FAVORITE MOVIES:
-CESAR CHAVEZ⇧
A solid biopic with timeless truth about class, bigotry, labor, and humanity.
-BOYHOOD
Twelve years of a child's life, in real time, by director Richard Linklater.
-BELLE (UK) ⇧
A true story of a black woman in 18th century British aristocracy, and the path to the abolition of slavery.
-LOCKE (UK)
Dealing with a crisis while driving for 90 minutes equals better drama and suspense than any film around.
Tom Hardy is amazing.
-THE DROP
A razor-sharp crime thriller, layered mystery, and character piece.
A crack cast with James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace, the breakout Matthias Schoenaerts, and the brilliant Tom Hardy.
-GONE GIRL
A wider canvas Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
There's wonkiness in the structure and performances, but it still generally works for me.
-THE DANCE OF REALITY (Mexico)
Jodorowsky returns with a surrealist parable on his bizarre, brutal childhood.
Uneven but always arresting.
-CALGARY (Ireland)
A dark comedy or a wry drama, with odd turns, deft characters, and caustic wit.
-THE GOOD LIE⇧
A true story of four refugees from the Sudan massacres trying to make it in Kansas City.
A poignant film that flows with effortless grace, genuine warmth, and gentle humor.
-FRANK⇧
A bent comedy about music, madness, and fragile human connection.
Michael Fassbender is typically stunning. The end credits songs are worth the admission alone.
-SPACE STATION 76
A sly black comedy and surprisingly reverent homage to mid-70's Sci-Fi cinema.
-THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Stylish panache, slippery twists, and startling dialogue. Ralph Fiennes is excellent.
-WE ARE THE BEST! (Sweden) ⇧
Three teen girls conspire to be a punk band in 1982. Mayhem unleashes.
-THE TRIP TO ITALY (UK)
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon continue their comedic duel from THE TRIP by sailing abroad.
-THE ONE I LOVE⇧
This comedy about marriage becomes something far more unexpected and surreal...
-DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES⇧
The GODFATHER II of the Apes films.
Andy Serkis' performance as Caesar is nuanced and electrifying.
-EDGE OF TOMORROW
ALIENS meets GROUNDHOG DAY.
Everyone keeps telling you to see this underrated, fun, and sharp SF film because you missed out.
-LUCY (France)
Scarlet Johansson will kick your ass on her way to the next level.
-I ORIGINS⇧
Director Mike Cahill and star/co-writer Brit Marling follow ANOTHER EARTH with more heady speculative fiction.
Imagine Shane Carruth (UPSTREAM COLOR) rethinking VERTIGO.
-INTERSTELLAR
Christopher Nolan's humanist homage and counterpoint to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.
A rip current of good, great, and greatness.
-THE HOBBIT: The Battle of the Five Armies
Almost a 'carnage postscript' held steady by character moments and fine performances, particularly Martin Freeman.
-THE BABADOOK (Australia) ⇧
This psychological horror movie is adrenalized by the shattering performances of mother and son.
A rousing debut by director/writer Jennifer Kent.
-UNDER THE SKIN (UK/Swiss) ⇧
A moody mystery about what lies beneath.
Scarlet Johansson does wonders with silence and implication.
-ENEMY (Canada/Spain)
Obtuse symbolist Kafka headgame.
-CAPTAIN AMERICA: The Winter Soldier⇧
This superior sequel tributes Steranko, the countercultural Cap', and 70's political thrillers to perfect effect.
-AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
This film, to me, takes every wrong move of SPIDER-MAN 3... and course-corrects every one.
Haters may rail, but I still cried.
-X-MEN: Days of Future Past
Director Bryan Singer returns to take his crew to their highest high. Terrific.
-SNOWPIERCER (South Korea) ⇧
BLADE RUNNER was an ignored dud on release, and grew its sterling reputation and acclaim over time and word-of-mouth.
I think this fierce meditation on class wars and the human future will also.
-GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
This is a smartly fun film with impeccable craft.
It sets up the entire Marvel cosmic cosmology without breaking a sweat.
-AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
The second season, in the aftermath of "CAPTAIN AMERICA: The Winter Soldier", is full-throttle pay-off.
-THE WIND RISES (Japan, 2013) ⇧
Miyazaki.
The craft is stunning, but the story leaves me with very mixed feelings.
-BIG HERO 6
Marvel Studios pulls off another left-field success.
-THE BOXTROLLS
True stop-motion animation taken to higher levels by the Laika studio.
-THE LEGO MOVIE
All the creative chaos of kids at hyperspeed. Plus Batman!
-THE BOY WITH THE CUCKOO-CLOCK HEART ('Jack et la mécanique du cœur'; France)
Gets by on style and surprises.
-THE SIMPSONS, S26E06: "Simpsorama"⇧
The Simpsons meet Futurama!
-TOY STORY That Time Forgot (TV special)
Every time they sequel TOY STORY, it only improves!
FAVORITE DOCUMENTARIES:
-CITIZENFOUR⇧
You know it's a corrupt era when we punish the whistleblower instead of the criminals.
-THE UNKNOWN KNOWN
Donald Rumsfeld is a lying war criminal.
-LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM
The fall of Saigon and the abyss of impossible choices.
-FRONTLINE: The United States of Secrets⇧
“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”
― George Orwell, 1984
-THE ROOSEVELTS (PBS mini-series)
Ken Burns.
-COSMOS: A Space/Time Odyssey 1
Neil deGrasse Tyson.
FAVORITE TV:
(The season number follows each title.)
NEWS
-LAST WEEK with John Oliver⇧
-THE DAILY SHOW with Jon Stewart
-THE COLBERT REPORT with Stephen Colbert
-The Rachel Maddow Show
-RECTIFY 2 ⇧
✭✭✭✭✭
The unsung best series of last year is finally getting the acclaim it deserves.
-MASTERS OF SEX 2
Lizzy Caplan.
-MAD MEN 7.1
-GAME OF THRONES 4 ⇧
A great season that leaves even more bruises than before.
-AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. 2
In fine form.
-GOTHAM 1
An odd brew of great cinematography, slow-burn plot, weak dialogue, and standout actors (Bullock, Penguin, Riddler).
-FLASH 1
Like a CW/Peter Parker take for tweenies, but wins over with its enthusiasm and mythos-building.
-ARROW
The best Batman TV show Christopher Nolan might have made.
-CONSTANTINE
This is a pretty faithful version of John Constantine on USA TV. None of us saw that coming.
-HELIX
Trading on every SF trope, or putting a new spin on them?
Derivative of everything, but still always interesting enough.
-PENNY DREADFUL 1 ⇧
Eva Green. ✭✭✭✭✭
A parallel to Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen books, in every right way.
(Or perhaps a League of Universal Monsters.)
-ORPHAN BLACK 2 (Canada/BBC)
Tatiana Maslaney finds new breadths and depths to amaze.
-DOCTOR WHO 8
Peter Capaldi is sharply demented, and Jenna Coleman comes into her own.
-OUTLANDER 1.1 ⇧
This stealth favorite is giving the best shows a hard run for their money.
-AKTA MANISKOR 2 (a.k.a., Almost Human; Sweden)
The constantly interesting and perplexing Android series unfolds.
-BLACK MIRROR: "White Christmas" (holiday special) ⇧
The Twilight Zone for the tech era returns.
This blistering critique of the worst dangers of digital identity is the most chilling yet.
-RIPPER STREET 3 (UK) ⇧
Despite the odds, this underrated and first-rate detective show returned.
-THE FALL 2 (Ireland)
Gillian Anderson with the range she deserves.
-GRACEPOINT
David Tennant reprises his Broadchurch series for the USA.
-SHERLOCK 3 (UK)
So fired up on its popular momentum it seemed to be spinning out of control, storywise.
But Cumberbatch and Freeman.
-ELEMENTARY 3 ⇧
The US parallel to Sherlock steadily delivers inventive mysteries, evolving character, and forward progress unabated.
-TRUE DETECTIVE 1
Very good with some great moments, held aloft by Matthew McConaughey.
-THE KILLING 4
Defying two cancellations, the American revision of Forbrydelsen finishes.
-BATES MOTEL 2
Confident, expansive, twisty.
-HANNIBAL 2
More moody magnification from the Red Dragon prequel, despite the twin dangers of rote formula and a hideously campy rival.
-FARGO 1 ⇧
Nearly perfect. Fans of FARGO (1996) and Twin Peaks will love it.
-BROAD CITY⇧
2 bonkers young women take on New York.
Sacrilegious, awkward, horny, crazed.
Hey, who has time to see everything?
(or, 'The DVD Was Not Available At Press Time')
(Drama)
-ROSEWATER
-GET ON UP
-MOMMY
-LOVE IS STRANGE
-THE IMITATION GAME
-A MOST VIOLENT YEAR
-THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY
(Comedy)
-BIRDMAN
-TOP FIVE
-WILD TALES
-THEY CAME TOGETHER
(Horror)
-A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (Iran)
(Animation)
-THE BOOK OF LIFE
-GIOVANNI'S ISLAND (Japan)
-WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE (Japan)
-THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA (Japan)
(TV)
-THE LEGEND OF KORRA
-HAPPY VALLEY (UK)
See also:
BEST MUSIC: 2014
BEST MOVIES & TV: 2013
BEST MUSIC: 2013
BEST MOVIES & TV: 2012
BEST MUSIC: 2012
BEST COMIX: 2012
BEST MOVIES & TV: 2011
BEST MUSIC: 2011
BEST COMIX: 2011
BEST MOVIES: 2000-2010
BEST COMIX: 2000-2010
BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010