TOP TEN FILMS OF 2014 (Commentary)

Sadly there’s a lot I have not seen yet but that’s life as a new father.

10. Captain America: The Winer Soldier

  9. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

  8. Nightcrawler

  7. The Lego Movie

  6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

  5. Gone Girl

  4. Edge of Tomorrow

  3. Boyhood

  2. Interstellar

  1. Birdman

Making a Murderer (Season 1)

This ten part series on Netflix is the true and completely unbelievable story of Steven Avery.  Here is a guy who is wrongfully accused of sexually assaulting a woman, is cleared because of DNA evidence and then is arrested for another crime, this time murder.   Is he innocent again or guilty?  I can go into all the evidence and stuff but I’d rather you watch this incredible frustrated sage of two men against a prejudiced system.   

Grade: A-

Spoilers: Okay now that you’ve seen it . . . there’s no way this guy should be in jail.  That’s not to say he didn’t do it, he could have done it, but I couldn’t have sent him there because the reasonable doubt is overwhelming.  That crooked police department set him up and there’s no way you can convince me otherwise. I'm sure there's some evidence the film makers might not have shown us but again, if I'm a jury, I send him home, for good or bad.  

Joy (2015)

Jennifer Lawrence is a superstar and you can see why director/writer David O. Russell would want to work with her again.  This role seemed to be tailor-fitted for her.  It’s the story of Miracle Mop inventor and Home Shopping Network queen Joy Mangano.  It’s a really inspiring, well-told story and Lawrence delivers, again, another Oscar worth performance.   I’m sure Russell took some liberties with the actual history but I’m fine with it because I enjoyed every minute of her story.   I highly recommend this one and assume we’ll see it in the hunt for some awards this year.  Grade: A-

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Easily the most anticipated film of the year, we return to a Galaxy Far Far Away.  Being a Star Wars Fan I could write about my experience and my opinion on the success and failure of this reboot/remake/sequel all night.  I’m sure the blog would be so long no one, including me, would want to read it.   Instead I’m going keep my feelings short and simply say this.  Good.  It’s a good film.   J.J. Abrams does what he was hired to do and that’s to stoke the flames of Star Wars back into a roaring blaze.  While watching the film I actually felt like a kid again.  Seeing the originals return and to see how easily they slipped back into their characters was awe inspiring.   I wish the script hadn’t felt like a Star Wars remake, reusing plots and devices from the original trilogy as if Abrams Kasdan didn’t want to even try.   The prequels for all their inferiority are actually way more creative and it feels like they were punished for it.   Instead of taking any risks J.J. Abrams delivers what we all want to see, unconcerned that we’ve already enjoyed this meal once, twice and three times.  The best parts of the film are those that felt different.  The new characters of Rey, Finn, Kylo Renn and Poe Dameron are all exciting new additions to this universe and I must say I can’t wait to see how director/writer Raine Johnson uses them in the next episode. This all leads me to wonder if this Disney driven franchise will ever be more than a fan service franchise.   Like Marvel Studios, is Lucasfilm going to play it safe and create entertaining but soulless entries to this once unique cinematic world?   Sure they aren’t afraid to kill off a character as seen in this one, but was it not expected?   Will they even try to wow us?   Hate on George Lucas all you want, but when he was around Star Wars had a voice.  Now I feel like it is lacking.   Not to be all doom and gloom, I could be wrong and I hope I am.  Now that Kathleen Kennedy brought the franchise back from the smoldering ashes of the prequels, maybe now they can distance themselves from the redundant and bring us films that reinvent what is  Star Wars while retaining the magic we all love.  I very challenging task as J.J. Abrams knows.  Grade: B+

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015)

At last the second part to the conclusion of the Hunger Games film series.   My biggest complaint with Lionsgate deciding to divide up this book is that they didn’t do enough to make the films stand on their own.  They could have diverted from the book a little bit with the first one and really got into Katniss proving she deserves to fight for the cause instead of just being their symbol.  Now that I’ve seen this second part, while I liked all that they did, I can’t help but feel a three hour version would have been way more satisfying.   If you’re read the book, I’m happy to see they followed the story as Suzanne Collins wrote it.  The action is solid and the characters’ arcs transition to film wonderfully.   If you didn’t like the book you’ll probably not care for the film.  I loved the book and liked the film.  I wish the ending had a stronger build and I think the epilogue was a tad long.  Still it’s a decent ending to a pretty terrific series. Grade: B+

Spectre (2015)

Daniel Craig is back as James Bond and we’re finally going to be introduced to his greatest nemesis Blofeld and his secret criminal organization set on taking over the world.   Sam Mendes returns to the director chair and all is in place for a great film.  Sadly I would not say this one is as successful as I had hoped.   While I didn’t particular enjoy Skyfall as much as everyone else did, it is superior to this sequel.  Christoph’s Blofeld is very underwhelming and the plot is less interesting or even coherent.   The one highlight is the casting of Lea Seydoux as Bond’s new love interest.   She pretty much saves the film from being a complete failure.  In the end I wouldn’t say it’s a bad Bond film, I did like it but it just didn’t feel as if they captured the spirit of Bond.  There’s really only one scene that felt like it came from a Bond film and that’s at the beginning.   After that every action scene felt like a retread of other famous Bond films.   And without a strong villain, and Blofeld should have been great, it's just pretty blah.   I really hope this isn’t Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007.  I want him to go out with a bang instead of a mild shrug like this.  Grade: B

The Leftovers (Season 2)

I’ll say it.  This is the best show on television.  The first season was a beautifully grim story of a family torn asunder but here Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta give us a rebirth of a family brought together.   How do I not write about this show without overselling it?   It’s not for everyone.  But those who will appreciate it will be so inspired and moved I doubt you’ll forget it.  The very first sequence of season two is so remarkable I’d award it a special Emmy for best opening ever.  Like the first season, each episode explores a character’s story arc and as the season unfolds the story builds to one of the best culminations I’ve seen.  Justin Theroux continues to marvel and give the performance of the year.  Seeing this man struggle with his sense of fate is soulful and heartbreaking.  Ann Dowd returns from the dead and her presence is instrumental and as innovated as you can get in television drama.  Then there’s Carrie Coons who I love. She’s amazing and to see how badly her character wants to make sense of her crisis is unforgettable.   To summarize this season is to state Kevin and Nora, along with Kevin’s daughter Jill, adopt Holy Wayne’s child and move to the one town in the world where no one disappeared after the Sudden Departure, Miracle Texas.  Matt and his paralyzed and catatonic wife have already moved there in hope the place might somehow bring Mary back.  Here we are introduced to a new family, the Murphy’s.  They live in Miracle and it’s their secrets that help give even more life to an already complex landscape.  What occurs in this show is as imaginative as anything I’ve seen.  Lindelof’s DNA is everywhere and his writers playfully take us to areas never explored in television.  To produce an even better second season of an already brilliant show is an incredible achievement.  Hopefully HBO realized what a prize it has here and gives it another season.  Although it doesn’t need one, I really want to come back to this world and continue to witness these characters’ journey.  Grade: A+