Top Ten of 2014

What it says on the tin - my top ten films of 2014. As seen at the cinema, at the time they were released in NZ:

August: Osage County
This emotionally epic tale of the worst family you will ever come across has remained with me all year. Bitterly funny and tragic. With superb performances all round from an A-list cast. My film of the year.

Boyhood
A feat of film-making, but not because of the usual computer-generated bangs and whistles. Filmed over 12 years, with a cast and director utterly committed to the project, the audience literally witness a coming of age. A compelling, touching film.

Frank
An odd-ball comedy/tragedy very, very loosely based on the singer Frank Sidebottom. Quirky, laugh-out-loud as well as 'scratch your head in bemusement' funny. An absolutely wonderful Michael Fassbender is my pick for performance of the year.

Gone Girl
Wowzers. I was highly skeptical going in, having loved the book on which this film is based. I needn't have worried - in the hands of David Fincher this is one of the most thrilling, sadistic, slick films you'll see.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
I'm as surprised as anyone to see the first part of the final instalment of this trilogy in my top ten. But, you know what - it was really very good. Less action-packed than the first two, without a 'games' on display. But grittier, darker, moodier, smarter, more mature, with a stellar performance by Jennifer Lawrence.

In Order of Disappearance
The blackest of black comedies, set in a landscape of snow and ice, this Norwegian film was simply brilliant. Starring the ever-watchable Stellan Skarsgard, as a father avenging his son’s accidental murder.

The Lego Movie
Everything is awesome. Enough said.

Nightcrawler
Loved this compelling story of a sociopathic crime scene photographer, which is so tense you will spend the entire film on the edge of your seat. Splendidly creepy performance by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Pride
The feelgood movie of the year. I laughed, I cried, and then I laughed some more. It sits easily alongside the likes of Billy Elliot and Brassed Off; the type of genuinely moving stories that the Brits tell so well.

The Skeleton Twins
A wonderfully funny, tragic, touching story of the 'black dog' that afflicts two estranged siblings. Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are both brilliant, their familiarity through years of working together plain to see. And they perform the best lip-sync you'll see all year.

Interstellar

Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Michael Caine, Mackenzie Foy

Dir. Christopher Nolan
Scr. Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan

The one thing I would certainly urge for those interested in seeing Nolan’s latest outing, Interstellar, is: see it on the biggest screen you can find. And if you don’t like your movies LOUD, maybe give it a miss. Interstellar is certainly an experience. It’s not without some pretty major flaws, including some saturating doses of schmaltz. But there are enough ‘wow’ moments to make this film well worth a viewing.

Set in the not too distant future, on a dustbowl Earth ravaged by drought, famine and extreme climate, Interstellar tells the story of former astronaut Cooper (McConaughey). With the human race facing extinction, Cooper and a group of other space travellers (including Hathaway) are humanity’s last hope of finding a planet that can sustain life.

But first Cooper must leave his family behind, not knowing when or if he will return. In a heart-wrenching scene unlikely to leave anyone with a dry eye, Cooper says goodbye to his daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy).

I suppose this is where the overwrought sentimentalism begins. And unfortunately it’s not where it ends. I’m not at all opposed to some well executed schmaltz, but if I had to listen to Caine’s character recite the Dylan Thomas poem ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’ one more time, I was going to strangle someone (preferably Michael Caine himself). For my taste, there was simply too much espousing of how so very important their interstellar journey was, what dire straits humanity was in, and love, the universe and everything. We didn’t need to be hit over the head with the gravitas. It was abundantly clear from the set up and the visual, which was spectacular.

Having said that, there are moments in Interstellar that blew my tiny little mind. And because this is a spoiler-free zone, you’ll just have to trust my word on that. But if you know Nolan, you know this is an epic visual feast. He had a challenge living up to last year’s Gravity, which changed the space genre forever. But he does, in spades.

The performances in this film were largely solid. McConaughey has risen exponentially in my estimation (thanks to the likes of True Detective and Dallas Buyers Club), and he is a brilliant choice for the gruff, can-do Cooper. Hathaway, as fellow space traveller Brand, is only mildly annoying and no more unlikely an astronaut than Sandra Bullock was in Gravity. Caine and Lithgow offer up predictably grizzly performances. The other real standouts both play Murph, but at different ages. Foy, as 10-year-old Murph, has maturity and magnetism beyond her years. And Chastain, as adult Murph, is equally engaging and compelling. And there is one more performance that is excellent and refreshingly against type … but you’re just going to have to see the film to discover that one.

I certainly enjoyed Interstellar. It is hugely ambitious – it reaches for the stars (excuse the pun) and in many ways, delivers. At nearly 170 minutes, it certainly felt a little heavy and could have lost half an hour without much trouble, and ended at least ten minutes before it did. And I did feel simply too emotionally manipulated – Nolan could have reeled himself in, without losing the emotion and sentiment he was clearly shooting for.

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Cooper: We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars; now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.

Gone Girl

Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Tyler Perry

Dir. David Fincher
Scr. Gillian Flynn (based on her novel of the same name)

Director Fincher had quite a mountain to climb in his latest outing. Gone Girl – the book – was read and acclaimed by half the planet, which makes Gone Girl – the movie – a challenge. Fincher’s no stranger to the task however, directing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Fight Club, both adapted from popular novels. What he’s managed to do here is satisfy both the reader and non-reader. Gone Girl is a genuinely thrilling, shocking ride, regardless of whether you know what’s up ahead or not, with some inspired casting and great performances.

On their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Affleck) arrives homes to find his wife, Amy (Pike), gone. Suspicious circumstances point to violent kidnapping and a manhunt is launched, attracting nationwide attention for the seemingly innocent, perfect, loving Amy. Soon Nick’s lies and strange behaviour have the police, Amy’s family, the town and the nation asking the same question: did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

The set-up is simple, but soon enough the audience is blind-sided by twist after turn. It quickly becomes clear that no one is quite what they seem. Fincher and screenwriter/novelist Flynn do a stellar job in both keeping us on our toes and not letting the narrative run away or twist in on itself. Though I do think the ending feels too rushed and meaningless; undoubtedly the biggest casualty of moving from the written page to the screen. Regardless, this is a sophisticated thriller, and while some might label it humourless, it’s definitely fun in its own way. And when I say fun, I of course mean twisted, nasty, shocking fun. The kind of fun that makes you laugh and recoil in equal measure. This creepiness is no doubt helped along by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor’s score and, as we have come to expect from Fincher, a grey, muted palette which manages to convey a seeping sense of foreboding.

The performances in Gone Girl are almost entirely spot-on. I’m not a huge fan of Affleck; what the last few years have made clear is that he’s better off behind the camera than in front of it (and I simply cannot comprehend an Affleck Batman). But it is precisely this unlikableness that makes him perfect to play the smug, disgruntled, soulless Nick Dunne. For those of us who know her work, Pike is simply her usual beautiful, stellar self. But I suspect she will be largely unknown to an American audience, at least in a lead role. And this unknown factor makes her a perfect choice for Amy, the true enigma of the story. Harris is absolutely inspired, perfect casting for the creepy ex-boyfriend Desi Collings. And Dickens gives a very fine performance as Detective Rhonda Boney. Nick’s twin sister, Margo, played by Coon is really the only weak link – her performance is a touch too overwrought and frenetic for my taste.

Gone Girl isn’t perfect, but it’s probably the most thrilling, sadistic, slick film you’ll see this year. And I promise you one thing – it’ll make you feel extremely smug (and relieved!) about your own relationship.


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Amy Dunne: I can practice believing my husband loves me. But I could be wrong.