Ed's Top 5 of 2014

2014 sure was a year of awesome movies, and before we get too excited about what the year ahead of us will bring, I've picked out my favourite five movies from 2014 (based on Australian release dates...yeah it's kinda cheating).

The Grand Budapest Hotel:

Wes Anderson's quirky style returned this..uhh last year with the hilarious and downright charming The Grand Budapest Hotel. With a fast moving plot set within a 'chinese box' structure, huge array of stars, beautiful sets and distinct cinematography from Anderson's long-term collaborator Robert Yeoman, Grand Budapest is a fun adventure that's exceptionally well acted, especially by Ralph Fiennes.

12 Years a Slave:

As the Best Picture winner from the last Academy Awards, some have argued that the critical acclaim that Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave received was out of a turbulent guilt stirred up in the consciences of critics (particularly in America). But the truth is, like McQueen's other features (Hunger and Shame), 12 Years a Slave makes for challenging, compelling and often agonising viewing, something which I wish some other film-makers would be brave enough to do.

Nebraska:
Alexander Payne's Nebraska has a straight forward plot and beautifully simplistic black and white imagery yet it manages to be fantastically entertaining. Having experienced the forgetfulness of old age, and onset dementia in my family, Bruce Dern's 'man-of-few-words' performance as Woody was quite relatable to me, and June Squib elevates the movie as Woody's hilarious wife Kate. Definitely not just another average family bonding movie.

Locke:
Who would have thought that a film shot entirely in a car could be so enthralling. Steven Knight's Locke not only stars Tom Hardy in one of his best performances, it also manages to take a setting that could be dreary, and transform it into a crucial place for Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy), his car serving as an oasis from his troubles, whilst really just pushing him towards them. Locke is full of riveting back and forth conversations that detail the balancing act that Ivan grapples with on the night that his life hits the fan.

Boyhood:
I know right? Surprise. Surprise. Richard Linklater's Boyhood, the only film that I've given five stars to thus far, has certainly been a critical success. But the reason it's pretty much my favourite of 2014 is not to pander to the critic's superiority complexes, but because it's a film that I can really relate with. As a twenty-first century kid/teen, I've found myself in similar situations to Mason, and it's always fun to see how others deal with the turmoils of growing up. Filmed over 12 years, by the end, I felt like I really knew the characters, not to mention the driving performances from Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette.

Honourable mentions:

Whiplash:
Whiplash sees J.K Simmons transform into the scheming, psychopathic jazz conductor Terence Fletcher. Whilst Damien Chazelle may be a little too hands-on in his attempts to form the audiences views, he certainly creates some riveting moments, with dialogue to match, and bookended with two feisty displays from Simmons and Miles Teller.







Pride:
Pride may be a little bit lighter than most of these (hell it's a comedy), and occasionally become too-sentimental, but it's still a heartwarming, hilarious look at the banding together of those that face oppression. Based on the real-life efforts of Lesbians & Gays Support Miners, Pride's ensemble of terrific actors made this one of the best films of 2014.