German filmmaker Nicolette Krebitz’s Wild features such an outlandish premise—a lonely depraved woman becomes attracted to a wolf—that it’s nearly impossible to not be curious about it.

Working as a glorified secretary for a demanding boss, Ania (played by an up-and-coming Lilith Stangenberg) is searching for something to disrupt her boring, mundane life. On her way to work one morning, she stumbles upon a wolf staring straight at her. Strange, considering their metropolitan location. A wave of excitement comes over Ania’s face, in high contrast to her usual lethargy. Over time, she is unable to shake the image of the wolf from her mind and not long after this encounter she begins to show signs of wolf-like behavior. She howls at the moon from her apartment balcony and cleans herself by licking her hand. For reasons never fully explained, Ania decides to capture the mysterious wolf.

Wild revolves entirely around its ambiguity. The most intriguing questions of the film are brought up after its first half: Why is this woman going through such great lengths for a random wolf? What will she do if she does manage to capture it? Is she slowly turning into a wolf herself? Where Wild stops being intriguing is when the film stalls from relying too much on all its mystery. Krebitz injects some subplots involving estranged family members and a creepy boss that all end up being so unimportant to the story in the end one wonders why they existed in the first place.

There’s some notable qualities found within Wild, such as the intense performance by Stangenberg and some cool naturalistic cinematography, but they aren’t enough to overcome the dour-ness of everything else. It’s a shame a film with such a fascinating and disturbing subject ends up quite tame and dull. Wild touches on the significance of living out one’s natural instincts, but arriving at this flimsy conclusion is anything but natural, and by all means unexciting.

Wild Sundance Review Rating:
5.5/10

Like them or not, the 2015 Oscar nominations are in.

Snubbing seems to happen every year, apparent front-runners don’t receive nominations and the list of nominations are questioned. No The Lego Movie in Best Animated Film. No Life Itself or The Overnighters in Best Documentary Feature. Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo walk away empty-handed. Gone Girl left out of Best Picture, Best Director, and (strangest of all) Best Adapted Screenplay. Foxcatcher has good enough direction, acting and screenplay, but not good enough for a Best Picture nomination.

Sometimes the list of snubs can shine a light on a great year, which by all means 2014 was (or at the very least, 2014 was better than people think). We all knew that categories like Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, etc. were going to be tight races, so it’s too easy for one of our favorites to just miss the cut (like Jake Gyllenhaal).

Shifting to a positive note, Way Too Indie favorites Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel led the nominations with nine each. Boyhood received six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and both supporting acting categories. Despite its snubs in all the other major categories, Selma was recognized with a Best Picture nomination. Ida, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, also received a nomination for its stunning black-and-white cinematography. While we expected to see Force Majeure and Two Days, One Night on the list for Best Foreign Language Film, we’re equally happy to have Wild Tales and Leviathan. Meanwhile, Whiplash hauled in a whopping six nominations including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

Finally, American Sniper, a film that didn’t seem to have much buzz, received six nominations. And somehow the dismal Angelina Jolie film Unbroken wound up with three nominations. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Full list of 2015 Oscar Nominations

BEST PICTURE
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

BEST ACTOR
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Laura Dern – Wild
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods

BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Ida – Poland
Leviathan – Russia
Tangerines – Estonia
Timbuktu – Mauritania
Wild Tales – Argentina

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
CitizenFour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr. Turner
The Theory of Everything

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Everything Is Awesome” – The Lego Movie
“Glory” – Selma
“Grateful” – Beyond the Lights
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” – Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
“Lost Stars” – Begin Again

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ida
Mr. Turner
Unbroken

BEST EDITING
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past

BEST SOUND EDITING
American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken

BEST SOUND MIXING
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper (La Parka)
White Earth

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life

Not everyone likes the terms “overrated” and “underrated,” and it’s easy to understand why. For some, the words aren’t so much about the films they are applied to as much as a commentary on people’s opinions, and that direct line of attack on the majority can seem a little arrogant. But on the flip side, it’s hard to find two better words that describe what it’s like to disagree with the consensus.

And here at Way Too Indie, we have a wide, diverse group of writers. Want proof? Just look at our list of the Best Films of 2014, where we have a feel-good foodie comedy, a 3+ hour Turkish drama and an animated kids’ movie all on the same list. But there are plenty of times where we don’t all agree on the same thing.

This year we decided to give all of our writers an opportunity to vent out their frustrations at some of the films that either got too much love or not enough. We assigned all of our writers with a task: pick one film you find overrated, one you find underrated, and explain your picks. Read on to see the results, and don’t forget that these picks reflect each writer’s individual thoughts, not the site as a whole. Or, to put it a different way: make sure your hate mail goes to the right person.

Way Too Indie’s Most Overrated and Underrated Films of 2014

Dustin Jansick

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Whiplash is Overrated

Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash received overwhelming praise during its festival run and now sits at a whopping 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, creating the perfect storm for overestimation. Especially considering the film is a glorified sports movie that substitutes drum sticks for sporting equipment. And like most sports movies, Whiplash is wholly predictable and light in the story department. Here an aspiring drummer (Miles Teller) wants to join an elite jazz ensemble so badly that he’ll letting nothing—and I mean nothing—stand in his way. He briefly courts a pretty girl only to dump her just as quick, trying to show how little he cares about anything else. Then there’s the ludicrous car wreck scene where he crawls out of the vehicle covered in blood, yet he’s only concerned with getting to the performance on time (and somehow he manages to play!) The saving grace of the film is the fully committed J.K. Simmons as a perfection-demanding band instructor that most drill sergeants would be afraid of. When someone isn’t playing at his precise speed, he stops the show, humiliates the person in front of everyone, and insists the tempo changes. When played faster, it’s too fast. Slower, and it’s too slow. This gets repeated over and over until the point is made frustratingly clear. While it’s true Whiplash is exhilarating at times, as a whole it’s a slightly above average film about pushing people past their limits.

Like Father, Like Son is Underrated

Unlike the film mentioned above, Like Father, Like Son turns an outlandish situation into an unexpectedly profound narrative. Two Japanese families learn their children were switched at birth after six years of raising them as their own. Writer and director Kore-Eda Hirokazu explores the complex debate between nature and nurture without a predetermined right answer, making a case for both sides. Does six years of parenting outweigh genetics? You be the judge. Kore-eda adds to this philosophical dilemma by introducing contrasting social class between the two families: one family has a ton of wealth but lacks affection while the other family lacks financial prosperity yet provides undivided attention to their children. Like Father, Like Son displays expert craftsmanship, delightful performances (especially the adorable six-year-old), and an emotionally stirring narrative. Like all great films, Like Father, Like Son encourages discussion and inspires you to think. For reasons I don’t understand, the buzz generated during its Cannes premiere (has it really been two years?!) quickly faded. It’s a shame because this film deserves more attention.

C.J. Prince

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Boyhood is Overrated

I didn’t particularly care for Boyhood, which left me feeling pretty cold emotionally when I saw it earlier this year. I couldn’t explain my issues with it more succinctly than Fandor’s Kevin B. Lee, who said Boyhood “feels too much like an all-purpose anthem for the coming-of-age experience” and “lacks the intimacy and specificity” of Richard Linklater’s best work. The film never delves too much into its characters’ lives, sketching out details just enough to ensure as many people can relate to it without getting too precise, perhaps out of fear of alienating viewers.

In a way, I can’t blame Linklater for doing it this way; the shooting method probably made it difficult to get too detailed or specific (it could also explain why Linklater largely eschews narrative). But by doing this, Linklater sacrifices the emotional impact of the story for me, and that broadness leads to something bland. Yes, everyone has something they can relate to in Boyhood, and that’s the problem. It’s perfectly content with doing very little, acting as a blank canvas for viewers to project all they want on to it. And a blank canvas can be pretty boring to look at.

Oculus is Underrated

While everyone and their mother believes The Babadook is the best horror film of 2014 (I came very close to making it my overrated pick), I’m going with Mike Flanagan’s Oculus. It’s a horror film with an unconventional villain: a haunted mirror with the ability to mess with people’s heads, making them see things that aren’t really there. The more time one spends around the mirror, the harder it gets to discern between reality and illusion. And what Flanagan does so brilliantly is make his own film feel like it’s under the influence of the mirror, slowly throwing viewers into a headspace where it’s impossible to understand whether or not what’s on screen is actually happening.

It starts when the mirror shows its malevolence to the film’s two protagonists. The editing starts violating expectations, heightening the awareness of elliptical cuts (in other words, you can no longer fill in the blanks between each shot). And then the film’s flashback structure collapses in on itself, suddenly merging past and present into one. By its climax, Oculus reaches a disorienting fever pitch that’s a marvel to behold. Most horror movies have a hard time creating actual characters; Oculus gets inside its characters’ heads with an effectiveness rarely seen in today’s horror films.

Blake Ginithan

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Guardians of the Galaxy is Overrated

Comic book movies are a dime a dozen now a days, thus one only really needs to be good to stand out. Marvel seemingly has a stranglehold on the market at the moment and is releasing anything it can to make money. Guardians of the Galaxy is neither enjoyably good nor enjoyably bad. It’s pure middle of the road boredom. I’d rather watch a gloriously bad movie that shoots for the stars than a film that plays everything by the numbers. Guardians of the Galaxy is a very bland comic book movie that isn’t interesting for a second. It contains not a single exciting character and not a single enjoyable scene. The action scenes fall pretty flat and the choice to use soul and funky pop songs as the soundtrack is a pretty dire, annoyingly distracting decision. Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t bad by any means; Chris Pratt proves that he will be a movie star in no time and director James Gunn shows he can handle a big budget. But Guardians of the Galaxy only shoots for middle ground and never once wants to rise above the crème to become something better.

Edge of Tomorrow is Underrated

I’m convinced the Tom Cruise we see outside of the movies (the one who jumps on couches) has ruined the Tom Cruise we see on the silver screen. It’s unfortunate, because Tom Cruise shows with Edge of Tomorrow that he is far and away the best movie star of all time. Here Cruise turns in one of his best performances not just of the last few years, but possibly of his entire career. It’s easy to dismiss Edge of Tomorrow as a sci-fi knock off of Groundhog Day but it’s so much more than that. The way we see Cruise’s character go from a complete pussy to an ass-kicking soldier throughout the course of this movie is sensational. And who better as his sidekick than Emily Blunt, who proves she can destroy aliens as aptly and easily as Ripley could? We can talk about the weak ending all we want, fine, but to deny everything you see before it is a sin. Edge of Tomorrow is one of the best Hollywood big budget films to be released in some time. It’s fun, grandiose, energetic, loopy, amusing, kinetic, emotional, and pulsating. Edge of Tomorrow was wrongly missed out on during its initial theatrical run.

Ananda Dillon

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It Felt Like Love is Overrated

The great part about the Internet is I don’t need to worry about all of you out there shaking your heads at my opinion on It Felt Like Love. I hear what many of you have said about the film (including quite a few WTI staff; read our review): about how it portrays the difficulties of growing up in this modern age of sexual inundation on youth; about how honest Eliza Hittman’s depiction of crossing the line from girl to woman is conveyed; about its realistic and observational style of filmmaking. I’m sorry, but no. I was a teenage girl and nothing Lila (Gina Piersanti) experiences in this film resonates with any memories I have. I get that she’s a motherless, confused young lady motivated by envy and peer pressure, but her every decision in this film is so awkward it’s painful. Not even as a teenager did I know anyone so utterly unable to pick up on social cues. First she throws herself at a boy who, even as a known player, quite obviously wants nothing to do with her. Then it ends with her throwing herself into the way of molestation. It’s not an honest coming-of-age; it’s a scary look into worst-case-scenario for an oblivious girl being taken advantage of. Adding to the uncomfortable viewing experience is a lack of plot and excruciatingly slow pacing. It seems to me it’s easy to confuse amateur, awkward filmmaking for deliberate depth, and I found this film too uncomfortable to enjoy.

The Signal is Underrated

So it only received middling reviews after its Sundance premier and then limited release this year, and even I decried its more flagrant failings in my review, but despite what you’ve heard I’m here to say The Signal is still worth watching. In part it’s worth a watch only so that later when director William Eubank is off making huge sci-fi films that have us all (finally) buzzing, we’ll be able to say “I’ve appreciated his work since The Signal.” So there are bragging rights involved. But additionally The Signal also proves that a perfect film is near impossible to find, and what Eubank gets right far outweighs what he gets wrong. In fact, it’s less that he gets much wrong; he’s just missing a few key elements… like enough plot points. But let’s be honest; if any genre is guilty of putting form over function, it’s sci-fi. So even though the film decides not to answer all our questions, ultimately what we’re left with is the memory of the film’s stunning visuals. Eubanks got his start as a cinematographer, and The Signal showcases some imagery that would leave Michael Bay drooling. The film manages to be stylistic and artistic while also bombastic and blockbuster-looking, which is no easy feat. And despite plot discrepancies, there is no denying the steady tension he incites with this mystery. The reveals are truly shocking, and so, in some ways, you could argue The Signal is TOO good. It sets itself up so well in the first two-thirds that almost no ending could really satisfy. At least that’s my generous conclusion. But trust me on this, The Signal may be a head-scratcher, but it’s not a waste of time.

Bernard Boo

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The LEGO Movie is Overrated

I must preface this by saying that The LEGO Movie was one of my favorite films of the year, which I understand may come off as a bit, well, confusing, as I’ve chosen to also label it as one of the year’s most overrated films. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s brand of witty, subversive humor speaks to millennials so directly that I understand (and share) all the adoration. But what bothers me about the enthusiasm behind The LEGO Movie is that it seems to come from a place that’s unreasonably dismissive of kids movies. Almost every time I read praise for The LEGO Movie, there’s some line that essentially says it’s “got heart, unlike other dumb kids movies”, which I can’t help but read as ignorant snark. All-ages movies are NOT intrinsically inferior. For every bad kids movie, there’s an equally horrendous rom-com, horror movie, or indie drama (just go to your local indie film festival for proof). Yes, The LEGO Movie is excellent, but excellent kids movies aren’t all that rare. Wreck-it Ralph, whose similarities to The LEGO Movie are innumerable, is just as good, just not edgy enough for cynical bloggers. Consider other kids movies from this year: Big Hero 6 wasn’t “dumbed-down”; The Boxtrolls was incredibly sincere and well-written; How to Train Your Dragon 2 is one of the best movie sequels of the past 5 years. The LEGO Movie was the best of the bunch, but geez…let’s all calm the eff down.

The Better Angels is Underrated

Most of the criticism levied against A.J. Edwards’ The Better Angels, a hypnotic period piece about a young Abraham Lincoln (played by Braydon Denney and referred to in the script as simply, “Abe”), is that it derides too blatantly and too much from the work of its producer, Terrence Malick. There’s fairness to that point, but the comparison seems to cloud the fact that, informing all of the low-angled, heavenly nature shots, there’s a beautiful story of spirituality and family that’s quite good. More importantly, these themes make the Malick-ian imagery entirely appropriate for the story Edwards is trying to tell. Terrific performances from Denney, Diane Kruger, Brit Marling, Jason Clarke, and Wes Bentley give the black and white visuals further richness. No, Edwards doesn’t do Malick better than Malick does Malick, but Malick’s given him the Malick stamp of approval, so if you love Malick like I love Malick (who doesn’t love Malick?), give this arthouse origin story a second (or first) try.

Aaron Pinkston

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Jodorowsky’s Dune is Overrated

Every year is basically a great year for documentary film and 2014 is no exception. The pitch-perfect, clear-eyed portrait of Roger Ebert in Life Itself; the cloudy and pained portrait of a pastor in The Overnighters; the experimental vibrancy of Manakamana; the political nuance of Citizenfour—these (and many other) docs gave us integral and beautiful stories from around the world. Jodorowsky’s Dune is a fine film in itself, but it comes nowhere near the best docs of the year, though it seems many would hold it there. It knocks on two of my biggest cinematic pet peeves—one is basically unavoidable given the film’s story, while the other is completely inexcusable. First, I am always wary about using interviews as a shortcut to verify art, and this film goes there a lot, with talking head after talking head exclaiming how amazing Jodorowsky’s Dune would have been without letting the art speak for itself. Alejandro Jodorowsky is a very compelling figure and his films are among the most bizarre and wonderful ever made. And for some reason Frank Pavich makes a documentary chronicling the tale of the filmmaker’s flawed attempt at bringing the un-filmable novel Dune to the cinema with all the slickness and mainstream vibe that Jodorowsky despises. Sure, watching Jodorowsky ramble on about his worldview is something to see, and the “bringing the team together” section of the film is indeed entertaining, but overall, Jodorowsky’s Dune feels like a lot of wasted potential, much like its source story. Maybe that is what they were going for…

Noah is Underrated

Darren Aronofsky made his biggest movie in 2014, an oft-told tale which manages to feel very personal. Noah has its supporters (who might even outnumber its detractors), but I can’t help but get the feeling that it has already been forgotten. It has basically zero awards buzz, despite Aronofsky’s momentum after his most successful film Black Swan. I can only hope that it bounces back through a strong, loving minority that have championed Aronofsky’s The Fountain, but it probably is slightly too mainstream-feeling for that sort of audience to even give it a chance. Noah, though, is an almost perfect blend of the Hollywood blockbuster and its creator’s vision—it remains a little weird (the stop-motion rock monsters and animated sequences and such) though is probably Aronofsky’s most approachable work. Biblical epics are very hard to bring to the screen without pandering to the religious folks who pay to see them, but Noah balances ideas of the Christian God with atheist philosophies extraordinarily well. I am not a religious person, so I greatly appreciate the filmmaker’s focus on the relevant themes of this story with a naturally questioning tone. For a non-believer, he tells this story with a lot of grace. I was left deeply pondering our impact and place on this world, which is the right effect Noah’s tale should have.

Edward Haynes

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Palo Alto is Overrated

Directed by Gia Coppola, this drifting, meandering, dull film has arguably drawn more praise than it deserves because of the legacy of the Coppola name. Adapted from James Franco’s series of short stories, Palo Alto attempts to weave the lives together of its leads into one coherent piece of storytelling, but ultimately fails. It’s also filled with unlikable characters, who are difficult to relate to and painfully irritating. This would not necessarily be an issue if Palo Alto offered any sort of meaningful insight into youth culture, but you don’t learn anything from this film that couldn’t have been picked up from MTV. One redeeming feature in the film is Emma Roberts’ performance as April, but this is ruined by weak dialogue and an uninspiring performance by James Franco acting alongside her. It’s shot beautifully; Gia’s style is reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s. You can have all the great cinematography in the world, but it won’t save a film with a poor script.

Obvious Child is Underrated

Obvious Child is a film that takes a refreshingly personal and honest approach to abortion. This alone is reason enough for the film to be commended, but just as importantly, Obvious Child puts as much emphasis on being an entertaining, funny and enjoyable film as it does on conveying any political message. This has possibly led to the film receiving less attention come awards season than it might have gotten had it conveyed its pro-choice message more forcefully. Yet its subtlety and reluctance to judge others make it an evocative and poignant film. Obvious Child also deserves praise for creating easily some of the most likeable characters of the year in a romantic comedy. Jenny Slate is brilliant in this film, funny and intelligent, as is Jake Lacey in a role that refreshingly subverts the ‘man-child’ stereotype perpetrated by Judd Apatow films. The need for more sweet and heartfelt romantic comedies like this has never been more apparent considering the cynical phase the genre seems to be in at the moment.

Michael Nazarewycz

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Wild is Overrated

Inspired by actual events, Wild tells the story of Cheryl Strayed, a woman with a troubled past who, in an effort to find herself, embarks on a 1,000-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s important to note that anyone who pulls themselves out of the darkness of addiction is worthy of praise, but as backstories go, Strayed’s is not all that remarkable. There’s no lack of people who’ve partaken in self-destructive behavior after a personal tragedy, and director Jean-Marc Vallée does nothing to indicate why Strayed’s story is more deserving to be told than anyone else’s … other than that 1,000-mile hike, of course. As for that hike, Vallée may highlight Strayed’s physical challenges–water shortages, backpack weight, bad shoes, etc.–but it is only ever an exercise in list-making. The hike is presented less as a journey and more as a highlight reel of Strayed’s most memorable moments on the trail. With both past and present unremarkable, tying them together is almost impossible, and the result is a random collection of flashbacks shown during oft-unrelated moments along the linear hiking trail. Witherspoon may shine, but her commitment to character is only a distraction.

John Wick is Underrated

To say John Wick is “underrated” is to make something of a relative statement. The film has certainly received praise, but that praise has felt somewhat faint. “John Wick is a great movie … for what it is.” But “for what it is” should be a compliment, not a caveat. In a cinematic action landscape that is overcrowded with men in tights, John Wick, starring the sharply dressed and perfectly stoic Keanu Reeves, is part homage to the action films of the ’80s and part ballet of violence, with every scene meticulously choreographed, blocked, shot, and edited. The excellence of the technical execution is what makes the film work, and all credit belongs to Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. Between them, the first-time co-directors have over 150 stunt-related film credits. This experience gives them the understanding necessary to turn John Wick from just another shoot-em-up to something stylish in design, exhausting in execution, and incredibly satisfying in total. Awards season always brings a lament that comedies don’t get their due. Maybe it’s time to include action films to that list.

Nik Grozdanovic

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We Are The Best! is Overrated

Being derisive about Lukas Moodysson’s raucously titled We Are The Best! — currently standing at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes – might peg me as a self-loathing killjoy, but let me make something clear: I don’t hate it. The moments we spend with Bobo and Klara are filled with insatiable sweetness, which obviously touched a nerve (you’d have to be literally made of stone if you walked away feeling spiteful). But it’s nowhere near as good as critics make it out to be.

By placing it entirely in a 13-year-old world, the film is akin to spending an afternoon with 2 obnoxious pre-teenage girls who are screaming terrible lyrics in your ear and desperately seeking your attention. And it’s funny, because Bobo and Klara hate attention, but Moodysson’s complete imbalance of tone and stubborn insistence to keep the film’s rhythm strumming the same note for the full hour and 40 minutes is so desperate for it, the movie becomes an utterly disjointed experience. It’s as if the girls are directing him, which is fun for the first twenty or so minutes, but then it becomes a movie that feels like it’s directed by a 13-year-old. Yeah, I get it, THESE KIDS ARE SO CUTE, but that’s not enough to keep me interested in their impulsiveness and immaturity, regardless of how much your nauseating cinéma vérité in-your-face camera wants me to. Barkhammar, Grosin, and Liv LeMoyne are the best thing in it so Moodysson clearly knows how to create a freeing atmosphere on set. Too bad his direction smothers this freedom and, by unsubtly using a music genre only most adults can relate to, creates a manipulative and glaringly twee film, which is the complete opposite of punk, creating even more discord. But, yeah, they’re so adorable!

The Rover is Underrated

Premiering at Cannes, the follow-up to David Michôd’s critically acclaimed Animal Kingdom with Guy Pearce and a post-Twilight Robert Pattinson in central roles had most everyone smacking their lips in anticipation. However, the film’s anti-narrative approach to a story set in a post-apocalyptic Australian desert world, and the opaque development of Eric (Pearce) and Rey (Pattinson), left critics feeling, well, very critical. It currently stands at 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, but I’m convinced The Rover is headed toward years of re-evaluation with a more sober hindsight on its quiet, gripping, and poetic powers.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way; Pearce and Pattinson (yes, Pattinson) are both exceedingly intense, determined, and unwaveringly subtle in embodying their characters. The kind of performances commanded by quick looks and haunting stillness; they both add layers without speaking a word. Michôd’s bold approach (he must have realized he’d alienate so many people) to have almost no exposition and just let this one simple story (which he developed with Joel Edgerton) of a man wanting his car back in a financially fossilized and Godforsaken world speak for itself. It’s a sign of respect towards the fundamental rule of this craft; showing without telling, so being shot on 35mm film becomes even more symbolic. Natasha Braier’s cinematography also stands out thanks to the format, however, and the film’s colorful supporting characters all weigh in with their own individual ways. Not a perfect film by any stretch, but absolutely more worthy of praise than scorn.

It’s that time of year again when we reflect back on everything we’ve seen in the past 12 months and attempt to make a grand verdict on the best films of 2014. For what it’s worth, 2014 was another strong year for independent film: at least half of our Best 20 Films of 2014 were independently made, and there were dozens more that just missed our list (Stray Dogs, The Guest, Only Lovers Left Alive and Oculus to name a few). It was weak year for blockbusters (though Guardians of the Galaxy was close to making our list) and a relatively quiet year for award season releases (save for a few like Selma and Inherent Vice, which weren’t seen in time by enough of our staff). Our results seem to suggest 2014 was front-loaded, as many of our favorites came out at the beginning of the year, including our top pick, which might not just be the best of this year, but one of the better films we’ve seen in recent years.

For your perusal and discussion, Way Too Indie presents our selections for the top 20 films of 2014.

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2014

#20 – Chef

Give me a movie with succulent shots of a crunchy, gooey grilled cheese sandwich and I’m hooked. Under the tutelage of Roy Choi, Chef writer/director Jon Favreau spent a week in intensive culinary boot camp to ensure his cooking scenes were on point. Many actors have been praised for doing their own death-defying stunts or putting their bodies through drastic weight changes for a role. Not to be overlooked, however, is the risk involved with the mad chopping skills of a true chef. And Favreau really brings it. But his appreciation of the culinary arts isn’t the only thing that shines through in this heartwarming film. Delving into the internal struggles of a man who sold out his unique genius for security, we see a man in need of redefinition, not only of who he is in the kitchen, but in the world. In his process of bottoming out professionally and creatively, and taking on a new venture in food-trucking, he also gets a chance to reconnect with his son. From the colors and flavors of Miami to French Quarter beignets and Austin’s smokehouse brisket, Chef is a gastronomical road trip of discovery that succeeds in capturing the supernatural powers of food. [Scarlet]

#19 – The Double

In 2010, cult comedian Richard Ayoade released his first feature, Submarine, which garnered mostly positive reviews and was a pretty decent directorial début. His follow-up, The Double, is a much darker and more stylish film, a quantum leap for the young filmmaker. The Double is bolstered by Jesse Eisenberg’s superb double performance as all-too-forgettable office lackey Simon James and his ultra-confident alter-ego James Simon, who unexpectedly shows up in Simon’s life to wreak havoc. Taking obvious tones from Brazil, the dystopian office environment is awesomely designed and endlessly funny. It is a horrendous, dingy world, which would undoubtedly be a miserable experience, though it seems to come entirely from Simon’s own worldview – in all, it is one of the best depictions of what it feels like to be a nameless, faceless workingman wishing to be noticed while entirely without the aptitude to stand out. Despite its intense outlook on life and its equally intense Dostoevsky source material, it is superbly shot and edited, with terrific wit, making The Double a strangely breezy, playful experience. [Aaron]

#18 – Foxcatcher

I wouldn’t place the affect of Foxcatcher entirely on Steve Carell’s shoulders (although clearly I’ve already written about the brilliance of his performance), but the profundity of this true-tale balances entirely on what he brings to this film. It could be the depressing, and not particularly exhilarating, tale of a man with any number of mental instabilities performing a heinous crime against an innocent man. Instead—with arresting ensemble collaboration with Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum—Foxcatcher becomes a nuanced look into the various ways we pursue fulfillment. As quiet and slow-paced as the film is, its tension builds as well as it does because the characters’ motivations are ones everyone experiences. Tatum’s Mark Schultz and Carell’s John du Pont, two men born into very different family and societal situations, seek the same thing: a sense of affirmation and respect. It’s what everyone wants in some small way, and the mental extremes both go to in pursuit of them remind us of what we might all be capable of. Bennet Miller has proven his capabilities with a film that never gets in its own way or stumbles over its huge performances. He clearly understands the delicacy of the craft.  [Ananda]

#17 – Two Days, One Night

The Dardenne brothers were bound to work with a famous actor at some point in their career, and in Two Days, One Night their first collaboration with an A-lister proves to be terrific, and for fans, assuaging. The Dardenne’s gritty, no-frills style of storytelling is challenging for any actor to interpret, but Marion Cotillard stuns as a dangerously depressed factory worker who over a weekend must convince her co-workers to forego their bonuses to save her job. Her conversations with her colleagues range from heart-warming, to infuriating, to violent, to uplifting, though they’re all awkward and uncomfortable. Two Days, One Night an exquisite, bite-sized tale that’s as engrossing as it is hyper-relevant to today’s economic landscape. One of the brothers’ best. [Bernard]

#16 – Wild

We’ve already declared Reese Witherspoon’s performance in Wild to be one of the best of the year. It takes, however, quite a collaboration to allow an actor’s skills and talents to be able to come to fruition within a two hour time span. It begins with an incredible story, and it helps that it’s true. Cheryl Strayed’s memoir had already been Number 1 on the New York Times’ Best Seller list for seven weeks straight in 2012. Successfully adapting it into a movie would take skilled screenwriter Nick Hornby and director Jean-Marc Vallee, who directed last year’s Academy Awards’ winners for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in Dallas Buyers Club. Throw in the incredible cinematography of Yves Belanger to capture the beautiful span of nature along the Pacific Crest Trail and I would say we’d have one of the best pictures of the year. The only thing missing might be a heart-wrenching performance by the glorious Laura Dern. But then, they have that too. [Scarlet]

#15 – Nymphomaniac

Lars Von Trier gave an extensive interview recently, confessing that he’s been high and drunk while writing a lot of his screenplays, and that Nymphomaniac was the first screenplay he’d written sober (it took him 18 months). If that’s the case, then he’s proven his talents even while sober because the 4 1/2 hour sex-capade—split into two volumes for release—is an embarrassment of cinematic riches in all shapes, sizes, and vocal groans. It follows Joe’s (Charlotte Gainsbourgh) story of sexual awakening (the Young Joe is played by Stacy Martin, a brilliant first-timer that we signaled out as one of the year’s best performers) as she tells it to the asexual hermit Seligman (Stelan Skarsgard) in Vol. 1. Her story continues into adulthood as a mother and a wife in Vol. 2, where laughs are exchanged for dark decisions and reflections. Nymphomaniac is novelistic in structure, operatic in scale, painterly in design, yet wholly, insatiably, and helplessly cinematic in result. It’s funny, dark, at moments gorgeous, at others repulsive, but never ever dull and always intellectually stimulating. The film packs in everything that’s been interesting and fascinating to von Trier recently, so it’s also—at its core—a look inside the mind of one of the world’s most fascinating and audacious artists. [Nik]

#14 – The Babadook

What makes Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook so terrifying is that long before the monster appears, the film is a study of a single mother’s descent into parental madness. The protagonist is a woman who is not only haunted by the loss of her husband six years prior, but slowly terrorized by the reminder that her six-year-old son is tangentially to blame for that loss. This builds a simmering parental resentment that is as unsettling as it is unnatural. Kent further builds on this by making the child an oppressive force of hyperactive energy and piercing volume, whose singular obsession is his terrorization by a monster that doesn’t (yet) exist. Add sleep deprivation, the weight of a demanding and thankless job, a collection of unsympathetic friends with enviable suburban lives, and absolutely no chance of finding love again anytime soon, and you have a woman on the brink of both implosion and explosion. You have a woman so weak, she is ripe for a good haunting. And a good haunting she gets. [Michael]

#13 – Blue Ruin

Blue Ruin is a rare film. A violent, wholly uncompromising thriller where the stakes of violence are raised with every turn. We see lots of films portraying vengeance but not a lot, if any, that involve a protagonist who is so amateurish at it. The film involves an unknown drifter, Dwight, who seeks retribution on a trashy small town Southern family who wronged his own family years before. Dwight is one of the most flawed anti-heroes in a long time. The best thing about the film is how little information we are given; Blue Ruin is bare bones, giving only the information needed to understand the dilemma. What I love about the film is how it shows the consequences of violence, a rare facet in films these days. Writer/director Jeremy Sauliner tells the story without any fat on its bones. His filmmaking is so focused and acute that the audience is able to feel Dwight’s every wound; emotional and physical. [Blake]

#12 – Mr. Turner

Whilst biopic’s are often awards-bait they are also films that are difficult to get right. They can be—when directed badly—pretentious, dull affairs. Yet with Mr. Turner, Mike Leigh has overcome inherent biopic challenges to produce one of the outstanding films of the year. Lit majestically by cinematographer Bob Pope, many of the film’s scenes echo the breathtaking beauty of Turner’s paintings. Mr. Turner features a standout performance from Timothy Spall, who grunts and wheezes his way into the shoes of the larger than life character. Yet Spall is also supported by brilliant performances from the rest of the cast, particularly Dorothy Atkinson, who puts in a subtle yet moving performance as Turner’s underappreciated housekeeper. Mr. Turner also adeptly manages the balance comedy and drama; Leigh pokes fun at Turner without the film being reduced to a ‘parody’, and equally celebrates the man’s artistic genius without pretentiousness, never losing sight of the very human flaws behind the brilliance. Mr. Turner, is a thought-provoking character study, energetic comedy and a brilliant piece of arthouse filmmaking which may well be Leigh’s best film yet. [Eddy]

#11 – Snowpiercer

Bong Joon-ho’s wickedly entertaining Snowpiercer was the subject of heavy word-of-mouth hype this summer after its distributors, The Weinstein Company, gave the movie a limited late June release before dumping it on VOD in July. At a time when Transformers and Tammy were at the top of the box office, Snowpiercer’s groundswell of support felt less like an indictment of Weinstein’s handling of the film, and more like a plea to get audiences to pay attention to a thrilling, sci-fi/action flick that dared to exhibit originality. Brought to life through Ondrej Nekvasil’s immersive production design, the bizarre world of Snowpiercer features a completely unique setting, brutal action, and a bonkers performance from Tilda Swinton. As Chris Evans’ Curtis battles his way from the back of the train to the front with his multi-ethnic cohorts, each new section brings a fresh set of circumstances and surprises. Finding out what actually goes into the protein blocks, discovering how the society aboard the train indoctrinates its youth, and realizing that even the train’s elite are stuck in a blissfully unaware state of drug addiction (kronol, please!) are all exciting revelations in the absurd and absurdly entertaining Snowpiercer. [Zachary]

#10 – Gone Girl

David Fincher is known for making some of Hollywood’s most intense thrillers throughout his 20-year tenancy in the film capital of the world, but none are more scathing and vicious than his newest film based on Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel. While Gone Girl is, at first, about the disappearance of a small town housewife, it’s really about peeling back the layers a seemingly happy couple upholds to expose the not so greener pastures that exist underneath. And when the media gets involved, Gone Girl narrows the lens on society’s own snap judgements and expectations of people we don’t truly know but have no problem judging. Aided by a scorching script written by Flynn herself, Fincher’s film is led by a duo of virtuoso lead performances in Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. Affleck has hardly, if ever, been better and Pike gives 2014’s best performance – man or woman. Give her the Oscar already. The film isn’t one of Fincher’s best by any means, but is nonetheless a stellar addition to his already impressive canon. [Blake]

#9 – Ida

The brilliance of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida starts with the bleak elegance of its aesthetic: a black-and-white palate presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio that is haunting in its simplicity. It’s the perfect presentation for the film, as it belies the weight of the story, yet sets the proper stage for it. And what a weighty story it is: on the brink of taking her final vows, a novice Catholic nun in 1960s Poland learns she is Jewish. She and her only living relative—an estranged, world-weary aunt with a formidable reputation as a post-war prosecutor—embark on a journey to learn the truth of their family’s past. The two women were strangers just days before, but as the story progresses and truths unfold, they find themselves dependent on each other in ways neither had anticipated. First-timer Agata Trzebuchowska is mesmerizing as the holy ingenue with hypnotic eyes, but it’s the devastating performance Agata Kulesza gives as Aunt Wanda, who begrudgingly plays part parent, pit bull, party gal, and private eye. And she’s not without her own soul-searching, either. Ida rightly earns every accolade and award it receives, as well as its spot on this list. [Michael]

#8 – Winter Sleep

Walking away with this year’s coveted Palme D’Or is pretty much tasting the crème de la crème of film awards (sorry, but not really, Oscars). And yet, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest masterwork Winter Sleep has really loud detractors who call it “lesser Bergman” and deride it for its extensive dialogue scenes and interior shots. Not sure what those people have watched, but there’s simply no other film that will suck you into its world faster and smoother than this opulent Turkish delight. Set in the mountainous regions of Cappadocia, the film follows hotel owner Aydin (Haluk Bilginer) while he purveys the small town as its landlord and kingly lion in winter. The film truly comes alive in the conversations he has with wife Nihal (Melisa Sözen) and sister Necla (Demet Akbag), and the various townsfolk he meets along the way in the course of the film. Humanity is peeled in syllables, and the sins that shackle the human condition surface through jolts and pangs of emotional, subtle, revelations. Critics hail Boyhood as the film that most wholly reflects life in a grander scope, but in this writer’s opinion, that mantle belongs to Winter Sleep, as it digs much deeper towards what truly makes us who we are. [Nik]

#7 – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson can be an acquired taste and is often mocked and celebrated in equal measure. With The Grand Budapest Hotel however, Anderson has created his most accessible film to date. It has all the hallmarks of Wes Anderson (watch our video essay on his unique style); it’s typically kitschy and kooky, with its intricately detailed sets, elaborate costumes and dry sense of humor. Yet the real strength of the film comes from the relationship between hotel concierge Gustav H (Ralph Fiennes) and the lobby boy, Zero (Tony Revolori). This is due to a charming performance from Ralph Fiennes who clearly relishes escaping from the serious dramatic roles he seems to have been too often restricted to over the years. Tony Revolori also gives a terrific performance as Zero, Gustav’s bellboy, with Anderson seeming to have a knack for finding young talented actors and really letting them shine. The warmth in the relationship between these two helps prevent the film from becoming detached from its characters. This makes The Grand Budapest Hotel easily one of the most heartfelt films he has made, enjoyable and accessible even to those outside Anderson’s cult audience. It’s one of the funniest and most charming movies of the year, a feel good film with real class and a supporting cast including Tilda Swinton, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, and long time collaborator Bill Murray all in top form. [Eddy]

#6 – Whiplash

Who knew a movie about jazz drumming would become 2014’s most exhilarating film? Whiplash follows first-year music student Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) as he endures an onslaught of abuse from his jazz instructor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Fletcher firmly believes in the end justifying the means, destroying the hopes and dreams of hundreds of young students if it means pushing one of them to become the next Buddy Rich. What Neiman represents for Fletcher is the opportunity he’s been waiting for: someone willing to swallow his twisted, bullshit philosophy without question.

Writer/director Damien Chazelle does what some would consider the unthinkable: he shows Fletcher’s horrifying methods paying off. But Chazelle also shows the agonizing, dehumanizing costs of getting to that point: shutting out loved ones, removing a social life, and not even caring for your own well-being if it gets in the way of “true greatness.” Yes, the film’s incredible finale depicts Andrew finally getting the approval he desperately seeks, but it’s a Pyrrhic victory. We watch in awe at the skills and primal fury on display, but we also stare in horror at what Andrew has become. [C.J.]

#5 – The LEGO Movie

Are there more pleasantly surprising filmmakers than Phil Lord and Christopher Miller working today? First, they turned a kids book into a cult classic. Then they revamped a 1980s television series at a time when reboots and rehashes were becoming sickening, and made a brilliantly funny and original comedy hit. Should we have ever doubted that these two could make a resonant, beautiful, and hilarious film based entirely on block toys? The LEGO Movie is widely being considered not just the best animated film of the year, but one of the most beloved films of 2014. From an animation standpoint, the film is interesting and beautiful, using the LEGO form beyond its furthest extent. The LEGO Movie features an eclectic group of voice performers, including Will Arnett’s take on the caped crusader, perhaps the best film representation of Batman there has ever been. The filmmaking duo’s sharp satirical wit and unique look at popular culture are on full display, making it one of the year’s best comedies for both kids and adults. But the film also has a lot of heart. Its messages of good teamwork and being yourself don’t feel cheap or dumbed down for a younger audience. Its greatest message, however, is aimed to the older generation who have let rules and stipulations get too involved with their entertainment pursuits. Toys (video games, films, cosplay outfits, etc.) are about creativity and imagination and don’t need to meet anyone else’s plans or expectations. The LEGO Movie wonderfully lives in this spirit. [Aaron]

#4 – Under the Skin

Of all the films on our list, none are as cinematically daring and bizarre as Jonathan Glazer’s sci-fi anomaly, Under the Skin. Scarlett Johansson stars as a predatory being from elsewhere, prowling the streets of Glasgow, using her body to ensnare hapless horny fellows off the street. The performance is divine: her face is stuck in a zombified state throughout the film, but her eyes tell another story, transforming from those of a sharp predator to those of a sick, lost puppy. If Johansson’s career-defining acting wasn’t enough, the film’s score is ethereal and unnerving, and Glazer’s imagery is minimalistic, elegant, and vicious, arguably the highest visual achievement of the year.

Several colleagues I’ve spoken to about Under the Skin didn’t click with the film quite like I did. But one thing they all say, without fail, is that it’s an important film whose artistic value is pretty much unimpeachable. As film lovers we should be staunch evangelists for risk-taking filmmakers like Glazer because, pass or fail, their films help expand the horizons of cinema past what we’re comfortable with or conditioned to accept. And where Johansson’s career goes from here is anybody’s guess, because for a young actress to star in The Avengers and yet still have the hunger to tackle a role like this is what earns the respect of peers, audiences, and critics alike. [Bernard]

#3 – Birdman

How to explain the significance of a film about a washed up actor trying to rebuild his reputation with the seemingly selfish act of creating his own spotlight and walking into it? Hollywood notoriously loves introspective films, but what makes Birdman unique in this regard is that not only does it poke fun of that egotism, and indeed hints at the madness behind it, but director Alejandro G. Iñárritu uses our beloved medium as a weapon, hitting any self-ascribed film enthusiast, actor, stage savant, or critic in the face with the art of it. Birdman contains some of the most impressive camera-work in a film all year, much of it in extended dizzying takes, a feat that also serves to prove the brilliance of the film’s performances as everyone in the film has to be amazing without much editing room help, and all of it is literally underscored by spastic moody jazz drums that provide one of the most inspired scores of the year. It’s a lot. And it’s just enough.

As a former superhero film star and failing father trying to prove his worth, Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson is an insecure, egotistical, surreally magical, and often pathetic creature. And even while laughing at him, or wondering at the level of certifiability to his madness, he’s an engaging and easy to root for loser. And Keaton is just the tip of the acting greatness in the film. There’s Emma Stone as his daughter, reminding Riggan how out of touch he is; Edward Norton’s egomaniacal co-star demeaning his every attempt to be taken seriously; Zach Galifianakis as his tense and pandering best friend, producer and lawyer; Lindsay Duncan as a theatre critic determined to take Riggan down; and a host of others who all bring their A-game. What keeps Birdman from the darker end of the black comedy spectrum is the insinuation that all this madness might just be the key to great art. To which I say, go as mad as you want Iñárritu, it looks pretty damn good. [Ananda]

#2 – Nightcrawler

Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler is a nasty piece of work, and I mean that in the best way possible. Some have described it as a media satire, but that would be missing the forest for the trees. Gilroy sets his sights on the current state of business in America, viciously tearing into and exposing how the country’s late capitalist system thrives on sadism. That message takes the form of Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal in his best performance to date), the kind of person who drinks and regurgitates the corporate Kool-Aid with a grin on his face. Bloom, an unemployed and undereducated man whose go-getter attitude is really a sign of psychosis, discovers the potential for an exciting new business opportunity: capturing the bloody aftermath of crime scenes on camera and selling the footage to morning news outlets. Once he finds a news producer (Rene Russo, also doing amazing work) willing to buy his footage, Bloom begins building an empire on the pain and suffering of others.

Gilroy, making his directorial début, doesn’t hide his anger for one second. In a just world, Louis would get shunned or locked up for his behavior. Instead he’s rewarded, and the more he stomps on ethics and morals, the more successful he becomes. Nightcrawler makes it abundantly clear that this is a state of the nation address rather than a cautionary tale, a world where the moral compass has been replaced by the bottom line. It’s an uncompromising, cynical, darker than dark film, with such strong directing, writing, acting and cinematography (from the great Robert Elswit) it feels like the work of an established master instead of a first-time director. What Nightcrawler makes terrifyingly clear is that, through seeing Bloom’s sociopathic behavior push him up the ladder rather than into the gutter, this isn’t a case of the inmates taking over the asylum; it was always supposed to operate that way. [C.J.]

#1 – Boyhood

Despite all the early award season speculation and dominating year-end lists, there’s seemingly no limit to the amount of praise for the epic 12-year project Boyhood. Few films in the history of cinema have portrayed ordinary life so profoundly as Richard Linklater’s masterpiece. Yet for a film that took over a decade to make and spans nearly three hours, it’s remarkably simple. Boyhood literally observes actor Ellar Coltrane grow up on-screen from his early childhood through his adolescent years. But instead of focusing on pivotal milestones in life—first love, school dances, marriage, etc.—the film is about those moments between those milestones which are equally memorable. Rather than putting up title cards to signal a new year, Boyhood makes effective use of pop culture, technology advances, and haircuts for its transitions in time. These also serve as a nostalgic time capsule for the ’00s. Throughout the years the land-line phone, colorful iMac G3, and Gameboy Advance are naturally phased out by a cell phone, slim laptop, and Xbox 360. While these are all seemingly simple achievements, rarely do filmmakers take such an organic approach the way Linklater does here.

Even though the title implies just a coming-of-age story of a boy, it could have easily been called “Parenthood.” Patricia Arquette experiences the difficulties of raising two kids as a single-parent and it’s heartbreaking to watch her bounce from one abusive relationship to the next. While she’s the glue that holds everything together, frequent Linklater collaborator Ethan Hawke displays the most range as a character. Hawke first shows up as a reckless father who abandoned his children. But by the end he matures into a responsible parent and a caring husband happily remarried. This film demonstrates the process each of us undergoes on a constant basis, the evolution of trying to find ourselves at every age. A decade is a long time to shoot a film, but perhaps it’s the perfect way to capture the way life passes by. Boyhood is a sprawling cinematic achievement that could only come around every 12 years or so, and probably even more rarely than that. [Dustin]

The journey of a thousand miles begins with an oversized backpack and a boot thrown off a mountain. Or at least that’s how Wild begins, the adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s memoir recounting her decision at 26 to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in an attempt to face the person she’d become. In the film’s opening scene, Cheryl—played with straightforward vulnerability by Reese Witherspoon—sits atop a mountain crest and sings a line from Simon and Garfunkel’s “El Condor Pasa”, her bloody and exposed foot reveals a toenail barely holding on. “I’d rather be a hammer than a nail,” she whispers as she rips the toenail off, rocking backward in pain and incidentally knocking her boot off the mountain. So she takes the other boot off, throws it after its partner and screams in rage. And that’s Cheryl. One part sheer determination, two parts anger.

Wild falls into the same vein as other find-thyself-in-nature style movies, like Into the Wild, with a few of the same frustrations attached. Primarily the scenario of people facing nature with very little experience in naïve attempts to prove themselves. Oh, how nature loves to laugh at such people. It’s hard to be prepared for the harshness of the outdoors while navel-gazing ones way to personal peace and acceptance. I fully expected to find myself annoyed with Cheryl, but here is where director Jean-Marc Vallée proves his worth in his ability to take true-life characters with rough edges and paint them on to the screen in colors that attract and stir emotional identifiability.

Last year Vallée gave us Dallas Buyers Club, a remarkable bio-pic that earned Matthew McConaughey his first Oscar. The same grasp on perspective he offered last year on a feisty HIV survivor in 1980s Texas, he wields delicately in Wild.  The film doesn’t follow a clear line of action, allowing Cheryl’s journey to pull from her the pieces of her past that brought her to her present. In fact, much of the film is her daily routine. Packing up, hiking for miles alone, and setting up camp each night. As she hikes memories from her past surface giving us insight into not necessarily what led to her self-destructive behavior, but how at rock bottom a few months alone in the wilderness seemed as good a way as any to wipe a slate clean.

These memories include many of her mother Bobbi, who raised Cheryl and her brother on her own after escaping an abusive marriage. Bobbi is played by Laura Dern with an uninhibited sense of wonder and optimism that is never idealistic. Bobbi’s wisdom often comes back to her, her mother’s mantra pushing her forward, urging Cheryl to put herself “in the way of beauty.” The loss of her mother to cancer only a few years previous to her hike is clearly a pain she carries, but doesn’t seem to be the reason for Cheryl’s string of rash behavior, including habitually cheating on her seemingly wonderful husband (Thomas Sadoski) and falling in with heroin users. When her escapist behavior leads to an unwanted pregnancy—and the rare scenes we get with Gaby Hoffman as her best friend—Cheryl rashly attaches herself to the nearest wild idea in the form of a pamphlet for the PCT.

Both Witherspoon and Dern are likely to gain some much deserved awards recognition for their roles, especially impressive for Dern who doesn’t actually have that much screen time. But Witherspoon is the one who carries the film with the same fortitude she portrays hauling Cheryl’s comically huge backpack. Narration interspersed throughout the film with Cheryl’s complaints about her bruises, her food options, her varying levels of fatigue, and of course her emotional breakthroughs, are all inserted in an unobtrusive manner and spoken by Witherspoon with no hint of overt sentimentality.

With cinematographer Yves Bélanger on his side, Vallée certainly gets some exceptional footage of the PCT, but there’s hardly a nature shot that doesn’t place Cheryl squarely in the middle of it. The story is hers, and her setting, while gorgeous, is the static unchanging constant that provides her a way to focus in the midst of her tailspin. Nature is of course quite treacherous, but she faces each hardship with the determination that nothing could be more dangerous than the danger she poses herself. She encounters several people in her journey, some of them providing clear examples of the added pressure to be a single woman, vulnerable on the trail (not to mention in life). An interaction with two hunters in a scene in the woods is especially chilling. Nick Hornby adapted the novel for screen, and he excellently weaves Cheryl’s solitude, memories, and interactions along a wayward path, that while not always logical, helps prove Cheryl’s point that we aren’t only the sum of our experiences, in our ‘now’ we’re the interpretation of those experiences.

Wild is funny, harrowing, gritty, and should resonate with anyone who’s had any shred of self-doubt. Those looking for a survival tale will find a decidedly more contemplative story, where surviving one’s own condemnation proves at least equally as challenging as battling the elements.

As a woman who changed her last name to Strayed after her divorce as some sort of personal penance, Cheryl Strayed is clearly the sort of woman who would always need to be loud and explicitly honest about her transformation to feel complete in it. And so she must find it comforting to know her portrayal on-screen holds an amplifier to her story and universalizes it for anyone who’s needed to find their own freedom and the strength to accept themselves.

Let’s talk about FOMO.

You know what I’m talking about. That feeling you get when a friend posts online that they just saw the film you’ve read about for months and haven’t seen yet. It’s avoiding social media the entire weekend a new movie opens for fear of spoilers. It’s knowing that awards season is just around the bend and there’s more films to be seen than time to see them in. It’s Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) and in some way, shape, or form it’s been eating at you for months during the busy-ness of fall. But the light at the end of the tunnel has arrived: the Holidays.

Full, work-free days where you are practically mandated to eat a lot of food and catch up on movies. But unless you’re in college, you don’t have ALL the time in the world, so here’s your Holiday Movie Preview, just in time to help you figure out what’s coming out so you know where best to put your energy. You may return to work from the holidays 5 pounds heavier, but you’ll ace any water cooler movie pop-quizzes.

Must-Sees

Mockingjay: Part 1

It’s the beginning of the end for what is arguably the best YA film adaptation series of all time. Of course you’ll feel incomplete having to wait a year for Part 2, but this will be the one all your friends are talking about. (11/20)

The Imitation Game

The Oscar buzz around Benedict Cumberbatch will make this one worth being able to talk about. (11/27)

The Babadook

Perfect for those who like balancing savory and sweet, family time and fright time. Nothing makes you more grateful for family than a horror film about a mother and her son fighting to reconnect as they are haunted by a kid’s book character. (11/28, limited)

Wild

Skip the book, see the movie, bring tissues. Reese Witherspoon is phenomenal in the film, and Laura Dern adds emotional veracity. (12/4)

Still Alice

It’s been a slow year for decent female-led films. Julianne Moore has been building buzz around her role as a woman who discovers she has early-onset alzheimers. (12/5, limited)

Top Five

Animated films and Grown Ups movies aside, Chris Rock hasn’t been on our radar for a while, but when Top Five debuted at TIFF this year it was immediately what everyone was talking about. Chris Rock taps his best stand-up while exploring being black and famous. (12/11)

Exodus: Gods and Kings

If you’re over Middle Earth but still want some big screen epic action (with Christian Bale no less), this film’s got your back. And if it means Ridley Scott is getting back to Gladiator-level awesomeness, it should be a satisfying watch. (12/11)

Inherent Vice

The loopy, cool movie you’re film-geek friends will want to discuss. With a bit more humor than his usual, Paul Thomas Anderson weaves a groovy stoner-style mystery starring Joaquin Phoenix. (12/12, limited)

Mr. Turner

A British biopic of the eccentric painter J.M.W. Turner. Timothy Spall will be among award contenders playing the impassioned artist in director Mike Leigh’s latest. (12/18)

Big Eyes

This one might be iffy as the historical art drama hasn’t garnered a whole lot of accolade as of yet, but we’re willing to take a bet on Tim Burton, Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams almost any day. (12/24)

Unbroken

Angelina Jolie’s inspiration tale of war hero Louis “Louie” Zamperini (Jack O’Connell,) who was taken as a prisoner-of-war in WWII after surviving in a raft for a month and a half. Take Grandma, it’s almost guaranteed to be the inspirational tale of the year. (12/24)

The Interview

Intriguing due to the controversy around it and Kim Jong-Un’s apparent hatred for it. Basically after seeing Rogan and Franco in This Is the End we’re betting this could be just as hilarious. A good one to catch with friends once the family has cleared out. (12/25)

American Sniper

It’s not a true end of the year awards race without an entry from Clint Eastwood. Starring Bradley Cooper as America’s best sniper, coping with life in war, and outside of it. (12/25, limited)

Selma

If you live near a city you’ll likely be able to see this one before it goes nationwide in January, marking the 50th anniversary of the organization of the march from Selma to Montgomery, a turning point in the American Civil Rights movement. Critical consensus thus far is that director Ava DuVernay makes a name for herself with this timely historical drama. (12/25, limited)

A Most Violent Year

Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain are the new wave of hollywood elite, of the DeNiro and Streep variety. It’s a crime-thriller set in dirty 1981 NYC where an immigrant family attempts to capitalize on the American Dream. Might be the perfect grit to go with all that dessert you’ve been eating. (12/31)

Leviathan

Alright, this is for the arthouse families willing to find small theaters and in the mood for a more serious foreign film. But this drama around a family in a small fishing town has garnered serious praise thus far. (12/31, limited)

With the Family

Family-safe for when the small-talk AND the food has run out.

Penguins of Madagascar

The other Benedict Cumberbatch movie opening Thanksgiving week, and while this franchise seems overdone, from what we saw at Comic-Con it’s quite clever. Take your little sister. She’ll love you. (11/25)

The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies

For the family member obsessed with Tolkien, or for those who always finish a book even if they don’t like it. At least you’ll feel you got closure by watching this last installment in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit series. (12/16)

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

It’s the third in the franchise, so no guarantees on quality. But the gang’s all back, Stiller, Wilson, Gervais, and even Robin Williams. Might be nice to see just to see the latter one more time. (12/18)

Annie

Understand that we’re only trying to give you options that the whole family might enjoy. But as a musical re-make of an already cutesy film, we make no promises. Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, and Rose Byrne lead the family friendly foray. (12/19)

Into The Woods

A film version of Sondheim’s musical of fairy tale characters with real world problems sounds great. With Disney behind it, we worry they may soften it a bit. Either way it’s got an all-star cast including Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, and Chris Pine. (12/24)

Skip ‘Em

Trust us, these ones are likely not to be worth your precious time.

VHS: Viral (11/21)

Horrible Bosses 2 (11/25)

Extraterrestrial (11/28)

The Gambler (12/19)

The Mule (12/28)

Dying of the Light (12/5)

Closing weekend of the Mill Valley Film Festival just proves the authority of this small festival. It’s rare for a film festival to have such a high percentage of excellent films. No wonder its gained a reputation as a finely curated festival with its tastes squarely in line with mass audience appeal, not to mention the Academy. Surrounded by the beauty of Marin County, and with the emphasis always fixed on the art and not a hectic or saturated film lineup, Mill Valley provides one of the best festival experiences a modern movie lover can have. It’s been an excellent 11 days and the last two days left us especially satisfied.

Part-Time Bad Guy

[Ananda]

With film leads Wes Bentley and Jason Isaacs on hand to support him, first time director Saar Klein happily introduced his film After the Fall Saturday night, immediately telling the audience he wanted them to feel they could laugh, even if it seemed uncomfortable. An award-winning editor, Saar has worked most especially with Terrence Malick with whom he edited The Thin Red Line and The New World. If nothing else, Saar at least picked up on Malick’s sense of quiet storytelling, and his film uses the technique expertly.

The tale of an insurance adjustor, Bill Scanlon (Wes Bentley), who has recently been laid off, the film begins with Bill continuing his daily routine in order to avoid disclosing to his wife (Vinessa Shaw) that their situation has changed. Exhausting all his contacts, Bill tries with no success to find himself another job. At a particularly low moment he takes his pistol, wanders off into the desert and contemplates just what he’s capable of. Driven by thirst he wanders into a nearby model home, stumbling upon an adulterous couple using the house’s accommodations. They mistake his gun in hand as a stickup and offer all their money. Driven to new lows, Bill takes it, willingly. Thus Bill’s entrance into the quick cash life of petty crime, and as the bills pile up, he risks more and more to steal his way into keeping his family afloat.

As an especially upright man in every other aspect of his life, it’s not surprising Bill befriends a local down and out detective (Jason Isaacs), despite the threat this poses to his new career. But Bill’s downfall may just be that he isn’t actually a bad guy. Klein’s morally ambiguous tale is appealing for much the same reasons Breaking Bad sucks viewers in, and it even takes place in Albuquerque as well. But whereas Walter White honed his criminal craft, Bill is always at odds with his new profession, and at every moment at war with himself. Bentley handles the complexity with ease, his face reflecting Bill’s innocence, but always with an undercurrent of tension, ready to snap. Isaacs as Detective McTiernan is more of a stretch, but Klein pulls it all together into an intriguing and compelling film.

In The Way Of Beauty

[Ananda]

As if bringing us the raw and transcendent Dallas Buyers Club last year didn’t prove his worth enough, Jean-Marc Vallée presents another stirring biopic. Based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, the film Wild recounts Strayed’s journey to face her demons by walking 1,100 miles on one of the longest trails in America, up California to Washington. Buying herself REI equipment she doesn’t know how to use, and loading up an enormous hiking pack, Cheryl (mesmerizingly played by Reese Witherspoon) slowly sets out along a path in the Mojave desert with no clear ambition other than to try and find where she went wrong in life. Still in grief at the loss of her mother (portrayed in memories by Laura Dern in scene-stealing loveliness) and having recently divorced her husband after cheating on him multiple times and fallen in with heroin users, Cheryl’s final fall to the bottom was an unplanned pregnancy and subsequent abortion.

Cheryl’s distrust of men is everywhere throughout the film, instilled in her by an abusive alcoholic father, and perpetuated by the occasionally skeezy man  she runs into as a single woman on a reclusive trail. Some of her more harrowing moments have less to do with the wild and more to do with the people she comes across. With a subtle and highly effective narrative running throughout the film, the words of the book are used excellently to showcase the transformation happening within Cheryl during her journey. As she learns to forgive herself. As she learns to let go of her anger at the universe for taking her mother so early. As she finds strength and manages never to give up despite having permission to do so.

While there is clearly plenty of beautiful landscape to look at throughout the film, Vallée’s camera focus always includes Cheryl. It’s her connection to the world she’s trudging through that allows viewers to experience her realizations with her. With exquisite cinematography by Yves Bélanger and a perfectly paced screenplay by Nick Hornby, this film may just win as my favorite of the festival. And I’m not alone in my thinking. The California Film Institute awarded the unparalleled Laura Dern with the Mill Valley Award for her performance in Wild, presented to her by Andrew Stanton, Pixar legend extraordinaire. Her passion for the film was eloquently stated in her acceptance of the award, and I’d be surprised not to hear her name circulating among award buzz in the next few months.

Hope Endures In the Desert Sun

[Bernard]

After watching Abderrahmane Sissako’s stunning ensemble piece Timbuktu, the general feeling people walking out of the theater was one of deflation. “I’m going to need a pick-me-up after that one!” I heard someone say. The film, set in the harsh desert landscape of the titular North African city, does admittedly end on a tragic note. The impression that endures, however, is of the beautiful relationships and quiet moments shared by the characters before the film’s dark finale. C’est la vie.

The film’s handful of stories are more parallel than interwoven, overlapping at key moments. The larger theme of the picture is the contentious, often violent dynamic between the oppressive Muslim jihadists patrolling the streets with their weapons and the indomitable citizens who refuse to compromise their humanity, often paying the highest price for their transgressions.

These are sweet people: We see a loving family of three, living a quiet life under the Sahara stars, herding cattle during the day; a group of musicians, playing their instruments quietly so as not to alert nearby jihadists. Despite their innocuous lifestyles, their oppressors always loom, ready to descend: A young woman is forced to marry a jihadist man, despite her mother’s refusal; a woman fishmonger is taken into custody after refusing to wear gloves. Their fighting spirit is inspiring, and Sissako does African cinema proud.

Consistently bringing in a wide array of compelling new films from unique voices of cinema, the 23rd Philadelphia Film Festival announced its packed new lineup and schedule yesterday. Bookended by beloved movie stars delivering awards-worthy performances, the festival opens with Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s vividly imagined Birdman on Thursday, October 16th and closes with Jean-Marc Vallée’s heart-wrenching Wild. Through 11 days, the Philadephia Film Festival will locally premiere more than 100 features and shorts from 28 countries.

“I think we’re really on the verge of some big years for cinema,” begins the festival’s Artistic Director Michael Lerman. “This festival will showcase the first steps in these innovative new directors.”

Beyond the buzzed about Centerpiece screenings (which includes The Good Lie, St. Vincent, Laggies, and the Toronto International Film Festival Audience Award winner The Imitation Game), Philly’s screenings includes programs like “Greater Filmadelphia” (with work from Philadelphia’s home grown talent), “Masters of Cinema” (movies from world-renowned filmmakers), and “The Graveyard Shift” (horror, action, and anything weird), providing a variety of options for audiences of all tastes.

The Philadelphia Film Festival’s “PFF On Us” program continues in 2014 with free tickets available for all the films featured in the “American Independents” and “Documentary Showcase” film categories. These selections include I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story, Glass Chin, Kumiko the Treasure Hunter & Point and Shoot.

Tickets to these free screenings and more information about the 23rd annual Philadelphia Film Festival is available at the Philadelphia Film Society’s website: filmadelphia.org.

2014 Philadelphia Film Festival Full lineup

Opening Night Film
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, USA

Closing Night Film
Wild, Director Jean-Marc Vallée, USA

Centerpiece Screenings
The Good Lie, Director Philippe Falardeau, USA.
The Imitation Game, Director Morten Tyldum, USA, UK
Laggies, Director Lynn Shelton, USA
St. Vincent, Director Theodore Melfi, USA

American Independents
Presented by the Lincoln Motor Company: Featuring powerful new voices in American cinema, these fresh, gritty films explore a variety of subjects through the filmmaker’s uncompromising vision. All films in this series are a part of the “PFF On Us” free ticketing program.

Big Significant Things, Director Bryan Reisberg. 2014, USA
Glass Chin, DirectorNoah Buschel, USA
Imperial Dreams, Director Malik Vitthal, USA
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, Director David Zellner, USA
Man From Reno, Director Dave Boyle, USA, Japan
The Mirage, Director Kyle Roper, USA
Wild Canaries, Director Lawrence, Michael Levine, USA

Cinema Down
From the land that brought us Mad Max, Moulin Rouge! and Driving Miss Daisy comes brave new work from veteran and budding Australian voices alike

52 Tuesdays, Director Sophie Hyde, Australia
Charlie’s Country, Director Rolf de Heer, Australia
The Infinite Man, Director Hugh Sullivan, Australia
The Mule, Director Angus Sampson, Tony Mahony, Australia

Documentary Showcase
Presented by 500 Walnut: Comprising the best in documentary filmmaking, these compelling films feature everything from stirring character studies to fascinating looks at current global issues.

Art and Craft, Director Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman, co-directed by Mark Becker, USA
Ballet 422, Director Jody Lee Lipes, USA
The Great Invisible, Director Margaret Brown, USA
I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story, Director Chad Walker, Dave LaMattina, USA
The Immortalists, Director David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg, USA
Mudbloods, Director Farzad Sangari, USA
The Overnighters, Director Jesse Moss, USA
Point and Shoot, Director Marshall Curry, USA
This Time Next Year, Director Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman, USA

From the Vaults
Film history comes alive as it was meant to be seen – on the big screen. Come see old favorites bigger than life once again

Blue Velvet, Director David Lynch, USA
Capote, Director Bennett Miller, USA
Mulholland Drive, Director David Lynch, USA
The Straight Story, Director David Lynch, USA
To Have and Have Not, Director Howard Hawks, USA
Wild at Heart, Director David Lynch, USA

The Graveyard Shift
Horror, action, suspense, and the downright weird, these films will keep you awake during the graveyard shift.

A Hard Day, Director Seong-hun Kim, South Korea
Housebound, Director Gerard Johnstone, New Zealand
In Order of Disappearance, Director Hans Petter Moland, Norway
It Follows, Director David Robert Mitchell, USA
Revenge of the Green Dragons, Director Andrew Lau, Andrew Loo, USA
V/H/S: Viral, Director Marcel Sarmiento, Nacho Vigalondo, Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Gregg Bishop, USA, Spain

Greater Filmadelphia
Presented by Philadelphia Gas Works: Featuring work from some of our finest homegrown filmmakers, this category brings our city and its talent to the big screen.

Crescendo! The Power of Music, Director Jamie Bernstein, USA
Happy Valley, Director Amir Bar-Lev, USA
Listen Up Philip, Director Alex Ross Perry, USA
Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere, Director Dave Jannetta, USA
Teacher of the Year, Director Jason Strouse, USA
Tomorrow We Disappear, Director Jimmy Goldblum, Adam Weber, USA

Masters of Cinema
Presented by Comcast: These new films exemplify the masterful work of world-renowned filmmakers as they continue to thrill and inspire audiences with cutting-edge features.

Clouds of Sils Maria, Director Olivier Assayas, France, USA
Goodbye to Language 3D, Director Jean-Luc Godard, France
Mommy, Director Xavier Dolan, Canada
Two Days, One Night, Director Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Belgium, France
Winter Sleep, Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey, France, Germany

New French Films
The birthplace of cinema, France continues to produce some of the best movies in the world with films that are funny, daring, sexy and uniquely French.

Breathe, Director Mélanie Laurent, France
Girlhood, Director Céline Sciamma, France
Hippocrates, Director Thomas Lilti, France
Love at First Fight, Director Thomas Cailley, France
This Is My Land, Director Tamara Erde, France

Sight and Soundtrack
Presented by Sweat Fitness: Featuring rockumentaries, musician biopics and films that are centered on the unifying power of music.

Beyond the Lights, Director Gina Prince-Bythewood, USA
Deep City: The Birth of the Miami Sound, Director Dennis Scholl, Marlon Johnson, Chad Tingle, USA
The Last Five Years, Director Richard LaGravenese, USA
Someone You Love, Director Pernille Fischer Christensen, Denmark, Sweden
Song One, Director Kate Barker-Froyland, USA
Traitors, Director Sean Gullette, Morocco
Tu Dors Nicole, Director Stéphane Lafleur, Canada

Spanish Language Stories
Presented by Southwest Airlines: Offering gripping stories and unique perspectives, these Spanish-language films explore a multitude of subjects ranging from the culturally specific to the universal.

10,000 Km, Director Carlos Marques-Marcet, Spain, USA
Güeros, Director Alonso Ruizpalacios, Mexico
Los Ángeles, Director Damian John Harper, Mexico, Germany
Manos Sucias, Director Josef Wladyka, USA, Colombia

Spotlights
Presented by Philadelphia Magazine: Highly-anticipated movies from some of the biggest names in the industry, these films shine a spotlight on top talent from around the world.

Big Hero 6, Director Don Hall, Chris Williams, USA
Creep, Director Patrick Brice, USA
Escobar: Paradise Lost, Director Andrea Di Stefano, France, Spain, Belgium
Faults, Director Riley Stearns, USA
Gabriel, Director Lou Howe, USA
Life Partners, Director Susanna Fogel, USA
Love, Rosie, Director Christian Ditter, UK, Germany

World Narratives
Presented by 6ABC: Explore the world through film with this diverse selection of international cinema that features distinct perspectives and images from around the globe.

Beloved Sisters, Director Dominik Graf, Germany, Austria
Cracks in Concrete, Director Umut Dağ, Austria
The Duke of Burgundy, Director Peter Strickland, UK
Force Majeure, Director Ruben Östlund, Sweden
Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem, Director Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi, Elkabetz, Israel, France, Germany
Human Capital, Director Paolo Virzì, Italy
Run, Director Philippe Lacôte, Ivory Coast, France
Stations of the Cross, Director Dietrich Brüggemann, Germany, France
The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Director Isao Takahata, Japan
Titli, Director Kanu Behl, India
The Tribe, Director Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, Ukraine
Villa Touma, Director Suha Arraf, Palestine
The Way He Looks, Director Daniel Ribeiro, Brazil
When Animals Dream, Director Jonas Alexander Arnby, Denmark
Xenia, Director Panos H. Koutras, Greece, France, Belgium

Short Films
12 Years of DFA: Too Old To Be New, Too New To Be Classic, Director Max Joseph, USA
130919 * A Portrait of Marina Abramović, Director Matthu Placek, USA
8 Bullets, Director Frank Ternier, France
After School, Director Guillaume Renusson, France
Astigmatismo, Director Nicolai Troshinsky, Spain
The Chaperone, Director Fraser Munden, Neil Rathbone, Canada
Chevette 83, Director Luis Oliva, Canada
The Cut, Director Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, Canada
High Ground, Director Geoff Bailey, USA
Inside the Mind of Colin Furze, Director David Beazley, UK
Marilyn Myller, Director Mikey Please, USA, UK
Me + Her, Director Joseph Oxford, USA
The Obvious Child, Director Stephen Irwin, UK
Port Nasty, Director Rob Zywietz, UK
Tim and Susan Have Matching Handguns, Director Joe Callander, USA
A Town Called Panic: The Christmas Log, Director Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, France, Belgium
The Video Dating Tape of Desmondo Ray, Aged 33 & 3/4, Director Steve Baker, Australia
Watch Out, Director Joshua Stewart, USA
The Way, Director Max Ksjonda, Ukraine
Yearbook, Director Bernardo Britto, USA

The Mill Valley Film Festival has built a reputation as a showcase for future Oscar winners and emergent independent and foreign filmmakers. The festival has hosted five of the last six Best Picture Oscar winners, rolling out the red carpet for A-list actors and filmmakers while heavily supporting local filmmakers as well. Nestled in one of the most beautiful places in the world, filmmakers, actors, and attendees alike are drawn to Mill Valley every year by the easy, low-stress atmosphere, the gorgeous surroundings, the varied special events and, of course, the films. In its 37th year, the festival looks to deliver everything loyal festival-goers expect and more.

“Variety has said once–probably more than once–that Mill Valley has the ambience of a destination festival and the clout of an urban festival,” said festival founder and director Mark Fishkin at yesterday’s press conference. “Change” is one of the themes of this year’s festival, with the folks behind the festival embracing the evolving landscape of film and film distribution. Said Fishkin: “For us, change is inevitable, but we are still part of a special division of the film industry, which is theatrical exhibition. We take our role as curators very seriously, whether it’s films that are coming from the Bay Area or films coming from Cannes.”

The Homesman

Tommy Lee Jones‘ latest offering, The Homesman, will open the festival, with star Hilary Swank set to attend. The film is a Western, following a claim jumper (Jones) and a young woman (Swank) as they escort three insane woman through the treacherous frontier between Nebraska and Iowa. Fishkin describes it as a “feminist Western” that is “extremely moving. We’re just so proud to be showing it in this year’s festival.”

Co-headlining opening night is Men, Women, & Children, Jason Reitman‘s new film starring Ansel Elgort, Adam Sandler, Judy Greer, and Jennifer Garner that explores the strange effect the internet age has on parents and their teens. Reitman will be in attendance to present. Lynn Shelton‘s Laggies will also play opening night, completing the killer triple-threat. The film, about a woman stuck in slacker adolescence, stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Keira Knightley, and Sam Rockwell.

The festival looks to finish as strong as it started, with Jean-Marc Valée‘s follow-up to Dallas Buyers Club, spiritual quest movie Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed, who embarked on a 1,100-mile hike to heal deep emotional wounds. Laura Dern also stars, and will be honored with a tribute.

French favorite Juliette Binoche stars across Kristen Stewart in Clouds of Sils Maria. Binoche plays an actress who’s asked to return to a play that made her famous 20 years ago, but this time in an older role, forcing her to reflect on the young woman she once was and what she’s become since. Another French actress who can do no wrong, Marion Cotillard is outstanding in the Dardenne brothers’ new film, Two Days, One Night. Recalling the best of Italian neorealism, the film follows a woman who’s got a weekend to convince her co-workers to forego their bonuses to save her job.

The Theory of Everything

Two emerging young actors will be spotlighted as Eddie Redmayne and Elle Fanning will be in attendance to discuss their respective new films. Fanning stars in Low Down, which views the troubled life of jazz pianist Joe Albany (John Hawkes) from the perspective of his teenage daughter (Fanning). Set in the ’70s, the film also stars Glenn Close, Peter Dinklage, and Lena Headey. In a breakout performance, Redmayne portrays legendary physicist Stephen Hawking in the stirring biopic The Theory of Everything, which is quickly generating momentum on the festival circuit.

Several other films that have been building steam on the festival circuit will play at the festival as well. English landscape painter J. M. W. Turner is played brilliantly by Timothy Spall in Mike Leigh‘s Mr. Turner, which we loved at Cannes. Also portraying a significant real-life figure is Benedict Cumberbatch, who stars in The Imitation Game, the story of English mathematician Alan Turing and his groundbreaking intelligence work during World War II. Steve Carell‘s highly-anticipated turn in Foxcatcher as John Du Pont, the man who shot olympic great David Schultz, will surely continue to stir up Oscar talk as the film plays late in the festival. Robert Downey Jr. stars as a big city lawyer who returns home to defend his father (Robert Duvall), the town judge, who is suspected of murder.

Metallica is set to play a pleasantly unexpected role in the festival as his year’s artist in residence, with each of the four members of the band presenting a film. Drummer Lars Ulrich has naturally chosen to highlight Whiplash, Damien Chazelle‘s drama about a young aspiring drummer and his relentless instructor. Chazelle will also be in attendance. Lead singer James Hetfield has chosen to present a classic, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, while guitarist Kirk Hammett, one of the world’s foremost horror aficionados, will offer up Dracula vs. Frankenstein. Bassist Robert Trujillo is showing a sneak peek at a documentary he produced himself, Jaco, which tells the story of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius.

On the local side of things is a special screening of Soul of a Banquet, a documentary by filmmaker Wayne Wang  about celebrity chef Cecilia Chang. Wang and Chang, who both have deep San Francisco Bay Area roots, will be in attendance to celebrate their storied careers and present their film collaboration. Chuck Workman, another Bay Area legend who’s best known for editing the clip reels at the Oscars, will be honored at the festival as well.

Hot off directing 3-time Oscar winner Dallas Buyers Club, Jean-Marc Vallée‘s next film has released its first trailer — check it out below!

Wild seems very much in the groove for Vallée as a true-life drama following a strong central character. Based on a memoir by Cheryl Strayed, the film stars Reese Witherspoon (who also serves as a producer) as a woman who is recovering from a failing marriage and the death of her mother by seeking nature. From the looks of the trailer, this may be a performance to resurrect Witherspoon’s recently quiet career. The ingredients seem to be there for an Oscar nomination push.

Wild‘s screenplay was written by celebrated author and screenwriter Nick Hornby. Laura Dern and Gaby Hoffmann co-star. The film is scheduled for a December release from Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Watch trailer for Wild