I know it may be a bit late seeing as we are almost halfway through February but I am finishing up the final few films before I release my top 15 of 2013.
I have been finishing up on much research of every film released in 2013. With my complicated formula (My Opinion) I sorted through the good, the mediocre and the crap and I have made it a point to watch every good film of the year. At the time of writing this I have 3 more films I feel I need to watch before making my list. I hope to have this completed by the weekend and my list posted shortly after.
In the meantime, you should enjoy a couple music suggestions below.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Top 5 Movies of Sundance 2014
Something was definitely special about Sundance this year.
2014 marked the 4th Sundance Film Festival I have been lucky enough
to attend. The past three years Sundance has premiered some incredibly
acclaimed films such as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Searching for Sugarman and
Fruitvale Station. While the 2014 slate might not have a breakout Oscar worthy
hit, from top to bottom I have never seen as many enjoyable, memorable films as
the whole festival contained.
All in all I watched 34 films in every Festival category,
Narrowing the 34 to my top 5 favorites was incredibly difficult. Spending 10
days digesting films dealing with issues ranging from suicide to abortion to
zombies to sugar addiction can be extremely overwhelming and exhausting. But
alas, after much debate I narrowed my movies to my top 5, with two very worthy
honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
Rudderless-
Rudderless marks William H. Macy’s debut as a director and it
appears that as good an actor as Macy is, he somehow might be an even better
director.
Rudderless is a very dramatic film about a father coming to terms with the loss of his son. The father played by the fantastic Billy Crudup honors his fallen son by putting a band together to play the son’s original music. The less detail I go into about this film the more enjoyable the film will be for all those who watch it.
Rudderless is a very dramatic film about a father coming to terms with the loss of his son. The father played by the fantastic Billy Crudup honors his fallen son by putting a band together to play the son’s original music. The less detail I go into about this film the more enjoyable the film will be for all those who watch it.
Rudderless
was the perfect film to catch as a premiere. The fact there were no
expectations going in mixed with the fact I hadn’t seen a trailer made it a
truly fantastic experience. Rudderless
brings to light an experience never before explored in a film that I can
remember. It becomes an incredibly moving film and a movie that is hard to
shake when you leave the theater.
Obvious Child-
Obvious Child is the exact kind of movie you need in the middle of
a film festival. Sundance does a wonderful job of selecting its films every
year but obviously the ratio of drama to light hearted material is not exactly
even. After seeing dramatic film on top of documentaries exploring pressing
matters sometimes you need something that will make you laugh. Obvious Child provided that and a whole
lot more.
In a fantastic, possibly star launching
role, Jenny Slate is wonderful as a stand-up comedian who finds herself
heartbroken and lost in the world. After a drunken, one night stand, she
discovers herself in an even worse position, pregnant. What follows is the very
first abortion-romantic-comedy I have ever seen. It’s a truly hilarious film
that in the end is incredibly moving.
Top 5
Top 5
Roger Ebert may be the main
reason I am writing this article now. Growing up, I watched At The Movies with Siskel & Ebert
every week. As a kid, movies were on all the time at my house but I never knew
the difference between a good and a bad one until I learned they could get
“Thumps Up.” I became fascinated with their reviews, I rushed out to see all of
their favorites and my true love of cinema began.
Life Itself is
a fitting tribute to the life and memory of Roger Ebert. Steve James directs
this beautiful biopic that shows Ebert at his most vulnerable; the months and
weeks before his tragic death. The film chronicles Ebert’s early days as a
journalist to becoming the world’s most popular critic, and concluding with his
battle with cancer.
Life Itself was
definitely the most moving thing I saw at Sundance. While death is a very
prominent topic of the documentary it truly focuses on life. Ebert was a truly
joyous man who did the most with his life and his love of people and their
stories. This film left me with a very full heart and a true love of its
subject.
The Raid premiered at Sundance in 2012 and I sadly missed it. In
the months following I heard whispers of an incredible film from Indonesia that
was changing the game of action films.
Well if The Raid:Redemption changed the game. The Raid 2 just invented a completely new one. Never have I seen a
film more gruesome, violent, entertaining and enjoyable. The film plays out
like the greatest video game you have always wanted to play.
The first Raid is a
truly entertaining film with a fantastic concept. Raid 2 has much more than just that. It is a fantastic film with a
great storyline, wonderful characters, and action scenes that will blow your
mind. I would be very willing to bet there will not be a single movie released
in 2014 more entertaining than The Raid
2.
#3) Whiplash-
No film received as much success
and acclaim as Whiplash. If you would
like to read my full review you should click here. Whiplash was the very first film I
watched at Sundance and it really set the bar for how great the festival was
going to go.
Miles Teller really showed what a
breakout star he is ready to become as the jazz drummer student driven to be
the best. J.K. Simmons as his abusive (both verbally and physically) instructor
gives the best performance in any film in the festival. The films brings to
light a lot of interesting issues when it comes to education, culture and where
we are today. All of this happens with the backdrop of a truly entertaining and
thrilling film. Definitely see this when it comes to a theater near you.
#2) I, Origins-
No film had as much an impact on
me as I, Origins. Days after seeing
this film I kept thinking about it and searching for someone to talk about it
with. In my 4 years of attending Sundance I have never seen a movie that I was
as crazy about as this.
I, Origins is a
sort of sci-fi, futuristic, psychological thriller. I struggle to put it into a
genre because it encompasses and does so much. The film is written and directed
by Mike Cahill, who returned to Sundance after he debuted his first feature
film Another Earth in 2011. Cahill
has skyrocketed my list of favorite directors working now due to the fact he is
making movies unlike anyone else. Cahill’s film explores issues dealing with
science, religion, death and afterlife. It is a very deep film that is so
incredibly, emotionally fulfilling.
I am counting down the days until I get to see
this film again. The 2 hours I spent in the theater watching this film were my
most enjoyable 2 hours I spent at Sundance.
#1) Boyhood-
For as much as I absolutely loved
I, Origins, I can’t argue that Boyhood was not the greatest thing at
Sundance. That is because Boyhood might
be the greatest accomplishment ever screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
Boyhood
is a monumental effort by Richard Linklater. Filmed for 39 days over 12 years,
the film follows it’s central figure, a 6 year old boy, as he grows up all the
way to the point where he leaves for college as an 18 year old. The cast
remains the same and you watch them age alongside their characters. What this
results in is possibly the most effective storytelling I have ever seen in a film.
Linklater creates a time capsule for every year from 2002 to 2014. The
audience becomes a member of this family. You follow the kids through all the
issues that kids in broken homes deal with. You become attached to every member
of the family and you find yourself truly pulling for them.
Not much
happens in this 164 minute film, but at the same time everything happens. It is
an honest depiction of what it feels like to grow up. Although it’s a very
lengthy running time you don’t want the film to end. When it’s over you feel
like you have lost 4 members of your family for good. I have never experience a
film like Boyhood before and I don’t know if I ever will again. It’s truly a
remarkable cinematic achievement.
Here is a full list of all the movies I saw at Sundance:
Whiplash
A Man Most Wanted
Stranger By The Lake
Ping Pong Summer
Fishing Without Nets
I, Origins
Obvious Child
Cooties
Boyhood
Finding Fela
Hoop Dreams
Life Itself
Private Violence
Hellion
Battered Bastards of Baseball
Song One
The Raid 2
Blind
Skeleton Twins
Happy Christmas
Life After Beth
Dear White People
Alive Inside: Story of Music and Memory
20,000 Days on Earth
The Case Against 8
Listen Up Phillip
Rudderless
They Came Together
Fed Up
Frank
Wish I Was Here
To Kill A Man
Rich Hill
The One I Love
Whiplash
A Man Most Wanted
Stranger By The Lake
Ping Pong Summer
Fishing Without Nets
I, Origins
Obvious Child
Cooties
Boyhood
Finding Fela
Hoop Dreams
Life Itself
Private Violence
Hellion
Battered Bastards of Baseball
Song One
The Raid 2
Blind
Skeleton Twins
Happy Christmas
Life After Beth
Dear White People
Alive Inside: Story of Music and Memory
20,000 Days on Earth
The Case Against 8
Listen Up Phillip
Rudderless
They Came Together
Fed Up
Frank
Wish I Was Here
To Kill A Man
Rich Hill
The One I Love
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)