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:

 

Man of Steel

 

When the Superman trailer arrived it was greeted with nothing more than a casual shoulder shrug.  I probably used the word “meh”.  Superman is a superhero that has never held any appeal.  I haven’t seen the Christopher Reeve adaptations, I remember enough about the tv show to know that I was not a fan and the previous reboot bored me rigid. 

There was no exciting build up to Man of Steel but I always accepted that I would see it in the cinema.  I had to have low expectations to give the film a sporting chance.

PLOT:  As the planet Krypton is dying Jor:El (Russell Crowe) ships his infant son Kal-El to earth to save him.  The child is adopted by Jonathan (Kevin Coster) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane) who raise the child as their own son, Clarke Kent.  A side effect of living on earth gives Clarke super strength which he struggles to control as he grows up and into the rather dashing Henry Cavill.  Clarke’s secret is short lived when a surviving native of Krypton General Zod (Michael Shannon) threatens to destroy earth unless Clarke surrenders to the General.  END PLOT

Man of Steel is very much an origins story but unfortunately this is at the expense of an actual plot.  The origin aspect of the film flows well with a significant portion of the film focusing on Clarke’s upbringing on Krypton and with the Kents however once Clarke reaches adulthood he becomes almost an afterthought.

Clarke Kent puts on the suit and before you can say training montage he transforms into Superman.  The transformation rendered Superman speechless as Henry Cavill didn't have anything to say for most of the final act.  Despite the title character having absolutely nothing to do other than look good in fitted tees Henry Cavill is very good in the little screen time he gets. 

Amy Adams is fine as Lois Lane and does the best she can with the “pushy, nosey, independent female journalist” cliché.  It felt like Lois Lane got the vast majority of the screen time which surprised me.

Russell Crowe and Kevin Coster add some class to the film but, as one could have predicted, Michael Shannon steals the show.  General Zod deserved some sympathy after we discover that ensuring the survival of the Kryptonians is the only reason he was born.  The idea of Zod being a product of Krypton’s failings was handled well and Shannon’s angry eyebrowed performance added some drama to an almost drama free 2hours 23mins (IMDB).

The sets and costumes were as expected but nothing stood out as being particularly remarkable.  The best design feature in the entire production was removing Superman’s bright red briefs.

The action was again as expected however there was a noticeable lack of jaw dropping moments.  The set piece in the third act was too long and became a CGI mess in which Superman, Zod and several other nameless Kryptonians spent a good half hour throwing each other through buildings.  It was impressive the first time. It was repetitive by the second.  I was bored by the ninth.  There is however an opportunity for a drinking game in which you take a swig each time Superman ge­­ts thrown through a building.  You will contract liver poisoning in the space of thirty minutes.

As Superman and General Zod became lost in the melee it meant that the random subplot known as “Jenny’s bad day downtown” stuck out like a sore thumb.  I appreciate that Laurence Fishburne can be considered a big name actor but to shoehorn scenes with Perry and his staff during the climactic battle between Superman and Zod was completely unnecessary.  I will concede that Laurence Fishburne outrunning a falling skyscraper was the (unintentional) comedy highlight in a humour free film.

I saw Man of Steel in 2D and my eyes found it hard to keep up with the blurry CGI action.  I thank the gods that I did not even consider 3D.  The action needed to adopt a less is more attitude. 

Man of Steel had many flaws but as an origins story it did a commendable job of laying the groundwork for a new run of Superman films. It gets 6.5/10.  The balance of screen time and the action sequences need to be addressed as Man of Steel didn’t leave me wanting a sequel. It left me wanting a film which actually features Superman...........as someone who has never held any interest in Superman before this is a success.

Les Misérables

I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Les Misérables on stage but I know enough about the production to know that I prefer "On My Own" over "I Dreamed a Dream".  Thank you G.C.S.E music.

The teaser trailer kicked excitement into overdrive and I will never forgive the cinema gods for releasing the film almost three weeks after the US release date.

Normal service will continue in 2013 as I confirm that I have not read the book.  

PLOT:   Convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) breaks parole and goes on the run from lawman Javert (Russell Crowe).  After saving Fantine (Anne Hathaway) from being arrested Valjean adopts her daughter Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and they live a quiet life in hiding.  Their existence is interrupted when young revolutionist Marius (Eddie Redmayne) falls in love with Cosette.  On the eve of the revolution Valjean must keep Cosette and Marius safe as Javert closes in.  END PLOT

I have no idea how the film compares with the stage show.  I don’t particularly care either as Les Misérables is quite the spectacle.

Much has been made of Anne Hathaway’s “I Dreamed a Dream” but you have to see it for yourself to believe that the hype is truly justified and then some.  It is an amazing performance with the main part of the song taking place in one uncut take.  

Unfortunately Hathaway's performance has overshadowed the rest of the cast who are just as deserving.  Jackman, Redmayne and Samantha Barks as Eponine were all just as good as Hathaway.  Barks had played Eponine on stage and she did not disappoint with her version of "On My Own". 

 

Amanda Seyfried does what she can with an underwritten role and as I am not a fan of Russell Crowe his portrayal of Javert was nothing more than adequate. 

Helena Bonham-Carter is cast in the only role she knows but luckily for her she plays it quite well and Sacha Baron-Cohen was good fun.

The cast all sang live on set however the opening number “Looking Down” was the only song I thought audio sounded a bit strange.  Once I got into the film I thought the live performances really helped to emphasise the emotional aspect of the songs.  This soundtrack is already on my i-pod (as well as the stage version!)

The set pieces, costumes and sets were all exceptional and coupled with the performances Les Misérables was almost the perfect film.  I say almost because with a running time 157mins (IMDB) it is also exceptionally long.  I didn’t feel the length until the ending which I felt should have been shortened.

Aside from the length I can’t really find any other faults in Les Misérables which gets a 9/10.  I think that it deserves a second viewing just to appreciate how great an achievement the film is.  Tom Hooper and the cast should be very proud.