Favorite/Best Films of the 21st Century So Far

After looking over the NY Times’s list of the 25 Best Films of the 21^st Century to date, I starting think about what films would be on my list. It is tough. On one hand you have all your favorite movies, some are more objectively good and some are certainly not; and on the other hand, you have films that are great but not necessarily films you seek out to watch. I decided on a compromise. These are the films that I think are the best – but with my biases/loves built in, let run wild. I also included my favorite documentaries at the end. Ranking all these films is impossible (I narrowed it down to 103; 13 documentaries and 90 features). So, this list is organized by year for the features, followed by documentaries and finally my personal 25 favorites.

2000

American Psycho, directed by Mary Harron

2001

Amelie, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Black Hawk Down, directed by Ridley Scott

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson

No Man’s Land, directed by Danis Tanovic

The Royal Tenenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson

2002

The Hours, directed by Stephen Daldry

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, directed by Peter Jackson

The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski

2003

The Barbarian Invasions, directed by Denys Arcand

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, directed by Peter Jackson

Lost in Translation, directed by Sofia Coppola

Open Range, directed by Kevin Costner

2004

2046, directed by Kar Wai Wong

A Very Long Engagement, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Downfall, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Hotel Rwanda, directed by Terry George

House of Flying Daggers, directed by Yimou Zhang

The Life of Aquatic with Steve Zissou, directed by Wes Anderson

Million Dollar Baby, directed by Clint Eastwood

Sideways, directed by Alexander Payne

Spider-Man 2, directed by Sam Raimi

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War, directed by Je-gyu Kang

2005

Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan

The Beat that My Heart Skipped, directed by Jacques Audiard

Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg

Pride & Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright

Serenity, directed by Joss Whedon

The Squid and the Whale, directed by Noah Baumbach

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, directed by Marc Rothemund

2006

Black Book, directed by Paul Verhoeven

Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Mission: Impossible III, directed by J.J. Abrams

Once, directed by John Carney

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, directed by Gore Verbinski

The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan

The Road to Guantanamo, directed by Michael Winterbottom

2007

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, directed by Andrew Dominik

Atonement, directed by Joe Wright

The Darjeeling Limited, directed by Wes Anderson

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, directed by David Yates

No Country for Old Men, directed by the Coen Brothers

There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

The Visitor, directed by Tom McCarthy

2008

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, directed by David Fincher

The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan

Forgetting Sarah Marshall, directed by Nicholas Stoller

Hunger, directed by Steve McQueen

Revolutionary Road, directed by Sam Mendes

Vicky Cristina Barcelona, directed by Woody Allen

WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton

2009

Inglourious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino

Up, directed by Pete Docter

2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, directed by David Yates

Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan

Never Let Me Go, directed by Mark Romanek

The Social Network, directed by David Fincher

True Grit, directed by the Coen Brothers

2011

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, directed by David Fincher

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, directed by David Yates

Incendies, directed by Denis Villeneuve

Jane Eyre, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga

Super 8, directed by J.J. Abrams

2012

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon

The Dark Knight Rises, directed by Christopher Nolan

Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee

The Master, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Zero Dark Thirty, directed by Kathryn Bigelow

2013

12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen

Her, directed by Spike Jonze

Short Term 12, directed by Destin Cretton

The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorcese

2014

The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent

Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher

The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Wes Anderson

The Imitation Game, directed by Morten Tyldum

Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan

2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron, directed by Joss Whedon

Bridge of Spies, directed by Steven Spielberg

Brooklyn, directed by John Crowley

Carol, directed by Todd Haynes

Inside Out, directed by Peter Docter & Ronaldo Del Carmen

The Revenant, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve

2016

Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve

Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson

Hunt for the Wilderpeople, directed by Taika Waititi

Manchester by the Sea, directed by Kenneth Lonergan

Silence, directed by Martin Scorsese

Documentaries

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons front the Life of Robert S. McNamara, directed by Errol Morris

Super Size Me, directed by Morgan Spurlock

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, directed by Alex Gibney

Why We Fight, directed by Eugene Jarecki

Man on Wire, directed by James Marsh

Inside Job, directed by Charles Ferguson

Magic & BirdL A Courtship of Rivals, directed by Ezra Edelman

The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki

The Imposter, directed by Bart Layton

Citizenfour, directed by Laura Poitras

13^th, directed by Ava DuVernay

O.J.: Made in America, directed by Ezra Edelman

Five Came Back, directed by Laurent Bouzereau

My Personal Favorite 25

The Dark Knight Trilogy

Lost in Translation

Inception

Inglourious Basterds

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the whole saga really)

Pride & Prejudice

Amelie

Spider-Man 2

Interstellar

The Prestige

Serenity

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

No Country for Old Men

The Lord of the Rings

Hunger

Zero Dark Thirty

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The Darjeeling Limited

Atonement

The Royal Tenenbaums

There Will Be Blood

American Psycho

Gone Girl

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

My Personal Favorite 25 (Redux)

Within the NY Times rules of One Film per Director

The Dark Knight

Lost in Translation

Inglourious Basterds

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Pride & Prejudice

Amelie

Spider-Man 2

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Serenity

No Country for Old Men

Hunger

Zero Dark Thirty

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The Darjeeling Limited

There Will Be Blood

American Psycho

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Life of Pi

The Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Arrival

Downfall

Her

LeapBackBlog 2016 Film Awards

2016 was a wonderful year for film, from fun blockbusters to innovative and engaging independent films. There were so many good films, performances and technical feats that many that I really liked did not make my top 25 in each category. I have put an “*” next to my personal favorite from each category.

Favorite 25 Films of 2016

Arrival, a sci-fi thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve

Captain America: Civil War, an action adventure directed by the Russo Brothers

Captain Fantastic, a comedy directed by Matt Ross

Certain Women, a character drama directed by Kelly Reichardt

The Conjuring 2, a period horror thriller directed by James Wan

Deadpool, an adventure comedy directed by Tim Miller

Everybody Wants Some!!, a comedy directed by Richard Linklater

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a fantasy adventure directed by David Yates

Green Room, a thriller directed by Jeremy Saulnier

Hacksaw Ridge, a war drama directed by Mel Gibson

Hell or High Water, a modern western directed by David Mackenzie

Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a comedy directed by Taika Waititi*

The Jungle Book, a family adventure directed by Jon Favreau

Lion, a character drama directed by Garth Davis

The Lobster, a dystopian romance dramedy directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Loving, a character drama/romance directed by Jeff Nichols

Manchester by the Sea, a character drama directed by Kenneth Lonergan

Moana, an animated family adventure directed by Ron Clements & John Musker

Moonlight, a character drama directed by Barry Jenkins

The Nice Guys, a mystery comedy directed by Shane Black

Pete’s Dragon, a family adventure directed by David Lowery

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a sci-fi action adventure directed by Gareth Edwards

Silence, a period character drama directed by Martin Scorsese

Sully, a character drama directed by Clint Eastwood

The Witch, a period horror thriller directed by Robert Eggers

Favorite 25 Performances of 2016

Amy Adams, leading performance in Arrival

Casey Affleck, leading performance in Manchester by the Sea

Mahershala Ali, supporting performance in Moonlight

Jeff Bridges, supporting performance in Hell or High Water

Laura Dern, leading performance in Certain Women

Colin Farrell, leading performance in The Lobster*

Andrew Garfield, leading performance in Hacksaw Ridge

Andrew Garfield, leading performance in Silence

Greta Gerwig, supporting performance in 20^th Century Women

Ryan Gosling, leading performance in The Nice Guys

Tom Hanks, leading performance in Sully

Naomie Harris, supporting performance in Moonlight

Nicole Kidman, supporting performance in Lion

Ruth Negga, leading performance in Loving

Sam Neill, supporting performance in Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Dev Patel, leading performance in Lion

Natalie Portman, leading performance in Jackie*

Daniel Radcliffe, leading performance in Swiss Army Man

Margot Robbie, leading performance in Suicide Squad

Michael Shannon, supporting performance in Nocturnal Animals

Octavia Spencer, supporting performance in Hidden Figures

Hailee Steinfeld, leading performance in The Edge of Seventeen

Emma Stone, leading performance in La La Land

Anya Taylor-Joy, leading performance in The Witch

Michelle Williams, supporting performance in Manchester by the Sea

Favorite 25 Artistic, Technical & Aesthetic Achievements of 2016

Volker Bertelmann & Dustin O’Halloran, composers of Lion

Jarin Blaschke, cinematographer of The Witch

Nicholas Britell, composer of Moonlight

Doug Chiang & Neil Lamont, production designers of Rouge One: A Star Wars Story

Stuart Craig, production designer of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Robert Eggers, director of The Witch

Greig Fraser, cinematographer of Lion

Mel Gibson, director of Hacksaw Ridge

Christopher Glass & Abhijeet Mazumder, production designers of The Jungle Book

Barry Jenkins, director of Moonlight

Johann Johannsson, composer of Arrival*

Mark Korven, composer of The Witch

James Laxton, cinematographer of Moonlight

Mica Levi, composer of Jackie

Mark Mancia, Lin-Manuel Miranda & Opetaia Foa’i, composers of Moana

Seamus McGarvey, cinematographer of Nocturnal Animals

Rodrigo Pieto, cinematographer of Silence

Jeremy Saulnier, director of Green Room

Martin Scorsese, director of Silence

Shane Valentino, production designer of Nocturnal Animals

Patrice Vernette, production designer of Arrival*

Denis Villeneuve, director of Arrival*

Taika Waititi, director of Hunt for the Wilderpeople

David Wasco, production designer of La La Land

Bradford Young, cinematographer of Arrival*

10 Great Under-the-Radar Indie films and Documentaries that are Must-Sees

Don’t Think Twice, a dramedy directed by Mike Birbiglia

The Edge of Seventeen, a comedy directed by Kelly Fremon Craig

Jackie, a period character drama directed by Pablo Larrain

Love & Friendship, a period comedy directed by Whit Stillman

Midnight Special, a sci-fi drama directed by Jeff Nichols

Nocturnal Animals, a character drama/mystery directed by Tom Ford

O.J.: Made in America, a documentary directed by Ezra Edelman

Sing Street, a musical comedy directed by John Carney

Swiss Army Man, a comedy directed by Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

13^th, a documentary directed by Ava DuVernay

Good Films I Have Yet to See (that probably would have factored into the above lists)

Christine, a character drama directed by Antonio Campos

Elle, a character drama/thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven

Fences, a period character drama directed by Denzel Washington

The Handmaiden, a drama directed by Chan-wook Park

Paterson, a character drama directed by Jim Jarmusch

LeapBackBlog 2015 Film Awards

2015 was a fantastic year for film. There were so many good films that many that I really liked could not make the top 25 (and even more wonderful performances did not make the top 25 performances). I have put an “*” next to my personal favorite from each category.

Favorite 25 Films of 2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron, an action adventure drama directed by Joss Whedon – Trailer

Beasts of No Nation, a coming of age/war drama directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga – Trailer

The Big Short, a character drama/financial drama/comedy directed by Adam McKay – Trailer

Blackhat, a thriller directed by Michael Mann – Trailer

Bridge of Spies, a spy drama directed by Steven Spielberg – Trailer

Brooklyn, a romance drama directed by John Crowely – Trailer

Carol, a romance drama directed by Todd Haynes – Trailer

Creed, a sports drama directed by Ryan Coogler – Trailer

The End of Tour, a character drama directed by James Ponsoldt – Trailer

Ex Machina, a sci-fi drama directed by Alex Garland – Trailer

The Hateful Eight, a western directed by Quentin Tarantino – Trailer

Inside Out, a coming of age comedy directed by Pete Docter – Trailer

Joy, a character drama/bio-pic directed by David O. Russell – Trailer

Macbeth, a period drama directed by Justin Kurzel – Trailer

Mad Max: Fury Road, an action adventure drama by George Miller – Trailer

The Martian, a sci-fi drama directed by Ridley Scott – Trailer

The Revenant, a western thriller directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu – Trailer

Room, a character drama directed by Lenny Abrahamson – Trailer

Sicario, a crime drama directed by Denis Villeneuve – Trailer*

Spectre, a spy action adventure directed by Sam Mendes – Trailer

Spotlight, a drama directed by Tom McCarthy – Trailer

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a sci-fi fantasy adventure directed by J.J. Abrams – Trailer

Steve Jobs, a character drama directed by Danny Boyle – Trailer

Tomorrowland, a sci-fi fantasy adventure drama directed by Brad Bird – Trailer

Trainwreck, a romantic comedy directed by Judd Apatow – Trailer

Favorite 25 Performances of 2015

Christian Bale, a leading performance in The Big Short

Cate Blanchett, a leading performance in Carol

Emily Blunt, a leading performance in Sicario

Marion Cotillard, a leading performance in Macbeth

Matt Damon, a leading performance in The Martian

Paul Dano, a leading performance in Love & Mercy

Leonardo DiCaprio, a leading performance in The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, a leading performance in Macbeth*

Michael Fassbender, a leading performance in Steve Jobs

Tom Hanks, a leading performance in Bride of Spies

Tom Hardy, a supporting performance in The Revenant

Samuel L. Jackson, a leading performance in The Hateful Eight

Brie Larson, a leading performance in Room

Jennifer Lawrence, a leading performance in Joy

Jennifer Jason Leigh, a supporting performance in The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara, a leading performance in Carol*

Eddie Redmayne, a leading performance in The Danish Girl

Daisy Ridley, a leading performance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Saoirse Ronan, a leading performance in Brooklyn

Jason Segel, a leading performance in The End of the Tour

Sylvester Stallone, a supporting performance in Creed

Kristen Stewart, a supporting performance in Clouds of Sils Maria

Alicia Vikander, a leading performance in Ex Machina

Alicia Vikander, a leading performance in The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, a supporting performance in Steve Jobs

Favorite 25 Artistic, Technical & Aesthetic Achievements

Adam Arkapaw, cinematography for Macbeth

Carter Burwell, composer for Carol

Roger Deakins, cinematography for Sicario

Jack Fisk, production design for The Revenant

Cary Joji Fukunaga, cinematography for Beasts of No Nation

Dennis Gassner, production design for Spectre

Colin Gibson, production design for Mad Max: Fury Road*

Todd Haynes, directing for Carol

Hoyte Van Hoytema, cinematography for Spectre

Alejandro G. Inarritu, directing for The Revenant

Johan Johannsson, composer for Sicario*

Jed Kurzel, composer for Macbeth

Edward Lachman, cinematography for Carol

Emmanuel Lubezki, cinematography for The Revenant*

Arthur Max, production design for The Martian

George Miller, directing for Mad Max: Fury Road

Ennio Morricone, composer for The Hateful Eight

Thomas Newman, composer for Spectre

John Seale, cinematography for Mad Max: Fury Road

Francois Seguin, production design for Brooklyn

Steven Spielberg, directing for Bridge of Spies

Quentin Tarantino, directing for The Hateful Eight

Yohei Taneda, production design for The Hateful Eight

Denis Villeneuve, directing for Sicario*

John Williams, composer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

A Few More Fun, Entertaining and Interesting Smaller Films You Might Have Missed from 2015

’71, a thriller directed by Yann Demange – Trailer

Clouds of Sils Maria, a character drama directed by Olivier Assayas – Trailer

The Danish Girl, a period character drama directed by Tom Hooper – Trailer

Dope, a comedy directed by Rick Famuyiwa – Trailer

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, a documentary directed by Alex Gibney – Trailer

It Follows, a horror thriller directed by David Robert Mitchell – Trailer

Love & Mercy, a character drama directed by Bill Pohlad – Trailer

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, a dramedy directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon – Trailer

Slow West, a western directed by John Maclean – Trailer

What We Do in the Shadows, a horror comedy directed by Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi – Trailer

Good Films I Have Yet to See (that probably would have factored into the above lists)

99 Homes, a drama directed by Ramin Bahrani

The Hunting Ground, a documentary directed by Kirby Dick

Son of Saul, a period war drama directed by Laszlo Nemes

Suffragette, a period drama directed by Sarah Gavron

Top 10 Film Scores, Shot Films and Designed Films of the Decade So Far (2010-2014) – March 2015

Here is LeapBackBlog’s list of the Top 10 Film Scores (or: the Hans Zimmer Award), the 10 Best Shot Films and the 10 Best Designed Films of the 2010s so far. I have put an “*” next to my favorite in each category.

Top 10 Films Scores:

Alexandre Desplat, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010-2011)

Alexandre Desplat, Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Harry Escott, Shame (2011)

Dario Marianelli, Jane Eyre (2011)

Rachel Porter, Never Let Me Go (2010)

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Hans Zimmer, Inception (2010)*

Hans Zimmer, The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Hans Zimmer, 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Hans Zimmer, Interstellar (2014)

Top 10 Shot Films:

Sean Bobbitt, 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia (2011)*

Roger Deakins, True Grit (2010)

Hoyte Van Hoytema, Interstellar (2014)

Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life (2011)

Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman (2014)

Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi (2012)

Wally Pfister, Inception (2010)

Wally Pfister, The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Robert D. Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Top 10 Designed Films:

K.K. Barrett, Her (2013)

Donald Graham Burt, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Guy Hendrix Dyas, Inception (2010)

Stuart Craig, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010-2011)*

Nathan Crowley, The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Sarah Greenwood, Anna Karenina (2012)

Adam Stockhausen, Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Adam Stockhausen, 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Adam Stockhausen, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Top 25 Performances of the Decade So Far (2010-2014) – March 2015

Picking the 50 best films of the decade so far was incredibly hard, but this was far more difficult. Every year there is a ton of very strong work to choose from – some performances are just incredible, and those are the easy ones to pick, but for the most part there are a lot of performances that just as easily could have made this list. I have put an “*” next to my favorite performance from each year. Anyway, here are my picks:

2010

Christian Bale, a supporting role in The Fighter*

Claire Danes, a leading role in Temple Grandin

Tom Hardy, a supporting performance in Inception

Natalie Portman, a leading Role in Black Swan

2011

Kirsten Dunst, a leading performance in Melancholia

Michael Fassbender, a leading performance in Shame

Rooney Mara, a leading performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo*

Carey Mulligan, a supporting performance in Shame

2012

Jessica Chastain, a leading performance in Zero Dark Thirty

Daniel Day-Lewis, a leading performance in Lincoln

Jennifer Lawrence, a leading performance in Silver Linings Playbook

Joaquin Phoenix, a leading performance in The Master*

2013

Cate Blanchett, a leading performance in Blue Jasmine*

Leonardo DiCaprio, a leading performance in The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor, a leading performance in 12 Years a Slave

Adele Exarchopoulos, a leading performance in Blue is the Warmest Color

Michael Fassbender, a supporting performance in 12 Years a Slave

Brie Larson, a leading performance in Short Term 12

Mads Mikkelsen, a leading performance in The Hunt

Lupita Nyong’o, a supporting performance in 12 Years a Slave

2014

Ralph Fiennes, a leading performance in The Grand Budapest Hotel

Edward Norton, a supporting performance in Birdman

Rosamnd Pike, a leading performance in Gone Girl*

Eddie Redmayne, a leading performance in The Theory of Everything

Mark Ruffalo, a supporting performance in Foxcatcher

Top 50 Films of the Decade So Far (2010-2014)

I have seen 785 films from the years 2010 through 2014. Here is my attempt at the fifty best, unbiased (if that is even possible), taking into account aesthetic/technical quality, performances, entertainment value, and dramatic depth. I have also included five must-see documentaries and my personal ten favorites.

2010

Black Swan, a character drama/thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky – Trailer

The Fighter, a character/sports drama directed by David O. Russell – Trailer

Fish Tank, a character drama directed by Andrea Arnold – Trailer

Inception, a crime action/adventure directed by Christopher Nolan – Trailer

The King’s Speech, a period character drama directed by Tom Hooper – Trailer

Never Let Me Go, a sci-fi drama directed by Mark Romanek – Trailer

A Prophet, a crime drama directed by Jacques Audiard – Trailer

The Social Network, a character drama directed by David Fincher – Trailer

True Grit, a western directed by the Coen Brothers – Trailer

2011

Beginners, a character/romance drama directed by Mike Mills – Trailer

Drive, a crime drama directed by Nicolas Winding Refn – Trailer

50/50, a dramedy directed by Jonathan Levine – Trailer

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a mystery thriller directed by David Fincher – Trailer

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, an action/adventure fantasy directed by David Yates – Trailer

Incendies, a mystery drama directed by Denis Villeneuve – Trailer

Jane Eyre, a gothic period romance drama directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga – Trailer

Like Crazy, a romance drama directed by Drake Doremus – Trailer

Martha Marcy May Marlene, a character drama directed by Sean Durkin – Trailer

Melancholia, a character drama directed by Lars von Trier – Trailer

Midnight in Paris, a romantic dramedy directed by Woody Allen – Trailer

Moneyball, a character/sports drama directed by Bennett Miller – Trailer

Shame, a character drama directed by Steve McQueen – Trailer

The Tree of Life, a character drama directed by Terrence Malick – Trailer

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a spy drama directed by Tomas Alfredson – Trailer

Warrior, a sports drama directed by Gavin O’Conner – Trailer

2012

The Dark Knight Rises, an action adventure directed by Christopher Nolan – Trailer

Django Unchained, a western directed by Quentin Tarantino – Trailer

The Intouchables, a character drama directed by Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano – Trailer

Life of Pi, an adventure drama directed by Ang Lee – Trailer

The Master, a period character drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson – Trailer

Moonrise Kingdom, a romance comedy directed by Wes Anderson – Trailer

A Royal Affair, a period romance drama directed by Nikolaj Arcel – Trailer

Rust and Bone, a character drama directed by Jacques Audiard – Trailer

Zero Dark Thirty, a mystery thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow – Trailer

2013

Blue is the Warmest Color, a romance/character drama directed by Abdellatif Kechiche – Trailer

Her, a romantic drama directed by Spike Jonze – Trailer

The Hunt, a character drama directed by Thomas Vinterberg – Trailer

Inside Llewyn Davis, a period musical drama directed by the Coen Brothers – Trailer

The Past, a mystery drama directed by Asghar Farhadi – Trailer

Rush, a sports drama directed by Ron Howard – Trailer

Short Term 12, a character drama directed by Destin Cretton – Trailer

12 Years a Slave, a period character drama directed by Steve McQueen – Trailer

The Wolf of Wall Street – a crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese – Trailer

2014

Birdman, a character drama directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu – Trailer

Calvary, a character dramedy/mystery directed by John Michael McDonagh – Trailer

Gone Girl, a mystery thriller directed by David Fincher – Trailer

The Grand Budapest Hotel, a mystery comedy directed by Wes Anderson – Trailer

The Imitation Game, a period character drama directed by Morten Tyldum – Trailer

Interstellar, a sci-fi adventure directed by Christopher Nolan – Trailer

Whiplash, a character drama directed by Damien Chazelle – Trailer

Must-See Documentaries

The Act of Killing, directed by Joshua Oppenheimer – Trailer

Exit Through the Gift Shop, directed by Banksy – Trailer

The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki – Trailer

The Imposter, directed by Bart Layton – Trailer

Inside Job, directed by Charles Ferguson – Trailer

My Favorite 10 Films of the Decade So Far

The Dark Knight Rises

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Gone Girl

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Inception

Interstellar

Super 8

True Grit

12 Years a Slave

Zero Dark Thirty

LeapBackBlog 2014 Film Awards

2014 was such a great year for movies. Putting together my top 25 lists was very difficult (and it is impossible to see every film and every performance). Here are lists of my favorites from the year. I have put an “*” next to the best (or, at least, what I think is the best) film, performance and artistic/technical/aesthetic achievement in each category.

Favorite 25 Films of 2014

Birdman, a character dramedy directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarrutu – Trailer

Boyhood, a coming-of-age drama directed by Richard Linklater – Trailer

Calvary, a character drama directed by John Michael McDonagh – Trailer

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, an action adventure directed by Anthony & Joe Russo – Trailer

Edge of Tomorrow, a sci-fi action adventure directed by Doug Liman – Trailer

The Fault in Our Stars, a teen romantic drama directed by Josh Boone – Trailer

Foxcatcher, a character drama directed by Bennett Miller – Trailer

Fury, a WWII action drama directed by David Ayer – Trailer

The Grand Budapest Hotel, a mystery comedy directed by Wes Anderson - Trailer

Gone Girl, a mystery thriller directed by David Fincher – Trailer

Guardians of the Galaxy, a sci-fi action adventure directed by James Gunn – Trailer

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, a fantasy action adventure directed by Peter Jackson – Trailer

The Imitation Game, a biographical WWII character drama directed by Morten Tyldum - Trailer

Intersteller*, a sci-fi action adventure drama directed by Christopher Nolan - Trailer

Into the Woods, a musical fantasy drama directed by Rob Marshall - Trailer

The Lego Movie, an animated action comedy directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller – Trailer

A Most Violent Year, a period crime drama directed by J.C. Chandor – Trailer

The Normal Heart, a period drama directed by Ryan Murphy – Trailer

Pride, a period drama directed by Matthew Warchus – Trailer

The Raid 2, a martial arts action adventure directed by Gareth Evans – Trailer

Selma, a period drama directed by Ava DuVernay – Trailer

The Theory of Everything, a biographical period character drama directed by James Marsh – Trailer

Unbroken, a WWII biographical character drama directed by Angelina Jolie – Trailer

Whiplash, a character drama directed by Damien Chazelle – Trailer

Wild, a character drama directed by Jean-Marc Vallee – Trailer

Favorite 25 Performances of 2014

Ben Affleck, a leading performance in Gone Girl

Emily Blunt, a leading performance in Into the Woods

Jessica Chastain, a supporting performance in A Most Violent Year

Carrie Coon, a supporting performance in Gone Girl

Marion Cotillard, a leading performance in Two Days, One Night

Benedict Cumberbatch, a leading performance in The Imitation Game

Ralph Fiennes, a leading performance in The Grand Budapest Hotel

Brendan Gleeson, a leading performance in Calvary

Oscar Isaac, a leading performance in A Most Violent Year

Felicity Jones, a leading performance in The Theory of Everything

Keira Knightley, a leading performance in Begin Again

Keira Knightley*, a supporting performance in The Imitation Game

Matthew McConaughey, a leading performance in Interstellar

Edward Norton*, a supporting performance in Birdman

David Oyelowo, a leading performance in Selma

Rosamund Pike*, a leading performance in Gone Girl

Chris Pine, a supporting performance in Into the Woods

Eddie Redmayne*, a leading performance in The Theory of Everything

Mark Ruffalo, a supporting performance in Foxcatcher

Jenny Slate, a leading performance in Obvious Child

Emma Stone, a supporting performance in Birdman

Miles Teller, a leading performance in Whiplash

Reese Witherspoon, a leading performance in Wild

Shailene Woodley, a leading performance in The Fault in Our Stars

Favorite 25 Artistic, Technical & Aesthetic Achievements

Wes Anderson, the director of The Grand Budapest Hotel

Donald Graham Burt, the production designer of Gone Girl

Damien Chazelle, the director of Whiplash

Jeff Cronenweth, the cinematographer of Gone Girl

Nathan Crowley, the production designer of Interstellar

Roger Deakins, the cinematographer of Unbroken

Alexandre Desplat, the composer of Godzilla

Alexandre Desplat, the composer of The Grand Budapest Hotel

Alexandre Desplat, the composer of The Imitation Game

Maria Djurkovic, the production designer of The Imitation Game

David Fincher, the director of Gone Girl

Hoyte Van Hoytema, the cinematographer of Interstellar

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the director of Birdman

Johann Johannsson, the composer of The Theory of Everything

Ryszard Lenczewski & Lukasz Zal, the cinematographers of Ida

Richard Linklater, the director of Boyhood

Emmanuel Lubezki*, the cinematographer of Birdman

Seamus McGarvey, the cinematographer of Godzilla

Christopher Nolan*, the director of Interstellar

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, the composers of Gone Girl

Adam Stockhausen*, the production designer of The Grand Budapest Hotel

Charles Wood, the production designer of Guardians of the Galaxy

Robert D. Yeoman, the cinematographer of The Grand Budapest Hotel

Hans Zimmer*, the composer of Interstellar

A Few More Fun, Entertaining and Interesting Films You Might Have Missed from 2014

Begin Again, a musical romance drama directed by John Carney – Trailer

Enemy, a mystery thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve – Trailer

Fort Bliss, a character drama directed by Claudia Myers – Trailer

The Guest, a horror thriller directed by Adam Wingard - Trailer

In Your Eyes, a sci-fi romance directed by Brin Hill – Trailer

Laggies, a character dramedy directed by Lynn Shelton – Trailer

Locke, a drama thriller directed by Steven Knight - Trailer

Obvious Child, a dramedy directed by Gillian Robspierre - Trailer

The Skeleton Twins, a character drama directed by Craig Johnson – Trailer

What If, a romantic comedy directed by Michael Dowse - Trailer

A Few More Wonderful and Under-Heralded Performances that I also Loved

Rose Byrne, a leading performance in Neighbors

Kim Dickens, a supporting performance in Gone Girl

Michael Fassbender, a leading performance in Frank

David Gyasi, a supporting performance in Interstellar

Bill Hader, a leading performance in The Skeleton Twins

Tom Hardy, a leading performance in Locke

Michelle Monaghan, a leading performance in Fort Bliss

Joaquin Phoenix, a leading performance in The Immigrant

Tilda Swinton, a supporting performance in Snowpiercer

Kristen Wiig, a leading performance in The Skeleton Twins

Good Films I Have Yet to See (that probably would have factored into the above lists)

The Babadock, a horror thriller directed by Jennifer Kent – Trailer

Force Majeure, a drama directed by Ruben Ostlund – Trailer

Mr. Turner, a period character drama directed by Mike Leigh – Trailer

Nightcrawler, a drama thriller directed by Dan Gilroy – Trailer

Starred Up, a crime drama directed by David Mackenzie – Trailer