TOP 5 FILMS OF 2014 (SO FAR)

Boyhood is an ingenious celebration of life. The concept is innovative (shooting over a period of twelve years, to capture the genuine growth of the actors), and the close portrayal of the family truly authentic. The script felt real, almost borderline documentary, and it was impossible not to identify with the characters as well as the events in their lives.

In fact, I’m not the best physiognomist when it comes to recognizing actors, and I found myself wondering where I had previously seen Mason (Ella Coltrane) for example. It so happened that I had never seen him in a movie, but he reminded me of a friend who like Mason, goes to art school. There is no doubt here that Linklater’s challenging casting plans were a great success! 

The truth is, Mason’s character isn’t the one that stood out for me the most, but the overall chemistry of the family and the talented performances: Patricia Arquette plays the mother, Ethan Hawk plays the free-spirited father, and Lorelei Linklater is the daughter. The movie should really be called Motherhood. 

Lastly, the film is particularly effective because it establishes an honest portrayal of life -- without omitting the negative impact it may have on us, thus resulting in a faithful ode to life.

Chef, Jon Favreau

It is so refreshing to list an independent comedy as one of my favorite movies of the year. In 2013, we had nothing but sequels: Grown Ups 2 (dreadful), Despicable Me 2 (not bad, although the first one was better), Anchorman 2 (disgraceful)…

In Chef, Jon Favreau (writer, director and main actor of Chef) skilfully adapts chef Roy Choi’s story (the latter oversaw all of the menus and food prepared for the film – could the food look any more delicious?). The result was a delightful modern coming of age road movie about a chef who is desperately trying to fulfill his passion: cooking for others, without having to worry about the pressure of working from someone else’s menu. He drives a food truck cross-country (with his son and sous-chef), and becomes famous due to his excellent cooking skills as well as social networking (with the help of his son, who introduces him to the world of Twitter and Facebook). 

Having worked in the service industry for years, one can’t help but chuckle in recognition at the realistic crude language in the kitchens and, the playful yet serious cooking teamwork. Most importantly, Favreau’s exceptional performance successfully portrays the life of  a chef who tries his absolute hardest to please his customers, as well as his family life while remaining fully dedicated to his work. For people who don’t appreciate food as much as I do, the film is worth watching for Robert Downey Jr’s hilarious appearance. He plays Favreau’s wife’s wacky ex-boyfriend, who donates an old food truck to Favreau. And let us not forget the parade of friendly faces: Dustin Hoffman, Scarlet Johansson, John Leguizamo, Sofia Vergara… 

Chef is a true gem with a bittersweet Little Miss Sunshine (2006, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris) touch – but let’s replace the KFC bucket with gourmet appetizing images of El Jefe’s rediscovered love for Cuban Cuisine – the thought of it makes my mouth water again!

Birdman, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

It would be near impossible for me not to include Birdman for its cinematic jazziness as well as it’s phenomenal script. The film is shot in one take, simulated by time lapse and clever editing technique, giving a whole new dimension to single location films. I have never seen anything like it (Russian Ark perhaps, in a Broadway theatre rather than the epic Russian State Hermitage Museum). 

The plot is flawless: Hollywood actor (Michael Keaton’s comeback!), known for his superhero role “Birdman,” attempts to prove to the critics and fans that he can also perform on stage, by performing a play on Broadway. His family gives him grief, as well as the press. Birdman  is a true actor’s midlife crisis, struggling for pride and post-peak career recognition. Keaton is surrounded by outstanding cast: Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, and many more. 

The film (a drama at first sight) becomes a dark-humoured clever satire where even the stars make fun of themselves. The Broadway theatre is a No Exit playground, where all performances excels themselves: Naomi Watts, “Why don’t I have any self respect!?” Andrea Riseborough, “You’re an actress hunny.” The end was particularly striking, as it was divided into two major components: the death of Keaton on stage as well as the death of Birdman at the hospital. Inarritu could of ended on a tragic note, by having Keaton die on stage, but this would have been cliché of a Greek tragedy. Although Keaton was at the peak of his performance on stage, Inarritu doesn’t let him go that easily. Instead, he uses an extra layer of poetry (which had already been resonating throughout the film) in his grand finale at the hospital (I won’t spoil the end for those of you who haven’t seen it yet).

Nightcrawler, Dan Gilroy

A groundbreaking performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, creepy as ever, and disturbing to say the least. The film progresses through the power of suspense keeping us going and leading us to play devil’s advocate. This is all due to Gyllenhaal’s character but also the finely written script: a tormented genius, who quotes marketing strategies day and night, trying his hardest to break into the TV news industry. The term “nightcrawler” is a great find, unsettling as ever. 

The film also convincingly portrays the corrupt backstage world of TV Production, always looking for the next alarming crude images to provoke and shock a hungry audience. Nightcrawler is difficult to praise without sounding a tad bit psychotic, but worth every second for it’s real-time car chases, it’s everlasting gradual suspense, and a heavy critic of the TV industry. The film is timeless, and looks like it could have been shot ten years ago due to the grain on the obscure pictures.

Gone Girl, David Fincher

Gone Girl has by far been one of the films I discussed the most with friends as well as Fincher fans due to the spot-on job of cast as well as the incredible twists of the plot. Even now, I still remain haunted by Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck’s performances. Gone Girls is unique as it is really two films in one. Fincher’s characters have no set boundaries. We are drawn to them in such a way that the movie deviates slightly from a Film Noir to a psychological drama: it’s no longer cinematographically driven but character driven. Fincher provokes his audience by giving an extensive emphasis on the twist of the plot rather than taking us through a traditional linear narrative. I still hold my breath as I reminisce certain parts of the film. When the film ended, there were no sudden moves or shouts to be heard in the theatre; only gasps and sighs of disbelief. We remained awe stricken, haunted with intrigue and fascination – a similar emotion to what I felt during Nightcrawler.

My overall impression of my top five so far is a positive one. 2014 has proven to be a year where comedies, dramas and crime movies can all be received successfully together. I could have easily continued the list which is something that I would have been far from doing in 2013 (The Wolf of Wall Street, Captain Phillips, 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity were all “big names” but all too commercial to earn my outermost respect. I found potential in Her, which sadly didn’t do as well).

The 2014 films mostly deal with outstanding performances, and in depth character retrospectives. There is an large emphasis on male protagonists: Michael Keaton in Birdman, Jake Gyllenhal in Nightcrawler, Ben Affleck in Gone Girl, John Favreau in Chef, Ella Coltrane in Boyhood. However all remain very different. This could indeed lead to a misogynistic reflection on the part of modern male directors. However, let us not forget the role Patricia Arquette played in Boyhood: a crucial role which founded the others, and the iconic femme fatale, Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl. I am curious to see who will win the Oscars for Best Actor Award, and I have no doubt that it will be one of the actors listed above. The films I chose, also deal mostly with functional and dysfunctional family portraits, which I found touching in a “coming of age” form as well as realistic modern portrayal of life and the impact of the bad economy. Last year, the films were more provocative like American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street, or concerned about events in the past Captain Phillips, 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club or fiction, Her and Gravity… 

It’s relieving to have finally come to our senses and deal with the day to day issues, critic and satire of the modern world.