favorite films this year

It's December, so it's a good time for some summing up and list-making, right? I watch a fair share of movies, but the very best that I've seen this year were not necessarily first-run in theaters. I also caught up with some titles on cable, streaming, or Blu-rays from the library.

Here is my list of the movies I liked the best, would love to see again (and again). There are links to longer reviews. The list is in the order that I saw them. Looking at it I see that there are a few trends. There are quite a few two-person movies. The fantasy films all feature a central, larger-than-life character, with a sense of humor. The comedies are all pretty quirky, and on the quiet side, as opposed to the current gross-out trend. Three of my favorite actors, who are no longer with us, all turn up on the list - Robin Williams, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman. They will be missed.


The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - Ben Stiller takes a thoughtful, beautifully filmed journey to find himself.

Pirate Radio - Philip Seymour Hoffman is wonderful as a renegade DJ on a floating radio station in the '60s.

Philip Seymour Hoffman in Pirate Radio

James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss in Enough Said

Enough Said - James Gandolfini and Julia-Louis Dreyfuss are a wonderful pair of would-be lovers in this clever, quiet film about second chances.

The Way Way Back - Sam Rockwell is an irreverent but kind boss and quasi spirit guide to young Duncan (Liam James) during a summer on the Cape.

The Lego Movie - Everything is awesome, really, in this wonderfully clever animated adventure.

Rear Window - Hitchcock's classic about love and what really happens behind our neighbors drawn curtains.

Annie Hall - Diane Keaton is the subject of this comic love story, both a tribute and a spoof, from Woody Allen.

Lovers Madame D. (Tilda Swinton) and Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) in The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Another stylish (and hilarious) film from Wes Anderson, starring Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton.

The Humphrey Bogart Film Festival - I was lucky enough to attend this annual festival, where I was treated to screenings of Bogie classics like Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep and Key Largo.

Maleficent - Angelina Jolie, her beauty chiseled and CGI-ed to perfection, has a blast with her role as Sleeping Beauty's nemesis.

The Birdcage - One of my all-time favorite films. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are adorable and funny as hell, and just manage to stop Hank Azaria from stealing the picture from them.

Hercules - Dwayne Johnson leads a merry crew in this fun, raucous take on the Hercules legend. Ian McShane steals every scene he's in and then some.

Guardians of the Galaxy - I am Groot. We all are Groot. And Guardians of the Galaxy is the best comic book movie of them all.

Our Idiot Brother - The movie is as laid back as its main character, played by Paul Rudd, and that is a good, and very funny, thing.

Gone Girl - Rosamund Pike is picture-perfect as Amy, in this cold-as-ice chiller-thriller.

Big Hero 6 - A very sweet animated film, with a layer of sadness that never quite goes away. Beautifully animated, too.

Philippe (François Cluzet) and Driss (Omar Sy) go to the opera

The Intouchables - A twist on the buddy picture, this French hit features the beautiful friendship of odd couple Philippe (François Cluzet) and Driss (Omar Sy).

Only Lovers Left Alive - A mesmerizing, beautiful love story from director Jim Jarmusch. About vampires. With Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston. And John Hurt. I could just watch this over and over and over ...

mockingjay, part 1: post-traumatic stress katniss

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 picked up right where the second film, Catching Fire left off, but viewers may still feel like they got caught in a different film franchise, though it is following the original story, written by Suzanne Collins, (who also gets a screen credit for adapting her novel). This film is very deliberately paced, some may even feel slow-moving. But it is a very different story than the first few films, which followed Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she tried to survive two Hunger Games, an annual ritual that pits young people from each district in the country of Panem in a fight for survival — only the strong, and the last person standing — make it out alive. But in both instances Katniss thwarted the powers that be, which distinctly upset oligarch President Snow (Donald Sutherland). In her first Hunger Games she managed to also save fellow District 12 resident Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Snow sent the pair and a host of other champions back the following year, trying to kill all of the insurgent birds with one stone. But Katniss destroyed the game zone and was airlifted out with other contestants Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Beetee (Jeffrey Wright), but Peeta was left behind, his whereabouts and fate unknown.

A rose by any other name — President Snow leaves a gift for Katniss

As the new film begins the Hunger Games are no more, and Katniss is bereft. She wakes up in the vast underground bunker of District 13, which had perviously been assumed to have been destroyed by Snow and the Capitol forces. But it has been built into a hidden fortress, led by the steely President Coin (Julianne Moore) with ex-Capitol advisor Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) at her side. Plutarch is convinced that Katniss, as the "Mockingjay" is the symbol they need for a successful revolution. Coin listens to him, but doesn't always agree. Katniss is reunited with her mother and sister Prim, who seem to have (mostly) adjusted to the totalitarian environment, and old pal Gale, who still seem to carry a torch for her, when he isn't busy becoming an uber-soldier for Coin. But Katniss can't connect with much around her, haunted by her guilt over the destruction of her home, District 12, and especially the missing Peeta's and her feelings for him. Mockingjay Part 1 is about war and its after-effects, from Katniss grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder to Snow's attempts to match District 13's rebellion with attacks on all of the country's districts — innocent lives lost to make a point.

The first film in the series to be shot digitally, Mockingjay Part 1 is dark, with much of the action taking place underground in District 13. Also the first not to be released in IMAX, the film didn't bow to the blockbuster de riguer 3D, which it had no need of. But what really sets the film apart is the quality of its cast. It is fascinating to watch Lawrence as Katniss, a raw nerve, and more of a pawn than ever, being buffeted by the political and emotional forces around her. Philip Seymour Hoffman is also a wonder, as always, bringing layers of nuance to his role as the main brain of the war room. The film is dedicated to his memory.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore appear in their fourth film together (Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, and Magnolia)

As dark and serious as things are for Katniss, there are also some welcome moments of levity. It is great to see her trainers Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and Effie (Elizabeth Banks) again. Both actors have a blast with their fish-out-of water characters, a dried-out Haymitch without his requisite bottle of spirits to help him through the day, and the irrepressible Effie suffering from all the gray-on-gray surrounding her. A big silly cat called Buttercup also brings not just a touch of humor to a few scenes, but provides for a silly, but necessary jolt of action mid-film.

In the land of the drab, Effie makes it work

Is Mockingjay Part 1 a film that can stand on its own? Yes and no. It works well as a set-up for the final installment, due this time next year. Could it work without the greater context of the Hunger Games? Not really, but it wasn't really intended to. This is serial story-telling. It is hard to call it a cash grab, however, as might be said about the bloated approach to The Hobbit taken by Peter Jackson. Mockingjay's themes of war and its aftermath, especially the toll it takes on the young is worthy of exposition. A single film may have had to rush Katniss's experiences in favor of a fiery finale. Mockingjay may not be the blockbuster movie that everyone thought they were going to get, but in this age of televised torture and warfare, it may be the deeply emotional film that we need.

pirate radio

In yesterday's post I paid tribute to the career of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who tragically died last Sunday. He made so many great movies, playing heartbreaking and intriguing characters. Today I'd like to highlight one of his more comic turns, in a movie that many may have missed, Pirate Radio, a British film from 2009, also known as The Boat That Rocked.

The Count broadcasts

The crew rocks out on Radio Rock

Written and directed by Richard Curtis (The Vicar of Dibley, Mr. Bean, Love Actually) the film, set in the 1960s, chronicles a British pirate radio station that dares to play (gasp!) rock and roll. The radio station, dubbed Radio Rock's creative solution to broadcast restrictions is that it is a ship at sea, with a constantly changing location. The British government can't impose its rule of classical music only on the radio or shut it down, if they can't even find it. Hoffman plays an American DJ known as The Count, who bristles when another radio god, the popular British DJ Gavin (Rhys Ifans), joins the crew to boost ratings and challenge The Count's supremacy.

The Count, "You know, a few months ago, I made a terrible mistake. I realized something, and instead of crushing the thought the moment it came I ... I let it hang on, and now I know it to be true. And I'm afraid it's stuck in my head forever. These are the best days of our lives. It's a terrible thing to know, but I know it."

A virtual who's who of British comedians and actors make up the rest of the eclectic crew. Bill Nighy plays Quentin, who runs Radio Rock; DJs "Doctor" Dave (Nick Frost), "Simple" Simon Swafford (Chris O'Dowd); young Carl (Tom Sturridge), who's mother (Emma Thompson) has sent to spend time on the seas with his godfather Quentin. The only bum note in the film is Kenneth Branagh as Sir Alistair Dormandy, an unpleasant and uptight government minister who is bound and determined to shut down the rock and roll station. There isn't an ounce of humor in his performance, which is a shame, for both the audience and Jack Davenport who plays his assistant, Twatt. If only Curtis had called on Rowan Atkinson to play the role ...



Branagh aside, Pirate Radio is laid back and amusing, and also manages to capture the excitement and even dangerous quality of early rock and roll, and a time when it really seemed like music could and would change the world. Hoffman's character embodies that spirit of freedom completely and he emerges as the heart and soul of the film. It's really worth a look. And it has a great soundtrack, too of over 50 songs, including artists like The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Supremes, and The Hollies.

the amazing career of philip seymour hoffman

I have been trying to avoid the endless reporting on the recent tragic death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was an immense talent, and I think it would be best for folks who have no real connection to the family or the case to focus on his legacy, his acting. He left this world far too soon, but at least the prolific performer has left us an amazing catalogue of roles. Whether he was the lead actor, supporting or even a cameo performance, whether a sympathetic or loathsome character (or possibly both at once) he was always fascinating to watch. The first movie I remember seeing him in was Boogie Nights, and he was unforgettable as Scotty J., a gay man who had a crush on Mark Wahlberg's Dirk Diggler.

With Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly in Boogie Nights

I was going to just pick a few films to focus on, but I think the breadth and scope of his talent can be seen by just reading the list of his many wonderful roles and films. So many I have seen, but there are still so many to catch up with. RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman. You will be missed.

1991
Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole

1992
Szuler
My New Gun
Leap of Faith
Scent of a Woman

1993
Joey Breaker
My Boyfriend's Back
Money for Nothing

1994
The Getaway
The Yearling
When a Man Loves a Woman
Nobody's Fool

In Pirate Radio

1996 Hard Eight
Twister

1997
Boogie Nights
Liberty! The American Revolution

1998
Culture
Montana
Next Stop Wonderland
The Big Lebowski
Happiness
Patch Adams

1999
Flawless
Magnolia
The Talented Mr. Ripley

With Meryl Streep in Doubt

2000
Titanic 2000
State and Main
Almost Famous

2001
The Party's Over

2002
Love Liza
Punch-Drunk Love
Red Dragon
25th Hour

2003
Owning Mahowny
Cold Mountain

2004
Along Came Polly

2005
Strangers with Candy
Capote Truman Capote

2006
Mission: Impossible III

2007
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
The Savages
Charlie Wilson's War

2008
Synecdoche, New York
Doubt

2009
Mary and Max
Pirate Radio
The Invention of Lying

2010
Jack Goes Boating (also directed)

With George Clooney in The Ides of March

2011
Moneyball
The Ides of March

2012
The Master
A Late Quartet

2013
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

2014
A Most Wanted Man
God's Pocket
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Parts 1 & 2