10 Best Films Of 2014
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- DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoBill PaxtonWhen Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.Stylish and slick, dark and exhilarating, a marvel of film-making craft. Jake Gyllenhall gives the performance of the year as a neo-noir modern Travis Bickle in Dan Gilroy's masterful directorial debut. The film works on so many levels of how we treat sensationalism in media and how far some of us will go to attain that level of celebrity within. Set against the notorious California night sky, the tungsten-alloy jungle has never looked so ugly and beautiful all at the same time.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsRalph FiennesF. Murray AbrahamMathieu AmalricA writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.Wes Anderson's best film in over a decade is his most ambitious and lovingly crafted. The energy and humor are in top form throughout the film and we are taken on a simple yet hypnotizing journey.
- DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsMiles TellerJ.K. SimmonsMelissa BenoistA promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.Another finely crafted film about the perils of suffering for your art. Aspiring jazz drummer Miles Teller faces off against band leader JK Simmons (an Oscar lock if there ever was one) and through the film's somber journey we see nothing but blood, sweat and tears left on the stage.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.An achievement in film-making no matter how you look at it. This film doesn't lend itself to a specific plot or structure to tell it's tale. The achievement is in how director Linklater allows us to follow the lives of this small and dysfunctional family to literally unfold in front of us over the course of 12 years in the cinema eye. The little moments are what sometimes make up a life and fill it so quickly.
- DirectorJeremy SaulnierStarsMacon BlairDevin RatrayAmy HargreavesA mysterious outsider's quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. Proving himself an amateur assassin, he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.This dark, brooding hidden gem is a new level of realism in cinema. The film takes the standard loner revenge story and turns it on it's ear, and by doing so delivers one of the most captivating and haunting thrillers of recent memory.
- DirectorWilliam H. MacyStarsBilly CrudupAnton YelchinFelicity HuffmanA grieving father in a downward spiral stumbles across a box of his recently deceased son's demo tapes and lyrics. Shocked by the discovery of this unknown talent, he forms a band in the hope of finding some catharsis.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBen AffleckRosamund PikeNeil Patrick HarrisWith his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.A terrifying and subtle satire on relationships, marriage, commitment and all that scary stuff. Plays like a wake up call to every single man or woman that has second guessed an opportunity to walk away from a life they no longer call their own.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsJoaquin PhoenixJosh BrolinOwen WilsonIn 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles private investigator Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.A fantastic exercise in cinema from PT Anderson, his most restrained and stripped down film, yet still engrossing and magical. Plays like an old Roy Oribison song that haunts us with surrealistic vignettes and hypnotic imagery only to build to a satisfying crescendo.
- DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsMichael KeatonZach GalifianakisEdward NortonA washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.A celebration of art, craft and expression and a brilliant comment on celebrity and redemption. Technically mind blowing cinematography and sound design anchor this film, added to it a slew of top notch performances from all involved.
- DirectorJennifer KentStarsEssie DavisNoah WisemanDaniel HenshallA single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home.The most original horror film of the year. At it's heart this is a malicious psychological fable that creates the entity of fear virtually out of thin air. The powerful performances and terrific production design bring this film's sense of isolation and terror up on all levels from the standard tropes.