I know, it was technically released in 2013, but we didn’t
get it here until after the new year. Shot in elegant black and white by
director Alexander Payne (Sideways, The
Descendants), this film stars Bruce Dern and Will Forte, as respectively a
cantankerous father and his well-meaning
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
My favorite superhero film of the year was this one, despite
the financial juggernaut that was Guardians
Of The Galaxy. It’s a conceit adapted
from an older storyline that took place in the comics back in the ‘80s and
cleverly blends the old X-Men cast with the new one that debuted a
We Are The Best!
It’s the early ‘80s in Stockholm
and two girls are huge punk music fans, but the rest of the world has moved on
to the synth pop that would rule the decade.
They don’t care, and in true punk spirit, they decide to start their own
band. Their skills leave much to be
desired, but they learn and recruit a member of the school band for some
much-needed chops. It’s a coming of age film with great chemistry between the
three leads, despite probably having little acting experience. Their climactic
performance in front of a typically antagonistic punk crowd will have you
rooting for them despite the odds.
Snowpiercer
Yet another film adapted from a graphic novel, but this one
was nicely fleshed out by Korean director Joon-ho Bong. It joins a growing list of movies that
portray a dystopian future, this time where the earth has experienced a climate
change experiment gone wrong, and what’s left of the population resides on the
eponymous train that constantly speeds around the planet. It’s the class
struggle in miniature, as the unfortunates made to endure privations in the
back of the train stage a revolt and slowly fight their way to the engine at
the front. Along the way we observe how the elite live and enjoy comforts on
the backs of the lower class. The allegory is obvious, but the performances by
Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, and Ed Harris as the man behind the curtain of this
disturbing setup (a role which was reminiscent of the part he played in The Truman Show) make this a compelling
story of survival against hopeless odds.
Boyhood
The real star of Richard Linklater’s magnum opus, shot over
the course of 12 years with the same cast, is time. It’s a film that mirrors
the lives of most people, with moments that they’ll find very familiar. The
difference here is that the cast actually ages 12 years during the film—makeup
or prosthetics are unnecessary. The boy at the center of the film, Mason (Ellar
Coltrane), endures a couple of drunken stepfathers after his biological father
(Ethan Hawke) leaves the family. We see birthdays, family trips, girlfriends,
the inevitable voice change, parties, different schools; and we get that same
sense when Mason enters a scene that we get when we see a cousin we haven’t
seen in a while. We’re reminded that the miracle of growth is happening when
we’re not looking. There are no revelatory moments here, really. The effect of this movie is cumulative. At the end, Mason’s mother, played by Patricia Arquette, begins
to cry as her son packs to head off to college. When he asks why, all she can
muster is, “I just thought there would be more.” It’s probably a common feeling
at such a time in life. And yet, the film shows us there is so much more. But
as Mason observes right before the credits roll, all we really have is the
present moment.
Filth
Another attempt at turning one of edgy Scottish author
Irvine Welsh’s novels into a film, and this one succeeds, though it’s not quite
as good as Trainspotting. Still, it’s
worth it to witness policeman Bruce Robertson’s (James McAvoy) downward spiral
as he tangles with losing his family, drug abuse, and a sartorial proclivity
that is only revealed near the end. That reveal felt tacked on and unnecessary,
but the film is an at times dark and vertiginous ride as Bruce inevitably
bottoms out amongst the seedier denizens of Edinburgh .
Under The Skin
Scarlett Johansson brings her brightly lit name to this
small film about an alien that takes human form and entices young men in a
Scottish city with the promise of sex, only to lure them to some kind of
macabre harvesting operation. The details are left unclear, and the staging of
the seduction itself is more theatrical than explanatory. After some time in
her deception, Johansson starts identifying too much with the quarry, and seeks
cover from her fellow aliens who scramble to locate her and put an end to it.
Alas, humanity acquits itself very poorly in its behavior toward her
crafted gorgeous image, and she finds herself in a place where she once
lured others. Though the filmmaker, Jonathan Glazer, wore his main influence
plainly on his sleeve, it was a darkly surreal story of otherworldly
exploitation.
A Most Wanted Man
One of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last films, where he plays a
German intelligence chief intent on divining the true intentions of a muslim
immigrant who arrives to claim his father’s fortune. Besides the mystery,
there’s the CIA to deal with, the 800 pound gorilla in any room. It’s based on
a John Le Carre novel, so you know this will be a nuanced study of the
espionage field, nothing like James Bond territory. Hoffman again wears a part
like an old bathrobe, conveying the character’s world-weariness and frustration
at the forces working against him. By the end, what looks like a victory turns
out to be a charade orchestrated by those he thought were allies.
Jodorowsky’s Dune
A documentary telling the story of the efforts made by
director and comic author Alejandro Jodorowsky to bring Frank Herbert’s sci-fi
novel to the screen. There’s a brief look at a couple of very avant-garde films
that Jodorowsky did in the late 60s-early 70s that established his career.
Despite hiring visionary artists to craft the production design of the movie
(HR Giger, Moebius, Chris Foss), and producing a huge book showcasing the
storyboards and art, none of the studios would bite. Instead, we learn how Hollywood cannibalized the
book for ideas that eventually appeared piecemeal in later films, such as Alien and Blade Runner. It’s a fascinating portrait of creativity and how it
can get ground up in the corporate gears of Hollywood . Some filmmakers were just too far
ahead of their time, to our detriment.
Locke
Tom Hardy proves once again that he can carry a movie
virtually by himself (though this time he does have voices on a phone to swap
dialogue with), as he did with Bronson
back in 2008. He plays a successful construction manager who one evening
decides to walk away from his job before the biggest challenge he’s ever faced.
Circumstances pull him away that threaten not only his job but also a seemingly
happy family life. As he drives south on a busy English motorway, tempers
explode, hearts break, and lives are changed irrevocably, all through heated
conversations on his car phone. The viewer only sees Locke’s end of these
conversations, as he struggles to maintain a calm, controlled surface amid the
tragedies. You can’t help wonder what kind of emotional volcano is roiling just
under his formerly buttoned down existence.
Fury
I know, yet another World War 2 movie. But this one,
directed by David Ayer, who helmed the excellent End Of Watch, seeks to show the grittier side of the American
experience in Germany
near the end of the war, as Hitler’s remaining troops, reduced to the very
young and very old,
Interstellar
Christopher Nolan borrows liberally from Kubrick and Scott
and probably some other sci-fi visionaries to tell his story of humankind’s
attempted escape from a decimated earth to another potential home. We get
satisfyingly full explications of the science involved, at least by Hollywood standards; McConaughey’s glassy-eyed stare into
the abyss, and Nolan’s particular talent for depicting the kinetic beauty of
manned vehicles, whether they be his fluidic setpieces with the
batmobile/batcycle, or the tense trip into space toward the wormhole which
promises a swift shortcut toward our new home. The whole idea about “love”
playing a role in their journey felt like an inclusion to appeal to the female
audience, though it’s explained more fully at the end. I’m not sure it reached
the heights scaled by the earlier efforts it took inspiration from, but it’s
great to see a film shoot for loftier, more cerebral heights when so much of
the cineplex has been reduced to flat action and insipid comedies.
Foxcatcher
The true story of John E. du Pont and his ill-fated
crusade to support and “mentor” the US Wrestling team in the late 80s. I was
never a Steve Carell fan until this film. His performance as du Pont is
everything you might’ve heard as the pale, unbalanced scion of an iconic
American family. Director Bennett Miller drops clues throughout the film of
what his upbringing was like, including a very frustrated relationship with his
aging mother. The opulent estate that the Schultz brothers, the premiere
Olympic wrestlers at the time, end up spending their time on feels less lived
in than haunted. The drama builds to a rather offhand moment of violence and
resulting tragedy which changes their lives forever. It’s a riveting story of
class, family, and the latent volatility that can be unleashed when the heat of
competition meets thwarted ambition. A true classic.Those are the films that made a deep impression on me this past year. I did see a few others, such as the previously mentioned Guardians, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and John Wick to name a few, and while they weren't awful, they were more of the mindless entertainment species of cinema. Most of those types of movies garner enough attention as it is.
Have a great 2015, both inside the theater, and out!
