Nowadays, the pervasive narrative is that film is dead and television is better. This statement is only half true. While television is better than ever before, cinema isn’t doing too badly, either.

Most of my film experiences this summer were nothing but pleasant. Besides anything Michael Bay had his name on, there were very few complaints to be had about the intelligence of Hollywood blockbusters (in retrospect, I even enjoyed Winter Solider). In the art house world, some directors were doing things with the form that nobody has done before. Well, that happened in the blockbuster world as well.

Film is in a transitional period. This was the summer of On Demand, where a lot of films were available on your TV set the same day they were playing in select theaters. While I still prefer a trip to the theater any chance I get, it was nice to have access to the sort of films that usually don’t expand nationwide. It is too bad this wasn’t around when I was a high schooler yearning for my hometown to be a hip, indie place.

Here are my top six films of summer 2014. I choose six because math is irrelevant to me:

6. Obvious Child

There is nothing like a good summer indie to get away from all of the blockbuster explosions. Obvious Child was the breath of fresh air I needed. While Obvious Child wasn’t the most original romantic comedy ever made, it was never trying to be. In this tale of abortion, the one thing it is striving for is honesty, and that is exactly what it achieves. Plus, Jenny Slate delivers a career-defining performance. She turns all the noises she makes and fart jokes she tells into art.

5. 22 Jump Street

With both The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street under their belts, Phil Lord and Chris Miller have made two of the best movies of the year. By seamlessly combining action and comedy, 22 Jump Street is the rare sequel that manages to surpass the original. It takes meta to the extreme without crashing and burning. Oh, and it is hilarious. At this point, Lord and Miller could film a pile of dog poop for three hours and everyone in America would pay to see it.

4. The Immigrant

This film about the American Dream does not shy away from the grittiness of history that historical films often try to conceal. The Immigrant contains a great performance from Marion Cotillard and a mesmerizing one from Joaquin Phoenix. It concludes with an ambiguous final shot that will one day be studied in film classes. In terms of stories of dirty, miserable, early 20th century New York, The Immigrant is a fine companion piece with The Knick (which you all should be watching).

3. Snowpiercer

The best of summer indies combined with the best of summer blockbusters make for the most entertaining allegory in ages. Chris Evans proves that he is an action star for the ages, and Tilda Swinton proves that she can play anything, even if you don’t understand what her character is. Snowpiercer is about rebellion, the class system, and even God. Not to get all current event-y here, but look at some of the recent events happening in Ferguson or the Middle East, and tell me that doesn’t remind you of Snowpiercer at all.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

Contemporary blockbusters have two settings: they are either grim and gritty, or goofy and self-aware. By being both goofy and sincere, Guardians of the Galaxy is the first comic book adaptation in a long time that manages to be both. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the funniest movies so far this year, and it gets all of its humor based off of its characters, which you wouldn’t normally see in a giant space opera. I have seen Guardians of the Galaxy twice and purchased a Rocket Raccoon action figure. Guardians reminded me why I love to write about movies in the first place.

1. Boyhood

This coming-of-age epic was twelve years in the making and worth the wait. The way Boyhood was made is an achievement on its own, so the fact that it was actually good is pretty amazing. This is the first film I have seen that I feel like really captured my childhood, though people that grew up in every generation have said the same. Richard Linklater’s ability to hold my attention for nearly three hours with nothing but conversations and small milestones is miraculous. If Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and most of the other people involved don’t get Oscar nominations, then I will be extremely disappointed. There are so many moments in Boyhood that could have turned out to be terribly corny (“we don’t seize the moment…the moment seizes us”), but the overall authenticity truly sells it. Guardians of the Galaxy made me remember why I love movies, while Boyhood made me remember why I love life, even in all of its triumphs and failures.

Honorable Mentions: Life Itself, Edge of Tomorrow, X-Men: Days of Future Past, They Came Together

Episode 15: Ian and Cassie talk about how season two of Orange is the New Black made an already great show even better and why Obvious Child is a breath of fresh air in a crowded summer movie season. Plus, what we’ve been consuming (watching, reading, listening, etc.) this week.

Seriously…what’s the deal with babies?! Image via Sundance

Obvious Child has been labeled as “that abortion movie,” which is the equivalent of labeling Trainspotting as “that heroin movie.” Obvious Child is not a film about a controversial topic, it is a film about people dealing with issues and, well, being people.

Obvious Child is the feature film debut of writer-director Gillian Robespierre who, despite sharing the last name of an evil historical figure, has a gentle touch in dealing with tough and sensitive issues. Sometimes, Obvious Child feels so naturalistic that it resembles something that is not even a film at all. It tells the story of Donna Stern (Jenny Slate), a Jewish comedian (I have to point this out, given that this movie is Cultural Judaism incarnate) going through a millennial crisis, which is a midlife crisis that somebody in their 20s might go through. Her stand-up is funny and honest, yet it isn’t getting her much work.

To top it all off, Donna’s boyfriend breaks up with her, after revealing that he has been cheating on her with one of her friends. What a dick. She has just about reached bottom, where her father (Richard Kind, a friendly father figure if I ever did see one) reminds her that sometimes the best creative energy comes from these low moments.

During one of her lower moments, has a one night stand with a stranger named Max (Jake Lacy). The two of them are opposites, to say the least. He is a pair of boat shoes to Donna’s orange crocs. Protection is forgotten and a few pregnancy tests later, Donna discovers that she is pregnant. As quickly as the female characters of Juno and Knocked Up decided to keep their respective babies, Donna decides to get an abortion. Much to my relief, Obvious Child is not a film carrying a big political message along with it. It does explore moral or ethical implications, it is simply about living with making a big decision, which is why it way more than just “that abortion movie.”

Obvious Child is first and foremost a comedy that luckily never uses this issue as a crutch. In fact, it never goes for the easy joke at all. The best comedy comes out of truthfulness, and like Donna, who strives to speak honestly on stage, this film seeks to make us laugh through honest moments. That honesty might come in the form of humiliation, like a poorly timed pee fart, which is amongst the funniest of the fart kingdom. Donna is a comedian and the film contains long stretches of her standup. They are not necessarily to underline a theme like in Seinfeld and Louie. Rather, they show character growth and maturity. In this regard, these moments remind me a lot of the musical numbers in Inside Llewyn Davis.

Perhaps now is the best time to mention Jenny Slate, who kills it as Donna Stern. I wouldn’t be surprised if Slate is playing a bizarro version of herself here, but that doesn’t make her performance any less powerful. Of course she is funny, but she shows the kind of dramatic chops that you would not at all expect from half of Publizity. I am not saying that I doubted Jenny Slate’s talent. What I am saying is that I didn’t expect to watch this film and feel my heart break along with her’s as she stood outside her ex-boyfriend’s house in a desperate act that is both relatable and illogical. Good comedians are funny. Great comedians know the right moment to turn the funny off.

While the writing is fantastic, I think Obvious Child might have been another middling Brooklyn dramedy without Slate’s help. Nonetheless, Obvious Child stands out from the rest of the pack. Many of its scenes run long, but that is because they capture the natural rhythm of conversation. The film is short, but it feels like it ends where it is supposed to end; it never overstays its welcome. A romantic comedy about real world consequences, Obvious Child feels like a fairytale and a nightmare all at once, which I think is the highest possible compliment that I could give it.

Brain Farts From The Edge

• Undateable recently made me realize how much I hate movies and TV shows that are set in lifeless bars. If it were real life, the people that mattered most would be drowned out by a million other noises. Obvious Child makes the home-base bar actually look fun.
• If you want to understand why I like Jenny Slate so much, go watch Kroll Show right now.
• This film deserves way more credit for great writing than I initially realized. There are so many points where it could fall into the indie traps of Brooklyn and the MPDG, but it never does.
• I would love to see a talk show hosted by Richard Kind called “Kind Thoughts.”
• Rock on, A24. They’re having about as good of a year as Phil Lord and Chris Miller are having.
• Obvious Child: Come for the Birthright jokes, stay for the pee farts.

Here’s where I would make a Kroll Show reference if any of you watched it. Image via Salon

I hate to say it, but summer movies make me feel more and more cynical by the day. It is a bad sign when “good enough” seems like the nicest thing you can say about any given movie.

Sometimes, it feels like Hollywood has lost so much faith in itself that it needs to have a million different voices contributing to just one project. Just look at The Amazing Spider-Man 2: it feels like every person on the Sony lot, from a top studio executive to a random janitor, got to contribute their ideas to the final product. Plus, with all of the sequels and remakes coming out, it feels like there isn’t a single authentic voice left in Hollywood anymore. I have no interest in seeing another superhero movie again, and I will repeat that to myself begrudgingly while buying a ticket for X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hey, it is good enough.

While not all original ideas are good (see: In Your Eyes), I nevertheless appreciate and celebrate every time film embraces something new, as opposed to something that can be turned into a toy six months before the movie actually comes out. There are some films to be excited about this summer, and I would like to take some time to acknowledge them. Here is a list I have compiled of five upcoming films that celebrate good ideas and likable people. Here are five upcoming summer films that might make all of the cynicism go away:

5. Magic in the Moonlight (July 25)

Personal issues aside, a new Woody Allen film is always an exciting event for me. There are certain “best of” lists I make that I have to build around one of his films. Even when Allen is not at his best (*cough* To Rome with Love *cough*), he always makes something at least worth a few extra thoughts once the final credits roll. Plus, I am not going to argue with a cast that includes Colin Firth and Emma Stone.

4. Life Itself (July 4)

Just as any aspiring critic will tell you, Roger Ebert is a hero of mine. He taught everybody that criticism could be as thoughtful and creative as the creative works that you are critiquing. Life Itself, a documentary based on Ebert’s autobiography of the same name, recounts his larger-than-life experiences. It seems like everyday film criticism loses relevance, as more and more people who write reviews for a living get laid off by people who just don’t get it. Ebert’s death last year was the sad end of an era. Roger Ebert was the first celebrity critic ever. Yet, he never resorted to soundbites or pulled quotes. Here is somebody who only wrote exactly what he felt. Maybe he wasn’t always right, but he always made a good point.

3. Boyhood (July 11)

Richard Linklater’s latest film received rave reviews when it debuted at Sundance earlier this year. In order to accurately capture the aging of the lead child actor, Linklater filmed Boyhood in bits and pieces over a 12 year period. This idea is so interesting and ambitious and proves that Linklater is secretly one of America’s most innovative filmmakers. Remember, this is the same dude that also directed Dazed & Confused, School of Rock, and Bernie. Linklater defies formula, and therefore no two of his films are the same. Each one is its own, unique little snowflake. Now, excuse me while I slap myself in the face for writing that sentence.

2. Obvious Child (June 6)

I have watched the trailer for Obvious Child multiple times because it makes me indescribably happy. It may be crazy that this is the only way I felt over an indie dramedy about abortion that looks like it may take an even darker turn than Juno did. Part of my excitement might come from the fact that it stars Richard Kind as a father figure. Or more importantly, Obvious Child will allow America’s newest sweetheart Jenny Slate to show off acting chops. But more importantly, there’s gonna be pee-farting. Any film that takes on a serious topic while taking a moment to joke about pee-farting deserves all of the love and praise in the world.

1. They Came Together (June 27)

It may be fitting that my number one choice for this list is a takedown of what has become one of the most cynical genres out there: the romantic comedy. They Came Together will hopefully prove once again why the geniuses behind The State/Wet Hot American Summer/Stella are still a force to be reckoned with. They Came Together also happens to star America’s two other sweethearts, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, who make anything more likable just by showing up. The trailer itself is hilarious, and it makes me fear that they are giving away all of the best scenes before I even get a chance to watch the full film. However, if Role Models (also directed by David Wain) taught me anything, it’s that this comedy crew’s best material is so absurd that it simply would not work in a trailer. If They Came Together makes getting a football thrown in your face ironic on multiple levels, then I have a feeling this will be the best comedy of the summer.