Yes, most of the Film Fights this year were terribly late, with roughly half showing up in December, but we got there in the end. So what was the best film of the year? As always, my caveat from earlier years applies: Film Fight is done in a knock-out style and, as such, only picks my favourite film of the year; there are no guarantees about second place.
First up, the honourable mentions; the good films that, for some reason, did not win their month:
- American Hustle
- The Wolf of Wall Street
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Dallas Buyers Club
- The Lego Movie
- The Double
- Only Lovers Left Alive
- Zero Theorem
- Under the Skin
- Starred Up
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- The Raid 2
- Frank
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Interstellar
- Snowpiercer
Now, the monthly winners:
- January: 12 Years a Slave
- February: Her
- March: The Grand Budapest Hotel
- April: Calvary
- May: Blue Ruin
- June: Fruitvale Station
- July: Boyhood
- August: The Rover
- September: Before I Go to Sleep
- October: Gone Girl
- November: Nightcrawler
- December: In Your Eyes
It was an uneven year, but it started incredibly well. January, February and March were absolutely rammed with great movies, where the mid to end of the year were a lot weaker. Looking over the winner’s list, though, and they’re all strong contenders (but not classics).
The moods evoked by Before I Go To Sleep, Her, Blue Ruin, In Your Eyes and The Rover were all affecting in very different ways. The dark humour in Calvary and Gone Girl hit perfectly, with some lovely direction in both. The real-life inspired 12 Years a Slave and Fruitvale Station showed up awful, brutal moments of humanity. The Grand Budapest Hotel was another strikingly shot and wonderful Wes Anderson film. Boyhood, while not the most gripping story, was a fascinating cinematic experiment.
However, the winner for 2014 (not by much) was Nightcrawler. The lead performance was a career best that no-one saw coming (the bit parts are all strong too), it’s cleanly shot, and is a very dark, satirical statement on modern journalism that never missteps. A great film.