Top 10 UK Releases of 2014
It should be noted, as avid a film fan as I am, it is impossible to see everything that is released within the year. Therefore, this list is subject to later additions, but I can only go by what I have seen. If you think I'm missing something, do let me know!
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- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisYayan RuhianArifin PutraOnly a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.Some will argue that it is too long and action-heavy for its own good, and they would have a fair point with the prior, but certainly none with the latter. 'The Raid 2' is not only a complete shift in tone from the first installment, but it offers a complete, possibly overly-ambitious, almost 'Godfather' -like story, which develops slowly and intensely for over an hour before really getting into the set-pieces that a lot of action fans might be there to see. This is no bad thing; the story arc is compelling, and the characters engaging enough, that you can almost ignore the slightly fumbled pacing in its storytelling elements. Talking style, there is no doubt where some of the influences for this are; it is tough to watch certain moments here and not think of Coppola or Korean classic 'Oldboy'.
The action? In short, some of these set-pieces, most notably the finale, are unarguably the best-designed martial arts action sequences I have seen captured in-camera, without any technological aid, ala 'The Matrix'. You can feel the sweat and tears that went into this, and you really sense people took some real pain in order to make it work. Together with the score, it makes for some of the most tense, heart-pounding fight sequences I have seen on screen. It's like watching top-class ballroom dance....but violent. Phenomenal.
We wait impatiently for Gareth Evans to bring the final film, which will pick up a little BEFORE the end of this one. He says he is nervous about it, since he is looking at a complete change of style, but as far as I'm concerned, he is earning his stripes well as the best action director working, and 'The Raid 2' is easily going to be among my Top 5 films of 2014! - DirectorDavid FincherStarsBen AffleckRosamund PikeNeil Patrick HarrisWith his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.You get to experience this story once fully, and after that once, it will never have the same impact. If you choose to read it first, you will admire the movie's smarts; if you choose to watch the film first, you are likely to have one of the most gleefully discombobulating cinema experiences you'll have had for a long time! Of course, I wish I could say more, but as you know, I can't. Bottom line is this: Love or hate Fincher, there is no questioning his craft or the fact this is one of his best moments. Whether you love or hate 'Gone Girl', there is no denying it is one of the most audacious, carefully crafted, if not, in your opinion, best films of the year.
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeDuring World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsGary OldmanKeri RussellAndy SerkisThe fragile peace between apes and humans is threatened as mistrust and betrayal threaten to plunge both tribes into a war for dominance over the Earth.Having been pleasantly surprised by the first installment of this reboot, I came to 'Dawn...' with fairly high expectation and a little concern that it was all going to fall apart. How I shouldn't have been worried; this movie improves on the first film in pretty much every single department. Whether we're talking the obvious stuff such as visuals, action and story, the more subtle things like score and performances, or the barely mentioned but all important elements of pacing and editing, 'Dawn...' gets nearly everything right.
Lacking in some human character development, and featuring an over-reliance on dialogue between apes when it seems like a bit too much of a leap from the start of the movie, it is fair to say the film isn't perfect, but with its stunning emotional engagement, catharsis through great storytelling and a fantastic finale, which mirrors nicely the beginning of the movie and sets up for the next episode, 'Dawn...' is easily one of the films of 2014!
Give Andy Serkis an Oscar? I think so... - DirectorJennifer KentStarsEssie DavisNoah WisemanDaniel HenshallA single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home.Going by this evidence, I don't doubt that Kent will one day make a masterpiece; this is, after all, one of the strongest directorial debuts I have seen, and whilst 'The Babadook' is perhaps not the film we were promised by the posters, it is nevertheless a surprisingly multi-faceted, emotionally affecting, gorgeous slice of dark imagination, which sincerely addresses a most real and important issue.
- DirectorJohn Michael McDonaghStarsBrendan GleesonChris O'DowdKelly ReillyAfter he is threatened during a confession, a good-natured priest must battle the dark forces closing in around him.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsBérénice BejoTahar RahimAli MosaffaAn Iranian man deserts his French wife and her two children to return to his homeland. Meanwhile, his wife starts up a new relationship, a reality her husband confronts upon his wife's request for a divorce.
- DirectorAmma AsanteStarsGugu Mbatha-RawMatthew GoodeEmily WatsonThe biracial daughter, Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), of Royal Navy Captain Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) is raised by aristocratic Great-uncle Lord William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) in 18th century England.
- DirectorPaul KingStarsHugh BonnevilleSally HawkinsJulie WaltersA young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.