Films of 2014: Honourable Mentions

As I mentioned in my best of list, I really found 2014 to be an impressive year for film. A severe side affect of having such a great year is the trouble constructing a top 15 films. There honesty was quite a few others I would of easily included if the competition was not so strong. As a result, I decided to list the films that although did make the cut I would still ultimately recommend to watch. The following are not strictly ordered, however those closer to the top were generally the ones I loved the most. Please enjoy!

Under the Skin

That score from Meci Levi. That scene on the beach. That final climax. Come to think of it, the whole film. Despite being a sci-fi film it felt much more of a intimate discovery of a character you don't know whether to feel connected with see to view as alien. Which, in that very way, makes the film work so well.

The Rover

Was so good to see an Australian Director (David Michod) have a film with so much anticipation from an international audience upon release. And to me it certainly lived up to such hype.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson is one of my all time favourite directors and although I would not place this in the same echelon as some of his other work, I still greatly admired the story, humour and most significantly the emotion behind it.

Ida

Exceptionally well told and shot (see Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography).

Nymphomaniac (Volume 1 and 2)
I was really impressed with this, however I did find volume 2 to struggle to match the quality of part 1. A+ work from Uma Thurman.

Snowpeircer

Finally, a smart action film from America. Oh wait, my mistake. Sorry. Great work from director Bong Jong-Ho. Tilda Swinton was fantastic too.

Inherent Vice

I admired the challenging nature to follow it, and got a lot out of it. Even though its not one of my favourite Paul Thomas Anderson films.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (Her and Him)

A relationship drama made into two films, one from the perspective of the women and the other from the male. I really appreciated how it allowed me to watch one film and then allow my perspectives of the characters to alter as I watched the other.

What We Do In The Shadows

A mockumentry about a group of vampires living in a share house in New Zealand. Co-directed by Jemaine Clement. Sold. Hilarious.

Skeleton Twins

SPOILERS: At frist I was frustrated at the ending in regards to how Bill Hader knew she would be at the pool at that very moment. However, after letting it play in my mind I realised (or at least think so) the actual events of the ending and their meaning were open to interpretation. Whether it was in fact reality we were viewing or not.

52 Tuesdays

A fascinating Australian film about a daughter coming to terms with her mother transitioning to become a man and the impact of this on her own identify, filmed over 52 consecutive Tuesdays. It was a very worthy winner of the Sundance Best Director Award (World Drama).

Breathe In

Drake Dormeus managed to create a truly intimate and authentic film about the all too familiar concept of the relationship between a student and teacher/husband.

Two Days, One Night

Not sure if you heard or not but Marian Coltiard isn't too bad at acting.

The One I Love

Had some cool advark metaphors.

Obvious Child
Impressive debut from writer/director Gillian Robespierre.

The Immigrant

Marion Cotillard AND Joaquin Phoenix AGAIN demonstrating how good they are.

Blue Ruin
Had me captivated from opening minutes to the end. Really well made, especially considering the minimal budget.

Galore

I found the first half quite good, however the second half began to stray into cliche and inappropriate character twists.

Appropriate Behaviour
Its no Frances Ha but hey thats no easy feat.

The Babadook

Horror films are one of my least favourite genres so the fact I found this quite intriguing throughout was a testament to writer/director Jennifer Kent (who learnt some of her trade through Lars von Trier) and the performance from Essie Davis.