2014: The Year in Film

As another year draws to a close, it’s time for film fans across the globe to look back and contemplate what has been yet another strong year for cinema. It became glaringly obvious this could be the case, as no sooner had we entered into 2014, the likes of 12 Years a Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street and Inside Llewyn Davis were released, with the former taking home the top gong at the annual Academy Awards.

As we progressed throughout the year, a plethora of enticing, captivating and truly accomplished works came out of Hollywood, such as Dallas Buyers Club, Her, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fruitvale Station. Then came Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, the most ambitious film of the year – and current favourite to take home the Best Picture award at the Oscars this coming February. It marked an inclination to be adventurous, creative and artistic – matched by other filmmakers with pictures such as Calvary, Frank, Nightcrawler and The Babadook – the latter hailing from Australia, and marking the introduction of Australian actress Essie Davis. Even more traditional Hollywood endeavours have been rightly lauded for their efforts, as both David Fincher’s Gone Girl and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken have made for triumphant book-to-screen adaptations – with the likes of Rosamund Pike and Jack O’Connell impressing, respectively.

O’Connell has been a shining light for the British film industry all year, with lead roles in the critically acclaimed and intense dramas Starred Up and ’71. All in all, it’s been a prosperous year for British cinema, with Belle, Pride, The Imitation Game, Under the Skin and Mr. Turner all considered to be some of the year’s very finest. Probably best we just decide to disregard A Long Way Down, Walking on Sunshine and Pudsey the Dog: The Movie. They can’t all be perfect, after all.

Talking of which, for all of the year’s very best, comes some of the very worst – some of which have been surprisingly underwhelming, given the talent attached. The Monuments Men, starring George Clooney and Bill Murray, for instance, and then Labor Day, Noah and Serena are all considered to be flops, which in the latter’s case, is something of an understatement. The less said about Grace of Monaco the better too, while Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings is unlikely to gain anywhere near the acclaim it should, given the credentials of those involved and the immensity of the project at hand.

The disappointing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a rarity, being one of the only blockbusters this year to be truly uninspiring, as, yet again, it’s been a strong year for the superhero flick, with Marvel’s dominance over cinemas continuing with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Guardians of the Galaxy adhering to the wishes of their ardent fans, and even those new to the genre, being pictures with such broad appeal. It wasn’t just Marvel who impressed this year, as Godzilla, Edge of Tomorrow and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes made sure that, despite the hot weather outdoors, this summer there was a valid excuse to spend your days inside a cold, dark room watching movies.

There are a handful of blockbusters that didn’t quite live up to their expectations in our opinion however, such as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and lastly, Interstellar – which, coincidentally, had been our most anticipated film of the year, deeming it even more of an anti-climax, as Christopher Nolan’s epic sci-fi film failed to live up to expectations, despite a stunning lead turn from the resurgent Matthew McConaughey (although I loved it – ed).

There were surprises in the other direction though, with some films that had little expectation, and yet proved themselves to be some of the very best on offer. Those that stand out are The Lego Movie, The Skeleton Twins and Paddington – especially the case for the latter, which, though not in any way Christmassey, may just be the best film to indulge yourself in this festive season. All three of the aforementioned titles are exceedingly funny too, representative of what has been a relatively strong year for comedies. 22 Jump Street, What We Do in the Shadows and St. Vincent all stand out – and just about make up for the distinctively lacklustre offerings such as A Million Ways to Die in the West and Horrible Bosses 2.

For the cinephiles and world cinema aficionados amongst us there has been a lot to admire too – with some incredible films coming out from all parts of the world, such as We Are The Best! from Sweden, Two Days, One Night by the talented Dardenne Brothers, who hail from Belgium, while we also saw the best Russian cinema had to offer with Leviathan and the Palme d’Or winner Winter Sleep from Turkey. Of course genius Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli also offered his very final production, with the touching and enchanting animation The Wind Rises.

Finally, leading the way for documentaries this year we’ve seen the brilliant, Oscar-nominated 20 Feet From Stardom, Next Goal Wins, and Night Will Fall. Not to mention Steve James’ Life Itself, which chronicles the life of esteemed and revered film critic Roger Ebert. Who, coincidentally, would have likely found plenty to admire about film in 2014 himself.