Top 10 Films of 2014 – Adelaide’s List
7—Sightseers (2012)—I don’t really know how to explain Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace to you other than to say it is a British television show about a haunted-ish hospital from the imagination of nonexistent horror writer Garth Marenghi. That description doesn’t even begin to convey the batshit craziness of the show. For all you IT Crowd fans it’s got Richard Ayoade and Matt Berry in it, but my favorite is Alice Lowe who plays Madeleine Wool. Imagine my surprise and delight when I started watching Sightseers and realized that not only is she in it, but she’s also one of the writers. Directed by Ben Wheatley, Sightseers is the love story of Tina (Lowe) and Chris (Steve Oram). Tina is an odd duck who lives with her mother, but jumps at the chance when her new boyfriend, Chris, wants to take her on caravan (camper) trip through England. Things start out wonderfully, but take a turn for the unexpected when Chris kills a man on impulse. Alice’s response to this act is not what she expects, and their relationship goes to a whole new place. This film is dark and weird and very funny.
6—Stagecoach (1939)—I don’t get people who hate John Wayne. I don’t think it’s un-American or anything, but it’s suspicious nonetheless. I’m less enamored with director John Ford, who’s output is— for me anyway—pretty uneven. (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is one of my most despised films of all time.) Geronimo is on the warpath—yes, like a lot of old westerns, it’s racist—and a group of travelers on a stagecoach must band together to survive. This was Wayne’s breakthrough role, and he is wonderful in it, as is Claire Trevor as Dallas, a prostitute who is being run out of town. I also love Donald Meek as the whiskey salesman with a gentle heart and a fair soul. Almost everything about this film is great, and it totally deserves its place as being one of the most influential films of all time. Even if you aren’t a fan of westerns, you should check it out.
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5—Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)—Over the years I have heard a lot of crap about this movie directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, but recently, the tide turned, and everyone started talking about how great it was. So, fine. I recorded it off AMC and then proceeded to let it sit on my TiVo for six months before I finally watched it. It’s great; I don’t know what the hell all the haters were hating on. It’s got Tom Atkins, awkward love scenes, a batshit-crazy plot, and Nancy (Loomis) Kyes as the nagging ex-wife. What’s not to love here? I can see how Michael Myers fans might be upset that he’s not in it, but this movie is so much more fun than all the crap that came later in the franchise. It’s completely unrelated to the previous Halloween movies, and it seriously rocks. I’d give you a synopsis, but you totally wouldn’t believe me. Just watch it.
4—Bad Education (2004)—The super gay Hitchcock movie I have always wanted. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, Bad Education has stories within stories, identities layered on top of each other, conflicting motives, and obsessions aplenty. It’s dark and twisty and funny and sad. For some reason, I’d never seen this, which is odd because I love me some Almodóvar. But it’s one of his great films, which means that it’s kind of crazy and definitely crosses into some questionable territory. I don’t want to talk about it much, because I think it is best to go into this movie knowing next to nothing, but Gael García Bernal is amazing in the lead role and makes a surprisingly perfect Hitchcock blonde.
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