2014 REVIEW

2014 produced some really great movies, and this year, my top spot is a three way tie. Three vastly different movies, all reminding me in their own way of the best things about cinema, and all essential viewing.

1. Interstellar
Nolan's ode to 2001. Intelligent, emotive, sublime science fiction

2. We Are The Best! (Vi är Bäst!)
Punk rock + Lucas Moodysson = cinema heaven. I loved this film so much. 5 stars, ten out of ten, all that jazz and then some. We Are The Best? Damn right.

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson's stylish, hilarious, aspect-ratio-molesting caper delivers on all counts. Gets better with every watch.

4. Her
Technically Spike Jonz's existential sci-fi romance drama hit screens in late 2013, but get included here anyway on account of its brilliance.

5. The One I Love
To provide any plot details about this overlooked gem would be too much information. Trust me, rely on the fact that Mark Duplass and Elizabeth Moss are GREAT; go in fresh and enjoy the hell out of this unexpected treat.

6. It Follows
An inventive, creepy, new horror flick which delivers on it's killer concept. Caught it at M.I.F.F. and it looks like this will get its wider release in 2015.

7. Jodorowsky's Dune
The greatest movie never made. Jodorowsky's enthusiasm for his 40 year old dream project is as infectious as it is inspiring. Wonderful stuff.

8. Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Massively entertaining documentary on the hilarious, almost unbelievable story of Cannon Films. I saw it at M.I.F.F. and it looks like this will be out more widely in 2015.

9. Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn's highly entertaining entry to the Marvel universe did  great job with a relatively obscure comic. The soundtrack didn't engage me like it seemed to with most, and his best movie is still the the underrated Super, but Guardians was lot of fun and you can't ask for much more than that.

10. Godzilla
Solid and entertaining US update of everyone's favourite Kaiju. Cranston adds gravitas to an enjoyable couple of hours while we wait for Pacific Rim 2.

11. Only Lovers Left Alive
Jarmusch's lethargic muso vampire meditation. Slow, yet absorbing.

Honourable mentions go to the ripping indie revenge flick Blue Ruin, which also came out in 2013 but didn't seem to get a release anywhere until 2014.  Whiplash, Inside Llewyn Davis, Dallas Buyers Club, Frank,What We Do In The Shadows and Captain America: The Winter Soldier were also well worth a look-see.

Of the films I didn't manage to catch in 2014, I wanted to see Nightcrawler, The Babadook, Boyhood, Under The Skin, and 12 Years A Slave, all of which I expect would have competed for spots in the Top Ten.

Worst:
Life After Beth
Painfully unfunny Aubrey Plaza zombie / comedy vehicle, with emphasis on it's painful unfunniness. It hurts to watch shit like this when you realise there are probably talented people out there trying to write and make movies and getting nowhere. A derivative, joyless waste of everyone's time. I want my 20 bucks back.

American Hustle
Bloated, star-leaden tedium that attracted praise from all corners like flies on stink, but for my money looked hopelessly inauthentic and bored the utter crap out of me.