Guest Reviewer: Kyle Kuzemchak
2014 Superlatives
Best Animated Film: The Lego Movie – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I)
If you haven’t seen this movie, I’m honestly not sure why
you’re sitting on Facebook instead of watching it. This is probably the most universally
likeable film of the year. With amazing
animation and some humor that ALMOST made it the best comedy of the year,
Everything is Awesome about The Lego Movie.
Best Action Film: John Wick - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuQo4xHqCww)
Aww man, this movie was fun.
John Wick instantly became one of my favorite movie badasses after
seeing it. There isn’t much downtime
between John Wick shooting people in awesome ways in revenge for killing his
adorable puppy, so be prepared to get your adrenaline pumping. I read a very fitting line on Reddit….John
Wick is the guy you send in to kill Liam Neeson from Taken. As far as Keanu Reeves being in action movies
again, yeah, I’m thinking he’s back.
Best Blockbuster: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes / X-Men
Days of Future Past -
This one is a toss-up.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was a smart movie that really made you
care for those damn dirty apes. X-Men
was innovative, and as a fan of the series, I loved seeing the two worlds
collide. Can’t go wrong with either one
of these smart popcorn flicks.
Best Comedy: What We Do in the Shadows – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAZEWtyhpes&feature=youtu.be)
Not just my favorite comedy of this year, but probably the
last 5 or 6 years, and also the winner of the Audience Award at the Virginia
Film Festival. Co-written and
co-directed by Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords, this New Zealand
mockumentary about vampires is packed full of the humor you’ve come to love
from him. I had read a review before I
saw the movie saying “The
biggest criticism of What We Do In The Shadows is that it's so unrelentingly
funny that you'll miss half the jokes through laughing.” I agree with that.
Best Horror Film: The Babadook – (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szaLnKNWC-U)
This category would not exist most years because I hate most
modern horror movies, mainly because I cannot stand jump scares. However, Australia’s The Babadook swooped in
and terrified me, all without a single jump scare. The directing in the movie creates such an
eerie feeling that looms over, and you can’t help but get caught up in the
dread. It also is a horror movie with a
point, with a message, with a heart…that also reminds you that you have a
heart, because it’ll be beating out of your chest.
Top 20 of 2014
Potential list busters – Selma,
The Theory of Everything, A Most Violent Year
20. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
19. Joe - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbWjxlhmlu0) Nic Cage with a grizzly godly beard, need I say more?
18. Gone Girl – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esGn-xKFZdU) Intense and darkly funny, Fincher once again proves that he’s one of the best.
17. The Lego Movie
16. Grand Budapest Hotel – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg5iWmQjwk&feature=youtube_gdata) Wes Anderson takes his unique style up a notch, creating a beautiful painting with every single shot, while being absurd and making you laugh.
15. Fury – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKu5lGfRBxc) Brutal war movie focusing on tank battles in World War 2, giving it a style that sets it apart from most other war movies. Even Shia LaBeouf showed up with a good performance.
14. Wish I Was Here – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCponfeWNOI) The worst reviewed movie on my list, but I didn’t understand all the hate. Touching, funny, and filled with great music, Zach Braff continues to keep me smiling.
13. The Imitation Game - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg85ggZSHMw&feature=youtu.be) Benedict Cumberbatch once again sucks you right in with his presence, and he carries the movie with the help of a wonderful script and score.
12. The One I Love – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCOvhojlZzQ&feature=youtu.be) Low budget sci-fi movie that keeps you thinking. Don’t really want to say more about it, because this is one you just have to see.
11. Starred Up – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4iseCjFnWk) Possibly the hardest movie on the list for me to recommend, this prison drama from England is not for the faint of heart. Full of very coarse language, male nudity and violence, this movie is brutal, unflinching, real, emotional and magnificent.
10. Obvious Child – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2GN3wdfqbA) Another difficult movie to recommend as it focuses on the touchy subject of abortion. While it is a hard subject to discuss, it is a very real thing and occurs fairly often, and Obvious Child handles it as such. Jenny Slate is hilarious and raw, having you laughing hard one minute, then feeling terrible for her character the next.
9. Blue Ruin – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJo1qrr_8Hc) Technically released in 2013 at festivals (including its debut at the Virginia Film Festival, as it was shot in Virginia!), but not released wide until April 2014. Say hello again to another brutal revenge flick that is not for everyone, as it is gory and harsh. This low budget flick feels much more realistic than John Wick, as a man hunts down the man responsible for his mother’s death and the repercussions of his actions. In Wick, he seamlessly flows from one action to the next. In Blue Ruin, it feels as though you truly are watching a man who has never done anything bad in his life trying to fight for himself, as he fumbles around and struggles to maintain order. I had never heard of anyone involved in this movie before I saw it, but I will be keeping an eye out for whatever they do next.
8. Snowpiercer – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX5PwfEMBM0) Once again, a movie that I cannot easily recommend to everyone, but I promise, the list will get less brutal soon! So far on this list, we’ve seen movies from Australia, New Zealand and England, and now you can add South Korea to the list. Yes, this movie was made in English with primarily American and British actors, but the director is a modern legend in South Korea and there is a Korean feel around the entire movie (anyone who has seen a Korean film knows the style to which I am referring). Genre-bending between sci-fi, action and drama, Snowpiercer will have you thinking, while indulging you in some of the most beautifully shot action scenes you’ll ever see.
7. Foxcatcher – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzL7UypfaIM) – Is Foxcatcher brutal? Yes, but in a much different way from all those previously mentioned. Foxcatcher is emotionally unflinching, showing an unstable man and his strange, growing relationship with the Schultz brothers and his wrestling team. This film is a very interesting study of what can happen when a “child” is trying to gain the attention of its un-impressible “parent.” Steve Carell is amazing in this role and is virtually unrecognizable. On the Daily Show, Jon Stewart told Carell, “I watched the whole thing, they kept telling me, Steve Carell, he’s great in this, you won’t believe it, he’s so good. I know you…you’re not in this movie.”
6. Interstellar – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWdZVtXT7E) Fans of this film will be happy to see it so high on my list, while others may see it in this spot and groan. While I realize that the movie is not without its flaws, I saw it as much more. Interstellar is not as much as a movie as it is an experience. I promise you, you will see things in this film that you have never seen before. I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan, and I have come to appreciate that while there may be flaws in his films, he still has been able to reinvent the modern blockbuster and turn it into something much smarter. People seem to forget that when watching his movies that they are just popcorn films, because Nolan has been able to expand the blockbuster, and he expands the universe and our minds as well with Interstellar.
5. Nightcrawler – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8kYDQan8bw) Jake Gyllenhaal is rapidly becoming one of my favorite actors because he keeps turning in performances like this one. He embodies this role, and presents one of the best depictions of a pure sociopath that I have ever seen. As he struggles to find a job that suits his “skills”, a man turns to filming tragedies for local news stations. But with his clear mental instability, you are never quite sure how far he will go, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is also a great study of modern media’s embrace of violent news content.
4. Boyhood – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys-mbHXyWX4) When the trailer for this movie came out, I predicted that it would be my favorite of the year and the Oscar winner for Best Picture. And HERE IT IS!!!...at number 4. Richard Linklater is one of the best directors working right now, and his 12 year project is unlike anything that has graced the big screen, and likely never will again. Twelve…years. I was 12 years old when this movie started filming, it is just so insane to imagine working on a project for that long, being dedicated enough to edit 12 years worth of footage down to less than 3 hours. Because of the length, at one point, I caught myself zoning out, only to realize that it felt like I was truly watching a child grow up, almost as through home videos, and the complexity of the film just sucked me right back in. I loved Boyhood so much, and I hope that me putting it at #4 shows how much I loved my top 3.
3. Whiplash – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_jQycdQGo) When I first saw the trailer for Whiplash, I thought “This looks like a cheesy, comical version of Foxcatcher.” Oh boy, was I wrong. Foxcatcher delved more into a parent/child relationship, where Whiplash shows the corrosiveness of a toxic teacher/student relationship. In Foxcatcher, the “teacher” is weak and lost. In Whiplash, the teacher is strong-willed and terrifying. JK Simmons has a great chance at winning the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award, he was phenomenal. The score is fantastic as well, and I don’t even like jazz music. Whiplash dares to ask “What will happen if you push people past what they believe they are capable of?” The end result is heart-stopping. I don’t think I breathed for the last 10 minutes of this one. See it.
2. Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJfLoE6hanc) Without Birdman, Boyhood would be the landslide victor of the Academy Award for Best Picture. But Birdman is here. Boasting what I believe to be the best directing effort of the year, from Alejandro Iñárritu, Birdman is shot and edited to look like it was filmed in one long take, which is extraordinary. It also has performances from Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Emma Stone that will all earn Academy Award nominations. The film depicts a man who is trying to get over the legacy he left with his superhero movies, showing he is a credible artist by putting on a Broadway play. It features a drum score, which is extremely unique and refreshing, and stands well next to Whiplash. The film severely brings into question people’s view on art, while taking a shot at critics, making me feel silly critiquing the film. However, it definitely made me think about the way I look at film as not just an art, but a livelihood. Can this troubled man overcome his demons to put on a great show? Watch the movie and determine that for yourself.
1. Calvary – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UlI6wJzOpc) I end the list with another film from outside the US, coming from Ireland. Calvary comes from the mind of John Michael McDonagh, whose brother Martin took my #1 a few years ago with Seven Psychopaths. This film is much, much better and profound than Seven Psychopaths, however. Sadly, Calvary will most likely get no recognition at the Academy Awards, but I hope that it finds an audience because it is superb, and one of the most perfect and beautiful movies I have ever seen. Labeled as a black comedy, I can honestly say I did not laugh once. However, I was captivated throughout. At the beginning of the film, and as seen in the trailer, a priest is told that he is going to be killed and is given 7 days to get his affairs in order. The biblical connections are abundant, as we watch the priest/the man struggle to leave a mark on the cold and sinful world. Brendan Gleeson provides one of my favorite performances of all time in this movie, he completely commands your attention and owns it. If there would be one movie I recommend to everyone on this list, it would be Calvary. However, don’t watch it if you don’t like to think. I feel sorry for my girlfriend because once we left the theater, I talked and talked about it for the entire 25 minute ride home. It is one of those movies that can affect you on a mental and spiritual level, even if you are not religious. Watch it and get swept up in the messages that the priest wants to leave behind.
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