My Favourite Films of 2014

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when I tell you what were my favourite films from the last 12 months, and you go out to see them, only to discover that none of them are still playing.

In 2014 I surpassed even my wildest expectations by visiting the cinema no fewer than 96 times. This does not mean that I saw 96 different films, as some merited repeat viewings, but I did see 88 unique motion pictures on the big screen. 87 of these trips I made alone, which I’m sure some of you will find strange, but I do not. After all, you can’t talk while the film is on, so I see no reason one should not attend the picture house on one’s own. “That’s still a bit sad,” some of you will be thinking. “He must have no social life,” others among you will have concluded. Well, you’re all wrong. The only negative side effect of my going to the cinema so frequently this year is that I have started deliberately turning up 20 minutes late to all appointments. This is something that I need to address, because in life, there are no trailers.

Anyway, never mind all that now. My favourite films from the year* are listed below.

7. Boyhood
“You don’t want the bumpers. Life doesn’t give you bumpers.”

This was something of an enormous undertaking from Richard Linklater, a director whose work I enjoy but need to see more of, and he is not alone on this list. Shot over a period of 12 years, we see a young boy grow into a man, while various other characters move in and out of his life. The plotline is far from revolutionary, but the way Linklater approached the film, using the same actors at various interludes, and adapting the story around current events and the situation of lead actor Ellar Coltrane, is quite remarkable. As you might expect, Coltrane grows into the role over the years, and was impressive throughout. Both Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke are excellent as his parents, and Linklater’s daughter, Lorelei, puts in a great turn as Coltrane’s sister. As I saw the boy grow up, I recognised a lot of aspects of the people I used to be, and cringed a little, as we are wont to do when we are reminded of our younger selves. The film didn’t exactly make me think about life or any of that stuff, but it was a very well-told story, and a remarkable cinematic achievement.

6. Nightcrawler
“If you’re seeing me, you’re having the worst day of your life.”

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this film. I have never been too impressed with Jake Gyllenhaal, but then, I’ve never seen him in a particularly challenging role before this. As Louis Bloom, a Los Angeles man who begins filming newsworthy events and selling them to local news stations, he shows us a man who appears rather odd on first glance, but is shown to be a complete sociopath as he is unravelled over two hours. As a journalism student, I was required to take a class entitled ‘Media Ethics,’ which advised against many of Bloom’s activities, while others were not even addressed, as they would come under ‘General Ethics’ or ‘Basic Humanity.’ The viewer begins to wonder just how far Bloom will go to get a story, or to enhance one, until we reach the rather horrific conclusion, when the audience at my screening let out a gasp of shock, which was easily the most noticeable reaction across all 96 of my 2014 cinema experiences. “A modern-day Taxi Driver,” is how my flatmate described it, which is certainly an apt summary of a brilliantly told, phenomenally acted character study.

5. The Wolf of Wall Street
“I’m never eating at Benihana again, I don’t care whose birthday it is.”

Films are getting longer, which is not a trend I particularly like. A number of the films I have seen in recent years could have done with being a good 20-30 minutes shorter; some even 45. It’s not that I have a short attention span; I could happily watch a Lord of the Rings marathon, but would be less than keen to precede it with The Hobbit. I had heard very good things about The Wolf of Wall Street, but I was still not desperate to attend a packed Saturday night screening of a three-hour film when I had already seen two others that day (there was a lot to fit in in January). However, I was never bored, I did not feel uncomfortable in my seat, and I did not fall asleep, despite it being very warm in the screen. Leonardo DiCaprio and co kept me hooked on a story that, on paper, should not have been very interesting, for the full three hours. I normally find financial stories rather dull and difficult to follow, but this one was brilliantly done. Definitely worth watching if you are a fan of money, drugs, swearing, rhythmic chest-banging, or Matthew McConaughey.

4. Dallas Buyers Club
“Alright, alright, alright.”

Hey, speaking of Matthew McConaughey, what a year he’s had. As well as True Detective and Interstellar, he starred in this moving true story of a man who tests positive for AIDS, and spends his remaining time trying to help others in the same situation. He was at times upstaged by Jared Leto as a transgender woman who helps him to banish his prejudices, as both put in career-defining performances, alongside Jennifer Garner who was also on top form as a doctor who does her best to bend the rules. As a socialist and a Brit, I do not pretend to fully understand the American healthcare system, but situations like this make it almost impossible for me to comprehend why anyone is happy for medical care to be defined by one’s social status. Except for rich people, of course, but I understand so little of their world that I’m not about to start trying to get my head around it.
Anyway, I digress. Dallas Buyers Club is based on the heart-wrenching story of Ron Woodroof, a man who lived far longer than doctors told him was possible, and made many people glad he had done so. A must for film lovers (most of whom will likely have seen it, of course).

3. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
“Never let them see you lose your temper.”

Oh wow. Wow. As excellent as Morgan Freeman was in Invictus, his portrayal of Nelson Mandela has been bested by Idris Elba. The only problem I had with this film, really, was that Elba doesn’t really look that much like Madiba, but this is a small issue, and one that is cancelled out by his understanding of the man and incredible performance. Indeed, I didn’t think anyone in this film could have done a better job than they did, but Elba, as the lead, was of course the stand out. This was particularly emotional, as I saw the film just a few weeks after Mandela died, and I found it an apt tribute to a great (but flawed, as the film is not afraid to show) man. This is to be expected, since the film is based directly on Mandela’s own memoir.
I don’t really have much more to say about this film. It was extremely well done, very respectful, and very difficult to watch at times, for all the right reasons.

2. Gone Girl
“His Majesty prefers not to be moistened.”

A bit of a tone shift now for the only film this year that I saw three times. David Fincher is another director of whom I need to see more, as I have very much enjoyed all of his work that I’ve seen so far. Gone Girl was adapted for the screen by Gillian Flynn from her bestselling novel of the same name, which I confess I have not read. I had planned to do so, but the film’s release sneaked up on me, and I ran out of time. Despite this, I was very excited about the film, largely because of Ben Affleck, who is wonderful and will make a fine Batman, so you can shut up about that. I was less keen on Rosamund Pike (who, incidentally, is tied with Chris Pratt and Benedict Cumberbatch for appearing in the most films I’ve watched this year, with four apiece), as I found her quite annoying in a couple of other films in which I’d seen her. I think, though, that the problem I had was with her characters (or possibly her voice, or a combination of the two), because I loved her in Gone Girl, almost as much as I loved Affleck. The pair play a couple whose marriage is in trouble, and Affleck returns home on their fifth wedding anniversary to find that Pike has disappeared, in suspicious circumstances. Their story is told through the police investigation and through flashbacks of their relationship, detailing how they got to this stage. I’m going to say almost nothing more about the plot, because it’s extremely delicate, and I was glad when I saw it (the first time) that I did not know where it was going. With great supporting performances from Carrie Coon, Tyler Perry, Kim Dickens, and Neil Patrick Harris, this film has fast become one of my all-time favourites. I can’t say anything about it as an adaptation of the book, but I’ll be reading it pretty soon, so give me a shout if you’d like to hear my thoughts. Or I might write them up unsolicited, as I do sometimes.
Finally, three cheers to Gone Girl for finally making it socially acceptable to talk about Ben Affleck’s penis.

1. Calvary
“It’s certainly a startling opening line.”

Underappreciated gem Brendan Gleeson stars in this underappreciated gem about an Irish priest who receives a death threat in confession. I haven’t received too many death threats myself, but from what I understand, they are not normally as specific as this one, wherein Father James (Gleeson) is instructed to meet his killer on the beach the following Sunday. The whole thing is conducted very calmly, with the audience unable to see the man on the other side of the wall, who explains that he is going to kill Father James because he is a good priest, not because he is a bad one. James then spends the next week or so pondering what to do, seeking advice on whether or not he is allowed to report the threat since it was made in confession, deciding whether or not to flee, and helping members of his local community as normal. His daughter visits him from London, but he does not tell her (or many others) about what is troubling him.
I was expecting darkness, of which I received plenty, but not as much comedy as was delivered. There are a lot of laughs in what is of course a very dark film, and it also takes a good look at the Catholic church and small town life. Calvary is an interesting character study, written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, who was also behind the excellent The Guard, and whose brother Martin directed In Bruges (both of which, incidentally, also starred Gleeson). Despite similarities with The Guard, though, this film is in several ways unlike any other I have ever seen, and a truly remarkable piece of cinema. If you haven’t seen it, you absolutely should, and if you have, you absolutely should do so again. I’d like to see it get a nod or two at the Oscars, but that’s probably a bit of a long shot, given its fairly limited exposure.

*The best film I saw at the cinema this year was actually Withnail and I, but since the film is so old, I have declared it ineligible. It wouldn’t really be fair to the other films, anyway.