Top 10 Films of the Summer (2014)

With the summer movie season all but finished, the overall consensus is that this has been a bummer summer at the theater. I am not fast to disagree with this statement, but I will say that there has been a steady flow of films worth seeing. Nonetheless, this summer could have benefitted from a little help, so that’s precisely what I‘ve done with this top ten list. This is not a list of the ten best movies released this summer; this is a list of the ten best movies I watched this summer. For example, The Godfather Part II appears on this list because I watched it on HBO a few weeks ago. I think you’ll find that with a couple of tweaks, this summer easily measures up with the best of the best. Besides, it’s my list, so it’s my rules!

 

10.  Get on Up – The number 10 film on this list is a certified summer of 2014 release. The electrifying performance by Chadwick Boseman in this film makes it one that I foresee transitioning from the summer movie season discussion right into the awards season discussion.

 

 

 

9.  Juno – Maybe it’s because I’m a nostalgic Gen-Xer, or maybe it’s because my wife and I are expecting our first child, but we decided to revisit Jason Reitman’s 2007 comedy. This is a film that certainly received plenty of recognition in its day, but has faded into the background over the years. Still, this quirky comedy anchored by Ellen Page and skillfully penned by stripper/Oscar winner, Diablo Cody is one that deserves a Renaissance almost as much as the hamburger phone does.

 

 

8.  Snowpiercer – Like #10, Snowpiercer is another summer movie that contains a performance that deserves some award consideration, this time in the supporting category. Tilda Swinton’s devilishly strong turn as the evil Minister Mason aboard the microcosmic bullet train elevates the film’s already fascinating premise that much more.

 

 

 

7.  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – The impressive follow-up to 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the finest sci-fi film in some time. The effects are as good as it gets and Andy Serkis is mesmerizing in yet another astonishing motion capture performance. The operatic and Shakespearean subtext also ensure the film does not pander or appear too simple despite its premise.

 

 

 

6.  Magic in the Moonlight – No summer is complete without the gift of a new Woody Allen movie. While this one does not reach the echelon of the director’s finest works, it delivers. Magic in the Moonlight is a beautifully photographed period piece that follows a snarky magician played by Colin Firth as he falls in love while trying to debunk a suspected phony psychic played by Emma Stone.

 

 

 

5.  The Godfather: Part II – Once in a while, you find yourself in front of the TV on a rainy day and as you’re searching through the channels you find you’re just in time to catch the beginning of the perfect film for the moment. What is there to say that has not been said about this film? Still, Coppola’s brilliantly conceived sequel not only continues the Corleone crime family’s saga but also explains its origin. Furthermore, the exceptionally quotable script is audacious and daring.

 

 

4.  Boyhood – Perhaps the greatest cinematic experiment that I have had the pleasure of seeing in my lifetime. The plot is simple, the direction is appropriate, but the concept is fascinating, Richard Linklater and his small but talented cast headed by the newcomer and suddenly very familiar Ellar Coltrane follows its characters over a 12 year period as they simply live the life they lead. The experimental piece is that the movie was also filmed over 12 years allowing the cast to age along with the characters. This is a wonderfully successful film with great heart and a great use of music as well, including the added bonus of “Post-Beatles Black Album” playlist that is a must for any Beatles fan.

 

3.  Mulholland Dr. – A spellbinding puzzle of a movie! This is one that requires multiple viewings anyway, and each time it’s seen, the experience is richer. On the surface, Mulholland Dr. appears to be a simple story about a Hollywood hopeful discovering the price of her dreams, but it quickly becomes much more than that. What’s real and what’s imagined is for you to decide, but director David Lynch does provide an appropriately enigmatic roadmap worth taking a look at.

 

 

2.  Life Itself – In April of 2013, film lovers lost a legend. Eulogized on this blog, Roger Ebert was an inspiration not just for movie fans, but for lovers of the written word. Life Itself, filmed by one of Ebert’s favorite documentarians Steve James, lovingly and truthfully explores Ebert’s life, holding back nothing from Ebert’s inspirational assent in popularity to his heartbreakingly sad battle with cancer.

 

 

1.  Captain America: The Winter Soldier – I know June 21^st is the official start of summer, but cinematically, when the hell does it start? I submit that it starts the moment an Avenger appears on screen; therefore, my number one film that I saw this summer marks both the start of the summer movie season as well as the height of its majesty. While many films of this genre are born into intergalactic conflicts and absurdly fantastic plotlines, the best of them are grounded, at least partially, in reality. The motive for Captain America has always been protecting his homeland from threats, and it is a credit to the Russo brothers and writers Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely to put him in an environment where he is doing that very thing.

 

• Honorable Mentions: Enemy and Under the Skin – Two of the weirdest movies I saw on DVD this summer were also two of the best. Both of these films beg for interpretation and while both are creepy, they are not phony in their intentions to awe and inspire discussion. There is something unseen and haunting at the core of both of these films and I am still thinking about them in terms of what their true meanings are!