Welcome to the First Annual Zeppo Marx Appreciation Award. For this pointless award, we pay tribute to the films that may have been overlooked in favor of something flashier and more interesting. In some cases, these films exceed the expectations set by those around them. However, to remove these lesser known titles is to sacrifice what is great about cinema. Just like Zeppo Marx, these films have a thankless job that is worthy of further recognition in really arbitrary categories. Join me in honoring 10 films that are better than those films you likely call great and deserve to have more attention.
Clones in a Relationship
Winner: Enemy
Better Than: The One I Love
It seemed like 2014 was a great year to make films about relationships and identity. In fact, it almost seemed like Enemy and The One I Love were identical films at their very core. The only difference is that the substance and mystery at the core of Enemy was stronger and full of rich symbolism that makes it one of the best films of the year. This isn't to say that The One I Love is awful, but it definitely relies too heavily on gimmicks to be anything more than a bizarre love story. Also, Jake Gyllenhaal is a more effective actor than both Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss.
Media Commentaries with Incest Subplot
Winner: Gone Girl
Better Than: Maps to the Stars
Okay, this is kind of a spoiler for both. While Gone Girl is a film that relies more heavily on shock based around main character Amy Dunne, it still has an insightful coverage of the media. They spin the missing person angle to make husband Nick Dunne the enemy. However, they stop for a few seconds to suggest that Nick is having sex with his twin sister (twincest) named Margot. Meanwhile, Maps to the Stars is nothing but degenerate culture in Hollywood that ends with siblings marrying each other. It is uncomfortable, and not in the way that makes the experience all that worthwhile. Gone Girl may be rooted in sleaze, but it at least has some smarts to back it up.
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Discussion of Black Holes
Winner: The Theory of Everything
Better Than: Interstellar
If there is one conflict with Interstellar, it is that it tries to mix science with the humanity in ways that aren't all that effective. It asks too much of its audience and ends up botching a perfectly great and visual stories. On top of everything else, the topic of black holes is a particular problem for the film. Meanwhile, in The Theory of Everything, things look a little better as Stephen Hawking actually manages to make black hole conversation more accessible and interesting without isolating the audience.
Rock Band
Winner: We Are the Best!
Better Than: Mistaken for Strangers
Easily one of the best foreign films of the year, We Are the Best! is about three teenage girls starting up a punk band. You don't have to like loud and snotty music to find their story endearing. In fact, it is more about energy and being young while finding your identity. There's so much to love about the film that it is hard to fault the anticlimactic ending as anything but true to life. While Mistaken for Strangers can be enjoyable, it is more isolating and appeals mostly to those who already like The Nationals. It may have a sibling rivalry subplot, but it doesn't have much else to hold your attention.
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| Scarlett Johansson |
Aliens
Winner: Under the Skin
Better Than: Guardians of the Galaxy
For many, the problematic new nostalgia-fest Guardians of the Galaxy was the perfect antidote for the summer. It took Marvel to a new side of the galaxy while not actually doing much new or exciting. It was problematic when a character with limited vocabulary had better dialogue than a wise-cracking raccoon. However, aliens got their due in the form of Under the Skin, which turned into a surreal art project that ended up exploring sexuality and humanity in ways that few films in recent decades had. It was beautiful yet eerie as the unnamed protagonist drove through the cities of Scotland looking for love. She may have not said a lot, but she definitely had more to say than anyone in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Painfully Meta Comedy
Winner: They Came Together
Better Than: 22 Jump Street
Let's just put it out there. I really hate 22 Jump Street. It thinks that it is clever by making comments about its own dumb nature. Yes, sequels are stupid, but saying that doesn't excuse the fact that you just made a really dumb sequel. It isn't smart to admit you're stupid. Meanwhile, They Came Together was a less seen film that was more specific with its targets. Yes, it was almost as stupid as 22 Jump Street in humor level, but it approached romantic comedies by analyzing the stupid tropes in clever ways. The over the top moments benefit from Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd's solid chemistry and inventive way around plots. If nothing else, it recognizes the tropes while still being one of the best romantic comedies of the year.
Crazy Mom
Winner: White Bird in a Blizzard
Better Than: The Babadook
I do not quite get the love for The Babadook. It is supposed to be the scariest movie in years, yet it feels oddly stock and well crafted before it feels remotely haunting. As a result, the lead performance in which a single mother goes crazy doesn't quite land for me. I have never been that wild about horror films that are more external as such. However, the inventive mystery behind White Bird in a Blizzard makes for one of the weirder mom relationships. While it is about family dysfunction, it also serves to help the daughter find her sexual awakening. It is bizarre and while not always successful, at least gives off a haunting, nuanced tone that makes the mother performance all the more intriguing.
Crazy Director
Winner: Why Don't You Play in Hell?
Better Than: Nightcrawler
If you must see one film that is all around crazy and will rekindle your love of foreign cinema, check out Why Don't You Play in Hell?, which follows a film crew as they pit the yakuza against each other and explore the wild world of Japanese cinema. I have nothing against Nightcrawler, which is overall a better film, but in terms of sheer enjoyment from craziness, there's few films that are more enjoyably strange.
Foreign Film About Coming of Age Through Sex
Winner: Nymphomaniac
Better Than: Wetlands
While the film itself is divisive, Nymphomaniac is an enjoyably surreal and vulgar look into one woman's sex life over the course of four hours. It takes you down some disturbing roads and even some that are inspired. The film is full of life and has more than just pornography. It has a story. Meanwhile, I cannot recommend Wetlands at all, which is probably more vulgar, but has less of a heart and interest in appealing to a wider audience. Nymphomaniac, for all of its divisive nature and explicit scenes, feels more fresh and works a lot smoother than Wetlands at every turn. Only a master could pull off Nymphomaniac as well as Lars von Trier does.
Shailene Woodley Y/A Adaptation
Winner: The Fault in Our Stars
Better Than: Divergent
I know that it seems weird to dedicate one category to one actress, but I honestly have been a strong fan of Shailene Woodley since The Spectacular Now blew me away last year. She has a vulnerable, honest appeal to her that is unlike anyone else currently working. However, between her three films of 2014, there was a sense of odd difference between them all. White Bird in a Blizzard was tonally all over the place but sometimes interesting. Divergent is pretty much Y/A Cliches 101. However, The Fault in Our Stars feels like a new classic for the coming of age genre. In the film, she plays a character with cancer who ends up falling in love. Bring the tissues and prepare for an emotional roller coaster that reminds you why Woodley remains a voice to watch out for. She may have had a rocky 2014, but it was worth it for this one film.
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