Top 10 of my favorite movies
- Calvary
- Boyhood
- NightCrawler
- Under the Skin
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Blue Ruin
- Two Days, One Night
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Starred Up
- Inherent Vice
As you can clearly see i’ve gone for Calvary which surprisingly doesn’t make an appearance in many writers top 10, which i’m really disappointed with, as without a doubt it was one of the best films i’ve seen in a very long time. The only logical conclusion is they must have mistakenly forgotten it was released in 2014. Calvary is such an eloquent and at the same time despairing film, full of character. And Brendan Gleeson, has he ever given a bad performance?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGM5rq_vX4U
On the other side of the spectrum, everyone is talking about Boyhood which is in most writers top 3, and rightly so. The film was more than just a film, it was something more of a social experiment, we got to witness a family – not just the boy – we had no relationship to grow, that’s a rare moment, something that is usually kept private, so to see it on screen was an experience like no other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiDztHS3Wos
I remember when I went to see NightCrawler and within the first half hour I knew it had the potential to be one of the best films of the year. As the credits began to roll, my initial thought was confirmed, it was one of the best films of 2014. ‘Unsettling’, ‘dark’, ‘weird’, ‘un-nerving’ – these are some of the words used to describe Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance. I thought he was fucking great. The dedication he took to prepare for the role, such as loosing 20 pounds, well & truly paid off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8kYDQan8bw
I’m not going to say much about Under the Skin, I thought the film was absolutely great, as was Scarlett Johansson. Ah, balls to it, I’ll say this about it; I think the film is one of the best sci-fi films of the past ten years. So sensual, intelligent, witty, audacious and disturbing – it has it all. It really does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcR5KHjoc-0
I didn’t know what to fully expect when I went to watch Inside Llewyn Davis, I had seen the trailer and that’s it, I read nothing on it, no interviews, no reviews, nothing. When it finished I was surprised at what I just watched and how much I actually enjoyed it. It’s a welcome return to good form from the Coen brothers, what they’ve done with the film is make a smart, funny and a tad melancholy piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTVwJnW_U7M
I feel not enough people have seen Blue Ruin to discuss the plot or characters in any detail. What I will say is I feel dirty putting it at 6, it should be higher up, but I couldn’t decide which film it should replace without feeling a bit cheated. The lack of budget and the use of non A-list actors help achieve an authenticity that a lot more films that share the genre should aspire too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYpuju1NGdA
Two Days, One Night is nothing more than a masterpiece. This Belgium film brings a new meaning to the word compassion in film. The film has an unforced simplicity, which is rare for a film in this day & age, it’s so simple and yet so effective in so many ways that you don’t fully realise how you’ve been affected until you’re back in the comfort of your home. The performance alone by the ever great Marion Cotillard is enough to see the movie, her performance brings a real element to the role – a skill she’s seemed to have mastered throughout her glowing career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb3zBq6gVRk
The Grand Budapest Hotel, it’s a typical Wes Anderson film, there’s nothing else really to add, that in itself is a massive compliment, as i’m a massive Anderson fan. His films make you gleam with happiness and joy, this is no different. It’s a stylish film and it’s deceptively thoughtful. Typical of an Anderson film it contains ornate visual environments to explore deeply emotional ideas – they all work. Ralph Fiennes is superb in the lead role, he adds an extra depth that I don’t think another actor would have been able to the character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zru-1DbbcsA
Jack O’Connell’s performance in Starred Up is one of the reasons the film is in my top 10, there is no other way in putting it, he is beyond superb – there is no doubt he’ll have a hugely successful career, it’s already starting to blossom. I loved the unpredictable dynamic between Eric (O’Connell) and his dad, Neville (Mendelsohn) it added an extra raw element. It’s one of the finest British based prison films in a long, long time and the praise it has been getting is worth every single word. The film is the definition of realism in the present day, the sociological aspect, the de-humanisation of the prisoners and the co-existent between the prison officers and prisoners is something else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4iseCjFnWk
Inherent Vice is an interesting film, it had a budget of $20 million and only managed to make $330,000, it had a cast with the likes of Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon and Benicio del Toro. How it didn’t get wider attention is the fault of the studios, it should have been promoted to hell & back. The film it mesmerising, frustrating at times, but at the end you feel satisfied. It’s a unique film!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZfs22E7JmI
