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By Paul Attard ’15 | Staff Writer
DISCLAIMER: The following opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Tower Pulse as a whole.
In 2014 we saw the end of history and the departure of language from the cinema, with films giving all of us new experiences and changing our worldview. This was the year that my cinephilia grew even more, as I watched over 90 2014 releases and 200+ films overall. This was at least 20 more films than I saw the year prior. 2014 showed itself to be one of the best years for the movies in quite a while. Here’s a link to every film I saw released this year.
10. “The Missing Picture”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-yzDWPI2GM]
Rithy Panh’s incredibly moving documentary captures the true horrors that haunt our pasts, while also being one of the most creative films I’ve seen in a while. Using hand-made clay figures, Panh recreates all of the images that have been seared into his memory from surviving the Khmer Rouge, telling stories that no person has ever photographed. Passion drips from every crevice in the film, with Panh using practical means to tell an incredible narrative. Through such means he seamlessly questions the atrocities that happened in his youth, giving the audience an understanding through personal experience. While the Khmer Rouge may have damaged Panh, they never did damage his creativity. That’s on full display here.
9. “Moebius”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG4kaGZah1M]
A demented comedy that pushed me to my limits several times, provocateur Kim Ki-duk’s 19th feature doesn’t lose any of the repulsive nature of previous works such as “3-Iron.” With an over-the-top premise that involves incest, castration and sadomasochism, Ki-duk uses all of this to craft a hilarious series of events that are as nauseating as they are funny. With no dialogue, the film works as an unhinged Chaplinesque tale of a boy falling in love with a girl (they both happen to love stabbing each other in the shoulder for pleasure.) Queasy hijinks ensue and give way to three performers throwing themselves into some of the wildest characters to grace the screen in a while. While I admit this film is not for everyone (OK, it’s not remotely close to everyone’s cup of tea), those who give the film a try will at least see the most manically-odd film release this decade
8. “Black Coal, Thin Ice”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mihJgsYKLqo]
A surprising amount of critics have ignored the winner of this year’s Golden Bear this year from the Berlin Film Festival. While it did compete with another, more well-known American film (more on that one later), Diao Yinan’s woozy noir was still one to not be ignored. Taking aspects from classic crime dramas and the neon-lit aesthetics of Mann and Kar-wai, this Chinese mystery film left me far colder than “Foxcatcher” and never lost my interest for a second. Staging brutal acts of violence in an Asian film seems to be the norm, but to do what this film did and have one of the most surprising uses of this in recent years? Beyond impressive. While the release of the film was particularly weak, if one can see this fascinatingly-told tale of love lost, they won’t be disappointed.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb3zBq6gVRk]
Even though many claim it was a weak year for female performances, Marion Cotillard, gave two of the best performances of the year. However, it is unlikely that she will receive any major award; she deserves every amount of praise she gets. In the Dardenne’s newest feature, Cotillard’s absolutely incredible as Sandra, a woman who must convince her co-workers to choose her over a bonus. Emotionally fragile, she endures all types of human interaction during her journey, showing the philosophy of the Dardenne’s: how every person’s valuable, no matter what the circumstance or conditions. This affectionate love creates a human narrative more powerful than other features the brothers have worked on, which is a pretty hard feat to accomplish by their standards.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TbxI_oRSKI]
“What choice do we have?” The last question asked in Jim Jarmusch’s stunning new film asks what can vampires, Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton), do to live through the changing times. While the main joke may be lame to some (vampires, who have lived through the ages and seen everything, are the ultimate hipsters), Jarmusch layers his film richly enough to please concerned viewers. The existential death of taste follows Adam and Eve through the haunted streets of Detroit, every shot lingering on the decaying buildings the lovers cherish. Swinton and Hiddleston breathe such life into the characters, making their chemistry far more sultry than anything from Edward and Bella. While the past that these star-crossed lovers wish for may be disappearing, they at least make the most of what they now have.
For part two, click here!
