My Favorite Films Of 2014

With franchises and overproduced adaptations of god knows what reigning supreme at the multiplexes nowadays, my trips to the nearest cinema is very limited. Without going on a long, boring diatribe about my thoughts on the film industry: here's the films I did enjoy this year plus my favorite Blu-Ray releases and what I am looking to forward next year.

My Favorite Films Of 2014:

1. "Boyhood"-   The best film I've seen this year.

Even beginning with "Slacker", Richard Linklater has always been an innovative filmmaker. This film however is no exception. Linklater spent 12 years off and on making this film. The end result is incredible. Watching a coming of age film with the same actors, the characters are aging along with the characters; that's genius. Kudos to Linklater for thinking outside the box.

Aside from how the movie was made, I thought the movie itself was phenomenal. Being from a divorced setting and growing up with that, to see that played out on screen in such an organic fashion was nice to see for once.

I do have to share a funny story involving seeing this movie. I seen this movie the week "Guardians Of The Galaxy" opened, I also made the mistake of wearing my Star Wars shirt to the theater as well. I walk up to the box office, the guy in the box office just shoots me the "I know what he's here for" look.

"Welcome to the AMC Lennox. Let me guess, 'Guardians' right ?"
"Excuse me ?" I reply back with legit confusion.
"You know, 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' !?! With Groot and that talking weasel/Racoon thing. Judging from the Star Wars shirt, you're here for the 'Galaxy'. Just one ?"
"Oh no, I am here for the 4:30 showing of 'Boyhood'."

After what I told him what movie I really wanted to see, the look of utter disappointment on the box office guy's face was priceless.

2. "Gone Girl"- I'm down, Fincher is god !

 This one terrified me on so many levels. This film wasn't too "Hollywood", there's a sense of realism to this adaptation which I enjoyed. I also, without giving too much away, enjoyed how nothing was solved at the end. You got the answers of why but the problem wasn't really taken care of. The ending of this film gave you no closure at all. You went home knowing that and it was kind of nice. Films nowadays give you too much closure and sometimes, that's not always great.

David Fincher has really embraced digital filmmaking. He started out like everyone else in his generation shooting on film, which he was really good at too but he's really grown as a visionary shooting in digital. Case in point, "The Social Network", "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button", and "Gone Girl" were shot digitally and they look fantastic. I guess they're some directors out there that can use it for good as oppose using it as a time saving measure.

One more thing, Affleck was great in this film. I am a fan of his work. The dude has chops whether it's acting or being behind the camera. I can't wait to see what he does with being Batman.

3. "Interstellar"- Probably the best Science Fiction film I've seen in a long time.

I can't begin to explain this one. There's so much to this film that I can't review it and do it justice. You go in expecting one thing and that one thing becomes several other things. Absolutely mind blowing. I will be watching this on multiple occasion when I buy it, just so I can absorb it all.

I remember hearing and reading that people thought Christopher Nolan couldn't deliver a solid film outside of the "The Dark Knight" franchise. That's absolute bullshit, Nolan is a solid visionary. What he did for the Batman is only the beginning. I can't wait to see what he does next. This guy is a hybrid of the greats such as Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott, and I'll even throw pre-CGI latent Steven Spielberg.

I really wished I would've seen this in IMAX.

4. "Tusk"- I never thought someone reinventing themselves could so entertaining to watch.

 I've been a fan of Kevin Smith since I was thirteen. With that said, I grew up watching the Jay & Silent Bob saga and you would think I might show some resentment when Kevin started making movies without the lovable stoner duo. Absolutely not ! I didn't watch his movies for those guys, I watched them his movie because I connected with what Kevin was saying. I often consider Kevin Smith "the John Hughes of my generation". He's one of my favorite writers.

I love "Red State". It was different, ambitious, controversial, and well made. Next to "Mallrats", "Red State" became my favorite Kevin Smith movie. I was real interested to see what Kevin was going to do next considering he wasn't going back to the well. The well being Jay & Silent Bob.

At first, "Tusk" freaked me out. It's so strange. It's really strange that it's a Kevin Smith film. Here's a guy who gave me some great insight about relationships in "Chasing Amy" and now he makes a movie about a guy in a fucking walrus suit ? What was the John Hughes of my generation trying to say ?

Then it occurred to me he wasn't trying to say anything, he's made those movies. He might come back to those movie every once in a while but for right now, he just wants to entertain. I am cool with that.

5."Godzilla"- This is how reboots should be done. Way more redeeming than the '98 attempt. We're just going to leave it at that.

Best Documentaries I seen in 2014:

1. "Adjust Your Tracking"- I haven't bought a brand new VHS tape in almost 12 years. I pre-ordered the VHS/DVD big box combo just so I can relieve the glory days of buying a brand new movie on video tape. And that's what this documentary does, it's a very nostalgic look at VHS and VHS collecting (yes, people aside from myself still buy videotapes !). Very informative and entertaining.

2. "Rewind This"- This documentary is essentially a continuation of "Adjust Your Tracking". It's just as awesome as well.

3. "As The Palaces Burn"- I will forever have the up most respect for Randy Blythe. Not very many people in his position would do what he did. Watching this, made me proud to be a fan of Lamb Of God.

4. "Winnebago Man"- Almost 90 minutes of a disgruntled old Winnebago salesman cursing, what more could you ask for ?

5. "Side By Side"- A very informative piece on digital filmmaking. By watching this, I learned that digital filmmaking can be used for good in a visual sense. But at the end of the day, I'd rather they shoot on film.

6. "Milius"- If you are a film geek and don't know who John Milius is, you need your film geek card revoked. This guy is amazing. Wrote some of the most important films in history. This documentary is a great tribute to his legacy and him as a person.

7. "Beware Of Mr. Baker"- Ginger Baker is a fucking lunatic. Great drummer but he's crazy. Made for a good documentary though.

Best Blu-Rays I Purchased In 2014:

1. Phantom Of The Paradise/ The Zombie Horror Picture Show
2. The Complete Halloween Collection
3. The Ailen Anthology
4. The Blood & Ice Cream Trilogy (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End)
5. Through The Never
6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
7. Once Upon A Time In America: Extended Director's Cut
8. Mallrats

Most Anticipated Films For 2015:

1. Rob Zombie's "31"
2. Terminator Genesys
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. American Sniper
5. Yoga Hosers

Still on the fence about Episode VII......

That concludes my favorite films of 2014, see you in 2015 !

My Favorite Albums Of 2014.

One of the things that stands out for me this year is the amount of music I listened to. If I wasn't working, sleeping, or watching a movie; I was listening to music. I think it has to do with a few factors. One, physical media is getting dirt cheap. Ten bucks for a new album of a band I've vaguely heard of but the cover art looks cool ? I'll give it a shot. Three bucks for an album I haven't listened to since the 7th grade ? I can afford to be nostalgic. 70 bucks for a pre-order bundle that includes the album on vinyl, CD, and digital download ? I love the album already. So many incentives for me to continue collecting and listening to music.

Second factor, I stream a heavy amount of music. I don't stream to be cheap; I stream to discover. If I dig something, I'll go out and buy it. Plain and simple. Streaming has only fueled my desire to discover new music even more than usual.

We had some pretty awesome music come out this year. I am thinking next year will top it though, maybe ? Anyways, without further ado.....here's my favorite albums of 2014

10. "Fuckface Unstoppable" By Fuckface Unstoppable: I came across this band while I was on my CKY kick this year. I didn't expect much, to be honest I expected this band to be another Gnarkill. To my surprise, this isn't bad. The music is really just dirty rock n roll. And with a name like Fuckface Unstoppable, you can't go wrong.

9. "Pale Communion" by Opeth: To be honest, I really hadn't listened to Opeth in some time. I dug the musical direction they went on "Heritage" but I didn't enjoy it. This album however is a full blown 70's prog record. I am deeply impressed with this album. A complete game changer for sure. 

8. "Art Official Age" By Prince:  Finally, a new Prince record ! A new, very old school sounding Prince record I might add. If Prince went on a extended hiatus following the release of the "Batman" soundtrack and didn't make another until now: "Art Official Age" would be the album he would've made. 

7. Led Zeppelin Reissues: I remember obtaining a 30 disc bootleg of rarities once and thinking to myself "You know, this would be great bonus disc material for a future reissue release.". It took a while, but it finally happened.

Aside from the bonus material, I am stoked they're reissuing their entire catalog the right way and at a respectable price. I avoided buying the box-set and their entire catalog for this reason because I knew in the back of my mind this was coming. Really looking forward to the "Physical Graffiti" and "In Through The Out Door" reissues (My favorite Zep albums).

6. "Tyranny Of Will" by Iron Reagan: While I love Municipal Waste for the old school Thrash metal, I love Iron Reagan for the crossover/hardcore material. I was so stoked to see the Relapse logo on this record. Congratulations on the Relapse deal ! What started as a side project is now a big thing.

5. "PLECTRUMELECTRUM" By Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL:  You know how Prince's back up band is top notch ? Prince gives them an album of their own. Out of the 2 Prince's releases this year, I enjoyed this one more than "Art Official Age". This is essentially a jam album and I love it. I really dig 3RDEYEGIRL. These ladies are my heroes. They are killer musicians and they can stand on stage with a legend, do there thing and think nothing of it. If I were on stage with Prince, I would shit my pants and lose my composure. I hope a live album is in the works.

4. "Manslaughter" By Body Count: I love the first Body Count album. This one, I have to say kind of holds a candle to it. This is what constructive aggression sounds like.

3. "Down IV-Part II" By Down: I've really gotten into sludge/doom/stoner metal this year. For me, the center point of it all has to be Down. I am a sucker for a fat, juicy riff and on a Down record there's no storage of them. They're sludgy but at the same they have this groove element to him. I love this band.

2. "Bloodstone & Diamonds" By Machine Head:  I really dug "Killer & Kings", so therefore I figure I will enjoy the rest of the album. I bought this album almost a month ago and I've probably listened to this album from start to finish numerous times ! The production on this album is top notch. The strings on this are beautiful. Hard-hitting and just outright epic. Then again, did you expect anything less from a band that calls themselves Machine Head ?

1. "Once More 'Round The Sun" by Mastodon:  The soundtrack to my year. I love this album, enough said.

This one is for those "metal enthusiasts" that couldn't take a fucking joke.

SINGLE OF THE YEAR:

"Motherfucker" (Single) By Faith No More: These guys were the soundtrack to my freshman year of high school. 9th grade sucked but somehow Faith No More made it better. I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams these guys getting back together.

The only expectation I had for this was that it was going to be awesome. And you know what ? I was completely right. Time hasn't diminished the almighty Faith No More ! It just made them better.

I kind of get a sense the album is going to be a throwback to "The Real Thing" & "Angel Dust". But then again, this is Faith No More. You expect one thing and you'll get something entirely different. That's the beauty of this band and that's why I love them.

I will be buying this single when it gets released digitally. I am going apeshit over this song. It's like "High Road" all over again.

Word of advice: I really think Metallica should hold off releasing anything new next year. 2015, I think FNM will reign supreme.

Not Completely Terrible But Rather Hit Or Miss:

1. "Redeemer Of Souls" By Judas Priest: It wasn't "Nostradamus" bad nor was it "Angel Of Retribution" good. Then again, this is the almighty Judas Priest ! The same band that gave us such classics as "Painkiller", "British Steel", "Screaming For Vengeance", "Defenders Of The Faith"....the list goes on. Point is, they don't need to release another "masterpiece" because they already have so many. I am okay with that.
2. "Space Invader" By Ace Frehley: He's doing the whole "we're going to sound and play like it's 1976" thing. That's something KISS is doing. You're not in KISS anymore and you're better than KISS, sound like it ! On a minor note, love to see another Frehley's Comet album.
3. "Constricting Rage Of The Merciless" By Goatwhore: I don't think I listened to this one enough.
4. "Primus And The Chocolate Factory" By Primus: So great to see the trademark line-up of Primus back together. However, I don't get the point of this. While I will say this is an interesting take on Willy Wonka, I hope an album of original is in the works. I want to hear what the trademark line-up of Primus can do now musicially.
5. ".5: The Gray Chapter" By Slipknot: The aggression that was lost on "All Hope Is Gone" is found on this record. I don't know, I really didn't enjoy this album beyond the singles that were released. I will say this, I have the up most respect for any band that can carry on after a member passes.

Most Anticipated For 2015:
-Faith No More
-Rob Zombie
-Anthrax
-TAKACS DEMO