Top 10 Films of 2014

As we say goodbye to 2014, it is time to reflect on the films we have seen and reviewed in the past twelve months. In this film year, we have seen and reviewed many of 2014's new releases and from those films we have compiled our list of the top ten films of the year. Each of these films were completely thrilling to watch as they are all examples of incredible and inspired film making and are all highly recommended. Please note that the top ten are based on the films which were part of the 2014 Australian release schedule.

10. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Release Date- 10th April 2014

 Wes Anderson's latest piece of cinema, The Grand Budapest Hotel is absolutely nothing short of grand itself. There is so much to marvel at during a viewing of this quirky but brilliant film. So much that you feel as though you need to watch it again just in case you missed something the first time around, and this is no bad thing. The whole film is a beautiful piece of art thanks to it's amazing visuals, extraordinary cinematography, interesting characters and wonderful screenplay.

9. Once My Mother
Release Date- 24th July 2014

Once My Mother is an incredibly generous offering from Sophia Turkiewicz, who shares her mother's extraordinary story in an extremely effective way by combining her and her family's personal experience with history and using a beautifully personal form of narrative.  Turkiewicz's ode to her mother is exceptionally well made and is as heartbreaking and shocking as it is loving and inspiring. It is a rare experience that opens the doors of an incredible family history and invites all in to witness their pain and triumph.

8. Only Lovers Left Alive
Release Date- 17th April 2014

Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive is a beautifully entrancing film like no other. It attempts the complex task of marrying the traditional with the modern in it's creative take on a popular cultural phenomenon and due to Jarmusch's incredible direction and vision results in something truly elegant. While there have been no lack of creature of the night films in recent times, Only Lovers Left Alive is not only an unique interpretation of how they live in today's society, but also a love story which is wonderfully portrayed by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston.

7. Nightcrawler
Release Date- 27th November 2014

Intriguing and incredibly unique, Nightcrawler is a brilliant portrait of the modern world of crime journalism and of a memorable but disturbing character by the name of Lou Bloom. With its highly intelligent and well written screenplay, Dan Gilroy's film is incredibly unpredictable and suspenseful and captures the atmosphere of the crime climate of Los Angeles, but still manages to do so in a tasteful and captivating fashion. Jake Gyllenhaal gives an absolutely superb performance of one of the unsettling characters you find creeping around Los Angeles in the night. Nightcrawler is clearly one of the best, if not the best psychological thriller of the year.

6. Saving Mr Banks
Release Date- 9th January 2014

Saving Mr Banks is complete and utter joy. This joy doesn't just stem from the fact that it is a beautiful film, but also from the revelation that this film isn't just for Disney fanatics. It is a film for all to enjoy and appreciate. In Saving Mr Banks Disney has made their best live action film in years. While many were worried that this would be a Disney film about Disney which means that it could have well turned into primarily a major marketing tool for the empire. Even though there are plenty of Mickey Mouse references in the film, there is a great deal more emotion than one could have ever expected thanks to an impressive screenplay and some truly wonderful performances, especially by Emma Thompson. In the film, P.L. Travers accuses Walt Disney of wanting to give Mary Poppins the Disney treatment and making her twinkle, yet Saving Mr Banks relies very little on sugar coating when creating a truly wonderful film.

5. Boyhood
Release Date- 4th September 2014

Richard Linklater's Boyhood is a beautiful and ground-breaking piece of cinema that's power lies in the subtlety of life's most meaningful moments. Twelve years in the making, Linklater's masterpiece is the true definition of a coming of age film and is revolutionary in it's production. Boyhood is made with a huge amount of love for life and for the process of growing up without any use of exaggeration. Mason is more than a character in a film, he is a boy you form an attachment to and cherish the opportunity to watch grow up.

4. The Wolf of Wall Street
Release Date- 23rd January 2014

The Wolf of Wall Street is another amazing piece of work by the dynamic duo that is Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. The story of the "Wolf" is intriguing and entertaining and keeps the viewer's undivided attention for the entirety of the film. The film is unexpectedly hilarious and pleasingly shocking at the same time, while also making you contemplate the ethics of the actions of Jordan Belfort. Leonardo DiCaprio is a force to be reckoned with in his fifth partnering with the great Martin Scorsese and the combination of these two proves once again to be a winner.

3. 12 Years A Slave
Release Date- 30th January 2014

!2 Years A Slave was without a doubt the most powerful feature film of the year. It has everything one would associate with a perfect film and Academy Award winner as it is completely unforgettable and immaculately made. As a result of it's perfect direction by Steve McQueen and incredible performances by all the actors involved as well as a wonderful adapted screenplay, the film is overwhelmingly emotionally powerful and honest in the most brutal way. It is a painful, but wonderful cinematic experience which consists of so many best achievements for the year in film.

2. The Immigrant
Release Date- 25th September 2014

James Gray's The Immigrant is a truly exquisite piece of work. Visually stunning and reminiscent of 1920's New York City, the tale of a woman's journey to a new and promising land which turns to disaster is extraordinarily tight knit and flows wonderfully without being clichéd or predictable. Marion Cotillard and Joaquin Phoenix are both superb as two strong characters with a great deal of complexity and depth. The Immigrant is as stunning on the surface as it is subtly complex.

1. Her
Release Date- 16th January 2014

 

Spike Jonze's Her is like no other. Cynical and thought provoking, yet incredibly sweet and romantic. Her is a scary reminder of how dependant we are becoming on technology and the future we are heading towards as a result of this dependence, yet it is also a reminder of how beautiful life is. A sweet but unconventional love story which see's Joaquin Phoenix give yet another incredible performance is a pleasure to behold on screen and is an absolute must see.

Big Hero 6 (2014) film review

Year: 2014
Running Time: 108  minutes
Directors: Don Hall and Chris Williams
Writers: Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle (based on the comic by), Don Hall and Jordan Roberts (story), Paul Briggs (head of story), Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson and Jordan Roberts (screenplay)
Cast: (voices)Ryan Potter, Scott Adist, Daniel Henney, James Cromwell, Jamie Chung, T.J. Miller, Damon Wayans Jr., Maya Rudolph

Big Hero 6 will be released in Australia on December 26 and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios. To be released in the United States on November 6 and the United Kingdom on January 30.

Big Hero 6 takes the infamous Walt Disney animation charm and marries it with the high paced superhero thrills of Marvel films to create an incredible piece of cinematic art. Don Hall and Chris Williams' film takes a unique direction for an animated film as it has a firm grasp on raw human emotion while existing in a heightened reality. Big Hero 6 introduces the world to the incredibly lovable and unlikely hero, Baymax who earns his place in the realm of the most memorable and beloved Disney animated characters.

In the bustling metropolis of San Fransokyo, budding bot-fighter Hiro (Ryan Potter) has to constantly be rescued from trouble by his sensible older brother, Tadashi (Daniel Henney), who is trying to convince his genius younger brother to use his intellect for something useful. When he takes Hiro to his research lab at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, Hiro meets all Tadashi's friends as well as his idol, Professor Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell) and Tadashi's creation, Baymax (Scott Adsit), an inflatable health care companion robot. Hiro is then certain he must attend the same school as his older brother, but when a tragic accident takes place, Hiro's attention and goals shift to something far more vengeful.

One can only imagine that Disney must have had a feeling not unlike second album syndrome having to follow up the monster hit that was Frozen, which is now the highest grossing animated film of all time. However, as Disney has now made over 50 animated feature films and the studio is no stranger to the high expectations the public puts on their films, this would not be a notion they have not had to deal with before. Big Hero 6 will no doubt receive inevitable comparisons to Frozen due to it's incredible success, but it is a film vastly different from it's predecessor and incredibly comfortable in itself.

While Disney purchased Marvel Comics back in 2009, this is the first real evidence of this union as seen in feature film animation. The comic "Big Hero 6" by Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle was first published in 1998 with little fanfare. The film itself is more an adaptation of the comic as some of the characters and their situations are changed to allow for a larger audience and the creation of an original and relatable screenplay. Marvel superheroes are usually known for their superhuman powers which help them save the day and/or the world. The characters of Big Hero 6 may be animated, but the traits they possess are more realistic and relatable than those commonly associated with stereotypical superheroes. Along with their high level of intellect, all of the characters in the film who are part of group Hiro assembles to take on the mysterious masked villain do not have super powers as such, but instead take full advantage of their individual talents and do amazing things with them. Not one of them can take on the villain by themselves, but when they all come together they do amazing things. This is an inspirational thought for real life. There is nobody who can conquer the world by themselves, but when they are part of a group of people who share their talents, that is when change can be brought about. Nobody can be good at everything, but everyone has a talent for something and it's the ones who make the most of that talent that reach their true potential.

Big Hero 6 also looks at the way people handle grief and the stages which they go through. While Hiro's friends and Aunt Cass (voiced by Maya Rudolph) mourn in their own controlled way, Hiro retreats into himself for a time period before seeking revenge. In his heart he knows revenge won't bring his loved one back, but in his grief he somehow believes it will bring on a change of some sort. These are feelings many who have experienced the same sort of loss will be familiar with and while they would not have gone to the same lengths as Hiro, will understand his actions.

Big Hero 6 is a rather emotional journey for this reason, but also because of the depth of the friendship developed between Hiro and Baymax. Baymax comes to Hiro when he most needs him and is incredibly endearing and wonderfully lovable. He is a character so simple in appearance yet complex in creation. He is first and foremost a health care companion, but becomes the best friend Hiro could ask for which stems largely from his inbuilt compassion and wish to fix anything that may be wrong. Baymax gives the film some of it's most tender moments and also some of the most amusing moments, such as when his battery running low resembles tipsiness. For the character's simplicity in design, the connection one feels to him by the end of the film is outstanding.

The animation employed in Big Hero 6 is truly outstanding. The world of San Fransokyo in which Hiro and his friends exist in is truly brilliant and completely intriguing. San Fransokyo is the mash of San Francisco and Tokyo and contains features from both cities, including several recognisable landmarks and landscapes. When the film begins, the city looks remarkably like San Francisco from the bay views, but as it zooms in on the city it resembles more the busy streets of Tokyo. An incredible amount of detail has gone into every visual aspect of the film and every passer on the streets in the film has their own individual genetic make-up.

However, coming out of Big Hero 6 one has the feeling that the film would lose something on it's second viewing. Like all good superhero films, there is an excitement to the first viewing and a thrill which isn't enjoyed as much the second time around. It isn't the fact that the unpredictability is gone with a second viewing, but more that the emotional impact and intrigue and excitement associated with the story itself doesn't transcend into future viewings. Yet, the appreciation for what the film is trying to say remains.

Big Hero 6 represents a successful union between Disney and Marvel and has something for both young and old and male and female audiences. As is expected from Marvel films, it is well worth staying till the end of the credits.

8/10

Annie (2014) film review

Year: 2014
Running Time: 118 minutes
Director: Will Gluck
Writers: Harold Gray (comic "Little Orphan Annie"), Thomas Meehan (stage play book), Will Gluck and Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay)
Cast: Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx, Rose Byrne, Cameron Diaz, Bobby Cannavale, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, David Zayas

Annie opens in Australian cinemas on December 18 and is distributed by Roadshow Films. Opening in the United States on December 19 and the United Kingdom on December 26.

Bringing the beloved family musical Annie into 2014 is one of the few remakes of the year that actually makes sense. Although it is a film strictly for musical fans, Annie embraces it's new time period with an adapted story and screenplay that takes full advantage of it's shift in time period and still pays tribute to the original stage play and 1982 film. Although the music feels rather dated as a result of staying true to the original and in pure Annie fashion is as cheesy as can be, there is a wit and joy to the film that makes it entertaining and enjoyable for those who can handle breaking into song at the drop of a hat.

A child of the foster care system, Annie Bennett (Quvenzhane Wallis) lives in the care of the bitter and cynical Colleen Hannigan (Cameron Diaz), but never gives up hope that the parents who abandoned her when she was much younger will someday return for her. Her hard knock life experiences a major change in fortune when she is rescued by high flying businessman, William Stacks (Jamie Foxx) who is in the middle of a campaign to become mayor of New York. In a whirlwind turn of events, Stacks is advised by his campaign manager, Guy (Bobby Cannavale) to have Annie move in with him to give him a boost in the polls and it is then that Annie's life starts to turn into the fairy tale she always dreamed of.

Will Gluck's take on the traditional story about the orphan girl with flaming red curly hair is not as much a remake as it is an adaptation. While the basis between the original Annie and the 2014 film is technically the same, the screenplays are rather different due in large part to bringing Annie to the present day rather than revisiting her in the 1930's orphanage. The new screenplay is a reimagining of the traditional Annie and as a result does something which so many remakes/adaptations fail to do and that is to justify it's existence by bringing something new to the tale. At the same time, it also pays tribute to the past versions by featuring another Annie in Annie Bennett's classroom with bright red hair and naming Stack's opponent in the mayor election Harold Gray, the name of the man who wrote the original comic strip 'Little Orphan Annie".

Gluck's film is in the minority of adaptations that actually do this and even though the screenplay isn't particularly strong, it is still entertaining and is so particularly for younger audiences who will appreciate it's cheesy nature and tendency for over-exaggeration. Adults that come to expect this from the film will enjoy it more than those who are not fans of musicals that feature bursting into song mid-sentence, yet the film must be commended as it also makes fun of itself for doing this. The dialogue spoken by the characters at times is extremely witty with some very clever one liners and some of the scenarios they find themselves in are hilarious, such as Stacks and the mashed potato incident.

One of the reasons Annie has remained so loved over the years is because of the catchy and memorable songs. The new film reprises many of the songs in the original songbook including "Tomorrow", "Maybe", "It's A Hard Knock Life" and "Little Girls". Yet, unlike the screenplay, these songs feel rather dated in a modern film. Again, Gluck has tried hard to make sure his film pays respect to the original and this is sure to be one of the ways he has done this, but the mentioned songs would have benefit from a remastering to have a better fit in the film. There is the inclusion of original pieces of music, including the now Golden Globe nominated "Opportunity" performed by Wallis and written by Sia, which is a truly lovely song.

Quvenzhane Wallis does wonderfully as Annie Bennett. She is completely endearing, wonderfully charismatic and has the rare ability to appear so natural in the cheesiest of situations. Wallis also has a particularly beautiful singing voice. There is a great amount of on screen chemistry between her and Jamie Foxx that provides the film with warmth and emotion. Foxx does rather well and is likable and comical, but has moments where his character of Stacks starts to blend into his real life persona whether intended or not.

Rose Byrne is lovely and like Wallis and Foxx, completely likable and has great chemistry with Wallis. Cameron Diaz would have benefit greatly if she had toned her character of Colleen Hannigan down a few notches as she is so incredibly over the top that she becomes more forced than comical. However, she must be commended for taking the risk as she hasn't taken part and sung in a film musical until now and as exaggerated as her character may be, Diaz does look like she is having fun in the film.

The attraction one has to Annie will vary depending on their appreciation of musicals. However, it is a family film that will delight younger viewers and is a film that will make the conversion to DVD with success.

6/10