The Focus Pull Film Journal The Focus Pull Film Journal
The Focus Pull Film Journal The Focus Pull Film Journal
  • Full Issues 
  • Reviews 
  • Features 
  • OUR TEAM
  • Info.
    • OUR TEAM
  • Content
    • Full Issues 
      • Issue #01
      • Issue #02
      • Issue #03
      • Issue #04
      • Issue #05
      • Issue #06
      • Issue #07
      • Issue #08
      • Issue #09
      • Issue #10
      • Issue #11
      • Issue #12
      • Issue #13
      • Issue #14
      • Issue #15
      • Issue #16
      • Issue #17
      • Issue #18
      • Issue #19
      • Issue #20
      • Issue #21
      • Issue #22
      • Issue #23
      • Issue #24
      • Issue #25 - Horror Week
      • Issue #26
      • Issue #27
      • Issue #28
      • Issue #29
      • Issue #30
      • Issue #31
      • Issue #32
      • Issue #33
      • Issue #34
      • Issue #35
      • Issue #36
      • Issue #37
      • Issue #38
      • Issue #39
      • Issue #40
    • Reviews 
      • (All Reviews)
      • Action Adventure
      • Animation
      • Biography/History
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Foreign
      • Horror
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Thriller
    • Features 
      • (All Features)
      • Bonding with Bond
      • Double Exposures
      • Essays
      • Event Coverage
      • Lists
      • New to Netflix
      • News
      • Retrospectives
    • OUR TEAM
REGISTER
@
LOGIN
Features
8
4
previous article
Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
next article
Bonding with Bond: For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Best of 2014: Films

by The Focus Pull Staff on December 28, 2014
2014 was a huge year for cinema. Boyhood came and conquered, Under the Skin dug itself in, and The Grand Budapest Hotel turned around even the most adamant Wes Anderson criticizers. To celebrate such a great year at the movies, we polled over a dozen of our contributing writers and editors to produce this aggregated list that represents the sharp opinions of everyone here at The Focus Pull. Along the way, we’ll be sharing some of our favorite moments in a movie theater in 2014.

 

25

CHEF
directed by Jon Favreau

Chef, like the best food, works so well because of its simplicity. Mirroring his own career as a filmmaker, Jon Favreau’s foul-mouthed, parentally challenged chef character Casper Carl moves from high acclaim to a smaller endeavor when he scraps his successful restaurant career to run a small food truck. Chef is one of the most exciting, endearing, and passionate films about food, family, and love. It’s funny and charming, but doesn’t forget to have a warm heart. Sometimes we could all use a little comfort food. —Jakob Johnson

 

24

THE ROVER
directed by David Michôd

"The Rover" (2014)

Dystopian post-apocalyptia has become the new playground for young adult fiction after the readership chewed up and spat out monster-romance. The Rover takes the genre back to the adults – back to real tragedy – for the first time since 2009’s The Road. We learn the rules of this world in the tense opening sequence. Somewhere in the Australian outback, ten years after an event referred to only as “the collapse,” Eric (Guy Pearce), a weathered loner in a stained and dusty collared shirt and cargo shorts, chases after three men who have stolen his car. Memento was the last time we saw Pearce this worn and resolute, and co-star Robert Pattinson is unrecognizable, without a benchmark performance of this quality with which to compare. They make a hell of a dynamic pair. Eric has withdrawn into himself as a response to the collapse. He holds onto the humanizing personal details somewhere deep inside, and refuses even to reveal his name to others. There’s a relatable beauty to his character. A sense that in this dangerous world where justice and consequence are no longer functioning concepts and domesticity is only a story from another time, the only thing to do to cope – and to last – is to harden. —Taylor Sinople

 

23

MAPS TO THE STARS
directed by David Cronenberg

A classic David Cronenberg film in its high levels of “weird” and purposefully obtuse direction, Maps to the Stars is a cold look at the modern world of celebrity, filled to the brim with satire as dark and biting as a full-grown, pissed-off Rottweiler. Virtually all of the performances are noteworthy (and unsettling), and it is in turns funny and horrifying, filling in a new chapter nicely in the continuing saga of Cronenberg’s prolific output. —Maximilien Luc Proctor

 

22

STARRED UP
directed by David Mackenzie

Starred Up covers familiar territory but uses a shrewd eye and a stellar cast to elevate it above the typical prison drama. A newly convicted prisoner (Jack O’Connell), his father (Ben Mendelsohn), and a prison therapist (Rupert Friend) inhabit a bleak English prison that is itself a character in the film. Each actor turns out subtle, realistic performances as men simmering with rage and brimming with contempt. Director David MacKenzie and writer Jonathan Asser have crafted a tense, visceral film capable of standing the test of time against other genre heavyweights. —Jakob Johnson

 

21

ENEMY
directed by Denis Villeneuve

Jake Gyllenhaal playing against himself in Enemy.

Dennis Villeneuve has high expectations to meet coming off of last year’s critically acclaimed Prisoners. His answer: a dark, uniquely spun web of a tale that more than lives up to those expectations. Enemy is a twisted one-man show of sorts, with Jake Gyllenhaal brilliantly portraying both Adam and Anthony, two distinctly troubled characters faced with a very unique predicament. It’s hauntingly ambiguous and occasionally surreal, but the film’s most intoxicating quality is the mood that Villeneuve creates. It sends Enemy drifting in and out of a dream-like state, never quite letting the viewer know if what they’re witnessing is actually happening. —Thomas McCallum


My Favorite Moment in a Movie Theater:

Seeing the 30th anniversary edition of the Talking Heads’ concert film Stop Making Sense at my local art museum was awesome. A (psycho) killer of a concert film, watching David Byrne in action in his prime as captured on film by Jonathan Demme is invigorating. Byrne starts the show alone with a solo acoustic performance and is joined on stage by an increasingly large number of band mates and props. It was hard to believe this was a film and not the real thing we were witnessing, and it was even harder to try and sit still. The whole audience ended up swaying to crazy rhythms throughout and letting out a round of applause alongside their screen surrogates when it ended. Despite the noisy rumblings of action blockbusters and the quiet, contrived drama of self-important indie breakthroughs, the most emotional experience I had in a theater this year came in the form of a thirty-year-old concert film. —Maximilien Luc Proctor


PAGES
1 2 3
(All Features), Features, Lists
Best of 2014BirdmanBoyhoodCalvarychefenemyForce MajeureFrankGone GirlGoodbye to Languagegrand budapest hotelGuardians of the Galaxyidainterstellarlego movielockemaps to the starsMommyNightcrawlernymphomaniacOnly Lovers Left Alivestarred upthe grand budapest hotelthe lego movieThe Roverunder the skinWhiplashWinter Sleep
Best of 2014, Birdman, Boyhood, Calvary, chef, enemy, Force Majeure, Frank, Gone Girl, Goodbye to Language, grand budapest hotel, Guardians of the Galaxy, ida, interstellar, lego movie, locke, maps to the stars, Mommy, Nightcrawler, nymphomaniac, Only Lovers Left Alive, starred up, the grand budapest hotel, the lego movie, The Rover, under the skin, Whiplash, Winter Sleep
About the Author
The Focus Pull Staff
The Focus Pull Staff
The Focus Pull staff includes writers from all around the world. Interested in contributing to TFP? Visit the "Our Team" page for more information.
You might also like
Best of 2014BirdmanBoyhoodCalvary
 

Best of 2014: Scenes

by The Focus Pull Staff on January 1, 2015
No end-of-year coverage is complete without celebrating some of the best scenes of the year. This list offers films that may not have made our Best Films of the Year a chance to grab the spotlight. We polled over a dozen of our contributing writers and editors to produce this aggregated list that represents the sharp opinions […]
 

Best of 2014: New Directors

by The Focus Pull Staff on January 1, 2015
2014 was a huge year for cinema. With releases from heavy hitting veterans such as Richard Linklater, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Jim Jarmusch, it can be hard to find the time to seek out work from talented new directors. That’s where this list comes in. As a starting point for some of the very best films […]
 

Best of 2014: Female Performances

by The Focus Pull Staff on December 30, 2014
A pregnant comedian, a nightly news producer, the daughter of a washed up movie star, a 3,000 year old vampire. Women in supporting and leading roles captivated on-screen in 2014. To celebrate such a great year at the movies, we polled over a dozen of our contributing writers and editors to produce this aggregated alphabetized list […]
 

Best of 2014: Male Performances

by The Focus Pull Staff on December 29, 2014
An esteemed concierge, an unlikely killer, a small-town priest, a historic artist. 2014 was filled with dynamic, captivating performances from seasoned veterans and new-comers alike. To celebrate such a great year at the movies, we polled over a dozen of our contributing writers and editors to produce this aggregated alphabetized list that represents the sharp opinions […]
comments
Leave a reply
Add Comment Register



Leave a Response
Cancel reply

The Focus Pull in your inbox!

Subscribe to this list, and we'll send you each week's new issue directly to your inbox. One email a week, packed with essential film writing!

Latest Reviews

View All
 
Taylor Sinople Picks: The 16 Best Films of 2016
 
Form and Function in Alex Ross Perry’s “Queen of Earth&...
 
Digging for Fire and Unexpected: Husband and Wife Process Parenthoo...
 
Every Thing Will Be Fine 3D Review

Latest Features

View All
 
Taylor Sinople Picks – The 17 Best Films of 2017
 
Taylor Sinople Picks: The 16 Best Films of 2016
 
Taylor Sinople’s Top 10 Films of 2015: “The Duke of Bur...
 
8 Films to See at the 51st Chicago International Film Festival

Our Partners

Advertisement

FESTIVAL COVERAGE

View All
 
8 Films to See at the 51st Chicago International Film Festival
 
Every Thing Will Be Fine 3D Review
 
Berlinale 2015: Eisenstein in Guanajuato
 
Berlinale 2015: Sworn Virgin
 
Berlinale 2015: Under Electric Clouds

LISTS

View All
 
Taylor Sinople Picks – The 17 Best Films of 2017
 
SNL40: A Look Back at 40 Years of SNL in Film
 
Six Must-See British Films Opening in 2015
 
Oscars 2015: Ranking the Best Picture Nominees
 
Our 26 Most Anticipated Films of 2015
Tweets by @thefocuspull
  • "Popcorn - check. Soda - check...I have a date with Netflix on Friday night." - Sherry
  • "[…] nails it.” I disagree, and frankly wonder what movies John is talking about. The original G..." - Dear Godzilla Fans: Please Stop Defending that ...
  • "[…] www.thefocuspull.com […]" - Annie Hall
  • "[…] more vibrant monologue or confrontation, like the dinner scene that comes at just the right time ..." - Taylor Sinople's Top 10 Films of 2015
  • "[…] of the year is also the stuff of a best picture winner. With Michael Keaton, hot off praise from ..." - Taylor Sinople's Top 10 Films of 2015
TRENDING ON TFP
   
Try a different filter
© 2014 THE FOCUS PULL FILM JOURNAL
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.