I used the UK release dates when it came to compiling my choices, so anything that was released between January 1 and December 26 was eligible. Unfortunately, this means that films such as Birdman and Whiplash, which both look excellent, have been omitted. Of course, it also means that many of last year's Oscar nominees can be included, so there's some give and take. My list is far from definitive - I haven't seen all the films released in 2014, so there may be some glaring omissions (namely Nightcrawler, which I intend to see very soon). But these are, for what it's worth, the ten films which have made enough of an impression on me to be deemed my favourite films of 2014.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy might be one of the latest films to come out of Marvel's franchise machine, but it's actually its conscious departure from the qualities we've come to expect in comic book films that earns it a place on my list. For one thing, while everyone has heard of Iron Man, Captain America, the Hamburglar and so on, to the point where they might as well belong in the Nation Archive for Stock Comic Book Characters, very few have heard of Rocket Raccoon, or Drax the Destroyer - and what's more, no-one expects us to have heard of these characters either. It's a completely refreshing experience, to go into the cinema without worrying about whether the fact that you haven't seen Thor 2 or didn't stay after the end credits of The Avengers will impact your enjoyment of the film.
Instead, Guardians of the Galaxy functions as a straightforwardly exciting adventure among the stars, the likes of which we haven't seen properly since the original Star Wars. It follows Peter Quill, a.k.a. "Star Lord", as he hops between planets in his spaceship intent on finding and selling a priceless artefact. He's played by the enormously charismatic Chris Pratt, and he's only one of the many memorable characters that we meet here - including a tree voiced by Vin Diesel - who are thrown together to become the "guardians" of the title. The fact that we know nothing going in means that the characters have to compete for the audience's attention, which does wonders for the quality of the narrative. Sequels will inevitably come, but as a self-contained film this might be one of the best blockbuster efforts in years.
BEST MOMENT: James Gunn's script is inspired and consistently funny, so picking an individual moment is almost impossible. But there's a great bit where Dave Bautista's red-skinned warrior Drax gets one of the best set-ups for a joke I've ever heard (it's the one about things going over heads).
9. Jodorowsky's Dune
Now, here's a story about a film which might have made Guardians of the Galaxy possible. It's a documentary by Frank Pavich about Alejandro Jodorowsky's infamous attempt to adapt Frank Herbert's sci-fi masterpiece Dune, which never quite came to fruition. But, like the best of documentaries, Jodorowsky's Dune goes beyond the (already quite fascinating) non-fictional subject matter to make a far deeper comment on human ambition, and how moments of history can be made - and unmade - by the agendas of a select few individuals.
Part of the joy of watching this film comes from Jodorowsky himself being interviewed, as he speaks enthusiastically about the many ways he tried to bring the seemingly impossible project together. Some of his stories are very funny (his encounter with Orson Welles is a highlight), but there's an underlying sadness to both his and his many collaborators' interviews. Jodorowsky poured his heart and soul into the film - which can be seen in the brick-like book full of storyboards - so when it was rejected by nervous Hollywood executives he lost hope, and didn't make a film again for over thirty years. But Pavich argues that even these storyboards inspired an entire generation of films, from Star Wars and The Terminator to Prometheus, and the film itself becomes a celebration of one filmmaker daring to innovate, to explore the wild and unknown territories of cinema in hopes of creating great art. As Jodorowsky says, "If you fail, is not important. We need to try."
BEST MOMENT: Jodorowsky interrupts the interview to speak to (and cuddle) his cat.
8. The Babadook
Can a horror film move you? Yes, says Jennifer Kent, and not only that, but a horror film can move you and scare you - at the same time! Such was The Babadook, Australia's unexpectedly brilliant horror offering. What made it stand out in the saturated horror market was the fact that, for all its supernatural pretensions, it was a film about truly scary aspects of the human soul, and didn't rely on cheap jump scares to get this across.
It's a story about mother and son, the mother (Amelia) still suffering from the grief of losing her husband seven years ago. Living in a claustrophobic, messy house, domestic issues bubble to the surface even before the titular conceit is introduced. Amelia seems to blame her son for her husband's death - he was driving her to the hospital when he crashed their car - and her son copes with this by lashing out, making make-shift weapons to ward off seemingly imaginary monsters. It's hardly a surprise, then, when a real monster shows up, although to Kent's credit it's brilliantly spooky. The "Babadook" is a shadowy being with long, sharp fingers, sporting a top hat and mask fixed in a permanent grin. He announces himself with three sharp knocks, and soon begins possessing the members of the house over the period of a few claustrophobic days.
Part of the brilliance of The Babadook is its ambiguities. Is the Babadook real, or is it a metaphor for a mother's depression, or a child's worst fears? Can it be all of the above? It's never really resolved, but the emotional heft of the acting and storytelling make this an unforgettable, terrifying experience.
BEST MOMENT: Amelia begins reading a children's storybook to her son, only for her to realise, too late, that it's not a normal storybook...
7. Gone Girl
Throughout the months of October and November, if you were a student then, for a time, Gone Girl was the film to see. Seldom before has a film's reputation as both the twistiest and nastiest around travelled so quickly through word of mouth. It's a wonder I managed to arrive at the cinema without at least one of the many twists being spoiled for me.
Thank God I did, however, because I can't remember the last time I was gripped so ferociously by a film's narrative. What first begins as compelling story about a missing wife (Rosamund Pike) and a husband (Ben Affleck) who might be harbouring a dark secret soon turned into a sensationalist story about trust, the media, and the breakdown of a marriage. And then things get really crazy. Notable for its perfect casting - Affleck and Pike are both superb, but even those in the smallest roles are brilliant (even Tyler Perry!) - and shiny-smart direction by David Fincher, it was essentially pulp, but it was so well made and entertaining pulp that I didn't mind at all.
BEST MOMENT: "Technically, missing..."
6. 12 Years a Slave
On the other side of the spectrum, Steve McQueen's film about slavery is perhaps the antithesis of escapist entertainment; instead, it's both compulsory filmmaking and compulsory viewing, for there's no better depiction of one the darkest moments in human history. The story of Solomon Northup is an incredible one, sobering in its damning indictment of humanity and allowing someone to slip through the cracks for twelve years, but also inspiring in our hero's utter refusal to give up hope. He doesn't want to survive, he wants to live.
However, it's also a film which owes a great deal of its success to its talent. McQueen's direction is obviously electrifying, refusing to shy away from the most brutal aspects of slave life, but of equal importance are the performances. Chiwetel Ejiofor, one of Britain's most talented but cruelly underrated actors, is finally given the role of a lifetime here, and he couldn't do a better job; and Michael Fassbender dominates the screen as a bible-bashing plantation owner who refuses to see his slaves as human beings. Yet the star of the show is, in my book, newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, who gives her character Patsey a heartbreaking dignity and quiet bravery. Deserving of all its Oscar glory, 12 Years a Slave is undoubtedly one of the most important films of 2014, maybe of the decade, and to ignore it would be foolish.
BEST MOMENT: The powerful sequence where Solomon is forced to whip Patsey, all filmed in one unbearably long take.
5. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Now we're talking. A delightful antidote to the saturated world of the gritty blockbuster, Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel is probably his best effort yet. It's essentially a madcap comedy, told through three separate filters of stories - a child is reading a book about an author (Jude Law) interviewing an elderly hotel owner (F. Murray Abraham) about his encounters with a world-famous concierge (Ralph Fiennes), and all kept separate through three aspect ratios. But Anderson's film was never less than an utter delight, with a fairytale quality weaved into the narrative through its saccharine, beautiful use of colour and consciously perfect composition, making every frame into a virtual painting. The performances were brilliant, too - a bitingly sharp Fiennes effortlessly steals the show, but the star-studded cast was put to good use, with highlights including a topless Harvey Keitel and Bill Murray sporting the world's most impressive moustache.
Yet what made The Grand Budapest Hotel such a memorable experience was its underlying sadness - the fictional Republic of Zubrowka, the film's setting, is ravaged by war and disease - and nostalgia for a long-lost age. Fiennes' Gustave H. is the last bastion of class, standing before a new world order defined by chaos and brutality, and his gradual undoing is nothing less than heartbreaking. As Mr Moustafa (Abraham) says of his mentor: "His world had vanished long before he entered it, but he certainly sustained the illusion with a marvellous grace."
BEST MOMENT: The climactic chase on the ski slopes.
4. Calvary
John Michael McDonagh began his directing career with The Guard, a very funny buddy-cop film which paired Don Cheadle's FBI agent with Brendan Gleeson's profane local Irish policeman. His second film, Calvary, also stars Gleeson, but it's made in a darker, more serious vein, and is all the better for it. It's about honest priest Father James (Gleeson) who is told at the beginning of the film that he's to be killed in a week. We don't see the man who makes the threat; James thinks he knows who it is, but he doesn't say, choosing instead to put his house in order and make peace with his daughter (a terrific Kelly Reilly). The problem is that it's made harder by a community that has grown hostile of the church over the years, years dominated by scandal and immoral behaviour. It doesn't matter that James is a good priest, and it doesn't matter who's threatened him - McDonagh uses the intimate, domestic details to tell an epic story of Ireland in turmoil.
Of course, none of this would work without Brendan Gleeson. He's not only one of our generation's finest actors, he's one of the only actors that can completely dominate a film, both in physical stature and emotional resonance. By far my favourite performance of the year, Calvary is worth seeing for his presence alone, but also for a climax that will leave you breathless and moved beyond tears.
BEST MOMENT: The stark opening in the confessional booth.
3. Inside Llewyn Davis
Cruelly overlooked at the Oscars in March, Inside Llewyn Davis might just be the Coen brothers' masterpiece. Set in early 1960s New York, the film follows Oscar Isaac as Llewyn Davis, a struggling folk singer who spends his time working in sleazy bars and sleeping on his friends' sofas. He soon sets off on a meandering odyssey to Chicago, where he hopes to audition for legendary music producer Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham). But, unlike most musical biopics, Llewyn never achieves success - he's only a good musician, not a great one, and the story is ultimately a melancholy reflection on the altogether too-common death of creative aspiration in a hostile world.
Yet it remains one of the year's most beautiful films, visually in its depiction of New York (all washed-out, smoky colour pallets) but on a narrative level, too. Llewyn is a fascinating character - when we first meet him he's unlikeable, overbearingly passive-aggressive and ungrateful of his friends' support, notably couple Jean (Carey Mulligan) and Jim (Justin Timberlake), the former pregnant with his child. But soon we find that this front is masking an underlying sadness following the death of his musical partner, and that the sincerity and pride which emerged from this is preventing him from realising his full potential.
Of course, it's not all doom and gloom. There are some ripe comic moments, particularly from John Goodman as a heroin addict, and the soundtrack is unanimously excellent. But this is the Coens at their most serious and their most profound, and for my money it's the best film they've ever made.
BEST MOMENT: The hilarious recording of "Please Mr. Kennedy", a catchy novelty song featuring a scene-stealing bass player (Adam Driver).
2. Under the Skin
Jonathan Glazer's masterpiece arrived quietly, playing in a select few arthouse cinemas and taking away a modest $5 million, which didn't even cover its $13 million budget. Yet it's a testament to the quality of the film and the power of word of mouth that it managed to be one of the most well-regarded films of 2014, landing the #1 spot in several critics' "Top 10" lists. And were it not for a particular film that connected with me on a deeply personal level, Under the Skin would also be my #1, for it might be some of the bravest, most original filmmaking of the twenty-first century.
I can't summarise the plot well, partly because I still don't quite understand all of it but also because it doesn't really matter. The film follows an alien, played by an almost unrecognisable Scarlett Johansson, who traverses Glasgow in her white van, preying on susceptible men and luring back to her black, gooey lair where dark electronic music plays. This is where Glazer's genius shines through - the film is set in the most unremarkable areas of Scotland, but through simulating the perspective of an extra-terrestrial even the most boring shopping malls come across as terrifying and otherworldly. The film basically moves between settings and set pieces, going from the city streets to a nightclub and even to a mountainside forest, but never feels meandering or dull because of the astonishing power of its imagery. I never thought I'd see a man's body completely crumple, or find the image of a baby stranded on a beach so intensely upsetting, but I did, and when I came out of the cinema I had to wander around for a bit to process what the hell I'd just seen.
Some have described it as frustratingly vague, which isn't entirely untrue, but I didn't care. The film's merits - among them Mica Levi's incredible soundtrack and Johansson's brave, subversive performance - heavily outweigh its flaws, and I'd hope it would inspire more filmmakers to take bigger risks in their art, and to never shy away from anything which can be seen as challenging or abstract. Under the Skin is the uncompromising proof that this always pays off.
BEST MOMENT: The disturbing, beautiful ending in the snow.
1. Boyhood
How could I pick anything else for the #1 spot on my list? Back in July I raved about this film, saying it was the closest cinema has ever come to saying something meaningful about my own life, and my position hasn't changed one bit.
Richard Linklater gambled big when it came to planning Boyhood, a film which would be made periodically over 12 years to realistically capture the development of its young (and old) actors. So much could have gone wrong - what if Ellar Coltrane, the leading "boy" of the picture, decided he didn't want to be an actor any more? What if financial backing stopped mid-way? But, as we know, none of this happened - everything in Boyhood was perfect. Not concerned with rigidly structuring a coming-of-age piece, Linklater allowed the film to come together naturally, with seemingly improvised scenarios going beyond their obvious period value (Coldplay and Harry Potter are some of the signifiers of time passing) to act as gentle, subtle, sometimes funny and often poignant vignettes about family life and growing up in a frighteningly complicated world.
The acting was some of the best of the year, with Patricia Arquette taking away top honours solely for the emotional scene where she laments a life that has passed too quickly, but Ethan Hawke was also brilliant as Mason's well-meaning and occasionally hapless father. Yet this is a film which belongs to its young heroes, both Coltrane and an undermentioned Lorelei Linklater as his sister, who also makes the incredible transformation from child to adult before our very eyes. All the characters are treated with grace and dignity, and show that it isn't just a film about "boyhood" - it's a film about life, presented with the highest degree of realism and, thankfully, without sentimentality. It's what makes this film so moving without being cloying, and it's part of the reason why this is, without doubt, my favourite film of 2014.
BEST MOMENT: Jason drives away for college while Family of the Year's "Hero" plays. I'm welling up just thinking about it.
