There isn't a lot to be said about movies from 2013. I mean, you could say basically the same thing every year. There are good movies, bad movies, movies that were almost good, movies that looked good, movies that you didn't expect to be good... it's a whole song and dance.
2013 brought the return of Spike Jonze, the Cohen Brothers, Martin Scorsese, and Alfonso Cauron. Not to say that they've been gone (except for maybe Jonze, who hasn't made a feature since 2009) but it's nice to have a great variation of writers and directors back and doing something interesting. While Gravity is the only film that really did something incredible from a technological standpoint, we got a slew of great character dramas. There were some sequels that were pretty good like Star Trek Into Darkness and some movies that didn't quite pan out,*cough cough Man of Steel cough cough*
I'll admit that my list might look generic to other list, but there's a good reason for that: these movies are fucking awesome.
2013 brought the return of Spike Jonze, the Cohen Brothers, Martin Scorsese, and Alfonso Cauron. Not to say that they've been gone (except for maybe Jonze, who hasn't made a feature since 2009) but it's nice to have a great variation of writers and directors back and doing something interesting. While Gravity is the only film that really did something incredible from a technological standpoint, we got a slew of great character dramas. There were some sequels that were pretty good like Star Trek Into Darkness and some movies that didn't quite pan out,*cough cough Man of Steel cough cough*
I'll admit that my list might look generic to other list, but there's a good reason for that: these movies are fucking awesome.
Admittedly there are a few movies that I missed this past year, but I think I'm set unless something else comes to my attention. But for now, this list is how it stands, and the top 10 come with my highest recommendation... although I ask that you pay close attention to #1. It was NOT EASY to pick my #1 because it was almost a split vote between that and my #2. It was tough, but I think I made a good choice.
The links for the top 5 are trailers.
The links for the top 5 are trailers.
20. The Place Beyond the Pines
19. Prisoners
18. American Hustle
17. Blue is the Warmest Color
16. Star Trek Into Darkness
15. The Spectacular Now
14. The Wolf of Wall Street
13. Captain Phillips
12. Blue Jasmine
11. This is the End
10. Gravity
9. Before Midnight
8. Mud
7. Nebraska
6. Frances Ha
5. Fruitvale Station
I didn't get a chance to review this movie. It would definitely have gotten a perfect 10, no question. The film starts out with real video footage of Oscar Grant being shot (the film is based on a true story). The film ends with Oscar being shot. No surprise there. But what is surprising is Oscar's seemingly ordinary journey to get to that point. We are able to sympathize with Oscar so easily, but once we see him get shot... It's incredibly powerful.
4. Inside Llewyn Davis
This is arguably the Coen Brothers finest work. A beautiful character piece with a wonderful soundtrack and fine performances. Llewyn Davis himself is probably one of my favorite Coen characters. He might be an asshole, but he's just so damn human that you just can't help but be impressed with the Coen's writing. You'd think they'd make him some wild or unusual guy, but nope. He's just perfectly ordinary. That's a rare thing for a character piece nowadays. And that's what makes this movie so damn good.
3. Her
Her is an exaggerated look at modern relationships. It's all about technology nowadays. Writer/director Spike Jonze takes a bold risk by making a movie about a guy who falls in love with his operating system. Much like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the film uses the wonderful world of low-key science fiction to tell a beautiful and unconventional love story. And Hollywood is too full of love stories. We just need ones that are different. And unbelievably beautiful.
2. 12 Years a Slave
Writer/director Steve McQueen is gonna go down in history. His third feature following two art-house films, 12 Years a Slave is basically "the Schindler's List of slavery films." And it really is. It's unbelievably powerful and painful to watch at times. It's unflinching. It doesn't stop until the credits roll., and by that time you're in fucking tears. Like weeping tears. Many movies met my expectations this year. 12 Years a Slave exceeded them to an unprecedented level.
1. Short Term 12
Nobody saw this fucking movie. Nobody. Made on a budget of under a million and released in a handful of screens, Short Term 12 is the story of a young woman in her 20s named Grace working at a foster-care facility. Throughout the film, we meet and learn about some of the kids in the facility, as well as Grace's haunting past. The movie will make you cry one minute, the next, you'll be laughing. The performances are effortless from the entire cast, particularly from Brie Larson of 21 Jump Street fame. There are no major names here. It's not trying to win tons of awards, but I'll be damned if this movie doesn't get any recognition other than amazing reviews, because right now, it's not. And that's a damn shame. These are the kind of movies that I want to make. It's movies like Short Term 12 that make movies worth watching.
18. American Hustle
17. Blue is the Warmest Color
16. Star Trek Into Darkness
15. The Spectacular Now
14. The Wolf of Wall Street
13. Captain Phillips
12. Blue Jasmine
11. This is the End
10. Gravity
9. Before Midnight
8. Mud
7. Nebraska
6. Frances Ha
5. Fruitvale Station
I didn't get a chance to review this movie. It would definitely have gotten a perfect 10, no question. The film starts out with real video footage of Oscar Grant being shot (the film is based on a true story). The film ends with Oscar being shot. No surprise there. But what is surprising is Oscar's seemingly ordinary journey to get to that point. We are able to sympathize with Oscar so easily, but once we see him get shot... It's incredibly powerful.
4. Inside Llewyn Davis
This is arguably the Coen Brothers finest work. A beautiful character piece with a wonderful soundtrack and fine performances. Llewyn Davis himself is probably one of my favorite Coen characters. He might be an asshole, but he's just so damn human that you just can't help but be impressed with the Coen's writing. You'd think they'd make him some wild or unusual guy, but nope. He's just perfectly ordinary. That's a rare thing for a character piece nowadays. And that's what makes this movie so damn good.
3. Her
Her is an exaggerated look at modern relationships. It's all about technology nowadays. Writer/director Spike Jonze takes a bold risk by making a movie about a guy who falls in love with his operating system. Much like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the film uses the wonderful world of low-key science fiction to tell a beautiful and unconventional love story. And Hollywood is too full of love stories. We just need ones that are different. And unbelievably beautiful.
2. 12 Years a Slave
Writer/director Steve McQueen is gonna go down in history. His third feature following two art-house films, 12 Years a Slave is basically "the Schindler's List of slavery films." And it really is. It's unbelievably powerful and painful to watch at times. It's unflinching. It doesn't stop until the credits roll., and by that time you're in fucking tears. Like weeping tears. Many movies met my expectations this year. 12 Years a Slave exceeded them to an unprecedented level.
1. Short Term 12
Nobody saw this fucking movie. Nobody. Made on a budget of under a million and released in a handful of screens, Short Term 12 is the story of a young woman in her 20s named Grace working at a foster-care facility. Throughout the film, we meet and learn about some of the kids in the facility, as well as Grace's haunting past. The movie will make you cry one minute, the next, you'll be laughing. The performances are effortless from the entire cast, particularly from Brie Larson of 21 Jump Street fame. There are no major names here. It's not trying to win tons of awards, but I'll be damned if this movie doesn't get any recognition other than amazing reviews, because right now, it's not. And that's a damn shame. These are the kind of movies that I want to make. It's movies like Short Term 12 that make movies worth watching.
