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| Scene from Snowpiercer |
We have officially reached the end of the year. It is time to uncover the best films of the year. The following is a rundown of the Top 50 films that I saw in 2014 (for films that I missed, check this list). From animated films to very surreal foreign films, it was a great year that is deserving of some recognition. These are the films that strove for something different whether artistic or thematic. Enjoy as I count down personal favorites and give some opinions on why they matter. Don't be afraid to share your thoughts on the films as well as your own list.
31. Ernest & Celestine (dir. Stephanie Aubier, Vincent Patar, Benjamin Renner)
After a dismal year for animation in 2013, it was great to see this watercolor film come out of nowhere and win over audiences with simplicity and beauty. While the story is itself an engaging story of tolerance, the animation speaks for itself with slapstick and heart that puts most CG films to shame. It is charming and shaggy in ways that make it one of the better animated films of the year. It is a nostalgic trip that reminds audiences that it doesn't take sharp images to have sharp content.
32. Frank (dir. Lenny Abrahamson)
The frustrated artist is a topic that has long been explored and has itself become a cliche genre. Coming in with a twisted gimmick is Frank, which manages to turn frustration into a metaphor present in a paper mache head. Lead by Michael Fassbender, this comedy is at times touching, insightful and full of quirky fun. There may be too much twee and indie rock cliches to keep this from being great, but it definitely has a lot of fun while it lasts. Fassbender continues to prove his success as a talented actor by managing to convey a lot of emotion without ever once showing his face.
33. Snowpiercer (dir. Bong Joon-ho)
It is the VOD success story of 2014 that converted fans of great sci-fi and action films to the rental market. For good reason, too. In this dystopian story taking place predominantly on a train, it manages to explore class structures with a lot of quirky characters, violence and creative visuals. If nothing else, it is one of the freshest and most enjoyable success stories of the year with its ability to pull off an insane concept with ease and making hierarchical discussion seem less pretentious than it actually is. Take it as entertainment or something deeper. Both ways are very satisfying.
34. The Zero Theorem (dir. Terry Gilliam)
Every last frame of this film reeks of Terry Gilliam's eccentricity. If you don't like him, you won't like this. Even then, the film's excessive nature and overabundance of details gives it almost too much personality that even central characters can seem arbitrary at times. However, it is a confection of ideas thrust into one film with a beautiful, bizarre vision that lead by Christoph Waltz turns into a surreal and highly original look into the future. It may not be the director's best, but he at least proves that even as a veteran director of several decades, he's willing to try strange things more than his much younger counterparts.
35. The Boxtrolls (dir. Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi)
It may not be as great as Laika Studio's previous films, but they still give reason to celebrate with the introduction of their most flexible and enjoyable characters. With a story of a young orphan finding out that the upper class isn't all that bad. The animation may be more crass, but the studio has long proven them some of the best animators of physical movement and grotesque imagery. The final act itself is an achievement in animation action that reflects how to make the characters feel real and full of life. Stop motion is a lost art form that thankfully Laika has kept alive very successfully.
36. Nymphomaniac (dir. Lars von Trier)
The provocateur is back with his most explicit and lengthy film to date. For those squeamish to frank discussion and visuals of sex, this isn't for you. However, its pornographic look into a woman's entire sexual history is a fascinating and earnest portrait that goes beyond the subject to explore how it influences our lives and becomes a necessity. It is bold, haunting and sometimes painful to watch. However, it is still a fully realized vision on sex that mixes filth with art and keeps us guessing on what von Trier's next move is. It may be controversial, but with good reasons.
37. Interstellar (dir. Christopher Nolan)
The film is easily Christopher Nolan's most ambitious film to date. This is both a positive and a negative. With help from Hans Zimmer's phenomenal score, the visuals have never felt so visceral with emotion and transcended into art. His scope also presents space as something ominous and new. However, it also features one of the most conflicting third acts of the year, which nearly derails the entire film by trying to mix spirituality with science in ways that didn't entirely work. Still, a rather solid film about exploring space that despite its many, many flaws manages to entertain and make the audience question their existence.
38. Neighbors (dir. Nicholas Stoller)
The American comedy is a very sparse genre that hasn't been feeling too well lately. However, count on Seth Rogen to take juvenile and stoner humor and turn it into a frat versus family tale about getting older. Packed with some of his best jokes since Knocked Up, this film manages to take crass humor to new heights with a strong cast where even the female characters, notably Rose Byrne, deliver the goods. It is a story of outgrowing this type of culture and looking ridiculous in the process. Thankfully Rogen is able to realize the best way to do it with heart and crotch shots.
39. Camp X-Ray (dir. Peter Sattler)
This is a film that flew under the radar, but definitely adds evidence for those doubting that Kristen Stewart is a good actress. As a soldier who befriends a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay, the story begins to turn into a personal journey for both characters. It poses questions about being sympathetic humans while also having a sympathetic look at something controversial in our society. By the end as tension reaches its heights, it has become one of the more emotional portraits of soldiers and prisoners in contemporary circumstances of the year.
40. Bird People (dir. Pascale Ferran)
This is kind of a wonderful film. If the first hour or so doesn't capture your interest, please hold on. As things progress, it enters a very fascinating portion in which a CG bird becomes the audience's gateway into this world of hotel workers. With glorious shots of the bird walking through an airport and flying to David Bowie's "Space Oddity," it becomes one of the most ambitious pieces of CG animation of the year. It is also the most thankless in a way. The experimental nature pays off and while the film as a whole may not produce the best product, it is worth it for when the actual bird people shows up.
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