Best of 2014 - Honorable Mentions, Part 2: Favorites that Missed the Top 10

Tim Falkenberg January 8th, 2015 - 9:07 AM

See more of the Best of 2014

There were a lot of movies that we really liked this year. A lot of movies. Across 13 writers who contributed to our Best of 2014, there were 61 movies which made someone’s Top 10 list. But of course, only ten of those could make our Top 10. So here’s the best of the rest. Some personal favorites, some group pics, but mostly just a bunch of good movies.

The Babadook

The Babadook is a great horror movie for reasons that have almost nothing at all to do with horror. With its (surprisingly) touching ending and commentary on loss and grief, The Babadook was much more than just a horror film, masking its ambition and need to say something profound in an interesting and well-crafted little horror story. The horror is what attracted the audience, but the effect it had on many of us had nothing to do with anything terrifying. It’s akin to feeding your dog medicine in little pieces of juicy meat. We were conned into a viewing experience much more rewarding than we ever asked for from a small horror film.

— Eduardo Ramos

The Babadook feels like a throwback movie from a different time and place, in all the good ways. There are no super gory effect, no torture porn, no cheap fake-outs or loud sound effects to jar the audience – director Jennifer Kent relies on good old fashioned storytelling techniques to make this a scary and memorable movie. Of course it doesn’t hurt that lead actress Essie Davis absolutely knocks it out of the park, in one of the better performances anyone gave all year.

— Greg Rodgers

Rare is the horror film that manages to transcend genre and still maintain a nail-biting sense of dread. Jennifer Kent’s boogeyman tale transforms a simple story into a complex exploration of depression. Terrifying and profound in equal measures, Kent has created a landmark horror film, one worthy of as much attention and study as The Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby.

— John Wedemeyer

The Boxtrolls

What a banner year for gorgeously animated features. The LEGO Movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Book of Life…but without question, the one that blows them all out of the water is The Boxtrolls. I somehow missed Laika’s previous offerings, but The Boxtrolls grabbed me from its first teaser trailer and managed the rare feat of surpassing a mountain of self-induced hype. But not only is this one of the most lovingly crafted movies you’ll ever see, the characters deliver as well. Winnie is a delightful mix of intrepid and terrified, Snatcher is at once sympathetic and despicable. And oh. My. Gosh. I cannot stop thinking about the sequence near the beginning that builds the relationship between the fast-growing young boy Eggs and his adoptive Boxtroll father Fish. One of the most stunningly effective (and affective) pieces of filmmaking in any movie all year.

— Tim Falkenberg

This masterwork of stop-motion animation has beauty in its ugliness and one of the best villains in an animated film I’ve ever seen.

— Erik Paschall

Calvary

Every aspiring director of faith-based films should ring-up John Michael McDonagh for advice. Why does this story of religious perseverance in the face of cruelty and cynicism succeed where many, so many others fail? You mean besides the realistically written characters, Brendan Gleeson’s amazingly human (and humorous) performance, and messages of love and forgiveness that don’t feel trite? Well, how about this: I’m not a believer, but Calvary made me wish I was.

— Erik Paschall

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Cap 2 broke down everything we thought we knew about the MCU, bringing a tone of immediacy to a superhero movie in a world that deals with terrorism on a daily basis.

— Nicole Aronis

I am not completely onboard with the new direction the Daniel Craig era has gone with James Bond. I grew up with Pierce Brosnan and (braces for impact) I liked the absurd gadgets and scenarios that kept coming up in those movies. This new Q Branch doesn’t use exploding pens? Well that’s too bad because Goldeneye is one of my all-time favorite films and the exploding pen is one of the best parts.

I bring this up because Captain America: The Winter Soldier is EXACTLY what I have wanted from a James Bond-esque spy movie for so long. All of the main characters have cool gadgets and moves, the action scenes are all memorable and well spread out through the movie, and it has just the right amount of intrigue for a spy-action movie. Winter Soldier brings the kind of larger than life spy plots that I used to love from action films back when they dared to dream big.

— Charlie Burroughs

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The anachronistically-titled sequel to 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes marked a change for the franchise moving away from the science fiction genre and into the post-apocalyptic action but with intelligent apes. The titular characters are the real stars here. While, Gary Oldman is great as the human leader Dreyfus, who thankfully isn’t a one-dimensional villain. Andy Serkis and Tony Kebbell as the ape leader Caesar and his adviser Koba have one of the most compelling on-screen relationships of the year. The political drama between the two rivals most traditional political thrillers, especially when compared to the humans (Jason Clarke and Kerri Russell) on that dam. It’s cliche at this point to say Serkis and Kebbel should be considered for Oscars but they make a strong case for it. Also, apes on horseback, dual wielding machine guns.

— Tyler Lyon

I’m really surprised how well the Planet of the Apes reboot has turned out. Both films have been solid blockbusters that avoided easy pitfalls in favor of more complex stories. Dawn gives a clash between two societies just trying to survive. Both sides have militant individuals, though Gary Oldman’s character comes off more cautious than bloodthirsty. Koba is much more eager to pick a fight, though it’s easy to understand why he desperately wants revenge and why he fears “human work.” Much like Rise before it, Dawn presents us with a group of mostly reasonable individuals on both sides who, for the most part, do not want war. Following in the long tradition of great tragedies though, war feels inevitable anyway.

— Charlie Burroughs

Foxcatcher

With respect to many accomplished ensembles who graced the silver screen this year, Foxcatcher‘s trio of leading performances with Steve Carell as John DuPont, Mark Ruffalo as David Shultz, and Channing Tatum as Mark Shultz (how confusing must that have been on set?) has to take the top prize for me. There were individual performances this year which surpassed them, but as a whole, no one was better. The film makes great use of all three of its leading men by employing a structure that lets them each take center stage. The constant weaving in and out only underscores the interpersonal turmoil as each tries to wield his own type of power and influence, so that we are never quite sure who’s in control, building tension throughout the film until its final, tragic denouement.

— Tim Falkenberg

Gone Girl

The best word to describe my initial thought upon first seeing Gone Girl was “intrigued.” This film, even though not my favorite story ever told, had me thinking well after the movie was over. The gender relations and power plays between Amy and Nick were beyond compelling. It was enlightening to witness gender performance within a heterosexual relationship tackled in such a daring and unapologetic manner. David Fincher had me on the edge of my seat throughout, as he is prone to do.

— Rachel Lutack

For all the discussion and debate, the endless online think pieces and the accusations of misogyny that stemmed from David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel, the cinemas of 2014 were enlivened by the existence of Gone Girl. Crisp, taut and utterly absorbing in all its over-stuffed and conversation-starting grandeur, Fincher’s dark, disturbing and mordantly funny thriller – part mediation of a marriage, part satire on mass media – was a startling thing to behold. With its ripped-from-the-headlines premise of a man (played by a never better Ben Affleck) put under attack after the mysterious disappearance of seemingly perfect other half (a revelatory Rosumund Pike), Fincher and Flynn (who wrote the screenplay) playfully god-smacked and toyed with procedural conventions, eliciting a true work of art comprised of scrumptiously trashy parts. Gone Girl was one of the most alert and joyfully bent pieces of pulp filmmaking of the year.

— James Tisch

Pride

In telling the true story of the unlikely alliance formed between UK gay rights activists and striking coal miners under Margaret Thatcher’s reign in 1980s, director Matthew Warchus and screenwriter Stephen Beresford achieve a sort of alchemy in making history come alive without ever succumbing to cheap sentiment or didactic sermonizing. Pride is joyous, buoyant and truly crowd-pleasing, and made with such infectiousness and lightness of touch that it’s almost easy to underestimate just how smart and riveting the movie actually is. Anchored by a terrific ensemble cast that includes Imelda Staunton, Andrew Scott, Dominic West and Bill Nighy, Pride is immeasurably entertaining while shining a light on a devastating chapter in recent human history.

— James Tisch

The Theory of Everything

Remarkable acting across the board and a great story. Going in, I thought a film about a physicist diagnosed with ALS, based on a memoir by his ex-wife, could be a bit of a stretch, but Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones make it otherwise. The actors had the courage to depict a very real, very complicated relationship. Benoit Delhomme’s cinematography was extraordinary, lending enchantment to what is, at it’s heart, a deep and moving love story.

— Kerry Kelaher Fredeen

In a cinematic age and institution nearly run solely on biopic fuel, it was easy to be apprehensive about being sucked into The Theory of Everything. Cut to about twenty minutes into the film, and all of my prejudices were obliterated by its sheer brilliance. Disregarding Stephen Hawking’s incredible life and heartwarming romance, the cinematic elements stood out. Chillingly realistic and emotional performances from Eddie Redmayne (Oscar-winning if I may be so bold) and Felicity Jones as Hawking’s courageously devoted wife Jane breathe steadiness into the rollercoaster-like emotions pervading the story. Director James Marsh along with cinematographer—and frequent Terrence Malick photographer—Benoit Delhomme also deliver compelling and fanciful visuals paralleling Hawking’s theoretical ideas of time and space.

— Rachel Lutack

We Are the Best!

We Are the Best! was the directing achievement of the year for many of the same reasons Boyhood was such a marvel. When you take a cast of (mostly) young children and try to direct them for an entire movie, that’s already difficult. But to be able to do that and still give the film a sense of the enthusiasm, innocence, abandonment, and wonder that children inherently have and that adults try (and fail) so eagerly to recapture – to be able to do that is brilliant. We Are the Best! also had a amazingly profound little message hidden in all of its fun. Through this story of three young girls who all adore punk music, we’re reminded to do what we love and chase what makes us happy, and to hell with the rest. There’s nothing more charming than sincerity in filmmaking, and this was the most sincere film of the year.

— Eduardo Ramos

Wild

Wild was almost a given for my top ten. I read the book, loved the book, and waited impatiently for the movie. In terms of the awards season, my biggest hope for Nick Hornby’s adapted screenplay. He did a nearly perfect job translating the book to the screen. Every creative decision surrounding the cutting and rearranging of the story made complete sense and turned what could have been a long drawn out trek into a fully realized and satisfying adventure with Cheryl Strayed. I will admit, I was apprehensive of Reese Witherspoon’s performance based on what I initially saw in the trailers. My worries were allayed, however, after seeing the film. A huge and pleasant surprise was Laura Dern’s portrayal of Strayed’s mother. Every character detail and nuance provided by the source material was flawlessly executed. I would also like to give director Jean Marc Vallée the award for the perfect marriage of opening and closing scenes, which delivered a beautifully simple and inspiring emotional punch.

— Rachel Lutack

Opinions on director Jean-Marc Vallee’s Wild seem to differ greatly, with the biggest factor being whether one views Cheryl Strayed’s hike along the Pacific Crest Trail as the meaningful journey of a deeply flawed person, or as a spoiled brat’s self-indulgent hike into the woods. However, those claiming Strayed is irredeemable are perhaps missing the point – Vallee isn’t asking us to forgive Strayed for her transgressions, or even to like her. He’s asking us to simply see in her our own feelings of regret and self-loathing, reminding us that no destination worth getting to can be reached in a straight line. Reese Witherspoon’s performance is fantastic, not just because she “deglamorizes” herself, but because she does so in a completely un-self-conscious way. In a small but crucial supporing role, Laura Dern is deserving of every bit of praise she’s received.

— Greg Rogers

See more of the Best of 2014

Best of 2014 – Honorable Mentions, Part 2: Favorites that Missed the Top 10