Christopher Nolan's films are always a unique experience. Interstellar wasn't my favorite of his films but it is on par with Inception and Memento as far as originality which is really saying something. I felt the slow build at the beginning was perfectly paced but the second act was slightly too long. That being said, I found it very enjoyable and thus one of my favorite movies of the year.
Dan Gilroy and Tony Gilroy aren't nearly as established as Joel and Ethan Coen or Tony and Ridley Scott but between their work on the Jason Bourne films, Michael Clayton and now Nightcrawler they're making quite a name for themselves. Nightcrawler was written and directed by Dan Gilroy and his directorial debut. It was an impressive feat which was aided largely by Jake Gyllenhaal who gives possibly his best performance in what is quietly becoming a fantastic career.
This movie more than any this year stayed with me for days after I walked out of the theater. It's done so simplistically with only three on camera speaking roles but leads Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss are perfect in every scene. It's like an episode of The Twilight Zone that focuses on the examination of a couple's deteriorating relationship. As with all great movies, you'll probably enjoy it more the less you know going in and it's the only one on my list now playing on Netflix, so go see it for yourself.
7) Selma
The problem with some biopics is that they aren't focused. The story of Martin Luther King Jr is too large to tell in a single movie. So instead of telling his story, it's story of the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama during 1964 of which Martin Luther King Jr happens to be the key figure. It's a great story and told in a moving way by director Ava DuVernay.
6) The Imitation Game
I will actually be surprised if The Imitation Game doesn't win multiple awards in the next month. It's a fascinating story told nearly flawlessly with great performances including Benedict Cumberbatch who gives a stellar portrayal as Alan Turing.
To say I hadn't been a fan of director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu before Birdman would be a massive understatement. I found his previous work with 21 Grams and Babel nearly unwatchable. However, I'm couldn't be happier to have given him another chance. The satire is played just right and the feat pulled off by Inarritu and cinematographer extraordinaire Emmanuel Lubezki is nothing short of amazing. If you're not paying close attention you might not notice that the entire film is essentially one long shot with a few cheats. The long take (or takes) help heighten the drama as the story builds to a crescendo and fits right in for a movie about a play without ever feeling like a gimmick.
4) Inherent Vice
Taking one of my favorite writer/directors in Paul Thomas Anderson and giving him the material of Thomas Pychon's Inherent Vice which is a blend of Chinatown and The Big Lebowski almost doesn't seem fair. It doesn't matter that it introduces more characters and subplots than you can track on a white board, it's just a terrific ride that made me laugh about as much as any other movie this year.
3) Guardians of the Galaxy
The best movie that Marvel Studios has ever produced and in the conversation with Superman, Batman and The Dark Knight for my favorite comic book movie. The opening has been criticized by some as being heavy-handed but I bought in immediately and never looked back. Director James Gunn introduced a universe and set of characters that could have taken a wrong turn at any moment but never did.
2) Whiplash
Fantastic performances from lead performers Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons elevate good material into a terrific film. Writer/director Damien Chazelle reportedly drew on his own experience as a member of a competitive jazz band to concoct the story of an abusive music teacher pushing his student beyond his breaking point. When you think you have an idea where the story is leading you, it takes a turn and then another leaving you at the end with an interesting question about whether or not the end justifies the means.
Boyhood snuck up on me. I didn't go in with the intention of disliking it but it felt impossible that it would live up to the hype that surrounded the movie for the months before I saw it in theaters. It's easy to pass it off as a cool idea to film a movie over a 12 year period and ostensibly the movie has no plot. That does not matter. The movie is about life and growing up which isn't scripted. I can't explain how or why but I left the theater feeling better and more hopeful which one of the rarest feats for this or any medium.
Honorable mention:
22 Jump Street
Edge of Tomorrow
Foxcatcher
Gone Girl
The Raid 2
