We’ve long since stopped trying to keep a tally, but chalk up yet another win for Richard Linklater‘s "Boyhood." The movie has been pretty much unstoppable this month, topping lists of critics, various publications and more, and has gone from dark horse contender to serious frontrunner. Well, you can add another tally mark for the film.
The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott revealed his top ten films of the year today, and "Boyhood," of course, is at the top and he is over the moon for it. "In my 15 years of professional movie reviewing, I can’t think of any film that has affected me the way ‘Boyhood’ did. It is not just that I was moved — I’m frequently moved — but that my critical impulse seemed to collapse, along with my ability to find the boundary between art and life," he wrote, adding: "…it took a second and a third viewing for me to appreciate the ingenuity of Richard Linklater’s idea and the artistry of his methods….It opens on American life and offers a progress report on our spiritual condition. There are missing pieces, of course, but that’s part of the point. A movie, like an individual’s life, is a singular thing. It can’t be comprehensive; it can only be, as comprehensively as possible, itself." That perfectly sums it up.
The rest of Scott’s top ten features include many of the expected year-end heavy hitters, but props for including "We Are The Best!" one of 2014’s most charming movies that everyone slept on. Check out his full list below, and his comments on each film over The New York Times.
The New York Times Critic A.O. Scott Top Ten Films Of 2014
1. “Boyhood”
2. “Ida”
3. “Citizenfour”
4. “Leviathan”
5. “Selma”
6. “Love Is Strange”
7. “We Are The Best!”
8. “Mr. Turner”
9. “Dear White People”
10. “The Babadook”
Runners Up: “Beyond The Lights,” “Bird People,” “Dance Of Reality,” “Jodorowsky’s Dune,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “A Most Violent Year,” “Particle Fever,” “Snowpiercer,” “Top Five,” “Two Days, One Night,” “Top Five”