Best Films - 2014

Taking a brief look back at my "Best Films" list from the last couple of years, the best I can say is that the few films at the top--Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, Peter Strickland's Berberian Sound Studio, Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, Leos Carax's Holy Motors--are still reliable indicators of what is invigorating and hopeful to me about the current state of movies. Here are the films that struck an ecstatic chord with me in 2014:

Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Alejandro Inarritu

The Act of Killing  Joshua Oppenheimer

Ida  Pawel Pawlikowski

Under the Skin  Jonathan Glazer

The Homesman  Tommy Lee Jones

Nightcrawler  Dan Gilroy

Enemy  Denis Villeneuve

Her  Spike Jonze

Jodorowsky’s  Dune  Frank Pavich

The Rover  David Michod

The Best of the Rest:

Only Lovers Left Alive Jim Jarmusch

We Are The Best! Lukas Moodysson

Nebraska Alexander Payne

Lucy Luc Besson
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night Ana Lily Amirpour

Night Moves Kelley Reichardt

Willow Creek Bobcat Goldthwait

Locke Steven Knight

Edge of Tomorrow Doug Liman

Boyhood Richard Linklater

Frank Lenny Arahamsom

Fury David Ayer
Welcome To Me Shira Piven

Tilda Swinton in Only Lovers Left Alive

The Disappointments: 

Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Cohen), Leviathan (Andrey Zivyagintsev),

Whiplash (Damien Chazelle), Slow West (John Maclean)

Just Terrible:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (Frances Lawrence), Saw (James Wan - 10th Anniversary Re-Release...my first "Saw movie")