Curated by Tim
I have watched a lot of movies this year. Probably too many. Especially for someone who is basically broke (my mother would correct that last statement to read simply: BROKE). But 2014 has been quite a year for independent films. You can usually count on their being around two good-to-great films in a given year that are independently financed. But this year had at least ten great films, two of which happen to now be my favorite documentaries. That’s pretty rare, but I’m not reaching — these films are actually really good.
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Jodorowsky’s Dune is one of the best films of the year. The Godfather could have come out in 2014 and I’d go see Jodorowsky’s Dune instead. This is the best “What if?” story ever told. There will never be another to match it. Okay, there might one day be a better story, but for now, Jodorowsky’s Dune stands alone. It’s the incredible tale that asks, “What if a mad genius, at the height of his power, had directed Dune?” If you don’t know what Dune is, that only proves my point. Had he directed it, you wouldn’t need to ask. But more than that, this film introduces you to an artist you might not have heard of; Alejandro Jodorowsky. After seeing this, you will no doubt go back and watch his other films, introducing yourself to a whole new world.
Boyhood
I really like Richard Linklater. Ethan Hawke, too. I used to believe that they were pompous dicks, but then I actually watched their movies and realized I was the pompous dick. By now we all know the story; Linklater shot Boyhood over the course of 12 years, using the same actors. Which means as the story traverses 12 years, we actually watch the actors themselves grow up. It is a serious trip, making Boyhood is possibly one of the best coming of age films ever made. With the commitment of filming a single movie over a 12 year period, you might think the final movie would be lacking somewhere — something going wrong, bad acting, etc. — but there wasn’t a single hitch. Boyhood is as near perfect as they come.
20,000 Days On Earth
Wanna become a fan of Nick Cave? Just watch this film. This is one of those films that leaves you feeling like you could build the Hagia Sophia. We are taken on a (fictional) day in the life of rock star Nick Cave. It is quite a day. Watch like some voyeur as Cave tells personal stories from his childhood and talks to friends about the strangeness of his career and life.
Cold In July
Whoa, this was a good movie. Michael C. Hall proves that he will not simply be remembered as Dexter. Don Johnson will make you understand why he was so famous in the ’80s, and Sam Shepard will make your knees clank. This movie is more like two films in one, and the acting is perfect. I can’t say enough about how good this thriller is, so watch it. Now.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Every once in a while we should kneel down and thank the lord for Wes Anderson. He just sort of speaks to me; his films hit every mark. The acting, the actors, the wardrobes, the set designs, the color palettes, the music — everything is always perfect. You would think his movies wouldn’t still be falling under the independent category, but they do. That’s fine with me, as long as he keeps making them. The Grand Budapest Hotel is another monument to Anderson’s cool. It has everything, and Anderson remains atop the mountain as a king among filmmakers.
Nymphomaniac Volume 1 & 2
Okay, we can all admit it. You know what I’m talking about, right? We all like to see naked people when we go to the movies. It’s one of the few places that still forces us to be prudes, so when something comes along shattering our movie-going prudish ways, we all get excited. Enter Lars Von Trier and his two part film Nymphomaniac. The film made quite a splash upon release: people were offended, affected, and left questioning the meaning of life. It’s weird how much people freak out if they see a penis.
The Dance of Reality
So, Alejandro Jodorowsky is back. The master of surrealist film — the man who concocts a witches brew of religion, violence, and weird to make beautiful films — has made his first movie since Santa Sangra (1989). This is a strange one. The story is based on his own childhood, and shot in the town he grew up in. His real life son, Brontis Jodorowsky, stars as his father in the film. The mother only speaks by singing opera. The film itself is Jodorowsy’s philosophy on how reality is actually just a “dance” that we create with our own imaginations. In other words, we get to see what Jodorowsky’s childhood was like, from his point of view. It does not disappoint.
Mood Indigo
More people should watch Michel Gondry films. The french native is a master of turning film into a daydream. He’s a surrealist master whose special effects are all seemingly DIY, made with tools you might find in an arts and crafts class (i.e. paper, scissors, glue and glitter). I first discovered Gondry after watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but it wasn’t until I saw his classic The Science of Sleepthat he became one of my favorite film makers. This year his new film Mood Indigo reminded us of what makes him so great: he makes weird films that are very cool. While you might walk way from Mood Indigo feeling a bit of ennui, you will be happy you watched it, and spend the rest of the week wondering why life can’t be like that of a Gondry Film.
The Expedition to the End of the World
So I hadn’t planned on seeing this film. I noticed it a few times on Film Forum’s website, but I always managed to avoid reading anything about it. Then one day I was sitting in Film Forum, waiting for my movie to start, when the trailer for The Expedition to the End of the World started playing and I heard a person on the screen call himself a “petty, bourgeois anarchist.” That’s really all it took to make me buy a ticket. It’ a movie about traveling to last uninhabited patch of white on earth, told from the perspective of a group consisting of both scientists and artists, headed to the end of the world.
The Raid 2: Berandel
Did you see The Raid 1? Maybe not, I understand. You may not be the sort of hipster who also likes watching uber violent action movies. Well, I am. This film’s story line and acting are pretty good, but that’s not the reason you’re watching this film. It’s the insane amount of violence. It’s really weird how you could watch a movie where one person dies and feel personally fucked up for a week over it but then see a film where 500 people die and feel fine. The Raid 2 falls under the latter.
