20 Best Films of 2014

(Apologies for the typos ahead)

2014 was not the greatest year for movies. This doesn't mean it did not offer great films, it did. When it came to the year taking cinema further, it made significant contributions but it wasn't a memorable year. At the awards, films that ended up being called best turned out to be major disappointments. At the box office, films that deserved to have a good run, ended up collapsing and films that have no business making pot-loads of money, ended up topping the charts. Of course, there are always movies that deserve to be seen by more people, that deserve to make the money it made and deserve all the praise and awards it's getting. I'll be talking about those mainly.


Before I get into that, here are the big disappointments, the films where awards, critical praise or box office success makes absolutely no sense to me. In a few cases, their failure makes all kinds of sense.

THE DISAPPOINTING ONES

(In no order)
Birdman, American Sniper, Nightcrawler, Magic in the Moonlight, The Babadook, Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Transcendence, 300: Rise of an Empire and Fading Gigolo.

I won't elaborate why I don't like hate these movies since this post is reserved for the best but I would like to point out that American Sniper is a travesty which shows a murderer as a martyr. Nightcrawler is smugly dark which, for me, means dull. The half-delightful throwback to screwball comedies of the 40s but wrongly cast Magic in the Moonlight's atheism and sexism hurt the Woody Allen fan in me. Being a fan of the horror genre, I was disappointed when I didn't like The Babadook. Mainly due to the story and its interpretation of depression. A film I truly didn't like is also one which treats a delusional/ sick mind callously, celebrates suicide, manipulates spiritualism and boasts an inflated ego. Birdman, while being a technical achievement and well-acted, is perhaps the most terrible film I've seen in quite a while. It reeks of ignorance and narcissism and champions everything I don't like to see in movies. The rest of the films I knew would be bad and turned out exactly the same way.

More than being disappointed by a movie, it's upsetting when you are the wallflower at a party. It's not fun disliking movies and watching the fanfare from afar, but you realize your personal choices will always govern what you accept and what you don't. I wish I could like some of these movies but damn, I really don't.

Then there were films that were good but not great and that can be equally disappointing.

Foxcatcher, Mr. Turner, The Theory of Everything, A Most Violent Year, Leviathan and Inherent Vice were all films with a lot to appreciate but for some reason, didn't leave a good taste in my mouth. They had brilliant performances, cinematography, music or dialogue but never became more than the sum of its parts.

THE GOOD AND REALLY GOOD ONES

Starting with the films that didn't make the top ten list but made 2014 not that bad a year for cinema.

There were two films that made me smile when I exited the theater. CHEF was Jon Favreau's break from the mould after directing the underwhelming Iron Man 2 and Cowboys vs. Aliens and it paid off! Chef is not just a film about a celebrity dealing with his downfall but its emotional center comes from a wonderful father-son relationship and a rare time when clichés were good again. The Hundred Foot Journey was another film about food. It had its moments and Helen Mirren playing a frenchwoman is beyond praise. The feel-good film that surprised me out of nowhere was PRIDE. If you haven't seen it yet, dig out this Golden Globe nominee for Best Picture - Comedy and you won't be disappointed.

Comedies are still largely ignored by serious filmgoers and only when auteurs tackle the genre do we get critical acclaim to match it. Wes Anderson may have made the best comedy of the year but there were other films that I found amusing. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill returned with 22 Jump Street, which didn't equal the first film but had its shares of laughs. The comedy that surprised me or should I say the comedienne that surprised me is Rose Byrne. Her performance in Neighbors made me laugh out loud. The other Seth Rogen film was perhaps my favorite comedy of the year and I found myself laughing at almost everything. The over-hyped, controversy ridden dumb fest - THE INTERVIEW. I'm not exactly a fan of politics and seeing two major comic actors (How funny was James Franco?) take down Kim Jong-Un without arms and ammunitions but sheer idiocy is hilarious and right up my alley. Sure, it's not a brilliant political satire like The Great Dictator (1940) but when does it ever claim it wants to be? The Katy Perry gag still has me in splits.

A family comedy that got completely ignored was Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Sure, it's not an original or incredibly funny film but it's that kind of family movie that Hollywood used to make regularly in the 90s and has stopped making now. Maybe it's nostalgia that made me include it but I do miss films like these. Another film that made me sit up and want to hug the screen was PADDINGTON. This film based on the Paddington bear from 'darkest Peru' turned out to be highly delightful, charmingly funny and well-made with a band of superb actors. If only the third act had more originality up its sleeves (or should I say pockets?), this film would have made my top 5 of the year.

Animation films today are the closest thing we have to family films. I was enchanted by MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN and it's not just because of time travel (a sub-genre I am most fond of). This is a film I would be pleased with since it doesn't just offer fun for the kids but also some historical education. Not to sound like a boring parent but hey, history can be fun. The film that escaped my admiration due to its final act switch to live-action and lost me completely is The Lego Movie. As you can see, it's not in caps or colored red. I don't believe a commercial for Lego can be called a movie. It did have a number of laughs (and an infectious song) but a film that relies entirely on pop culture for its gags instead of original characters/story is not a movie. (Or maybe it's because I was never into Lego). That being said, it was a worthy achievement for animation and deserved to be Oscar nominated. The Boxtrolls which was nominated, was more charming and involving than I thought it would be.

Studio Ghibli is the Japanese studio responsible for some of the best animation films of all time, including several Hayao Miyazaki films and Grave of the Fireflies (1988) made by Isao Takahata, the director behind last years's enchanting and hand-drawn(whaa) animation film THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA. The ending of this film is one of the saddest moments of 2014 and also deeply spiritual. Marvel Studios made its foray into animation with the stunning BIG HERO 6, a film that probably didn't reach Frozen level of success but gave us a lovehuggable character with a craycray fist bump.

Chris Evans was in two great films this year. Marvel slam dunked yet again with CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. Steve Rogers is one of my favorite superheroes and seeing him get a brilliant film is cheer-worthy. Evans was also seen in Bong Joon Ho's SNOWPIERCER. Bong Joon Ho is THE South Korean filmmaker of the 21st century. His previous films The Host, Mother and Memories of Murder are mega brilliant. If you are a sci-fi enthusiast, Snowpiercer should be on your watch-list right about now. It combines human drama with heady dystopian themes and societal exploration borrowed from the likes of 1984 and Animal Farm.

An actress who had a good run with science-fiction recently is Scarlett Johansson. She blew away the critics in Jonathan Glazer's endlessly fascinating Under the Skin. She also blew up the box office with LUCY. I found Lucy to be a terrific mix of interesting science-fiction, good action and the ingredient that makes all the difference: entertainment. Sure, it could have done with more insight, especially if it had spiritual masters as script consultants but an original film that isn't part of a franchise starring a female lead that lights up the box office and has a good story to tell. Uh, heck yeah!

There were two actors who made their breakthrough this year. For those who weren't watching films or television already, it's not Chris Pratt, Miles Teller and Eddie Redmayne. Gugu Mbatha-Raw surprised me with her performance in BELLE and one more film which made the top ten list. The other actor is Jack O'Connell. He was publicly seen in Angelia Jolie's Unbroken but I found his performance in, the violent father-son prison drama, STARRED UP infinitely more affecting and impactful.

Daniel Radcliffe finally did what he should have done in some Harry Potter films: act really well. He surprised me by making his character believable in WHAT IF, a sweet romantic comedy about the friend-zone. Then he turned the tables on my expectations in the other girl gone missing film of the year - HORNS. Horns works so wonderfully for about 3/4th of its length and needed a better ending but it remains a fascinating watch.

Marion Cotillard gave two brilliant performances. She was superb in the brilliantly shot The Immigrant but was even better in TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT for which she got deservingly Oscar nominated. The Dardenne brothers' films are worth treasuring, they make films about ordinary people. Most films about ordinary people are set in a cinematic universe, in these films we seem them in their universe and what is extraordinary (in good ways and bad) for them. Two Days, One Night makes you think about morality and what would you do in a similar situation. Not many movies do that. There was another film this year asked us to question our reaction to a situation - Force Majeure. It started out great but chickened out with this ending.

THE DOUBLE, Dostoyevsky's novella was translated onto the screen by Richard Ayoade, who directed the wonderful Submarine and seriously needs to make more films. It was the other film with a double role for a single actor apart from Jake Gyllenhaal in Enemy. I found this film much more rewarding. It takes time to adjust to its storytelling and bizarre setting but once you're in, it's a treat. An underrated throwback to the films of the 1940s and 50s went largely under-seen: THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY is adapted from a Patricia Highsmith novel (Yes, Hitchock, Strangers on a Train, same author). It has two great performances by Oscar Isaac (so good) and Viggo Mortensen. It takes you back to the good old days when movies had a plot. Both of these films also have excellent background scores.

It's been a year of gimmicks. Birdman and Boyhood have had their notices but there is a film called THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY that didn't get its due. Actually, that's two films. Probably because the gimmick here really overpowered the storytelling but it's an interesting idea with some brilliant scenes. It's a love story starring James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain told from two points of view, the guy's side called HIM and the girl's side called HER. I would suggest watching them in that order. Two 90 minute films with a total of 3 hours. An interesting aspect of the films is that it doesn't show you the courtship or the times the couple was in love, it shows what happens after the happy ending. The most interesting aspect, however, is that there are some scenes of the same events which don't play out the same way. We've always heard stories about couples or told stories about our love lives and there are always two versions. In our version, we are always the one who loved the other person more.

Arguably the most romantic film of the year happened to be THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. Love stories are best seen when they are felt, not intellectualized. Shailene Woodley is forcing all of us to take her seriously and in my opinion, deserved an Oscar nomination for her work here. Admittedly, the film is sappy but it's been a while we saw a good film in this territory, where love and death play a part. Death does not do Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston apart in ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE. This vampire love story is unlike any other vampire film I've seen before and perhaps the most ingenious take on the genre in years. It is also Jim Jarmusch's best film in a decade. There was another vampire film worth noting - a little comedy called What We Do in the Shadows.


There were far too many good films this year about music or maybe I just loved all of them because they were about music. BEGIN AGAIN featured two likeable performances by Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo and showed us how good music can be when it's not manufactured but created. There was a delightful Swedish film about a bunch of teenage girls who want to start a punk rock band. WE ARE THE BEST! may not have the best music but at least the girls think they are and it can be quite adorable.

There were two musicals that were highly anticipated but the audience and critical reactions didn't sound enthused. Clint Eastwood ventured outside his comfort zone to make the stage musical JERSEY BOYS into a film about a bunch of guys making music rather than a flashy musical. Honestly, I don't care if it works or not, and I do know it's problematic but the music by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is a treat as always and that's what it's all about. INTO THE WOODS combined my favorite genre of films (fantasy) with my favorite thing outside of films (music) and we got a smashing film. Two songs that stood out were Agony and Stay with Me. Again, the film wasn't well received because of expectations. The third act twist showed us what happens after the happy ending is well, not very happy. But then we are told No One is Alone and I was good to go.

There were two war films I liked this year that didn't need to tell us whether they are American or not. David Ayer's FURY is one of the most inventive war films dealing with World War 2, it could have been a summer blockbuster if there were aliens or superheroes in it. The other film was a blockbuster, the final film in Peter Jackson's prequel trilogy that never matched up to the Lord of the Rings films but didn't even capture the delight of Tolkien's source material. While not as good as the second film, THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES had some terrific battle scenes and managed to bid farewell rather well.

NOAH was the ambitious film that Darren Aronofsky made and nobody cared. It told a Biblical story well, it had good performances and it did so at the level of a Hollywood event film. Nobody took notice of its achievement even when it grossed $350 mil globally. Instead, we have fanatics dissing the film all over IMDb and nobody has a problem with it. Either way, Noah is a brilliant film. It's the kind of film nobody dares to make these days (or they do and it's not very good, looking at you Sir Ridley Scott). The kind where men look up and talk to God.

Since there were lots of two's in this list, doubles are how I will do the top ten. Now onto the best films of 2014 or the films I loved the most.

THE BEST FILMS OF 2014
Special Mention:

LIFE ITSELF

Roger Ebert has been the single most influential figure as far movie watching is concerned for me. I started reading his reviews online in 2001. When I didn't like Fight Club, I got my opinion validated by him. When I loved Crash, his support for the film made me feel I wasn't the only one. Reading them I realized he was writing things that were in my head but I couldn't articulate. He taught me that is indeed what writing is all about. To make the reader participate in the process. More than his style of writing it was his opinion that mattered. He is perhaps the only film reviewer, or dare I say, film watcher, who had actual reasons for why he loved or hated a movie. This film captures his life and is a brilliant homage to the man himself. If there is one film that the Oscars actually snubbed, it is none other than this great film. I don't rank documentaries in my top ten but if I did, it would probably be on top of them all. Reasons? Purely sentimental.

10.
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and
GODZILLA  

Two blockbuster reboots (technically one sequel of a reboot).
This was a particularly great year for blockbuster filmmaking, especially during the summer. Most of them turned out to be more than just popcorn entertainment. The second film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes series happened to be a darker entry than anticipated. Matt Reeves brought his A-game and created a tense and riveting drama. An indie filmmaker, Gareth Edwards, was brought to reboot the most famous movie monster of all time. I loved how Edwards brought his love for kaiju films to give us an actual Godzilla film. Not a film where we have him being a silly monster but what the original Japanese films intended him to be.

9.
BIG EYES and
BEYOND THE LIGHTS

Two feminist films.
Tim Burton is not going to make anything apart from a Tim Burton film. You want a biopic? It's not going to be Oscar bait which is a consensus favorite, you will get a Tim Burton film. Amy Adams stars as Margaret Keane, the woman who made the wonderful big eyed paintings. The true story is stranger than fiction, that's exactly the kind you will get. Strange. It also tells the story of theft. Artistic theft is not something many speak of but it happens. All the time. People take your things and claim it as theirs. It is a rousing film to take back what belongs to you and expose the truth. It also happens to be a stirring tale of a woman who breaks free from society's expectations from a woman. Beyond the Lights is not just underrated but under-seen. Not many have heard of this brilliant film about a female pop star's journey to find her voice. Gugu Mbatha Raw is simply astounding, she has arrived and how. It starts with her attempting suicide, what follows is an incredibly touching and emotional film. It is melodramatic and cheesy but we associate such terms with bad storytelling. When it's done right, you see how it could be the stuff of good stories.

8.
THE DROP and
THE GUEST

Two films about violence and machismo.
The Drop features Tom Hardy's best performance so far. He plays a meek but kind man who seems like Forrest Gump stuck in a Godfather film. It is an engrossing thriller, it takes you back to the time thrillers didn't have to be hyper-ventilating fast-cutting shams. To a time where the setting only exists in the movies. I loved this film and it says things about right and wrong that movies need to say. The Guest is not concerned about right or wrong. It is concerned about why wrong can feel right. It's a brilliant throwback to 80s slasher films with synth-enthused electronic music. A mix of Drive (2011) and Halloween (1978). It is about a charming psychopath, something Hitchcock loved getting a kick out of. Dan Stevens left Downton Abbey and broke the continuity of my favorite drama series and I never thought it was forgivable. If he does movies like this more often, I would be nicer to him.

(Side note: There is one more Tom Hardy film you should watch, which would also be one of his best performances. LOCKE is set around one car ride and an entirely captivating one)

7.
THE BOOK OF LIFE and
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2

Two animated films that defy genre conventions.
The Book of Life is the best animated film of 2014. It told a story of two lovers falling for the same woman. It is also about two gods watching over them. What we get is a gloriously rendered tale of love, death and music. It introduces us to the Hispanic culture which doesn't treat death as an ending and knows the importance of forgiveness. I loved every second of this movie and not just because it has covers of Radiohead, Mumford & Sons and Elvis Presley but because it has beautiful original songs and an original story to tell. How To Train Your Dragon 2 has the guts to not give us the exact same film as its predecessor and not get bogged down by silly franchise-mongering antics. It has a moving mother-son story at the center which may not have been children-friendly but give me this over a film that takes the easy route, any day. Also, dragons.

6.
THE IMITATION GAME and
SELMA

Two biopics.
The Imitation Game is that rare British biopic that makes a history lesson entertaining. It is totally conventional and obviously crafted to be a prestige picture but it doesn't bore you for a single minute. It makes you care for its characters and features my favorite performance of the year. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing with poignance and ferocity. He acts with his eyes and we feel his ambition and his pain. Selma is a masterfully made film by Ava DuVernay. Martin Luther King expertly played by David Oyelowo was an important historical figure not just for a community but for human rights. It is a powerful and deeply affecting film that knows the importance of marching on. To go forth on your path to freedom.

5.
GONE GIRL and
WILD TALES

Two films about human vice.
Gone Girl is one of the most talked about films of the year. It made Rosamund Pike a star overnight as David Fincher gave her the role of a lifetime. The film gave us a twist in the middle of the film, instead of at the end, just the way I like them. While making a film about dark characters or characters that are mostly grey or black, filmmakers tend to exaggerate the thematic tone to an extent it becomes unnerving. Gone Girl works mainly because it focuses on how funny the situation is. Wild Tales is a Spanish film about six tales showing the animalistic tendencies lying within human beings. They are all exaggerated to absurdity. Each tale takes a turn for the worst and it's all incredibly amusing and humorous. Gone Girl and Wild Tales are also the year's most entertaining non-special effects films made for adults.

4.
GOD HELP THE GIRL and
IDA

Two films about women finding their faith.
Ida is so good, so so good I ended up watching it again right after it ended. It's shot in black and white and its extremely gorgeous but every composition has a thematic purpose. The film starts out as a story about a nun who wants to find out about her family. It slowly becomes a film about a nun who ventures out into the real world and see what life is like outside the convent. This is the single most spiritual film of 2014 with an ending that is absolutely perfect. The other film here is not spiritual or about faith but Ida could have exchanged the title with it. God Help the Girl is a film for the hipster in me. I've been a Belle and Sebastian fan since many years and seeing their songs on screen directed by the frontman Stuart Murdoch was pure joy. In case you're wondering, Emily Browning can sing.

3.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and
EDGE OF TOMORROW

Two entertaining science-fiction films.
Guardians of the Galaxy is probably Marvel's best film after The Avengers (2012). It has a superb cast, an entertaining plot, stupendous special effects, great music and is really really funny. Chris Pratt who has been a staple on Parks and Recreation got his Hollywood breakthrough with this film and for good reason. Although my favorite performances in the film were by Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper as Drax and Rocket. Edge of Tomorrow is the other entertaining film that I couldn't get enough of. Tom Cruise is one of my favorite actors of all time and seeing him do a good film was relieving. Edge of Tomorrow has aliens, time loops and a romance. What more can you ask for in a film?

2.
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Two films about a mentor and a mentee.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson's most Wes Anderson film since he started making movies with Bottle Rocket. It's his most accessible film yet and typifies everything he is good at it. The impeccable cast, the magnificent production design, the costumes and especially the humor. It is all top notch. Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori's whimsical relationship of a mentor and his mentee isn't something we've seen before. If I have to single out one thing I love from this movie, it would be Alexandre Desplat's sublime score. The music still resonates, almost a year later and takes you back to the fictional country of Zubrowka. A country that exists in Wes Anderson's head, which we can visit any time we want. All we have to do is check into this grand majestic beautiful hotel.

and
WHIPLASH

If there is one movie this year I was absolutely blown away by, it was Whiplash. In fact, if my personal preferences weren't taken into account, it would be sitting pretty at the top. I burst into an adrenaline filled applause as the film ended. To extort an involuntary reaction right after a film has ended is rare. These days films have become so passive. They don't involve the viewer and prefer to keep us outside the screen. Damien Chazelle uses film technique, with its staggering editing and music to evoke emotion. Raw emotion is extracted from the viewer. The film builds up like a piece of music, reaching its crescendo as it ends without dialogue but with visuals and music. This is not to say there is no story. The story is about Fletcher (J.K. Simmons already eating his Oscar) who is a mentor to Andrew (Miles Teller). Their relationship makes tough love look infantile. In fact, it's an unhealthy relationship but the end result is nothing short of glorious. It's visceral, it's electrifying, this film is a flat-out masterstroke.

1.
INTERSTELLAR

Two films about time.

I'm not one of those people who say things like a film is ahead of its time. But I would make an exception here. Interstellar is the film people will look back on and celebrate. It is that kind of film Kubrick or Hitchcock made that never got their due when they released because critics were out with their knives, the audience couldn't just applaud everything a great filmmaker was creating. People had to react differently. Expectations can drown excellence.

If I have to pick reasons why the film didn't click instantly for audiences it would be because of the last act. The thing that actually makes this film brilliant. It is not the science of it. It is the ideas. The concept of life after death isn't something we can grasp or comprehend. Life is accepted as a physical progression of time, but Nolan chose to show what's after it. What's out there. No, not what actually is out there but what he imagines is out there. To top this, there was heavy science jargon and concepts thrown at you. Personally, I couldn't care less about the accuracy of the quantum physics. It's all theoretical, the film is fictional. It starts and ends there. For me, it's about what I felt during the film. The father-daughter relationship is what resonated the most with me. Nolan's films were criticized for being cold. Now he's openly embracing his emotional side and it has produced his most mature and deeply profound film. "Love is the only thing that transcends space and time". You bet it does.

and the best film of 2014:
BOYHOOD 

It is a rare case when I can call a film the best of the year. Not just my favorite but the absolute best film made in that particular year and consequently one of the greatest films of all time. It is also rare when that matches with the Oscars as well. It happened only twice since the 2000s with Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and No Country For Old Men (2007). I'm going to be rooting for Boyhood to take the prize. Richard Linklater has been one of America's most unsung film directors. He is also one of its finest. Boyhood has four principal characters. Mason (Ellar Coltrane) is the boy and Samantha (Lorelai Linklater) is his sister. Their parents, whose names aren't revealed are labelled as Mom (Patricia Arquette) and Dad (Ethan Hawke). You are a part of this family. What anchored me into it is the Mom. She is beautifully played by Patricia Arquette, truly deserving of her inevitable Oscar win. The most important relationship for a boy when he is growing up is with his mother. But do we realize what our mothers go through in raising us? Can we ever be grateful enough? The most heartbreaking moment in the film comes when Mom says: "I just thought there would be more".

When I saw Boyhood for the first time I knew it would be great before it started, thanks to Coldplay. Then came Harry Potter, Britney Spears, iMac, Gameboy, iPod, bowling, conversations ranging from Star Wars, the Beatles, elves, to The Dark Knight and how Facebook is taking over our lives. It wasn't putting time stamps and telling us what year it is. It used these references and songs to guide us. More importantly, this was a film about my generation. Finally. Nostalgia is reserved for the roaring 20s or the freewheeling 60s or the hip 80s. Boyhood gave us a film for the 2000s, and also perhaps the best coming of age film we've ever seen. A film where we see people actually come of age. The fact that I mentioned Boyhood's groundbreaking achievement while I end this piece is because the film isn't great because (paraphrasing Mr. Ebert) how it was made but how it was made about it. When people ask you what any film is about, we start telling them a story. Rarely do we say this film is about life. Boyhood is that film. It is also that film where I use the M word. Boyhood is a masterpiece.