Best of the year lists are usually released around the end of December to the beginning of January…I’m releasing mine near the end of February. There is method to my madness however; as long as I’ve been interested in film, the month of January’s been used for wide releases of films previously only available in select theaters nowhere near me. Selma, Wild, A Most Violent Year; these films weren't available in local theaters till January (and I wasn't going to travel to Chicago for early access…I love the cinema, but not that much). Because nearly every film viewed during January is from the year before (whether it be in theaters or a rental I missed seeing earlier), I consider it part of the previous year’s calendar (in terms of film at least). Films released during January are thereby eligible for any end of the year lists (whether it be best of the year or worst). February has since become my official first month of the new film year, yet is primarily used for compiling, writing, and releasing late reviews and end of year lists (with March being a return to my regular reviews).
I enjoy going overboard when creating lists (particularly “best of” lists), this post being no exception. Similar to last year, I've split up Film Reviewer Jr.’s Favorite Films of 2014 into two parts:
Part 1:
- The Other Ten: (Films #11-20; Listed in Alphabetical Order)
- Special Awards: (Specific Awards Aimed at Certain Film Genres)
Part 2:
- The Distinctive, Exceptional Award: (Given to a film of exceptional quality; not my favorite, but deserves distinctive praise)
- Top Ten Favorites of 2014: (The Cream of the Crop; Listed in Numerical Order)
In 2013 I released little over 30 reviews, this year I more than doubled the amount, setting another record by seeing 101 films from 2014 (as opposed to 82 from last year). Astonishingly, I still managed to miss seeing several critically acclaimed films such as Starred Up, Mr. Turner, Still Alice, Top Five and Citizenfour; these films will all be eligible as leftovers for the 2015 year.
I tried vigorously to write reviews for every unique and exceptional 2014 film seen; I succeeded in posting reviews for all but three films on this list, Birdman, The Dog and A Most Violent Year. The absences of A Most Violent Year and The Dog were due to seeing them late in January and not finding time to write reviews. Birdman was actually one of two 2014 films I saw twice in theaters (the other being The Lego Movie); both times I wrote enough notes to publish an extensive review, yet for various reasons never compiled them into a rough draft. As evident by their placing, I thoroughly enjoyed all three films. Birdman is a great film worthy of your time, possessing witty black comedy, great cinematography, outstanding performances and a plot which while imperfect (Andrea Riseborough should not have been in the film, and is the root cause of the majority of Birdman's flaws), is soundly brought together by the finale. A Most Violent Year is recommended to those desiring a film which reconstructs the crime genre in a refreshing (albeit slightly cheesy) tone and plot. Lastly there’s The Dog, a fantastic documentary on the life of John Wojtowicz (portrayed by Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon, one of my favorite films), giving fascinating insight into Wojtowicz's life and character, along with a new appreciation towards the already brilliant Dog Day Afternoon.
Alas, if only the year had ended as well as it began. From spring to summer I was ecstatic with the 2014 filmography; nearing the start of fall I’d seen nearly a dozen really good to great films. From The Lego Movie, to Edge of Tomorrow, to A Most Wanted Man, the year was shaping to be one of the best this decade. I had high hopes for the year’s second half; so many anticipated films being released for the Oscar season, where the “supposed quality” of film goes up. To cut to the chase, what looked to be one of the best years this decade, ended up the most disappointing, underwhelming, and least innovative year since 2009. I blame such let down on 2014’s Oscar season; not to say there weren’t any solid films released then (this very list will prove otherwise), but that they were few and far in-between. This is particularly noticeable (as well as distressing) when compared to the jam-packed, highly creative spring-summer season. To hammer my point across, out of the 27 films on this list, 17 (or 63%) were released during the spring-summer season, while only 7 (26%) were released during the fall-winter season (with the remaining 3 as leftovers from 2013). Compare this to last year’s list, where the spring-summer/fall-winter seasons were evenly split with 12 films each (as well as 2 leftovers). Such disappointment is completely unacceptable for a season which holds itself to a higher regard, and hopefully a simple fluke, one which will be fixed in the upcoming year.
Now then, ONTO THE BEST!!!
The Other Ten:
Here are the honorary films which didn't make the Top Ten cut, but were too good to not acknowledge. The films are organized in alphabetical order along with information on their director and genre. Links are provided in the film titles for those I reviewed.
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Genre: Thriller
Director:
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Doug Liman
Genre: Action/Science Fiction
Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Political/Psychological
Directors: Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz
Genre: Comedy/Road Trip
Director: Steven Knight
Genre: Drama
Most Violent Year (A)
Director: J. C. Chandor
Genre: Crime/Drama
Director: James Bobin
Genre: Comedy/Musical
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Genre: Coming of Age
Special Awards:
A special award is given to the best film of each of six different categories: Comedy, Horror, Romance, Animation, Superhero and Popcorn Flick. If any of these films were good enough to make the Top Ten, they’ll appear on Part 2 instead with the award mentioned underneath. Out of the six categories, only Animation (unsurprisingly) made the Top Ten.
Favorite Comedy: 22 Jump Street
Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Genre: Buddy-Cop/Comedy
Favorite Horror: Babadook
Director: Jennifer Kent
Genre: Horror/Psychological
Favorite Romance: Fault in Our Stars (The) (Tied)
Director: Josh Boone
Genre: Drama/Romance
Favorite Romance: Love is Strange (Tied)
Director: Ira Sachs
Genre: Drama/Romance
Favorite Superhero: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Directors: Anthony Russo and Joseph V. Russo
Genre: Action/Superhero
Favorite Popcorn Flick: Expendables 3 (The) (Tied)
Director: Patrick Hughes
Part 2 out now! (Edit: After a recent re-viewing, decided to tie Expendables 3 with Non-Stop as Favorite Popcorn Flicks).