Clint’s Take: 2014 Film Review, Part 1

BY: CLINT BULLIN, FILM AND ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

@Clintosaurus

Well, we’ve almost reached the 4th quarter, folks. Summer is winding down, we’re all tired of the heat and ready for fall. Most of our blockbusters have come and gone and we are headed towards awards season, where the bulk of our heavy-hitting films lay. It certainly has been quite a strange year for cinema.  Tentpole films are bigger and more self-important than ever, VOD pre-release is in full effect and we’re on the verge of maybe the largest distribution shift ever. Sci-fi had a really big year, while horror was put on the back burner.  We have had some great comedies and enough indie think pieces to keep us going.  There have been quite a few surprises, as well as disappointments, in both the big and little ponds. While I look forward to what the final stretch of 2014 has in store, I thought I would take this opportunity to discuss the high points (and a few lows) of what the industry had to offer up to this point. Also, this is a good chance for you to get to know my tastes as a film-goer and enthusiast as well as a writer. This is not an arbitrarily numbered list and there is no particular order here. I simply just want to discuss what we’ve seen at the movies thus far.

Let’s start with Boyhood.  This deserves to be in its own category, as it’s barely a film at all.  It is something else entirely.  It is a true work of art.  It transcends filmmaking and reaches to new levels of the moving picture visual medium.  It’s so detached yet hits every emotional bell to its perfect pitch.  The less said the better. Just know that you cannot pass up Richard Linklater’s pinnacle achievement, not just in his career, but in the history of film. It’s a once in a lifetime work of art that will be studied in film classes for decades to come. Not to mention it shot almost entirely in San Marcos with a few sets reserved for Austin. So, if you’ve been here long enough, you’ll recognize every frame.

In the film world completely separate from the masterpiece that is Boyhood, we’ve had some really great franchise flicks.  Marvel came out swinging with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the best film in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) so far, in my opinion. It was the least fantastical, most grounded, most emotionally engaging film Marvel has ever produced.  It felt much more like a ’70?s spy-thriller than a comic-book movie. Not to mention the action sequences and fight choreography are some of the best ever put to film. The margin of progression is the largest that we’ve had so far.  The events in this film change everything for Cap, The Avengers and the entire MCU more than any of the films released before it. Things will truly never be the same again. Marvel is two for two this year. The second film they unveiled was the Guardians of the Galaxy. Not only my favorite film this year (well, it is a tie) but one of my favorites of all time.  It is a grab bag of emotion, spectacle, storytelling and humor. This film has something (or everything) for everyone, both fans and naysayers alike.  It is the kind of film that deserves multiple watches (my girlfriend and I saw it twice back to back on opening night. We walked out and went right back to the ticket booth. I love movies, but this was a first for me).   It’s a magical movie. And you feel magical by just gazing upon it. The cast, led by the now superstar, Chris Pratt, is unbelievably good in their respective roles. Dave Bautista gave The Rock a run for his money, showing us that wrestlers don’t just belong in the ring. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel do wonderful voice work, with the former taking on an inspired accent as Rocket the raccoon, and the latter doing brilliant work while only ever speaking three words and grunts. Zoe Saldana continues to be the action/sci-fi queen with her role as assassin Gamora.  I can’t wait for the sequels and for these space heroes to tangle with The Avengers.

On the other hand, FOX’s Marvel division is shooting 50/50. X-MEN: Days of Future Past was not only the best and smartest in the series, it featured the most mutants ( and those mutants finally fighting in tandem) played by an unbelievably impressive ensemble cast from both X-MEN franchises, led by the top-form James McAvvoy & Michael Fassbender.  The same thing can’t be said for The Amazing Spiderman 2. While a huge improvement on its predecessor and quite fun at times, it was too overcrowded, too cheesy, and lacked the emotional depths needed to anchor the stunning effects and atmosphere.  It also probably didn’t help that it came out sandwiched in between two of our greatest comic-book movies ever. I really like the way Marc Webb and Co. have constructed Spidey’s universe, it feels fully fledged out.  I feel like the villains saturate this world all at once and not one by one like many comic book films. Hopefully, this franchise finds its footing fast as it has at least four more films on its slate. (The Amazing Spiderman 3 & 4, Sinister Six, and Venom).

Two huge reptile-themed franchises were rebooted this year; one being a total stinker, while the other was merely mediocre.  The total stinker I referred to is, of course, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I grew up with the turtles. I love the turtles. I’d play thousands of TMNT scenarios with my action figures in my room for hours on end. The problem here is not the turtles.  It’s the story (or the lack thereof) and the amount of time that we get to spend having fun with the titular characters. This film should have been titled April, Her Cameraman and Some Turtles. 3 great scenes with our beloved Renaissance-named heroes and one fun action set piece are not worth the other hour and a half. I believe there is a good film somewhere with these turtles where we get to spend time with them and watch their goofy, brotherly companionship, but this is not it. This film is so bland and generic it could have just as easily been about the Transformers (which it basically is) or Bugs Bunny. It rolled right off the Hollywood assembly line and got the Michael Bay stamp of approval. Here’s to hoping on the already green-lit sequel. The mediocre monstrosity I speak of is Godzilla. It had a great tone, atmosphere and direction, but too many good actors being wasted with paper thin characters. Again, here we have a lack of the title character, yet here it works.  Something about the build-up of tension and anticipation of seeing that infamous lizard really works for the film.  And when Godzilla is on screen, the film soars. I also have to give this film their due for homage aspect and making Godzilla a hero again. Overall I enjoyed it. It certainly isn’t a waste time but it isn’t anything special either.

Our final celebrated tentpole is Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.  More big-budget blockbusters need to take notes from this one.  It’s oozing at the seams with heart and smarts. It also has a real message to tell. By balancing out the great action set-pieces with heavy war and gun control themes, it weighs the film in a manner that is only outmatched (barely) by the original Planet of the Apes film.  The acting, particularly by the phenomenal Andy Serkis as the lead ape, Caesar, will bring a tear to your eye. There is much more meat on the bones of this spectacle than most summer blockbusters.  Hell, there are more than in most mainstream movies these days. This flick gets everything right and then some.

I feel an obligation to mention Sin City: A  Dame to Kill For. I don’t want to waste much time talking about this drivel, because this film has taken enough from me already.  It’s an awful film.  I am a big fan of the first Sin City and Frank Miller’s graphic novels and, if you are too, then you won’t want anything to do with this.  It commits the biggest sin (no pun intended) of all- it’s boring. I wanted it to be over twenty minutes in. I cannot advise anyone to watch this, but, if you do, you must-do so at your own risk.

There were some surprises in big-budget cinema this year as well.  These were films that took our preconceived notions and threw them out the window.  22 Jump Street proves the franchise is still the hilarious little engine that could. The unlikely dynamic duo of comedy stars, its self awareness, whip-smart humor (both quotable lines & sight gags) and an end credits sequence that is truly inspired. The same guys that brought us 21 Jump Street (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, names to remember) proved that Legos weren’t just for kids anymore. The Lego Movie is easily one of the best films this year and will remain that way until the end.  Any “Top Films of 2014? list that doesn’t include this one is blasphemous.  It’s absolutely inventive and hilarious and can be enjoyed on different levels, by all ages.  Just give this one a chance and thank me later.

Another unexpectedly “pleasant” film was The Purge; Anarchy.  While I am a big fan of all things horror, I was highly disappointed in the first film. It has a very-high concept premise that gets smothered by the typical home-invasion style thriller.  When really we wanted to see chaos on the streets, we were confined to a claustrophobic home. The fact that this sequel was announced after first weekend box office numbers way back in June of 2013 with only a release date of about 13 months away gave no one high hopes for the supposedly money-grabbing second film.  Well, guess what? This film is what we all wanted from the first.  It takes place out on the streets where stragglers trying to make it home safely before the purge. Well, they don’t make it home in time.  They’re stranded on the streets while utter madness surrounds them.  The best thing about this movie is that it’s more of an action thriller in the vein of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York than a torture-porn horror flick (which is what it seemed to be). While very violent, it is less gruesome than you think and that certainly does not take away from its unsettling tone.  Frank Grillo (who also has a great turn in Cap 2 this year) does an outstanding job of playing action hero. Though he is out to purge himself, seeking revenge on the drunk driver who killed his son, he winds up becoming the protector of said stragglers.  This one is an absurdly wild ride.

(Look for Clint’s Take: 2014 Film Review, Part 2 in our Lifestyle section).