It’s been a strong year for both film and music. Compared to the last two years we’ve seen a lot of unique voices reaching the forefront, and the overall quality has been staggering. I’m yet to see ‘Birdman’, ‘Leviathan’ or (my most highly anticipated) ‘Inherent Vice’, but rest assured, I’ll be there watching as soon as they become available. As with every year, this list is compiled of films and albums that may have been released the year before, but are the best that I’ve seen or heard this year. Both my favourite album/band and favourite film, took a strong emphasis on the mundanity of daily life, and made something sublime out of it. Without further ado, here they are:
FILM
1. Boyhood (10/10)
2. Under the Skin (10/10)
3. The Wolf of Wall Street (10/10)
4. Grand Budapest Hotel (9/10)
5. The Great Beauty (9/10)
6. 20,000 days on earth (9/10)
7. Nymphomaniac (9/10)
8. Blue Ruin (8/10)
9. Metro Manila (8/10)
10. Frank (8/10)
Honourable Mentions:
Her, Mistaken for Strangers, Interstellar, The Immigrant, Locke, Starred Up, Lilting, Calvary, Hellion, Nightcrawler, Guardians of the Galaxy
Biggest Disappointments:
Blue is the Warmest Color, The Double, Godzilla, The Rover, Nebraska, Inside Llyewyn Davis, Edge of Tomorrow, Only Lovers Left Alive
MUSIC
1. Ought – More Than Any Other Day (9/10)
2. Owen Pallett – In Conflict (9/10)
3. Run the Jewels – RTJ2 (9/10)
4. Perfume Genius – Too Bright (8/10)
5. Aphex Twin – Syro (8/10)
6. Mac Demarco – Salad Days (8/10)
7. Spoon – They Want My Soul (8/10)
8. Adult Jazz – Gist Is (8/10)
9. Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else (8/10)
10. Real Estate – Atlas (8/10)
Honourable Mentions
TV on the Radio, Grouper, Eagulls, Thom Yorke, Mica Levi (Under the Skin OST), The Antlers, Sun Kil Moon, Interpol, Death from Above 1979, Swans, Future Islands, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Sharon Van Etten
Biggest Disappointments:
Thee Oh Sees, Alvvays, Bombay Bicycle Club, Wild Beasts, Ariel Pink, FKA Twigs, The Horrors, Royal Blood, Kele, Christopher Owens
And this year, I’d like to add a new category – TV Show. This year has been a landmark year for TV. Over the past decade or so we’ve seen a steady improvement in quality on the small screen, and this year was really the best it’s ever been (well, in the US anyway). I’d even go as far as to say I occasionally got as much from some shows as I did my Top Ten films (and Cinema is my life!). So, here are my picks of the best shows this year:
TV SHOW
1. True Detective (10/10)
2. Boardwalk Empire (10/10)
3. Halt and Catch Fire (9/10)
4. Utopia (9/10)
5. Fargo (9/10)
6. Louie (9/10)
7. House of Cards (9/10)
8. Girls (9/10)
9. Mad Men (8/10)
10. Game of Thrones (8/10)