Top 10: 2014

Earlier today, I wrote a paragraph on each of the movies in my top ten, along with a 600-word introduction. I was struggling with the tone, and I realized it's because, in the past year, real life has changed the way I watch movies. My moviegoing habits haven't changed, but since my dad's death last spring, I find myself valuing movies for different reasons. But honestly, it read like it should be titled "Top 10 Sad Things That Happened To Me This Year." I just deleted it all, and it feels liberating. However, I did enjoy putting together a playlist of songs from the movies listed below, and, if you have the time, I think it actually serves as a pretty good mixtape for 2014. Happy new year, everyone.

My top ten:



1. Under the Skin
2. Inherent Vice 
3. The Babadook
4. Selma
5. Only Lovers Left Alive 
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel
7. Blue Ruin
8. Boyhood 
9. Love is Strange 
10. Birdman

The rest of my Muriels ballot:

Best Lead Performance, Male


1. Michael Keaton, Birdman

2. David Oyelowo, Selma

3. Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice

4. Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. Macon Blair, Blue Ruin

Best Lead Performance, Female

1. Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin

2. Essie Davis, The Babadook

3. Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant

4. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
5. Jenny Slate, Obvious Child

Best Supporting Performance, Male

1. Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice

2. Ethan Hawke, Boyhood

3. Patrick D'Assumçao, Stranger by the Lake

4. Tyler Perry, Gone Girl
5. Jonathan Pryce, Listen Up Philip

Best Supporting Performance, Female

1. Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer

2. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

3. Carrie Coon, Gone Girl

4. Emma Stone, Birdman
5. Emily Blunt, Into the Woods

Best Direction

1. Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin

2. Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice

3. Jennifer Kent, The Babadook

4. Ava DuVernay, Selma

5. Jim Jarmusch, Only Lovers Left Alive

Best Screenplay

1. Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel

2. Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice

3. Jennifer Kent, The Babadook

4. Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias, Love is Strange
5. Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

Best Cinematography

1. Robert Elswit, Inherent Vice

2. Dick Pope, Mr. Turner

3. Darius Khondji, The Immigrant

4. Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman

5. Bradford Young, Selma

Best Editing 

1. Sandra Adair, Boyhood

2. Kirk Baxter, Gone Girl

3. Barney Pilling, The Grand Budapest Hotel

4. Leslie Jones, Inherent Vice

5. Simon Njoo, The Babadook

Best Music

1. Mica Levi, Under the Skin

2. Antonio Sanchez, Birdman

3. Hans Zimmer, Interstellar

4. Jonny Greenwood, Inherent Vice

5. Josef van Wissem, Carter Logan, Jim Jarmusch and Shane Stoneback, Only Lovers Left Alive

Best Documentary 

1. Life Itself

2. The Last of the Unjust

3. Citizenfour

Best Cinematic Moment 

1. “Trapped By a Thing Called Love,” Only Lovers Left Alive

2. Flying, Birdman

3. “Journey Through the Past,” Inherent Vice

4. Opening sequence, Under the Skin

5. Final shot, The Immigrant

6. Godzilla’s first appearance, Godzilla

7. School car, Snowpiercer

8. “I feel everything,” Lucy

9. Creation story, Noah

10. “Escape (The Pina Colada Song),” Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Cinematic Breakthrough 

1. Jennifer Kent, The Babadook

2. Ava DuVernay, Selma

3. Jeremy Saulnier, Blue Ruin

4. Ana Lily Amirpour, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

5. Gillian Robespierre, Obvious Child

Best Body of Work 

1. Scarlett Johansson

2. Tilda Swinton

3. Joaquin Phoenix

4. Emily Blunt
5. Jake Gyllenhaal

Best Ensemble Performance 

1. Selma

2. Inherent Vice

3. Love is Strange

4. Birdman

5. We Are the Best!