Above: Chris Evans in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," from Marvel Studios
Once again, another year has come and gone. And now, as I change my calendar from corgis
to Archer, I find myself reflecting back on the year of cinema that was 2014…and
I can't think of anything.
Okay, I remember some
of my favorite films of the year after a minute. But 2014 is the first year in awhile where they
didn’t immediately leap to mind. So, I
consulted with my good friend the internet and found that the reason I don't
remember a whole lot of movies from this past year is because the best word to
describe 2014 would be “understated.”
Allow me to
explain. Normally, every year (and
summer in particular) is full of massive blockbusters, chiefly sci-fi and
fantasy crowd-pleasers. But 2014? Not so much. Of course, there were two hit Marvel films (“Captain
America: The Winter Soldier” and “Guardians of the Galaxy”), and also the new,
big-budget “Godzilla.” Yet in terms of both
scale and ticket sales, even that movie wasn't what one would consider a huge
blockbuster. In fact, some of the best
films of 2014 weren't very big at all—they relied on strong ideas, compelling acting,
and thoughtful storytelling, rather than scope.
That’s true of
some of my favorite movies of 2014, namely Charlie McDowell’s “The One I Love,”
Ari Folman’s “The Congress,” and Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin”—all of
which fall into the “understated and brilliant” category. “The One I Love” has a gifted cast of three (Mark
Duplass, Elizabeth Moss, and Ted Danson) and soars thanks to a unique idea that
you never see coming; “The Congress” has a fairly large ensemble (led by Robin
Wright), but is similarly heartfelt and heady; and “Under the Skin” utilizes a truly
unusual narrative style and still holds your attention for its entirety.
In other words, 2014 was a time of
movies that were small but mighty. But
not all small movies are microscopic, and this year I saw two wonderful “studio
indie” pictures—James Marsh’s “The Theory of Everything” and Wes Anderson's “The Grand
Budapest Hotel.” Their stories may be
different in nature (“Everything” is a Stephen Hawking biopic; “Budapest” chronicles
the quirky misadventures of a dashing concierge), but they both captured my
attention, thanks to the outstanding performances that elevated their every
shot.
2014 was also a
year of surprise successes, most memorably Chris Miller and Phil Lord’s “The
Lego Movie.” I will be one hundred
percent honest—I thought this film was going to be stupid and fall so hard on
its face. I mean, come on! It was a movie about Legos, performed by Legos;
it sounded like an episode of Robot Chicken.”
And yet, there is no word to describe “The Lego Movie” other than “awesome.”
Every time I watch the movie, I feel
overjoyed, and rightly so. Because what
makes this film work is its heart, and the fascinating reveal of what is
actually happening in this Lego world. Also,
who hasn't felt like Emmet every once in awhile?
In the grand
scheme of 2014 movies, “The Lego Movie” is definitely one I’ll remember. Yet it’s not my favorite film of the
year. No, that title belongs to two
movies—Anthony and Joe Russo’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and Richard
Linklater’s “Boyhood.” For me, they’re
two very different loves. “Cap” is a
years-in-the-making adventure that boldly destroys the foundation of an entire
franchise; and “Boyhood” is a different beast completely—a twelve-year coming
of age story that was actually filmed over twelve years. Both films are daring in their own unique
way, and they take cinematic risks that I’ve never witnessed before—risks whose
rewards will likely never again be equaled onscreen.
So
yes, I believe 2014 was a quiet year in film.
But why was it so? My theory is
that this past year was the calm before the storm. Because, lest we forget, 2015 will see the
release of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens,”
“Jurassic World,” two Pixar films, the final chapter in the “Hunger Games”
series, “Terminator Genisys,” and “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
In short, 2015 will be the year of the blockbuster. Who will come out on top? Who’s to say. But for now, I will look back at the subtler times
in cinema this past year. Things were
quiet. Things were small.
Things were memorable.
No comments:
Post a Comment