The Best Films of 2013

Well, seeing as though everybody else has had their "best of the year" list out since December, I guess I should get off my lazy behind, and get one out also, shouldn't I?  As always, I have a good excuse.  As a regular paying filmgoer, I choose to hold off on this list until I can see as many of the year's films as I can.  And since many of the big end of the year films usually expand slowly (sometimes very slowly) into wide release around January-February, I choose to wait.

As usual, I will be naming my favorite film of the year, followed by what I felt were the great films of 2013.  The great films can be anything that truly grabbed my attention, so they can be dramas, comedies, kid's films, whatever.  Then I'll be listing the "honorable mentions" (the runner ups), followed by my 10 favorite actor and actress performances of the year.  Aside from Best Film, all of these choices will be listed in no particular order.

So, with that out of the way, let's get down to the important stuff - the movies.


THE BEST FILM OF 2013

12 YEARS A SLAVE - Director Steve McQueen has made a masterpiece here, and a truly game-changing film.  Anyone who ever wants to do a film set around slavery or the time period is going to have to step up their game after this devastating account of one of the sadder parts of American history.  More terrifying than any thriller or horror film released last year, we watch how a free black man by the name of Solomon Northup (played unforgettably by Chiwetel Ejiofor) is torn from his family and forced into slavery, where he is placed under the relentless control of a master (Michael Fassbender) determined to break his spirit.  Due to the unflinching nature of the film's honesty and violence, this is not always an easy film to watch.  But it is suspenseful, and a grand piece of filmmaking, complete with one of the best casts of any film this year.  12 Years a Slave transports you to its period of time in a way few films can.


THE GREAT FILMS OF 2013

GRAVITY - Yet another game changer for modern cinema, and a film that was very nearly edged out of the top spot, Gravity is a true wonder, and is that rare kind of cinematic technical achievement we seldom see.  The way that it puts us right into the middle of vast space, along with a pair of astronauts struggling to survive after an accident happens during a mission is nothing short of astonishing.  This is not a plot-driven film, rather it seems to flow in real time.  Everything feels organic, and during its running time, we are right there with the stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as they float helplessly, and try to get in touch with Mission Control.  Throw in some of the best 3D effects ever attempted, and you have that special kind of film that can only be experienced on the big screen.

BEFORE MIDNIGHT - The third chapter in Richard Linklater's romantic trilogy is hands down the best movie about relationships I have seen in years.  In 1995's Before Sunrise, we got a story about love at first sight, as two young people (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) met on a train, and spent the day together.  In 2004's Before Sunset, the characters were reunited and tried to rekindle the feelings they had for each other on that one day they spent together.  Now, in Before Midnight, we get to see a side of relationships we seldom see in movies - What happens when the romantic spark has faded, and normalcy sets into the relationship?  Most movies would use that as a spring board for a film about the couple trying to get back together, but here, we get an honest and heartfelt look at these two characters in the midst of a deteriorating relationship, and we're never quite sure how things will work out.  The characters spend almost the entire running time talking, and walking around picturesque scenery, and quite frankly, when the movie was over, I felt like I could have spent another 2 hours watching more of the same.  That's just how good the dialogue between these two characters is, and how relatable these people are.  This is a film that sparks conversation and debate between couples when they watch it, and seven months after I saw it at the theater, its power has not yet faded on me.

BLUE JASMINE - This may be the saddest and most unflinching film Woody Allen has ever made.  It's also one of his better recent ones.  Cate Blanchett plays Jasmine, a woman who is shattered both emotionally and mentally, as well as defeated by life.  She has lost the upscale New York life she once enjoyed when she was married to a financial crook (Alec Baldwin).  Now that the money is gone, she is desperately clinging to the past, which makes her mentally all the more fragile after everything that has happened to her.  Blanchett essentially gives two performances here, one in flashbacks when she is proud, confident, and wealthy, and the other in the present when she is bitter, cracked, and slowly slipping into mental illness.  She is perfectly engaging in both, and gives one of the top performances of the year.  Blue Jasmine manages moments of Allen's trademark humor, but it is far more memorable for being tragic and completely compelling.

PRISONERS - When this devastating drama came out back in October, it seemed like a shoe in for awards and nominations, and rightfully so.  Unfortunately, the later films of the fall drowned it out, and it's largely been ignored.  In my mind, however, Prisoners is second only to 12 Years a Slave in its effectiveness as an emotional gut punch that leaves you exhausted when it is over.  Hugh Jackman gives his best performance so far as a survivalist father who becomes obsessed with tracking down the man he believes kidnapped his young daughter and a family friend when they were outside playing together on Thanksgiving.  His obsession leads him down some very dark places, and the movie is unflinching in how it follows him all the way, and does not pull back or spare no detail of how far these ordinary people can go.  Outside of Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal is also wonderful as a police detective investigating the case.  This is a deep and rewarding mystery that not only manages to surprise, but actually makes sense as you go back over the clues and information.  This is an extremely well thought out script, with characters who seem real, and a damp cold atmosphere that only adds to the despair and the tension of the film.  It was largely overlooked at the box office, but hopefully will find appreciation on DVD.

RUSH - Another film that got a lot of praise when it came out, but largely has gone ignored at Award time, this is not only the best film about car racing I have ever seen, but also Ron Howard's best directing effort in years.  Rush tells the story of a famous rivalry between two Formula 1 racers back in 1976, and how their drive to beat the other inspired them.  The rivalry between James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl)  is well known to racing fans, but this movie goes even deeper into their relationship, and covers some very tragic and personal events that oddly brought the two together, and inspired them even more.  This is a highly entertaining and intimate bio-film that doesn't feel like it's paint by numbers, or that the screenwriter just skimmed some information about the subject, and filled in the blanks with dramatic license.  This is a very up close and personal film that not only puts us into the world of Formula 1 racing, but also into the lives of these two very different men,

ENOUGH SAID - A truly smart romantic comedy for adults that is lifted up by a warm and wonderful performance by the late James Gandolfini.  Enough Said is a beguiling movie about two middle aged people who find each other just when they have both given up on love.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus breaks out of her TV mold, and gives a true star-making performance as a woman who falls for Gandolfini's character.  Here is a movie that does tackle some tough issues about relationships, specifically how other people's opinions can effect how we see a person.  But more than that, the film is charming, captivating, and truly funny all the way through.  As for Gandolfini, he gets to show a softer and gentler side than he ever got to show in his career, and his warm performance truly makes us realize what a talent we lost.

NEBRASKA - Like all of Alexander Payne's films, there is a core of sadness in the middle of Nebraska.  It's main character, Woody Grant (Bruce Dern), is an elderly man who seems to be on the cusp of senility.  And yet, he is still aware enough of the world around him to still cause trouble.  The sadness comes from the fact that the man is obviously slowly slipping away.  Also like all of Payne's films, the movie deftly and expertly blends sadness with humor.  There were moments in Nebraska that had a very crowded theater roaring with laughter, myself included.  This film works not only as a drama, but also as one of the funniest films of the year.  From its scene-stealing performances (particularly June Squibb as Dern's wife), to its nostalgic black and white photography, this is a film to be studied and treasured.  Much more than a simple road trip movie between a father and his adult son (played by Will Forte), this is a testament to Payne's creativity as a filmmaker and a storyteller.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES - A modern day three-act tragedy filled with unforgettable characters.  The Place Beyond the Pines takes three seemingly unconnected storylines, and covers many years in the lives of very different people who will be connected before it is over.  The film runs for nearly two and a half hours, and it uses its generous time wisely, creating some very rich and detailed characters, and slowly weaving its three plots together in a masterful fashion.  The whole story is told in a straight-forward and linear fashion, but you still have to pay close attention, less you miss some important detail.  This is a very smart film that seems to be arguing how the mistakes we make in the past can carry on to future generations.

HER - There were a lot of moments while watching Her that I found myself asking "where is this movie going"?  For once, however, I wasn't asking this out of boredom or frustration.  It was a real sense of curiosity and involvement.  Writer-director Spike Jonze has taken a fairly common idea in Science Fiction, that of a computer experiencing emotions and becoming attached with a human, and makes it seem fresh with his unique vision and dialogue.  This is a sometimes heartbreaking and often clever look at relationships, and communication in general, whether it be personal, or with the means of a device.  This movie deserves to be seen, but most of all, it deserves to be talked about when it is over, and looked back on long after you have finished watching it.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Mama, The Last Stand, Warm Bodies, Side Effects, Beautiful Creatures, Snitch, Oz the Great and Powerful, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Olympus Has Fallen, Admission, From Up on Poppy Hill, Oblivion, Pain & Gain, Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Epic, Now You See Me, This is the End, Monsters University, The Heat, White House Down, Despicable Me 2, The Conjuring, The Wolverine, The Way Way Back, Elysium, The Spectacular Now, The Butler, The World's End, Insidious: Chapter 2, Captain Phillips, Machete Kills, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, Last Vegas, Frozen, Dallas Buyers Club, Philomena, About Time, Out of the Furnace, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, American Hustle, Saving Mr. Banks, The Wolf of Wall Street, Lone Survivor, August: Osage County


MY TOP 10 PERFORMANCES BY AN ACTOR (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER):

Christian Bale in American Hustle and Out of the Furnace
Bruce Dern in Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Colin Farrell in Saving Mr. Banks
James Gandolfini in Enough Said
Ethan Hawke in Before Midnight
Hugh Jackman in Prisoners
Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club
Joaquin Phoenix in Her
Sam Rockwell in The Way, Way Back


MY TOP 10 PERFORMANCES BY AN ACTRESS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER):

Amy Adams in American Hustle
Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock in Gravity
Julie Delpy in Before Midnight
Judi Dench in Philomena
Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave
June Squibb in Nebraska
Meryl Streep in August: Osage County
Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks

So, those are my favorites of 2013 in a nutshell!  Hopefully, as we go further into 2014, we will get many more bright moments to come in the cinema.

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