My Top 10 movies of 2014, with the usual two extras thrown in for good measure. My criteria for a 2014 movie is any non-reparatory film I saw in 2014 that was new to me and had a theatrical release. That means this list may include a film that was technically released in 2013 or only played at a film festival in 2014.
Notes:
1. Under the Skin - Probably the most uncomfortable film I watched in a regular theater not during a film festival. So much so that four people walked out (out of eight who were there, including my family of four).
2. It Follows - Relentlessly creepy, I kept thinking about it way after Fantastic Fest was over. I can’t wait to screen this one for my whole family.
3. Ida - Probably the most powerful, and most personal, film I’ve ever watched concerning the Holocaust. I sincerely hope this wins an Oscar for best foreign film. Sadly, I missed this when it played in theaters, but caught up to it on Netflix. One of two movies on this list that I didn’t actually see in a theater.
4. Darkness by Day - I still think about this moody little South American vampire movie quite a bit. Easily my underdog favorite from Fantastic Fest, though unlikely to really get on anyone’s radar. This felt like a movie made specifically for my odd tastes.
5. The Babadook - The first film I saw at Stanley Film Fest this year and it stole the entire festival. Just a great, creepy, disturbing psychological horror film that’s a throwback to the days when the horror was more suggested than shown. I still think I connected with this even more because I’m a parent and I’ve gone through some of the madness shown on-screen.
6. Hardkor Disko - Another disturbing film from Fantastic Fest that grew on me the more I thought about it post festival. This is the kind of movie I’d make if I made movies.
7. Der Samurai - The primary reason I went to Mile High Horror Fest. Despite an interrupted DCP screening, this was still the best thing I saw at the fest. My whole family liked this one. Another disturbing, psychological film where you’re really unsure if things are happening for real or not. Definitely the most challenging film of the festival.
8. Alleluia - My first film of this year’s Fantastic Fest and just as disturbing as I thought it would be. Based on the real life Honeymoon Killers (which also inspired the similarly titled film), I felt like I had a bit of a leg up on most of the audience as I’d seen Honeymoon Killers. When the violence happens, it’s so sudden and visceral, it’s shocking no matter how desensitized you are to such things.
9. Joe - I saw this at Sie Film Center and knew it would probably end up on my top 10. One of Nicolas Cage’s best performances in years. The emotions he manages to convey, especially barely checked rage, without speaking, reminded me a lot of De Niro’s performance in Taxi Driver.
10. ‘71 - One of the films I was most looking forward to at Denver Film Festival and it did not disappoint. Though the entire movie is an assault on the audience, there are two scenes in particular that are so shocking that I jolted back in my seat, which is something that rarely happens to me. Very powerful filmmaking.
Honorable Mentions
11. Late Phases - I know a lot of people were meh on this one, but I really enjoyed this unique take on werewolves from Stanley Film Festival. I love movies like this and Darkness by Day that manage to transcend their meager budgets to accomplish what big Hollywood movies often can’t. I especially loved the practical werewolf effects and Nick Damici’s performance as a blind veteran.
12. Honeymoon - The only other film I watched via streaming, this time from Amazon Instant. So glad I rented this. It’s a perfect mix of sci-fi and horror, in the vein of the ‘70s era Invasion of the Body Snatchers but so much more subtle.
There were a handful of other movies that I had to cull from the list but were nevertheless great films this year: Fury, Captain America: Winter Soldier (still my favorite superhero movie), Guardians of the Galaxy, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Nightcrawler, Enemy, The Canal, When Animals Dream, Duke of Burgundy, Exists, The Rover, Hellion, Cub, The Double, Cold in July, Night Moves and The Sacrament.
This was a pretty enjoyable year of film for me, in part because I attended a number of film festivals (four this year versus two last year) and made a greater effort to catch a lot more independent film in theaters like the Sie Film Center and The Mayan.