2015 Top 10 Attempt

Just because it's fun, let's attempt to put together a top ten of 2015 before we are even there. Will these films make the actual list in a year?

WILD CARD: Spielberg's "Untitled Cold War Thriller"... I was not a fan of Lincoln and War Horse was... meh. My boy needs to step up with his latest starring Tom Hanks.

10. Ex Machina... Alex Garland's directorial debut. Sunshine is probably my favorite sci-fi film of all time... now he isn't just writing but behind the camera. I'm curious to see how this turns out.

9. Spectre... Bond baby! I'm excited to see what they have in store, now that the world is FINALLY set, and they hit the start button at the end of the last one.

8. Mad Max... This film will be fucking nuts... and probably the most fun at the theater.

7. The Martian... Ridley Scott back in space. Matt Damon back in space... I'm in.

6. Project Almanac... Another film from nowhere that has the possibility to blow my mind... but the fact that it's been shelved a bunch means that either the studio has no idea how to market it, or it just plain sucks.

5. Avengers: Age of Ultron... From what I can tell, Whedon is trying to outdo itself... I think it will be better than the first film... but not as great as Guardians of the Galaxy.

4. Tomorrowland... Brad Bird... George Clooney... Set in some weird futuristic alternate reality... sort of? Hells YES!

3.  Midnight Special... Jeff Nichols is 3 for 3 in my book and this new film about a young boy with special powers on the run with his dad sounds AMAZING.

2. The Walk... Zemeckis doing a 3D period piece, based on a true story, with my boy JGL... YES PLEASE

1. Jurassic World... because if you know me even a little, this has to be it right?

2014: The (Film) Year In Review

It's that time of the year again, and after many movies watched over the last twelve months, I have finally narrowed down my ten favorite films of the year. It actually proved to be quite difficult picking my top ten this year. There were a lot of really good movies, but trying to find the right group that summed up the year for me was a bit of a chore. I kind of wish I could have just gone with five... but I am a creature of habit. 

That being said, there were some films I really liked but didn't love, and therefore didn't make the cut. Films like Nightcrawler, which featured the single best performance by an actor in a film this year. Seriously, Jake Gyllenhaal is a revelation in that picture. Joe Carnahan's Stretch was bug nuts crazy as fuck, but didn't hit me as powerfully as some of his earlier films. The Lego Movie took the place of a Pixar film for the year and was really quite wonderful and inventive, but I never felt the emotional connection that I have felt before with Pixar's filmography. Interstellar is a great example of how too much hype can hurt a film. Initially I thought I loved it much more than I do now, but in the weeks since, I have realized its many flaws which ultimately scratched it from my list. 

I could go on and on about what films I liked, but you are all here for the good stuff. So... without further ado, here is my 2014 list.

10. The One I Love 

directed by Charlie McDowell

Part romantic comedy, part Twilight Zone episode, The One I Love is a cerebral experience that will stay with you long after it's over, having you scratching your head as you discuss the film later with the one you love.

Mark Duplass continues his reign as king of the indie fare and Elizabeth Moss may just be the most adorable woman I've never met. Ted Danson, unfortunately not reprising his role of Sam from Cheers, has a nice short scene in the beginning that sets the story on its course as we follow the young couple as they attempt to patch their relationship after they hit some rocks.

To say anymore of the film would be to spoil, so if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s on Netflix. Stream it. You won’t be disappointed.

9. Blue Ruin

directed by Jeremy Saulnier

Jeremy Saulnier's sophomore effort "Blue Ruin" is the kind of movie that you like seeing getting made. Not because it is a well crafted thriller centered by a star making performance. Not because of the gorgeous digital cinematography aided by a haunting score. Not because of the subtle moments often framed by a very realistic yet non-excessive approach to violence. It is because a movie like this got made at all. It's a film that major studios wouldn't have the balls to release because they'd have no idea how to handle it. 

Blue Ruin is a slow burn of a revenge story that follows Dwight, a man so broken from the past that the only way he can move forward is to dwell in it, never fully coming to terms with what has happened in his life, and dealing with it on his own terms. Unfortunately Macon Blair will not be a name that you hear this January when Oscar nominations are announced but he very well should be. The entire film rests on his shoulders in what is a make or break performance, and he delivers some of the year's best acting. 

In the end, Blue Ruin is a riveting picture that never pretends to be more than it really is. It goes for big moments in very real and subtle ways, and explores how loss effects a person and how anger and rage can ultimately take over, turning someone into something much more than they ever thought they could be. 

8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 

directed by Matt Reeves

Matt Reeves opens his outstanding Dawn of the Planet of the Apes with a near twenty minute sequence catching us up on Caesar, his family, and his fellow apes that retreated to the forests outside of San Francisco a decade before. The interesting thing about this sequence is the lack of dialogue, they are apes after all, yet the way the simians communicate and the educating of the younger apes is something to marvel at. He effortlessly shows how they have moved forward and are progressing as a society. It’s a spectacle to see and the CGI used not just in this sequence but throughout the film, is some of the best of the year.

The human race is dwindling due to the simian flu outbreak that we saw glimpses of in the previous Apes film. The survivors have banded together, only leaving the city and going into the ape-filled forest when absolutely necessary. An agreement of sorts has been made, and humans fear the apes, as stories of what happened years before spread as a cautionary tale.

Andy Serkis mesmerizes again as Caesar in another motion captured performance that unfortunately will go ignored by Academy voters. What he is able to express without every truly being on screen is quite amazing, and he creates such a profound character with very few words.

This film, like its predecessor, sets up the next entry quite nicely as the war between man and ape is on brink, and I look forward to what Reeves has up his sleeves as he is already hard at work on Rise of the Dawn of the Battle of the War of the Roses of the Apes. 

7. Snowpiercer 

directed by Joon-ho Bong

As far as “revolt against a dystopian society” movies go… this one may be the most original (yes I know it is based on a thirty-something year old graphic novel). After a climate change experiment fails, the remainder of the human race survives on a train that perpetually circles the frozen globe. Chris Evans leads a group of lower classers as they rebel against the class system unfairly placed upon them, overtaking the train, one car at a time. An allegory for the 99% vs. the 1%, Snowpiercer masterfully depicts modern real world issues in an original setting, with some of the most inventive action sequences I've seen all year.

Evans is perfectly cast as Curtis, the leader of the revolutionaries determined to reach the engine and take out Wilford, the creator of the train and a God-like figure whose shadow hangs over the train’s occupants. Curtis is a deeply flawed man, driven by his past to help humanity, and change the treatment of the occupants living in the tail end of the train.

Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable (as usual) as Mason, Wilford’s right hand (wo)man. Swinton plays Mason so different from the rest of the characters in the film that one may think she is in a comedy of sorts, but it works because the movie is pretty weird, and weird is good.

The film is dark, gritty and ridiculously violent without getting too over the top. It's a film that I could see Terry Gilliam wishing he had directed. Also, it's on Netflix... get on that shit.

6. Edge of Tomorrow 

directed by Doug Liman

If Groundhog Day met, fell in love with, and had a baby with Starship Troopers, then you’d have Edge of Tomorrow, and that is a match made in Heaven folks. Tom Cruise plays Major William Cage, a face for the joint world military and its struggle against an alien attack. War has ravaged most of Europe and it’s looking more and more hopeless for a successful outcome for the human race. After Cage’s pompousness gets the best of him, the inexperienced soldier is placed on the front-line of his guaranteed death… over and over again.

Love him or hate him, Cruise is one of the most charismatic actors performing on screen. His performance in Edge of Tomorrow, or Live Die Repeat as it has been renamed apparently, is perfectly Cruise. Unfortunately for him, he is constantly upstaged by Emily Blunt’s “Angel of Verdun” Rita Vrataski. Blunt really opens up her resume by showing that along with all of the period pieces, she can also hold her own as an action star. As great as Scarlett Johansson is as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I wonder what Blunt would have done with that character if she had stayed in the role as she was originally cast.

The gimmicky nature of the movie does not get wasted with repetition as the writers and director have given the characters a lot to do differently with each go around and the humor in the film is an unexpected surprise as I laughed almost as much as I awed throughout the course of the run-time.

All in all we got one of the better action/sci-fi films in years that could have easily been another ho-hum shoot ‘em up. Cruise and Blunt sell the film with their charm, and the cleverness of the film never steps on its own toes. 

5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

directed by Anthony & Joe Russo

At the end of Marvel’s last pre-Avengers Phase One movie, Steve Rogers had woken from his frozen slumber in a post 9-11 New York City. With everyone he knew from his WWII glory days either aged by sixty-plus years or presumably dead, Cap had no one to turn to; so obviously he would have no problem trying to meet new friends while breaking faces working for Nick Fury at SHIELD.

The Russo Brother’s sequel picks up not too long after NYC was demolished by the box office grosses of The Avengers… I mean the Chitauri attack. Captain America is officially an agent of SHIELD and spends his off time catching up on episodes of Seinfeld, and adjusting to this new time and place.

When a hidden agenda throughout the US government is unveiled, the plot and action kick up speed and Cap is on the run trying to clear his name, and figure out how Marvel could have planned something so awesome for so long without any of us knowing. Truly, the reveal of HYDRA having infiltrated SHIELD for so long was so unexpected and such a drastic shakeup to the MCU that I was surprised that Marvel would put themselves and their characters in a corner like that. It is such a big plot point that it fundamentally changed an entire TV show, making it much, much better in the process.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of the great action films of the last decade, and one of the best Marvel movies to date. They really hit it out of the park by casting Chris Evans as Rogers years back, and even though they are building towards a different character taking the title of “Captain America”, he will always be my Cap!

4. Gone Girl 

directed by David Fincher

Amy Dunne may be the scariest character of all time. Beautiful, deceitful, deadly, smart, ice cold... and completely human.

Rosamund Pike, the usual period piece best friend or lawyer type, gives the best performance of her career as the would-be missing, conniving wife of Ben Affleck's Nick, also giving a career best. Fincher and Flynn, adapting her own ridiculously addicting novel, together craft an amazing whodunit. Visually, it's the most gorgeously shot Fincher film to date, the actors move in and out of frame with an elegance of an actor who isn't showing that this is their 88th take. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, working with Fincher for the third time, give a more subdued score than previous efforts and it was an appropriate choice.

The film does so well at leading you down a single direction, that you would think there would be no other answer, but just like the book, the gut punch half way through changes everything that you have seen before that it begs additional viewings. 

Fincher has become quite the auteur in the thriller genre, yet he doesn't direct with comfort, it's more of a confidence, and as long as he is behind the camera, looking through the lens, I'll be in the theater, watching on screen.

3. Whiplash 

directed by Damien Chazelle

“There are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job.” Towards the end of the film when the masterful JK Simmons says this to our protagonist, we truly understand why he was the cold, hollow, abusive tyrant he has been since his introduction. He won’t allow any of his students at the music academy he teaches at be anything less than perfect. And he’ll go as far as throwing chairs at their heads to make sure they know that.

As far as I am concerned, we don’t even need to name off any nominees for best supporting actor this year. Just give Simmons the damn award already. After scaring everyone with his sadistic performance in HBO’s OZ, Simmons has resorted to either being the concerned father in indie comedies, or shilling out life insurance. His portrayal of Fletcher in Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash evokes his earlier work and is equally as frightening, and this time, forced sodomy isn't a threat he is able to use. The vitriolic dialogue he spits out at a speed Sorkin would be proud of, sears into the soul of every person he comes in contact with, including Andrew, Miles Teller’s character who is obsessed with becoming the best drummer since Charlie Parker. Fletcher pushes Andrew emotionally until he reaches his breaking point and the viewer is surprised it hadn't happened sooner.

Visually and audibly, Chazelle has crafted a film that pops. The jazz soundtrack works perfectly with the fast edits, Chazelle infusing quick shots with every hit of the drum. Whiplash is a film that keeps the attention of the viewer, not only for the visual panache, but for also the performances that captivate you until the final beat.

2. Boyhood 

directed by Richard Linklater

This feels like it is more than a movie. It IS more than a movie. To put this on the same level as the next Michael Bay cinema-abortion is a travesty. This is so. Much. More. For over a decade, Richard Linklater was able to coordinate and orchestrate a film that followed not just a boy, yes the main character is a young and growing boy, but this film follows a family. A broken family, but a family no less. The film is a series of snapshots of life. Whether is a small trip to the mountains, or an abusive relationship finally coming to a head. It's a series of moments... exactly what life truly is.

It's by far, the most ambitious film I've seen in years, and crafting a three hour film around a decade worth of life is not a small feat. Texas native Linklater works expertly, choosing which moments are pertinent, and which to skip over. He may have shot over twelve years of film, but to put together as a three hour cut that feels as tight as it does, I think there really isn't that much on the cutting room floor.

Its easy to talk about Linklater and how he has made the film of his career, but then we'd be leaving out the best part. As good as the writing and directing is, and it is THAT good, the real selling point of the film is the acting. Ethan Hawke, Linklater's apparent muse and BFF, is utterly believable as the father who could have just been a deadbeat, and maybe he is... but when it comes down to it, he loves his children and is there when they are needed.

You completely fall for Patricia Arquette, as the mother who pretty much single handily raises the two children on her own, all while doing the best she can for them, while occasionally making questionable choices for herself.

Linklater's own daughter, while not an experienced actress, is believable as the young annoying sister, and as she ages, the one you look up to.

Then there is the unproven Ellar Coltrane, who could have been the one loose screw and destroyed the entire film. But no... Coltrane may be trying his hardest or not trying at all, but he excels at making us believe that he is just this kid, growing up, going through both boring uneventful times, and moments when life seems to overcome. So... basically, he is growing up.

Linklater and his team of collaborators have put together a film that I truly believe deserves to and WILL win best picture this year. While it may not be my favorite film of the year, it is without a doubt, the best film I've seen in 2014.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy 

directed by James Gunn

At face value it seemed like a no brainer. Marvel Entertainment, hot off of their critically and fan loved sequel to Captain America, releases their first original franchise since well, the last Captain America. You would think that it's a guaranteed hit based on the studio’s track record. But deep down, it's pretty easy to see some trepidation. It’s based on a much less known property than any of their other releases, and features characters that include a pair of non-human bounty hunters. They are Rocket, a wise-cracking walking and talking raccoon, and his best friend Groot, who happens to be a walking and (sort of) talking tree.  The space-opera as it has been hailed as is well, obviously set in space and features a soundtrack of decades old songs. It is expertly directed by cult-fav James Gunn who started his career with the gross out film studio Troma.  

It was a gamble, no doubt, but it also proved to be the smartest decision that Marvel has made in years. Guardians of the Galaxy, or a "bunch of A-holes" as they are referred by, are exactly the anti-Avengers that audiences were looking for in the dog days of the most lackluster summer movie season seen in years.

With a plot that moved as fast as Starlord's spaceship, The Milano, and more pop culture references than an EW top ten list, GotG was easily the most entertaining film I have seen all year.

Chris Pratt became a movie star over the course of two hours, and Zoe Saldana added yet another franchise to her already busy career. This is the only movie I saw more than once (three times) in the theater this year, and I plan on destroying my Blu-Ray by repeated viewings. More than any other film this year, GotG left me smiling, excited, and very very anxious to see how future Marvel movies hold up against their greatest film yet.

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There you have it, the films that made me smile wide at the big screen, eager to what those involved have planned next in their careers.

There are a couple films that I haven't seen yet that I wish I did... Wild, American Sniper, Imitation Game, The Hobbit... all in due time.

The worst film of the year for me... Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. That was just a huge disappointment, not even worth talking about.

Next year looks incredible with quite possibly the greatest lineup of films in my what will be 34 years. Who knows what will be on the list in another 365 days. Till then, keep those eyes on the screen!

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