Good evening and salutations once again friends, loved ones
and newbies. Welcome to my
favorite time of year. Awards
season and yours truly Top Ten films of the past 12 months. Movies have always been an integral
part of my life since I was a child.
They fascinate me; captivate my attention, more than just entertainment
purposes or buying time. Movies
transport me to so many different worlds, escaping to many alternate realities
that take my mind far away for couple hours. Maybe three if my attention span carries long enough. Critiquing and analyzing films
came natural to me at a young age.
I always enjoyed having my emotions moved, heart pounded, stomach
turning in laughter, or shocked and appalled by something I never saw
coming. Movies have always been
something more than just crowd-pleasing moments to fleet time for me. I naturally want to dissect their
themes and messages and share them with my friends and the outside world (okay
say it with me now….NERRRRRRRRD).
Exactly I know. And that is
why I will forever tell people I come in contact with; films will always be my
number one nerd-quality I possess.
SO WHAT!! To the rest of
you fellow movie buffs like myself out there, ENJOY! And as always, this is not the end all be all list of lists. The greatest part of watching movies is
we all share our own separate emotions and opinions that move each and every
one of us differently. These are
the ones that best moved my own…
THE HONORABLE MENTIONS
ENDERS GAME
This was the last movie I watched before beginning final
stages for this list and it far exceeded the expectations I had for one of the
few books I can recall reading back in high school. Although edited to extremes and cutting out massive details
from the acclaimed novel it’s based upon, Enders Game the movie did a
tremendous job bringing Orson Scott Card’s classic to the big screen. The story revolves around Ender (played
terrifically by Hugo’s Asa Butterfield) a child thrown into a future where kids
are the only hope to prevent an inevitable attack by an alien race on
earth. Through rigorous training
and mind games, his commander in task of these kids (played well by Harrison
Ford) pushes Ender to become the leader the human race is dependant upon. The film is a beauty to watch and a gem
on visuals and effects. The
adapted story is well written for the screen and all the actors involved played
their parts beyond expectations. A
film worthy of an audience.
12 YEARS A SLAVE
I know I will probably get some flack for omitting director
Steve McQueen’s amazing true tale of Solomon Northup’s incredible story from
wealthy family man to 12 years of slavery for being black in the 1860s. A tremendously difficult story to watch
unfold but carefully handled by McQueen and casted to near perfection with
powerful performances by all involved.
A movie ill admit I can’t see myself watching again, nevertheless a
movie worth watching by all film buffs alike. Just to simply understand and believe something this heinous
actually happened. And to know just
how far we’ve come as a species on this earth.
ONLY GOD FORGIVES
There was no way I wasn’t putting this movie in my honorable
mentions. The movie nobody heard
of if you didn’t know me or weren’t a fan of Nicolas Refn’s work. The guy behind Pusher III, Valhalla and
of course the epic Drive. Refn’s
follow up with his Drive star Ryan Gosling had me beyond excited; by far this
was the most anticipated movie I was looking forward to all 2013. Admittedly strange, weird and awkward
at moments. It’s a rare film that
truly is better understood with multiple watches and a vast open mind. Its dark, more complex than it leads on
to be, disturbingly graphic and beautifully shot at the same time. It’s like watching a car accident right
before your eyes and marveling at its sinister beauty simultaneously. One of my favorite soundtracks I
enjoyed all year, Cliff Martinez’s score (who did Drive’s score as well)
literally makes you feel like you’re being dragged through hell with these
demonic characters. There is no
decent way to explain its story other than to say you’ll either love it or
completely find it trash. As they
say though, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Wanna fight?
THIS IS THE END
Hands down the funniest comedy since Anchorman! HANDS DOWN!!!!! I don’t care who you
are or what you find funny. If
This is the End wasn’t your cup of tea than we simply can’t be friends. I’m taking back for a minor moment the
part that I say we all have our own opinions blah blah blah. NO. This is damn funny stuff right
here. And if you don’t find this
movie hilarious to the point you weren’t cheeks-red with tears running down
your face than I just can’t know you or have you in my life. That’s all I have to say.
CATCHING FIRE
The sequel to the money-making-machine that is the Hunger
Games, Catching Fire was one of the biggest surprises I experienced at the
movies. Not many blockbuster
sequels actually improved upon the original, even though it is based upon a
trilogy novel. They usually go the
transformers route; bigger, louder and more special effects. Catching Fire had terrific casting,
including adding the always sensational Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Jeffrey
Wright. The story was large-scale
and very riveting to watch unfold.
And that twist of an ending (to us non book readers) to lead into the
next installment was just flawless work of art. I for one am totally all-in now on this trilogy.
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Director Paul Greengrass’s tour-de-force thriller based on
the Somalian pirates hijacking an American vessel in 2008 was as breathtaking
to watch as any film of 2013.
Greengrass brings his trademark fast, handheld-style directing that has
made some of his greatest action sequences absolutely thrilling (United 93, and
the last two Bourne films of the Matt Damon trilogy). Captain Phillips is no different, the moment Tom Hanks (who
plays Phillips with great tenacity) and the crew see the pirates approaching
the ship you can literally feel the dreadful anxiety of what’s happening. What
I enjoyed the most about Captain Phillips was where unlike most terrorizing
true story films, Greengrass really pulls back the curtain on why these
Somalians have to go through such drastic measures to survive and flourish in
their country. It’s a cry for help
that Greengrass truly hits home as much as the heroic tale of Phillips
himself. And those last 20 minutes
of the movie most people talk about, quite possibly as good an acting job as
Tom Hanks career has shown.
FROZEN
This was so hard NOT TO PUT IN MY TOP TEN! I absolutely have
not loved a Disney animated flick this much in a long time. This list was as difficult to make as
any I have ever constructed. Great
year for films and Frozen on any other year would be in my top 10. It’s that damn good. And if your one of
those hard headed too-cool-for-Disney type dudes then put that front down for a
sec and let the kid inside you scream a little. Frozen was everything a Disney classic is supposed to have. Great music, laughter, fun, sadness,
cries and cheerful. The things we
forget as adults that made us who we are as kids. Frozen took me back, and the epic soundtrack was as good
since the glory music days of Disney animated classics (Aladdin, Lion King,
Beauty and the Beast, etc).
THE TOP 10
#10 PRISONERS
We open up the top ten with one of the more emotionally
driven films of 2013. Prisoners
tells the story of two fathers (Hugh Jackson in top-notch form and Terrance
Howard) whose kids go missing and the tumultuous gut-wrenching heartache that
ensues afterward. In charge
of finding the lost kids is local Detective Loki (played to absolute perfection
by Jake Gyllenhall), who’s haunted by his own demons and past. Gylllenhall is in rare form as he
single handedly stole the movie for me.
He really conveys the far depths of hell one has to reach when dealing
with the disturbing role of finding two kids who very well may be dead by a
monster. And Hugh Jackman, who
hasn’t shown this much range emotionally in a long time, truly echoes Jake’s
performance as the father who will go to no length in finding the truth. To what end would you go and bend one's morality and ethics to find the person who took away your family? Prisoners is a great tale in finding
out just how far one father will go and another won’t.
#9 THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES
Ryan Gosling just can’t do any wrong right now. Every female wants him and every man
wants to be him. Dude is as close
to a modern-day James Dean as Hollywood as ever come close to having. And true to that comparison, much of
his character Luke Glanton is personified a la’ James Dean Rebel without a
Cause. A motorcycle daredevil
stuntman, with an “extraordinary unique skill set” as one character calls him
in the film. Pines finds Gosling
and director Derek Cianfrance reunited after their first film together Blue
Valentine. Like Valentine,
Cianfrance enjoys fiddling with the human heart and its natural tendency to
inflict pain onto those it loves.
Where their first film dealt with husband and wife tribulations, Pines
carries the bulk of its message on fathers and sons and how their sins follow
them through future generations.
It’s a powerful message hit home by the three acts that separate Pines
into basically three mini-movies.
Gosling’s dynamic first act performance as daredevil badass who wants to
be a good father to his one night stand lady played wonderfully by Eva
Mendez. Bradley Cooper plays the
hero-cop in the 2nd act, whose morals and good-code ethics are
challenged by his higher ups led mostly by the always-vicious Ray Liotta (who
is stellar in his supporting role).
Followed by the film’s final half hour, which shows both Cooper and
Gosling’s sons in high school and how by chance their paths cross each other. The film has a different approach than
most commonly told stories, but the message is crystal clear and a marvel to
watch unfold. The movie is also
one of the more beautifully shot films of the year with a great score to go
along with it. Gosling continues
his tare on Hollywood for another year.
#8 STAR TREK: INTO THE DARKNESS
Without a doubt, the oddball flick out the bunch would be
the JJ Abram epic sequel Into the Darkness. However do not be fooled, this is not our parents Trekkie
films no longer. Abrams has done
something phenomenal with this reboot; he made fans out of people like me who
never once cared for Star Trek or Star Wars. And to not only that, breach my top 10 list. Into the Darkness was by far the best
movie of the summer. It had
everything one wants in a summer blockbuster; epic action sequences, visually
stunning effects that leave you wowed, etc etc. What transcends Star Trek so much more than your typical
summer blockbuster (lets say the more popular Man of Steel) is by its cast and
story. Everyone is casted to near perfection in their respective roles, led
none other by an exceptionally played villain Benedict Cumberbatch. A newcomer who is sure to skyrocket to
Hollywood stardom after his tenacious role as the evil Kahn. Not many of these types of films cross
my list these latter years, but Abrams really has taken his name and put it on
a pedestal for what a true epic blockbuster is supposed to look like. And if he does to Star Wars what he has
done here, the future is bright.
#7 GRAVITY
WOW. That is
the only word that can sum up the viewing experience of watching Gravity. Truly WOW material stuff right
here. What James Cameron’s Avatar started to Ang Lee's Life of Pi built on last year; now Alfonso Cuaron
just leapt forward into the future of technical visual filmmaking. Clearly the "experience" of Gravity is his prime objective. The story may
be basic and simple about two astronauts (George Clooney and the never better Sandra
Bullock) who get stuck in space after a debris field wrecks their space shuttle, leaving them forced to fight for their lives in a place that carries no sound, no air
pressure and of course….no gravity.
Watching some of the action set pieces unfold with zero sound when rock
and machine collide is simply astonishing.
Cuaron does an impeccable job of putting the audience right there with the
two characters feeling their horrid fear of being lost in space. There were several moments where I even found myself breathing heavily feeling the lack of air pressure the same. This will be a movie that by far is
worth owning for any blu-ray/3d fan, especially on large HD televisions. The film is a remarkable
achievement. Bullock and Clooney
share wonderful chemistry but particularly Bullock’s performance is noteworthy
here. Gravity is the best film
I’ve seen truly capture the usage of 3d since its re-invention in movies.
#6 MUD
Matthew McConaughey has completely transformed his career
over the course of the last year.
He has been type-casted by his countless romcom roles that he went
someplace over a long break from film and came back with Mud as his first of
what would be a menacing 2013 return.
And boy did he ever. Mud
was the first movie I saw earlier in 2013 that I immediately knew would make
the list. It was damn near
perfection of story, acting and writing.
The film revolves mostly around two young boys who find a boat on an
island in their small country town, which they later realized is housed by a
fugitive from the law (played by MM).
Over the course of the story, the kids find out why he’s a fugitive and
in turn want to help him get free.
I rather not dabble much more than that, but needless to say the central
message plays out reminiscent of another popular kids story, Huckleberry Finn. A strong engaging tale on family, bonds
and the loss of old values in a new modern world.
#5 DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Powerful stuff great movies are made of pretty much wraps up
what Dallas Buyers Club is all about.
Centered during the early years of the AIDS virus when little to nothing
was known and people thought you could catch the virus if you nearly breathed
on someone. DBC tells the story of
Ron Woodrood (played once again by the menace return of Matthew McConaughey who
very well may have won his first Oscar for this amazing performance), a
rodeo-cowboy, heavy-cocaine user who discovers he is diagnosed with the AIDS
virus and is told he has 30 days to live.
Defiant to what he is told, Woodroof teams up with a fellow AIDs
carrying transgender Rayon (played equally as terrific by Jared Leto, who is a
shoe-in for supporting actor Oscar) to set up the “Dallas buyers club” a $400
membership to prescribe illegal drugs that work better than (at the time) what
most doctors prescribed patients.
With the help of a fellow doctor (Jennifer Garner in rare form for a
change herself), the three try to tackle against the FDC to administer these
superior drugs to the AIDs carrying patients. The story was one I knew nothing about, but left overwhelmed
and moved by its incredible drive of never giving up despite someone giving you
a deadline on life. MM’s
performance alone, along with Leto’s jaw dropping transgender role, make DBC
one of the top films of 2013.
#4 FRUITVALE STATION
The tragic final day in the life of Oscar Grant, who was
shot and killed by a police officer on New Years early hours coming off a
transit train, is the story Fruitvale Station is about. First time director Ryan Coogler
absolutely hits it out of the park.
He puts the audience through Grant’s entire final 24 hours leading up to
his unfortunate death. A man
trying to right many wrongs of his past, seizing his pot dealing ways to more
legal money making opportunities.
To provide for his girlfriend and child that he wants to be a
respectable father figure instead of a deadbeat drug dealer. What really moves Oscars harrowing tale
is the breakthrough performance of the year by Michael B. Jordan (whom many
should recognize from hit TV shows The Wire and Friday Night Lights). I am completely astounded by the Oscars
and the Globes omitting this kid from being nominated because he is going to be
a future STAR! Reminiscent of a young Denzel Washington with how he can convey
emotional heartbreak right into anguish and aggression, Jordan brings Grant’s
last hours to life and literally thrusts the audience into feeling every beat
of his heart until its very last.
A rare true story that despite knowing early on how it’s going to end,
keeps you watching until that horrific final shot.
#3 RUSH
Every so often on these lists of mine, comes certain films
that I have little to zero expectations for and weren’t even on my radar of
must-see. Rush is one of those
very movies that I unfortunately have to admit that if it weren’t for high
praise and continuing strong word of mouth, I would never have seen it. And glad I am to have been swayed. Rush brings back a director who once
was Hollywood’s brightest and recently fell back. Ron Howard shows us he still has what it takes to make an
epic motion picture and did he ever exhilarate audiences with this one. Rush tells the story of the 1976
Formula 1 season between two bitter rival drivers James Hunt (Thor’s Chris
Hemsworth in as good a role as he has performed to date) and Niki Lauda (played
terrifically and award-worthy by Daniel Bruhl). Hunt is the charismatic showboating fan favorite who has the
looks, smile and lady Casanova that captures any sports fans attention (think
of him as the Derek Jeter in his prime figure). Whereas his rival uses brains over brons to defeat his
competition, Lauda is the cocky, asshole, none apologist that prides himself in
being the best by not bragging about it (best comparison in today’s sports I
would say is Kobe Bryant). I
explain the comparisons in order to give people who may have never heard of
this movie as I did an idea on how these two drivers were and just how sports
rivalry in general really does “drive” any sport. Rivalry transcends sports, without that distain “hate”
toward another player/team/organization does sports really mean as much if
everything is likeable? Absolutely
not. And being that I’m personally
such a rabid sports enthusiast, Rush really captivated that correlation that
goes on even today’s sporting age.
I did not even know this was a true story. Rush deserves way more credit that it did, but I am
eternally grateful I did not pass it up entirely as it end up being one of the
best three movies I saw all year.
Movie fans and true sporting ones should not make the same mistake
either.
#2 AMERICAN HUSTLE
Director David Russell has struck gold on the big screen back-to-back
years now. After moving audiences
and making us laugh at the same time in last year’s Silver Lining Playbook (my
#1 choice on last year’s list), he did it again with the wonderful and radiant
American Hustle. Hustle takes
place over the 70s/80s and is loosely based on the true story of the FBI ABSCAM
that basically had every character trying to out con each other. The main two con artists in play here
are Irving and Sydney, played to perfection by Christian Bale and Amy
Adams. I cannot say enough about
Christian Bale’s performance in Hustle.
We have seen this guy over many years play a variety of roles, but here
I truly feel he has outdone himself.
Terrific performance.
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence reunite with their Playbook director
once more and in similar great fashion.
Cooper plays the FBI agent who arrests the con couple and forces them to
help him get the bigger fish in the sea, manly the popular New Jersey Mayor
(played by Jeremy Reiner) who is trying to bring gambling to the state but
doesn’t carry enough big pocket spenders on his campaign. Hustle is one long con within many
smaller ones that every character involved is in on. Jennifer Lawrence once again is flawless as she plays Bale’s
still current wife/mother of his child, but is a ticking time bomb. By far Hustle carries the best ensemble
casting of 2013 with everyone bringing their A game, including a short cameo
from another Playbook co star Robert DeNiro who kills it in his sole
scene. Hustle took home the Golden
Globe for best picture and is only the second movie in over 30 years to be
nominated for best picture and all 4 acting categories (actor/actress and
supporting actor/actress) at the Oscars.
The other movie that did it….last year’s Silver Lining Playbook.
#1 THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
There was never a doubt which movie belongs here. The rest of the list may have been
re-arranged several times but in the end Martin Scorsece’s newest masterpiece
the Wolf of Wall Street was the best film of the year. Despite the obvious reasons many young
adults of my generation might consider this to be the “greatest movie of the
year,” let’s not forget there is a true story behind this madness that ACTUALLY
HAPPENED (I personally had to research online to see if some of this stuff was
over dramatized but it really wasn’t).
Jordan Belfort became one of the youngest millionaires ever at 26 by
running a pump-and-dump scheme using penny stocks on wealthy business companies
(and early on not so wealthy) in order to raise his riches and fame. A magazine article proclaimed him the
Wolf of Wall Street and as the saying goes “the rest was history.” Leonardo
DiCaprio has never been this good and this funny to watch in his entire
long-storied film career. His
fifth collaboration with the great Scorsece, WOLF is by far the most fun the
two have had together. The black
comedy-drama is probably the funniest movie you’ll watch all year, even those
that are supposed to be “comedies.” A testament to just how marvelous a
director/actor team these two greats are.
Sure some naysayers and older generation critics may not take to the
excessive almost near-glorification drug usage that is prevalent in the film,
however true to Belfort’s insane character the film is remaining true to
form. And clearly we all know this
story isn’t going to end with him riding off into the sunset, so to speak. Jonah Hill equals his greatest
performance since Moneyball as Belfort’s right hand man, and firm partner who
shares his wealth and drug partying bravado. The two shine brightest when sharing the screen together,
especially the now infamous “cerebral palsy” scene. The remaining cast is phenomenal with Kyle Chandler (of
Friday Night Light’s fame) as the FBI agent who has Belfort in his sights (the
scene between the two on Belfort’s boat is one of the best scenes of the entire
movie), new coming hottie who is certain to be a Hollywood doll to come Margot
Robbie plays Belfort’s steamy smoking wife, and the always fun to watch Jon
Berthal of Walking Dead fame (Shaneeeeeeeeeeee). And I can’t leave without mentioning the menace of 2013
himself, Matthew McCaugnehey who steals his only scene in the opening of the film,
which basically lays out the blueprint to stock broking 101 to Belfort. Masturbating and cocaine. Wolf of Wall Street will belong in every
movie buffs blu ray library for future house parties to come. Don’t be uninvited.
