And The Oscar (or Blake or Ian or Matt) Goes To...

The awards never go to the right person. Why? Because there is no right person. This is important to remember as we approach the 87th Academy Awards, airing on Sunday. There is no mathematical equation to determine the winners. Voters vote based on their own personal opinion. So why bother predicting the winners? You're just guessing whose opinion is going to win out. Instead, I've teamed up with two other close friends and cinephiles -- aspiring actor Ian Goldsmith and former Warner Bros. Studio tour guide Matt Bauerly -- to name winners of our own.

Welcome to the first annual Matt, Ian, and Blake (or MIB) Awards! Not be confused with the secret organization dedicated to monitoring extraterrestrial activity on Earth.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Blake: Few films from last year surprised me more than Whiplash. Just when you think the script is about to take a familiar turn for the sentimental, it takes a hard left turn in the other direction. It all builds toward a stirring conclusion that caps the film with a crescendo.

Ian: I’m going to give this one to Guardians of the Galaxy. Hands-down the funniest action movie I’ve ever seen. I was literally crying from laughing (and also crying from crying at moments, too).

Matt: This is where I will give Whiplash it’s due. Short and sweet with powerful performances. I’ll take that over buildings blowing up any day.

Best Original Screenplay

Blake: Birdman and Nightcrawler both merited consideration here, but Snowpiercer ultimately brings home the hardware. This post-apocalyptic actioner packages issues of class inequality and global warming in an exhilarating and violent thrill ride that never hits the brakes.

Ian: The Grand Budapest Hotel. It hasn’t been until recently that I learned to appreciate the genius of Wes Anderson, but I’m quickly learning that few other people in Hollywood match his ability to tell delightly hilarious, enticing, absurd stories.

Matt: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson. It’s a film I would want to write and direct. Wes’s originality is only matched by Tim Getting.

Best Supporting Actress

Blake: Some will argue that Emily Blunt is the female lead of Edge of Tomorrow, but I don’t care. I’ve been a Blunt fan for a while now, and this is like nothing she has done before. She makes for a badass action hero and manages to upstage even Tom Cruise.

Ian: All three of us picked at least one unorthodox choice in the acting categories (spoiler alert?), so this category will be mine with Jennifer Lawrence in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Let’s be real, J-Law rocks pretty much every role she ever does, and the badass yet heartbreaking Mystique is no exception. AND she does it all with not much more than green screens and a blue jump-suit.

Matt: Keira Knightley for The Imitation Game -- I’m all in. Imitation Game fanboy.

Best Supporting Actor

Blake: The Academy will get this one right. I’ve been a fan of J.K. Simmons’ work for a long time now, and he delivered the best performance of his career in Whiplash. Psychologically abusing impressionable music students has never been more gripping or compelling.

Ian: Unfortunately I have yet to see Whiplash… I have heard and read nothing but admiration for J.K Simmons’ performance. With that said, I need to give this to Edward Norton in Birdman. He played the pretentious actor stereotype to perfection; yet no matter how heinously annoying he became, I still felt almost sympathetic. My favorite performance in a film full of great performances.

Matt: Godzilla for Godzilla. That growl though… I will admit Blake gave me this idea. It’s the right choice for me in this category.

Best Actress

Blake: Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl, please. For the sake of spoiler-phobes, I won’t go into great detail, but Pike is sensational as “Amazing” Amy Dunne. As ridiculous as the plot’s twists and turns became, I never once doubted what her character was capable of.

Ian: I’m really anxious to see Julianne Moore’s performance in Still Alice, as I’ve heard she is awe-inspiring (which is not surprising, considering she has swept all of the awards this season). But alas, I can’t deny that Rosamund Pike was great in Gone Girl.

Matt: Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl. She was the best part of the movie I was most excited to see in 2014.

Best Actor

Blake: I could give this to Michael Keaton, Jake Gyllenhaal or David Oyelowo and feel I made a good choice. But instead, I’m going to go with the underappreciated Andy Serkis. His motion capture performance as Caesar in Dawn of The Planet of The Apes was truly remarkable.

Ian: In a year dominated by powerful portrayals of real-world men (Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking, Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, David Oyelowo as MLK, Steve Carell as John DuPont, Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle), I gotta give my love to Michael Keaton for his portrayal of fictional Riggan Thompson in Birdman. Ironically, Riggan nearly mirrors Michael’s real-life career; but more than that, Keaton’s performance flawlessly walks the line of ruthless yet sympathetic, boisterous yet subtle, painfully dramatic yet laugh-out-loud comedic.

Matt: Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game. He killed it. Loved his confidence and his name.

Best Director

Blake: How can I award this to anyone but Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for The LEGO Movie? What could’ve been a feature-length advertisement for LEGOs was instead a clever spoof of the “chosen one” narrative that proved entertaining to both kids and adults alike.

Ian: Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman. (I’m glad I could Google how to spell his name, otherwise this award may have gone to someone else.) I hate to keep giving all my love to the same film, but Inarritu’s single, unbroken, tracking-shot style was visually astonishing. However, its purpose was more than just cinematic wizardry; the style gave me a sense of intimacy and immersion I don’t feel with most films, almost like I was watching a stage play. Plus, those long shots must have required hella amounts of meticulous coordination.

Matt: Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel. I have a great respect for his films. This one was probably my favorite.

Best Picture

Blake: I’m tempted to go with The Interview here, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t dole out top honors to Whiplash. I know I’m bordering on excessive hype, but this is as close to a perfect movie as I’ve ever seen -- and it more than held up on a second viewing.

Ian: This will come as no surprise based on my other answers, but the best film I saw this year was Birdman. It may have been a case of “right person, right time” for me… but when I left the theatre on that chilly November night, I knew I had just seen something unlike any movie I had ever seen before.

Matt: I’ll pull a Blake and say “I’m tempted to go with The Grand Budapest Hotel" because I really like Wes Anderson and want to give him his due. But I can’t forget how much I loved The Imitation Game.

---

CUSTOM CATEGORIES

Why let the Academy dictate what categories we can use for our own awards? We decided to cook up some custom categories of our own to recognize a few of our favorite films that might've been otherwise ignored during awards season.

Most Fun Movie

Blake: Comic book movies can rule the box office and win awards, too. Guardians of The Galaxy was the most impressive effort thus far from Marvel Studios, with a recipe for success that included a gun-toting raccoon, a tree that walks and talks, and a Walkman.

Ian: The LEGO Movie. This is one of the best animated movies ever made. With an endless cast of lovable careers, any person of any age has a blast watching this side-splittingly funny thrill ride.

Matt: Watching the Kansas City Royals make it to the World Series was some serious fun for me. In the cinematic world, I guess I will have to go with The Grand Budapest Hotel. Admittedly, a lame choice for this category. Special mention: Edge of Tomorrow. I really enjoyed it.

Best Sequel

Blake: This is a tough one. But I think I have to go with X-Men - Days of Future Past. It was the most ambitious sequel of the year, with a huge risk of failure. But the return of director Bryan Singer to the franchise helped repair the damage from less-than-stellar previous installments.

Ian: 22 Jump Street. I rarely go out of my way to watch modern comedies. The first Jump Street well-exceeded my low expectations, but the abundantly self-referential sequel puts its predecessor to shame.

Matt: Not a lot of good choices. I feel like I’m stretching here but I will go with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Always been a fan of the franchise and really enjoyed this year’s installment.

Most Disappointing Movie

Blake, Ian, and Matt: Foxcatcher.

Special mention from Matt: I really disliked the ending of Gone Girl. Like big time, because I wanted more from David Fincher.

Special mention from Ian: In addition to Foxcatcher, I was relatively disappointed by Interstellar. Good movie, but definitely not great. Chris Nolan’s worst movie in my opinion (but hey, if that’s his worst movie, he’s had a damn fine career).

Special mention from Blake: I felt like I needed to contribute a special mention also, since all the cool kids were doing it. Kevin Smith's Tusk was not as good as I had hoped.

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is Worth Remembering

Gosh, I love Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It rivals Wedding Crashers as one of the funniest movies that I've ever seen. It's one of those movies that never gets old, no matter how many times I see it. I was watching it the other night with my fiance as the culmination of our early Valentine's Day extravaganza, and once it was over, she asked with genuine curiousity: "Why do you like it so much?"

So what the heck do I like so much about Forgetting Sarah Marshall? In the spirit of Valentine's Day, let's find out. I could go on and on about what I like about it, but I've pinpointed a few of the big elements that I consider to be the most important. Read on and check it out!

It's a break-up movie from the male perspective. Before writer/producer/director Judd Apatow burst onto the scene with The 40-Year-Old Virgin -- ushering in a new era of bro-centric comedies with Seth Rogen positioned as the new face of the slobbish everyman -- the target audience for romantic comedies tended to skew female. Now, don't mistake this as a criticism of romantic comedies geared more towards women. Universal appeal is overrated, and there is nothing wrong with hedging your bets on the people likely to be most interested in your product. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was a breath of fresh air -- for me, at least -- because it engaged both sexes.

Peter Bretter is not the tough and rugged male protagonist we've come to expect from past romantic comedies. In fact, he is quite the opposite. In the immediate aftermath of the break-up, he spends much of his time in his apartment weeping and wallowing in sorrow. His ill-advised attempts at asserting his masculinity -- going clubbing with his reluctant but supportive stepbrother in search of a one night stand -- all go up in flames and fail to fill the gaping hole in his heart. Part of the reason that Forgetting Sarah Marshall succeeds so well is because it flips the script and subverts the traditional pre-ordained roles that have become an all-too-familiar staple of romantic comedies.

The "ex-girlfriend" is more than a cardboard caricature. This is never more apparent than in the conversation between Peter and Sarah towards the end of the film, in which Peter is forced to acknowledge the role he played in the death of their relationship. I'm not condoning the fact that Sarah had an affair (and never would), but I can at least understand the motivations behind it, as she was in a relationship that was becoming increasingly unfulfilling. I never hated Sarah, a rare feat in modern romantic comedies, where vilifying the ex as a terrible human being has become standard procedure. In a lesser film, Sarah might've been painted as a controlling shrew who relishes in making others miserable. Here, she is vulnerable and insecure and appears to have genuine feelings for Peter. Her Achilles' heel is that she never looks in the mirror when assigning blame -- whereas Peter spends most of the back half of the film accepting his flaws and coming into his own.

The film is an actualized version of what we all go through after a break-up -- no matter where we go, we can't stop thinking about the person that left us. In this case, Peter is so desperate to rid himself of painful memories that he seeks refuge in Hawaii, only to come face to face with them again in the form of her actual physical presence. Not to mention the fact that she has also brought her new boyfriend with her. And we are then able to see, from both sides, how each compares their current relationship to their last one. After Rachel Jansen from the front desk has a warm response to hearing one of the songs from his rock opera, Peter has a flashback to Sarah's less than enthused reaction. When her new beau Aldous Snow refuses to wear the new shirt she bought for him, Sarah has flashbacks to several occasions where Peter made a point to appreciate her gifts, regardless of whether he liked them or not. Small but truthful touches like this are what set Forgetting Sarah Marshall apart.

To me, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is less about romance and more about how much people can learn about themselves when going from one relationship to the next.

The near complete lack of lowest-common-denominator humor. There isn't a single fart or poop joke in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Go back and check the tape, and you'll see that I'm right. Toilet humor -- or at least, what I would consider to be toilet humor -- is largely absent. And through some strange miracle, the film still manages to be laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the humor holds up even after repeat viewings. Make no mistake, people, this is a modern miracle. Instead of relying on low-hanging fruit, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is all about having fun with interesting characters in situations that are ripe for comedy. The awkwardness alone of being on a hotel resort with your ex is what serves as the source of most of the humor. And let's not forget the fact that Peter is writing a musical version of Dracula -- with puppets. Now that is being creative.

Anything I missed? Let me know!

Saying Goodbye To "Justified"

It is no secret that I worship FX Network. The Americans, Fargo, The Strain, and American Horror Story are all shows that I watch on a regular basis. Sons of Anarchy, The Bridge, Terriers, and The Shield are series that I've watched from beginning to end, with Rescue Me and Tyrant among the lone outliers that I tuned out of after a while. I also plan on watching all of Damages sooner or later.

But it all started with Justified.

Rescue Me was the first show that I ever watched on FX, but I couldn't stomach all of the gratuitous pain and suffering it inflicted on its characters after two seasons, so I dropped it and didn't look back.

Justified premiered back on March 16, 2010, and was the first FX show that hooked me from the first episode and never let go. If you haven't read the work of author Elmore Leonard, chances are that you've at least seen one or more of the films based on his work. Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight are among the most popular films that used his novels as source material, but Justified -- which was based on Leonard's short story Fire In The Hole -- is the closest that anyone has come to replicating his unique style of writing for the screen, in my opinion.

Justified's final season began last week with the sixth season premiere on Tuesday night, and as I look back now on the entire series, I can't help but think that much of the show's success hinged on the performance of Timothy Olyphant in the role of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens.

Olyphant, as Raylan, is as charismatic as he is bullheaded. Raylan is introduced in the opening scene of the series premiere as a swaggering lawman with a cavalier concept of the law better suited for the Wild West, gunning down a drug cartel gun thug after warning him to leave Miami within 24 hours or find himself on the receiving end of a much-deserved bullet. True to his word, Raylan follows through on his threat, with little to no regard for the legal ramifications of his actions.

In a world so pre-occupied with thinking before shooting that pulling the trigger has almost become an afterthought, Raylan represents an old school brand of justice, walking a fine line that makes life a living hell for those in his crosshairs but frustrates the exasperated colleagues to whom the task of cleaning up his messes falls. Though he never sinks to the level of indefensible corruption that blackened the soul of The Shield's Vic Mackey, his tactics are often at odds with standard procedure.

Olyphant's swagger and charisma are an integral part of how Raylan continues to be likable in spite of the fact that most people seem to regard him with a combination of contempt and begrudging respect. Olyphant portrays Raylan as a man confident in his unbending belief that he stands above the criminals he hunts, despite having grown up surrounded by them in the small hick town of Harlan, Kentucky -- including his own loathsome father. With a greater understanding of how his home town's criminal populace operates, Raylan is able to navigate their world with relative ease, never once stopping to consider if superficial differences are all that separate him from the dishonest denizens of Harlan.

While Olyphant is fantastic, one can't praise his performance without also calling attention to the underappreciated work of Walton Goggins, whose character Boyd Crowder serves as Raylan's chief foil and antagonist. When Raylan is re-located to Kentucky in the immediate aftermath of the series premiere's opening scene, his return to Harlan also functions as a reunion of sorts, as he crosses paths with Boyd. The two grew up together and even came to be friends while working in the coal mine as teenagers before following opposite paths, with Raylan a lawman and Boyd a career criminal.

Boyd was never supposed to survive the series premiere, but the producers were so enamored with the dynamic between Olyphant and Goggins that the decision was made to keep Boyd alive. Introduced as a bank-robbing white supremacist in the premiere, Boyd reveals himself to be an eloquent and intelligent chameleon, re-purposing different ideas and ideologies to further his own personal agenda. Dismiss him as a dumb redneck at your own peril. Boyd is the outlaw equivalent of a blue collar worker, doing whatever he needs to survive in the hope of securing a future for himself.

Boyd is positioned as Raylan's nemesis from the beginning, yet the two find their interests aligned on more than a few occasions. As often as the two have gone toe to toe, Raylan and Boyd have also had each other's backs, further complicating one of the most fascinating love-hate relationships on television. Raylan has made it clear that he intends to see Boyd behind bars -- or, better yet, six feet under -- when all is said and done, but over the course of five seasons, he has appeared willing to allow Boyd to run free, as long as there is bigger game to hunt.

Until now.

As far as what I'll miss most about Justified, it all comes back to Raylan and Boyd. Exceptional writing has been a staple of Justified from the beginning, but few performances on television have been as riveting as the work that Olyphant and Goggins have done here. The series has been hit-or-miss in terms of servicing its cast of supporting characters, but it has never failed to provide ample material for the two men whose characters are what hold this show together.

And, as you'll see in the teaser below, the final season has set the stage for a long-awaited showdown between Raylan and Boyd. You're not going to want to miss it.

The final season of Justified airs Tuesday nights on FX at 9pm.

Most Anticipated Movies of 2015

The New Year is here, and with it comes a whole new slate of films waiting to be released. How cool is that? There is a lot to look forward to, so allow me to save you some time and run down the list of movie that I'm most looking forward to. Because we all know that if I'm excited about it, you should be too! Let's take a look at what the coming year has to offer:

1. The Avengers - Age of Ultron. I mean, how can you not be excited? Superhero fatigue, maybe. But if you're a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, chances are that you're counting down the days until Age of Ultron hits theaters. The Avengers was a critical and commercial success, ranking third all-time in domestic box office gross -- so expectations are sky high for the follow-up. In the much-anticipated sequel, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner attempt to augment the Avengers' world-saving efforts -- in the wake of S.H.I.E.L.D. being dissolved -- with a cadre of custom robots, using artificial intelligence recovered in the aftermath of the Chitauri attack on New York City. But, as is often the case with this sort of thing, their creation turns on them and sets in motion a plan to eradicate mankind, forcing the Avengers to combat an unstoppable force of their own making. (May 1st, 2015)

2. Star Wars - The Force Awakens. Forget the prequels. George Lucas, for better or for worse, is no longer involved with the franchise that defined his career. Consider this a much-needed fresh start. J.J. Abrams is at the helm after resurrecting the Star Trek franchise, and he has assembled a strong cast with a bevy of fresh faces, including John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, and Max Von Sydow. Did I also mention that Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia are back? Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford will be reprising their iconic roles for the first time since 1983's Return of the Jedi. The plot has been kept under wraps -- as is standard procedure with Abrams -- but excitement continues to build, even with some fans tempering expectations after the traumatic disappointment of The Phantom Menace. (December 18th, 2015)

3. The Hateful Eight. I'll watch anything when Quentin Tarantino is in the director's chair. The man has yet to disappoint, and I see no reason to doubt him now. There was concern that The Hateful Eight would never see the silver screen when a first draft of the script leaked onto the Internet and Tarantino responded with understandable outrage, threatening to shelve the film altogether. Fortunately for us all, Tarantino reconsidered, using his trademark talent for exceptional casting to bring together Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern. Set several years after the Civil War, The Hateful Eight concerns a group of disparate rogues who find themselves holed up at a mountainside stopover during a blizzard -- where all of their own personal interests and agendas come to collide. (November 13th, 2015)

4. Tomorrowland. When the co-creator of Lost and The Leftovers (Damon Lindelof), the director of The Incredibles and Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird), and George Clooney all decide to join forces, I don't ask why. I just ask when and where I can start standing in line. The secretive production has flown under the radar for some time now -- Lindelof also subscribes to J.J. Abrams' devout belief in keeping the details of his films close to the vest -- but shares the same name as the popular Disneyland attraction, inspiring speculation that the film will feature a realized version of the futuristic theme land. George Clooney's Frank Walker is a grizzled inventor with ties to the film's version of Tomorrowland who decides to return to the world -- from which he was exiled long ago -- for reasons unknown with a young girl (Britt Robertson) in tow. (May 22nd, 2015)

5. Spectre. Daniel Craig is the best Bond. There, I said it. I know some of you are probably ready to leap out your chairs and champion Sean Connery or Roger Moore as the best, but after growing up with Pierce Brosnan's 007, I hopped on the Daniel Craig bandwagon after Casino Royale and haven't looked back since. Well, maybe a little. Quantum of Solace was, for all intents and purposes, a creative failure, in large part because of the writer's strike, but Skyfall managed to right the ship with director Sam Mendes behind the camera. Mendes returns for a second round of espionage and intrique, and the title would suggest that he is now bringing SPECTRE -- the sinister organization first introduced in 1962's Dr. No -- into the fold as well. Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Monica Bellucci, Andrew Scott, and Dave Bautista are among the exciting new additions to the cast. (November 6th, 2015)

6. Chappie. Neill Blomkamp is one of the most promising directors working in Hollywood right now, after having burst onto the scene with 2009's District 9. Elysium, his follow-up effort, fell short of expectations, but I'm not going to hold a sophomore slump against him, especially when he continues to reserve roles for the magnificent Sharlto Copley. This time around, Copley is providing the voice and movements via motion capture performance for CHAPPiE, a self-aware robot whose mere existence is perceived as a threat to mankind -- provoking those in power to target him for extermination. Dev Patel is the idealistic young scientist who creates CHAPPiE, and Hugh Jackman is the man leading the charge to have him destroyed, for fear of what he might be capable of. Blomkamp is one to keep an eye on, and Chappie is the perfect place to start. (March 6th, 2015)

7. Jurassic World. Let's be honest: Chris Pratt can do no wrong. If you weren't already a fan when he was the lovable doofus Andy Dwyer on NBC's Parks And Recreation, then chances are you converted when he soared to instant stardom as Peter Quill (a.k.a. Star-Lord) in last year's surprise blockbuster Guardians of The Galaxy. So who better than Pratt to reboot the Jurassic Park franchise? Jurassic World picks up twenty years after the original film, with the dinosaur theme park now up and running but faced with declining attendance. In a bid to boost public interest, the park's higher-ups dig into their bag of bad ideas and decide to create a hybrid dinosaur -- which, naturally, causes all hell to break loose when it escapes confinement. I'm not 100% sold on the idea of rebooting Jurassic Park, but with Pratt onboard, I'm at least willing to take a chance on it. (June 12th, 2015)

8. Ant-Man. "Cautious optimism" is how I would describe my expectations for Ant-Man after writer/director Edgar Wright left the film during pre-production due to creative issues, despite having been attached the project for over 10 years. I'm a huge Edgar Wright fan, so you can understand my disappointment over his departure and the fact that Bring It On's Peyton Reed was hired as his replacement. Marvel Studios has had a few missteps here and there -- I'm looking at you, Thor - The Dark World -- but for the most part, their results have been solid to spectacular. So I'm not going to just give up on Ant-Man, especially with Paul Rudd in the lead role as two-bit thief Scott Lang and Michael Douglas cast as Dr. Hank Pym, the aging scientist and original "Ant-Man" who recruits Lang to steal back technology that has fallen into the wrong hands. (July 17th, 2015)

9. Jupiter Ascending. I'm going out on a limb here with this one, because the latest sci-fi epic from the Wachowskis is far from a sure thing. It was first positioned as a blockbuster tentpole last summer, before the release date was pushed back to February to allow more time for the special effects to be completed. That kind of a shift in a release date is never a good sign, regardless of the reasons that the studio provides, but I'm hopeful that this will be one of the pleasant surprises of 2015. Since re-defining the science fiction genre with The Matrix, the Wachowskis have not been afraid to be bold (see Cloud Atlas), even when the final product is less than stellar (see Speed Racer). Jupiter Ascending is another high-concept sci-fi epic, with Mila Kunis as an unsuspecting human who finds herself embroiled in an intergalactic struggle for power. (February 6th, 2015)

10. Crimson Peak. Guillermo del Toro is kind of a big deal. You want to know how cool he is? He served as a special visual consultant on Edge of Tomorrow, in addition to serving as an executive producer for the television series The Strain (adapted from his own trilogy of novels co-written with Chuck Hogan) and co-writing all three of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit films. That is just a microcosm of the work he has done over the past decade, but you get the idea. Del Toro is notorious for having over a dozen different projects in development -- from a sequel to Pacific Rim to a new film adaptation of Pinocchio -- so when he settles on one film to direct, that should be enough to grab your attention. With a cast that includes Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, and Charlie Hunnam, Crimson Peak is del Toro's much anticipated return to the horror genre. (October 16th, 2015)

I am not looking forward to The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

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