2014 in film

The Masochist List: Everything from 2014

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Another year gone and another several hundred films watched. And, as per usual, with much effort I made my goal of watching at least 365 in the year. But this, I think, will be the last time I do it. I think I’ve done it for three years, and this will be the last one. My actual New Year’s Resolution (yes, yes, I know it’s late January) will be to watch movies at my own pace without some self-imposed quote or anything. To really enjoy it. (Also, get to some TV shows I’ve been meaning to watch; I’ve been exploring Mad Men lately.) Anyways, here are all the new-to-me movies I watched in 2014, complete with arbitrary grades. (Links are provided if I wrote about the film.) If you want to see my favorites of those from 2014, check them out here. Read the rest of this entry »

My 14 Favorite Films of 2014

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2014 in filmAs I said in another list, this year was slightly different, not only in that I wrote a heck of a lot more, but also in that I just saw more, at least as far as new releases went. My journey to making these lists was a fun one. Finals were already happening and I thought, oh, I have a couple of weeks to finish the seven or so lists I had to make, I have plenty of time. And then I realized I had just over a week. So I crammed in as many 2014 films as I could, and voila!

So, here it is, folks, my final, locked in list of my favorite 14 films that I saw in 2014 (I’m not worrying about US release date or anything, just counting what I saw.)

You can also find my ranked 2014 list on Letterboxd, my top 20 performances at Under the Radar, some capsules I contributed to Under the Radar’s best films of 2014, and to Sound on Sight (my individual ballot here), and my favorite musical moments in film from 2014. And, also, my superlative year in film. And also, my complete list of all the new releases I saw in 2014. Yes, I made a lot of lists this year.

Thanks for taking this cinematic journey with me! I hope 2015 to be as fruitful and fun! Have a safe and very Happy New Year, folks! Read the rest of this entry »

My Superlative Year in Film: 2014 Edition

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forcemajeure03

This year was a little different from last year. It was the year I really started writing. I’ve had this blog for, like, eight or so years and maintained it. I’ve written intermittently for VeryAware.com for a while, as well as TheBlackMaria.org. But this is the year that I really pushed my writing, so that my audience grew and I made more friends and engaged with more people than ever. I was fortunate to have my work featured on Movie Mezzanine (of which I am now Assistant Editor), Under the Radar Magazine, Film School Rejects, IndieWire’s /Bent, Sound on Sight, and elsewhere (you can find all of my work here). I got to go to two film festivals for the first time ever, and attend as press for them, which was amazing. I actually got to meet the writers I so much admire in person, in the flesh, and pick the brains and hang out with them. And this time, I actually got to watch a bunch of movies from 2014, which almost never happens. At the time of this writing, on Christmas Eve, I’ve seen 96 new releases, and 423 new to me films in general (a step down from last year, but whatever). So, here was my superlative year in film, 2014 edition.   Read the rest of this entry »