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What You/I/We Missed in Film: 2014

What you missed

Nightcrawler.  Some people have compared this film to Taxi Driver, and when watching it you'll see why.  Jake Gyllenhaal is both compelling in terrifying in this unique and eerie thriller.  I thought this was wonderful and I'm sad to see that Gyllenhaal is not in the Oscar race.

What you didn't miss

Gone Girl.  I got excited because I love 'The Social Network', another Fincher film.  However, I just flat out did not like anything about it.  The standout performance was Carrie Coon as Margo.  I didn't like either of the main characters and found the story ridiculous and disgusting.

The Giver.  The world portrayed is bleak, emotionless and soulless.  Granted, this is intentional, but the whole thing to me played out like mannequins going through the motions.  I didn't care about the characters or the stakes.

What I missed

Boyhood.  Shot over the course of 12 years to capture a boy growing up?  That sounds cool.

 

Kill the Messenger.  Jeremy Renner plays a reporter caught up in a whirlwind when he outs some big dirt about the Contra scandal.  Previous looks great.  It was in theaters for like two weeks.  Now I'm waiting for the DVD.
 
 
Whiplash.
 

Song of the Sea.  An Irish film up for best animated feature.  The trailer looks good.  Reminds me of some older Disney films but with a visual twist.  Waiting 'til March to see this released on DVD.



Surprises

Maleficent.  I didn't think I'd like this at all.  It is charming, compelling and magical.  Yet it's been panned pretty hard.   Not fair.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.  This wasn't wonderful, but it was a hell of a lot better than I thought it'd be.  I couldn't stand the novel and I thought splitting it into two would be abysmal.  Surprisingly surprised!

Standouts in short 

John Wick.  This movie was a complete waste of time for me, but there is one great scene where they are having a graveside service at a cemetery on a hill.  The buildings of the city beyond stick out above the tombstones like they themselves are grave markers.  This world is dead.  What a remarkable visual.

Birdman.  This film has received a lot of praise, and I guess shows my novicedom that I don't really get what's so great about it.  It's a pretty good film in my opinion, worth seeing.  The standout for me is a scene where Emma Stone (playing the daughter of Michael Keaton's character) rips into Keaton brutally, telling him just how irrelevant he is.  She then gives him this look of regret in realization that she has crushed his soul.  The whole scene is very moving.  Holy shit, Emma Stone.




See: Fault in Our Stars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Interstellar, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men Days of Future Past

Don't see: Godzilla

Comments

  1. I loved me some "Birdman."

    "Obvious Child" was good, too.

    Jennifer Aniston played an ugly person this year BTW.

    ReplyDelete

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