My 15 Favorite Films of 2014
No doubt I’m far from the only person who skips the intros to these lists and heads directly for the meaty content, so I’ll keep my introduction succinct and just make three quick points.
Author: Andrew Spitznas
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Wild (Jean-Marc Vallee, 2014)
Director Jean-Marc Vallee, screenwriter Nick Hornby, and actors Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern combine superbly in this story of self-transformation by way of a long wilderness trek.
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The Appalachian Trail: An American Legacy (Sam Henegar, 2014)
This brief documentary appealingly serves up a history lesson, along with plenty of lovely outdoor imagery.
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Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me (dir. James Keach, 2014)
James Keach’s “fly on the wall” documentary covering Glen Campbell’s farewell tour succeeds as a family portrait centered upon a man in decline due to Alzheimer’s, even if it overreaches slightly as a public service announcement.
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If You Don’t, I Will (Fillieres, 2014)
Though it takes a while to gain momentum, Emmanuelle Devos and Mathieu Amalric once again excel together in this tragicomic battle of the sexes.
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Ridley Scott’s “Exodus”: An Unbeliever’s Perspective
"Exodus: Gods and Kings" is a DeMille-worthy spectacle, but an intellectually incoherent mess.
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Force Majeure (Ostland, 2014)
After an avalanche scare, a vacationing family questions the ties that bind in this finely crafted, unpredictable tale