1. "Boyhood"(2014)
Richard Linklater's masterpiece took TWELVE years to make(filming began in 2002) and soared above every major Hollywood tent-pole that surrounded it's quiet summer release. Ellar Coltrane goes from age 6 to 17 before our very eyes, and his growing pains are captured in amazingly authentic fashion in the finest example of indie experimentation since Tarantino. Best Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke(Linklater's trusted partner in the "Before" trilogy) are both terrific as his divorced parents. A low budget and loose structure(and minimal studio interference) allows every moment to feel completely and utterly real. This movie is a miracle.
2. "Birdman"(2014)
Michael Keaton ended his decade-and-a-half long dry spell in this sensational showbiz satire, impeccably written and directed by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu. The former Batman was never better as Riggan Thomson- a bitter, washed-up actor best known for a bygone superhero role in a clever play on the public's real-life perceptions(apparently, the contented Keaton was never looking for a comeback). A return to the NYC stage pits Riggan against a younger, pretentious rival(an equally enlivened Edward Norton) and his estranged daughter(a delightfully dour Emma Stone). This film's famous 'one shot' cinematography sealed the deal at the Academy Awards. "Birdman" flew away with the Best Picture/Director combo, and was the perfect antidote for an industry too often stuck on autopilot. This is a thrilling example of art over commerce.
3. "American Sniper"(2014)
A committed Bradley Cooper gives a career-best performance as controversial Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in director Clint Eastwood's riveting (anti)war movie. Kyle was credited with over 150 kills in four trips to Iraq, and his Middle East exploits seemed to inspire an equal amount of adulation and condemnation in this politically-charged climate. However, this story is NOT about politics, and Clint kept his focus firmly on a man that saw the world in black-and-white and was eager to serve his country during that cloudy post-9/11 period. "Sniper" was the highest-grossing film of the year(take that, Michael Moore), and makes a strong statement about the heavy toll that combat takes on it's participants and their families.
4. "Foxcatcher"(2014)
"Moneyball" director Bennett Miller assembled an awesome acting trio for this eerie fact-based account of an eccentric multimillionaire's involvement in Olympic Wrestling in the 1980s and '90s. A barely-recognizable Steve Carell disappears into the role of oddball benefactor Jon Du Pont, while Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo leave it all on the mat as battling brothers with differing dispositions. All three men turn in nomination-worthy work, as Miller methodically builds toward the tragic conclusion. "Foxcatcher" was unjustly ignored by the masses upon it's release, a situation that must be remedied immediately. It's going down as one of the strongest films of the decade.
5. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"(2014)
The Marvel juggernaut rolls on in this superior sequel to Steve Rogers' already-impressive 2011 debut. "Captain America" wasn't supposed to be one of the greatest superhero franchises. Well, that's exactly what happened. Anthony and Joe Russo were an unlikely choice to up the ante, as Cap(Chris Evans) confronts the sinister side of S.H.I.E.L.D. with Scarlet Johansson's Black Widow and Sam Jackson's Nick Fury in tow. Blockbuster thrills are seamlessly fused with a '70s political thriller vibe(hello, Robert Redford) to create the smartest and most satisfying MCU film to date(sorry, Iron Man). "The Winter Soldier" belongs in any conversation about comic book movie excellence.
6. "Interstellar"(2014)
Chris Nolan continues his directorial dominance in this ambitious sci-fi epic that justifies all the hype and lofty praise that's been heaped on him since 2000's "Memento". Earth is doomed and will be uninhabitable in seventy-five years(is this a documentary?). Newly-minted Oscar winner Mathew McConaughey was looking like the legit leading man that he should have always been as a former pilot-turned-farmer recruited for a top secret NASA mission to save humanity. Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Matt Damon, Jon Lithgow, Wes Bentley and Ellen Burstyn all provide exemplary support. Outer space is the place for intelligent 21st Century entertainment.
7. "Whiplash"(2014)
J.K. Simmons is the music teacher from hell in Damien Chazelle's intense indie black comedy. Miles Teller makes an impression as an ambitious jazz student at a prestigious NY conservatory every bit as competitive as a college sports program. But 58 year old Simmons, previously an unheralded character actor, owns the proceedings as the drill sergeant-like instructor of these rigorous rehearsals. The other four nominees in 2014's Best Supporting Actor race needn't have bothered showing up. Chazelle(who also wrote the screenplay) offers an interesting introspection on the single-minded pursuit of 'greatness' at any cost.
8. "Nightcrawler"(2014)
Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic as a freelance journalist working the L.A. graveyard shift in Dan Gilroy's dark thriller. It turns out that the TV news business is a haven for heartless opportunists that never feel too bad when tragedy strikes(who knew?). Jake's creepy characterization earns comparisons to Travis Bickle, and should have earned him a Best Actor nod. This is another indie triumph that was criminally overlooked at awards season, but I have a feeling this film's reputation will grow. Rene Russo, Bill Paxton and newcomer Riz Ahmed round out a colorful supporting cast.
9. "Gone Girl"(2014)
Ben Affleck didn't kill his wife. Or did he? Director David Fincher delivers another tense, twisty mystery thriller(based on Gillian Flynn's 2012 bestseller), and Ben kept his hot streak going as the Midwestern everyman that comes under heavy public scrutiny when his beautiful better half goes missing. Plot turns abound, and Rosamund Pike is a revelation as 'Amazing' Amy Dunne(this role would have surely made her a major star if it had come along ten years earlier). Fincher turns "Girl" into a characteristically cold commentary on the male-female dynamic and the seemingly inevitable pitfalls of modern marriage.
10(tie). "The Theory of Everything"(2014)
A good old-fashioned biopic is as sure to attract awards consideration as superhero movies are to bolster bank accounts. All you need is a worthy subject and a couple of committed actors(a serious illness never hurt). Eddie Redmayne should be a household name for the rest of his life, for his moving breakthrough role as celebrated English physicist Stephen Hawking whose groundbreaking studies didn't stop, despite a paralyzing form of ALS. The fetching Felicity Jones was quite the find as his long-suffering wife, while director James Marsh's handling of their challenging union reminds one of "A Beautiful Mind". I have a theory that "Everything" won't disappear into a black hole.
10(tie). "Still Alice"(2014)
Julianne Moore joined the elite list of Best Actress Oscar winners for her affecting turn as a happily married mother/linguistics professor diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease. The regal redhead has been a credit to nearly every production that she's appeared in since her part was(mostly) cut from "The Fugitive", while the ever-reliable Alec Baldwin is on husband duties for the second year in a row(Cate Blanchett was '13's winner). "Alice" overcomes it's occasional TV movie-style trappings to deliver a central performance of notable power.
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