2014: WOF's Year In Film
Can you believe that we're at the end of 2014? It went by way too fast!
Though I had begun Words On Flicks last year, this was the year I really started posting about current and past films, doing synopses, analyses and reviews. I haven't done a great job promoting the stuff here, I do it because I love it, but in 2015 I plan to do a better job at posting about new flicks in a more timely way and promoting the posts better. (The WOF post with the most views this year was about Think Like A Man Too. Thanks!
In 2014 there were just too many release, and I didn't get to see them all. That was often due to my work sked or the fact that the more indie flicks aren't first run here. I tend to avoid most of the studio tentpole genre series like the Hunger Games and Hobbit sequels; I also missed the Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Night At The Museum and the like. The big crowd-pleasers are occasionally appealing to me, but I didn't didn't go that way this year.
The list of things I wanted to see and didn't is embarrassingly long. On the WOF Wish List:
1. Boyhood.
Can't believe I didn't see it! It did make its way here to the hinterlands of metro D.C. finally. Must see it before the Oscar nominations!
2. Wild *
I'm reading the book now; author Cheryl Strayed was one of my MFA lecturers. Just found out we share a birth date. (*Saw it December 31!)
3. The Theory of Everything
Just because Eddie Redmayne is fascinating to watch, and this looks like one of his biggest onscreen challenges
4. Whiplash
You can't say enough good things about J.K. Simmons and his awesome versatility as an actor. Plus, it's about music education! Another one to see before Oscar time...
5. St. Vincent
I didn't see it because I was waffling. Love Bill Murray, but is the loveably quirky curmudgeon thing getting old?
6. The Skeleton Twins
Kristen Wiig. Nuff said.
7. Rosewater
Looked like an interesting story about the dangers of reporting from the middle East. Directed by Jon Stewart? Yeah. Shoulda seen it.
8. Interstellar
This year's Gravity? Only in the sense that it has something to do with outer space, it's out toward the end of the year, and everyone's talking about it -- just like Gravity. Didn't see that one either. So shoot me.
9. Nightcrawler
Working as an entertainment reporter for so long began to feel almost like ambulance chasing to me, so this tale about the underside of the news biz looked pretty interesting.
10. Love Is Strange
John Lithgow and Alfred Molina portraying a longtime couple forced to live apart by
circumstance. The flick looked like a chance to see a workshop in great acting.
Still To Be Seen As 2014 turns into 2015:
1. Selma * -- kudos to director Ava Duvernay! Seeing this ASAP. (*saw it 12/31!)
2. Annie -- mixed reviews but I need to support this cast and these producers!
3. Inherent Vice -- gritty whodunit in '70s California with a great cast. Looking forward ...
4. The Gambler -- gritty thriller with a great cast. We'll see if it lives up to the hype.
WOF's "Why? Why? Why?" List:
1. The Other Woman
They finally turned the game and funny Leslie Mann into a completely unfunny pathetic nightmare. A comedy that only confirms outdated stereotypes about women
2, Sex Tape
Raunchy comedies are nothing new, but this one just ventured from mawkish to TMI. Some laugh out loud moments, but mostly way too much and embarrassing.
3. Hercules
I love my Dwayne Johnson, yes I do, but if The Rock is going to do Hercules, you want to see him perform the Twelve Labors -- a series of legendary feats glossed over in the film's preamble. What? Maybe the producers blinked when told that another Hercules film was being released the same year, but this post-legend yarn about Herc as the leader of a band of a mercenaries was just uninvolving.
5. A Million Ways To Die in the West
Too many episodes of Family Guy led me into the theater, hopeful to see what Seth McFarland had up his sleeve. Not much, as it turned out. This was like watching an old episode of F-Troop or Petticoat Junction with bad language and raunch. Pleasant but not worth the price of the ticket.
6. Gone Girl
Yeah, I said it. I'm sure the book was amazing, but I didn't read it. Transferring the novel to screen made all of its plot holes and implausibilities glaringly evident and at times bordered on camp. Ben Affleck seemed comatose, and I couldn't tell if that was his character or just his usual acting job. But kudos to Rosamund Pike, who outdoes herself here, but this reminded me unpleasantly of The Talented Mr. Ripley.
WOF's Favorites of 2014 in no particular order:
Dear White People
Sly, clever commentary on the so-called "postracial" existence on a college campus shatters stereotypes but offers no easy answers.
Get On Up
A snapshot of the life of one of our most complicated musical legends, driven by a towering performance from Chadwick Boseman
Top Five
Not a perfect film, but thoroughly enjoyable mix of comedy and thoughtfulness about relationships, the powers of media, and being our best selves.
Under The Skin
Scarlett Johanssen is one of the most brash, fearless actresses working in Hollywood today. In this eerie and disturbing film, she portrays an alien fallen to earth in Scotland. Assuming human form, she lures unsuspecting men to a horrifying fate in order to survive. The straightforward, documentary style and unique special effects give this film a stark and haunting power.
Selma
Beautifully photographed, painstakingly designed, this is a masterful, breathing portrait of the civil rights legend during a pivotal time in our nation's history. Director Ava Duvernay has wrung strong performances from an impressive cast.
What were your favorite films of 2014 and why? Post in the comments section below and share your views.
Happy New Year and here's to a great 2015 in film!
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