The year winds down and the listmaking amps up, such as it has been since time immemorial. Or, at least since there have been awards, publications, the Internet, and nerds’ obsessive impulse to rank various entries every year. David Ehrlich—former editor of Film.com (RIP) and current contributor to The A.V. Club—has proven to be one of the true artists at the craft of making best-of film lists. He is able to take striking images from some of the year’s best-reviewed (or at least most impactful) films and edit the scenes to music from some of those films or other relevant music from the year. It’s a beautiful montage that is truly engaging and an impressive audio-visual feat on its own.
Ehrlich has unleashed his latest video chronicling the top 25 films of 2014 on the film site Little White Lies. He‘s included footage from some other films that didn‘t quite make the list—Birdman, The Lego Movie, and Mood Indigo, amongst others. It’s a great cheat sheet of films that are at least worth checking out and have added to the cultural and cinematic landscape in some fashion or another.
THE 25 BEST FILMS OF 2014: A VIDEO COUNTDOWN from david Ehrlich on Vimeo.
For those who don’t have the time to watch an enthralling montage, or are simply too caught up in Ehrlich’s expert transitions, here’s the list in full:
25. Lucy
24. We Are The Best!
23. Timbuktu
22. Selma
21. Love Is Strange
20. Listen Up Philip
19. Godzilla
18. Starred Up
17. Why Don’t You Play in Hell?
16. Mommy
15. The Babadook
14. Palo Alto
13. Ida
12. Goodbye To Language
11. Boyhood
10. The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya
9. Force Majeure
8. God Help The Girl
7. The Double
6. Only Lovers Left Alive
5. Gone Girl
4. Nymphomaniac
3. Under The Skin
2. Inherent Vice
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
Of course, lists like these always raise questions and start conversations. For example, how does Ehrlich’s list match up with your own favorites of 2014? More importantly, how close will it line up with The AV Club’s list of best films of 2014? (To find that out, check back here in two weeks.)
Most importantly, can we trust that Ehrlich was able to watch Larry the Cable Guy’s Jingle All The Way 2 in time before weighing in with his list? Just asking questions here.