1. 1/27/2015 COLUMN: The 10 best films of 2014 ­ Advisor & Source
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Advisor & Source (sourcenewspapers.com)
Opinion
COLUMN: The 10 best films of 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
By CHRIS WILLIAMS
There's something refreshing about a year in which the top 10 films include a meticulous European farce, an indie coming­of­age epic, an Australian horror film
and a hilarious space opera. This was a strong year for film, with great directors giving us some of their strongest work, and new voices emerging with confidence.
The best films of 2014 are:
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
No cinematic experience was as purely pleasurable as this Wes Anderson comedy. Set in a fictional European country on the cusp of war, Anderson weaves a
series of stories within stories, all centered on a once­lavish hotel and the owner who tries to maintain the appearance of elegance. It's fast and funny, culminating
in a poignant moment of humanity, and the story of maintaining old­world decorum gives Anderson's sumptuous visual quirks a thematic weight. The unparalleled
cast is led by Ralph Fiennes, who infuses Anderson's dialogue with poetry. This film shot to the top of my list when I saw it in March. It has not been in danger of
moving since.
2. Boyhood
Richard Linklater certainly deserves credit for this massive undertaking, in which he filmed the story of a boy coming of age over a 12­year period. But "Boyhood"
isn't just a movie with a neat making­of story. It captures the feeling of growing up like no other film, building its cumulative power through the small events that
make up most of our days. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke deliver career­best performances, and Linklater continues to prove that no other filmmaker
explores time with as much insight and power.
3. Whiplash
"Whiplash" deserves a spot just for its final scene, in which a young jazz drummer (Miles Teller) goes toe­to­toe with his sadistic instructor (J.K. Simmons) during a
concert at Carnegie Hall. But it's just the capper to an intense exploration of the price of greatness. Simmons creates one of the great movie monsters as a music
instructor who verbally and physically assaults his students to success, and Miles Teller holds his own as a drummer who both endures and feeds off that sadism.

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In only his second film, writer­director Damien Chazelle crafts an exhilarating tale of music and masochism, and as soon as it hit its perfect final shot I wanted to
buy another ticket.
4.Calvary
Brendan Gleeson dominates every frame of John Michael McDonagh's dark, moving rumination on the role of the Catholic church in modern­day Ireland. He's
both fierce and tender as a priest carrying painful knowledge while caring for his community over the course of a week. McDonagh's insightful script explores the
priest's relationship to his parishioners, who treat him with a mixture of indifference and hostility. The film is at once dark, profane, profound and humorous, and
Gleeson holds it all together with strength and dignity. It's the strongest exploration of faith I've seen this year.
5. Nightcrawler
If "Calvary" was about a man whose community has no need for him, "Nightcrawler" is about a rancid culture that's the perfect breeding ground for its central
sociopath. Jake Gyllenhaal gives the performance of the year as Lou Bloom, a man whose lack of empathy and overabundance of ambition put him in the perfect
position to succeed in the seedy world of local news. This is one of the great American satires, a grim poke in the ribs at capitalism run rampant. If you miss the
joke early on, you'll definitely get it when Lou gives his final, disturbing piece to his editor (a wonderful Rene Russo), and the moment is filmed like a frothy love
scene. A great, twisted ride.
6.Selma
Recent events give Ava DuVernay's Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic an undeniable immediacy. But even separate from the nightly news, "Selma" would still be on
my list. By focusing on one moment from King's life, DuVernay shows the process of protest up close and portrays the shrewdness with which he plucked the
consciences of America's most powerful people. David Oyelowo puts flesh and blood on a man often revered as a saint, and lets us see the uncertainty, rage and
heartbreak that fueled King. A remarkable, moving film. (Opens in Detroit in January).
7. The Lego Movie
On paper, it's a cynical cash­grab, an opportunity to sell some toys. In the hands of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, it's an explosion of creativity and wit. This
is what happens when you tap into the brain of an 8­year­old ­ you get a world where Batman, cowboys and astronauts fight and play together. Every scene
bursts with ingenuity and every gag hits. Even as they deliver the funniest movie of the year, Lord and Miller have time to skewer the played­out hero's journey
and deliver some heartfelt thoughts about creativity, conformity and cooperation. What else can I say ­ everything is awesome.
8. CitizenFour
Laura Poitras had her camera rolling as Edward Snowden leaked his documents and spoke to the press from a hotel room in Hong Kong. The result is the rare
chance to see history unfold. But more than just a fly­on­the­wall doc, "CitizenFour" is also a riveting political thriller and a fantastic piece of advocacy journalism,
showing us the ramifications of the leaked information and just how deep the government's betrayal went.

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9.The Babadook
The best horror film since 2007's "The Descent." Essie Davis gives an emotional, powerful performance as a widowed mother trying to raise a troubled son and
protect him from an otherworldly evil. Aussie director Jennifer Kent, in her feature debut, drenches the film in shadow and lets our imaginations wreak havoc. But
what elevates "The Babadook" above other horror films is the harrowing and fraught relationship between mother and son, and the way the film depicts the
terrifying emotional extremes of parenthood.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
People forget how hard it is to make a fun movie. James Gunn makes the leap from indie shlockmeister to A­list director with his confident, thrilling and very funny
space opera. The story takes the typical Marvel "get­the­thingy" plot and blasts it into the outer reaches of the universe, as a winning and charismatic Chris Pratt
leads a crew of bounty hunters, assassins, talking trees and angry raccoons. The result is a colorful, energetic and highly enjoyable romp, an adventure that
outdoes Marvel's best. I debated briefly whether this film was too slight to be on my list. But the fact that I paid to see this three times is proof that something works
very well here.
Chris Williams is a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society. He blogs about film at advisorsource.com and chrisicisms.com. Check there to see his thoughts
on 10 other great films from this past year.
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