Top Ten Movies of 2013
Finally, I have arrived upon this momentous milestone: My Tenth Annual Top Ten Movie List! I've had a hectic schedule lately so I'm getting to this about a month and a half too late. The silver lining is that it provided me with extra time to catch up on the late-year Oscar-worthy movie releases, so I feel like this year's list is much more inclusive.
This list only accounts for movies that were actually released in 2013. I saw 57 movies in total, though I still have another 60 potential movies on my Wish List.
Top Ten List
[10] The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Link)
Despite the tepid critical response, I found this movie to be a sweet and adventurous fairy tale of sorts. Kristen Wiig lent some needed soul, I wanted to punch Adam Scott in the mouth, and classic actors like Shirley MacLaine and Sean Penn slipped in seamlessly. Kudos to Ben Stiller for directing this movie.
[9] Frozen (Link)
This was a nice crowd-pleaser and it's hard to get away from the songs these days, either at work or at home. It plays against some of the stereotypical plotlines, while still fitting snugly into the Disney world. I suspect that I will become more fond of this one as my daughter approaches the Disney phase of her life. And yep, the snowman made me laugh a number of times.
[8] The World's End (Link)
It starts out as one type of movie and it becomes a very different type of movie halfway through. It's way too easy to spoil it but the heart of it is the relationships between a group of old high school friends as they ponder their past and present a bit. And when the movie takes a gigantic detour, it somehow manages to keep focused on that core theme. It's astonishing that they managed to merge two completely different concepts like this, there's a certain kind of genius in it. I was also roaring with laughter, so this was definitely my funniest movie of the year.
[7] 12 Years a Slave (Link)
It's a true story and it certainly has a lot to say. I really admire it but it doesn't have a lot of moments that stand out in my memory, and it doesn't make me want to revisit it. I originally had this as my #3 movie but it kept dropping on my list because I felt like it was an important movie, as opposed to actually liking it. Since this Top Ten list is so clearly geared towards my particular tastes, I decided to let it slide down the list.
[6] The Wolverine (Link)
At long last: They were finally able to make a Wolverine movie that gave me the exact feeling of reading one of his various comic collections. I have a cheap black-and-white reprint of some of the classic Japan stories and this translates it to the big screen very capably. I could have done with a little less mutant weirdness going on but that's life in a Marvel universe. I can't believe Hugh Jackman is still running with this character but I'll enjoy the ride as long as it lasts.
[5] Lee Daniels' The Butler (Link)
This is the Forrest Gump of real life. The central character is at the cross roads of a number of milestones throughout US history, and it almost gleefully skips forward to catch all of the key moments. I don't know why there was so much acclaim for Oprah's role but I did enjoy the Forest Whitaker as he portrayed the central character's lifetime and personal growth. I look forward to seeing this one again sometime.
[4] Man of Steel (Link)
Hooray, they made a good Superman movie! I thought that the director, Zack Snyder, pulled off the action in spectacular fashion. The villains were great, and Amy Adams managed to win me over. The first part of the movie is set on Krypton and they realized that alien world and culture perfectly - much better than some of the weirdo interpretations of Krypton that I've seen in the comics. Most importantly, though, was the recurring theme of the two fathers. It's emotional, it meant something, it was useful to the plot, and Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe really made their scenes stand out.
[3] The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Link)
Despite it's lack of domestic box office success, I was still very excited to dive back into this realm. The barrel escape sequence was the single best (and funniest!) action scene of any movie this year. I was clapping and cheering in the theatre repeatedly, even though the crowd was more subdued. Come on, people! Enjoy the thrill of it all!
[2] Ender's Game (Link)
When I was growing up, my best friend was a big fan of Orson Scott Card's book series. I confess, I never bothered to get into it - until last year, when Marvel released a superb series of graphic novels based on the books. It was the best comic series that I read last year and I've read them repeatedly since then. So take that newly-found love of the stories and add it to the top-notch special effects of the movie and this was my top sci-fi movie of the year. Actually, I have to amend that last statement because of my #1 pick...
[1] Gravity (Link)
I guess this is my top sci-fi movie of the year, as well as being my top movie, period. I mean, it is fictional and very sciency so that makes it sci-fi, right? Sandra Bullock owner this movie and George Clooney provided some needed lightness. However, the spectacle and inventiveness must be credit to the director, Alfonso Cuarón, since he literally had to invent new movie techniques just to make this thing. It's an edge-of-your seat roller coaster with an emotional impact to match.
Honourable Mentions:
Pacific Rim, Iron Man 3, Saving Mr. Banks
Sequels Schmequels:
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Too much like the first movie, too slow, and too much setup for the next movie.)
Star Trek Into Darkness (Stupid "Not Khan" PR, and it was such a mirror of previous movies.)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (All the charm and brains of the first movie vanished.)
Most Annoying:
Inside Llewyn Davis (Seriously, the central character is a selfish prick.)
The Wolf of Wall Street (Yeah, I'm one of the people that couldn't sit through all the filth.)
Worst Movies:
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (This made me roll my eyes numerous times.)
The Internship (Sooo many stereotypes, cliches and predictable everything.)
Top Wish List:
The Heat, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Much Ado About Nothing
References:
Top Grossing Movies of 2013
3 comments:
Whoo hoo! Some great picks ;o)
Frozen - I thought it was surprisingly dark for a Disney. Overall it has a great story, animation and music.
Man of Steel - I know there were complaints was about his beard but the movie was fantastic, loved seeing Krypton, the fight scenes were action packed... I'm sure this will be in our DVD collection at some point.
The Hobbit Part 2 - Enjoyed it as much as the first and I'm looking forward to part 3! Date night?
Ender's Game - I didn't read the books but the movie was awesome! Makes me almost want to read the books to find out what happens next.
Great movies this year. Excellent list as always, Jamie.
~L
The Secret Life: I had DL this movie and then I actually deleted it, before watching it, because of a loss of interest. But then it fell in my hands again from a friend and I was required. Glad I did. Great movie. Very emotionally driven. This was Ben Stiller's, Dan in Real Life movie.
Frozen: Of course. Great. Fun. Lovely. And finally a Disney Princess who knows that you can't marry someone you JUST met. "Let it go! Let it go!"
The World's End: Um, yeah, what happened? Giant detour is putting it lightly. I could not understand the weirdness that came OUT OF NOWHERE. The writers literally put colours and shapes and random thoughts in a hat and drew one out. (Not literally, but maybe). It became a dumb movie.
12 Years a Slave: SO GOOD. SO GOOD. My top pick of the year. *****
The Wolverine: ugh. I'm tired of the superhero genre. Boring.
The Butler: Yes. Before I watched it, I was all, "Why is Oprah getting so much talk? Just because she's Oprah, right?" And then I watched it and I was like, "OH." I was SO SURE she was gonna get the Oscar. She didn't. But she was greatly cast. The whole cast was exceptional. They all got robbed of Oscars.
Man of Steel: Again, ugh. Boring super-hero movie. Sorry, nerds. The formula is over. Give it a rest and come back in a decade.
The Hobbit Smaug: Loved it. I did not care for the first Hobbit movie. But this I did care for. I found that it helped me relate better to the first hobbit movie.
Ender's Game: It's alright. Not deserving of such a high place on anyone's movie list, imo. Just light and fun.
Gravity: Yes. Flipping vertigo and heart-pounding moments. Too many. Too good. Love Sandra Bullock and she too, was robbed of the Oscar.
Hunger Game was good, not great. But it's a teen dream. The books are much more interesting. Still no depth, but better than the movie. Don't you hate hearing how the book is better than the movie?
See you next year!
Nice, I got 2 comments on this year's blog! Excellent commentary, Cam and L. I loved reading your thoughts...
And you don't like the superhero genre, L? Then you'll be pleased by the strange new world of Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Most impressively, Marvel has built a cohesive movie universe where everything ties into everything else. That's about as a bold as it gets in terms of how movies are made. It's utterly ground-breaking, even if some of the individual movies may be filled with genre cliches. Just an insane achievement.
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