Sure, I enjoyed The Edge of Tomorrow, and Noah was terrific fun, if a little heavy at times. I also loved The Raid 2, which was released here back in April. Gone Girl, currently still showing in theaters across the country, probably stands as 2014's best film to date, at least since 12 Years a Slave silenced audiences nationwide back in February. I've got nothing against Gone Girl, but I can't help feeling let down that it's currently the best film I've seen all year.
Admittedly, I missed popular indies Short Term 12 and Blue is the Warmest Colour (they are now both on Netflix, so I'll be watching them soon), but the fact remains that my top four films of the year thus far consist of three literary adaptations - yes, the bible counts as literature - and a sequel. More worrying still is that Gone Girl isn't even close to being considered Fincher's best work. As it stands, a mediocre Fincher is still head and shoulders above 99% of the competition.
Perhaps I'm being cynical - which isn't exactly unheard of. After all, it's still relatively early in the filmic calendar, and many of the big hitters have yet to surface. The critically acclaimed Mr Turner, and Nightcrawler were both released this week. Also, cult horror in the making The Babadook saw a widespread release last week.
Looking forward, Chris Nolan's Interstellar looms large on the horizon, and is backed up by Benedict Cumberbatch vehicle The Imitation Game, Tommy Lee Jones' The Homesman, Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster and Peter Jackson's final Hobbit installment. Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice stands as my most anticipated feature of 2014, with a classic soundtrack and jet black humour that harks back to the directors glorious exploration of the 1970's porn industry in the majestic Boogie Nights.
I have no doubt that of these films, some will turn out to be fantastic. However, compared to past years, the quality is lacking.
Let's look back at 1939 for example, when the best films of the year comprised of Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, and Goodbye Mr Chips. Will any of 2014's biggest hits attain the greatness of any of these features? Unlikely.
How about 1974, which saw the release of Amarcord, Blazing Saddles, Chinatown, The Conversation, The Godfather Part 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Towering Inferno.
Or the following year, 1975, where the best films consisted of Barry Lyndon, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jaws, and Dog Day Afternoon. One year later, in 1976, movie goers were rewarded with Network, The Omen, Rocky, All the Presidents Men, and Taxi Driver. It would seem that many of the best films ever made were released in the space of just three years.
Hell, even the 90's oozed quality. Take a look at the roll of honour for 1999 - American Beauty, Magnolia, The Insider, The Matrix, The Green Mile, The Sixth Sense, Fight Club and The Blair Witch Project. The naughties have had their moments too, just glance at 2007's output; There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Zodiac, Juno, Into the Wild, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Superbad, Eastern Promises, Michael Clayton, Hot Fuzz, I'm Not There, and we were even treated to a Tarantino flick (albeit a misfire) in Deathproof.
Maybe now you can understand my disappointment with the movies of 2014. I thoroughly enjoyed Gone Girl, but if it's still sitting pretty in my top five list a few months down the line, I'll be ever so slightly depressed. Is there still time for 2014 to bring it back? We'll see.
How about 1974, which saw the release of Amarcord, Blazing Saddles, Chinatown, The Conversation, The Godfather Part 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Towering Inferno.
Or the following year, 1975, where the best films consisted of Barry Lyndon, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jaws, and Dog Day Afternoon. One year later, in 1976, movie goers were rewarded with Network, The Omen, Rocky, All the Presidents Men, and Taxi Driver. It would seem that many of the best films ever made were released in the space of just three years.
Hell, even the 90's oozed quality. Take a look at the roll of honour for 1999 - American Beauty, Magnolia, The Insider, The Matrix, The Green Mile, The Sixth Sense, Fight Club and The Blair Witch Project. The naughties have had their moments too, just glance at 2007's output; There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Zodiac, Juno, Into the Wild, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Superbad, Eastern Promises, Michael Clayton, Hot Fuzz, I'm Not There, and we were even treated to a Tarantino flick (albeit a misfire) in Deathproof.
Maybe now you can understand my disappointment with the movies of 2014. I thoroughly enjoyed Gone Girl, but if it's still sitting pretty in my top five list a few months down the line, I'll be ever so slightly depressed. Is there still time for 2014 to bring it back? We'll see.
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