The Most Memorable Films of 2014

 

Now that 2014 is almost over everyone is compiling their obligatory lists for best/worst films of the year and heaven forbid I don't jump up and drive the bandwagon.  I am far too lazy to write two separate lists so I have combined them and created, for your pleasure, a list of my most memorable films whether they be good or bad. 

 

As a general FYI Oscar Season doesn't kick off here until January so expect to see any memorable Oscar baiting films in next years list.  Exciting stuff.  I am sure it will be worth the wait.

 

10 – Fury

Despite the fact that Brad Pitt dresses up as "Brad Pitt in WW2" and phones in the only performance he is capable of giving Fury is a pretty good film.  Pitt may be the A-List cast member but Fury is the story of Logan Lerman’s young Norman Ellison.  Fury is the first time I have seen Lerman in an adult film and he more than held his own against Brad Pitt although it wasn't much of a challenge.  The chemistry between Pitt and Lerman was strong but every time Pitt stared intently at Lerman I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was trying to figure out a way to adopt him.  Fury was a solid, action heavy war film which more than deserved its viewing in the cinema. 

 

9 – Noah

2014 seems to be the year when Hollywood decided to go all biblical on us and force feed tales from the Old Testament down our throats.  Noah was first out of the gate and this was enough to earn it a place on the list over the equally horrific Exodus: Gods and Kings.  Watching Russell Crowe’s Noah stomp around the ark like a raving lunatic was not pleasant viewing and let’s not forget the creepy scene when Jennifer Connelly wanted to marry off two new born girls to her teenage sons.  An awful, awful film.

 

8 – The Judge

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/the-judge.html

With another cast The Judge would have been a perfectly good film but casting Robert Downey Jnr to play the lawyer version of Robert Downey Jnr was the laziest choice of 2014.  RDJ finally morphed into a caricature and he has become so bloated by his own ego it has become impossible to watch him on screen without feeling immense hatred.

 

7 – X-Men: Days of Future Past

I hated Brian Singer for leaving the X-Men franchise and I wasn’t willing to forgive him until I saw Days of Future Past.  I finally got the X-Men of my childhood.  The only criticism I have would be that Ian McKellen got short changed on screen time.  Bring on Apocalypse!

 

6 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

There was nothing but negative press surrounding the latest remake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a dodgy trailer did nothing to pique my interest, and yet, by the time the film arrived there were rumblings of it being not too bad.  Chalk it up to nostalgia or chalk it up to Will Arnett, either way, I had a great time.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is probably the most surprisingly entertaining film of the year.  It was by no means perfect but going along to see the next instalment doesn’t feel like too much of a chore.  A job fairly well done.

 

5 – Gone Girl

A much hyped film adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s novel.  This is one of those rare occasions when I had read the book before the film was announced.  I knew the story well enough to hate the casting of Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.  My hatred was misplaced as Gone Girl was an engaging film despite my having read the book twice.  Gone Girl is one of those films that was watched, enjoyed and then instantly forgotten about.  David Fincher was the right man for the job and keeps up his near perfect streak of making films that I love yet only feel the need to watch once. 

 

4 – Lone Survivor

I finally blew the dust of my Lone Survivor DVD and watched it for the first time quite recently.  I was blown away.  Lone Survivor was an amazing film which had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.  The only problem was that the film lacked a few big emotional punches but it saved them for the closing credits by honouring the fallen soldiers who were killed in action.  It could have been a cheap ploy for manipulated tears but it was well handled, poignant and any tears that I shed were genuine.  I so desperately want Peter Berg to become one of my favourite directors and he always gets so close but then cranks out a Battleship or Hancock to slide him back down the rankings. 

 

3 – Deliver us from Evil

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/deliver-us-from-evil.html

The only horror film to make it onto the list this year purely because The Babadook got such a limited release in the cinema it was impossible to see it.  Deliver us from Evil could have been a familiar tale of possession and exorcism but it switches up the format by playing out like a grimy thriller on the streets of New York.  It is a bit dry in parts but the biggest problem with Deliver us from Evil is that it is a film – It would have made an excellent tv show.

 

Imagine tuning into this every week.

 

Deliver us from Evil also introduced me to Joel McHale and Community which in turn has saved me a small fortune in DVD’s this year as I have been watching Community on a loop for the past six months.  It’s always nice when a film I like introduces me to a hidden gem.  Director Scott Derrickson has joined the Marvel team which bodes well for Dr Strange although I wouldn't be unhappy if he treated us to a sequel in the interim (provided it isn't called Deliver us from Evil Again.)

 

2 – Calvary

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/calvary.html

A couple of years ago John Michael McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson brought us The Guard which is one of my all-time favourite films.  In 2014 they teamed up again with Calvary, the story of a Priest who is given one week to live before he is murdered.  Rather than go to the police and save himself Father James sets about getting his house in order and attempts to reach out to his parishioners.  Although there is some black humour the film is a dark drama and gives Gleeson an opportunity to show that he is one of the finest actors around.  Gleeson has already picked up some awards for his performance but I expect the film to be too quiet to pick up any Oscar traction.  This is Oscar’s loss.

 

1.5 - Frank

 

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/frank.html

 

Maybe I forgot to find Frank a place on the list, maybe I wanted to add a bit of tension before we got to number 1 - I will never tell.  Frank is one of those random films that appeared in the listings without prior notice and gave me an excuse not to see Godzilla on opening weekend.  It is very much worth a look and proves that the Gleeson talent did not skip a generation.

 

1 – Pride

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/pride.html

The top spot was a toss-up between Calvary and Pride but Pride stole it by a whisker.  Right from the trailer I knew that Pride would be a film that I would enjoy.  Pride is set during the 1984 miners’ strike when a group of friends set up the GLSM to provide relief to the struggling minors.  There is plenty of humour and heart which makes it easy to fall in love with the characters.  It is a perfect, feel good film, which made a dismal year in the cinema worth it.

 

This is hardly the most inspiring list of films but it is what it is.  Hopefully 2015 will be a much more successful, movie watching year.  I don't think it could get any worse!

And there is always this to fall back on:

 

Transformers: Age of Extinction

 

The Transformers franchise helmed by Michael Bay arrives for yet another instalment of chaos and shook awake a somewhat sleepy Summer Season in the cinema.

Did we ask for another Transformers film? No; but in keeping with tradition we will all bitch about Michael Bay then flock to the cinema with such robotic social conformity that we are one sequel away from a living in a Monty Python skit.

This is one occasion when I am not jumping on the bandwagon of hate.  I am standing in front of it aiming a bazooka at those who paid to see the film then took to the internet to express their mortal offense that the film was exactly as they expected it to be.  Old dogs learn new tricks quicker.

Run! The masses are coming with pitchforks and torches as you give them what they expected! Run!

PLOT:  After the war in Chicago (Transformers 3) the Autobots have gone into hiding and are being hunted down by Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammar) and his robot ally Lockdown.  Optimus Prime is broken and hiding out in an old cinema until he is purchased by inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg). Once up and running again Prime reunites the Autobots and they find themselves being hunted by Lockdown and factory made Decepticons.  China. END PLOT

This is a very condensed plot because, in all honestly, I had no idea what was happening.  Attinger’s motives for joining forces with Lockdown and creating robots to kill robots in the name of preserving America didn’t make much sense and this is before we get the sub-plot between Optimus Prime and the Dino-Bots. 

I have no problem disengaging with reality and leaving my brain at the door.  I do it every day when I go to work so it is hardly a chore when I got to the cinema but the script of Transformers: Age of Extinction was a mess.  The shambolic plot threads became more noticeable due to the 2hours 45min running time.  We were treated to many battles between robots vs. robots and robots vs. dino-bots which all blended into one big metallic ball of confusion.  A good hour needed to be chopped off the running time and although this would not have improved the script it may have made the confusion less noticeable and easier to forgive.

Michael Bay does not understand subtlety but the cinema is the perfect place to experience his patented “the noisier the better” brand of action.  The effects were stunning and the even though the robot action became confusing in parts there can be no denying that the Autobots look amazing. Despite the impressive special effects the action was at its strongest when it involved the human characters – I will never find a character in peril at a great height anything less than stressful.

Transformers: Age of Extinction marked a complete change in cast which was sorely needed. Sam Witwicky, his girlfriends, his family and their yappy dog had outstayed their welcome after the first instalment.  Michael Bay deserves high-fives all around for replacing Shia LaBeouf with Mark Wahlberg.

I am a fan of Mark Wahlberg as he is always entertaining to watch and although I don’t believe that Wahlberg is capable of inventing anything more technical than a two layered meat sandwich I took to crackpot inventor Cade Yeager with ease.  Yeager is accompanied by his teenage daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz) and her oddly accented boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor).  Their banter doesn’t always hit the mark but they were entertaining and the film was at its strongest when they were on screen.  TJ Miller was also a welcome addition to the cast but unfortunately his screen time was cut short.

Over on the dark side we had Kelsey Grammar and he was fine as a corrupt government agent but the undisputed star of the show was Stanley Tucci who was clearly having a blast.  Tucci got the obligatory 12A “fuck” and I was happy for him. 

The oddest double act of the year might just be  the best!

 

Overall Transformers: Age of Extinction is by no means the best that film I will see this summer but I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy myself.  I can understand where the hate comes from but only up to a point - if you are still shocked by the quality of a franchise at the fourth instalment you are more at fault than the filmmaker.  Please feel free to remind me of this statement when I review Paranormal Activity 5.

Transformers: Age of Extinction gets 5/10 which is deservedly higher than Maleficent or Godzilla.  It would have scored higher if it were an hour shorter.  If there is to be a fifth film, and I have no reason to believe there won't be, I wouldn't be unhappy to see Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel bring the rain once more.

Pain & Gain

The trailer for Pain & Gain looked pretty decent but let’s be honest, Pain & Gain didn’t need an advertising campaign as the pairing of Mark Wahlberg and The Rock pretty much sells itself.

PLOT:  Bodybuilder Daniel (Mark Wahlberg) gets fed up working in a dead end job and decides to steal everything from Victor (Tony Shalhoub), an obnoxious client.  Daniel recruits Paul (Dwayne Johnston) and Adrian (Anthony Mackie) and together they plot to kidnap Victor and force him to sign over all of his assets.  As the trio enjoy their stolen life of luxury Victor plots to expose them.  END PLOT

Pain & Gain opens with the disclaimer that it is based on a true story.  This little factoid is quickly forgotten about as we watch the farcical and very funny attempts of Daniel, Paul and Adrian to carry out their plan.

I had watched three idiots kidnap and torture a man for thirty days, steal his fortune and thereafter murder two people, chop up their bodies and dump the remains in a river.  This is a true story.  This was also the premise of a Michael Bay comedy.  What. The. Fuck.

Attempt to kill Victor number 4.

 

There are a good number of laughs in the film and I spent the two hours wondering how it could become any more ridiculous only to have this question answered several times.  The humour is dark and there are some brilliant flinch-and-cringe moments most of which involve a chainsaw. 

The problem is we are reminded towards the end that this is indeed a true story.  At this point the film lost me completely. 

Given that the film takes a very dark turn the last person you want directing is Michael Bay; a man who does not know the definition of subtly and is not renowned for handling comedy.  The mixture of truth and farce made for one of the most bizarre film experiences in recent memory.  I am sure the families of the murdered victims are simply ecstatic with their portrayal in the film.

Pain & Gain is saved by the cast – Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnston and Anthony Mackie are all excellent and cannot be faulted for their performances.  Rebel Wilson also pops up as Mackie’s wife and is a very welcome sight.

Bay owes these guys a beer

It was impossible to feel any kind of sympathy for Daniel, Paul and Adrian and there was absolutely no way to redeem their actions.  In fairness to Bay I don’t think he tried but overall Pain & Gain is one big ill-conceived mess. 

The end credits showed pictures of the cast alongside their real life counterparts.  It was not classy. It served as a reminder of how mishandled this film was.

There are laughs but they become more uncomfortable as the film progresses.  Pain & Gain would work as a black comedy but only in the hands of a much more capable director.  Bay’s bright colour pallet, slow motion shots and his love of helicopters and low flying aeroplanes were not right for this story. 

Pain & Gain gets 5/10 and is one of the oddest cinema experiences I have had in a long time. 

2 Guns

 

I am not (too) ashamed to admit this but I absolutely love Mark Wahlberg.  Whether the entertainment factor is caused by intentional or unintentional means Mark Wahlberg is always watchable.

 

The trailer for 2Guns was enough to convince me that the film would be worth a look.  It was also enough to convince me to push Kick Ass 2 down the cinema viewing queue.  I didn’t see that one coming.

PLOT:  Robert “Bobby” Trench (Denzel Washington) is a DEA agent deep undercover with the mob ran by Papi Greco (Edward James Olmos).  Bobby meets Michael “Stig” Stigman, (Mark Wahlberg) who is undercover with Navy Intelligence, and the two agree to rob a bank and steal $3million belonging to Greco.  After the robbery goes wrong Bobby and Stig find themselves being hunted by several government agencies and the mob.  END PLOT

2Guns relies on a “who’s playing who” format however this does make the plot seem unnecessarily complicated.  It could have been more streamlined if they had cut Deb’s (Paula Patton) character completely.  Although the storytelling is quite messy it does all come together quite nicely in the final shootout.

Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are a great double team.  Washington brings a cool dryness to his comedy whereas Wahlberg turns into a hyper puppy that winks…..ooh the winking……..*sigh*

When Washington and Wahlberg are together the film noticeably lifts and the banter zips along nicely.  Unfortunately there are sections of the film when they are separated for a tad too long.

 

Bill Paxton and Edward James Olmos provide very capable support and although James Marsden was perhaps slightly miscast it was nice to see him on the big screen again.  Paula Patton, Bobby’s love interest, was absolutely awful.  The character was the weak link in the film and Patton’s performance made it all the more obvious.

The action is good old fashioned “shoot em up” and when that wasn’t enough it was upgraded to “blow shit up”.  This isn’t a complaint as the set pieces were generally good fun. 

2Guns is by no means perfect and there were two completely unnecessary scenes in the film:

1: Denzel Washington’s contract clause which states that he must be lying in a bed as a half-naked woman parades slowly around him has now become really sleazy.  Well done to Paula Patton on the wonderful body because this must surely be the reason she got the job.

2: The chicken shooting scene.  The point of the scene was to show how good a shot Stig is however there were many other ways they could have done this.  This entire section made me feel quite uncomfortable – it was such a bizarre setting to try and make funny.

The film does have some flaws but the laughs make up for this.  The chemistry between Washington and Wahlberg is more than enough to carry the film and it makes me wonder if they will sign up for a sequel should the opportunity arise.  I won’t be upset if they do.  2Guns gets 7.5/10 and will almost certainly be a DVD purchase when the time comes.

The Fighter

The Fighter could have been about the most boring topic in the world but with the double team of Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale I was always going to be excited about it.

PLOT: Micky Ward is an up and coming boxer based in Hicksville USA and is unfortunately saddled with his older brother Dicky, a drug addict and former boxer as his coach. Micky finds himself torn between his family and his girl as he desperately tries to keep his boxing career on track. Dicky is struggling with his habit whilst making a documentary about addiction.
Micky gets his ass kicked, Micky gets an opportunity, Micky disowns Dicky, Micky gets help from Dicky, a training montages sneaks in under the radar, Micky goes to London and is crowned the Champion and I have just spoiled the ending of the movie. END PLOT

The other two thirds of my Trio had asked what happened to my blog for The Fighter and I responded that I didn’t particularly want to write it as I didn’t know what to say about Christian Bale’s performance. They called me out on it straight away, accusing me of not liking Christian Bale because he got nominated over Mark Wahlberg.

The annoying thing about being part of a Trio who is always right is the fact that the Trio is always right.

BEGIN RANT: I have spend the vast majority of Mark Wahlberg’s career defending the man through thick and thin. I will agree that if you watch The Happening as a botanical thriller then he is piss poor but if you watch it as an ironic comedy Mark’s performance is transformed and elevated to the stuff of legends.

It is therefore really frickin’ annoying that the one time Mark actually pulls out an amazing performance he gets overlooked at the Oscar’s.

Mark got nominated for The Departed because he had an interesting hair cut and swore a lot but in The Fighter he is good at just acting.

Christian Bale is fine but at times he is very over the top. Dear Sweet Mark was so much better and deserved a best actor nomination. END RANT

The cast, especially Mark Wahlberg (and Bale to a lesser extent) were fantastic.

I do feel sorry for Wahlberg as he played the straight guy and has got over looked by the more showy performances which, for avoidance of doubt, I think is harsh.

Christian Bale was good, but the movie at times became the Dicky show, so it is debatable whether or not he should have been allowed to be in the supporting actor category. I will stop moaning though as I believe that if anyone other than Mark Wahlberg played Micky Ward I would be driving the Bale Bandwagon.

Amy Adams was great as Charlene and Melissa Leo as Alice Ward almost outshone everyone. They can box it out for the best supporting actress accolade but I think Melissa just about punches above Amy’s weight. Or something.

I did like the Ward family and it entertained me that the mother of Dicky and Micky procreated some of the scariest looking bunch of sisters since Cinderella although with nicknames like Pork, Tar, Red-Dog and Beaver what did you expect. The family focus was solely on the boys with the girls giving up their seats whenever they walked into a room. There were some nice touches with the family although I wouldn’t ever want to cross them.

Lock up your daughters. Literally

As I am a stickler for tradition I did not google the name Micky Ward in order to get some background information before I watched his life story. I also know nothing about boxing and would struggle to name one active boxer.

I didn’t realise how into the movie I was until quite near the end when Hilts asked me if I thought he won. I replied that I didn’t know and discovered I was quite stressed. I prayed that The Fighter wouldn’t turn into another Friday Night Lights as my poor shattered nerves couldn’t handle it. Emma-hen by this stage had begun punching the air in some sort of supporting yet uncontrollable spasm. The Nerdy Trio were stressed.

I absolutely loved everything about The Fighter and I cant fault it. It gets a 9/10 and will be a rare addition to my sports movie collection which consists of Friday Night Lights and Dodgeball.

Does The Fighter deserve Best Picture erm……. no
Does The Fighter deserve Best Direction erm……no
Does The Fighter deserve Best Screenplay erm……no
Does The Fighter deserve Best Supporting Actress …….yep
Does The Fighter deserver Best Supporting Actor erm……..yep (begrudged and I am aiming for a perfect score with this years prediction)

Does The Fighter deserve Best Actor …………….No

I am ignoring the fact that I can hear the rest of the Trio screaming “why are you crying like a jail house bitch over Mark’s lack of nomination whenever you want Colin Firth to win?” This is my blog and I can be as irrational as I see fit.

The End