10 Great Overlooked Films from 2014

Have you noticed there are more movies than ever coming out each week? There were over 600 major releases that opened last year, and with the ease of digital distribution and streaming network that number is only going to increase. So there's simply no way anybody can catch them all. It's simply not possible.

The "Overlooked" list is always a tough balancing act for me. Last year I left off a criminally underseen indie like Short Term 12 because it ended up at the top of my "Best" chart, and that problem has reared its ugly head again. Why should I put great movies like Frank or God Help the Girl here when I have them so high elsewhere? And as is the case every single year, there are more than enough films deserving of your attention that sadly got lost in the tidal wave of big-budget sequels and franchises. So here are just 10 of them you may have missed that are definitely worth your time.

The One I Love (review here)
Director: Charlie McDowell
Cast: Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss, Ted Danson


Film Clip: 'The One I Love' by WSJ Live

The Skeleton Twins (review here)
Director: Craig Johnson
Cast: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell


Kristen Wiig is Mad at Bill Hader in THE SKELETON TWINS Clip ('Wow') by The Seven Sees

Enemy (review here)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Sarah Gadon, Melanie Laurent, Isabella Rossellini


Enemy - Clip 2 by Flixgr

Joe (review here)
Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan


Joe Movie CLIP - Trouble (2014) - Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan Drama HD by Trailer 2014

Cold in July (review here)
Director: Jim Mickle
Cast: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson, Vinessa Shaw


Cold In July - Clip: Beat Down by Dread Central

Fort Bliss (review here)
Claudia Myers
Cast: Michelle Monaghan, Ron Livingston

Keep On Keepin' On
Director: Alan Hicks
Cast: Clark Terry, Justin Kauflin


Film Clip: 'Keep on Keepin' On' by WSJ Live

Force Majeure
Director: Ruben Ostlund
Cast: Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli


Film Clip: 'Force Majeure' by WSJ Live

The Babadook (review here)
Director: Jennifer Kent
Cast: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman

THE BABADOOK Movie CLIP - The Book (2014) - Horror Movie HD by Horror Movie Trailers

The Book of Life (review here)
Director: Jorge Gutierrez
Cast: Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna, Ron Perlman, Ice Cube, Kate del Castillo


The Book Of Life - Clip - Land Of The Remembered by MyMovies_International

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'Birdman' Soars to Five 2014 WAFCA Award Wins; 'Boyhood' Earns Best Film

The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, of which most of us are members, has announced the winners of the 2014 WAFCA Awards, and it continues the string of success for Richard Linklater's coming-of-age drama, Boyhood. The indie film took home four awards, including wins in the Best Film and Best Director category. Best Supporting Actress went to Patricia Arquette while the Best Youth Performance (for actors under age 20) went to star Ellar Coltrane.

Taking the most victories with five was Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's meta-comedy, Birdman, with Michael Keaton winning Best Actor. Best Animated Feature went to The Lego Movie, while Julianne Moore won for portraying a woman with Alzheimer's Disease in Still Alice. Keeping up with the beat was JK Simmons who won Best Supporting Actor for his role as a sadistic drum instructor in Whiplash, while in a surprise victory Under the Skin won for Best Original Score.

The full list of winners is below:

THE 2014 WAFCA AWARD WINNERS:

Best Film:
Boyhood

Best Director:
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Actor:
Michael Keaton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Actress:
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Best Supporting Actor:
J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Best Acting Ensemble:
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Youth Performance:
Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)

Best Original Screenplay:
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Animated Feature:
The LEGO Movie

Best Documentary:
Life Itself

Best Foreign Language Film:
Force Majeure

Best Art Direction:
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen, Set Decorator: Anna Pinnock (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Cinematography:
Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Editing:
Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione, ACE (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Original Score:
Mica Levi (Under the Skin)

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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