Top 10 Movies of 2014

How could I not include this?

I should make clear that this is not a definitive ranking of the best movies of 2014. No such list exists. The movies you'll find on this list are the ones that stuck with me the longest. I don't have a specific criteria to determine which movies deserved a spot on this list. Heck, I can't even guarantee that you'll even like all of the movies on this list. Your own Top 10 might not even resemble this Top 10, and that is what makes moviegoing such an enduring pastime, in my opinion.

So why do I put this list together? I'm pretentious, and all self-respecting film buffs feel a compulsion to compile a Top 10 list at the end of each calendar year. And on the off chance that someone will read this and decide to check out a worthwhile movie that they might not have seen otherwise.

So, without further ado, here it is:

*HONORABLE MENTION*

Interstellar. In my experience, high expectations, more often than not, lead to disappointment -- at least as far as movies go. Christopher Nolan, in particular, is the type of filmmaker whose films have become synonymous with high expectations, in large part because his past successes are held in such high regard. Nolan also believes in keeping the details of his films under wraps, and this practice, coupled with his reputation as one of the great director's of our generation, can lead to impractical expectations. His films -- Inception, for example -- often benefit from repeat viewings, because the audience is able to reset their expectations and appreciate the film for what it is. I'm kicking myself for not seeing Interstellar twice, because I'm curious how my perception of it would've changed. I have issues with certain aspects of the script -- in which Matthew McConaughey's widowed pilot leads a mission through a wormhole to find salvation for mankind -- but I'll also be the first to admit that the performances and the visuals are among the best Nolan has ever produced. For now, it will rank near the bottom of his work, but the drop-off between the top and bottom of that list is much smaller than you might think. Interstellar is one film I look forward to revisiting again in the future.

10. Boyhood. For those of you who don't know, Boyhood began filming 13 years ago. Every year for 12 years, director Richard Linklater would assemble the same group of cast members and take a couple weeks to shoot another portion of the film, with the idea being that the actors would age right along with their characters as the film follows the central character on his road to adulthood. Boyhood is the most authentic coming-of-age film that I've ever seen, but not solely because of the unique concept, difficult though it is to separate the film from that conceit. The interactions between the characters feel so intimate and real that I couldn't help but be drawn into this portrait of a young man trying to understand his place in the world, as it becomes clear that even the adults around him are as clueless as he is. There is no plot to speak of -- in real life, there never is -- so the weight of the film falls to Ellar Coltrane as the boy who grows up right before our eyes and Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as his divorced mother and father. Although the considerable length and lack of excitement are certain to frustrate some viewers, the film is a warm slice of life for those willing to sit back and follow along.

9. Selma. I didn't grow up in the 1960's. I never experienced what is considered to be the most groundbreaking period of the civil rights movement -- even though more than a few people would argue that the fight is far from over. Memories have a terrible habit of fading, and the details of our past fade with them, until all that remains are the headlines. Films like Selma -- which follows civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. as he spearheads a series of contentious voting rights marches in the racial hotbed of rural Alabama -- are what fill in the gaps, allowing us to see and feel what we were never able to experience for ourselves. In that regard, Selma does as much for the civil rights movement as it does for King, daring to embrace him as more man than legend. King is depicted as a leader struggling to withstand the mounting pressures of the monumental task that has been laid at his feet, and David Oyelowo is astonishing in the challenging role. While its stark portrayal of King will garner much-deserved attention, Selma is also about remembering the horrors of our past in the hope that doing so will avert the need for drastic measures to provoke people into action.

8. Captain America - The Winter Soldier. Captain America had the potential to be the most boring member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His incorruptible altruism stands in stark contrast to the modern age of silver screen superheroes who toe the line between savior and scourge. But rather than fearing that this would handicap the character, Marvel instead embraced it as a breath of fresh air, reveling in the idea of dropping Cap and his resolute moral compass into the cobweb of lies and deceit that constitutes our current political arena. The Winter Soldier is as much a political thriller as it is a superhero film, with Captain America as the good soldier whose loyalties are tested when it appears that the people giving the orders have been compromised. Transplanted from the World War II-era 1940's, Cap has lost more than his loved ones -- the very ideals he once fought for have been twisted and warped to fit the dubious agendas of our leaders, all in the name of protecting our freedoms. Not since The Dark Knight has a comic book movie been so adept at appropriating the fears and realities of our current political climate and utilizing them for the realm of superheroes and villains.

7. Edge of Tomorrow. I'll be honest and admit that I had no intention of ever watching Edge of Tomorrow. Nothing in the trailers prior to its theatrical release convinced me that this was anything other than a bland sci-fi riff on Bill Murray's Groundhog Day. But appearances can be deceiving. At the behest of critics who praised the film and in spite of a lackluster domestic box office performance, I decided to take a chance on Edge of Tomorrow, and I can confirm that this is one of the most clever and entertaining sci-fi films I've seen in years -- bolstered by the spirited performances of its two leads. In the near future, Earth comes under siege by a race of advanced alien creatures, and the ensuing war scorches most of Europe. Tom Cruise, in a role that stands in stark contrast to the stoic heroes that have come to define his image and career, is a sleazeball public relations officer who has no problem leading the military's recruiting efforts, despite the lopsided results. He balks when his superiors force him to take part in a full-scale offensive intended to turn the tide of the war, and his brief stint out on the battlefield ends with his demise -- only for the day to start all over again.

6. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes. Forget about Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, and Gary Oldman. The apes are the most compelling characters here -- and for once, that is not a criticism. With previous motion capture performances in Lord of The Rings, King Kong, and Rise of The Planet of The Apes, Andy Serkis has solidified his status as the pioneer of his craft, delivering yet another awe-inspiring performance as Caesar, the benevolent leader of the apes. Ten years after a pandemic has spread across the globe and caused most of civilization to crumble, Caesar attempts to avoid an all-out war as a group of humans, in a bid for survival, work to forge a tenuous truce with the apes. But antagonistic forces on both sides threaten to ignite a conflict that could annihilate one or both of their species. Serkis is the star here, but the usurper to his throne is Toby Kebbell in the role of Koba, Caesar's duplicitous second-in-command. Koba's past abuse at the hands of human overseers informs his contempt for mankind and drives him to commit horrific atrocities in the name of protecting his own species, setting the stage for a climactic showdown with Caesar that lives up to the billing.

5. Gone Girl. No more than 30 minutes into Gone Girl and I was floored. Having never read the hugely popular Gillian Flynn novel on which it was based, the marketing for the film had led me to believe that this would be a classic whodunit with one of those standard knocks-your-socks-off endings. I should've known better. The ending is more disturbing than it is shocking, and the events leading up to the unsettling conclusion are so packed with twists and turns that you'll be picking your jaw up off the floor once the end credits start rolling. The casting is pitch perfect, with Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne, the husband who finds himself living a nightmare after his wife vanishes from their home, and Rosamund Pike as Amy Elliott Dunne, his missing spouse. The media seeks to convict Nick in the court of a public opinion and the police collect mounting evidence that could seal his fate, but it becomes clear that the truth is far more complicated. David Fincher, with a directorial pedigree that includes Se7en, Fight Club and The Social Network, elevates the material from an above-average thriller to a brilliant and darkly humorous satire of marriage and our sensational media culture.

4. Birdman or (The Virtue of Ignorance). "A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing." Michael Keaton (in perhaps the best performance of his career) is Riggan Thompson, a washed up actor feeling far removed from the superhero franchise that once catapulted him to stardom before the waning years of his career. In a last-ditch effort to salvage his artistic integrity, Riggan writes, directs, and stars in a stage production of Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. But his own self-destructive tendencies -- and frequent delusions of superhuman abilities -- threaten to derail the production before opening night, forcing him to confront his diluted sense of self-worth. Birdman is a technical marvel unlike anything I've ever seen before, in large part because director Alejandro González Iñárritu chose to present the film as one long continuous take, immersing the audience in a surrealistic nightmare from which there is no escape. But the captivating performances from everyone involved -- in particular Edward Norton, in a role that taps into his own reputation for being difficult -- are what put Birdman over the top, with this being the best role that Keaton has had in years.

3. Nightcrawler. Jake Gyllenhaal is a chameleon. With his latest role -- that of Louis Bloom, a sociopathic go-getter who recites corporate speak as if reading from an instruction manual and treats others as pawns in his climb up the news media ladder -- Gyllenhaal has delivered perhaps the most unforgettable performance of his career. Bloom is a wolf in sheep's clothing -- skillful, calculated, and ruthless as he navigates a business of ambulance chasers and the television producers willing to offer top dollar for their raw footage of human carnage. Nightcrawler never quite goes so far as to point the finger at Bloom, the media, or the insatiable masses clamoring for the best and bloodiest news coverage, but rather marvels at how Bloom is able to overcome the obstacles in his path with relative ease, even as his efforts to capture (and even produce) must-see footage become more and more brazen. Bloom is an opportunist taking advantage of a system that rewards those willing to abandon their sense of moral obligation. The title is more than apt, because the film -- and Gyllenhaal's haunting performance -- crawls under your skin and refuses to leave until long after the cut to black.

2. Guardians of The Galaxy. Plucked from a supporting role as the lovable doofus Andy Dwyer in NBC's low-rated critical darling Parks & Recreation, Chris Pratt seemed an odd choice for the leading man in a sci-fi adventure as bold and daring as Guardians of The Galaxy. The film itself was a tremendous gamble for Marvel Studios, based on a comic book series that few mainstream audience members had even heard of before. But the finished product -- in which a group of spacefaring misfits band together to thwart the plans of a powerful fanatic bent on committing genocide -- is perhaps the finest achievement to have emerged from the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far. Comparisons have been made to the original Star Wars, in large part because director James Gunn succeeded in building a new world that feels both fresh and lived-in, along with an ensemble csat of vivid characters more memorable and imaginative than even their top tier predecessors. Pratt, in particular, comes into his own as Peter Quill (a.k.a. Star-Lord), the roguish loser who aspires to be more than a common thief but instead finds himself thrust into a conflict where the fate of an entire race hangs in the balance.

1. Whiplash. For the triumphant and inspiring tale of a talented young musician and the tough but benevolent mentor who guides him to success, you'd be wise to look elsewhere. Whiplash is a vicious subversion of that cliche, delivering an unflinching portrayal of the physical and emotional casualties that come at the cost of pursuing perfection. Veteran character actor J.K. Simmons is sensational as the volatile Terence Fletcher, Shaffer Conservatory's top instructor. Shaffer is regarded as one of the finest music academies in the country, and to serve as a member of Fletcher's elite band is considered a surefire avenue to future success. But as Miles Teller's promising young drummer Andrew Neiman comes to discover, Fletcher is as brutal and unforgiving as he is respected and revered. Fletcher likens his harsh teaching methods to the hammering of clay, with the hope being that a true legend will emerge from the rubble of his psychological abuse. Whiplash is an all-consuming tug-of-war between teacher and pupil, featuring a star-making performance from Teller and a masterful one from Simmons that is certain to be remembered as the most riveting of his long but unheralded career.

Just A Bit Outside (in alphabetical order): 22 Jump Street, Godzilla, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Inherent Vice, The Interview, The Lego Movie, Snowpiercer, St. Vincent, and Top Five