2014 has seemed to demonstrate like no year before, that the box office success of any film is dictated in most part by its ability to dupe the buying public with trailers and promotional campaigns. If anybody has seen The Amazing Spider-Man 2 you’ll remember your disappointment upon realising that some of the content you’d seen in TV spots and theatrical trailers had quite blatantly been embellished to sell tickets.
The arena in which the actual milestones in film-making duke it out for real is home cinema. Many seasoned movie-lovers have given up on public outings to the pictures, due to the endless deluge of film fads, soulless popcorn flicks, shamelessly money-hungry adaptations, remakes, and sequels capitalising on existing fanbases. But there are films still being made by the greats, that seem genuinely unconcerned with ticket-sales, and more with truly interesting and entertaining artistic expression.
The following films were released on DVD and Blu-ray already this year, and are in some respects better watched in the comfort of your own home, and would gain nothing from being watched in Imax or surrounded by strangers texting and asking eachother what’s going on. (This list is subject to change as new releases arrive, if I had to make predictions I’d say Von Trier’s Nymphomaniac will continue to provoke debate upon its release, and Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive is likely to receive a cult following when it hits people’s home cinemas).
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL – Wes Anderson
17th JUNE 2014
In a field populated exhaustingly with style-over-substance film, it’s enthralling to see a masterfully made piece in which the style is the substance. The quaintness of it is doubtlessly better enjoyed privately at home, as the style of the whole film is very intimate and reserved. Its flashback-within-a-flashback could reasonably necessitate a few pauses and rewinds for some as well, which you aren’t left with the luxury of in a public cinema.
UNDER THE SKIN – Jonathan Glazer
15th JULY 2014
The soundtrack to Under The Skin alone is warrant enough to earn a place on this list. There are gratuitous moments requiring both bated breath and the absolute silence you can’t trust any fully inhabited theatre to provide.
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET – Martin Scorsese
25th MARCH 2014
Although proving movies need not always choose between success in the realms of public and home cinema, Scorcese’s latest offering did leave some squirming in uncomfortable public cinema seats without interval for 3 hours.
LOCKE – Steven Knight
12th AUG 2014
With a budget of less than $2million, Locke could scarcely afford to drum up as much of an advertising campaign as it deserved, sending it inevitably to our home cinema screens. With such a carefully penned script, and compelling performance from Tom Hardy, it could almost work as a radio-play with how little it relies on the visual aspect. That’s not to say it’s not beautifully shot though; the nightscapes and motorways are shown in ever creative and gorgeous ways, resulting in such a personal experience this couldn’t possibly be considered anything other than a landmark in home cinema.
HER – Spike Jonze
13th MAY 2014
If public cinema does truly rely on the types of marketing offensives we’ve become jaded by, it’s unsurprising the turnout for Spike Jonze’s masterpiece Her was (although still considerable) nowhere near what it merited. If not only to pay proper attention to the subtle and meticulous set and costume designs, this film is beyond doubt among the best movies of 2014, and ought to be watched again and again.
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