TOP FIVE FILMS OF 2014 (SO FAR!)

I realize it's only November and we have some excellent films coming up! But I feel certain that my Top Five so far will remain at least in the Top Ten. And I also realize that some of these indies have only opened in limited release. So just so you know, I also loved St. Vincent and Gone Girl, both which are already out in theaters. (I recently said to my now ex-boyfriend, I'm gonna "Gone Girl" the hell out of you, which might be why we broke up.)

TOP FIVE AS OF NOVEMBER 2014

BIRDMAN A+

A movie about a play which stars an actor from the movies, played by a real-life actor who semi walked away from movies to just live life (and maybe do some plays.) Ya dig? It's art imitating life imitating art on an endless loop and I loved every single second of it. From the moment I heard that drum-score over a black screen to the last breath/smile of every actor, this movie had me by the knees. Is that an expression? (Fun Fact: Michael Keaton - - who by the way stars in the film - - and I were once seated next to each other at a dinner party thrown by Dennis Dugan. That's the very same Dugan I often mock for directing the worst Sandler films, but I found him gracious and charming. The delicious Chilean Sea Bass he served will never, however, make up for Problem Child or Problem Child 2. Cut to: years later and I'm at a reception following the Birdman screening and I get up the nerve to talk to Keaton. I remind him of the party and we have a nice laugh and I feel good about it. Five minutes later, I look in a mirror to see that not only do I have chocolate on my face from a recently eaten cookie, I have it on my neck. I digress.) This co-stars Ed Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis (offering one of his most profound performances,) and every single one of them deserves an Oscar nod. The not-so-subtle commentary on both film/stage critics and The Comic Book Action Hero saturation of today's movies was spot-on, and somehow provided emotional context to the often "effed" up Hollywood machine.  (And one more fun fact? If you say "Birdman" three times, Beetlejuice will appear and wipe chocolate from your neck.)    

THE TRIP TO ITALY A+

Contrary to the review directly above, I tend to like movies that are smaller in scope. By smaller, I mean, "not Inception." (Sorry Nolan lovers, get over it.) My love for this sequel to the equally hilarious and brilliant 2011 film The Trip seems to have grown. Once again Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon travel together, this time to Italy, to taste food and do dueling Michael Caine impressions. But this time, there's even more of a heartbeat as the two comedians wrestle with real-life problems in their marriages, finances and/or relationships with their kids.  I laughed from the opening credits to the closing ones. Granted, I'd huffed some Nitrous Oxide directly before the film. No. Wait, did I? It felt like it. Director Michael Winterbottom is one those guys who always gets it right, but does it in a really non-pretentious, unassuming kind of way. I wish a lot of other, more popular directors could take a page from his book. (Not naming names, but one rhymes with Bristopher Bolan.)

LOVE IS STRANGE A -     

Another tiny film you might not have heard of yet, this stars John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as older newlyweds in New York. The performances, the direction/dialogue (from Ira Sachs) is so understated and sincere, I was drawn in from the opening shot. And what really stood out for me is that ALL of the characters seemed truly fleshed out. You know how in some movies, there's the wacky best friend whose only purpose seems to be to make sassy, but supportive comments to the protagonist? This person is usually played by Sandra Oh or Judy Greer or maybe if you're lucky, even Rosie O'Donnell ala Sleepless in Seattle or Beautiful Girls. They're always saying stuff like, "Grrrl, you don't need HIM" or "Grrrrl, you need some serious chocolate chip ice cream STAT." Yeah, well, this movie didn't have any of that. Marisa Tomei, specifically, gives such a layered performance, rounding out an overall perfect cast for such a sweet film. (And P.S. Love IS strange, in case anyone is asking.)    

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING A -

One time in high school, I wanted to impress this guy named Austin Crothers. He was an art student and he wore lace-up Doc Martins and for these reasons, I somehow got into my head he'd be impressed by my (pretend) knowledge of astrophysics. So I took Einstein's "Relativity" from my Dad's bookshelf, brought it to school, and attempted to read it during lunch when I knew he'd walk by. He didn't say a word. Didn't even glance my way. (I later passed him a note in World History and he respectfully declined my advances.) So I decided, screw it, I'm gonna read this book anyway. By the time I got the "fourth equation of the Lorentz Transformation," I kind of shut down. But not so much so that I didn't continue expanding my curiosity about all things on the space/time continuum. Which brings me to my complete adoration and respect for Stephen Hawking. When I heard they were making a biopic of sorts, my first thought was "Man, I hope they don't cast it-boy Matthew McConaughey as Hawking. I know he's big money right now, but please." My second thought was "I'm craving Funyons," but I'm pretty sure that was unrelated. Luckily, Matthew was never considered and they instead cast Eddie Redmayne as Stephen, who gave one of the most heart-wrenching performances I've seen all year. Felicity Jones, who plays his wife for whose book this screenplay is based, is pretty darn phenomenal too.  "What a story, what a mind, what an inspiration, what a movie!" is what I'd say to the studio if they ever asked me for quotes, which they don't.

BOYHOOD A -

So Richard Linklater had an idea, which was, "What if I shoot a movie over a 12 year span and keep the same actors throughout?" His plan finally came to fruition and…seriously…how friggin cool is THAT? I was not a fan of Linklater (and star Ethan Hawke's) recent film Before Midnight and by "not a fan," I mean, I broke my screener in half with a steak knife. I think I may have some biochemical things going on.) But they completely redeemed themselves with this utterly unique and thoughtful and beautiful movie. On a personal (and maybe biased) note, this was shot in Texas near where I grew up, so the scenery hit such a note of nostalgia that I was moved by even the slightest shot of a willow tree or those dusty Texas highway roads. And while yes, the idea is a gimmick, the film doesn't rest solely on this stunt. It's just good in that "Holy shit, this is really good" kind of way.