I could go on and on about this wonderful film, but for the full review see my post from last year.
2. I Origins (Mike Cahill, USA)
By far the saddest and most underrated film of the year, I Origins is Mike Cahill's second gift to us after his brilliant debut Another Earth.
3. Snowpiercer (Bong Joon-ho, South Korea)
Unfortunately, unless you attended the Edinburgh Film Festival, it is unlikely that this science-fiction masterpiece graced your cinema screen. Due to editing conflicts, Snowpiercer has struggled to be released in many countries, but if you take the time to find it you will be well rewarded.
4. Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, UK/USA)
It is unlikely that this film has escaped your notice, and for good reason. Christopher Nolan's space odyssey is Americana-oriented but a tour-de-force of special effects and scientific thinking.
5. Force Majeur (Ruben Östlund, Sweden)
Sweden produces many incredible films each year, and Force Majeur is one of the best; a tense family drama of epic proportions.
6. Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch, UK/Germany)
Jim Jarmusch's understated hipster bloodsuckers are the best vampires of the year, a difficult task within a genre which can be so easily ridiculed.
7. Birdman (Alejandro González Iñárritu, USA)
From one of Mexico's most skilled directors comes a darkly comic look at the fading of Hollywood stars and the power of the mind.
8. Gone Girl (David Fincher, USA)
Another dark and menacing novel adaptation from the master of unsaturated lighting and characters with psychopathic tendencies, David Fincher. Rosamund Pike is more evil than she looks.
9. The Giver (Phillip Noyce, USA)
A young-adult novel from before they were cool, Lois Lowry's The Giver translates excellently to the big screen, even after Jeff Bridges waited twenty years to produce it.
10. 300: Rise of an Empire (Noam Murro, USA)
Though not quite as thrilling as it's predecessor, 300: Rise of an Empire is a fitting exhibition of Zack Snyder's trademark style and the best sword-and-sandals epic of the year.
