2014 may be seen as the year of the rise of cable TV. A guy at a nearby toy store said traffic had slowed and he wondered "if people just weren't getting out much anymore." With House of Cards, True Detective, and a slew of other good shows, it's little wonder. In the theater, movies seemed to appear, and be gone in a few weeks if no one showed. In my experience, these five were not to be missed and hopefully will become classics. In no particular order, the best five films of 2014 were:
1. Birdman - The year's bravest, most cinematic, effort showcased the most audacious performances and filmmaking to hit theaters this year. Wholly original and galvanizing, start to finish, even when it switched formats near the end.
2. Nightcrawler - Jake Gyllenhaal proves once again he can carry a movie on his back, and Dan Gilroy, mostly a writer, shows how to create the most memorable character of the year while mixing genres and providing societal commentary on not just a few subjects.
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel - entertaining from start to finish, this was pure storytelling with a gala of characters that never stopped surprising.
4. Foxcatcher - Through the levels of commentary lied a thriller that worked on every level. Steve Carell gives the performance of his career in a film that paid as much attention to filmmaking as it did to plot and characters.
5. Lucy - Scarlet Johannson proves as versatile as her director, Luc Besson, in his return to form. This was quite the mix of action, thriller, and ideas and jolted the summer box office.
1. Birdman - The year's bravest, most cinematic, effort showcased the most audacious performances and filmmaking to hit theaters this year. Wholly original and galvanizing, start to finish, even when it switched formats near the end.
2. Nightcrawler - Jake Gyllenhaal proves once again he can carry a movie on his back, and Dan Gilroy, mostly a writer, shows how to create the most memorable character of the year while mixing genres and providing societal commentary on not just a few subjects.
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel - entertaining from start to finish, this was pure storytelling with a gala of characters that never stopped surprising.
4. Foxcatcher - Through the levels of commentary lied a thriller that worked on every level. Steve Carell gives the performance of his career in a film that paid as much attention to filmmaking as it did to plot and characters.
5. Lucy - Scarlet Johannson proves as versatile as her director, Luc Besson, in his return to form. This was quite the mix of action, thriller, and ideas and jolted the summer box office.
