My Year in Film: 2014

The movie camera was invented in 1891 and one hundred and twenty-three years later, film remains as relevant an art form as it was in 19—, when Thomas Edison first used it to upstage some rival or another. 2014 brought us a huge, steaming pile of cinematic magic, and whether it was Michael Keaton running around in his briefs, the Babadook scaring young children, Chris Evans telling us what babies taste like, or Michael Fassbender blazing new trails in extremely likable music, one thing remained true: everything was awesome, and we were all Groot.

Here’s my look back at the best of 2014.

My Top Ten Films of 2014

1. Under the Skin
2. Blue Ruin
3. Nightcrawler
4. The Lego Movie
5. Life Itself
6. The Guest
7. The Babadook
8. Guardians of the Galaxy
9. Snowpiercer
10. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Director

1. Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin
2. Jeremy Saulnier, Blue Ruin
3. Jennifer Kent, The Babadook
4. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
5. Tony Gilroy, Nightcrawler

Best Lead Actress

1. Essie Davis as Amelia Vanek, The Babadook
2. Felicity Jones as Jane Wilde Hawking, The Theory of Everything
3. Julianne Moore as Havana Segrand, Maps to the Stars
4. Shiela Vand as the Girl, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
5. Tilda Swinton as Eve, Only Lovers Left Alive

Best Lead Actor

1. Macon Blair as Dwight Evans, Blue Ruin
2. Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom, Nightcrawler
3. Dan Stevens as David Collins, The Guest
4. Michael Fassbender as Frank, Frank
5. Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, American Sniper

Best Supporting Actor

1. Edward Norton as Mike Shiner, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
2. Gene Jones as “Father” Charles Anderson Reed, The Sacrament
3. David Koechner as Colin, Cheap Thrills
4. Will Arnett as Batman/Bruce Wayne, The Lego Movie
5. Martin Short as Dr. Rudy Blatnoyd, Inherent Vice

Best Supporting Actress

1. Maggie Gyllenhaal as Clara, Frank
2. Anne Ramsay as Sarah Logan, The Taking of Deborah Logan
3. Emma Stone as Sam Thompson, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
4. Astrid Bergès-Frisbey as Sofi Elizondo, I Origins
5. Tilda Swinton as Deputy Minister Mason, Snowpiercer

Best Ensemble Cast

1. The Lego Movie
2. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
3. Calvary
4. Cheap Thrills
5. Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Writing

Original Screenplay

1. Blue Ruin
2. Nightcrawler
3. Cheap Thrills

Adapted Screenplay

1. Snowpiercer
2. The Lego Movie
3. Under the Skin

Best Music

Original Score

1. Antonio Sanchez, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
2. Mica Levi, Under the Skin
3. Josef van Wissem, Only Lovers Left Alive
4. Steve Moore, The Guest
5. Stephen Rennicks, Frank

Original Song

1. “I Love You All,” performed by Michael Fassbender and the Soronprfbs, from Frank
2. “Everything is Awesome!!!” performed by Tegan and Sara featuring the Lonely Island, from The Lego Movie
3. “Tell Me if You Wanna Go Home,” performed by Keira Knightley, from Begin Again

Best Use of Non-Original Music

1. “I Want You Back,” performed by the Jackson 5, from Guardians of the Galaxy
2. “Lighthouse Keeper,” performed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and the Soronprfbs, from Frank
3. “Dust it Off,” performed by the De, from I Origins

Best Cinematography

1. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
2. Under the Skin
3. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
4. The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears
5. Snowpiercer

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