A Listicle You Can’t Refuse: The Five Best Movies I Saw This Year

Birdman (Screen shot from http://youtu.be/uJfLoE6hanc)

The end of the year is nigh upon us, and every publication seems to be doing these — what do you kids call them? — listicles. I just finished watching The Godfather and The Godfather Part II this week, so I suppose you could say that I’m feeling a bit youthful, like a baby calf. In the interest of cool, I thought I would make a list of the best movies that I saw this year. This will be in descending order of course.

5. Gone Girl

I was actually able to be one of those people who turn to you in the movie theater and say, “Oh, I read the book. The book is so much better.” Don’t you love being that person? Everyone hates that person until you become that person. But the movie itself was a seat-grabber. Ben Affleck hasn’t been this good since Armageddon/Gigli.

4. Interstellar

This movie, specifically the visuals, was incredible. It has everything that you might want to see in a movie aesthetically while also having a strong narrative. Plus, it has another Affleck. What more could you want?

3. Inside Llewyn Davis

Yes, I’m actually late to the party on this one, but I saw it this year. Sue me. It is a great movie with great music. The story itself has a great central character with a lot of trouble. While the storyline itself was a bit jumbled, it is everything you want in a Coen brothers film.

2. Birdman

If you talk to someone else, they might rank this movie a little lower while still saying the movie is good. But if you talk to me, the movie is nearly perfect. Everything about the movie, from the plot to the acting to the stream of consciousness-esque camera tricks, was unbelievable. And wow, Michael Keaton. I will be very pissed if he doesn’t win the Oscar for Best Actor. The movie choked me up, but in the manliest of ways.

1. The Godfather

All of the iconic phrases that I ever heard about this movie were realized this week.

“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

“Look what they did to my boy.”

Marlon Brando’s acting in this movie is a revelation. I am actually a little pissed at myself that I hadn’t watched it until now. But the loss of innocence for Michael, and the desire for Tom to truly join the family is worth the eight hours it takes to finish each of the movies. As Vito Corleone deteriorates, he has to pass on his don-ship to Michael. Ugh. So many feels.

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Christopher Cruz (@_chris_cruz) is a staff writer for Little Utopia.