2013 was a pretty darn good year at the movie theater. I'd like to think I know, having seen over 90 films released last year. So it has been a tough task attempting to value and compare the abundance of cinematic riches provided by Hollywood. Though I will say that I particularly consider the Top 3 movies on this list to be head and shoulders above the rest. Before we get going, we've got a little housecleaning to do...
A Blast From the Past: Check out the following links for my Top 10 Movies of previous years: 2009 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012
A Look to the Future: Check out the link for my Most Anticipated Movies of 2014.
Context: For transparency, here's what I watched and what I missed in 2013.
Potential Listbusters (some films I didn't see, but heard were good): All is Lost, Before Midnight, Blue is the Warmest Color, Enough Said, The Kings of Summer
Honorable Mentions (a combination of quality & fun movies not in the Top 10):
21 & Over, 42, About Time, Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, The Conjuring, Dallas Buyers Club, Don Jon, Drinking Buddies, Emperor, Europa Report, Fruitvale Station, The Great Gatsby, The Hangover Part III, Inside Llewyn Davis, Olympus Has Fallen, Mama, Man of Steel, Mud, Philomena, Saving Mr. Banks, Short Term 12, Star Trek Into Darkness, Thor: The Dark World, We're the Millers, World War Z, The World's End
Noteworthy Distinction:
Spring Breakers//The Bling Ring - I wanted to take some extra time to point you in the direction of two movies that I intended to share a Top 10 slot, but eventually got bumped because of the overwhelming quality of 10 other films. Both Spring Breakers and The Bling Ring are fun and fascinating commentaries on perceptions of the current teenage generation and youth culture. A double feature with these two movies would be thought-provoking, conversation-starting, and thesis-inspiring (Can you tell I'm in graduate school?).
And now onto the business at hand...
10. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
No filmmaker displayed a love of cinema so earnestly and unashamedly in 2013 as did director/star Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder). Working with a script from Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness) based on the short story of the same name by James Thurber, Stiller crafts an ambitious and introspective film which takes us, along with Walter, around the world on a journey of self-discovery. The movie is filled with unbridled enthusiasm for both imagination and experience and you cannot help but be swept up in the adventure of one man's awakening. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty holds an important lesson for those of us who are fans of pictures and words and other forms of entertainment escapism: that a love and appreciation for stories of life should never come at the expense of failing to live your own. Stiller eagerly explores this theme in this simple and surprisingly satisfying film.
9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
I liked The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and I don't care who knows it! The film was not only an improvement over its predecessor, but it displayed a clear transition of styles and themes from the innocence of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to the dangers of the upcoming third film and the subsequent grim realities present in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. That's all to say Peter Jackson does a marvelous job directing this epic quest flick, striking the right tone in just about every scene. While the relationship dynamics were a bit awkwardly obvious at times, I really liked the not-in-Tolkien's-book character of Tauriel. I'm totally on board with the notion that The Hobbit trilogy needed a strong female character and you should be too. Overall I found The Desolation of Smaug to be a rousing movie which managed to avoid the sophomore slump of most middle movies by setting up some great climaxes for the third film while remembering to be a sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic, and always exciting film itself.
8. Lone Survivor
I had zero expectations that Lone Survivor would make its way onto my Top 10 list. Yet here it sits at #8, a testament to the film's intensity and power. I don't have the experience to say this with 100% accuracy, but the movie is, I imagine, as realistic a war movie as you can make. This makes this true story about a group of Navy SEALs stranded, dramatically outnumbered, and pursued by enemies in Afghanistan a graphic, not-for-the-feint-of-heart film. But it is one which is an important account of the extraordinary bravery of the men and women in our armed forces and the sacrifices of body, and even life, they are willing to make for me and for you. Adapted from the autobiographical book by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson, writer/director Peter Berg (Battleship) creates an absolutely visceral experience in Lone Survivor, a feat which should assuredly not be overlooked by cinema critics or audiences.
7. Her
I can think of no film like Her; probably because this film from writer/director Spike Jonze (Adaptation.) is about a man falling in love with his computer operating system. What is remarkable about the movie is how this unlikely relationship between a human character played by Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) and an artificial intelligence character voiced by Scarlett Johansson (Don Jon) is made to appear entirely possible. So well-crafted is the film that we quite easily accept the odd premise and join in the exploration of this potential "next-step" in the human-technology relationship. Her is a sweet, quirky movie classified most accurately as a romance film and, while I would have personally preferred a grimmer investigation into their relationship, is a distinctive work of heartfelt originality and wry social commentary.
6. Trance
Perhaps the least-known movie on my Top 10 list, Trance is a fresh and intriguing thriller, brought to us by the ever-clever director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). In the film, Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds) is a hypnotist working with a white collar criminal (Vincent Cassel [Mesrine]) to find a lost painting by interrogating an art dealer suffering from amnesia, played by James McAvoy (Filth). Is it confusing? Only enough to make it interesting, in my humble but accurate opinion. Seriously, this really is a mysterious and exciting movie from writers Joe Ahearne (Apparitions) and John Hodge (The Sweeney), which keeps you guessing until the very end. The tension Boyle maintains through the chemistry of his actors makes Trance an entertaining film noir thriller exploring how much the human psyche can be tested.
5. 12 Years a Slave
Perhaps even harder to watch than Lone Survivor for graphic, true-to-reality violence, 12 Years a Slave is also an important film to watch, having captured the brutalities of American slavery like no movie before it. From John (Red Tails) Ridley's screenplay, itself based on the book by the actual Solomon Northup, the film unflinchingly highlights the horrors of our history and boldly features the perseverance of the human spirit. Steve McQueen (Shame) is to be credited for the film's impeccable direction, while Chiwetel Ejiofor (Salt), Michael Fassbender (Prometheus), and Lupita Nyong'o (upcoming Non-Stop) bring their characters to flawless realization. Making her film debut, Nyong'o is a surprising revelation as a slave suffering at the mercy of her obsessive master and should be a major contender for Best Actress awards. Overall, 12 Years a Slave is an intense, important film not to be missed.
4. American Hustle
Not to take anything away from the directing talent of David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook), but his very best filmmaking skill has got to be his ability to consistently bring together perfect acting ensembles for his movies. His latest features equally amazing performances from Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Rises), Amy Adams (Man of Steel), Bradley Cooper (upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy), Jennifer Lawrence (upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past), and Jeremy Renner (The Avengers). What these actors share beyond their work in comic book films (check out this funny pic) is an astounding display of range in this movie about con artists forced to work with the FBI to catch corrupt politicians. Starting with a fun and ambitious script from Russell and Eric Singer (The International) and propelled by such strong character work, American Hustle is complex and captivating from start to finish.
3. Rush
I didn’t see Rush until very recently and since then I haven’t been able to stop berating myself for not experiencing this film about rival Formula 1 racers on a theater’s big screen. Directed by prominent filmmaker Ron Howard (Cinderella Man), Rush is as flashy and intricate as the Ferrari driven by racing legend Niki Lauda, played fiercely by Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds). He and equally steely-eyed Chris Hemsworth (Thor: The Dark World) - playing Lauda’s arch-rival James Hunt - create a totally believable and intimate rivalry of simultaneous disdain, respect, enmity, and friendship. The head-butting of these two highly driven (pun intended) individuals is as interesting as the breathtakingly exhilarating races themselves. From renowned screenwriter Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon), Rush is as finely-crafted a sports film as you could want, with equally masterful attention paid to profound character moments as to white-knuckle spectacle.
Context: For transparency, here's what I watched and what I missed in 2013.
Potential Listbusters (some films I didn't see, but heard were good): All is Lost, Before Midnight, Blue is the Warmest Color, Enough Said, The Kings of Summer
Honorable Mentions (a combination of quality & fun movies not in the Top 10):
21 & Over, 42, About Time, Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, The Conjuring, Dallas Buyers Club, Don Jon, Drinking Buddies, Emperor, Europa Report, Fruitvale Station, The Great Gatsby, The Hangover Part III, Inside Llewyn Davis, Olympus Has Fallen, Mama, Man of Steel, Mud, Philomena, Saving Mr. Banks, Short Term 12, Star Trek Into Darkness, Thor: The Dark World, We're the Millers, World War Z, The World's End
Spring Breakers//The Bling Ring - I wanted to take some extra time to point you in the direction of two movies that I intended to share a Top 10 slot, but eventually got bumped because of the overwhelming quality of 10 other films. Both Spring Breakers and The Bling Ring are fun and fascinating commentaries on perceptions of the current teenage generation and youth culture. A double feature with these two movies would be thought-provoking, conversation-starting, and thesis-inspiring (Can you tell I'm in graduate school?).
And now onto the business at hand...
No filmmaker displayed a love of cinema so earnestly and unashamedly in 2013 as did director/star Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder). Working with a script from Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness) based on the short story of the same name by James Thurber, Stiller crafts an ambitious and introspective film which takes us, along with Walter, around the world on a journey of self-discovery. The movie is filled with unbridled enthusiasm for both imagination and experience and you cannot help but be swept up in the adventure of one man's awakening. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty holds an important lesson for those of us who are fans of pictures and words and other forms of entertainment escapism: that a love and appreciation for stories of life should never come at the expense of failing to live your own. Stiller eagerly explores this theme in this simple and surprisingly satisfying film.
I liked The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and I don't care who knows it! The film was not only an improvement over its predecessor, but it displayed a clear transition of styles and themes from the innocence of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to the dangers of the upcoming third film and the subsequent grim realities present in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. That's all to say Peter Jackson does a marvelous job directing this epic quest flick, striking the right tone in just about every scene. While the relationship dynamics were a bit awkwardly obvious at times, I really liked the not-in-Tolkien's-book character of Tauriel. I'm totally on board with the notion that The Hobbit trilogy needed a strong female character and you should be too. Overall I found The Desolation of Smaug to be a rousing movie which managed to avoid the sophomore slump of most middle movies by setting up some great climaxes for the third film while remembering to be a sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic, and always exciting film itself.
I had zero expectations that Lone Survivor would make its way onto my Top 10 list. Yet here it sits at #8, a testament to the film's intensity and power. I don't have the experience to say this with 100% accuracy, but the movie is, I imagine, as realistic a war movie as you can make. This makes this true story about a group of Navy SEALs stranded, dramatically outnumbered, and pursued by enemies in Afghanistan a graphic, not-for-the-feint-of-heart film. But it is one which is an important account of the extraordinary bravery of the men and women in our armed forces and the sacrifices of body, and even life, they are willing to make for me and for you. Adapted from the autobiographical book by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson, writer/director Peter Berg (Battleship) creates an absolutely visceral experience in Lone Survivor, a feat which should assuredly not be overlooked by cinema critics or audiences.
I can think of no film like Her; probably because this film from writer/director Spike Jonze (Adaptation.) is about a man falling in love with his computer operating system. What is remarkable about the movie is how this unlikely relationship between a human character played by Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) and an artificial intelligence character voiced by Scarlett Johansson (Don Jon) is made to appear entirely possible. So well-crafted is the film that we quite easily accept the odd premise and join in the exploration of this potential "next-step" in the human-technology relationship. Her is a sweet, quirky movie classified most accurately as a romance film and, while I would have personally preferred a grimmer investigation into their relationship, is a distinctive work of heartfelt originality and wry social commentary.
Perhaps the least-known movie on my Top 10 list, Trance is a fresh and intriguing thriller, brought to us by the ever-clever director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). In the film, Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds) is a hypnotist working with a white collar criminal (Vincent Cassel [Mesrine]) to find a lost painting by interrogating an art dealer suffering from amnesia, played by James McAvoy (Filth). Is it confusing? Only enough to make it interesting, in my humble but accurate opinion. Seriously, this really is a mysterious and exciting movie from writers Joe Ahearne (Apparitions) and John Hodge (The Sweeney), which keeps you guessing until the very end. The tension Boyle maintains through the chemistry of his actors makes Trance an entertaining film noir thriller exploring how much the human psyche can be tested.
Perhaps even harder to watch than Lone Survivor for graphic, true-to-reality violence, 12 Years a Slave is also an important film to watch, having captured the brutalities of American slavery like no movie before it. From John (Red Tails) Ridley's screenplay, itself based on the book by the actual Solomon Northup, the film unflinchingly highlights the horrors of our history and boldly features the perseverance of the human spirit. Steve McQueen (Shame) is to be credited for the film's impeccable direction, while Chiwetel Ejiofor (Salt), Michael Fassbender (Prometheus), and Lupita Nyong'o (upcoming Non-Stop) bring their characters to flawless realization. Making her film debut, Nyong'o is a surprising revelation as a slave suffering at the mercy of her obsessive master and should be a major contender for Best Actress awards. Overall, 12 Years a Slave is an intense, important film not to be missed.
Not to take anything away from the directing talent of David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook), but his very best filmmaking skill has got to be his ability to consistently bring together perfect acting ensembles for his movies. His latest features equally amazing performances from Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Rises), Amy Adams (Man of Steel), Bradley Cooper (upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy), Jennifer Lawrence (upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past), and Jeremy Renner (The Avengers). What these actors share beyond their work in comic book films (check out this funny pic) is an astounding display of range in this movie about con artists forced to work with the FBI to catch corrupt politicians. Starting with a fun and ambitious script from Russell and Eric Singer (The International) and propelled by such strong character work, American Hustle is complex and captivating from start to finish.
I didn’t see Rush until very recently and since then I haven’t been able to stop berating myself for not experiencing this film about rival Formula 1 racers on a theater’s big screen. Directed by prominent filmmaker Ron Howard (Cinderella Man), Rush is as flashy and intricate as the Ferrari driven by racing legend Niki Lauda, played fiercely by Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds). He and equally steely-eyed Chris Hemsworth (Thor: The Dark World) - playing Lauda’s arch-rival James Hunt - create a totally believable and intimate rivalry of simultaneous disdain, respect, enmity, and friendship. The head-butting of these two highly driven (pun intended) individuals is as interesting as the breathtakingly exhilarating races themselves. From renowned screenwriter Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon), Rush is as finely-crafted a sports film as you could want, with equally masterful attention paid to profound character moments as to white-knuckle spectacle.
2. Prisoners
No film in 2013 managed to create such emotional tension and mounting sense of dread as did Prisoners, the U.S. debut of director Denis Villeneuve (Incendies). The film explores the devastating effects of loss and the blurred lines of morality in the midst of tragedy. Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables) is a tortured soul, obsessed with finding his kidnapped daughter and willing to do anything to bring her abductor to justice, including kidnapping a seemingly mentally-handicapped suspect (Paul Dano [Ruby Sparks]). Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal (End of Watch) is a detective finding contradictory evidence about the case and concerning the guilt of Jackman’s captive. Particularly for the brilliant story from Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband), but also because of the acting prowess of Jackman, Dano, and Gyllenhaal, Prisoners is a harrowing and enrapturing powerhouse of a film.
No film in 2013 managed to create such emotional tension and mounting sense of dread as did Prisoners, the U.S. debut of director Denis Villeneuve (Incendies). The film explores the devastating effects of loss and the blurred lines of morality in the midst of tragedy. Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables) is a tortured soul, obsessed with finding his kidnapped daughter and willing to do anything to bring her abductor to justice, including kidnapping a seemingly mentally-handicapped suspect (Paul Dano [Ruby Sparks]). Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal (End of Watch) is a detective finding contradictory evidence about the case and concerning the guilt of Jackman’s captive. Particularly for the brilliant story from Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband), but also because of the acting prowess of Jackman, Dano, and Gyllenhaal, Prisoners is a harrowing and enrapturing powerhouse of a film.
1. Gravity
It’s always nice when a truly good film finds a wide audience. The studio makes money and is therefore more likely to make more original, unique films. So here’s to the critically and financially successful Gravity paving the way for more movies as interesting and engaging as this stunning space-set character piece from masterful director Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men). In the film, Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) and George Clooney (The Descendants) are astronauts who become abandoned in space and face a desperate struggle to survive in the nothingness beyond our atmosphere. Despite the technical prowess of the filming and visually riveting cinematography (this movie is unlike any I’ve ever seen), Cuarón - co-writing the script with his brother Jonas Cuarón - actually had completely written the story of a dispirited, mourning mother before they realized that the oblivion of space was the perfect environment with which to bring her story to life. Once that decision was made, it was almost inevitable that Gravity would become the most exciting and captivating film of 2013, exposing us to the isolation of grief and the strength of human will to prevail against all peril, overcome insurmountable odds, and experience rebirth after adversity.
It’s always nice when a truly good film finds a wide audience. The studio makes money and is therefore more likely to make more original, unique films. So here’s to the critically and financially successful Gravity paving the way for more movies as interesting and engaging as this stunning space-set character piece from masterful director Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men). In the film, Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) and George Clooney (The Descendants) are astronauts who become abandoned in space and face a desperate struggle to survive in the nothingness beyond our atmosphere. Despite the technical prowess of the filming and visually riveting cinematography (this movie is unlike any I’ve ever seen), Cuarón - co-writing the script with his brother Jonas Cuarón - actually had completely written the story of a dispirited, mourning mother before they realized that the oblivion of space was the perfect environment with which to bring her story to life. Once that decision was made, it was almost inevitable that Gravity would become the most exciting and captivating film of 2013, exposing us to the isolation of grief and the strength of human will to prevail against all peril, overcome insurmountable odds, and experience rebirth after adversity.
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