Top Movies of 2014

TOP 5 MOVIES OF 2014*

*Australian release dates

This year's panel took their sweet ass time.

5. Chef

Jon Favreau finally dialed down the budget and in the process cooked up a memorable storm. Down to earth and real, what else could we want? … How about some of the food?

4. Her

Spike Jonze brought back his unique style and design for Her. Three inspired actors came together (Phoenix, Johansson and Adams), thus we are left thinking about love, relationships and life. Winner.

3. The Wolf Of Wallstreet

I am a Scorsese fanboy. It’s just a fact of life. Us devotees have been waiting for the white-collar madness, and we got it. Leonardo, take a bow.

2. 12 Years A Slave

Let the tears flow. Just let go and let Steve McQueen’s artistry and storytelling take control.

1. Calvary

Father James Lavelle: I think there's too much talk about sins and not enough about virtues.

Fiona Lavelle: What would be your number one?

Father James Lavelle: I think forgiveness has been highly underrated.

6th Man of the Year: Paddington, The Lego Movie

This is a salute to the ever-impressive animation genre! In 2014 my love for animation was rekindled. The Lego Movie set things off, but I also saw Up! and Tangled. (Note: I was crying within minutes of Up!)  

It really was a toss up between Paddington and The Lego Movie for this sixth man role. I went with Paddington first because I thought it would be a generic, run-of-the-mill animation flick. But like the other animation flicks I've mentioned - shout out to How To Train Your Dragon 2 - it was a quirky delight! There's something about quirky, laugh-out-loud, family-friendly animation flicks that floats my boat.

P.S. Let Frozen go!

The ones I missed out on due to my impoverished life: Boyhood, Nightcrawler, Whiplash 

Yes, I'm aware that pretty much every 'Top Movies of 2014' list includes Boyhood and Nightcrawler. ARGH!

Surprise of 2014: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Edge of Tomorrow

After I saw a trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes I rolled my eyes and thought the talking ape sounded like Marlon Brando in The Godfather. My first thought after seeing a trailer for Edge of Tomorrow was that it looked like Michael Bay's version of Groundhog Day. As things turned out, both movies were a pleasant surprise! Dawn of the Planet of the Apes had a compelling plot and some deeper questions were asked of us humans. Edge of Tomorrow turned out to be a gripping affair... with a bit of comedy and edginess snuck in. You just have to overlook the all too neat ending of Edge of Tomorrow. 

Flop of the Year: The Giver 

Reading Lowry's book in school was something of a mind blowing affair. Aussie director Philip Noyce's film, on the other hand, was laborious and lame. Noyce and the crew didn't take the shots Lowry did (at society) and the teenage acting reminded me of Noyce's '90s flop The Saint. Despite all of this, I'm happy to report that my man crush on Jeff Bridges is still raging!

"Give me back my money, you swindler!" of the Year: Maleficent

How?! Why?! What?! From start to finish I was bored, aggravated and felt betrayed. I knew it was going to be a "let me tell you what really happened" affair - I just thought it would offer more intrigue and pull than it did. 

Angelina Jolie's 'Maleficent' looks the part, but falls flat, in part, due to the woeful writing, character development and awkward plot. There's also a sort-of-rape scene (you'll know it when you see it) which left me wondering if the film was being pitched to adults or children. Was Maleficent aimed at those who grew up watching the conservative Disney classic? Or was it for the kiddies of today? The answer, I suspect, lies somewhere in the middle and explains why the movie should be forgotten.

Best Actor: Brendan Gleeson

I'm not expecting Gleeson to win anything for his role as Father James in John Michael McDonagh's Calvary, but that doesn't mean I can't give him a nod. As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew this was a film for me. It reminded me of Doubt, with an authentic Irish twang. And from the opening confessional scene, where Father James is told he will die in seven day's time, I was hooked. McDonagh and Gleeson appear to be entering rarefied territory, I'm hoping they'll continue to make art together. I enjoyed more than just Gleeson's performance, but his steely eyed, down to earth and badarse priest was hard to go past.

Best Actress: Rosamund Pike

Rosmaund Pike scared the stuffing (let’s keep this PG!) out of me in Gone Girl. She also had me wondering if perhaps I shouldn't have got married in February. (Easy now!)

I honestly couldn't name two movies Pike was in before this, yet I won't be forgetting her as the devious and maniacal Amy Dunne in Gone Girl. I still can't get that sex-murder scene out of my mind! Shivers. Fincher always takes an actor to the next level in his films. This one belongs to Pike's intense and demonstrative performance. 

Best Original Screenplay: Calvary & The Grand Budapest Hotel

I'm going to overlook Calvary - I reviewed it earlier in the year - and sidestep to Wes Anderson's latest piece of unique art, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig (I've only read sections of one of Zweig's biographies, Erasmus of Rotterdam), I enjoyed Grand Budapest a lot more than Anderson's teenage angst-y Moonrise Kingdom. 

You just have to take your time and hit the pause button while watching this one - otherwise you won’t fully appreciate the beauty of each shot, scene and line. While watching Anderson's films I can't help but think that every single shot, set and line comes straight from the maestro's vivid imagination. Obviously, Grand Budapest didn't make my top five, however, I think this is one of the better Anderson films. In case you are wondering, Fantastic Mr. Fox ranks as my favourite Wes Anderson film. Another salute to animation... and my childhood.

Best Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years A Slave

One of the editors at Empire tossed me a freebie at the start of the year, Solomon Northup's 12 Years A Slave. Northrop's memoir is evocative and challenging - like McQueen's adaptation it'll shake you to your core. History can be worrying, but truth is important. McQueen had wanted to make a film depicting slavery in America, however, it wasn't until his partner gave him Northup's memoir that McQueen and writer John Ridley went to work. They took the essence of the downtrodden and persecuted man and through tremendous acting and development created a masterpiece. I'm surprised the film didn't get more attention (worldwide). Perhaps the raw truth put people off.

Read some of the memoir and then watch the film. It's a moving experience and one that shouldn't be missed. 

“My wife found this book called 12 Years a Slave, and I read this book, and I was totally stunned. It was like a bolt coming out of the sky; at the same time I was pretty upset with myself that I didn't know this book. ... Slowly but surely I realized that most people, in fact all the people I knew did not know this book. I live in Amsterdam where Anne Frank is a national hero. She's not just a national hero, she's a world hero, and for me this book read like Anne Frank's diary but written 97 years before — a firsthand account of slavery. I basically made it my passion to make this book into a film.” - Steve McQueen

A Handful to Catch in 2015: Star Wars VI: The Force Awakens, The Hateful Eight, Blackhat, Jurassic World, Spectre... The Peanuts Movie.