Lists & Articles

James’ Top Films of 2014

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1. Metalhead – A touching portrait of grief and loss, this Icelandic gem perfectly encapsulates the power of heavy metal as a cathartic and life affirming force. A beautiful story beautifully told. Two devil horns way up. \m/

2. Snowpiercer – A high concept dystopian parable with tons of action and violence, but most importantly heart. One hell of a ride.

3. Blue Ruin – A grim revenge thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

4. Whiplash – One of the greatest movies about the ambition it takes to be an elite musician. Look out for J.K. Simmons in a tour de force performance.

5. Enemy – A tense psychological puzzle that demands multiple viewings. Oh, and that ending!

6. Gone Girl – David Fincher proves again that he can do no wrong.

7. We Are the Best! – Heartwarming story about three adolescents discovering their inner punks. Have your tissues handy.

8. Venus in Fur – Despite your thoughts on the man, this is Polanski in high form. Brilliantly acted. Provocative.

9. Interstellar – Grand, epic, visually striking.

10. Coherence – A trippy, Twilight Zone-esque mind bender that uses its low budget to its advantage.

11. Obvious Child – One of the best romantic comedies in recent memory, Obvious Child approaches a serious issue with empathy and sincerity.

12. Cheap Thrills – This pitch black comedy works as a twisted satire, but also can also be enjoyed solely for its visceral game of one-upmanship.

13. Locke – A case study in less-is-more filmmaking. Tom Hardy gives a great performance in this taut thriller that elevates a simple premise of a man in his car (on the worst day of his life) to operatic heights.

14. Journey to the West – No other movie this year made me smile as much as this one. Healthy doses of ridiculous slapstick with elaborate set pieces. This is must-see viewing for fans of Kung Fu Hustle.

15. The Babadook – A psychological horror film with heart and plenty of genuine scares. Best horror film of 2014.

HM. The Grand Budapest Hotel & Under the Skin – Honorable mention to two films that may not have cracked my top 15 but their strong images are still embedded in my memory (especially a remarkable scene in Under The Skin involving a disfigured man).

-James Cohn

Brandon’s Top Films of 2014

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1. Interstellar – The volume & variety of complaints surrounding this wonderful film has got to be the most hilarious joke of 2014. The score was beautiful, the recorded messages scene was a soul crusher, and the goofy back end felt like trashy, old-school sci-fi serials in the best way.

2. Snowpiercer – Deliciously excessive, hilariously absurd, cartoonishly violent. The half-baked political philosophy is mostly inconsequential, placing the movie in a long line of vague haves-vs-have-nots dystopian sci-fi whose world-building is entirely purposed for a badassery delivery system. It delivers. Just don’t take it too seriously.

3. The Guest – A John Carpenter throwback where the villain’s mask is a handsome smile. It’s packed with enough humor, cruelty, synths, blood, smoke machines & genre-bending to entertain/seduce/corrupt the whole family.

4. Wetlands – Most likely the cutest movie about an anal fissure you’ll ever see. It was a good year for weird rom-coms and this one gets huge bonus points for managing to stick to the format while plunging into de Sade levels of depravity.

5. Under The Skin – Haunting. Sparse yet loaded with unforgettable images & sounds. Glazer is a genius.

6. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson seems to be testing just how much Wes Anderson people can take with his last couple of features. I can take a lot, especially with performances as hilarious as Ralph Fiennes is here.

7. We Are The Best! – Those kids are the best.

8. The Babadook – Approaching this horror flick as a traditional creature feature is a huge mistake. The real threat is psychological and way more disturbing for it.

9. Blue Ruin – A realistic thriller that hits familiar beats carved out by people like Jeff Nichols & The Coen Bros without feeling at all redundant.

10. The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears – The kaleidoscopic imagery & sound design are as intense as anything you’d expect from a Lynch, Jodorowsky, Argento, Glazer or Carruth. It was like if Under The Skin didn’t let every striking image bleed out, but instead threw a new one at you every few seconds.

HM. The One I Love, Frank, Obvious Child, Venus In Fir, Life After Beth – All five of these titles turned the most delicate of premises that could have turned into cutesy, winking indie trifles into refreshingly earnest/honest discourse. They’re all really good & totally worthwhile even if they aren’t The Best Thing EVER.

-Brandon Ledet

Welcome to Swampflix

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Swampflix is a small collective of Southeast Louisiana natives who spend way too much time watching movies. We enjoy everything from the heights of art cinema to depths of basic cable schlock. More often than not, our favorite films are the ones that marry those two aesthetics. We genuinely try our best to love every movie we watch, so know that it hurts us to give one a negative review. We’re looking for the gems in the garbage, not for films to shame.

As New Orleans-based critics we may occasionally focus on local films or theaters, but mostly we just want to talk movies. All kinds of movies. Our New Orleans temperament will most likely show less in the material we cover and more in the way we cover it. We may be a little late to the table for some conversations, a little sloppy or inconsistent in others, but mostly we just showed up to party, to indulge in a good time. We hope you will indulge with us.

Thank you for reading Swampflix. Enjoy!

Questions? Concerns? Contact us @ swampflix@gmail.com