2014 - The Highlights (lionsroar)

Films watched for the first time and reviewed in 2014

Note: Since Trophy Unlocked has to pay for most of the movies we see in the theaters and for most of the films we watch at home, we don’t have the scope of a newspaper reviewer. We don’t see everything that’s out, so our ratings of films are based on what we decide to spend our money on.

Best Films of the year

In no particular order:

Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

While this is not a film that will win Academy Awards, I really thought Michael Keaton showed a lot of range and bravery with his performance. The filmmaking was experimental with the attempt to make it appear to be one long continuing shot, something Hitchcock attempted with Rope (1948), but technology has improved so that director Alejandro González Iñárritu has more success. The soundtrack, which won’t be eligible for the Oscars, is interesting, but a little tiresome. Not a great film, but it has enough interesting pieces to make it a must see from the year.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Perhaps the most fun I had at the movies this year. While I had never read the comics it was based on and was somewhat doubtful of the project, I really liked the movie. So much in fact, that I actually bought the soundtrack as a audio-keepsake, even though it is filled with songs that when they were first played on the radio I would turn the dial so as to not listen to them.

Frozen

There were a lot of very fine animated films this past year, but perhaps the best all around was Frozen. Released in 2013, this was reviewed on the blog at the beginning of 2014. The film features the voice acting and singing talents of Broadway standouts Idina Menzel and Josh Gad as well as Kristen Bell and songs such as Let It Go, In Summer and For the First Time in Forever.

Disappointments of the year

In no particular order:

Noah

Not sure why this film was made. While it does tell a story that is similar to what’s in the Bible, that story is augmented with supernatural elements. I don’t know much about Noah, but if he was anything like he was portrayed in this film, he was not a very likeable guy. As with most biblical films, this one is slow paced and uninvolving.

Big Hero 6

Not really a bad movie, but one that definitely could have been better. A similar set up as Guardians of the Galaxy, a movie based on a little known Marvel comic with a cast of heroes. But while Guardians managed to flesh out their cast into three-dimensional characters, most of the big six remain one-dimensional. I also had some problems with the timing of events. While I’m sure there’ll be a sequel, I hope they get it right the next time.

Gunga Din (1939)

Since 2014 was the 75^th Anniversary of Hollywood’s Golden Year, 1939, Trophy Unlocked made an effort to highlight several films from that year. Not all films from 1939 are great however and some have aged poorly. I’m sorry to say Gunga Din falls into that category. As a Cary Grant fan, I have rarely seen a bad performance from him and for the most part the acting is okay from all the leads. The problem is the pacing, the story and the laughable special effects. I had wanted to watch this film with my family for about a decade, so imagine how disappointed I was when the only thing we talked about afterwards was the poorly done snake pit scene.

Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914)

Anniversaries all around, this one goes back 100 years to the first feature length comedy shot in Hollywood. Like Grant, I am usually a fan of Charlie Chaplin’s work, but most of my exposure to him had been in films he wrote, directed and starred in. Here he is given third-billing behind Marie Dressler and Mabel Normand and is directed by Mack Sennett. This film, unfortunately, has not aged well.

Noah

Noah (2014) Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Anthony Hopkins Directed by Darren Aronofsky Screenplay by Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel Producedby Scott Franklin, Darren Aronofsky, Mary Parent, Arnon Milchan Run time 139 minutes. US. Color. Biblical, Epic. Drama

Hollywood has had a love affair with the Bible and biblical fiction going almost as far back as film was first cranked through the camera. One of the earliest examples is a fifteen minute short based on  Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ from 1907. But sections of the Bible have been mined for feature films including The Ten Commandments, which was made into movies twice by Cecil B. DeMille in 1927 and again in 1956. Noah’s Ark has also been given the feature treatment three times: Noah’s Ark (1928) directed by Michael Curtiz; Noah’s Ark (1999) directed by John Irvin and Noah (2014) directed by Darren Aronofsky.

The story of Noah is not just a Christian story. Since it appears in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament, it is also part of Judaism and the story is also told in the Islamic Quran. The story itself does not take up much room in Genesis, being told in Chapters 6 through 9. In short, based on the wickedness of the world, God has decided to wipe the Earth clean and start again. He speaks to Noah, who builds an Ark to save the animals of the world, while it rains for 40 days and 40 nights. As the water recedes, the Ark crashes into Mount Ararat. Noah releases the animals and makes a covenant with God, who promises He would never flood the Earth again.

Watching the new film Noah, I was reminded of my experience watching the Lord of the Ring films in that situations and characters were introduced as if I was already familiar with everyone. I’m not a Bible scholar and I had never read Tolkien’s work. The character names are sometimes hard to catch and I spent a lot of time wondering if Noah’s middle son’s name Ham was spelled like the pork product, the actor from Mad Men or like the rock group (Spoiler alert, it’s the pork product).

Russell Crowe plays Noah.

While a self-proclaimed atheist like Aronofsky has as much right to make a Biblical film as anyone, the question might be why? His take doesn’t try to disprove the story or the existence of God, though He is only referred to over and over again as the Creator. What Aronofsky does do is embellish the story with characters and events that were not part of Genesis and he adds an even more surreal mythical paranormal element to it as well. I had to do some post viewing research to determine the elements he and Ari Handel had added to punch up God’s story. (I’ll leave it up to you decide if He needs a rewrite.)

The film is heavily laden with special effects, which sometimes look unreal. There were supposedly no animals used in the scenes involving the Ark (and this is not your daddy’s Ark either, in shape). The acting is pretty good, though I sometimes get lost when a character says one thing, but then does something completely different. I won’t go into who and what; don’t want to ruin the film for you.

No animals were harmed in the making of Noah, because no animals were used.

Russell Crowe, as usual, gives a very strong performance of a very troubled man. Again, there are elements of Noah’s personality and choices that he makes that I don’t believe are in the original story. They do however provide a depth to the character and give the actor more to do than just be righteous. Jennifer Connelly is also pretty good as Noah’s wife Naameh. Anthony Hopkins, last seen as Odin in Thor: The Dark World (2013), plays Methuselah, Noah’s grandfather. His part is serious, mystical and provides the only comedic relief in an otherwise very serious film. Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame plays Ila, Noah’s daughter-in-law and the wife of eldest son, Shem (Douglas Booth). Ila is one of the “new” characters added to fill out an otherwise thin story.

Naameh (Jennifer Connelly), Shem (Douglas Booth) and Ila (Emma Watson) in Noah.

The film has found its fair share of controversy. Any Biblical inspired film is likely to attract some unless it is a strict word for word adaptation of chapter and verse. I don’t know or really care about their beefs with the films, since many criticized it sight unseen. Perhaps it was an evolution spin put on the first Seven Days, as we see fish venture onto land and become mammals all during one of those days; a Clarence Darrow interpretation of Biblical verse.

I hate to say it, but I found the film rather slow paced and uninvolving. If you have a strong interest in seeing the film, for whatever reason, I would tell you to go ahead. But if you’re a little iffy, then I would recommend a pass.