THE 19 BEST FILMS OF 2014 - A WORK IN PROGRESS

Ok here are my 19 favorite films of 2014.  I had 20 films listed but someone pointed out to me that ADULT WORLD came out in 2013 so I removed it and the empty space is reserved for films I haven’t seen yet that have gotten good buzz such as THE OVERNIGHTERS, BOYHOOD ETC.

My favorite 19 films of 2014 – A work in progress.

1.) THE GUEST

2.) X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

3.) GODZILLA

4.) HOUSEBOUND

5.) FOXCATCHER

6.) WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL?

7.) CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

8.) THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN

9.) VARSITY BLOOD

10.) PROXY

11.) WHEN ANIMALS DREAM

12.) MR JONES

13.) BLUE RUIN

14.) VERONICA MARS

15.) LET THE FIRE BURN

16.) CHILDREN OF SORROW

17.) AFFLICTED

18.) V/H/S VIRAL

19.) HOW WE GOT AWAY WITH IT

FOXCATCHER

The actors are trying so hard in their respective roles in FOXCATCHER that one can almost see  steam coming out of their ears but this is a good film.

First and foremost of the actors involved is Steve Carrell, the subject of a lot of hype and best actor Oscar buzz.  He is really convincing - Alternately reassuring, pathetic, and scary. Generally, not a fan of his but he is good in this dramatic part. His "horses are stupid" speech and the helicopter scene are amazing as his scene with Vanessa Redgrave playing his mother - The actor totally inhabiting the role.

It doesn't try to shed any great light on what occurred between the Schultz Brothers and John Du Pont relying instead on a well-constructed script and a lot of implied action. The end is bit rushed but we do largely get Du Pont. I appreciate a film like this that doesn't telegraph everything, leave some challenge to the viewer to interpret.

In particular what occurred between Du Pont and Mark Schultz (a focused performance by Channing Tatum) – Was it something sexual?  This is left to the audience’s imagination although I felt it was implied.

Another thing I liked was its portrait of old money wealth as degenerate and ugly whether being able to purchase any useless item like a tank or as a shield covering up Du Pont’s mental illness and deteriorating state.

It moves very fast in the last 15 minutes after Mark Schultz loses in the 1988 Olympics Wrestling event and leaves his house.  Dave Schultz, his brother, was a poor substitute.  Carrell’s Du Pont is a needy person but also one suffering from delusions.  All of this is explained in the two hour running time.

Also this film makes good use of its exterior location shots, Foxcatcher estate especially, to show its characters moods and feelings.

                                  

  

WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL?

The annoying toothpaste jingle that a number of the characters end up singing throughout WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL? is as good as an example as any of this film's clever balance of uncontrolled lunacy and multiple layered plots that all run into each other by the middle of the story.

Director Sion Sono’s masterpiece COLD FISH ratcheted up the emotional peaks and moments of titillation with such relentlessness one couldn’t breathe.  Here the gore is much more unreal and also much less than I expected going in.  The film has basically no nudity or sex but that’s not necessary as this is a filmmaker’s fantasy – An action story within a movie within an action story.

The story of a team of amateur filmmakers colliding with two warring yakuza gangs as well as the actress daughter of one of the Yakuza heads and the young man who idolizes her sloppily spills out full of shameless overacting by the cast (which includes many familiar faces for those who are fans of Japanese cinema) and gleeful craziness.

The end result is a pretty good film that perhaps errs a bit too much on the side of gentility and humor despite the death and gore but in the end I have to salute Sono for skillfully using the filmmaker as the deux ex machine – Best use of a plot device in a film I saw in 2014.

  

THREE FILMS - WHEN ANIMALS DREAM, THE DEN, THE TRIP TO ITALY

WHEN ANIMALS DREAM

Danish werewolf film that reminded me of GINGER SNAPS in its linking of the onset of puberty and female sexuality to lycanthropy and  LET THE RIGHT ONE IN in overall vibe and the ending.  The narrative was slightly disjointed at times and also illogical (Why didn’t they just leave the town they lived in?) but overall ambitious, creative, and interesting with a good performance by Sonia Suhl.   

THE DEN

At first this felt like the gimmick running the show and it’s a good gimmick – The whole movie is told through either an online chatting site or a webcam.  The reaction by the police and her friends seemed illogical to what was going on around the heroine and the pacing seemed off, rushed at times, but then the last half hour kicks in and it turns into an online version of HOSTEL with some quite good action/scare scenes.  76 minutes long and it’s a tad rough in places.  I would love to see what a better director could do with this clever idea.     

THE TRIP TO ITALY

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in a sequel to THE TRIP (which I gather is edited from a TV series) .  Better locales than the first film but much of the same jokes.  Yes, Michael Caine imitations are funny as is the man in a box but less so with repetition.  I laughed a bit and I liked it overall but I hope they come up with some new material if there’s a third film/series.  

KLAUS KINSKI AND THE ICK FACTOR

Just watched SCHIZOID a moderately entertaining slasher from 1980 (with a strong Giallo influence).   It was moderately entertaining and this was largely due to the presence of the always disturbing Klaus Kinski.  I am well aware he was a horrible person in real life who allegedly molested his own daughters among other things (Try watching MEIN LIEBSTER FIEND for Kinski unleashed) but he really filled up the screen with his icky presence.

Truth is when he applied himself, he was a very good actor (AGUIRRE WRATH OF GOD for example).  Like Jack Nicholson, he generally worked best in films where he was crazed from the beginning as opposed to at least partly trying to play a more controlled role.

AGUIRRE with its paranoia, insane hatred, and panic was perfect for Kinski.  FITZCARRALDO, also a brilliant film and also by Werner Herzog his provoker/punching bag/collaborator/adversary, where he played a slightly more lucid role is also good as it allows him to show the obsession of a self-deluded man.  In addition to SCHIZOID, Kinski made many other low budget horror and action films.  He is almost always the best thing in them.

The creepiness of Klaus Kinski on screen might have been a reflection of who he was off screen.  This was his presentation of an uglier self.  The persona as the truth of the actor’s human spirit.  

FOUR FILMS - TUSK, ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS, RAGNORAK, DON'T BLINK

TUSK

I'm not much of Kevin Smith fan but I really enjoyed this super ridiculous, almost whimsical horror film. On the surface it bears a faint resemblance to THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE but is a much better film -horrifying but also very funny in places. The man-walrus hybrid is one for the nightmares. Excellent performance by Michael Parks as the serial (walrus) killer and also an amusing turn by an unrecognizable Johnny Depp.

 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS

Wild documentary about the heyday of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus and their film production company Cannon.  While it's chock full of crazy anecdotes (my favorites are the ones involving Ninjas, Sylvester Stallone’s arm wrestling film OVER THE TOP, and their competing Lambada movies), in the end this is a cautionary tale about spending money you don’t have.  Effortlessly makes the case (without necessarily meaning to do so) for Cannon as a pop culture signpost.  Fast paced and easy to follow and unapologetically exploitative at times much like a Cannon film itself.

RAGNAROK

This Norwegian family friendly lake monster story takes a very long time to get going but once it does, a combination of good monster effects, thrilling chase scenes, and a great location makes it a thrilling experience.  So to rephrase, the last 40 minutes is dynamite, a lot of talking and set-up before then. 

DON’T BLINK

I’ll give this film a little credit for working its very limited conceit well – A group of friends visiting a remote lodge for the weekend find everyone has vanished and they themselves begin to disappear one by one.  I say it’s limited because there’s no monster here, no aliens, no slasher in a hockey mask.  What there is is a constant sense of dread and the usual genre features – One guy goes crazy, people don’t disappear when expected only to disappear the very next scene, a blackout, etc.  In the end, the pay-off which is non-existent does not justify the hour and a half before.  Kudos for the consistently tense mood but it’s an unrewarding disappointment at the end.  

FIVE FILMS - DUMB AND DUMBER TO, FILMAGE: THE STORY OF THE DESCENDANTS/ALL, THE SWIMMERS, A HARD DAY, BEFORE I DISAPPEAR

DUMB AND DUMBER TO

Would you think less of me if I told you I really enjoyed this movie, even more than the first film?  It’s certainly filled with more jokes per minutes and fine tunes Jim Carrey’s and Jeff Daniels Three Stooges/Beavis and Butthead hybrid schtick down to a beautiful science.   Next to SHALLOW HAL, Harry and Lloyd are the Farrelly Brothers greatest creation.  

FILMAGE: THE STORY OF THE DESCENDANTS/ALL

Putting on the music critic's hat for the moment, I think this enjoyable documentary overstates the importance of The Descendants, a band I do like (punk with poppy melodies goes back to The Buzzcocks among others).  That being said, this is a very complete story incorporating The Descendants and the spin off band All formed when original lead singer Milo Aukerman went back to school to get his P.Hd as well as various Milo-Descendant reunions.  The linking factor being drummer/songwriter Bill Richardson who was in all the different incarnations.  This is not your standard music documentary about artists who are busy whining about their lives while living in mansions but rather one of performers out enjoying their music even if they didn’t make a lot of money.  Their spirit is infectious as is this movie – A good time filled with the usual band highs and lows and the obligatory ill member story (Richardson dealt with both a blood clot in his lungs and a brain tumor).

THE SWIMMERS

The twists in this glossy, richly shot Thai horror film are visible from miles away and it could have easily lost 15 or 20 minutes for a better paced narrative but it is suitably creepy and dark in places and it is not afraid of making its characters do nasty things.  The thing that ran through my head is how well-suited this story of a triangle of two high school swimmers and the (late) girlfriend they both were involved with and ghosts and a haunting is for America.  It already looked very American in its depiction of high school horrors.

A HARD DAY

This Korean film is all high points of suspense and action.  What exposition is offered is done quickly in between moments of drama which come fast and furious.  In the end, despite the fact that this film is both well-made and a thrilling rollercoaster ride of the first degree, it didn’t make a big impression.  Could have explained the events more clearly especially what’s up with the main character.

BEFORE I DISAPPEAR

Mix humorless hipster oversensitivity with fawning references to Martin Scorcese, throw in one precocious girl for sentimental and humorous purposes and you have this – A movie with the vibe of a film school thesis.  I was impressed with a few of the hallucinatory visual sequences from the suicidal protagonist’s mind and the precocious niece part was well acted by Fatima Ptacek but overall it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be and the end result was a mess.