Best of 2014

It's time for the annual Best of 2014 wrap-up. I make my list for reasons similar to other critics, but not all of them. My criteria is how a movie makes me feel, plain and simple. That's the whole point of film, isn't it? to evoke emotion of some kind, whether it's through strong characters, complex relationships, clever writing, good directing, a familiar story, or just plain cool action. I was going to make a top 10, but that proved a bit difficult this year. So, this is my 12.5 best films of 2014.

Best film of the year - Whiplash. I just saw this a few days ago, but see my rave review for more details.

Feel good film of the year - Chef. Chef was a gem that wasn't talked about much, but this film of a divorced dad leaving his prestigious job as head chef of a fancy restaurant to travel in a food truck hit the mark. Jon Favreau wrote, directed, and starred, and anytime you mix an upbeat story with delicious looking food, the film wins. It didn't try to be more dramatic than it needed to be, it just went with the flow. Not a great film, but memorable enough and just leaves you smiling at the end.

Most original film of the year - Birdman. It will be a shame if Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu doesn't win Best Director. The seamless camera work and pure originality of the story and characters is nothing short of brilliant. Nothing comes close to Birdman in terms of grounded surrealism (maybe I'll coin that term).

Most fun at the theatres - Guardians of the Galaxy. A lot of it might be due to Chris Pratt's emergence as the next big thing, but Marvel nailed it when they took a band of unknown characters and started yet another billion dollar franchise. Bravo, Marvel. I never cease to be amazed with their savvy decisions. Hopefully Ant Man continues the lesser known character success. And if not? They've still got the Avengers.

Most surprisingly awesome action film - Edge of Tomorrow (aka All You Need is Kill, aka Live, Die, Repeat). Doug Liman proved that a 50 year old Tom Cruise is still a viable action star. This was a great adaptation of a Japanese story and combined some sweet special effects with a great sci-fi story.

Most underrated Oscar-Caliber film - Nightcrawler. Gyllenhaal's performance blew me away, and although I wouldn't remove any of the Best Actor nominees, Jake got snubbed. The film leaves you with an icky feeling, but that was the whole intent. And it was well-done. Mission accomplished.

Best military film - American Sniper. Although my review was more "good, not great" than anything else, it is still a genre close to my heart. American Sniper still makes my list.

Best Biopic - tie: The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything. I know, I'm cheating, but it's hard not to give props to both of these films. Fortunately for Michael Keaton, the performances of Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumberbatch and the films themselves have so much in common that they just might hurt each others chances of winning a deserved Best Actor. Both of these films were incredibly well-done and as such, deserve the recognition.

Most heart-wrenching family drama - Still Alice. Julianne Moore will win the Best Actress Oscar for a woman who develops early-onset Alzheimers way too young. Heart-breaking performance, and leaves you wanting to hug your family.

Best film not recognized at all by the Academy - Cake. Not only is Jennifer Aniston's performance the best of her career, it's a true shame that she wasn't nominated for an Oscar. Beyond the performance, the film touches a nerve and is very much underrated.

Best film that pretty much nobody saw - Men, Women, and Children. Jason Reitman is one of the brilliant young minds in the business, and this look at how social media and ubiquitous cyber-access has caused detachment from reality and each other is severely underrated. Not worthy of award recognition, but worth watching.

Best short film - VHS: Viral segment - "Parallel Monsters". Guilty pleasure? Of course. Is VHS: Viral a good film? No. However, the segment titled Parallel Monsters by Nacho Vigalondo is frighteningly tense. At no more than 20-25 minutes, you feel like you were transported to a Twilight Zone episode, or a Tales from the Crypt without the cheesiness. It starts out confusing and quickly, but as you begin to realize that something is not quite right, your heart starts pounding until the ultimate ending leaves you breathless. It's true, you have to wade through the other segments which are gory and I suppose somewhat entertaining, but Parallel Monsters is a sharp piece of writing.

That's it for 2014, another year in the books. Keep checking back for my Oscar predictions as well as my 2015 year in preview.