By Brett Blake It’s no big secret that I love movies, and love discussing them (really, it’d just be weird if I wrote for a movie blog and hated movies, right?). So, naturally, one of my favorite things to do is create a list of the films that I enjoyed most from the past year. Despite the fact that I’m not sold on 2013 being an amazing year for cinema (read my article on that subject here), I do think it was a very good twelve months, all things considered. What I’d like to do here is give a quick shout-out to some “Honorable Mentions,” then single-out my favorite documentary of the year, and - finally - list my ten favorite films of 2013. Before I begin, in the interest of full disclosure, these are some of the major films from the year that I haven’t had a chance to see yet: HER, NEBRASKA, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, PHILOMENA, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, and THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY. Honorable Mentions In addition to the seven “overlooked” films I discussed in this article, here are some other films that I really enjoyed from 2013 but couldn’t squeeze into my top ten:
Documentary of the Year STORIES WE TELL (directed by Sarah Polley) An engrossing, delicate, and moving look at the way a family’s accepted version of events may not be the full truth, and I think it comes close to illuminating some fundamental truths about human nature and the meaning of family itself. That there’s a bit of a legitimate mystery flavor to the way Polley lays everything out is a big plus, too, and in that sense, it feels pretty unconventional, at least by documentary standards. And now, on with the main event… My Ten Favorite Films of 2013 10. THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (directed by Peter Jackson) A grand, smashing piece of escapist entertainment. Huge in scope, yet packed with detail, this film is every bit a worthy companion piece to the LORD OF THE RINGS films, and while it lacks those films’ sense of import, it compensates with an energetic sense of fun, and several setpieces that display Peter Jackson’s trademark inventiveness. Smaug, the dragon, is also a remarkable creation, and when he finally shows up in the third act, it’s a really impressive sequence. This is the finest action/adventure film of 2013. 09. THE WORLD’S END (directed by Edgar Wright) The capping installment of the Cornetto Trilogy (whose other entries are SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ), THE WORLD’S END may not be as outwardly funny as its predecessors, but it certainly has a lot more on its mind, thematically-speaking. There’s legitimate weight to the antics going on in this film, and I think it has some really interesting things to say about nostalgia, as well as about how both people and places change (or don't change) over time. Plus, the movie’s also kind of an homage to stories like INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, which gives the proceedings a fun, sci-fi flavored backdrop. 08. THE CONJURING (directed by James Wan) The year’s best horror film, and also one of the strongest American horror tales in years. Yes, it covers familiar territory, but it does it with style and with total conviction; there’s no winking at the audience, no inside jokes about the genre. The movie’s mission is to frighten, and though personal mileage will always vary, I think it’s enormously effective, with some of the best executed jump-scares I’ve ever seen. The film’s a roller coaster ride, and one that could be destined for “classic” status. It’s certainly miles ahead of most of the uninspired horror offerings to come from the major studios in recent years. 07. RUSH (directed by Ron Howard) Ron Howard’s RUSH is easily his best film in years. There are some exciting race sequences, to be sure, but the movie’s really more concerned with being a character study, one involving the competitive relationship between two polar-opposite Formula One drivers. Their clash of personalities, styles, and techniques is fascinating (even for somebody pretty unfamiliar with Formula One racing), and both Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl are fantastic, with Bruhl giving one of my favorite performances of the year. Hopefully a few Oscar nominations are thrown this movie’s way, which might entice more people to check it out, because it really deserves a larger audience than it got upon initial release. 06. SAVING MR. BANKS (directed by John Lee Hancock) A pure delight on multiple levels. Fundamentally, this is another character study, concerning the battle author P.L. Travers undertook to protect her Mary Poppins character from Walt Disney. Emma Thompson is great as Travers, an outwardly chilly and difficult woman who’s concealing some deep, inner pain. She’s matched by Tom Hanks’ Walt Disney, an affable and folksy (and deceptively savvy) guy who won’t take “no” for an answer. The movie’s depiction of this relationship - and the creative process that brought MARY POPPINS to the silver screen - is very entertaining, and there’s a real heart to it all that makes it a quite uplifting, satisfying experience. 05. ALL IS LOST (directed by J.C. Chandor) Robert Redford gives one of his best performances as a sailor fighting the very sea itself as he tries to find a way to survive. This is a remarkably simple story, but it’s imbued with great meaning by director Chandor and Redford; we fully invest in Redford’s struggle, and while it’s agonizing to watch at times, there’s a dignity to the character that is striking and affecting. The movie’s a wonderful mood piece, almost a tone poem, but it’s also suspenseful and scary, too. The drama is aided in no small part by the excellent sound design, which is incredibly detailed and rich, and which also makes an extended storm sequence as scary as anything in THE CONJURING. 04. AMERICAN HUSTLE (directed by David O. Russell) A film that wonderfully evokes the 1970s, both in style and substance. Period details are spot-on, and the soundtrack is a killer compilation of songs from the era. The story itself (a fictionalized version of real events) adheres to a caper/con man kind of structure, and while it covers a lot of the kinds of narrative beats we’ve seen in other films, there’s a confidence and a lightness to this movie that makes it a lot of fun. The cast is uniformly excellent (all five of the central actors are awards-worthy in their roles), but it’s Christian Bale’s work as a con man with a big heart that ties everything together, and his relationship with Amy Adams is the true core of the film. 03. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (directed by Paul Greengrass) A tense procedural of modern-day piracy featuring Tom Hanks at the top of his game. This is a true story, but I won’t assume everybody knows the outcome, so I’ll tread lightly here: Hanks’ final scene in the movie is enormously powerful, and it’s one of the most moving sections of film from 2013. Beyond that, the editing of this film is outstanding, which helps turn the third act into a masterclass of suspense, even if you know the outcome of the story. Also, the movie strikes the perfect balance between showing how dangerous the pirates are while still allowing them to be seen as fully fleshed-out human beings, and Barkhad Abdi (portraying the pirate leader) makes an extraordinary debut, and more than holds his own against Hanks. 02. GRAVITY (directed by Alfonso Cuaron) GRAVITY is a spectacular, jaw-dropping piece of work. Yes, the story is a simple one, and the script doesn’t really attempt to add much great depth or substance (though I’ve seen readings of the film that suggest otherwise), but as an example of what Alfred Hitchcock would call “pure cinema,” the movie is a rousing success. The special effects and the cinematography are remarkable, the action/disaster sequences are both terrifying and thrilling, and the sound/music design is incredibly effective and inventive. Much like ALL IS LOST (and even CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, to an extent), the film follows the human will to survive, and as the personification of that idea, Sandra Bullock delivers a fantastic performance - perhaps her best performance - and amidst all the mayhem going on around her, she’s able to keep the audience focused on her, and on the question of whether or not she’ll make it home alive. As an example of the purely visceral power of the movies, there was no better film released in 2013. 01. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (directed by Martin Scorsese) This is the movie I was waiting for through all of 2013. Not in the sense that I was waiting for this particular film (though I was certainly anticipating it), but more in the sense that I’d been waiting for some movie - any movie! - to come along and really knock me out of my seat by being the total package. My thoughts on 2013’s semi-underwhelming (for me) nature are on the record, so it was something of a genuine relief to see Martin Scorsese come riding in on a white horse to save the day. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is a masterpiece. A flat-out, unequivocal, end-of-story masterpiece that is right up there with the best work Scorsese’s ever done. It’s a hilarious, merciless, and riveting look at greed and addiction, and special credit must be given to Leonardo DiCaprio for completely throwing himself in the depraved madness and showing us a comedic side of himself that we’ve never seen before; who knew he could be this funny? The movie’s a wild ride, and the frankness with which it depicts its drug and sexual content is not for all tastes, surely, but it’s a necessary element to show the unhinged lifestyle these real-life characters (read: scumbags) led during the late 1980s and the early 1990s. It’s a brilliant movie.
So there you have it, my 2013 cinematic experience in a nutshell. Please tell us what some of your favorite films were, and be on the lookout in the coming days for a podcast from the Celluloid Dog Blog gang going into even more detail about the movies of 2013.
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