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.