Well, honestly, this wasn’t an easy list to make. There have been so many wonderful films this year, ranging a wide variety of storytelling and film making styles, and provided the satisfaction of witnessing a good film, quenched the thirst of the soul of a cinephile like me. I made several draft versions, at least four or five times and then came up with this one.
So, here are my most favourite 12 films of this year (among what I have seen so far).
12 Years a Slave: Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is a stunning piece of art and a perfect example of uncompromising and courageous film making. It’s painful and heart breaking and yet a very strong and captivating ride. The film is a historical drama based on the 1853 autobiography of Solomon Northup, the New York black musician who was kidnapped and sold to slavery. The film portrays the terrifying and devastating journey Solomon goes through for 12 years of his life. Chiwetel Ejiofor is the soul of the film and he delivers an exceptional performance. The way McQueen holds the camera with minimalistic movement at the end of a long shot just to keep the lingering feeling alive shows how brilliant a film maker he is. You cannot afford to miss this one not just because it depicts a tragic chapter of the history but it questions human morality and conscience every moment.
Inside Llewyn Davis – The best thing about Inside Llewyn Davis is: it is deeply heart aching, yet has a dark humour present throughout its duration. The film is a gastronomic delight for your appetite which craves for pure cinema. The film making reaches an unimaginable height of greatness. Set in 1960’s New York, based on the life of a struggling folk-singer, Coen Brother’s Inside Llewyn Davis is one of my most satisfying film experiences this year. When I came out of the theater and was driving back home, I was still wandering in the world of Llewyn Davis, his struggle to make it in the world, his relationships with the people around him and the cat. The Coens who have always been considered as pioneers in modern film-making set up a brilliant mood and atmosphere right from the beginning with some soulful folk songs and cinematography. The film just grows on you slowly and suddenly you realize that its over. Inside Llewyn Davis is engrossing, dark, sad and humorous and definitely one of my most favourite films of the year.
Nebraska – Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, which won the Best Actor Award (Bruce Dern) at Cannes 2013 and was also nominated for the prestigious Palm d’Or, is a bitter-sweet charming tale. The film is entirely shot in black & white and mid-America landscape looked gorgeous and stunning in each and every frame. The story revolves around an aged retired man who believes that he has won a million dollars as prize money in a sweepstake. His family tries hard to convince him that it might be a scam, but he is determined to take this trip to claim his money and eventually his son accompanies him. The film is about their journey where father-son duo meets up people to whom the father actually owes money. The film is warm, humorous with beautifully written dialogues and it portrays the different relationships of life with a fine elegance. Nebraska brought many smiles to my face, there were times when I broke into laughter and it moved me deeply as well touching the right cord of my heart.
Gravity: People say some films need to be experienced and mere viewing won’t satisfy your creative impulses and Gravity is one of those gems. The best part is, Gravity is not just about technology or visual effects, it about the beauty of existence, the struggle for survival and the tale of hope, courage by overcoming the fear within. The story telling is fearless and gripping, the characters are beautifully written and Sandra Bullock and George Clooney give such heart-felt memorable performances that you cherish each and every frame of the film being immersed in it. As soon as the film was over, I felt rushing back to the theater and watch it again. That infinite vastness of the space, feel of floating or spinning along with the characters and the pens, papers and even tear drops floating around, the screw falling from Bullock’s hand and approaching towards you and Clooney just grabs it in time is nothing else but sheer magic.
American Hustle – After David O. Russell’s terrific Silver Linings’ Playbook last year, he has hit the bull’s eye yet again this year with his new crime-drama ‘American Hustle’ based on FBI ABSCAM operation. The film has a deliciously clever script with blistering performances from the ensemble cast. Christian Bale proves yet again that he is the most versatile actor in Hollywood currently and Bradley Cooper delivers another remarkable act proving Silver Linings was not a one-time-wonder. Amy Adams’s scintillating performance as an emotionally torn woman is sheer brilliance and Jennifer Lawrence- well she leaves an immense impact even in a supporting role and gives another praise-worthy memorable display of acting. Hustle is one brilliant film with intelligent humour and top-notch film-making.
Before Midnight – Having been soaked in the mesmerizing love saga of Jesse and Céline for so many years, I had tremendous expectations from the third and final installment of the series (the sequel of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset). Crafted beautifully by Richard Linklater, the film surpassed my expectations and it was an immense pleasure to experience the brilliant story telling and soul touching performances of Hawke and Delpy. The film left me moist eyed to see their romance hitting the harsh realism but it left me with a hope of survival of their fairy tale! Before Midnight is an absolute gem, it’s heartbreaking, haunting, sad and yet so real.
Fruitvale Station – There are certain films that just shake you to the core, choke you up and you just hold your tears with a lump in the throat. Fruitvale station based on the real life story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old resident of California and how his life ended on 31st December 2008, is a brilliant, powerful film and definitely one of the best films made this year. I haven’t seen much of Michael B. Jordan before but he was absolutely breathtaking in this one, in each and every frame. Octavia Spencer’s soulful performance in the hospital scenes leave you with moistened eyes. Ryan Coogler’s realistic approach to the film-making with minimal background music worked perfectly for me. This one will be very close to my heart.
The Wolf of Wall Street – The fifth collaboration between Scorsese and Dicaprio and the result is a quirky funny film. However Dicaprio outshines everyone while portraying the real life New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort on screen and delivers an amazingly riveting and awe-inspiring performance. The film is long with running time of 3 hours, it’s hard to digest at times with all the drugs, sex, greed and nudity around you but if you hold your patience it will be a rewarding experience eventually with the Di Caprio’s mind blowing act ably supported by Jonah Hill. Yes, I know I have been using way too many adjectives to describe Leo’s performance but believe me he is worth every bit of it. Although there have been better films this year but Dicaprio’s act will be remembered for a long long time.
Blue Jasmine: Blue Jasmine is not an easy story to tell but Woody Allen has accomplished it with ease and that’s what separates him from the ordinary-filmmakers. The narrative style and the screenplay brilliantly unfold the layered character of Jasmine giving the audience a sneak-peek into her intricate psych and here lies the triumph of a film-maker. But the film belongs to Cate Blanchett who gives the most memorable performance of this year and her career best as Jeanette “Jasmine” Francis. Her fascinating portrayal of a wide range of emotions with sheer confidence is absolutely terrific. She just submits herself into the character and brings soul into it and you leave the theater with an eagerness to discover more about Jasmine’s mind.
Saving Mr. Banks – Saving Mr. Banks is a perfect watch for the holiday season. It is delightful, non-cerebral feel good film where you might shed a tear or two during the course of the film but you will leave the theater with a smile on your face, a smile that represents the fulfillment of a long-treasured dream. The film is based on how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) spent 20 years to convince P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), the writer of Mary-Poppins and finally turned her novel into a film to fulfill the dreams of his daughters. As every Disney film, the film is immensely lovable, innocent with genuine heartfelt performances by everyone, especially Emma Thompson. She was so charming and profoundly moving that it left me spell bound.
Frances Ha – I loved Frances Ha, I loved it for the simplicity, for the unpredictability of Frances, the black and white portrayal of New York City and Greta Gerwig’s fascinating and delightful performance. Frances is a clumsy and complex character, she is not extremely likeable at the very first appearance but as the film progresses she wins your heart and leaves you with a smile on your face. Gerwig is the soul of the film and the way she portrayed Frances and made the character believable deserves full respect.
Captain Phillips – Captain Phillips is a signature Paul Greengrass thriller with riveting performances from Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi. Based on the historical incident of the hijacking of a cargo ship by the Somalian pirates, Captain Phillips offers minute detailing; steadily builds up the film and then concludes with an absorbing and nerve racking climax. Tom Hanks delivers one of the best performances this year; he is extremely convincing as Captain Phillips making the film an engrossing watch.
Yet to see (which could have made to the top 12)
- Her
- Short Term 12
- Philomena
- Dallas Buyers Club
- All is Lost
- August Osage County
- Enough Said
Special mentions:
- Mud
- Rush
- Prisoners
- The Selfish Giant
- The Way way back
Cinema Paradiso 
Oops.. I have only watched Gravity from your list. Need to catch the rest of the movies.