The best film of 2014 is:

43 Comments

  • Devon W. - 9 years ago

    I'm a bit late on this, and and still working on catching up with a lot of potential top films including popular choices Under the Skin, Birdman and the Lego Movie, but just want to give a vote towards Calvary which hit me harder than any film this year, and that includes Boyhood (which I need to rewatch, but is currently outside of my top 5).

  • kadajawi - 9 years ago

    While I still have to catch up with a couple of movies on the list my vote goes Lego Movie. It was the biggest surprise of the year, great fun AND reasonably thoughtful. Yes, the Grand Budapest Hotel was fun too, but not as much, and rather pointless IMHO. Guardians was a ton of fun, but there wasn't more to it.

  • Alison K. - 9 years ago

    (still have to see A Most Violent Year & Mr. Turner)

    1. Gone Girl
    2. Inherent Vice

    (with everything else far below)

    3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
    4. Interstellar
    5. The Immigrant

    Honorable mentions:

    Only Lovers Left Alive
    The Rover
    Jimmy's Hall
    Nightcrawler
    Whiplash
    Birdman
    The Trip to Italy

    Nice try but no cigar:

    Foxcatcher

  • Gregor - 9 years ago

    I can't understand for the life of me why so many of these thought provoking movies with such little value for entertainment and practical pacing are being PRAISED by all of you. Kubrick knew how to balance the two fairly well. I enjoyed the profound nature of UNDER THE SKIN and FORCE MAJURE and the challenges they brought to conventional cinema, BUT COME ON! Is there no more love for entertainment? Am I the only one that thinks that proper storytelling should incorporate a FIRM GRIP on your audience? You guys are really reaching, when you think these art house flicks are better recommendations than movies like BIRDMAN, INTERSTELLAR, GRAND BUDAPEST, and GUARDIANS.

    "Thought provoking" is a wonderful thing, but it shouldn't excuse good STORYTELLING; which is what movies are all about in my opinion.

    (rant over)

  • John DeCarli - 9 years ago

    One of the best films of the year, not mentioned on the show this year, is Godard's video collage on nature and art, Goodbye to Language. The film dazzles with a flood of remarkable imagery, an articulation of a purely visual language that cannot and should not be reduced to a single meaning. (It is, after all, called Goodbye to Language.) From the infamous jump-cuts in Breathless to the layered superimpositions of Histoire(s) du cinema, Godard has made a career searching for new interactions among images, and he's found another startling approach using 3D here.

  • Doug Boyles - 9 years ago

    I know what the correct answer is here, it's obviously Boyhood and I think it will go on to win the Oscar. However, the film that I personally loved the most was Annie. With its modern music and cultural references Annie may not be a timeless classic, but in 2014 it was a near perfect film and is one that reminds us what a joy it is to go to the movies. #filmspottingcardrevoked

    You can read my review here: http://www.douginthedark.com/2014/12/annie-2014.html

  • Kathy W - 9 years ago

    Foxcatcher hit me like a gut-punch, and has stayed with me for the sadness, awe and appreciation of just how right Bennett Miller and his fantastic cast got it. Perhaps like one needs to be in the entertainment industry to fully get Birdman, or a musician to fully get Whiplash, I would submit that maybe one has to appreciate sports (maybe even just wrestling) to hear everything Foxcatcher is saying. Any sport, when played at the highest level, has an unassailable aesthetic that you can't drag your eyes away from, and what it takes to get there is something most of us will never come close to. Channing Tatum nails not only the guts it takes, but the way some of these athletes turn their lives over to their coaches for the motivation, head-case management, and love they need to succeed.

    Let me submit my two scenes of the year. First is the scene where Steve Carell's character, desperate to impress his mother, stops practice to demonstrate the arm drag, one of wrestling's most basic moves that his elite wrestlers completely humor him in watching. His halting use of the word "portion" to point out a part of the athlete's musculature that any wrestler would be able to name in two seconds is topped only by the cut to Mark Ruffalo's face as silently watches this odd demo. Second, just as a wrestling mom, is the scene that I'll simply title "twelve pounds, ninety minutes." I think my son - an all-state wrestler - let out an audible "holy sh*t" in the theater next to me. Every wrestler has been there, albeit hopefully not to that degree.

    Also loved Locke and Grand Budapest Hotel, and my son votes for The Babadook (and can't stop creeping me out with that awful voice.)

  • Austin - 9 years ago

    While I loved films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood and Whiplash, the only film that really captured me completely was The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. It is one of the most beautiful films Studio Ghibli have put out.

  • Miranda - 9 years ago

    Something in the more logical side of my brain insists on Boyhood, for it's ambition, scope, and impact. However, as much as I love that film, I'm afraid that it has to be #2. The one that really captured my heart this year was Only Lovers Left Alive, so it gets my vote. It was simply an experience, akin to hanging out with the most interesting people in fascinating places for 2 hours. The choices of Detroit and Tangiers for setting - two beautiful cities, gone to seed but somehow still beautifully shabby and all the more intriguing for their lack of gloss - is sublime. That, along with perfect casting and a wonderful soundtrack make this my pick.

  • Lucy (from Wales) - 9 years ago

    So I had to vote for Boyhood as no other film has even come close in many years.

    This enormous task was a huge gamble for Linklater, who indeed has had lesser or greater successes with his experiments, nevertheless I appreciate this quality in a film maker. Some of the other entries are also pretty unique and brilliant: Under the skin and the Lego Movie, even Gone Girl to some degree. However these films did not hit me in the same way. I am grateful for the dialogue you guys had about it in your part 2 show and I totally agree. The huge transformations this family go through are portrayed so subtly, sincerely and without cheesy buildup or lingering that we have sincere responses as the narrative often mirrors our own instead of feeling manipulated by music or exaggerated dialogue as so often happens. I cried or laughed unexpectedly in this film and was left with a sense of wonder at the potential of the next stage for Mason as he finally seems to find a sense of where he belongs.
    Linklater seems to trust the effect of time to forge the effect of the film but without clearly stating it: time changes with a new song or a new haircut and sometimes it is even hard to notice, however it provides a powerful undercurrent of narrative.
    Boyhood is a masterpiece from Linklater so sign me up for "manhood" or perhaps even "womanhood".

  • Sarah Miles - 9 years ago

    Boyhood is good and Under the Skin got into my head, but when I look back at the year I realise....

    You can't get rid of the Babadook.

  • Dennis H - 9 years ago

    First of all, great comments from everyone! Great top 10 show as always! Just too bad it wasn't live this time. The audience element once a year is always so much fun.

    The love and appreciation filmspotting nation has for my favorite film of 2014, UNDER THE SKIN, is simply awesome and reaffirming that this is my group of people. Frankly, this film deserves all the recognition it's been getting and more. As already eloquently described by Adam on the show and Conor's post above, this film simply changes how you view the world, society, our reality in a way no other film this year has. Everything about it is masterful, from the unnerving music to the hidden camera technique to the just enough but never too much information about the processes of this entity. Truly, a wonderful film.

    Here's my top 10 of 2014:
    10. THE DANCE OF REALITY
    9. INTERSTELLAR
    8. EDGE OF TOMORROW
    7. LIFE ITSELF
    6. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
    5. NIGHTCRAWLER
    4. SNOWPIERCER
    3. BOYHOOD
    2. IDA
    1. UNDER THE SKIN

    Here's my #1 of the last 3 years:
    2013: HER / SPRING BREAKERS
    2012: BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
    2011: DRIVE

  • Zachary Hay, Westland, MI - 9 years ago

    I consider Boyhood a perfectly fine film. However, would it be ludicrous to say that the fact that Boyhood was shot over 12 years subtracts from the film? That it would be more impressive if Linklater could have used different casts for each age group and still make the film as successful? I for one believe that the simple fact that such an experiment paid off has persuaded far too many viewers and critics into believing Boyhood is a masterpiece when really it is just a solid piece of filmmaking.
    I am also shocked to hear such little attention over my favorite film of the year, Life Itself. Though no masterpiece, it is a great example of how a documentary can be entertaining while insightful, personal without ever being provocative and touching without slipping into unnecessary sentimentality.

  • Max O'Connell, Syracuse NY - 9 years ago

    I rewatched my favorite film from the first half of the year after both Filmspotting hosts shrugged at it, and I'm doubling down on "The Immigrant." No other film this year constantly redefined its characters and changed what I thought about them, right up until the last scene (which I know Adam found uncomfortable in the worst way, but there wasn't a moment of it that felt awkward or false to me). It has the scene of the year in Marion Cotillard's church confession, the shot of the year in that breathtaking final moment, and the performance of the year in Cotillard, who makes Ewa more than just a victim, spiking her difficult struggle for dignity amidst debasement with a mixture of self-loathing, guilt and pride that left me convinced that there isn't a more expressive or truthful actress working today (something only further confirmed by "Two Days, One Night"). Oh well, at least I've got Scott Tobias on my side.

  • Connor Kelley - 9 years ago

    Though it's hard for me to argue with the grandeur of BOYHOOD, the wit and charm of THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, or the edge-of-your-seat excitement of WHIPLASH, I feel secure in naming UNDER THE SKIN as my pick for best film of 2014.

    In a year full of incredible movies, UNDER THE SKIN stands out to me because of its abundance of insightful and visionary moments, as well as its staggering ambition. I think its greatest achievement is forcing you to look at the human world through the protagonist's alien eyes. The ordinary becomes strange and unfamiliar, the mundane becomes absurd.

    I could name at least a dozen indelible moments from UNDER THE SKIN that are still running through my mind, but I would never want to rob anyone of experiencing them first hand. Suffice to say that UNDER THE SKIN has changed the way I look at the world in a very real way, and that's something only the best films can do.

  • Jack McPherson - 9 years ago

    Hi guys, came here to vote for "Under The Skin" which to me was the most complete cinematic vision of 2014.

    But I may as well post my whole list.

    1.Under the Skin
    2.The Grand Budapest Hotel
    3.Frank
    4.Gone Girl
    5.Nymphomaniac
    6.Coherence
    7.Two Days, One Night
    8.Joe
    9.Only Lovers Left Alive
    10.The Babadook
    11.Starred Up
    12.Ida
    13.We Are the Best!
    14.Listen Up Philip
    15.Clouds of Sils Maria
    16.Locke
    17.Venus in Fur
    18.Bird People
    19.Blue Ruin
    20.The Double
    21.Force Majeure
    22.Camp X-Ray
    23.The Guest
    24.The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
    25.The One I Love

  • Stephen Miller - 9 years ago

    I'm still catching up with some films for my Best Of list -- largely due to Adam and Josh's recommendations (Love is Strange, Only Lovers Left Alive, Locke, Under The Skin, a non-drowsy rewatch of Imitation Game). But from the limited information I have, my undisputed favorite would have to be Whiplash. Such a powerhouse performance, which manages to squeeze more intensity into a single staccato beat than all the gunshots in Fury and Lone Survivor combined.

    Top 10 list which is liable to drastically change over the next few days:
    1) Whiplash
    2) Birdman
    3) Calvary
    4) Nightcrawler
    5) Boyhood (definitely pending a rewatch…I'm afraid without the novelty factor it may become just a long episode of Parenthood)
    6) Listen Up Phillip
    7) Jodorowsky's Dune
    8) Starred Up
    9) Grand Budapest Hotel
    10) The One I Love

    With honorable mentions to: Blue Ruin, Gone Girl, The Lego Movie, Edge of Tomorrow, Frank, and Ida. And absolutely no honorable mention to Interstellar. Thanks for a great year of episodes!

  • Andy from Chicago - 9 years ago

    I voted for "The Lego Movie," but mostly out of solidarity for Josh. I mean, I also haven't seen "Boyhood" yet. Should I have even voted? Did I ruin the system?

  • Trevor - 9 years ago

    Boyhood. Linklater proved that a movie can move an audience with small, sometimes mundane, moments. These moments gain significance with the passage of time. No need for cliches or dramatic speeches, watching the characters grow imbues every scene with an honest nostalgia that we could not have experienced otherwise.

    -Trevor, Halifax, Nova Scotia

  • Isaac from Ontario, Cali - 9 years ago

    My favorite movie of the year was boyhood but I'm sad to hear that you guys haven't even mentioned my second favorite movie of the year- The Theory of Everything. I went into it not expecting much and was completely amazed by it. The story is incredible and the cinematography is beautiful, but it's true strength is in the performances. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones give some of the best performances of the year. If you guys haven't seen this yet, put it at the top of your priority list! Hope you all had a merry Christmas!

  • Keith Geiger - 9 years ago

    I am going with Night Moves. I am eternally thankful to Filmspotting for many things, one of which is turning me on to Kelly Reichardt. Maybe she's not getting as much love this year because Night Moves is more of a genre movie than her previous films, but this was one of the most suspensful, thought-provoking movies I've seen in a while. True to her other films, there is no exposition, the dialogue is bare, and nothing is handed to the viewer. And this is what makes the movie great. The dam scene is so damn suspenseful, and the stakes are only raised from there. The themes are grand, and the story small. And that ending, as Reichardt always manages to do, gives the viewer just enough to keep them pondering it for days. (There is a caveat to this entry because I haven't seen very many movies this year. But thanks to Filmspotting, when I do get a chance to see a movie, I know it will be worth my time.)

  • Tim Keefe - 9 years ago

    Best movies I've seen? Tops for me right now is Wild, followed by Gone Girl, and then St Vincent. I have a tendency to gravitate to good performances so this might be a bit of a best acting list for me with Reese Witherspoon just dominating all comers with her performance in Wild and Bill Murray just being perfect in his role in St Vincent.

  • Neil Comfort - 9 years ago

    Firstly, I wanted to say that as well as being my film of the year, this film also provided my favourite film *review* of the year courtesy of Filmspotting. For one thing, I was actually able to watch the film before your review came out - a rare treat for this Scotland-based Filmspotting fan! There’s been a lot of generally good-natured ribbing on the show about Team Adam vs Team Josh, but here’s the thing – I found myself agreeing with so many points that *both* of you made, and while I was absolutely blown away by the film I think it’s in no way flawless! So yes, the fact that these highly intelligent and well-seasoned NASA professionals have to explain to each other what a black hole is, and at times seem to abandon clinical reasoning in favour of The Power Of Love, doesn’t exactly feel true to life – but in a universe where “the best of us” is meant to be represented by **SPOILER** Matt Damon, anything is possible!

    In terms of pure cinematic spectacle, this absolutely blew me away – but whereas I found the threadbare plot of Gravity patronising and unworthy of the undeniable tension of the action sequences, Interstellar engaged me on an intellectual, aesthetic, emotional and physical level throughout. I was knocked out by the visuals and the tremendous score, gripped by the implications of the time travel aspects (I didn’t find this film confusing in the least), openly weeping at least twice (the home video bit slayed me) and literally bouncing in my chair during the extended “Coward” action sequence, to the point my wife had to tell me to calm down! And yes, all this in spite of my suspension of disbelief regarding the emotional
    Only prior engagements stopped me from going to see it for a second time in the same week, and I’m counting down the days to the DVD release.

    Oh, and one last thing – the initial description, character arc, actions, self-justification and eventual fate of the chief antagonist ( **SPOILER – Damon again!) struck me as exactly mirroring the actions of ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his bid to secure a No vote during the Scottish Independence referendum! I’ve written some further musings on this, but that might be a post for another day...

    Rest of my Top 5 was 2) Boyhood, 3) Under The Skin, 4) They Came Together and 5) Gone Girl;
    honourable mentions go to 6) The Lego Movie, 7) Only Lovers Left Alive and 8) Snowpiercer;
    and I can’t wait to catch up with Blue Ruin, Calvary, Frank, Dear White People, Memphis, Whiplash and Inherent Vice as your reviews really whetted my appetite for them. Heck, Adam Kempanaar has even got me excited for the new Hunger Games Film – now *there’s* a sentence I never thought I’d write!

  • Bryan Tylec - 9 years ago

    Only Lovers Left Alive is my pick. If, for no other reason, then just on account of it making Detroit look beautiful.

  • Jeff D'Ambrosio - 9 years ago

    In a year that includes a coming of age story about a boy who grows up trying to understand and find purpose in humanity to another where a man tries to save it...I found that my expectations were extremely high going in to many of these top rated and highly recommended flicks. I was not disappointed, but the films on this list simply didn't blow me away. At moments, some felt as if they were rushing and some were dragging. Enter WHIPLASH. In my opinion, this was the film that exceeded the hype. Josh mentioned the knife in the tire scene from Blue Ruin that really stood out as an unforgettable shot. Whiplash, to me, is an entire film of memorable shots. More specifically, the spit valve cleaning shot when Miles Teller's character first joins as an alternate really struck a chord with me. (Forgive the pun.) This was a beautifully shot movie with incredible performances that to me was simply flawless. I still have a ton of 2014 films to catch up with, but Whiplash will be tough to beat. (For the record, so far Boyhood and Nightcrawler round out my top 3.)

  • Curtis - 9 years ago

    It's not popular with the critics to be sure (and if I hadn't been dragged to it, I would have dismissed it too), but I'm going with I ORIGINS. To be moved so much by the human emotion in the film yet also disagree so fundamentally with the stance it takes...it's a strange experience but one I'm grateful to have had. It's all in the execution. I credit the filmmakers with creating an incredibly engaging story from beginning to end. Add beautiful photography, a moving score, and fantastic acting across the board, and you get what is looking like will be my favorite movie of 2014.

  • Gray Bibsy - 9 years ago

    It is a toss up for me between Boyhood and Blue Ruin, but I went with Blue Ruin as this really was a film that blew me away and stayed with me since. This will probably change tomorrow as this year has been a stellar one for great films and my own top 10 has 30 films in it at the moment. I have some severe gaps too that I am attempting to fill before the year is out, you know to make life easier!

  • Ben Rain - 9 years ago

    Grand Budapest Hotel is my pick. Wes Anderson draws delightfully on what he has done in previous movies visually – symmetrical compositions, inventive miniatures, the faces of familiar actors in cameos; yet Grand Budapest goes deeper. The performance by Ralph Fiennes and the character of the lobby boy Zero – movingly framed by narration from F. Murray Abraham as his older self - take this movie into a more mature and impressive level. Consider the exquisite writing and comic timing of the scene in which Ralph Fiennes' character - after escaping prison and meeting up with Zero - realizes in the midst of a tirade that he has been unfairly judgmental towards Zero and immediately acknowledges he is in the wrong and apologizes. The scene is equally funny and touching. Grand Budapest Hotel is a treasure of such moments.

  • Olivia - 9 years ago

    I'm a relatively new listening and first time poll commentator. 2014 was obviously a good year for movies but for my top pick I have to choose the "Other" category and go with Whiplash. Great performances by both J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller. I never knew a movie about Jazz drumming would be so enthralling and the last ten minutes of the film kept me on the edge of my seat. This is the one movie I have been recommending over and over again to anyone who will listen.

  • Jacob Sever - 9 years ago

    Greetings from Denver! I had to go with the "Other" route this time. Not only was my favorite film of 2014 not included in the options, but my entire top 3 wasn't on the list. My favorite film of the year was Whiplash. JK Simmons was beyond incredible, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire film. I let out many audible gasps in the theater, and hand my hand covering my mouth for many scenes. My number 2 was Nightcrawler, and my third favorite was a movie I haven't heard mentioned from you guys (or any other podcast), which was Coherence. Just a brilliant movie that reminded me of a more serious/dark companion to The One I Love. Can't wait to hear the rest of your top 10!

  • SJ Yeocero - 9 years ago

    I picked "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (which is great) because I felt I should pick something arty and respectable, but really the two films I enjoyed and had the most fun with were: "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Gunday" (Outlaws). The former is a little-known indie and the latter is a Bollywood film that was for a time the lowest rated film on IMdB (it's now #3). That low rating had little to do with the quality of the film and more to do with a campaign to sink the fun due to its portrayal of the Bangladesh Liberation War in the opening scenes. I can't speak on that issue because I just don't know, but on the film I can say that it's crazy, over-the-top, and touches on just about every film genre (musical, romance, action, revenge, slo-mo shirt-less running). It's great fun!

  • Josh - 9 years ago

    My other pick is Foxcatcher. FS got this one wrong in my opinion.

  • Corey H. (Moscow) - 9 years ago

    *In my best impression of Josh's best impression of Ben Mendelsohn*

    You lot of kangas forget Starred Up?

  • Clay from Denver - 9 years ago

    Perhaps I've voted too soon, as I've yet to catch up with sure-to-be-filmspotting-favorite The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies but for my inaugural participation post I proudly champion The Drop. The intricate, yet character-driven plot had me literally holding my breath with suspense, and I was enamored with Hardy's, Gandolfini's and Rapace's performances. What I wouldn't give to read that script.

    So I support Brett from Newton Mass. The Drop is 2014's best film of the year.

    Honorable Mentions (This is filmspotting, honorable mentions are almost required):
    The Edge of Tomorrow - Cruise and Blunt are fabulous, the comedy and pacing worked like a well-wound watch. And rarely do we get that much character development in a summer blockbuster.
    Birdman - This is, to me, a superb example of FIlmcraft. Using filmmaking techniques to showcase the theme of the material. It had just enough quirkiness to balance the sobriety of Riggan's unraveling. Plus, Naomi Watts. Need I say more, Adam?
    Interstellar - Any part of this movie that didn't work for you, did work for me.

  • I voted for "other" because my favorite film of 2014 is "Venus in Fur". Roman Polanski proves that you only need one location, two incredible actors and an intelligent and funny screenplay to make a movie that is more entertaining than every Hollywood blockbuster of the year.

  • Stephen DelTour Jr - 9 years ago

    Movies that normally make my end of the year lists are mostly based on rewatchability. Though Guardians of The Galaxy, like many others, gave me the nostalgia of seeing Star Wars in 1977, transporting me back to my 6 year old self the multiple times I viewed it in the theaters this summer, Jon Favreau's Chef is the movie that as soon as it end credits rolled I was ready to plop down my ticket money and see it again. What could have been a simple father/son bonding buddy pic, Chef had it's own flavor that really hit my taste buds and made me ask for seconds and thirds. It had the perfect balance of flavors between the writing, cameos, music and locations this "little food truck that could" took me on, tantalizing my celluloid palette. The way Favreau shot the food was on par with culinary greats like "Big Night". Sure, it may have a bit more mainstream appeal than the father/son dynamic of Boyhood, but Chef is the "comfort food" I'd want to have when I'm in the mood for this type of movie and is one that I recommend to my friends and family to catch up with. Bon Apatite.
    -Stephen DelTour Jr, Bakersfield CA
    PS: I'm team Josh with Interstellar. It's overanalyzing self indulgence made me rethink Christopher Nolan's cinema library. It made my top 5 over-rated list.

  • Brian Grabbatin - 9 years ago

    Reflecting on this year in film: Birdman and Grand Budapest Hotel were the most fun. Under the Skin and Boyhood were the most creative. My favorite film of the year, however, has to be LOCKE.

    In a time when most films use CGI to achieve their scale, Locke relies on a single car and a single character to explore themes of control and pride (among others). Tom Hardy's powerful and affecting performance makes Locke my favorite film of the year and among my favorite character studies of all time (Hud and Five Easy Pieces).

  • Brett from Newton, Mass. - 9 years ago

    Why is nobody talking about "The Drop"?

    I liked "Boyhood," but it's appeal to me was watching the 10 years go by on screen. The story itself was good, perhaps even stronger than good, but didn't tip over into profound, which I would expect.

    "Interstellar" best of the year? Not by a long shot. Logic flaws abound: When Cooper is floating around that existential elevator shaft, we are supposed to feel great tension and anxiety. But why? He's floating outside of time. He can stay there forever until his daughter figures out what "Stay" means. (And maybe we'll also then understand it. Stay? Who should stay? Should she stay? Should she get her dad to stay on Earth? I'm not exactly sure. Check that: I have no idea, actually.)

    "The Drop," though, is sublime. Rarely does a single line perfectly capture an entire film as it does here: "They never see you coming, do they, Bob?" Perfect. It is ridiculous that Tom Hardy's performance is not being mentioned in end-of-year lists.

  • Erik Otterberg - 9 years ago

    I voted for "The Tale of Princess Kaguya", one of the most moving and beautiful films I have ever seen.

    / Erik from Sweden.

  • George Napper - 9 years ago

    Okay - I still haven't finalized my list yet, so don't judge me. But listening to your podcast has invoked in me a serious questioning of what my favorite film of the year actually is. So suffice to say the battle between Listen Up Philip and The Homesman by Tommy Lee Jones may continue for several more weeks. I was put under a spell by The Homesman from start to finish, and that's the same feeling I got with Listen Up Philip. So yeah, maybe they're actually tied, but at some point, like Woody and Buzz, I'll have to pick one.

  • George Napper - 9 years ago

    Listen Up Philip is a film I have seen three times and I love it more and more each time I see it. Because it is a film about a complete misanthrope and a blowhard, this love I feel for it I think speaks to its brilliance of construction. Right when you get tired of Philip, the film goes to another character and it expands and contracts in beautiful ways. Thanks guys!

  • Adam - 9 years ago

    When they said that, Zach, weren't they talking to the engineer -- the very smart guy who understands a lot but doesn't understand the same things the others do about things like relativity? Lines like that just honestly didn't bother me and in fact seemed plausible. I don't know what would seem implausible in such implausible scenarios, frankly.

  • Zachary Cook - 9 years ago

    If no one else will take Josh's side on _Interstellar_ and the flawed dialogue, then I will put in my oar: The problem is not that the astronauts talk extensively about science, philosophy and the gravitational power of love. As Adam points out, they're all brilliant people; brilliant people do sometimes talk unabashedly about abstract ideas in a way that can bore or intimidate their brethren. The problem is the -way- they talk about it; too much of the dialogue sounds like a bunch of brilliant people talking, as if they are aware that a film audience is listening in, and they're constantly having to translate down for them. My favorite bit is when somebody just said, "Yep, that's relativity." Why _Inception_'s dialogue worked was the plot incorporated a newbie (Ellen Page) for whom it made sense for Leonardo DiCaprio to give her a crash course in Mind Diving 101. In _Interstellar_, they're all supposed to be pros. Anyways, I liked the movie in many ways for its ambition (and some dialogue, particularly Anne Hathaway's musings about the gravitational power of love, was fine, precisely because it was the higher-order kind of speculation these kinds of scientist-explorers might get into). But the unreality of too many of the discussions took the whole thing down a peg.

Leave a Comment

0/4000 chars


Submit Comment