December 31, 2014
Screen Savor: 14 best of 2014
By Gregg Shapiro
Not the best year for film by a long shot, 2014 wasn't the worst year either. As in recent years, indie films, ranging from comedies to dramas to docs, were the place to look for the best of what was out at your favorite art house or multiplex. A few big budget Hollywood blockbusters kept us entertained, but they also disappointed in record numbers (Is the Transformers franchise at an end yet? How could Into The Woods get so tangled in its own branches?). Below is a list of the fourteen best movies of 2014, along with some honorable mentions, as well as a few of the very worst of the year.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight) – Don't call it Michael Keaton's comeback, call it his breakthrough. Inventive and hallucinogenic, with potshots at Hollywood and Broadway, as well as a mini-tribute to Raymond Carver, Birdman soars.
Boyhood (IFC) – Richard Linklater's groundbreaking cinematic achievement is original and epic. Let the imitations begin.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox Searchlight) – Wes Anderson's next logical (and magical) step after Moonrise Kingdom and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
Love Is Strange (Sony Pictures Classics) – As timely as it is timeless, the second installment in Ira Sach's New York real estate trilogy, features an Oscar-worthy performance by John Lithgow.
Obvious Child (A24) and The Skeleton Twins (Roadside Attractions) (tie) – Comedy took a bold leap forward in 2014, and these two daring movies are prime examples. Joni Mitchell said it best when she sang, "laughing and crying/You know it's the same release." Brava Jenny Slate! Bravo Bill Hader!
Chef (Open Road) / The Hundred-Foot Journey (Touchstone/DreamWorks) (tie) – Foodies had a couple of tasty treats this year to satisfy their cravings for epicurean entertainment. Helen Mirren served up snooty French realness in the The Hundred-Foot Journey, while writer/director/actor Jon Favreau shared the screen with a food truck.
Honorable mention: