Best Supporting Actor 2014

05. Ethan Hawke in Boyhood - For making us all remember that he IS a good actor, if it only takes Linklater movies to remind us. For perfectly portraying a wayward kid turned family man. For the father / son camping scene.

04. James Gandolfini in The Drop - For playing a tough guy the way only he could, with subtle layers and complexities. For knocking it out of the park with a final fitting performance. For accepting his fate in the car at the end.

03. Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher - For being the heart and soul of the film. For being kind and likeable,  sweet and endearing in a subtle lived in portrayal. For the scenes of brotherly love.

02. J.K. Simmons in Whiplash - For making me forget all about the sweet dad from Juno. For giving a tense, powerhouse performance as an enigmatic and menacing music instructor. For throwing cymbals at people's heads. For the "dragging or rushing" scene.

01. Edward Norton for Birdman - For sending up his own image as a difficult method actor by playing... a difficult method actor. For the brilliant complexities in his scene stealing work. For being fierce, funny,  complicated, charming and electric. For being sorely missed when he disappears three quarters of the way through. For the fist fight in his underwear.

Birdman

Somewhere along the way, this year became a very good year for movies. I've been thinking for months that it's been a disappointing year, but that isn't the case. The fact that this is a very good year snuck up on me. But here we are, almost in December, and Birdman is damn near a masterpiece, and it's not even my number 1 movie of the year. It might actually be number 3 (I can't decide if I liked it slightly more or slightly less than Gone Girl). And so that's where we stand in 2014 - an almost masterpiece barely breaking into the top 3.

Birdman is the story of Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton), a one time movie star who got his money and fame by starring as an action hero in a series of Birdman movies. But that was the mid-90s. Now he is washed up and trying to prove his merit by adapting a pretentious Raymond Carver story for Broadway. He also may or may not be crazy, as he keeps hearing the voice of Birdman talking him up and sometimes tearing him down. On the day before the play is set to go into previews, the co-lead gets injured, forcing Riggan to hire Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), a hot tempered method stage actor. Rounding out the story are Naomi Watts as Leslie, a co-star in the play as well as Mike's girlfriend,  Emma Stone as Riggan's fresh out of rehab daughter, Amy Ryan as Riggan's ex-wife, Zach Galifianakis as his long suffering lawyer and Andrea Riseborough as Riggan's possibly pregnant co-star girlfriend.

Let's get the little bit of bad news out of the way first - Riseborough's character is terribly underwritten and feels like she isn't three dimensional enough to even belong in this film. Also, there is a particular occurrence that I won't spoil but feels completely out of place and unnecessary.  Also, there is a point about three quarters of the way through where you are either going to give up completely or just decide to go with it. And I went with it, man. I would follow this movie anywhere it took me because it's damn brilliant.

First of all, the way Birdman is filmed is brilliant. It looks as though it is one long continuous tracking shot without any cuts. I have never seen anything like it and if Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu doesn't win Best Director at the Oscars then I give up on films. This movie looks amazing and, sure, the one take tracking shot thing could feel like a gimmick but it never does. It never feels anything less than a stunning, dizzying effect. This is a smart, artistic, philosophical film that deals with big questions about growing older and love and family and what it's like to feel like you are nothing in this crazy world. It's also a biting satire about actors and filmmaking and the instant celebrity, social media obsessed world we live in. This isn't a comedy by any means, but it is darkly funny and highly enjoyable.

All the hype about Michael Keaton in his big comeback role is totally on point. He is amazing as the washed up has been struggling with his own mortality. But why is no one talking about Edward Norton? He absolutely kills it, stealing scenes and creating a complex and nuanced character. Just when you start to forget about how awesome he is, he shows up and gives a hell of a performance to remind you. (Sidenote: Remember how much he killed it in Primal Fear??). The biggest problem with the movie, in fact, is that Norton's Shiner disappears three quarters of the way through. Another stand out is Stone, whose facial expressions alone are perfection, how she can so easily go from angry to regretful or worried to amazed.

Overall,  I can't say enough positive things about Birdman. It's not perfect, but it is one of the most wholly enjoyable, awe inspiring films I have seen in a very, very long time. Bravo.

Grade: A

Moonrise Kingdom (DVD)

Here's the thing I love most about Wes Anderson, and you can probably only say the following about a very small number of directors: when you are watching a Wes Anderson movie, you absolutely know you are watching a Wes Anderson movie from frame one. If you didn't know he directed the movie, you would most certainly realize it as soon as the movie starts.

Moonrise Kingdom is most certainly a Wes Anderson movie. Every single detail proves this, from the clothes to the set decoration to the dialogue - everything. And while it's not my personal favorite of his movies (that award goes to The Royal Tennenbaums, of course), I think it may be his best work to date. It's sweet and it's sad and it's just damn good.

The movie takes place in 1965 on a small East Coast island where a teenage khaki scout named Sam (Jared Gilman) falls in love with a book / binocular loving girl named Suzy (Kara Hayward) and they decide to run away together. With an impending hurricane headed their way, a bunch of people begin searching the island for them, including Suzy's lawyer parents with a troubled marriage (Frances McDormand and Bill Murray), the island cop (Bruce Willis), a hilariously serious Scout Master (Edward Norton) and a character aptly named Social Services (Tilda Swinton). Jason Schwartzman also shows up in the final act to help our young love runaways. What's so great about Moonrise Kingdom in this day and age of movies with complicated plots and confusing story lines is how unabashedly straight forward it is. It's a simple story told simply and that is what makes it so beautiful. There's this great overall sense of adventure and this celebration of young love. The film is so beautiful but it also makes you sad at the end, remembering better days.

The movie may be Wes Anderson's best but it's far from perfect. The adult characters have a certain lack of personality and aren't really fully developed although I like to think that's intentional. As a child, you don't fully understand the problems and concerns going on in adult lives, so perhaps this is a reflection of that feeling. Another small problem I had was the third act. The film meanders at a slow, sweet and enjoyable pace and then at the end, Anderson tries to fit in as much action as possible (in fact, all of the action).

But these two small problems don't take away from the fact that Moonrise Kingdom is a great movie, definitely one of the best of the year and probably Anderson's overall best. Anderson is known for being weird and pretentious but he keeps this movie quirky while managing to curb his more out there notions that maybe turn off mainstream audiences. The performances, especially by the young Gilman and Hayward, and Norton, who all but steals the show, are fabulous. The dialogue is fresh and sweet. Moonrise Kingdom happens to be a perfect inclusion in Anderson's resume.

Grade: B+

The Last King of Scotland and The Painted Veil (DVD)

The Last King of Scotland - If I had to pick one word to describe this movie, it would be 'engrossing.' This is a modern day masterpiece of a film and it absolutely holds your attention from beginning to end. The movie follows the life of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) a young Scottish man who graduates med school and decides, instead of following in Dad's footsteps and working in family medicine, to take off to Uganda to have an adventure and maybe do some good for the African people. At first, he does do some good, working at a small mission and helping sick children. Then he meets the new president of the country (who just overthrew the former president), Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). The two form an unlikely friendship and Garrigan becomes Amin's personal doctor and, reluctantly, one of his closest advisors. The story of their complicated friendship is wonderful. Once Garrigan's conscience gets in his way (and after he has an affair with the Amin's wife played by Kerry Washington), Garrigan is more or less stuck in a very tough situation. The screenplay and directing are both great. The quick cutting editing is perfect and helps to make the film feel fast paced and helps to keep it from ever getting boring. But the performances are what's really worth talking about. Out of last year's Best Actor nominees, Whitaker definitely deserved the Oscar for his mecurial performance. I've always thought he came across as such a soft-spoken and sweet guy. It's amazing to his transformation into Amin. He's at times absolutely charming and likeable. His people admire and respect him. But then that admiration turns to fear. At the drop of a hat, he can become an angry, rageful and downright scary man. Then, he switches back to being so charming so quickly. His performance is really a pleasure to watch. However, not only does McAvoy hold his own against Whitaker, but also, in my opinion, he steals the entire movie from him. McAvoy is a revelation. I never heard of the guy until last year at Oscar time and he absolutely blew me away. Had he been nominated for an Oscar, I would be singing a different tune about who deserved to win. He's got this childlike innocence mixed with a sort of world-weariness that is a weird mixture but it works for him. Overall, this is a great movie that you absolutely need to see. Right now.

Grade: A

The Painted Veil - This movie is a glamorous sort of throw back to Old Hollywood romance movies. It boasts excellent cinematography, a solid script and great performances. It follows Walter (Edward Norton) and Kitty (Naomi Watts), a couple who meet in London and marry, eventhough Kitty goes into the marriage in order to get away from her mother. They soon move to China where Walter works and Kitty enters into an affair with the married Charlie (Liev Schrieber). When Walter finds out, he threatens to divorce Kitty and tarnish her name unless she goes with him to a small village with an outbreak of cholera. After Kitty realizes that Charlie never intended to leave his wife for her, she reluctantly goes with her husband. What initially starts out as punishment for her, soon turns into redemption as she learns how to love her husband eventhough it may be too late. This movie is a sprawling, beautifully filmed epic. There are so many wonderful shots of nature. Watts and Norton have amazing chemistry and play off each other very well. Norton inhabits his quiet yet firm and somewhat cocky doctor perfectly. No matter how popular he gets, he'll always be the epitome of a character actor. Watts is wonderful as well as the once spunky girl who is unwilling to stay shackled in a loveless, unhappy marriage. The emotional turmoil she portrays near the end of the film is really, really great and if last year wasn't such a strong year for female performances, she would have been a lock at Oscar time. Toby Jones and (the absolutely amazing) Diana Rigg lend some much needed support. The main problem I had with the movie was how it just drags on and on and on. It could have been about 3o minutes shorter. Plus, you could tell they cut some scenes a bit confusing at first (but if they hadn't cut scenes, it would have been painfully long). All in all, it's not a great movie but it does boast great performances and beautiful cinematography so it's well worth checking out.

Grade: B+