Joe's Top Ten Films of 2014

by Joe Moss

First, let me begin with a sincere apology to those who frequent this site expecting to see reviews for many more movies than we posted this year. I was not able to uphold my responsibility to website this past fall due to many other obligations that appeared on my plate from beyond my control. I promise that I will be more visible this year (2015) and that Trevor will not be the only person submitting reviews for half of the year.

The films that ended this year made it really difficult to develop a top ten. I believe both Trevor and I easily compiled our TOP FIVE list, but the bottom five have been tossed about, edited and argued over for at least a month -- probably longer.  I feel that the Hollywood studios need to stand up and take notice of the smaller independent filmmakers...this needs to the be the FUTURE of Hollywood. STOP THE REBOOTS!!  Please. Much of the fodder out of Hollywood this last year was not worth mentioning in reviews of any substance. However, the box office redeemed itself by October. My picks are all based around movies that struck a personal chord in my life. So without further adieu, here are my Top Ten favorite movies of the year in descending order.


10. The LEGO Movie

Emmet, Unikitty and Wyldstyle discuss plans to save the world.

This movie was all about absurd fun. Original, yes. This was an adult humor filled film masquerading as a children's movie! The amount of potty humor was outstanding, yet tempered just enough that it went over the heads of many. I truly enjoyed the ability of directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord to make a positive lesson out of what seemed to begin much like a pothead dream. Overall, the message was simple -- enjoy the simple everyday things out of life: play a little, and don't take every act so seriously. If you do this, then "EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!!!!"


9. Ida

Ida and Wanda learn what really happened to Ida's family.

Pawel Pawlikowski made an absolutely stunning movie that reminded me of Hollywood films of era gone-by. The long camera stills, the perfect shading, the old style black and white. Gorgeous. The story was just as intriguing: a young, orphaned postulate nun about to take her vows, is suddenly thrust onto an aunt (her only surviving relative) to learn about her family, her past and her parents.The only problem is, as we find in the course of the movie, her aunt needs her more than the other way around. This is a dynamic coming-of-age film set in rural Poland. Awkward at times, yet stunningly beautiful in it's real-world storyline about the tribulations of Polish Jews. Sure to be a front-runner for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.


8. Wish I Was Here

Adam, Grace and Tucker finally get to the pool to learn to swim.

As I stated earlier in the year, Sundance did not disappoint when it announced how the audience so favorably responded to this film. I am still over the moon about Zach Braff's sophomore release that I cannot express enough how quickly everyone should go to see it. If you are in the mood for a heart wrenching, true-to-life drama that transcends to address many of the social issues of today, look no further. In what feels like a short while (only 106 minutes) you will be hit head-first with the stark clarity in dealing with family-ties, religion, death and simple pains of growing up 'a little bit different' than the norm of society.


7. Starred-Up

Eric Is taken to his cell and watched by all as fresh-meat.

Raw. Powerful. Emotional. This movie reminded me about why the TV series "Oz" on HBO was such a success during its first two seasons. David Mackenzie's film follows a young man as he enters into the English prison system. We never truly find out what he did -- left to speculation from conversation and flashbacks -- but it begs us to ask ourselves are prisons there to help people find salvation, or to perpetuate all of the problems in certain segments of society. Eric (Jack O'Connell) is plagued by the few memories of his father -- also a prisoner (Ben Mendelsohn) -- and how his life may have turned out. But, as it happens, many people do not like his attitude toward other prisoners and the guards. He acts as though he's already in charged, or starred-up. Even more problematic is that the resident social worker Oliver (Rupert Friend) thinks that he is a salvageable young man with potential in society. If you can stomach the emotional turmoil of a harsh look into prison systems, look no further.

6. Wild

Cheryl sets camp for the evening and ponders a suddenly fresh future.

Reese Witherspoon is at her best in this film about Cheryl Strayed, a young women who 'strayed.' She strayed from the plans of childhood dreams to become an author. She strayed from her husband. She strayed from taking care of her brother. And most of all, she strayed from who she really was. Why? What caused such a catastrophic meltdown into sex, drugs, and debauchery? The death of someone she held on a pedestal. The film picks up as Cheryl attempts to get her life back on track by hiking through the wilderness (a beautiful metaphor for her life) until she is able to reach nirvana. In the process, she rediscovers a strength she didn't realized she had left. Cliche? Not hardly. This film was beautifully adapted from Strayed's memoirs about her hike to salvation along the Pacific Coast Trail. As well, this movie truly showcases why Witherspoon has a phenomenal screen presence and why she truly deserves another Academy Award for this poignant portrayal of a young woman on the edge, who finds redemption in the most unlikely place -- within herself.


5. Boyhood

Mason and his father discuss the loss of the muscle car he was promised.

I love Richard Linklater. He appears on my movie lists time and time again. He is such a ground-breaking, no nonsense, innovative film maker. How could he not be? Last year, with "Before Midnight," he wowed us with the third installment of a series following two strangers who fell in love and married. Now, with "Boyhood," Linklater follows a family through 12 years of life. That is correct: a movie shot over 12 years in real time! The audience literally watches as the actors grow up on film. To tell the truth, I am not even sure how he was able to edit the film footage down to a 165 minute run time. Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his family are your typical dysfunctional modern family. He lives with his mother (Patricia Arquette) and sees his father (Ethan Hawke) sporadically over the years when he drifts into town as needed. The film is not for everyone as it is truly a voyeuristic look at the growing pains of a young man's life. His relationships with family, love, self-discovery, peer pressure and finally understanding who he, himself, really truly is. I must admit when leaving the theater, I was not as enamored by the film as Trevor and Sara, but after months of contemplation, and watching the film again, I understand why.  I related too much to the film's narrative story and I felt as though my own personal life was invaded for privacy and placed raw onto film. A true tearjerker for any mother to see, and a must see for everyone.


4. Nightcrawler

Lou and Rick film a triple wreck.

Have you ever wondered how the news agencies get the random snippets of blood and guts footage for the late night prime time slot? You know, the 'if it bleeds, it leads' type of footage? Well, you can look no further because this film will give you a raw, take-no-prisoners look into the behind-the-scenes arena of freelance videography. Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a down on his luck, goofball looking for the next quick score on getting rich quickly. He has already made the rounds as a petty thief from construction sites salvaging metals; as well, the local pawn shops are shutting down his racket of pedaling small goods, when he blindly stumbles onto a small two-man crew filming a wreck. Bulbs flash and he decides he too can do this. I know this sounds horribly kitschy, but the movie is absolutely fantastic, dramatic, thrilling and is highly entertaining.


3. Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Riggan and Mike in one of numerous heated arguments about acting virtue.

What does an old action-movie hero do when he retires from playing the part that made him world-famous? He decides to adapt his favorite author into a stage play and takes on the leading role of the adaptation. This is precisely the premise of Alejandro Iñárritu's hilarious comedy of errors, "Birdman." Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) was Birdman, the superhero who saved the world in countess worldwide box-office successes. But at his age, he's tired of being the superhero. He feels it's time to play something of substance. He's already lost his wife, and is in the process of trying to salvage a relationship with his estranged daughter, Sam (Emma Stone).  Why not tackle an off-Broadway production as well? What ensues on screen is a complete farce showing what probably occurs more often than not behind the scenes of major theatrical productions. Melodrama at every turn as each actor attempts to out maneuver the other. Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) plays the perfect antagonist against Riggan. In fact, the over-the-top interactions between them make the movie perfection. It is because of this interchange that Michael Keaton will most likely earn his Academy Award this year. Number three is a low placing for this movie, and I truly struggled with my top three. But here is it's final resting place in my Top Ten.


2. Whiplash

The final scene where Andrew OWNS the stage and Fletcher.

Perhaps the most heavily anticipated movie of the year for me -- AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! I had wanted to see this film since the early buzz at Sundance in January 2013 when it was simply a short film by a new director, Damien Chazelle. His feature length film released this year is a showstopper that had one helluva beat! Andrew (Miles Teller) is a young man trying to become the next 'great' jazz drummer of our time. He is pushed into unimaginable acts of self torture by an instructor (J.K. Simmons) who is considered to be the best teacher at the elite music school in which Andrew is enrolled. Bullying never looked so refined, and never had such a poignant lesson to be learned about the depths of depravity the human soul can endure if they are chasing what they consider to be their ultimate dream. I loved this film from the first beat in the prelude, to the grand finale at the end. It was truly a struggle to not make this my number one film, and it sat there for a few weeks. Wes Anderson's masterpiece won out in the end.


1. The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Entire Cast of "The Grand Budapest Hotel."

I used to say that "The Royal Tenenbaums" was Wes Anderson's best movie ever, but that was surpassed this year. The eclectic mix of characters and the constantly twisting story line about the goings-on at an old rundown hotel far from it's heyday made for the most unforgettable and utterly entertaining movie of the year. Ralph Fiennes (and the entire cast) were superb.  Of course it doesn't hurt that Edward Norton makes another appearance in my Top Ten List (even with his small two-part cameo, he is unforgettable). The oft tongue-in-cheek humor that is commonplace with all Wes Anderson movies was at its finest in this screenplay. Each of the three times that I have seen this movie, I notice a little trinket of information missed the previous time. Slow paced, yet quick witted, this movie is great fun for an audience of all ages. All I really need to say is, "Bravo, Sir!! Bravo!"


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My Individual Awards are as follows: (not Academy Award Predictions, but my personal choices)

Best Picture of the Year - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Director - Alejandro Iñárritu (Birdman)
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Best Original Screenplay - The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)
Best Adapted Screenplay - Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)

Honorable Mention: (the film that I struggled to include on my list that "almost" made it):

11. The Guardians of the Galaxy
Hey, what can I say. I loved this movie and have watched it as many times as "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "The LEGO Movie." But was it Top Ten material? For a movie snob like myself, I don't think so. but I am human! If you haven't seen this movie, get it now!

The Guardians break out of prison in style!!

Review: Wild

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★★

If you can’t handle powerful human dramas with strong performances designed to make you feel, then “Wild” won’t be for you. “Wild” is one of the most emotionally charged and powerful films I’ve seen in 2014, and certainly one of the best.

“Wild” starts Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed, a young woman setting out to hike almost every single mile of the Pacific Crest Trail despite have no prior backpacking experience. Why would she subject herself to such torture? Well, Strayed has fallen on really tough times in her life lately. Through flashbacks told along her journey, we see fragments of the events that lead her to making this decision.

We see the turbulent relationship with her ex-husband Paul (Thomas Sadoski), and the events that lead to their divorce. Her life was already in a downward spiral at that point, but the divorce sends her further into the ground. But every negative episode of Cheryl’s life is juxtaposed against happier memories, most of which include her loving mother Bobbi (Laura Dern). Outside of flashbacks, we see Cheryl struggle to complete her journey while questioning her sanity and her ability to finish.

“Wild” is a harrowing and powerful film. It’s a film that pulls a vast range of emotions from you, and it does so very fluidly. The movie goes through highs and lows, like the peaks and valleys of a wave. Cheryl’s backstory is provided entirely through flashbacks, and the events are recalled out of chronological order. Some things trigger happy memories while others recall more depressing episodes. Some of these sequences leave you laughing while others with move you in a much deeper way.

This is made possible thanks to another brilliant direction outing by Jean-Marc Vallée. Vallée directed last year’s sensational “Dallas Buyers Club” and he returns this year with another great story worthy of being told. With “Wild,” Vallée shows that he is truly a gifted filmmaker who knows how to draw just the right emotion out of his actors. When his actors are able to show those emotions so vividly, then you’ll be able to feel it in the exact same way. If they can’t showcase emotions perfectly, then how can we – the audience – be expected to believe it too.

Of course Vallée’s job is made that much easier thanks to yet another fantastic screenplay from the great Nick Hornby. The backstory is told in fragments so you never do have all the pieces of Strayed’s life at any given time. Some of the dialogue is delivered through voiceover, which I normally despise since it just comes across as lazy screenwriting. But here, Hornby has written it in such a way that it never feels like Strayed is narrating to you. And Vallée even presents the voiceover in a unique manner, so it never feels tried and overused. Hornby’s scenes and sequences are orchestrated with such care that it flows more like a good symphony than it does a typical three-act film. Every high moment is followed by a dark and low episode before swinging back up to happier scenes. This is an example of screenwriting at it’s finest. How is Hornby not being offered studio jobs?

Witherspoon is the anchor of this film. She delivers a triumphant performance that’s unlike anything she’s ever done in her career. She’s in every single scene of the film, which is no easy task for any actor to undertake. She received many accolades for her role as June Carter in “Walk the Line,” but her showing in “Wild” surpasses that miles and miles. Her performance is equal parts uplifting and devastatingly painful. Next to Witherspoon, Dern also delivers a career best performance worthy of recognition as Witherspoon’s adorable and loving mother. Their on-screen chemistry together is absolute perfection.

“Wild” is true story that’s too good not to tell. Director Vallée proves he’s a filmmaker who understands emotions, and he’s able to get the best performances from his acting ensemble each and every time. Witherspoon is also out to demonstrate that she’s not just an enormously talented actress, but also has a great eye for stories. This is the second film she’s produced this year – after “Gone Girl” – both of which feature strong female characters, something that is greatly lacking in films today. “Wild” is a profound tale of the human spirit, one filled with so many differing emotions that you’ll feel as though you walked alongside Strayed for each mile.