#6
Enemy
Dir. Denis Villeneuve
I’m not sure how many out there keep a running list from January through December of their favorite films in a given year, but director Denis Villeneuve‘s Enemy was the first movie in 2014 to really grab a stranglehold on the top spot of my own list. Let it be known, I love a good thriller, and Enemy is nothing if not a good thriller. The film is an eerie slow-burn about duality and identity, a chaotic puzzle constructed of fractured pieces that viewers must put back together in order to decipher the truth behind the film’s main characters, both of whom are played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Essentially, what you get with Enemy is a film in which Jake Gyllenhaal faces off against Jake Gyllenhaal to figure out which Jake Gyllenhaal is the real Jake Gyllenhaal. Add in a bounty of striking images and subtle thematic hints and Enemy becomes one of the most unusual and transfixing films I saw all of last year, and by remaining so true to itself and never pandering to its audience, it played right into my wheelhouse and ultimately found its way here, at #6.
#5
Whiplash
Dir. Damien Chazelle
During my college days at Arizona State, I competed on the university’s track and field team. Yes, like Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire, I was a Sun Devil, baby! I don’t say that to brag, to feel cool, or to relive the glory days, if you could call them that, but rather I do so to give you an idea why I connected with Whiplash as much as I did. You see, for an athlete to be great, he must make sacrifices, work hard, exercise discipline, and trust his coach; and for a coach to bring out the best in his athlete, he must not only be competent but also be able to motivate his athlete and convince him of the process necessary to achieve what he wishes to achieve. Director Damien Chazelle portrays this idea in clear and concise way, by letting his main characters — played by Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons — go back and forth for almost all 106 minutes of the film’s runtime. Simmons’ jazz instructor lights a fire within Teller’s gifted student, whose passion and talents subsequently push his instructor to continue driving him to be great. The result is nothing short of fantastic; to quote Jeff Wells over at Hollywood Elsewhere, “I’m on the team!”
#4
A Most Violent Year
Dir. J.C. Chandor
There have been countless films made about the folly of the American Dream, and there will no doubt be more in the years to come, but J.C. Chandor‘s A Most Violent Year is one of the finest such films in recent memory. The American Dream, as we tend to see, is a futile pursuit, one that often requires a person to remain morally disengaged, to place one’s own desires above the needs of others, to be self-serving instead of altruistic. In A Most Violent Year, Oscar Isaac plays a man who does his best to run a good, clean business, but widespread greed, corruption, and violence — and not to mention his own moral flexibility — threaten to ruin the empire he has worked so hard to build. Everything about A Most Violent Year just feels so effortless, and with cinematography by Bradford Young (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints), each frame drips with atmosphere. Frankly, if you’re wondering how great this film is, take note of the fact this is the last sentence I’m writing about it and I am only just now mentioning Jessica Chastain‘s performance.
