Everybody calls their list the "best of the year" but don't we really mean our favorites? I'm less interested in what somebody thinks is the best film than learning about the movies that touched them personally. I think we'd see very different "end of the year" coverage if everybody took that approach, and it's what I always try to do when putting together my list.
At the time I'm putting this together I've seen 271 movies, the most I've ever seen by a fairly large margin. I saw 226 films in 2013, a personal record at the time. And seeing so many has both helped and hindered my ability to decide on my favorites. So I'm cheating a little bit and giving some love to my top 20 movies of the year, because I won't be able to sleep knowing some of these weren't mentioned in some small way. Besides, there were a lot of movies on my "Worsts List" so it's only fair to offer more that you might actually want to seek out.
Because I'm a big dork you probably guessed there are a few superhero movies that made the cut, obviously. The X-men bobble heads on my disk nodding their approval as I type that out. And it's not lost on me that a handful of my favorite flicks this year explored the personal connection between an artist and their craft. Some of these films I've been championing all year, some just snuck up on me in the last couple of weeks, but overall it's a pretty diverse range I think. So check out my top 20 films below, be sure to take a look at all of our end of the year review, and let me know your thoughts. Oh, and please spare me the "How could you leave this off??" emails! Just because a movie missed the list doesn't mean I hate it.
20. Begin Again (review here)
19. Whiplash (review here)
18. John Wick (review here)
17. Calvary (review here)
16. Big Hero 6 (review here)
15. Starred Up (review here)
14. Obvious Child (review here)
13. I Origins (review here)
12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (review here)
11. God Help the Girl (review here)
10. Chef (review here)
Maybe it's thoughts of my own father that inspires my love for Jon Favreau's culinary comedy, Chef. While the film draws parallels with Favreau's filmmaking career, going from inspired indie stalwart to bored purveyor of blockbuster fluff, it's also the story of a father who hopes to pass on a meaningful legacy to his son. My father passed down his love of movies to me, the same way Favreau's character passes on a good grilled cheese, and for that I'm forever grateful. Favreau's film sees him returning to the art house world, bringing along some big names like Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Sofia Vergara, for a mouth-watering road trip film that will make you laugh, cry, and book dinner reservations with the quickness. He plays a big time chef who has lost his creative mojo, but recaptures it after opening a food truck with his kid. 9. Top Five (review here)
Another movie about an entertainer coming to terms with his own popularity, Chris Rock's Top Five bristles with the energy of the streets and the comedian's scathing stand-up act. Rock plays essentially a version of himself as a funnyman looking to become a serious actor, but finding that nobody really cares about all that stuff. It's Rock's most personal film to date, and so it makes sense that it's also the one where he gets the most raw. He rips into Hollywood stereotypes and tears into issues of love, sex, politics, and race, all the while forging an unbreakable romantic bond with co-star Rosario Dawson. I even loved his top 5 list of hip-hop's greatest rappers. That's how deep my love of this movie goes.8. The Fault in Our Stars (review here)
I'm not supposed to want to watch a movie like this a bunch of times, right? And yet The Fault in Our Stars is a movie I could watch endlessly because it's not so much about the pain of dying, but the joys of life. With a wry sense of humor, a dash of teen angst, and two remarkable performances by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, this adaptation of John Green's best-selling novel refuses to give in to cliches of the genre. While definitely a weeper requiring an entire box of Kleenex to endure, there is never a manipulative moment even when it would have been easier story-wise for there to be one. 7. Birdman (review here)
I hate when people say Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's kinetic, virtuoso meta-comedy Birdman is Michael Keaton's big comeback. He's been great for a long time and his talents didn't diminish just because he's been out of the spotlight. Birdman is the most high-profile thing he's done in awhile (Need for Speed doesn't count because it sucks) and as Riggan Thompson, a former superhero actor looking to become a respected thespian (this is becoming a theme, isn't it?) he shows us levels of sadness, desperation, and rage we haven't seen from him in awhile. While his performance alone would be worthy of putting Birdman on anybody's list, one can't overlook the flawless cinematic contribution of DP Emmanuelle Lubezki who literally doesn't give us a moment to blink; his camera always moving. The supporting ensemble is equally great with Emma Stone and Edward Norton, the latter playing a manic, heightened version of himself. But what's most startling to me is the total change of gears this was for Inarritu. There is almost no connecting tissue between Birdman and the multi-tiered, heavy moral dramas of his past. It leaves me fascinated by what he'll attempt next. 6. X-men: Days of Future Past (review here)
You pretty much have me with anything involving the heroic, flawed, histrionic mutants in the X-men. I've been reading the comic for basically my entire life and have loved just about every movie (that wasn't an insult like X-men: The Last Stand), but X-men: Days of Future Past is the first one that gets everything right. With so much that could potentially go wrong with the massive cast and three time periods to juggle, Bryan Singer showed a skillful hand in giving every character their moment to shine and every era a unique flavor. The central "love" triangle between Professor X (James McAvoy), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) has all the soap opera elements fans of the comic will love, while the endless array of super powers flung around the screen is impressive. 5. Mommy (review here)
4. A Most Violent Year
I don't know how he does it, but JC Chandor has now made three movies that look like they come from three different filmmakers. Margin Call is as different from All is Lost which is a country mile from A Most Violent Year, one of the best crime dramas in recent memory. For me, there's The Godfather and nothing else need apply for the crown, but A Most Violent Year is the first film to make me reconsider. Set in 1981 during the most violent year in New York City history, the story follows a level-headed heating oil magnate played by Oscar Isaac. When outside forces begin to violently put a crimp in his business, he begins to find it hard to stay on an even keel, and it doesn't help that his wife (Jessica Chastain) seems to be pushing him to take aggressive action. As an exploration of the American Dream and the nasty, corrupt things one must do to attain it, A Most Violent Year is without peer. And it doesn't hurt that it features crisp, cold cinematography by Bradford Young, who will be mentioned again later on this list. 3. The Raid 2 (review here)
All year I've been telling people that Gareth Evans' jaw-jacking sequel The Raid 2: Berendal would end up in my top 3. Nobody believed me. Why is that so crazy? Is there a better action director anywhere than Evans right now? How can he keep finding news to thrill us? How does he keep finding unique angle to show star Iko Uwais bashing some guy's brains in? No other scene had my heart racing faster than the fight with Baseball Bat Guy and Hammer Girl, an intense cramped quarters rumble of impeccable stunt choreography. While some may balk at the 2 1/2 hour run time or the expanded gangster storyline, for me it only added to the franchise's charm. While The Raid was like one long video game, The Raid 2 has a different energy yet still gives us the hardcore brutality we love. How Evans can possibly top this is beyond me but I can't wait to see him try.2. Frank (review here)
Frank, you had me at "Michael Fassbender under a giant papier-mache head". It's that kind of boldness, that willingness to embrace something so weird that makes Lenny Abrambson's exploration of creative genius and insanity so lovable. Domhnall Gleeson plays a hopeless musician who falls in with a quirky band of weirdos led by the titular masked singer, who may or may not be a complete lunatic. While he latches on to their creative energy without bringing much of his own, he also tries to push them into the mainstream, which doesn't go over so well with the band. From the searing soundtrack (performed live by the cast) to the off-kilter tone, Frank celebrates individuality in all its forms while quietly lamenting those who crave conformity. 1. Selma
I worried about Selma from the moment it was announced. How could I not with Lee Daniels (briefly) at the helm? He had already squandered a wealth of talent and an amazing story with The Butler, and would probably do it again here. Thank goodness for Ava DuVernay. It's incredible that Selma is only her third film because she has the skill of a seasoned veteran, boiling down a few months in Martin Luther King's campaign for voting rights into a profound statement on the power of people to affect change. Refusing to conform to standard biopic pitfalls, Selma lets us in on the ground floor of King's movement, putting us in touch with the immediacy of his cause. Depicted with warmth and commanding presence by David Oyelowo, King is honored but never idolized; the cracks in his armor seen in tense struggles with his wife Coretta, President Lyndon Johnson, and his own supporters. But through all the human frailties arose a powerful leader. And chalk up another win for cinematographer Bradford Young, whose vivid imagery captures the urgency of the time. With so much going on in this country right now in terms of race relations, the importance of an inspiring, relevant, and yes extremely crowd-pleasing film like Selma can't be overstated. 
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