was advertised as. Instead I was treated to a biting crime drama, with an unbelievably loveable/terrifying turn from Tom Hardy, as the bartender where the Mafia house their money. The rest of the cast, including James Gandolfini in a perfect final role, all do just as well, in this incredibly tight and at times oddly sweet drama, about the roles we have in life and the choices we make that lead us to except or contradict those roles. Michaël R. Roskam does great directing his first English film, effectively using deep focus to give the film an unsettling and original look, as well as a motif at how blurry the morals lines become in the picture. Definitely check it out if you like a good tense crime film, in the vein of Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone. All based on Dennis Lehane books, so makes sense. 

Jersey Boys in many ways is just a by the books band biopic; you see them get together, you see the golden years, you see the break up, you see the breakout star rise. But what makes Jersey Boys so great is that while is does maintain those clichés, it MORE than makes up for it in character and extenuation. Being Goodfellas meets That Thing You Do, Jersey Boys is an engaging romp into the lives and career of The Four Seasons, each member just as likeable and interesting as the last, and all having a lot to say about what went down; brought to life perfectly by the cast, most of which walk in right off the stage production. Christopher Walken is also great as the nicest and most likeable Mafia Dons is recent memory, and adds heart and humour in just the right places. The music classic, the story great (if a bit structurally unsound) and directed with surprising finesse, Eastwood shows his love for the stage in this well crafted, and enjoyable biopic.

9: Bogowie (Gods)

Bogowie was my biggest surprise of the year, but it had to be as all I knew going in was that is was in Polish, and may be about doctors. But from there I experienced on one of the most darkly humours, earnestly graphic, and down right reverting films of the year; following the true story of the rang-tag team of heart surgeons, as they try to perform the first successful heart transplant in Poland; at a time when their sociality wasn’t quite ready. With an star making role from lead, Tomasz Kot, and the way film effortlessly slips into its smooth 80’s era, Bogowie is a great ride for anyone who has the time (and can read).

8: Snowpreciser or (FUUUUUCK, that was brutal!)

Snowpreciser is an entertaining, and bleak dystopia satire, set in a world were earth is frozen and the last of humanity are stuck in an extreme classiest system aboard a super train. Directed with style and at times brutal realism by Joon-ho Bong, with a grimy looking Chris Evans in probably his best performances so far, leading an all-star cast of character actors, including John Hurt and Tilda Swinton; Snowpreciser is two parts action thriller, one part engaging drama, and all parts bleak and comically satirical. Give it a watch, especially if you like your Science Fiction on the fucked-up side.  

7: The Double. 

Richard Ayoade, of IT Crowd and Submarine fame,  delivers easily his most ambitious and best project to date; in this Gilliam styled,  totalitarian dark comedy, about working stiff Jesse Eisenberg, meeting his exact double, who tries to take over his life. Funny and enjoyably odd, The Double manges to create a whole new Noir-esque world for its characters to inhabit, and makes each of them as enjoyable and watch-able as Ayoade himself, in my must see comedy of the year.

6: Birdman or (the unexpected virtue of ignorance)

Having already reviewed this film, i’ll keep this short (because all my other entries so far have been fucking essays clearly), and say to check out my full review, here, for the full reason of why Birdman flies in at number 6.

My favourite thing about Birdman (besides Norton of course), is that, it is a cinematic achievement for its film making, and the scope it still manages to cover, in terms of story and character, within that, which could have easily limited it. And It does this, while still being fun, and funny, and down right weird at times. It shows that you can have a seriously well made film, that dosen’t have to take itself too seriously.

5: Nightcrwaler 

Again, having reviewed this one already, check that out here, for the detailed reasons on how Nightcrawler, crawled its way into number 5.

Its American Psycho meets Network, with more action and thrills than both. Also I have always had a man crush on Jake Gyllenhaal. So yeah, moving on.

4: Boyhood

Filmed over twelve years, from May 2002 to October 2013 (almost my own exact adolescence),  using the same cast, Boyhood follows a boy through his life, on his journey to adulthood.

This is a special film.

Being a HUGE Richard Linklanter fan I knew I would like Boyhood going in, and I did first time I saw it, I liked it just fine. But it wasn’t until I saw it at home, on the small screen, with my family, that I realized how special it was, and I recommend everyone else to watch it in much the same way. As though the film is huge in scope, its tiny in scale and personal, making a more intimate viewing much more effective. Because this film gets it, it gets growing up, getting older, changing. And not just for a kid, but for everyone and anyone, from the boy, to his sister, to their parents; everyone is changing, and this film captures it. Not by focussing on the mile stones of life (school, sex, etcetera) but the moments in-between, the smaller thing that haphazardly stay with you through your life, that build up who you become. The acting is also great and nuanced, not the kind of performances where the actors blows you away, but the kind where you forget these are actors at all and they just become people.

This film won’t be for everyone, its long, and its talky, and there arn’t many clear goals or messages to take from it. But its a film that truly sculpted time, the time over which it was filmed and its run length, and is an near three hour shot of condensed life.

3: Locke

Tom Hardy in a car for 90 minutes, making phone calls; thats the film.  And what a film it is. Hardy is at career best as the only on-screen actor, and he rules it like a behemoth, despite his twee Welsh accent; bringing real depth and humanity to his role. Now from what I’ve seen, this film has been sold as some sort of nail biting thriller, it isn’t, this isn’t Buried, theres no espionage or terrorist plot. Instead, Locke is very human drama, though a taut and riveting one at that, about a man just trying to keep his life together as everything breaks around him. Supported by a surprisingly great cast, including Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott, who just viva their vocal talent, brings depth and heart to their characters. Combined with Steven Knights sharp script and vivid directing; Locke completely elevates what could have easily been a boring one man play, to become something defining and majestic.  

2: Gone Girl 

I am an unapologetic David Finicher fanboy. I love his work; his pristine and meticulous style never fails to entertain and engage me, even when the material doesn’t (I’m looking at you ¬_¬ Se7en). But saying that, I didn’t go into Gone Girl expecting to love it, I expected something in the vein of Panic Room, entertain and fun in its own way, but nothing note worthy. I did not expect for it to quickly become one of my favourite Fincher Films.  A perfectly crafted mess of stories, characters, themes, and tones; what I loved most is how effortlessly it balances all these, even sometimes contrasting points; it is a nail biting thriller, it is a deconstruction of thrillers, it is a complex mystery drama, it is a satire on the modern media, it is a deconstruction of modern marriage, it is a dark dark comedy, and it is a character study of two very broken people (and who knows what else). It should be too much for one-admittedly not short- film to handle, without half of the ideas coming across rushed and slap dash; but it does. With all its ideas, themes, plot points, and characters twisting together, in around each-other, in this chilling and disturbing story of love.

AND on top of all that, is an all-star cast that knows what they’re doing. Lead by Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, both giving career best performances as the unhappy couple. Pike skins her Rom-com persona for something genuinely twisted and disturbing, while Affleck plays into his leading man charm, using it as a weight to which he twists and warps his layered and troubled performance around, till he becomes almost as unrecognisable as Pike.

Gone Girl is a murder mystery thriller which will keep you wondering till the end, and leave you feeling violated after. A must see.

1: Whiplash

At this point it almost feels cliché to praise Whiplash; the little indie film that could. But I will anyway. Whiplash is a fever of a film, tense, emotional, and one for anyone who’s ever tried to peruse a creative life-like I am now. I see myself as a creative person, (check out my production company here) and though I’m not a drummer (but love Jazz), I completely related to it characters, and their drive to push themselves and other people to be better; to always do better, and to never be completely satisfied with where you are. As well as how people see that kind of person and how they are compared to more academic pursuits. I love seeing talent recognized and honed.

On a more technical side, the film is tight and on-beat throughout. Never slowing down and always building to its blistering climax. Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons give back to back two of the best, most intense performances of 2014, pitted against each-other and out for blood; It might be one of the most complex mentor pupil relationships put to film. Writer Damien Chazelle does a masterful job on the script (reading it made me feel terrible about my own) as well giving it a razor sharp and dynamic look behind the camera; he is definitely a young talent to watch. 

I’ve already seen the film four times, and have yet to be bored with a single second of it.

And thats it for my favourite films of 2014. Really the last few entries could easily be rearranged, depending on how I feel on which day,and there are still so many other amazing films of 2014 that couldn’t all fit on this list. So I leave you with a video made by my favourite online critic: Chris Stuckman 

Keep tuned for more reviews and rambling thoughts as we dive deeper and deeper in 2015.Though next weeks is another list about 2014. 😀

See you next ramble.