BEST MOVIES OF 2014

 HONOURABLE MENTION. THE LEGO MOVIE.

Will Ferrell is hilarious. Batman is a douchebag. Everything is awesome.  

10. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

It takes a lot of confidence for a studio to rely on a relatively obscure director to make a big budget blockbuster based on a relatively obscure comic book from the 70s, but that’s exactly what Marvel did and boy did it pay off. Probably the biggest surprise hit of the year, Guardians of the Galaxy managed to be funny, action packed and heartfelt and made a star of Chris Pratt. Plus it had the coolest soundtrack since Pulp Fiction.

9. DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

It’s become more and more common for blockbusters to adopt a serious tone and gesture towards serious subject matter without ever really saying anything. How refreshing it is then to see a sequel to a reboot which manages to improve on the previous movie while taking a different direction, all while managing to explore political and social themes in a mature way. Through Caesar’s eyes we are able to see the issues arising between the humans and apes, with neither side being portrayed as the bad guys. It makes it all the more heartbreaking when the inevitable war breaks out.

8. GONE GIRL

If anyone can direct dark thrillers, it’s David Fincher. Adapting Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel, Fincher turns a story about a missing housewife into a tense drama about the news, social media, gender, identity and a damning examination of marriage. Ben Affleck is terrific as the seemingly nice guy who may just have murdered his wife, played by Rosamund Pike who turns in what’s probably the best performance of her career. It’s worth watching for her alone.    

7. FRANK

Every now and then a film comes along that is so weird, you can’t help but sit up and take notice. Following an aspiring musician who joins a band made up of a gang of psychotic bohemians, most notably Frank who always wears a giant mask with a surprises expression is a tragic-comic musical gem. Set mostly in a secluded cabin in rural Ireland as the band whose name no one can pronounce tries to record an album, it’s a quirky but sometimes dark exploration of creativity, mental illness and the desire to rise above mediocrity and obscurity.

6. THE RAID 2

Anyone who watched the first Raid movie knows it was a claustrophobic and violent masterpiece. If you haven’t seen it, go see it now! The second outing of the Indonesian action series takes the plot out of the tower blocks and out into the city. Feeling like the bastard child of Ong-bak and Infernal Affairs, The Raid 2 adds gangsters and undercover cops into the mix with brutal martial arts, making this perfect for action fans.     

5. INTERSTELLAR

It speaks volumes of a director’s talent and the expectations that come with that, when the most consistent criticism of his latest movie is ‘it wasn’t perfect’. An unabashed fan of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Chris Nolan takes his own stab at powerful Sci-Fi epic and largely succeeds. There are pacing issues in the first half of the movie, but when you get such beautiful imagery and great performances from the likes of Matthew McConaughey in a story about finding a new home world for humanity its hard not to be bowled over in awe. For all the science talk about black holes and relativity, where this film really shines is in its touching portrayal of the relationship between a father and a daughter.   

4. THE BABDOOK

A horror movie that’s not really a horror movie. It’s a tough sell. We’ve become accustomed to cheap scares and gore in our horror, easy payoffs. Australian director Jennifer Kent adopts a more old school approach reminiscent of movies like The Shining and The Omen, where the horror comes though creepy imagery and sustained sense of dread. At its core though this a movie about a troubled woman dealing with grief and an exceptionally difficult child as they are haunted by a dark fairy tale figure who embodies both of their fears.

3. NIGHTCRAWLER

Anti-heroes are hard to get right, especially when they’re ruthless psychopaths. Jake Gyllenhaal looks almost unrecognisable as Lou bloom, a down on his luck but driven young man who does an awful of reading. The movie plays out as a twisted satire on business and success as Lou forges a successful career recording violent crimes and selling the footage to news stations. Speaking like a corporate salesman with buzzwords and superficial charm, he manipulates and bullies his way to getting what he wants including a relationship. It’s a spine tingling performance form Gyllenhaal reminiscent of Christian Bale in American Psycho and it’s a dark thrilling movie form start to finish.

2. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Describing this film as ‘whimsical’ really doesn’t do it justice. Wes Anderson’s latest offering fantastically weaves a story within a story about the enigmatic and charming, Monsieur Gustave at the wonderful Grand Budapest hotel, told through the eyes of a lobby boy. Funny, serious, tragic and romantic in every sense of the word it’s a seemingly simple madcap caper movie which manages to touch on deeper themes while never becoming a downer. Ralph Fiennes is hilarious and endlessly likable as the charming concierge with a taste for older ladies. It’s one those movies everyone should watch.

1. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

When a franchise is on the ropes after a couple of poor movies, it takes something special to bring it back from the brink. Cue Bryan Singer’s return to the franchise he kicked off. A time travelling plot that brings together his original cast including Hugh Jackman with the new younger cast consisting of Mcavoy, Fassbender, Lawrence et al is just what the franchised needed. The cast is uniformly brilliant and the action delivers, but like the previous movies it never takes it eyes of the characters and their motivations. And scene of the year goes to Quicksilver’s super-speed beat down.

   

      

   

     

The Babadook

Modern horror movies often have throwaway characters, unoriginal stories and use clichéd tactics to deliver cheap thrills, the most well-known of which is the jump scare. You know the trick: there’s an unnerving quiet, the camera focuses on blank space, you’re lulled into a fall sense of security and then BANG. It’s either something grotesque and frightening or harmless and innocent, but either way you jumped though didn’t you?

How refreshing then that Australian director Jennifer Kent stays away from clichés for her debut feature, The Bababook. With a throw back style to classic horror, she understand that horror comes from characters you care about and the increasing tension as it becomes obvious something horrible is going to happen to them.

The Babadook centres on Amelia and her troubled young son, Samuel. He is obsessed with magic and convinced of the existence of monsters, to the point of building make-shift weapons and using them at home and school. His behaviour worsens after his mother unwittingly reads him a book about a terrifying spectre, Mister Babadook, who he now believes is haunting them and will hurt his mother. As she realises they are now not alone in their house having read the book and welcomed him in, it becomes apparent that ‘you can’t get rid of The Babadook’.

The central performances by Essie Davis and young Noah Wieseman are terrific and the backbone of the movie is the dysfunctional relationship between the mother and son. Noah is a strange child with an overactive imagination, acting out over never knowing his father, who died in a car crash. His obsession with monsters makes his increasingly difficult for Amelia, who has no idea of how to handle him. Amelia is lonely and depressed since losing her husband and the stress of dealing with Samuel is taking its toll on her. This relationship is explored in uncommon psychological depth throughout the film and as Mister Babadook becomes ever more present in their lives, Amelia becomes unhinged, meaning we have a parent and child as scared of each other as they are of their unwelcome guest.

Mister Babadook himself is genuinely creepy, almost an embodiment of Amelia’s and Samuel’s fears. The imagery of a pale-faced man in a top hat, moving around like a shadow and speaking in a voice reminiscent of the death-rattling ghost from The Grudge will stay with you.

The horror is expertly handled by Kent, never opting for the jump scare, instead maintaining tension and dread by using surreal imagery and excellent use of light and sound.  The soundtrack of the film is a collection of whispers and screams and Mister Badadook’s aggressive knocking is used to add to the creepy atmosphere. Rooms are never completely dark,and light is used to show just enough and keep just enough hidden. Every shot is meticulously framed with every prop exactly placed every camera angle used to build tension and keep your eyes glued to screen .

 The best thing about the horror is so much of it is psychological.  As Amelia’s mental state deteriorates over the course of the film she becomes twitchy, short tempered and darker. The Babadook becomes more powerful feeding off her negativity, adding a further level of psychological depth to the horror.

While this may not be a crowd pleaser, delivering the cheap thrills and scares that some movie-goers have come to expect and even enjoy, this is more of a throwback to horror classics like The Omen and The Shining. It is a psychologically deep and unexpectedly emotional movie, with a creepy villain and unnerving moments that will fill you with dread.

Insidious: Chapter 2

Pumping out two movies in one year is no mean feat for a director but James Wan has somehow managed it. Following the critical and commercial success of The Conjuring earlier this year, we are now being treated to a follow up to his 2011 horror, Insidious. The first Insidious was genuinely creepy with some memorable scares, great performances and an original plot involving astral projection.

Having saved his son from the spirit world at the end of the first movie, Josh (Patrick Wilson) has returned but has seemingly brought something back with him and his family continues to be haunted by a malevolent presence. Wilson delivers a fantastically twitchy performance, reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in the Shining, getting more and more aggressive as it becomes clear he is not quite himself.

Despite being a sequel to a horror film, Insidious: Chapter 2 eschews the typical jump scares for a supernatural mystery style. The mysterious old lady in black from the first Insidious serves as the main antagonist this time around, her motives and past providing the drive for the narrative. There are a few scary moments but these are few and far between, none of which recall the bone chilling moments of the first film. Fans of the first and horror fans in general are likely to be frustrated and disappointed by the lack of actual horror. Those wanting to be scared will be slightly confused by odd change in tone, especially given the number of comedic scenes in the sequel. While they are mostly funny, some fall flat and it creates some awkward shifts in tone, sometimes during tense scenes.

Visually this film feels less polished than the first Insidious, the fantastic lighting and cinematography missing this time around and replaced by an oddly low budget look. The scenes set in the spirit realm were enveloped in pitch black in the first film, creating a unique atmosphere and tension, but it seems brighter and less daunting this time around. Make up and costumes seem cheaper and less frightening. The clever camera work and editing Wan used in The Conjuring is also missing here.

However, for a horror film that isn’t scary and has so many other shortcomings, Insidious: Chapter 2 still manages to be very entertaining. While most horror sequels amount to nothing more than rehashes of the first film with different characters, this feels like a genuine continuation and a step in a different direction. The characters that were developed so well in the first film are able to deal with the consequence of what has happened and are presented with a very different challenge. The horror and tension doesn’t come from ghosts, but from an increasingly unstable husband.  There are some grace notes to horror classics, most notable Psycho. The mystery is presented in a pleasingly non-linear fashion, as the plot device of astral projection is extended to time travel and multiple plot threads converge to a tense climax. What results is a mixed bag of tongue in cheek comedy and few scares, but an undoubtedly original and interesting storyline.

Is it scary? No. Is it goofy? Yes. Is it fun? Absolutely. 

 If you like this try: Ghostbusters II (1989), Evil Dead II (1987)

Man of Steel

Superman has always been a tough nut to crack. How do you make a man who is indestructible, who’s not even a man, relatable? How do you make a character that has been around since the 30s relevant to a modern audience? The title, Man of Steel, gives a clue as to this movies approach. Ditch the Super, focus on the Man. Having successfully utilised this approach with the 2005 film Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan produces this film, with a script penned by his partner in crime on the Dark Knight movies David Goyer. Directing duty is taken up by Zack Snyder who has brought has films like 300, Watchmen and the much less enjoyable Sucker Punch. Often praised for his fleet handling of action scenes but criticised for his poor handling of character, (Nolan often being praised for the strength of his characters but seen to struggle directing action) the studio was obviously hoping to combine the strengths of both.

Man of Steel opens big; the lengthy first act is set on Superman’s doomed home planet, Krypton. We are introduced to the hero’s biological parents; Russell Crowe gives a fantastic performance as his father Jor-El. Also introduced is the villain of the piece Zod, played with an understated menace by Michael Shannon, as well as a whole host of other Kryptonians and an impressive array of technology. This part of the film is probably the most original and visually arresting with some fantastic visuals and action. There’s a brilliant fight, a robotic butler, an ancient council of elders, an attempted coup and Russell Crowe riding a giant dragonfly. What’s not to enjoy?

The next part feels very reminiscent of Batman Begins as we see a bearded Clark Kent roaming around as a drifter and are treated to flashbacks from his younger years. This part of the film is simultaneously its strongest and weakest. The adult Clark, searching for answers about his heritage is fairly uninteresting. The story moves ahead slowly and there’s nothing to help us connect to him. A big part of this is down to Henry Cavill’s performance, who seems to be unable to portray anything other than anger convincingly. The dialogue is similarly wooden and big moments like the introduction of Lois Lane, her first meeting with Clark, Clark learning of his roots and the reveal of the iconic costume all feel rushed and lack any emotional impact. Where this section does shine is in the flashbacks. This is helped is no small way by fantastic performances from Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent, Clark’s adoptive parents. There are some fantastic moments, including Martha consoling a young teary eyed Clark, and Jonathan urging Clark to keep his gifts hidden from the world. This is where Man of Steel shines.

The final part of the movie is a similarly mixed bag. The reintroduction of Zod and his followers as the protagonists is handled well and the threat the Kryptonians pose feels menacing and ominous, their giant ship looming over Metropolis as Zod delivers a chilling ultimatum to the people of Earth. This is shown best in a super powered brawl in Smallville, where Superman gets his ass handed to him by Zod’s right hand woman Faora (Antje Traue who also kicked all kinds of ass in Pandorum). It’s a shame then the movie gets other things wrong, most notably the relationship between Clark and Lois which feels awkward and forced, despite Amy Adam’s best efforts as Lois. Her Lois feels flat and this is not down to her acting, rather some poor dialogue and handling of the character. Other characters suffer too, such as Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) and most of the other characters end up being forgettable. The finale is an unoriginal CGI fest, culminating in a drawn out slug fest between Superman and Zod.

While action packed and visually impressive, Man of Steel lacks originality and a sense of humour. You’ll be entertained, but there’s not enough character development for you to really invest. Lacking the warmth that made the original Superman movies so beloved, fans and general viewers are likely to leave Man of Steel feeling cold.

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 blasts onto the screen to the sounds of cheesy pop hit Blue (Da Ba Dee). You know this is gonna be fun. Shane Black, whose last work with Robert Downey Jr. Brought us the brilliant Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, takes over directing duty from Jon Favreau. Thankfully he brings his humour, creativity and talent for subverting genre clichés to Iron Man 3. This is the first of Marvel’s ‘Phase Two’ movies, in the wake of the wildly successful team-up movie, The Avengers. Next on the cards is Thor 2 this year and Captain America 2 next year, building towards The Avengers 2 which should be released by 2015. The challenge of making and Iron Man movie in a post Avengers world are met with enthusiasm by Black, opting for an admirably scaled down and more personal story. What we get is the simultaneously darkest and funniest Iron Man outing and easily the best of his solo movies.

This time around, Tony is plagued by insomnia, bad dreams and anxiety attacks after his experience with ‘Gods, aliens and other dimensions’ in the Avengers and has been obsessively building new suits. The most prominent of these is the Mark 42, which can attach itself him piece-by-piece and can be remote controlled by thought.  New threats arrive in the shape of terrorist leader The Mandarin, an army of genetically modified super soldiers and the man who created them, Aldrich Killian.

Robert Downey Jr. has always been excellent as Tony Stark movies and Iron Man 3 does more with the character than any other movie has so far. Gone is his brash bravado as we see him vulnerable and afraid for the first time. We finally get to see him tested and pushed and to see a quieter, more likable side to him (his arrogance while his defining characteristic could get grating at times). For a large part of the film, he has to manage without his armour or high tech gadgets and the stakes are more personal and far tenser. That’s not to say this movie resorts to naval gazing, as there’s plenty of fun and humour, delivered mainly through one liners and Tony’s back and forth exchanges with Rhodes. The scenes with the two of them together will delight any fans of the buddy cop humour of the Lethal Weapon movies (which Black wrote). There is also a bucketful of creative actions scenes which more than deliver the required adrenaline expected in a film like this. The most impressive of these is the ‘Barrel of Monkeys’ sequence involving Iron Man saving people falling from a plane, done impressively by a stunt skydiving team rather than CGI. Gwyneth Paltrow has far more to do as Pepper Potts in this film as does Don Cheadle as Rhodes and both are solid in their roles. Ben Kingsley is the stand out of the cast, with a fantastic performance as the super villain, The Mandarin. The movie makes a smart decision on how to handle the character and his chameleonic acting goes hand in hand with his mischievous character development.

Like our hero, the movie has its flaws. The biggest of these is the pacing, as the films sometimes lingers on scenes that are unimportant and frustratingly speeds through scenes which are vital to the story. This leads to the movie sagging in parts, particularly the second act which also includes an annoying child character. It also leads to some characters feeling underdeveloped and motivations left  unclear. This is particularly the case with Guy Pearce’s character, Aldrich Killian, and Maya Hansen played by Rebecca Hall, both of whom are incredibly important to the story. The super powered henchmen get no character development at all. The third act is quite rushed, evidenced in the late inclusion of the Vice President, who again is important to the story but barely talked about.

Overall though, the flaws aren’t enough to detract from the great fun that’s to be had here. While people who weren’t fans of the previous Iron Man movies are unlikely to be swayed, there’s plenty of humour, action and drama to keep fans entertained and it will surely go down as the best Iron Man movie. If this is the last solo outing for the ol’ shellhead, then it’s a fitting ending.

If you like this try: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Lethal Weapon (1987)