Baumer's top 50 films of 2014/Panda's top 20 of 2014 pg 8/Numbers pg 14

[baumer]

 

22. American Sniper

 

 

Man did this film strike up a controversy here on the forums and in the real world as well. I feel compelled to weigh in my brief two cents before moving on: Yes, the film coats over some of the worse aspects of Chris Kyle and his opinions/beliefs. But that is not the same as endorsing them. In fact the weight of the film showcases how prolonged exposure to relentless conflict in multiple tours, in a branch of the military that is the most focused on institutionalized violence, can mess you up. Chris Kyle does say some unflattering things in the movie and nowhere is the impression that the film endorses them. Given how he looks, sounds, and acts by the end of the final action setpiece, it's clear he's been negatively affected by his experiences and the film implies they rubbed off on his beliefs in some fashion.

 

Okay, on to the movie. Clint Eastwood does a very good job of balancing the war aspects with the home life pieces. I might have liked to see a little more development here and there with his time as a veteran and raising his family, but what we did get got the film's message across very well. The action is very tense and effective for the most part, though the final battle in the sandstorm verges on getting too video-gamey for a film that has been more low-key in its conflicts. Bradley Cooper is great as Chris Kyle and there are scenes where he conveys a lot of emotion and thought by just being silent and staring off in space. Much of the supporting no-name cast is a bit on the bland side, but the film is really about Cooper and when he is the primary focus he dominates the screen.

 

 

[Alpha]

More reaction gifs

[4815162342]

The baumer tsunami begins.

Interested to see reactions to one placement in my Top 10.

[baumer]

The baumer tsunami begins.

Interested to see reactions to one placement in my Top 10.

 

Sorry I haven't been here much.  But I'm here now and I'm going to give it my best shot.

 

[4815162342]

10. Snowpiercer

 

 

Set in a world where the cure for global warming impressively backfired, Snowpiercer follows the denizens of the steerage class of a train that circumnavigates the globe, the only known humans left alive after 20-odd years, and their planned rebellion to get the same rights and perks as those living in the front of the train. One thing that certainly gives Snowpiercer its flair is its sets. Each train car is impressively designed to convey either the functional purpose or the artistic flourish of a given unit. If you think about things too much, some of the train cars make no sense in how they can do everything in such a confined unit, but the film draws you in so well that you simply don't care about logical nitpicks like that.

 

Snowpiercer shines with its diverse ensemble cast. Chris Evans is great as Curtis the would-be revolutionary leader, bringing in brooding and angry intensity as he implements the final stages of his rebellion and adapts to the tragedies and obstacles that lie in his way. Tilda Swinton steals her scenes as an androgynous minister who directly controls the rear of the train and whose cowardice and opportunism knows no bounds. The film sets its pieces and then moves at breakneck pace with various challenges, fights, and hurdles to overcome, occasionally stopping to breathe and reflect before shit hits the fan yet again. There are some fine twists and turns and while a climatic monologue reveal is a bit on the nose, it still packs a good punch. It's a damn shame the Weinsteins botched its release, but 2014 was pretty much the year the Weinsteins fucked things up in every way possible.

[CoolioD1]

oh.

[4815162342]

9. Birdman

 

 

Birdman is a film that a lot of people here on the forums loved and a few high-profile posters expressed lukewarm at best reactions to. I've come down a little off my initial contact high but I still find the vast majority of Birdman to be seamless, tightly paced, and immensely engaging. The camera gimmick with the film being a series of scenes done in one take stitched together to give the impression that the film never cuts is handled quite effectively, with most of the transitions being obvious pans to the sky or to walls but never feeling jarring. It also feels quite right with this film, as it follows around the ensemble cast as they argue, scheme, berate, lament, and gloat about the whirl of events dropping on them in the lead-up to the opening of the play.

 

But the strength of the film is its acting, everyone bringing their A-game. Michael Keaton is tremendous as a washed-up superhero actor trying to rebuild his career by directing, writing, and starring in a high-class play. You can feel his desperation, anger, and despair in every scene as he tries to make the colossal mess of a production work while battling his inner demons and doubts over who he is, what he wants, and how he can keep going. Edward Norton likewise is a tour de force. If JK Simmons wasn't in the race Norton would be steamrolling the awards season in Supporting Actor. The rest of the crew, including Emma Stone, Zack Galifinankis (quite believable in his dramatic role as Riggan's lawyer/adviser/friend) do splendid jobs.

 

The chaotic drum solo music in the background does a great job in helping to build tension and energy in a scene before things let rip.

[CoolioD1]

Oh.

[Dementeleus]

Oh.

[4815162342]

8. Inherent Vice

 

 

 

What really makes Inherent Vice work through its 140+ minute running time is how funny the movie is, especially the first two-thirds. The film builds and builds on situational comedy by taking its stoned, paranoid, schleppy protagonist and making him in many scenes the sanest man in the room and letting things rip from there. Joaquin Phoenix displays downright mastery of physical comedy and facial expressions, many of the jokes in the film hitting simply due to how his character reacts to what's going on in front of him. His PI is smart and clever, when he can get his mind out of the hallucinogenic fog, and he displays a canny sense of picking up when things feel rotten. He's the perfect character to take the audience on this journey into double-dealing, conspiracies, bizarre fronts, and loopy minions.

 

The rest of the ensemble cast is stellar as well. Josh Brolin is mean, hard, and utterly untrustworthy as Detective Bigfoot, who's always a step behind but never failing to find a way to screw over Phoenix's character to get what he wants or at least some payback. Katherine Waterson is a nice revelation as the femme fatale of the proceedings, though her character is more incidental to the plot than the archetype of film noir this movie takes plenty of cues from. The film does trend a little sluggish in the final third, which is the only thing keeping this movie from being Top 5 material, as the first two acts are very, very brilliant.

 

Paul Thomas Anderson's direction is impressive as he guides you through things and stages his actors perfectly. He also continues to show impressive range in the kinds of films he tackles and pulls off.

[4815162342]

7. The Guest

 

 

 

The most unlikely of the films in my Top 10, The Guest is a film that just worked brilliantly on every single level. Adam Wingard's movie is wonderful in how it escalates and changes things up, starting off as a creepy drama/thriller of someone inserting themselves into a family, then suddenly swerving into a conspiracy thriller as a couple huge twists just thrown at you and you race to keep up as the film speeds off towards left field, and then a final rocket jaunt into a cross between Halloween and a Liam Neeson action movie. The film is effortless in how it alters gears and reorients itself, keeping the audience as off-guard and tensed up as its spiraling characters.

 

Dan Stevens is wonderful as the titular character, bringing at first some charismatic "aw shucks" charm and then slowly evolving into the All-American Terminator Next Door. He's incredibly likeable and earnest even as he displays a callous capacity for violence and manipulation and it's hard not to root for him to get away with everything once the shit hits the fan. With the right roles, he definitely could make a breakout in cinema and after this film it's hard to argue against it.

 

But the best aspect of this film is the soundtrack. The vast array of songs and music fits the scenes in the foreground like a glove, with each match being pretty darn close to perfect. All the right emotions: fear, confusion, desperation, etc, the songs convey them right into the beating heart of each scene.

 

Watch this film people.

[CoolioD1]

AWWWWWWWW Yiss

 

do I look like I wanna buy their fellas drinks?

Edited February 14, 2015 by ChlamydiaD1

[4815162342]

6. Calvary

 

 

 

Brendan Gleeson has made a great career of memorable supporting roles in many a film, but his turn here as a Catholic priest told he has one week left before he is murdered is without a doubt his best performance, and one ashamedly ignored for awards consideration by essentially every group that matters. Gleeson is amazing as he conveys the weariness of a good man trying to help and advise the people in his parish, even though many of them despise the institution he is part of and mock his attempts to be a consistent pillar for the community. Every slip he has, every victory and defeat, every moment of despair, it's all emoted beautifully by Gleeson as he tries to keep doing what believes to be right, even as the clock ticks towards him meeting his fate. The film does a great job in conveying why Gleeson, even though he knows exactly who aims to murder him, does nothing to prevent it and willingly goes to the time and place of the confrontation.

 

The film is excellently paced and handled, slowly but inexorably moving towards the final meeting and building up tension and emotion as you see, for all the hurts and wounds inflicted on his character, the small victories won by Gleeson that end up being worth everything that matters. The supporting cast for the film is quite good, with Chris O'Dowd making a rare dramatic performance. While generally a drama, the script by John Michael McDonagh does well in inserting humor, both witty and dark, here and there in the film to add some levity and perspective as clock ticks down. The film is ultimately very soulful and hopeful, pointing out that for all the problems the Catholic Church has in modern times, it still has the capacity to inspire people to dedicate their lives to helping others, no matter how much scorn or shame some may try to heap on them.

 

 

Final 5 later tonight.

[CoolioD1]

hey these are getting good. better late than never.

[The Stingray]

So that makes it a hate crime...

[4815162342]

AWWWWWWWW Yiss

 

do I look like I wanna buy their fellas drinks?

 

Get each one of those guys a Cosmopolitan

[baumer]

 

9. Birdman

 

 

Birdman is a film that a lot of people here on the forums loved and a few high-profile posters expressed lukewarm at best reactions to. I've come down a little off my initial contact high but I still find the vast majority of Birdman to be seamless, tightly paced, and immensely engaging. The camera gimmick with the film being a series of scenes done in one take stitched together to give the impression that the film never cuts is handled quite effectively, with most of the transitions being obvious pans to the sky or to walls but never feeling jarring. It also feels quite right with this film, as it follows around the ensemble cast as they argue, scheme, berate, lament, and gloat about the whirl of events dropping on them in the lead-up to the opening of the play.

 

But the strength of the film is its acting, everyone bringing their A-game. Michael Keaton is tremendous as a washed-up superhero actor trying to rebuild his career by directing, writing, and starring in a high-class play. You can feel his desperation, anger, and despair in every scene as he tries to make the colossal mess of a production work while battling his inner demons and doubts over who he is, what he wants, and how he can keep going. Edward Norton likewise is a tour de force. If JK Simmons wasn't in the race Norton would be steamrolling the awards season in Supporting Actor. The rest of the crew, including Emma Stone, Zack Galifinankis (quite believable in his dramatic role as Riggan's lawyer/adviser/friend) do splendid jobs.

 

The chaotic drum solo music in the background does a great job in helping to build tension and energy in a scene before things let rip.

 

 

[baumer]

I haven't seen Inherent Vice, Calvary or The Guest.

[CoolioD1]

I haven't seen Inherent Vice, Calvary or The Guest.

Out of those I think you'd dig the guest a whole lot. Film gave me serious john carpenter vibes and it's from the director of You're Next. Dude you need to seek it out it fucking rocks.

[baumer]

Out of those I think you'd dig the guest a whole lot. Film gave me serious john carpenter vibes and it's from the director of You're Next. Dude you need to seek it out it fucking rocks.

 

You're Next is brilliant.  I'll find it ASAP.

 

Thanks for the tip.