Vacation

I didn't expect much from this film, as it seemed like a bizarre and unnecessary sequel that nobody was asking for. And yet, I had a lot of fun with this one! The humor is self-aware and really well done. There are lots of small cameos that are mostly all hilarious, and the family's story arc, while not reinventing any wheels, was entertaining and satisfying.

7.75/10

The Hateful Eight

It's possible that I just love Tarantino's style; his aesthetics, dialogue, casting, camera work, all seem to work to create such fun and engaging films. And this was no different. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that fans of Tarantino will be right at home with his latest piece.

9/10

The Final Girls

A clever and funny twist on the 80s slasher flick. The quality of the special effects was noticeably bad and the camerawork felt fancy-for-fancy's-sake at times, but the film was intriguing and fun enough that I was able to get past the issues and enjoy it for what it was.

7.5/10

Cartel Land

Cartel Land is a gorgeous documentary about a heinous and terrifying situation. The film ostensibly follows a few of the "good guys", but I found myself horrified with their behavior for most of the film. This is a tough one to get through.

7/10

Concussion

Will Smith is as great and as entertaining as always, and the plot was quite intriguing for me. The film plays out in a "Law & Order meets House" sort of way, for better or for worse. I think the third act leaves a bit to be desired, but it was quite the enjoyable experience overall.

7.75/10

Carol

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara both deliver phenomenal performances in this touching, raw, heartfelt character story.

9/10

The Danish Girl

A stunningly beautiful film in every sense of the word, headlined by two incredibly touching performances from Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. I think the plot and pacing could be improved somewhat, but this is an excellent film to be sure.

8.5/10

Joy

As has been the case with David O Russell films lately, this attempt felt decidedly average to me. The problems Joy faced never felt of serious import, somehow always faraway and secondary. The performances are good, as always, but there wasn't a lot of meat for them to chew on.

6/10

The Overnight

The Overnight was an interesting experience. The acting is great, and the short run-time and quick pacing keeps the action moving along. The audience is kept in the dark as much as the two leads, which adds to the quirky and mysterious nature of the plot.

7.5/10

Cooties

Cooties
A goofy comedy-horror film with a fresh take on the zombie idea. Nothing really stood out in this film for me as being exceptional. The casting was okay, the acting fine, the story competent enough, etc. Fans of comedy will probably be let down, as will fans of horror films.

5/10

Call Me Lucky

Call Me Lucky
Ostensibly a documentary about a comedian that most haven't heard of, Call Me Lucky is so much more. It is funny, as one might expect, but it relates a story so deeply unsettling and viscerally told, but manages to be incredibly life-affirming and overwhelmingly positive. It is simply one of the best documentaries I've ever seen.

9.5/10

Minions

Minions
Minions is a solid family film with a great soundtrack. I found the premise to be interesting and clever, and the characters that made up the multitude of background villains were a lot of fun. This isn't anything groundbreaking, but it wasn't bad either, to my surprise.

6.75/10

The Big Short

This film takes a complicated and intricate subject-matter and presents it in a wonderfully entertaining way. The faux-guerilla-documentary camerawork and characters constantly breaking the fourth wall help to keep the audience engaged, which is important when the subject matter is so depressing and scary. The performances are excellent, but Carell steals the show for me again.

9.25/10

Sisters

From a cast so talented and hilarious, this final product was quite the letdown. Despite a few moments that caused a chuckle, most jokes just completely missed the mark for me. While not a total waste of time, this film doesn't deserve anyone's immediate attention.

5.75/10

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Leading up to the release, I kept my exposure to trailers and news at a minimum, in an attempt to control my excitement a bit, lest I get tricked by a Star Wars film again. But in the final few days, I couldn't contain myself. I was excited. My expectations had been raised to an unrealistically high level. Imagine my surprise when they weren't only met, but surpassed!

This film is capital F-U-N fun. It's humorous, the characters are great, and the performances better. I'd note some of the more exceptional examples, but I'd end up listing most of the cast. The action beats were exhilarating. Essentially, I sat in my chair struck with childlike wonder for the duration of the runtime, and that's one of the best things I can think of to say about a film.

It isn't a perfect film; it isn't the best Star Wars film nor the best movie of the year. But it is really, really damn good, and I couldn't be happier or more excited for the future of the franchise. It truly feels like everyone involved was oozing passion and respect for the original trilogy. This is truly one of the best times I've had in the theater in a long time.

I'm thrilled to be able to do this:

9.25/10

I Smile Back

This film lives and dies with Sarah Silverman's fantastic and surprising, courageous and utterly raw performance. The plot is somewhat rote, but still manages to be crushing and depressing.

7.75/10

Shaun the Sheep

A wonderful and fun animated tale. The story isn't the most original thing in the world, but the film is absolutely gorgeous, and does a lot with basically no dialogue.

8/10

Room

The story is expertly told in a manner that, although the trailer spoils some elements, still evokes significant response. The film is harrowing and hard to watch at parts, and then heartwarming and joyously beautiful. The two lead performances are on another level, especially the young Jacob Tremblay. Awards for everyone and everything in this film.

10/10

Amy

I would say that I knew the average amount about Amy Winehouse; I enjoyed Back to Black, and knew that she was exceptionally talented and troubled. We've seen that story play out a million times.

And yet, this documentary caused feelings of awe at her talent, anger and sadness at the reality of her situation, and disappointment in humanity and our celebrity-obsessed culture.

8.25/10

Bone Tomahawk

A really fun western with excellent characters and dialogue. The pacing is deliberate, which certainly works for the narrative, but may drive some viewers away.

7.75/10

Creed

This film is electric. Michael B. Jordan is fantastic, and the camerawork during a fight is exciting and beautiful. The story is compelling and well-paced, but the huge selling point of this film is the energy and momentum that is built. It was an incredibly satisfying experience.

8.75/10

The Good Dinosaur

The Good Dinosaur has some incredibly touching and heartfelt moments. The rest of the film feels somewhat disjointed, but there are some laughs and okay action sequences. It's not one of Pixar's best, but far from the worst.

7.5/10

Trumbo

Cranston is tremendous as always, and I found the story (which I knew basically nothing about beforehand) to be engaging and incredibly interesting.

8.5/10

Victoria

Without getting too specific, as this is one of those movies that's exponentially better with less information, Victoria is gripping and visceral. The performances feel effortless and natural, and the camerawork is a thing of beauty.

9/10

Spotlight

Incredibly powerful and impeccably acted, Spotlight is engrossing and at the same time difficult to watch. I was floored by this film. Some of the smallest moments and roles had tremendous impact, which is a testament to the stupendous filmmaking on display.

9.5/10

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

The previous films are a bit of mixed bag for me. Briefly, I think the first is bad, the second is great, and Mockingjay Part 1 was okay.

Part 2 was excellent. The action beats were fun, and the emotional core of the story was rock-solid. I found myself empathizing with several of the characters in ways I hadn't previously in the earlier films and books. I think the film dragged on a tad too long, but I was generally very happy with the final product. Part 2 was a fitting conclusion to a great story.

8.25/10

The Night Before

I really loved this film. It's far from subtle, and certainly heavy-handed at times, but JGL is great as the heart of this story, similar to the Cusack role from Hot Tub Time Machine, if you will. And it's hilarious! I laughed more than I have at any other movie in recent memory.

8/10

The Stanford Prison Experiment

A depressing and dark look into a real-life prison simulation experiment, highlighted by tremendous performances all around.

8.75/10

Spectre

Spectre suffers from some of the worst Bond tropes, and a very bloated and slow middle. There isn't much in the way of memorable action set pieces, and it generally felt like a paint-by-numbers entry into the franchise.

 That being said, the beginning and end we're both satisfying, and Christoph Waltz is great as always.

6.75/10

Beasts of No Nation

A tremendous gut-punch of a film, headlined by two phenomenal performances from Idris Elba and Abraham Attah. It felt as if I were watching Full Metal Jacket, only through the eyes of a literal child instead of a young man.

9.5/10

Circle

A mix between Cube and Saw, with a large helping of game-theory, Circle was an interesting film. The characters are less developed and more archetypal, but there are 50 of them in a 90-minute film, so I get it. My score is a bit propped up because I just love the premise of the film. It was hokey at times, but I admired the attempt. Streaming on Netflix, so check it out!

7/10

Steve Jobs

The performances are all top-notch, and the distinct styles of director Danny Boyle and writer Aaron Sorkin mesh well, and together shine brightly.

9/10

Crimson Peak

Crimson Peak was visually impressive, but the narrative left a lot to be desired. I had issues with the pacing, and the character development (specifically between Hiddleston and Wasikowska) could've been much better.

7/10

Bridge of Spies

This was an odd experience. It's obviously expertly crafted and Hanks delivers a top-notch performance. The plot didn't really do anything for me, though. The events weren't particularly interesting, nor did they feel particularly important.

7.5/10

Grandma

The two lead performances are fantastic, especially Lily Tomlin. The story was touching and genuine, and the journey the characters take is complicated and produces some incredibly heartfelt moments.

9/10

Goodnight Mommy

Altogether beautiful, chilling, and disturbing. This film gets the highest praise I can offer, in that at its conclusion, I found myself stunned, in awe of what I had just been a part of. I needed a minute before I could leave the theater, and as I sit outside typing this now, I'm still wholly unsettled.

9.25/10

Not Cool

It is clear that this is a very young filmmaker with a juvenile sense of humor. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but those kinds of jokes tend to stand out more when they don't work, and often feel cheap and/or forced.

That being said, there were some things to like here. Whenever characters weren't acting like absurd, cartoon versions of people, for starters. Shane Dawson was fine in the lead role, but shouldn't have played any of the ancillary characters that he did. He and his female costar shared a few really great moments, and I really enjoyed how he incorporated social media. It helped to ground his film, which, thanks to his YouTube tendencies, was sorely needed.

6.25/10

Hollidaysburg

The story is told competently, but I wasn't made to care about any of the characters, or what was happening in their lives. There wasn't anything memorable or interesting in this film.

5/10

Sicario

Sicario
Sicario is one of the best-looking films I've ever seen. Roger Deakins, the cinematographer, is a genius, and Villeneuve's direction complimented that brilliance wonderfully.

Blunt and Del Toro both deliver incredible performances, and this cold, unrelentingly disturbing trip into darkness begins early in the film and never lets up, not for one second.

9/10

The Walk

The Walk
Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers a beautiful performance as an incredibly driven and charismatic wire-walker. I really enjoyed the structure and visual choices made with this film, and the final act is gorgeous in so many different ways, it's worth your time even if the film takes a little while to get going.

8.75/10

The Martian

The Martian
A tremendous adaptation of an excellent book, filled to the brim with great performances and beautiful cinematography. Oh, and it has a fantastic, life-affirming message as well.

9/10

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

This film is a sappy, feel-good love story, set against the backdrop of an imminent apocalyptic event. As odd as that may sound, I thought this film was beautiful. The leads were fantastic, and the film is full of funny, poignant little windows into what might happen were humans to know our guaranteed expiration date.

7.75/10

Everest

Everest had some large issues with pacing, and it feels like a majority of their time was misspent. They jammed in every character that went on the actual expedition, but failed to make me care about any of them. The desired emotional beats at the end, therefore, felt hollow and forced.

The film doesn't have any memorable set-pieces, and the action on the mountain is rather hard to follow. The dialogue is muffled due to the arctic winds, and the characters all blend together as most of their defining features are covered with snow gear.

5/10

The Green Inferno

There are certainly scenes where this movie is exactly what you think it's going to be: tense, horrific, and disturbing. My issue with this film is that those scenes are too few in number, and they're surrounded by either boring exposition or people making really, really stupid decisions. The Green Inferno also features some glaring tonal issues.

4.75/10

Pawn Sacrifice

I love Chess, and games of strategy in general. I'm also endlessly intrigued with prodigal talents and brilliance manifested in a person. Films about people like Bobby Fischer are right in my wheelhouse.

This one, however, failed to capture the magic. It felt oddly paced, bloated, and unfocused. Maybe this was intentional, to evoke Fischer's mental decline, but it didn't come across that way.

5.5/10

Cop Car

The two kids are precocious and highly entertaining. They do a lot of dumb things, but you can see the kid-logic at work most of the time. Kevin Bacon was great, with a performance that walked the line between comedy and drama expertly. I have a small quibble with the ending, but overall I had a great time with this film.

7.75

The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

It's been over a year since I read the source material, so I could be way off, but it felt like they've changed quite a bit of the story. Of course I could just be mistaken.

This was a fine follow-up to the first film. It was neither great nor terrible, and pretty much exactly what anyone expects from these "YA novel" film adaptations. The action was slightly better than I had expected.

6.75/10

Black Mass

2015 is the year of rebirth, apparently. An dystopian franchise, a director's thought-dead career, and now Johnny Depp. I thought he had been stuck in Captain Jack Sparrow mode, but this performance proved that wrong. He was menacing in nearly every scene, and his performance reminded me why he's one of the best.

 That being said, the film could've been better. It was a very typical crime-boss story, and nothing really stood out as innovative or spectacular, save for Depp's performance.

7/10

Creep

Learn as little as you can about this film, and watch it on the strength of my recommendation and Mark Duplass' track record, which includes last year's 9/10 The One I Love. This is a much different film, but no less incredible.

9/10

People Places Things

This film explored a messy relationship with grace and charm. Jemaine Clement was stupendous, delivering a performance that felt natural and effortless. The comic panels sprinkled throughout the film were beautiful touch, and they added quite a bit to the character development.

 9/10

The Visit

The Visit is a return-to-form for Shyamalan, and a beautiful love-letter to his audience, fans and foes alike. The film works on a baseline level; it was tense and terrifying, and those elements continue to build and build and build.

The film really excels on some more subtle levels, though, which may be hard to explain without spoiling the film. I was really impressed with how much I liked this. It wasn't enough to erase Shyamalan's horrible track record as of late, but it's a hell of a first step.

8.25/10

Turbo Kid

Turbo Kid is a perfect example of filmmakers who know exactly what they want their film to be, and who push that to its extreme. This film is pitch-perfect at every point, featuring bright colors on the backdrop of  a drab wasteland, the amazing synth-pop soundtrack, and the comical, way-too-over-the-top Kill Bill-esque violence. Despite the absurdity of it all, everything felt natural and at home in this film.

I guess 2015 is the year of the batshit insane post-apocalyptic films that are somehow incredible?

9/10

The DUFF

The DUFF is a slightly better-than-average take on the tried-and-true high school film. It doesn't do any spectacular or innovative, and the tropes are all there. It is competently made, and features some nice visual after-effects, acknowledges and incorporates technology and social media, and I didn't feel as if I had wasted my ninety minutes.

6.75/10

The Wolfpack

A brilliant documentary about a truly bizarre situation. The direction, lighting, and sound conspire to add an unsettling sense of menace to the beginning of the film, and the story is engrossing and heartfelt.

8.75/10

Wet Hot American Summer

I found this film to be an acceptable comedy, but enough of the jokes and gags failed to make me laugh. There weren't any huge, gut-busting laughs either. That being said, it was charming enough to be worth 90 minutes.

6.5/10

The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Although this movie covers a disturbing situation, it was a beautiful film. Bel Powley delivers on a complicated role with grace and nuance, and the supporting cast is wonderful as well. The artistic flourishes add an interesting stylistic element, and the takeaway lesson is a frank and powerful one.

8/10

Top 28 of 2014

Here is the entire list, compiled for your reading convenience. I was originally going to write about one film a day, every day in February, hence the list of 28 films. Only several months late!

#28 - John Wick

The excellent, well-shot (no shaky-cam!) "gun-fu" action scenes were a delight. Keanu's performance was a bit unbalanced; understated at times, over-the-top and too cheesy at others. But the intensity was there, and it was easy to empathize with and root for John Wick in this film, even as he mowed down countless henchmen on the way to his prize.

The world-building is incredible, and I can't wait until I get to revisit the "hit man hotel" in the inevitable sequels.

8/10

#27 - The Gambler

Wahlberg's portrayal of a nihilistic gambling addict was a sleeper for me last year. I went in not expecting much, but came away really surprised at how much I enjoyed the film.

Watching it again, with my expectations higher than the first time around, my opinion remains unchanged. The film really revels in the overly-philosophic rantings of the main characters, and Wahlberg's journey through his addiction was compelling for the duration. The final sequence of the film is perfection, especially the last five seconds or so.

#26 - The Guest

The Guest lives in an odd space as a suspenseful thriller that is somewhere between Drive and 80's horror films. I was impressed with the performances all around, but Dan Stevens stands out from the rest as the lead. The dialogue was a bit cheesy at times, and the film was full of cliches, but I don't think that's an inherent problem, so long as the film owns up to what it is. And The Guest certainly delivers. Try and avoid information about this film as much as possible before you check it out.

8/10

#25 - The Raid 2: Berandal

I underrated this film when making my list last year. The Raid is possibly the single best action film ever made, and its sequel is close to that quality. The action is simply in-cred-i-ble in every regard, but specifically the fight choreography and camera work. This was easily a Top 10 film of last year.

9.5/10

#24 - Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier

Marvel movies are odd, in that they're a small part of a much larger thing; trying to decide their quality is like ranking individual episodes of a season of television to me.

That being said, I still think that this is easily one of Marvel's strongest films. The adaptation of the spy thriller to comic-book movies makes so much sense for this character, and is done so incredibly well. The action is superb, and watching Cap and Widow dance around the screen effortlessly dispatching their enemies is just a delight.

8.5/10

#23 - Top Five

Chris Rock's attempt at an Allen or Linklater-style 'walk-and-talk' was surprising. I don't think it quite rises to those levels, but it really excels as a rejection of doing what you're "supposed to be doing", and as a love letter for chasing the things that make you truly happy.

Rock's performance isn't the strongest around, but the semi-autobiographical nature of the film really shines through. He tried to create art, instead of the typical Adam Sandler garbage (I had heard Rock wrote this script during the filming of Grown-Ups 2, in fact), and that is commendable in my eyes.

8.5/10

#22 - Enemy

Enemy is a very challenging film. So much so that I needed to watch a video explanation of the film on YouTube. Once I did, though, I began to understand how masterful this film truly was.

Gyllenhaal delivers an incredible performance, but given the incredibly dense and metaphor-heavy plot, I didn't want to put it any higher on my list. Make no mistake, though, this was one of the best overlooked films of last year.

8.5/10

#21 - Guardians of the Galaxy

This is another film I think I underrated. It's a perfect space adventure film, with excellent world-building, fun action scenes, a killer soundtrack, and great humor. The list goes on and on. It's my favorite Marvel film, and I can't wait for the sequel.

9.25/10

#20 - Starred Up

This film is devastatingly powerful. Jack O'Connell's performance was incredible, and deserved far more praise than it received. His character's journey throughout the film is relatable and sympathetic, even given the extremity of the circumstances.

9/10

#19 - Big Hero 6

I saw this film twice in theaters, and loved it each time. This time was no different. This is another film that is just so full of passion and energy, you can't help but be enamored the entire time.

The characters are all great, and the story is full of emotion and heart. The colorful scenery and incredible world-building of San Fransokyo is breathtaking and awesome. I really can't find enough good things to say about this film.

9/10

#18 - The Congress

Sci-Fi concepts are best when they aren't so outlandish; when the audience can accept that these things could potentially happen. And that is exactly how The Congress begins.

But then, as a result of a few large leaps in time, things get exponentially more...radical. The plot is rooted in something that doesn't ever change, though, and the end result is the embodiment of the word beauty.

9.25/10

#17 - Chef

This film was remarkable for me for its vitality. Every scene is full of loud, vibrant color. The soundtrack is exciting and upbeat, and it's just bursting at the seams with passion and exciting for the topic.

The cooking scenes are gorgeous, and had me hungry for food I know I don't like. The film also integrates social media into the plot in an organic and interesting way, which was a nice touch.

9/10

#16 - The Lego Movie

The Lego movie is a wacky, self-aware love-letter to the titular toy, and I found it to be enormously entertaining. The animation is gorgeous, and the visual style feels so natural and unique, you can't help but fall in love.

The ending was as unexpected as it was touching, and I love the overall message the movie has for its audience.

9.25/10

#15 - Blue Ruin

If it feels like I'm being particularly vague, that's only because I watched this film for the first time with literally no information about it other than it was tremendous, and I think that added to the experience quite a bit.

The protagonist in this film isn't made to be a hero; he doesn't have the skills required for the tasks he must do, and the film doesn't pretend that he would. This is a visceral experience, to the extent that some scenes are difficult to watch.

9/10

#14 - The Grand Budapest Hotel

I've always loved Wes Anderson films. His use of color, his camerawork, and his style of dialogue are all unique and beautiful.

This film is no exception, and may even be his finest work in all regards. The genre-melding plot is superbly engaging, and the characters are a joy to behold.

9/10

#13 - The Imitation Game

A truly incredible story is presented with a wealth of tremendous performances, headlined by the portrayal of Alan Turing, both young and old. The end of the film is an emotional gut-punch, followed quickly by an intense anger at the world for allowing the tragedy of Turing's last years to occur. This is the rare film that can pull such savage, raw emotion from anyone, and deserves an exorbitant amount of praise.

9.5/10

#12 - Snowpiercer

I loved this film for the face value. It is, on the surface, a very straight-forward revolution movie, set very interestingly on a train of all places. There are lots of neat touches here, and every new train car was a blank canvas wherein anything imaginable could've awaited our protagonists. The highlight of this journey was one of the most chilling and disturbing classroom scenes I've ever witnessed. But, at face value, there isn't too much that elevates this film to a higher level.

It was only when I began reading and watching about this film, that I began to understand its true genius. I'm going to link a video in a comment below this. It's full of spoilers, so only watch it if you've seen the film, but it does an extraordinary job of explaining the beauty and poetry within this film.

9/10

#11 - Interstellar

I watched this movie twice in theaters. In the intervening months, I remember talking occasionally about the film's flaws; the poor dialogue which features characters vocalizing their emotions, the plot issues, etc. Upon my third viewing today, though, all of that melted away.

Despite the validity of the criticisms out there, this film just feels powerful. I've been overwhelmed with emotion during all three viewings. McConaughey's performance is incredible, and the world-building is tremendous. The space sequences are tense and absolutely gorgeous. The ideas are gargantuan in scope, and while the film may not quite live up to the ideas it attempts to explore, I thought the attempt was far more than admirable. The Nolans produced a beautiful piece of art.

9.25/10

#10 - The One I Love

This film was super-smart and featured a pair of excellent performances from the leads. This is another film I don't want to say much about, for fear of giving anything away. Go in blind, and thank me later!

9/10

#9 - Edge of Tomorrow (or Live, Die, Repeat if you prefer (I do not)).

This is one of those films that makes you wonder why it took so long for something like this to exist. Adapting the 'Groundhog Day' mechanic to an action film is simply brilliant! We also get to see a side of Tom Cruise we haven't in a while; at the beginning of this film, he is cowardly, bumbling, and incompetent. The plot is engaging and fun, and surprisingly pretty funny attimes. All in all, just a stunningly awesome film.

9.25/10

#8 - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Every single scene featuring Ceasar and Koba was incredibly tense. Gary Oldman almost steals the film with a single, tiny scene with no dialogue. It's a visual masterpiece that delves into a great many issues.

This film explores so much with so little. I am in awe of it. Just an incredible work of art.

9.5/10

#7 - Gone Girl

Fincher's latest masterpiece is disturbing, tension-filled thrill ride. This is the definition of a movie that keeps the audience unaware of who to trust, who to root for. The two leads are wonderfully complex, and the background characters are incredible well-cast, which is surprising in more than one case. The film climaxes with a scene so shocking and disturbing that I could tell you exactly what happens and when, and you'd still not be prepared for it. I thought it would lose some punch with a second viewing, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

The film is an expertly-crafted exploration and indictment of marriage and media coverage, and will leave even the most confident and self-assured of us haunted and disturbed.

9.5/10

#6 - Nightcrawler

Gyllenhaal delivers his second incredible performance of the year in this film. His character is psychotic and unhinged, but this motivates him to grow his business instead of something more nefarious. He is completely devoid of any sort of moral compass. As his empire grows, the audience can't help but reflect on the system we've propagated, a system where someone this deranged is rewarded handily for deplorable behavior.

Featuring gorgeous cinematography of nighttime Los Angeles, and engaging and entertaining plot, and very potent social commentary, Nightcrawler is easily Gyllenhaal's best performance to date.

9/10

#5 - Selma

I didn't really want to see Selma the first time around. It looked like a fine, if unspectacular, dramatization of a historical event. I may not have ever been more wrong about a film. I remember walking through the parking lot after the film, fighting a losing battle to hold back tears. Now, this isn't an uncommon reaction for me; there are plenty of films that have moved me weep openly. But this felt different. Not because the struggle depicted was so moving (although it certainly was), but because the film forced me to think about our current times, and how little things had really, truly changed. Of course things are better now, but they're so woefully, abhorrently worse than they could - and should - be. To say that this film was powerful would be a gross underestimation.

David Oyelowo is a revelation, to the extent that I almost don't want him to act anymore. I find it hard to believe that he can top this performance.

9.5/10

#4 - The Babadook

The Babadook is a horror film out of Australia, and is one of the very best horror films released in the past ten years. Essentially a monster movie at first glance, The Babadook is actually a deep and thorough exploration of a larger, more realistic theme.

The performances from the two leads are fantastic. The use of sound to build and then release suspense is extremely well-done. The direction is also superb, which is even more surprising given that this is Jennifer Kent's first and only feature-length film credit.

9/10

#3 - Boyhood

This was my fifth viewing, as I caught this one in the theater four times. This is my go-to answer whenever somebody asks me what my favorite film is.

I love so much about this movie, I'm not sure where to start. It's wildly ambitious, and I feel like it's a movie that will evolve and grow with the audience over time. You may watch it as a teenager and identify with Mason, only to rewatch it 10 years later and see an entirely new dimension in many of the characters.

I love that there are many scenes sprinkled in that are so open-ended; you can easily take them at face-value, or you can interpret a deeper meaning.

I love that the leaps in time are marked not by words super-imposed on the screen, but by the awesome soundtrack and the technology around the characters.

I simply adore this film. I think it's beautiful and special, and I'm ecstatic that I've been able to experience something so phenomenal.

10/10

#2 - Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

This film is transcendent. It's such a masterpiece of acting, camera-work, soundtrack, editing, and script coming together to create something incredible. Every aspect is so amazingly well-done, and will leave the audience to think about all of the issues raised and musings brought up through the effortless, natural dialogue. This film is an utter delight.

10/10

#1 Whiplash

Miles Teller demonstrates what unbridled, unrelenting drive and passion looks like. His fervor is such that he simply cannot fathom a person who isn't driven as he is, as is exhibited with his girlfriend on their first date. His performance is fierce and raw, and he leaves nothing on the table. And his is the second best performance in the film.

J.K. Simmons is more menacing in this film than any super-villain could be. And yet, his monologue in the jazz club leaves the audience unsure about his methods.  Do the ends justify his radical means? During the first half of the film, it's easy to say that they obviously don't. During the latter half, though? I'm not so sure.

The soundtrack is incredible, although that may be a given as this is a film about fantastic musicians. I'll tell you, though, the titular track makes one hell of an alarm in the morning.

The final sequence is one of the most stunning, jaw-dropping, physically and emotionally draining things I've ever experienced. I literally could not sit still during it, and afterwards I felt taxed, as if I were actually in the scene. Whiplash is just so tremendous, so outrageously and absurdly good.
10/10

Now that I've watched all of these films within a few weeks of each other, I've decided that a few films were slightly out of place. My updated rankings would be something like this.

8/10s

 - John Wick

 - The Gambler

 - The Guest

8.5/10s

 - Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier

 - Top Five

 - Enemy

9/10s

 - Starred Up

 - Big Hero 6

 - Chef

 - Blue Ruin

 - The Grand Budapest Hotel

 - Snowpiercer

 - The One I Love

 - Nightcrawler

 - The Babadook

9.25/10s

 - The Raid 2: Berandal

 - Guardians of the Galaxy

 - The Congress

 - The Lego Movie

 - Interstellar

 - Edge of Tomorrow

9.5/10s

 - The Imitation Game

 - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

 - Gone Girl

 - Selma

10/10s

 - Boyhood

 - Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

 - Whiplash