My Favorite Performances of 2014

by Lani

The Oscars will be handed out tonight. So, before the 2014 awards season comes to a close, I'd like to give a nod to some of the performers who I enjoyed this year (but who won't be taking home a statuette tonight).

Favorite Tom Hardy Performance: Locke
In 2010, Tom Hardy made a big impression in Inception and since then, every time that I make a round-up of favorite performances, I've found a reason to recognize him. He just continues to be on of the most watchable actors working today, and that's only reinforced by his performance in Locke. This film is basically a one man show as the audiences rides  along on a late night journey with Hardy's Ivan Locke as he attempts to sort out personal business while also negotiating a complex concrete pour -- all via his car phone. As Locke remains behind the wheel, moving ever closer to his final destination, the tension builds as we wait for the next call. Hardy doesn't overplay his part in an attempt to keep things exciting; he maintains a level of control, despite the escalating stakes. (He is simultaneously driving a car the entire time, so he has to keep a level of physical control or he'll crash.) The premise may seem a bit mundane, but the filmmakers are able to create something highly dramatic, due in large part to the magnetic actor at the center. 




Most Overlooked by the People Who Hand Out Awards: David Oyelowo, Selma
Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most charismatic people to ever step out on the public stage, but he was also a complex and flawed human being. Any actor taking on this role needs to be able to show both sides - the larger than life icon, as well as the man. In Selma, Oyelowo was able to meet this challenge and I found it riveting. Apparently, I was in the minority since Oyelowo has been overlooked by every major award-giving body this season and that's a shame. The portrayal is so rich and multi-faceted, you see how King was able to deftly navigate the streets of Selma, as well as Washington, and juggle multiple agendas and factions. And when he delivers a speech, the film just sings. 




Favorite Quarterlifer in Crisis: Keira Knightley, Laggies
In the little-seen romantic comedy Laggies, Keira Knightley plays a young woman with an advanced degree, a long-time boyfriend, and a close-knit circle of friends (not to mention a face like Keira Knightley's)-- yet she feels like a loser, unable or unwilling to take the next steps into adulthood. I find Knightley so likable that even when she makes very questionable decisions, I'm still rooting for her. Exhibit A: she agrees to buy beer for a some teenagers she's never met, then later attempts to hide out from her friends and family at the home of one of these teenagers, Annika (Chloe Grace Moretz). Annika's dad (Sam Rockwell) is at first dubious of this grown woman hanging out with his daughter, but eventually everyone warms up to each other. Now, if you've seen her Chanel commercials, you know that Knightley can look absolutely beautiful. However, she is seemingly without vanity when playing a role; she moves and dresses in a completely natural way, not like an actress made up to look like the best version of herself or posing in the optimally flattering way. She's believably real, and that makes me just like her. When she starts to hit it off with Rockwell, I said (out loud), "I just like them both so much, I want everything to work out." And isn't that what we should be thinking when watching a romantic comedy?



Oh, hi, Jake Gyllenhaal: Nightcrawler
I'll admit that Jake Gyllenhaal is an actor that I've probably underestimated. Until Nightcrawler, I'd say that Zodiac was probably my favorite of his films, but even though he was the lead, he didn't really stand out above the rest of the cast. The problem is that Gyllenhaal is a character actor with a leading man's face; so, while he's most interesting when playing characters who are just a bit off-kilter, he's more often cast in a traditional leading man role. So, it's exciting to see him taking on quirkier roles like the inscrutable Detective Loki in last year's Prisoners and the truly weird lead character in Nightcrawler, an ambitious autodidact determined to break into the cutthroat world of local TV news. His character is not a likable guy and he does some very bad things, but he's never uninteresting. Anchored by Gyllenhaal's performance, Nightcrawler was one of my favorite films of the year.



Most Valuable Player: Tilda Swinton
This year, in supporting roles as an elderly client of the Grand Budapest Hotel and a cruel official aboard the Snowpiercer, and particularly in the leading role of Eve, one half of the vampire couple at the heart of Only Lovers Left Alive, Swinton shone. As the warm, practical, and patient Eve, she is the anchor around which the rest of the cast floats. Just think about this, she turns a scene about making airline reservations over the phone into something completely captivating. It's easy to see why acclaimed and innovative directors like Wes Anderson, Bong Joon Ho, and Jim Jarmusch are eager to work with Swinton; she's a chameleon, incredibly talented, and seems to be game for anything.