My 2014 Top 10

I haven't seen every 2014 release yet, and I'm spending January and February playing catch up (including some BIG names, such as the last Hobbit film and a certain bunch of warring apes), but I'm still going to offer up this selection of titles, even if only to recommend one or two films that I hope aren't forgotten as the old year dies during the birthing of the new. Please feel free to reply with your own choices, agreements, disagreements, or any comment about the year just passed. Or even the blog itself.

10. Patrick's Day. Not only did I get to see this ahead of most people, I also managed to grab Terry McMahon for this terrific interview. The film is reviewed here.

9. Set Fire To The Stars. A gorgeous film featuring some gorgeous performances. Reviewed here.

8. Housebound. One of the best horror comedies I've seen in recent years, and there have certainly been some great ones. Reviewed here.

7. The LEGO Movie. Let's say it again. Everything IS awesome. Reviewed here.

6. The Green Inferno. WHY has this not been unleashed in cinemas yet, for horror fans to lap up? It's the best cannibal movie we've had in a long time, and arguably the best film yet from Roth. Reviewed here.

5. The Guest. I was worried that this would let me down. It didn't. Movie fans who miss those glory days of rummaging around at the local video store for an action thriller gem are going to LOVE this one. Review is lined up to kick off 2015, as I couldn't think of a better way to start the new year. Meanwhile, folks can buy it here or catch it on demand NOW.

4. Guardians Of The Galaxy. 99.99999% of the entire world loved this. I was one of them. Reviewed here.

3. Under The Skin. Quite an amazing experience. Reviewed here.

2. Calvary. Not perfect, but makes up for that with the sheer power that it packs in the third act, a real punch to the gut. Reviewed here.

1. Inside Llewyn Davis. Perhaps the only movie that I saw at the cinema this year and left unable to find ANY fault with. A beautiful piece of work. Reviewed here.

GREAT films that I just saw after this deadline: The Wolf Of Wall Street, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Boyhood, Nightcrawler, and Birdman.

Honourable mentions: Paddington, Coherence, The Raid 2, That Guy Dick Miller, Chef, The Skeleton Twins, Snowpiercer, Starry Eys, 22 Jump Street, Cold In July, Hyena, The Canal, The ABCs Of Death 2, What We Do In The Shadows, Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla, Let's Be Cops, Zip & Zap And The Marble Gang, and many more that I'll think of as soon as this is live online.

And remember that you should really buy my e-book, that has almost every review I've written over the past 5 years. It's very reasonably priced for the sheer amount of content.

The UK version can be bought here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395945647&sr=1-3&keywords=movie+guide

And American folks can buy it here - http://www.amazon.com/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395945752&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=TJs+ramshackle+mov

As much as I love the rest of the world, I can't keep up with all of the different links in different territories, but trust me when I say that it should be there on your local Amazon.

Calvary (2014)

Writer-director John Michael McDonagh made a pretty good impression, to say the least, with his first feature film, The Guard. A film mixing character study with Irish charm with police thriller elements, it was rightfully held up by many as one of the best from its year of release. Well, come the end of 2014, I expect Calvary to be in any such list.

Teaming up once again with Brendan Gleeson, McDonagh this time mixes entertainment with a scathing condemnation of the Catholic Church and a commentary on the state of Ireland as it is today, and the people who took it to that position. Yet, for all of the anger and cynicism in the script, everything is also offset, and beautifully so, by a message of positivity and forgiveness.

Let me actually get to the plot. Gleeson plays Father James Lavelle, a priest who hears a man in confession say that he’s going to kill him. But he’ll give the priest about a week to get his affairs in order. Killing a bad priest wouldn’t make much of an impact, but killing a good priest, that’s something. Such is the reasoning of the killer. Does this prompt Father Lavelle to rush to the police or flee? No. Instead, he goes about his duties in much the same way as before, all the while trying to help members of his parish (including the person that he knows is due to kill him). Father Lavelle is a good man. That much is made clear from the very beginning of the movie. He’s also a deeply flawed man, having battled with the demon drink through the years, but events in his past have made him what he is today, and that becomes obvious when he receives a visit from his daughter, Fiona (Kelly Reilly).

While I'd like to praise the entire cast here in a way that shows just how great everyone is onscreen, this is Gleeson's movie. As with The Guard, he takes a main character and makes him riveting to watch, even when there seems to be nothing happening. The fact that he's once again given such great support - this time by the likes of Reilly, Chris O'Dowd, David Wilmot, Killian Scott, Aidan Gillen, Orla O'Rourke, M. Emmet Walsh, Dylan Moran, Isaach De Bankole and Domhnall Gleeson (and one or two I have missed out, apologies) - is just a testament to the ability of McDonagh, or whoever he employs, to put together the perfect cast for his work.

While McDonagh also does a very good job with the direction, his strength lies in his writing. If Calvary was JUST an angry rant, using such great actors and providing such great entertainment, then I would still be praising the movie and writing a positive review. But it's so much more than that, and the realisation of the journey that the film has just taken you on will perhaps leave you stunned and moved as the end credits rolled. I can't stop getting a lump in my throat when I think about the film now, and I'm writing this review a day after seeing it. I can't recall the last time a movie affected me so profoundly.

It's not actually a masterpiece, and it may prove to be a very divisive film (when the central message seems to angry and skewed), but for me it's so close to perfect that it's getting the highest rating possible. I am keen to rewatch it soon, I am keen to own it, and I am keen for other people to give it a chance. And for anyone who does go along to view Calvary and finds it somewhat underwhelming, all I ask is that you don't give up on it until the whole tale has unfolded. Then decide how you feel about it.

10/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share