Director: Richard Linklater

There are four films on this list based on real people and real events. Boyhood is not one of them, but it is the film that feels most connected to reality. The film was shot over the course of 12 years using the same actors following a boy (Ellar Coltrane) and his family growing up in America throughout the 2000s. We see important scenes from each year of his life through 18 as he goes through physical transformation (the kid gets a bad haircut and loses his baby fat over time) and all around holistic transformation into his own person. We see him experience and endure most of the major milestones middle-class Americans experience and yet it never feels like we’re watching something we’ve seen before. Though his mom gets remarried, we don’t see the ceremony, though the boy graduates from high school, we don’t see the rows of students in caps and gowns. The brilliant writer/director Richard Linklater shows us that the most important things in our lives happen in those crevices between our milestones. That each person’s story is different and meaningful because of these “other” moments— the everyday. One example, the particularly moving conversation between the 18-year-old boy and his mom (Patricia Arquette) as they pack up his things before she drives him to move into his college dorm, that illustrates the deep loss of purpose she was experiencing. Linklater is aware that every issue the boy faces is a first-world problem and he treats them as such, without diminishing the way in which these experiences impact a life. So many things could have gone wrong while shooting a film over a 12 year period and the production team definitely was lucky in some regards, but the true artistry and genius of those involved cannot be dismissed. Though we are treated to the smaller, more intimate moments throughout the boy's and his family’s life, the film is nothing short of an epic.

Diretor: Ava DuVernay

Simply put this film is what filmmaking is really all about. It's a story so wonderfully suited for this medium and the project was placed in expert hands throughout its process. The question of why a film centering around arguably the most influential activist in American history hasn't yet been made has been asked, but the wait was well-worth it for this film at this time. And we are fortunate that our minds are free of any comparison to a lesser motion picture about Martin Luther King Jr. Artistically Ava DuVernay and her team handle each scene with care. Every character is given appropriate thought and time to flourish on screen. Even before DuVernay was brought in to direct, writer Paul Webb, who avoided the temptation of creating a sweeping biography of King's life, smartly chose to focus on a specific battleground in a larger movement. This made the film feel small and personal in a way, while making such a profound statement. And that statement was made through an expertly crafted combination of powerful public and personal words as well as images that are dynamic and visually potent. And then there are the actors. Carmen Ejogo plays King's wife conveying an evident strength that is patiently held beneath the surface. Then there's David Oyelowo who brings the familiar hero to life. He shows us another side of King by embodying the human with all his flaws and uncertainty. And then there's the bold, shining and seemingly divinely-inspired (which is beautifully brought out) speech-giver we are more familiar with. Oyelowo reconciles these two differing images into one of the most interesting characters this year on screen either fiction or based on reality. Selma is a deeply moving and richly emotional film experience.

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Before I begin I must say it feels almost moot to review this film given its sharp, and appropriate, critique of those who criticize art. But I will not be deterred primarily because this review is a joy to write. In one of the, if not the, most imaginative films of the year, Alejandro Gonzàlez Iñárritu creates a fluid concept of reality. The way he floats in and out of scenes is  perfect for a film in which it’s not altogether clear what is real and what is not. Birdman (The Unexpect Virtue of Ignorance is the film’s alternate title) is about the creation of art. Riggan Thomas, played by Michael Keaton, is an aged actor known for the three Birdman (like Batman, get it?) superhero films in which he starred. Now he’s trying his hand at a Broadway play that he adapted, directs and stars in. Only there’s plenty of trouble throughout with his plan to reinvent himself. The film points a finger at everyone – the self-righteous stage actor, whining millennials, Hollywood heavyweights and art critics, as I mentioned before – but because of the wider context it never feels preachy, only complicated. Towards the movie’s end Iñárritu perfectly visualizes the power of narcissism. But the biggest take away for me, and there’s plenty to take away, is the desperate need all of us have to feel relevant. “Do I matter?” is the unanswered question. And though it’s a theme we are constantly brought back to, it’s Emma Stone who bangs us over the head with a hammer, beautifully I might add, in a rage-filled monologue.  Relevance compounded with ego is dangerous and Iñárritu has us waiting anxiously to see what will be Riggan’s end. Birdman is one of my favorite films of the year so far. but might not be everyone's cup o' noodles.

Director: Christopher Nolan

Interstellar has a leg up over last year's space exploration film, Gravity, in that it has a plot— or at least a more interesting and complicated one. But Gravity isn't really the film's predecessor nearly as much as Stanley Kubrick's  2001: A Space Odyssey from 1968. Reviewing films that have vague trailers is hard, because one can assume that the filmmakers want the audience to go in fresh. So what I'll say is that the film's greatest triumph is in its themes. How is love quantified? Who's to say what actions are truly selfless? Matthew McConaughey gives a stirring performance making the film, which is full of scientific jargon and action deeply emotional. Visually it's stunning and each frame holds more weight than in Gravity becuase the script requires a heftier proverbial pushing of the envelope. My only qualm is with how the film resolves though it loses no points for inventiveness. It should be stated that it's not some incredibly detached ending like in Apocalypse Now so it has that going for it. It is still one of the best of the year so far. Preparation for awards season has begun.

Director: James Gunn

How does this work? Without going through the litany of oddball characters in the film it’s no surprise that many were skeptical that this superhero tale, on the fringes of the Marvel universe, would work as a big budget Hollywood film. But thank our lucky stars throughout the galaxy for people with vision and cojones. Maybe what made the film work is that our heroes are hardly heroes at all. Led by the goofy and affable Star Lord (Chris Pratt), the rag-tag team criss-cross across the galaxy primarily for their own purposes until fate chooses them to save the home of an untold number of creatures. James Gunn brings Star Warsian energy to the film all while the excellence from the best films coming from Marvel studios over the years is present. The movie is so much fun and then, not only is it when it’s least expected, but to expect it at all seems out of this world, there are these emotional snippets that really resonate. And somehow they most often come from the giant tree-thing who has a vocabulary only slightly wider than a pokémon. And even after seeing the film multiple times that question of “how” still remains.

Director: David Fincher

Gone Girl, a critically acclaimed novel of 2012, has become one of the most buzzed- about films of 2014 and it did not dissapoint. Ben Affleck plays Nick Dunne a man whose wife, Amy, dissappears. Throughout the film we learn more about Nick and Amy's relationship via flashbacks courtesy of excerpts from Amy's journal. We don't know what happened to Amy and throughout we wonder if Nick could have really killed his wife. Affleck displays his acting chops. To me he seems more suited for films like this instead of playing the next Batman. But its Rosamund Pike, who plays the girl who's gone, that shines most. She is pure perfection and unfortunately to say anything more would be to provide spoilers. What I can say is that you will try to solve the mystery of Amy's dissapearance as David Fincher raises the drama with his signature directing style, then your blood will begin to boil and you feel the tension of the film in your whole body. There are moments when it is nearly impossible to restrict audible gasps. This is definitely one to see. The film also includes notable performances by Carrie Coon, Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris.

Director: Morten Tyldum

The Imitation Game is the story of Alan Turing, whose place in history I am ashamed to not have known more about before buzz surrounding this film surfaced. Turing created a machine that cracked seemingly uncrackable encrypted Nazi messages during World War II, which, if the film is accurate, was a huge turning point for the Allied forces. The film focused on all facets of Turing's ultimately isolated life. In the film Turing is an aloof genius who had tense interactions with other humans. He was a closeted homosexual during a time when it was illegal to be so in the United Kingdom. It was something for which he would later be arrested and convicted. He also faced adversity getting others to understand the importance of his work, which would become the basis for computer technology. So to take all these personal and professional issues plus the pressures of enduring the second world war would be a big undertaking for any actor. (Any film set during a World War has some added gravitas) But Benedict Cumberbatch plays the role with a certain frailty that makes the multi-layered man, who would end his own life, come to life. Keira Knightley's performance adds more depth to a film that is assembled on every front in near perfection.

Director: Bennett Miller

This, like Guardians of the Galaxy, was a surprise film of the year. Not because there was suspicion that the film would be bad, but it was remarkable to see two actors, who are publically perceived in a certain way, artistically break away from what is expected of them and transform into haunting characters. Channing Tatum plays reclusive American wrestler, Mark Schultz, who gains confidence when he is recruited to be trained by the heir to the Du Pont fortune (Steve Carell). All seems well until Carell’s character reveals his sordid and oedipal obsession with finding meaning. The the other Schultz brother, David, joins the team grating against Mark’s own need to be individually successful. The film moves quietly and builds just as Carell performs quietly creating a kind of anti-hero adjacent. If the anti-hero is the protagonist who does bad but is ultimately virtuous, Carell is undeniably ultimately bad, but like with the anti-hero, there’s something about the man Carell creates that requires our compassion.

Director: James Marsh

The showrunners of The Theory of Everything made the right choice about what this film would be about. While it discussed Hawking’s religious views, scientific theories, and other marriage, the film centers on the relationship between the famed British scientist and his first wife as they dealt with his failing health. The film is beautifully pieced together almost understating the devastation of Hawking’s disease save for a few specific moments. Felicity Jones shines beautifully as Jane Hawking, whose book was source material for the film, and instead taking the easy route by making her a decorative ornament, she was allowed to be her own person though often in the shadow of her husband. Then there is Eddie Redmayne, whose physical performance is nothing short of amazing. With director James Marsh, the two bring out the ways in which Hawking’s body deteriorated over time. In addition, Redmayne gives a performance with emotional understanding.

Director: Josh Boone

It is nearly impossible to tell a story with cancer front-and-center without devolving into sappy melodrama. (Just watch FOX’s Red Band Society, or do yourself a favor and don't) In The Fault in Our Stars there are just enough clichés to keep the teen crowd up to speed, but to author John Green’s credit, he works really hard to create characters that breathe real air, no matter how belabored each breath may be. The film offers a fresh and surprising young relationship and we get to see Shailene Woodley, who doesn’t have much acting to do in 2014’s Divergent, get a chance to show her abilities. She connects like Ellen Page in Juno, but in some ways her character is more layered and conflicted. The film is most effective when it makes the case for small moments and personal love being the most epic legacy of our lives no matter how soon it will be forgotten. And while it is certainly a weepy tale for the audience and characters alike, the film doesn’t beg us to feel a certain way— only to feel something.