Related News
‘Ida’ sits atop critic’s list of best movies
Print Edition
THE writer is an Associated Press entertainment writer based in New York. He has been an AP entertainment writer for the past nine years, contributing to the news agency's Oscar and Grammy coverage, as well as covering Cannes and film festivals in New York and Toronto. As the end of 2014 approaches, he shares his list of the best films of the year.
1. “Ida”
Where did this perfect little gem come from? Its director, Pawel Pawlikowski, wasn’t previously a major name in international cinema. Yet at a time when most filmmakers can’t keep their movies under two hours, Pawlikowksi plunges into Polish history and back again in less than 90 minutes. Yes, an austere, black-and-white Polish film doesn’t sound like the most appetizing stuff. But it’s a hauntingly beautiful film, and thanks to the tremendous Agata Kulesza, there’s humor here, too.
2. “Boyhood”
One of the most memorable parts of film in 2014 was seeing the movies play with time, capturing it in elapse (“Boyhood”), bending its particles (“Interstellar”) and wryly gazing at its courses across centuries (Jim Jarmusch’s excellent “Only Lovers Left Alive”). Richard Linklater’s 12-years-in-the-making “Boyhood” is a landmark, for sure. But for a much-lauded masterpiece, it’s incredibly humble, warm and humanistic.
3. “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Wes Anderson’s heroes are, like him, devotees of brilliant escapes: the beachside oasis of “Moonrise Kingdom,” the play land of Rushmore Academy, the pre-war elegance of this film’s Eastern European resort. Dreams are inevitably punctured by outside forces, and a new, compromised life must be found — some melancholy combination of fantasy and reality.
4. “Mr Turner” and “Birdman”
In a year rich with colorful portraits of artists (the obsessive, rigorous drummer of “Whiplash,” the arrogant, oblivious author of “Listen Up Philip”) these two most stood out: “Birdman” for its blisteringly kinetic flow and the raging ego of Michael Keaton’s actor; and the masterful “Mr. Turner” for its total lack of pretension and Timothy Spall’s gruff, grunting painter.
5. “Interstellar”
Admittedly, I’m a sucker when it comes to stories about dads and daughters. Many critics poked holes in the imperfectly stitched cosmic fabric of Christopher Nolan’s space epic, but I found the time-traveling epic grandly moving. So I’m a sentimentalist who digs space. Sue me.
6. “Inherent Vice”
Obviously, I’m also an easy mark for a glorious mess. Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of Thomas Pynchon is probably a noble failure in an impossible task. But there’s no movie I’m keener to return to in order to again feel its electric songs and its scruffy sadness.
7. “The Immigrant”
A number of films in 2014 weren’t shy about their Big American Themes. Bennett Miller’s “Foxcatcher” was the most mesmerizing; JC Chandor’s “A Most Violent Year” the most atmospheric; and Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” the tautest. But James Gray’s period Ellis Island tale was the most majestic.
8. “Under the Skin”
Equal parts beautiful and terrifying in its alien mystery, Jonathan Glazer’s extraterrestrial shocker (with Scarlett Johansson as the other-worldly being that touches down in Glasgow) made for a searing cinematic experience of sound and imagery.
9. “Leviathan”
There’s a stout Russian muscularity to Andrey Zvyagintsev’s bleak, Job-like tale of corruption in a coastal Russian town. A framed portrait of Vladimir Putin above the police chief looms large.
10. “Starred Up”
Four walls, a father and a son, plus a whole lot of violent rage. The ingredients of this prison drama are simple, but its force is ferocious. In one of the more remarkable father-son dramas you’ll see a young punk gets locked up in the same facility as his dad.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
