We're almost 2/3 of the way through the list, as we count down the next fifteen films. There's a lot of variety here, from two wonderful sci-fi films of completely opposite sizes, a lovely animated film, and a film where a person turns into a sparrow. First off is the first of two MCU entries on this list.
35. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
* NO. I will not make a Hulk metaphor. You don't like me when I use Hulk metaphors.
34. This is Where I Leave You
You'd think a film starring Tina Fey and Jason Bateman, and directed by notorious director of mediocre comedies Shawn Levy would be highlighted by its comedy. However, it's the performances and interactions between the actors, most of which is fairly serious, that works best. Pretty much the entire cast does a good job as a grown family of four (Jason Bateman, Adam Driver, Tina Fey, and Corey Stoll) brought together to sit shiva after the death of their father by their mother (Jane Fonda). Particularly of note is the performance of Adam Driver as the youngest brother, Kathryn Hahn as Stoll's wife, Tina Fey, Ben Schwartz as a rabbi and long-time family friend with an unfortunate nickname, and Jason Bateman, whose character is having a pretty rough time of it, having found his wife and boss cheating on him in one of the most awkward ways imaginable. To be honest, this is one of those films that is a prime example of why I call this "my favorite list of 2014" instead of "best of 2014". It's not as high of quality as most of the 20-25 films behind it, but it just hit my wheelhouse in a way that some of the others didn't, which counts for a lot.
33. The One I Love
At first, this film starts out like countless other relationship dramas. Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) are having relationship troubles, and their therapist (Ted Danson) suggests they take a weekend out at a country estate to work on things. From there, things start to get weird. I don't want to spoil too much of the movie, but suffice it to say that this certainly doesn't end like it begins. The movie has plenty of comedy, some requisite drama between the couple, and even an element of horror as the characters discover who the duplicates are, and what their purpose may be. Between her film work and her great work as Peggy Olson on Mad Men, Elisabeth Moss has become one of favorite actors, and she does a great job here playing both the main character and her idealized doppelganger. Duplass is also great going the other way. The film has a lot to say about how we wish people were, and how they actually are, and what makes the difference is the gap between the two.
32. Particle Fever
The discovery of the Higgs Boson is one of the biggest achievements in the history of science, even if the practical applications of it will not be known for decades, if at all. The search for it spanned years upon years, took a fortune to pay for, and required teams of scientists and technicians working across the globe to make it all work. Yet even with it's importance and size of scale, the story behind could very well have been less than interesting. After all, it's science, which can be hard to dramatize to those who aren't passionate about it. Fortunately, this documentary by Marc Levinson figures out that the best way to tell this story is by documenting the enthusiasm and work of those working towards its successful conclusion. By following a handful of scientists for several different countries, we get a feel for the long hours, nerve-wracking false starts, and yes, even the tedium of the work. The film also does a pretty good job of explaining what they were looking for, why it's important, and what might happen to the scientific consensus if it turned out they couldn't find it, without ever trending towards oversimplification. There's beautiful imagery representing the minuscule world in which these particles reside. And dare you to not get a little choked up during the presentation of the results of their tests pointed towards the existence of the particle, as the originator of the now more than 50 year old theory Peter Higgs sat in the audience.
31. The Gambler
I'm a little surprised this film has kind of fallen through the cracks, as it's a really enjoyable story about a college professor (Mark Wahlberg) with a dangerous addiction to gambling, and his efforts to dig himself out of the mess he put himself in. The film is full of ringers, such as John Goodman and Michael K. Williams, and most of them are out to get seriously overdue loans paid back from the perpetually empty handed Wahlberg. On top of this all is his relationships with his students, one rather inappropriate (Brie Larson), and the other more of a business relationship with a star basketball player (Emory Cohen). Even as he continually makes the wrong move in the search of his next big score, it's hard to root against him, especially considering how he figures out how to play off the various parties he owes. It's worth it to watch as he works to get out of it completely. Some of us would be happy reaching that "Fuck You" level of wealth as discussed by Goodman's loan shark. But others, such as Wahlberg's professor, can't live that way.
30. Chef
Before James Gunn, the Russo Brothers, and Joss Whedon, there was Jon Favreau, the director of the first two Iron Man films. Early in the pre-production of what became Iron Man 3, he left the film, although he did reprise his role as Tony Stark's driver Happy. It's likely, given the later end of Edgar Wrights involvement with Ant-Man, that he had some significant differences with Marvel and Disney. After that experience, and the resounding thud that Cowboys and Aliens made, it's little surprise Favreau would move on to a smaller, more personal project.
There's no doubt Chef is a personal film for Favreau, and not just because it's hard to watch it and not see parallels to his own life. In Chef, Favreau plays a renowned chef who loves cooking, but hates it when he's forced by his boss (Dustin Hoffman) to stick with the tried and true menu, a menu that gets thoroughly trashed by a prominent food critic (Oliver Platt). A few social media gaffes later, he's out of a job with no idea where to go. At this point, he's convinced by the hostess of his former restaurant (Scarlett Johansson) and his ex wife (Sofia Vergara) to go back to his roots in Miami and start up a food truck cooking up some of his favorites.
As small as the film is, it shows the connections that Favreau has in the cast that's in the film, in some cases playing roles that are little more than cameos. But that's secondary to the film, which is primarily a story about Favreau's character connecting with his son (Emjay Anthony), who travels with his dad to Miami to put together the truck, along with Martin (John Leguizamo), and drive it across the country back to Los Angeles. Thanks to his son's skills with the usual social media suspects, the food truck becomes a viral hit.
The stakes are very low in this film, but the appeal is pretty universal, unless you don't like to eat. The food that in the film looks delicious, from the staid predictable menu of the first restaurant, to the much more delicious looking cuban sandwiches and other dishes they serve out of their truck. For a person trying to keep to a limited calorie count in an effort to get ready for a little walk, this movie was a bit of challenge to get through.
29. Mr. Turner
Those who worry about biopics descending into hagiography needn't worry about Mike Leigh's latest film Mr. Turner. The subject of the film, Joseph Mallord William Turner, is a brusque, often unpleasant man. Although at times plenty charming, his standard disposition in a grouchy grunt, which he often uses as his primary form of communication. His relationship with his publicly unrecognized daughters is less than warm, and that with their mother multiple times worse. Worst of all is the way he treats his long suffering housekeeper, ignoring her unless his own needs dictate otherwise, stringing her along in a way that is not becoming.
Nevertheless, the film isn't out to attack him. It's in general a sympathetic portrayal of one of the greatest English painters, often showing off some of his most famous works. We're able to feel sympathy with him as he's ruthlessly mocked in a stage play, and feel bad for him when he overhears Queen Victoria call one of his paintings "vile". This sympathy is in large part due to the wonderful performance of Timothy Spall, who is great in a very complex performance. The cinematography and direction is also a high point of the film, as it consciously focuses on the elements that makes Turner's works so intriguing and evocative, particularly how the film and the paintings use light. Alas, this film was yet another overlooked by the Academy, save for its cinematographer Dick Pope.
28. Blue Ruin
As I've stated many times before, the Coen Brothers are my favorite film-makers, followed by Wes and P.T. Anderson. While both of the Andersons had films this year, the Coens did not. Therefore, the fans of their work would have to look elsewhere for films that fit their house style. Fortunately for us, Jeremy Saulnier was happy to oblige with his revenge story drama Blue Ruin.
The film is very low budget, but it's done so well that this isn't a defect. In fact, it likely adds to the film, giving it a low key feel that fits right with the less than competent avenger Dwight (Macon Blair). When the person convicted of killing his parents is let out of prison, Dwight decides to hunt him down and make him pay for their deaths. Like most Coen Brothers films, this one is pretty violent, as his efforts end up bringing the family of his parent's killers in to exact revenge upon him. Also like the Coen Brothers films, the film is at times wryly funny, especially as Dwight fumbles around trying to accomplish his mission, with well realized characters and a sharp sense of how actions can have consequences, even if they're often not what you expected.
This film was funded by Kickstarter, and is a good argument for crowdsourcing. Perhaps this film could have been funded by an alternative method, but it may have taken years to get that done, and who knows if the same conditions would still have existed to make this film as good as it was. Fortunately, we don't have to find that out.
27. Interstellar
Christopher Nolan is the rare director who has the cachet to defy the modern model of studio moviemaking, which is built upon cinematic universes and franchise reboots. Even though he directed three Batman movies, these films exist outside of DC's attempt to copy the success of the MCU and have their own personality. Beyond that, he's been able to create films like Inception and Interstellar, the rare big budget films that are pretty original in concept and story.
In large part this is because of the success of The Dark Knight. It also helps that his films are intelligent, deal in big ideas, and are entertaining to boot. And what idea is bigger than the idea of space travel?
This is a beautiful film, in large part because Nolan chose to use practical effects as much as possible. Now, I'm not a complete luddite when it comes to visual effects. I think you can do a heck of a lot with CG effects, particularly when you know what you are doing. But nothing beats the lived in quality, the tangible feel that practical effects tend to give, even when filtered through the editing and processing that surrounds them.
In addition to looking good, this film is also oftentimes very exciting, with some inventive action set pieces and a memorable scene where Coop (Matthew McConaughey) pilots a spaceship towards docking with their space station that was spinning wildly out of control. It's also interesting how the film deals with how out of our element we are in dealing with relativity, as seen on an ill-fated mission to a planet with an impossibly crazy timescale of one hour being the equivalent of seven normal earth years.
The film isn't perfect. It's at times melodramatic, and the story can be a bit formulaic at times. It's a much better film when not on Earth, which fortunately is much of the film. That being said, the performances are generally good, with Jessica Chastain, McConaughey, John Lithgow, and Anne Hathaway (probably the prime example of doing the most with the least by an actor this year) being the best of the cast.
It will be interesting to see if this film will have the same impact on the small screen as it did on the large one. I've yet to watch Gravity, even though I've owned the film for a while, in large part because I fear it might suffer when you're not engrossed in the sparseness of space that a big screen allows you to feel. However, this is true of some of the best of sci-fi, including the great 2001: A Space Odyssey, of which there are many favorable comparisons to make with Interstellar.
26. Ernest et Celestine
I don't get how some people are so dismissive of CG animation. Yes, it can be terrible when done cheaply, or when done from a standpoint of selling toys, instead of telling a story. CG Animation is not inherently void of artistry, both with features like Wall-E, Frozen, and How to Train Your Dragon and shorts like Paperman. Their not inferior, they're just different.
That being said, there is a certain lovely quality to hand drawn animation. For one thing, it encourages inventive style, and creative ways of getting around the problem of having to draw everything in your scene. It also gives things a tangible feel that is hard (but not impossible) to replicate with CG. A film like Ernest et Celestine would probably lose a lot of its effect if it were made in 3-D animation, even if the story and performances was just as good.
There's a general consensus of us here at Doctor Strangeblog that the best way to watch foreign language films is by using subtitles, as this allows us to enjoy the original performances of the actors (or voice actors, for animation), even if we don't understand the language being used. However, the work on the english dub of Ernest et Celestine is certainly not detrimental. It's a great voice cast, with Forrest Whitaker as the voice of the gruff ursine musician/vagrant Ernest, and Mackenzie Foy as the orphan mouse as the stars. Also lending their voices are Lauren Bacall, William H. Macy, and Paul Giamatti and Jeffery Wright, the latter two giving performances as judges that make the judge from Ghostbusters 2 look restrained and even-keeled. The funniest performances are Megan Mullaly and Nick Offerman really stretching themselves by playing a married couple with a perfect racket of selling sweets in one store, and replacement teeth in another.
Ah yes, the teeth. Apparently the mouse economy is built upon the acquisition of replacement teeth, which are crafted from the teeth of bears, who also seem to have quite a need for the sale of replacement teeth of their own. It's probably good that you don't ask too many questions about the mechanics of this world (are there more than just bears and mice? Why does the scale between the bears and mice seem to vary depending upon the situation?), as that's besides the point for a film as funny and warm as this one.
25. Only Lovers Left Alive
I'm not sure how good of a film this would be if the main characters weren't vampires. Without that conceit, it would be a story about two wealthy weirdo hipsters being way too cool for everything as they tool around the deserted streets of Detroit. Actually, now that I think about it, the film probably would still be enjoyable in that case, provided they kept everything not related to being vampires exactly how it was.
By making them vampires, however, Jim Jarmusch's latest film creates a set of constraints and needs that inform everything the characters do. While it's not impossible for them to travel, they have to be extra careful to do it at night. They have to be careful how they get their food, as these aren't your typical crypt dwellers, preferring to pay off lab workers, or get their blood from a vampiric Christopher Marlowe (John Hurt).
I'm pretty certain these were the roles Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston were born to play. In fact, I'm not entirely sure they aren't vampires to begin with. What makes the film so fun to watch is that these aren't the brooding, suffering type of vampire (OK, Hiddleston kind of is), or the ceaseless killers of many other vampire stories. Instead, they revel in the pleasures of life, whether it's music, science, art, or literature, even if they're dismissive of us mortals. Of course, all it takes is a visit from Swinton's sister, a more venal and less discrete vampire, to upset the apple cart and push things towards a crisis. Before that, however, it's one hell of a ride.
24. Two Days, One Night
The stakes of Two Days, One Night are laid down very early in the film. The team at a Belgian solar panel factory can choose between getting bonuses of up to €1000, or forgo the bonuses so Sandra (Marion Cotillard), an employee who suffered a mental breakdown and had taken time off work, can keep her job. She has effectively two days and one night to convince her co-workers to change their vote, after all but two initially voted against her. That's it, that pretty much describes the entire film.
However, with that simple premise the Dardennes brothers do so much more with the execution. Cotillard is the lynchpin of the film, showing us the emotional toll her quest to save her job causes her, ranging from clear happiness to suicidal despair depending upon the latest interaction. The film is often awkward, as anybody fumbling through this situation would be. The reactions range from resigned refusal, to an emotional appeal for forgiveness, to outright hostility that at the same time convinces the asshole's dad (and co-worker) to support her. Her quest takes some interesting turns, with at least one of her co-workers making a big decision of her own and that changes her life greatly because of it. After all of this struggle, it's still uncertain of what the result will be right up until the end of the film, where we get a good idea of how this weekend may have been one of the best things to happen to Sandra, regardless of the result.
23. Bird People
In my entry on Ida from yesterday, I mentioned how I watched five and a half foreign language films. Bird People is where that half comes from, as most of Josh Charles scenes are in English. This is because he spends much of his time talking to people across the Atlantic from where he sits in his room at the Paris Airport Hilton, making a decision that will completely change his life and dealing with the fallout of that decision. It's painful to watch as he completely throws away his marriage, his family, his home, and his company. Painful, but hard to look away from, much like the terrible car wreck he passes after coming back to the hotel from a business meeting. In the end, he's as free as the sparrows flitting about around the hotel, but at what cost?
The other half of the film, which takes place in French takes the title to a much more literal place, as hotel maid Audrey (Anaïs Demoustier) actually spends a night as a sparrow. I think this bit of light magic is important to the film, because without it the other part of the story would be unbearably bleak. By taking us on a journey through the eyes of the ensparrowed Audrey, we get to feel the simple pleasures she feels, such as the joy of flying, the giddy privilege to spy on her co-workers, and even the existential terror of escaping from a cat and an owl. The CG sparrow is a fine example of how technology should be used, as its pretty seamless with the real footage. Of particular highlight is a scene where a young painter uses the bribe of a crumbled potato crisp to use Audrey as a subject for a series of sketches that do a great job of showing the movement and structure of the sparrow. All in all, it's a great juxtaposition of her flight of fancy, which was relatively painless and only cost her a night, versus the gut-wrenching cost of the older and more entangled software engineer in an effort to effectively do the same thing.
22. Under the Skin
Like I said before, it was a pretty good year for Sci-Fi, and not just one particular strain. In the case of Under the Skin, we have a dreamy minimal film that is short on answers, but has plenty of questions. Scarlett Johansson is the star of this film, as an alien who drives around Glasgow picking up young men under the auspice of having sex with them, only to take them back to her place, where they are trapped in a gelatinous holding pen to eventually be skinned for some unseen purpose.
During this part, the film was already intriguing, particularly how it reverses the idea of men prowling the town to pick up women for less than noble purposes. However, the film jumps to an entirely different level once she picks up a man with a deformed face. At that point, she feels sorry for him and lets him go free. Her mission compromised, she flees to the countryside, and the film becomes an exploration of her character trying out new things and new experiences. Many of these new experiences don't go so well, such as when she tries to eat human food, which is either inedible to her, or just a completely unpalatable experience.
The film has a unique appearance, using the cold, damp nature of the Scottish moors and woods to the best advantage. There's very little dialogue in the film, especially when Johannson isn't trying to lure the men to their death. It creates a mysterious feeling that while often wonderful, is also hauntingly foreboding. When the film ends, you can't help but sit still trying to figure what the hell you just saw, in the best way possible.
21. Obvious Child
This is not a film about abortion, or the choice of having one. Yes, stand up comic Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) does get pregnant, and does choose to end it by having an abortion. But her choice is not one she agonizes over, is not the focus of the film, and goes off without a hitch. Outside of a conversation with her friends where best friend Nellie (Gaby Hoffmann) lays out a very effective pro-choice argument, and a reveal by Donna's mom about an abortion she had, it's not really the primary subject of the film. Much more important is what's happening in the rest of Donna's life.
While she's an aspiring comedian, getting in regular time up on the stage for very little income, most of the time she's a part-time employee at a book store that eventually goes out of business. She splits time visiting her divorced parents, one an easy going puppeteer (Richard Kind), the other a less easygoing business school professor who's constantly pushing Donna to do something (not comedy) with her life. On top of that, she maybe kind of likes Max (Jake Lacy), the guy who she had the one night stand with that led to her temporary pregnancy.
All of this sets up a film that at its core is pretty sweet, which is not a surprise being a romantic comedy. However, it's also pretty funny, and not just the vulgar yet often hilarious stand-up performances that Donna does. This is proof positive that this much maligned genre may have a future yet, if only people are willing to make it work.
No comments:
Post a Comment