It may be hard to remember, but 2013 started off extremely slow for movies. Throughout the first half of the year, big budget films continued to miss the mark, and it seemed like the filmmaking momentum created in 2012 might already be lost. But for those paying attention to film festivals, we were told that quality films were on their way. Thankfully, the movies released in the back half of 2013 were good enough to make us forget almost everything released from January through July, and by the end of December, this year looked like another strong year in movies.
But who cares what I think about the trends of Hollywood? If you're reading this, you want a list and you want it now! Let's get a few important facts out there before we begin: in the last year, I saw 40 new theatrical releases (up from 36 the year before), so the movies listed below represent what I found to be the top 1/4 of the movies I saw this year. I'd also like to reiterate what I said last year: this list represents merely the movies that I enjoyed the most. It is not swayed by any awards show voting or critics choice list (though many of those films appear). Furthermore, the movies I've seen this year do not nearly encompass all the movies that were released, so there will probably be some movies left out that could have made the list (I've seen all Best Picture nominees, but other films that have received attention such as Inside Llewyn Davis and even Frozen are still on a list to catch up on later). My hope for this list is that it gives a sufficient picture of the year in movies while also giving some suggestions of good films for others. So here we go! The top movies of 2013!
First, Honorable Mentions:
- Side Effects
- The World's End
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
10: The Way Way Back
The best movies to be released this summer weren't giant studio productions, but rather small indie films (special mention should also go to Kings of Summer and Drinking Buddies as well), and no movie proved that more than The Way Way Back. The plot itself covers a single summer in the life of Duncan, an introverted kid being forced to stay in a beach house with his mom and her new boyfriend Trent (played with extreme douchiness by Steve Carrel). After being told by Trent that he's only a 3 out of 10, Duncan sets out on a summer's worth of growth, eventually making friends with a water park manager named Owen (hilariously played by Sam Rockwell) and the girl who lives next door (AnnaSophia Robb), all while learning that he's worth way more than he's been led to believe. The movie was written and directed by Nat Faxon (Ben and Kate) and Jim Rash (Community), the same team that wrote The Descendants in 2011. This movie has a similar feel to that Oscar-winning effort, but is even funnier and more heartfelt (with especially great work by Allison Janney, who gives an effort worthy of a Supporting Actress nomination). Like Duncan, this movie was quiet, but deserved more attention than it was given. If you're holding out for a hero of the summer (those who have seen the movie will understand), look no further than here.
9: Captain Phillips
Can anyone make a time-ticking drama better than Paul Greengrass? The director of the Bourne sequels and United 93 is in top form here, telling the mostly true story of the takeover of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship by Somali pirates, the capture of Captain Richard Phillips, and the subsequent efforts by the US Navy to get him back. The movie is intense throughout, especially in the stand off between the pirates in the small life pod and the multiple US destroyers trailing behind them. Credit Greengrass for not just telling a story about how far the US will go to save one of its own, but also giving humanity to the Somali pirates as well (specifically Barkhad Abdi in his first acting gig). And let's not forget about Tom Hanks. Hanks gives a subdued performance for most of the movie, but the last five minutes may be the best five minutes of his storied career. It's in the final scene that Captain Phillips crosses over from good to great, and it's all thanks to Greengrass finally stepping aside from his stylized directing and letting Hanks work his magic.
8: Rush
In 2005, Ron Howard directed what I consider to be the best sports movie of the 2000's (Cinderella Man). With Rush, Howard returns to the genre and proves that lightning can strike twice. Rush is a true story about Formula One racing: a sport that the majority of people (including myself) don't really care about. So it is a testament to Howard's directing, Peter Morgan's screenwriting, and the acting of Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl that this movie works so well. Rush is about the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, two racers with different reasons for wanting to be the best. Hunt races for the fame and the women; Lauda for the championships. They are engaged in a sport that requires precision and fearlessness, and one which could take their lives at any turn. But the movie is more than just an experiment in masochistic filmmaking--there is also a lot to be said about the importance of rivals. Though these two competitors may detest each other, they are both blessed with someone who drives them to be better. It's a truism that isn't normally discussed in sports or sport films. We all need rivals, if only to give us someone to compete and measure up against. And in that vein, this film measures up just fine against the best sport films ever made.
7: Her
Original films always have a special place in my heart, and Her is about as original as it gets. In this movie, Spike Jonze engages in world-building of the finest order. The not-so-distant future includes holographic video games, high-waisted hipster jeans, and of course, an artificially intelligent operating system named Samantha. A premise that could have been laughable becomes realistic all thanks to the dedication by the actors. Joaquin Phoenix does great work essentially acting alone for most of the film, but the real credit here has to go to Scarlett Johansson. In exactly zero minutes of screen time, Johansson makes Phoenix and the audience fall in love with nothing more than her voice. Seriously...watch that trailer. Don't you find yourself already becoming friends with that sultry computer? This melancholy film explores many questions about the nature of relationships, and ends up giving some interesting answers. Though it's not quite perfect, it might actually be the most relatable film of the year.
6: Dallas Buyers Club
Go ahead and give all of the acting awards to this movie right now. No one should beat it. Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto had to have been dangerously close to real health problems with the amount of weight that they dropped to play their respective characters. McConaughey is Ron Woodruff, a former rodeo cowboy who was diagnosed with AIDS in a time that the disease was vastly misunderstood. In this true story, Woodruff attempts to overcome his personal tragedy (and extreme homophobia) to help other AIDS patients get unapproved medication to treat this deadly disease. Though McConaughey is extremely good, it's Leto that steals the show. Leto completely loses himself in the role of a transgender woman who befriends Woodruff and helps him with his business. The movie is a challenge: a challenge to stereotypes, to the FDA, and to everyone unwilling to accept those who are different. Give this one a chance...it's all any of the characters are asking for.
5: The Wolf of Wall Street
If there was a guidebook for how to be successful at being a terrible person, it would be The Wolf of Wall Street. This movie is loud, obnoxious, rude, and devilishly humorous. Since its release, this movie has dealt with plenty of controversy for being too lude and too long. In fact, when it was screened on Wall Street, the audience cheered the debauchery. But if all of that sounds scathing, it's not. The point of Wolf of Wall Street is to make us hate Jordan Belfort while also making us realize just how easy it would be to get sucked into the lifestyle that he has. The movie is supposed to be reprehensible, and it relies on us to understand that it is not condoning this type of behavior. Scorsese leaves it to Leonardo DiCaprio to take us on this crazy ride, and boy does he deliver. Leo doesn't often get to play characters we should despise, but when he does (as he also did in Django Unchained) it's often his best work. Here, he gets to show a physical comedy side that no one knew was in his repertoire, and he produces maybe the funniest scene of the year with one particular quaalude trip. All of this being said, Wolf of Wall Street is clearly not for everyone. Proceed with caution: your perception of Leo, Jonah Hill, Martin Scorsese, and even Wall Street as a whole may never be the same.
4: American Hustle
This list would be nothing without a little Jennifer Lawrence, right? Appearing in her second David O. Russell film in two years (along with the rest of the cast appearing in their second in three years), Lawrence once again steals every scene she's in. But she's far from the only star in this con film. Each of the lead actors received Oscar nominations for their roles, and all for good reason (this is the second Russell movie in two years to receive award nominations in all seven major categories). Amy Adams plays a woman with a penchant for British accents, deep V-necks, and double-crosses. Meanwhile, Christian Bale added 40 pounds and a bad combover to play a master con-artist while Bradley Cooper went with jheri curls and aviators to become an FBI agent ready to learn on the fly. It all adds up to a crazy plot filled with back stabbing, political scandals, and maybe even a little bit of truth (though probably not much). David O. Russell has stated before that he doesn't care about plots, only characters, and this movie is more a testament to that statement than either of his last two (The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook). If you believe that watching movies is about seeing actors have fun, I can't think of many better movies to see.
3: Fruitvale Station
Timing can be an important and incalculable element when it comes to releasing movies, whether good, bad, or just unfortunate. For Fruitvale Station, a true story about an episode of racial profiling that occurred on New Year's Eve 2008, timing was tragically eerie. Though the movie first appeared in January at Sundance (where it won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury award), the wide release occurred on the same weekend that George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Regardless of timing or similarity to other tragedies, the movie version of what occurred to Oscar Grant III is remarkably well made. First time director Ryan Coogler spends most of the movie following Oscar on the day leading up to the events that occurred at Fruitvale Station. He portrays Oscar as a man who has had hard times in the past, but is trying to get his life together. The credit here goes to Michael B. Jordan (of Friday Night Lights fame) for playing Oscar as a fully-embodied person. Oscar has had a rough past, but certainly does not seem deserving of what we know is going to happen. Through expert use of real cell phone footage and news reels, Fruitvale Station becomes a powerful dramatization of a terrible real event. Any audience that sees it now will undoubtedly link it to the Trayvon Martin killing, but this movie would have had enough emotional weight to stand on its own no matter when it was released.
2: Gravity
To anyone that thinks 3D filmmaking is a gimmick, go see Gravity in 3D on as big of a screen as you can. It's ok...I'll wait. See? Told you it wasn't a gimmick. This is heart-racing, pulse-pounding action at its finest. The movie clocks in at only 90 minutes, but if it had lasted any longer, defibrillators probably would have been required on site. Everything and everyone in this movie is in top form. The directing challenge faced by Alfonso Cuarón of making the majority of this film look like zero gravity is unfathomable. The cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki (an Alfonso Cuaron regular) is both complex and breathtaking (specifically the opening 12-minute shot). And the acting by George Clooney and Sandra Bullock is arresting (has anyone ever heightened drama simply by breathing more than Bullock does in this movie?). The screenplay is extremely simplistic, but it doesn't matter...Gravity is a technically wonderful film, and by far the best original film of the year.
1: 12 Years a Slave
When a movie is declared a masterpiece before it's even released to the public, there are two ways to react. Skepticism seems fair, as it's difficult to trust anything being called a masterpiece when only so many people have seen it. But if someone tells you that 12 Years a Slave is a masterpiece, I'm here to tell you to believe them. 12 Years a Slave is not meant to be an enjoyable experience. It is meant to be difficult, troubling, and ultimately cathartic. The movie tells the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man living in New York in 1841, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Throughout the movie, Steve McQueen does not hold back on the evils of slavery, nor should he. Chiwetel Ejiofor is brilliant (he even learned to play the violin for this part), but praise should also be given to Michael Fassbender's villainous plantation owner and even more notably to Lupita Nyong'o (who deserves the Best Supporting Actress award whether she gets it or not). The rest of the movie is full of incredible elements: the supporting cast, the cinematography (second only to Gravity), the score, and the screenplay are all mesmerizing. Though I personally feel it takes years of debate and viewing to fully declare a movie a masterpiece, I have no doubt that 12 Years a Slave is no less than the best movie of 2013.
So there you have it...another stellar year in movies! Hopefully I can improve on this current four-blogs-a-year pace, but for now I hope this Top 10 list is enough to show that I still care about this blog. Whether you agree or disagree with any films on this list, I hope this has at least been entertaining. See you all in 2014!
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