The (global) best (and worst) of 2014
I get to see a lot of movies from all over the world (340 in 2014); most best-ofs tend to focus on Anglo films, so this is an attempt to lump ín together a global choice of titles. It's a matter of personal taste, so no superhero blockbusters everybody knows. I've also put in a few no-no's from my point of view.
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40 titles
- DirectorZaza UrushadzeStarsLembit UlfsakElmo NüganenGiorgi NakashidzeIn 1992, war rages in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. An Estonian man, Ivo, has decided to stay behind and harvest his crops of tangerines. In a bloody conflict at his door, a wounded man is left behind, and Ivo takes him in.My favorite film this year. Its message has become very urgent in the past year with the Ukraine crisis. So far the best example - along with 'In Bloom' - for the ongoing Georgian cinema renaissance. To my surprise it did get an Oscar nomination.
- DirectorNuri Bilge CeylanStarsHaluk BilginerMelisa SözenDemet AkbagA hotel owner and landlord in a remote Turkish village deals with conflicts within his family and a tenant behind on his rent.My 2nd favorite film this year. Won Palme d'Or. Excellent photography. Very good script adapted from Chekov's short stories. Very good performance by lead actor Haluk Bilginer. Only reason why it's not my favorite film is its excessive runtime.
- DirectorDiego Quemada-DiezStarsBrandon LópezRodolfo DomínguezKaren MartínezA road movie about teenage immigrants and their journey to the U.S.My 3rd favorite film this year. Very realistic, very good script. A must see for Americans because it explains the background of the refugee crisis very well.
- DirectorDamián SzifronStarsDarío GrandinettiMaría MarullMónica VillaSix short stories that explore the extremities of human behavior involving people in distress.Among the films nominated, this would have been anyone's guess for the foreign language Oscar. Most successful Argentinian film of all time. It's only weakness is - as in all anthology films - that some episodes don't hit as hard as others.
- DirectorLee Joon-ikStarsLee ReSol Kyung-guUhm Ji-wonStory of an 8-year-old girl who faces a horrible rape that damages her internally and affects her emotionally, trying to overcome all the obstacles following the incident with the good support of those around her.From 2012 but with very limited release due to its controversial subject matter. Have never seen it handled so well and the performance of the girl (Lee Ree) is nothing short of amazing.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsMasaharu FukuyamaMachiko OnoYôko MakiRyota is a successful workaholic businessman. When he learns that his biological son was switched with another boy after birth, he faces the difficult decision to choose his true son or the boy he and his wife have raised as their own.Koreeda continues to be the greatest author of Japanese cinema. Best-written film I've seen in 2014. Very good performance by Masaharu Fukuyama, who is actually one of Japan's most famous rock stars.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.It's Linklater's masterpiece and probably the only US film of the year which can be truly called defining. Won Silver Bear for directing and would merit a similar Oscar.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.I'm one of the people who believe that Nolan's work since 'Memento' never caught up to that masterpiece, and that confusing the audience with plot twists and noise doesn't amount to clever film-making. But as blockbusters go, this one's exceptional. Easily the best OST of the year, too - probably Zimmer's all-time best.
- 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.I have to admit that I often don't get Wes Anderson's brand of laconic humour, and mostly like his films because of individual performances. Ralph Fiennes certainly pulls of one of his very best here, but what makes it so captivating is its orgy of lavish costumes and sets.
- DirectorIsao TakahataStarsChloë Grace MoretzJames CaanMary SteenburgenKaguya is a beautiful young woman coveted by five nobles. To try to avoid marrying a stranger she doesn't love, she sends her suitors on seemingly impossible tasks. But she will have to face her fate and punishment for her choices.Easily best animated film. Isao Takahata's swan song may not just be the penultimate Ghibli masterpiece, but outmatched grandmaster Hayao Miyazaki's own 'The Wind arises'. This degree of perfection may never be achieved again in animation.
- DirectorJehane NoujaimStarsAhmed HassanKhalid AbdallaMagdy AshourA group of Egyptian revolutionaries battle leaders and regimes, risking their lives to build a new society of conscience.Best documentary I've seen in 2014 (at Berlin film fest, so rather late). Has a relentless drive to it that perfectly catches the revolutionary atmosphere - which, as we now sadly know, has been completely crushed.
- DirectorJayan CherianStarsKallen PokkudanSarithaPrakash BareA band of displaced untouchables in Western Ghats of India embrace Buddhism in order to escape from caste oppression.If there was an Audacity Award for film making, this one would easily deserve it. Shows a perpective that is usually ignored and has nothing to do with standard Bollywood fare. Forbidden in India.
- DirectorNing HaoStarsZheng XuDuobujieNan YuA young lawyer from the city travels to the Gobi desert where he embarks on a series of adventures and challenges.It's a Chinese western set in the present. That premise works primarily because of excellent camera work and scenography. Also pretty poignant critique of Chinese society, aside from action fun.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisYayan RuhianArifin PutraOnly a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.Best martial arts film of the year. Or decade. Or ever. This much combat action has never been done before, and will be hard to top.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsTom CruiseEmily BluntBill PaxtonA soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.Credit where credit is due, 'EoT' was the funniest, fastest, most engaging action film of 2014 if you can't stand DC superhero movies (like yours truly).
- 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.My favorite horror film of the year, proving once more that imagination is more terrifying than blood and guts, and that Australian cinema is pretty much setting the zeitgeist pace (as does its vibrant music scene).
- 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.If the world and the Academy are just, Gyllenhaal will get nominated for this (he didn't, to much controversy). As in 'Enemy', he's put a mile between himself and other US leads. Riz Ahmed would also deserve a supporting actor's nod. Not my favorite film of the year though because of gaping plot holes.
- DirectorUberto PasoliniStarsEddie MarsanJoanne FroggattKaren DruryA council case worker looks for the relatives of those found dead and alone.This is one of these nice little films that never get noticed outside of the festival circuit, which is regretful because of Eddie Marsan's wonderful performance.
- DirectorJohn Michael McDonaghStarsBrendan GleesonChris O'DowdKelly ReillyAfter he is threatened during a confession, a good-natured priest must battle the dark forces closing in around him.Another movie to watch for its excellent lead performance. It's a career best for Brendan Gleeson. Surprisingly ignored by the Academy, maybe because they dislike religious themes these days.
- DirectorShûichi OkitaStarsAyumi ItoJun KunimuraGô AyanoWere people's lives changed by having known Yonosuke?Probably the best among the recent wave of nostalgic Japanese films, with very nice performances by leads Kengo Kora and Yuriko Yoshitaka - if you like Japanese awkwardness as much as I do.
- DirectorVikas BahlStarsKangana RanautRajkummar RaoLisa HaydonA Delhi girl from a traditional family sets out on a solo honeymoon after her marriage gets cancelled.This was one of the most successful Indian films this year, a major break-through for its star Kangana Ranaud, and should probably be your choice if you only watch one Indian film per annum.
- DirectorZhangke JiaStarsWu JiangBaoqiang WangTao ZhaoFour independent stories set in modern China about random acts of violence.Director Zhangke Jia's most accessible film to date features a formidable performance by China's arguably best actor Wen Jiang. It's as obvious as social critique gets in China.
- DirectorHong KhaouStarsPei-Pei ChengBen WhishawAndrew LeungA young man of Chinese-Cambodian descent dies, leaving behind his isolated mother and his 4-year male lover, who grieve but don't speak a lick of each other's language.Has remained relatively obscure, but commendable for legendary wuxia actress Pei-Pei Chang's performance. Hong Khao is arguably the most interesting gay director right now.
- DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsNicolas CageTye SheridanGary PoulterAn ex-con, who is the unlikeliest of role models, meets a 15-year-old boy and is faced with the choice of redemption or ruin.Won Tye Sheridan Venice's newcomer award and proves that he's definitely one of the most interesting new faces in US cinema (as Whiplash meanwhile emphasized).
- DirectorHiner SaleemStarsKorkmaz ArslanGolshifteh FarahaniSuat UstaBaran, a Kurdish independence war hero, is now sheriff in Erbil, the capital city. No longer feeling useful in this society now at peace, he thinks about quitting the police force, but instead agrees to be stationed in a small valley, at the very borders of Iran, Turkey, and Iraq. It is a lawless territory, right at the heart of illegal drug, medication and alcohol trafficking. Having arrived in the small village, he refuses to bow down to Aga Azzi, the seriously corrupt tribal chief and absolute ruler of the area. Baran meets Govend, the village school teacher, who is also rejected by the villagers. Like Baran, she represents another law, that of the young and autonomous Kurdish state. Govend is all the more vulnerable as she is not a married woman.Golshifteh Farahani is far too beautiful for her role but how can she help it being the arguably the most gorgeous actress worldwide right now. Somewhat dwarfed by her radiance, the film is an interesting political western.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsChris EvansJamie BellTilda SwintonIn a future where a failed climate change experiment has killed all life except for the survivors who boarded the Snowpiercer (a train that travels around the globe), a new class system emerges.A disappointment to me given the very high expectations I had, it's still a must-see for Tilda Swinton's performance. I wish they'd reshoot it with Viggo Mortensen in Evans' role as he effectively kills the film. Read my review if you like.
- DirectorHilton LacerdaStarsMaria de Jesus BaccarelliJesuíta BarbosaAriclenes BarrosoThe romance between a 18-year-old soldier and the cultural ringleader of an anarchist cabaret.Best gay-themed film I saw in 2014. Manages to embed a realistic gay love story in a convincing period context. Read my review if you like.
- DirectorMichael SpierigPeter SpierigStarsEthan HawkeSarah SnookNoah TaylorAs his last assignment, a temporal agent is tasked to travel back in time and prevent a bomb attack in New York in 1975. The hunt, however, turns out to be beyond the bounds of possibility.Most ambitious film of the year perhaps, complex script adapted from Robert A. Heinlein - the most unadaptable writer of SciFi -, exquisite cinematography reminiscent of Alex Proyas' 'Dark City' and directing brothers clearly aiming higher.
- DirectorJemaine ClementTaika WaititiStarsJemaine ClementTaika WaititiCori Gonzalez-MacuerViago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are struggling with the mundane aspects of modern life, like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.It's very popular but to my taste a bit of a rip-off: The idea clearly comes from the Belgian mockumentary 'Vampires' (2009). But to be sure, it's arguably the best comedy of 2014 (which wasn't a very good year for comedy).
- DirectorMárk BodzsárStarsAndrás ÖtvösRoland RábaTamás Keresztes1992. Milan Kolarov escapes from Yugoslavia to Hungary. Shortly after that, he gets recruited by paramedics, who are making big money of selling identities of the people died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.A local hit, 'Heavenly Shift' gives testimony to a growing importance of Hungarian film in the European context, as 'The Notebook' did in the previous year and 'Just the Wind' the year before.
- DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsHugo SilvaMario CasasPepón NietoA gang of armed robbers finds a safe haven in a secluded village crammed with witches--only to encounter the bizarre, the unexpected, and the occult. Can they save themselves, and the rest of the world from the next witch apocalypse?Most entertaining European film I've seen in the past year - which, however, was a particularly dreary one for that region's industries. Unmissable for Carmen Maura's witch queen performance. Read my review if you like.
- DirectorKarthik SubbarajStarsVijay SethupathiRamya NambeeshanAadukalam NarenA pizza delivery boy lands in a mysterious circumstance and it works a dramatic change in his life.Only got to see this Tamil horror film last year due to its obscurity, but it does have an excellent story which explains its high imdb rating. Was adapted poorly in Hindi, stick to the original as always.
- DirectorAharon KeshalesNavot PapushadoStarsLior AshkenaziRotem KeinanTzahi GradAfter a little girl is brutally murdered, a suspect avoids arrest due to lack of evidence. Working separately, her father and a cop decide to do something about it.Again, very good story with interesting subtext. Far more to it than meets the eye. Read my review if you like.
- DirectorDome KarukoskiStarsPeter FranzénLaura BirnJasper PääkkönenNeo-Nazi falls in love with a woman who has a black son and finds himself fighting with conflicting feelings.My favorite Scandinavian film of late, I recommed it for its poignant dialogues.
- DirectorAlexandros AvranasStarsThemis PanouReni PittakiEleni RoussinouA chilling account of a horrendous family tragedy perpetuated behind closed doors. As chronic violence chips away at the household's elaborate façade, the shocking secret reveals that almost nothing is as it seems.Won Silver Lion in 2013, best of many Greek social dramas of late dealing with the aftermath of the 2011 crisis.
- 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.Most over-hyped film of the year. It's not a bad film by any means, but there's nothing that wouldn't have been treated with more style in 'Basic Instinct' or more panache in 'War of the Roses'. Pike got an Oscar nomination, but compare her to Sharon Stone and ask yourself who's better.
- DirectorRobin CampilloStarsOlivier RabourdinKirill EmelyanovDaniil VorobyovA businessman makes a regular arrangement with a Ukrainian prostitute, despite the youngster's involvement in a controlling street gang.Worst film I saw in 2014. Subscribes to a 'young man needs old man' fantasy today's liberated gays have fortunately overcome. Extremely offensive to Eastern Europeans. Read my review if you like.
- DirectorJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneStarsMarion CotillardFabrizio RongioneCatherine SaléeLiège, Belgium. Sandra is a factory worker who discovers that her workmates have opted for a EUR1,000 bonus in exchange for her dismissal. She has only a weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses in order to keep her job.2nd worst film I saw in 2014. I liked the social realism of the Dardenne's in the '90s when it was new, but they've been doing the same thing ever since. Cotillard won her 2nd Oscar nomination for this, even though her approach to acting is limited to exaggerated sobs and wide-opened eyes.
- DirectorPeter GreenawayStarsRamsey NasrF. Murray AbrahamHendrik AertsHendrik Goltzius, a late-16th-century Dutch printer and engraver of erotic prints, seduces the Margrave of Alsace into paying for a printing press to make and publish illustrated books.Wasn't released until 2014 for very good reason. Greenaway did groundbreaking work in the '80s, lost himself in mannerisms in the '90s and by now has become simply annoying.
- DirectorAkiva GoldsmanStarsColin FarrellJessica Brown FindlayRussell CroweA burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her.Worst literary adaptation since I don't know when. The book is a marvelous, albeit Ayn-Rand-ish American fantasy, the film is a dull tale of ill-fated romance.