Can you believe that 2013 is nearly over? In less than 24 hours, we’ll abolish that dreaded three for ten more years, and a cool, clean, pointy four will take its place.
2013 has been a great year for all types of media, so as always, we rounded up our ever-growing pool of writers to share with you our favourite things of 2013. First up, movies!
Take a look at everyone’s top 5, top 10, or favourite film altogether below, and be sure to let us know yours in the comments!
MCDave
**** Disclaimer: I still haven’t seen Her, Lone Survivor, or August: Osage County
1. American Hustle – David O. Russell continues his reign with this smartly written and witty con-man drama that delivers the year’s best acting ensemble.
2. Rush – A surprisingly entertaining and adrenaline pumping real-life story about Formula 1 racing. Ron Howard returns to form with this memorable competitive sports drama.
3. About Time – “Love Actually” director, Richard Curtis, elevates his game with this delightful and charming tale of falling in love and discovering a new-found zest for life. Incorporating a mildly flawed, but still effective, sci-fi backdrop revolving around time travel, “About Time” is one of the year’s most sentimental features.
4. 12 Years a Slave – This freight train of an Oscar contender is visceral and unsettling to watch, but even harder to forget. It’s a real-life story of one man’s quest for freedom in the midst of a slavery-fueled 1860s Georgia.
5. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese’s satirical and over-the-top examination of a stockbroker’s greed and ambition is wildly engaging and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Jonah Hill gives a career best performance.
6. Trance – Danny Boyle’s unique style is a regular staple and it’s in tip-top form with his 2013 mind-bending thriller, “Trance”. Deciding who’s playing who, and differentiating between reality and subconscious has never been so much fun.
7. Short Term 12 – An eye-opening look at a state foster-care facility for at-risk youth serves as one of the year’s most compelling and moving independent dramas. A debut effort from director Destin Cretton, “Short Term 12” feels remarkably authentic.
8. Dallas Buyers Club – Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto give towering performances in this true story of Texas renegade Ron Woodroof’s battle with the pharmaceutical industry.
9. Gravity – This epic sci-fi adventure couples groundbreaking special effects with a captivating story of human survival. Superbly directed and well-acted on all accounts, “Gravity” is certainly a satisfying movie experience.
10. The Conjuring – James Wan’s “The Conjuring” has that rare classic horror feel. With genuine scares and a convincing story, we’re given a real horror movie gem.
Josh Jackson
Just to put this out there, I’m not a movie guy. I’ll go see the occasional film that catches my eye, but I’m the kind of person that’s perfectly happy with waiting for everything I want to see to hit my local Redbox before I see it. So for me to be compelled to contribute a movie piece for the end of 2013 is a testement to how much of an impression that Disney’s Frozen left on me.
I walked in knowing next to nothing about the movie, (which was intentional according to multiple sources citing Disney’s attempt to shy away from marketing princesses to attract a bigger audience.) The only reason I knew it wasn’t about Olaf the snowman as the advertisements would lead you to believe is because of the research I did for Disney Infinity at E3, but I never would have expected it to surpass Wreck It Ralph and Tangled. Once the credits rolled, not only would I have gladly place it above those two excellent movies, but I feel it deserves to be discussed in the same breath as the classics of the Disney Renaissance.
What made Frozen so great is that, because it’s so self aware, without being forced or preachy. The film’s first act is full of the typical Disney cliches; a princess who’s desperate for true love, meeting her prince charming, the two instantly falling in love, (with a musical number accompanying it,) and the eventual reveal that a curse that befalls the princess that can only be cured with an act of true love towards the movie’s conclusion. But once the second act starts, this whole concept is thrown on its head. The princess is the one who sets off to save her kingdom from its accidental plight caused by her sister and her uncontrollable ice powers, showing the bravery and assertiveness usually reserved for the prince. Along the way, Princess Anna meets Kristoph, an ice salesman who is an obvious secondary love interest, but acts as a reminder through most of the film that this fairy tale love is unrealistic. Despite this, both Anna and Prince Hans, her original love interest, seemingly go to great lengths to protect the kingdom and each other. It’s not until the final moments that the film’s greatest scene takes place that the film’s message becomes clear, redefining the meaning of “true love” in a fairy tale film while proving that two female leads can carry a movie without a “prince charming” to save them. It brilliantly sets the audience up with expectations that the writers are sure to have known their viewers would have, framed it in a way that exploits the typical Disney formula and takes a complete U-Turn half way through all the way up until the film’s climax, which deserves commendation in itself. And that twist! I can’t remember ever hearing a full theater audibly gasp before!
Once again, the message is strong without being forced, and unlike Enchanted, which dealt with similar themes, that film came off more as a parody. When I think Frozen, what I see is a huge first step towards redefining what a mainstream “princess” movie can achieve. With grand songs written by the people behind The Book of Mormon, recruiting broadway superstars like Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, who are led by a surprisingly strong vocal performance by Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell, gorgeous animation that’s highlighted by a breathtaking sequence showing the construction of Queen Elsa’s ice castle, and the incredible feat of making Olaf legitimately funny instead of painfully annoying, and it’s plain to see why I was left with such a strong impression by Frozen. Unquestionably, the film is one of the best I’ve seen in years, and definitely my movie of 2013.
Jonathan London
(In no particular order.)
Rush – My favorite Ron Howard movie. There is so much energy in every shot, whether it’s the physical and kinetic movements of the races or the internal and interpersonal turmoil of the characters. This movie proves that Chris Hemsworth isn’t just Thor and Ron Howard isn’t just the guy who makes movies to take your parents to. And Daniel Brühl makes a big argument on why Hollywood should put him in more films to come. Rush felt like a newcomer arriving on the scene with the experience of a classic filmmaker. If you don’t like car racing or sports movies you’ll be surprised by it even more.
Pacific Rim – Geeks! This was our movie! A celebration of Japanese monster movies, anime and giant robot films? From the guy who brought us Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth? How was this possibly going to miss? Critics will argue that it had thin characters, a dull middle act and stretched running time. I’ll argue that none of the intended recipients gave a damn… and neither did the filmmakers! There was enough ridiculous spectacle to keep your blood pumping and enough shout outs and wink winks to let you know they they know that it’s all in the name of fun no matter how far this fun locomotive careens off the rails like a Coyote and Roadrunner cartoon. Made for us and approved by us. Sequel please.
The Evil Dead – If you’re going to do a remake/reimagining, this should be your blue print. This was as brutal, fresh and scary as you remember the original being way back when but it doesn’t alienate the fans or negate what came before. I loved every gross, brutal movement of this movie. Now let’s see the series continue!
Ang Nawawala (What Isn’t There) – This is the movie on the list that you probably haven’t seen (or heard of) but it premiered at Slamdance and hopefully the film’s distributor gets their act together so anyone outside of the Philippines can see it. My film school friend Marie Jamora made this movie about how fraternal loss and guilt can fracture a family over the course of decades. It’s also a pretty great movie about how that first true love in your life help begin the process of putting the pieces back together.
A Place Beyond The Pines – This one might end up overlooked on many end of the year lists and presents itself with a triptych act structure that might feel awkwardly paced for the unprepared but ends up being a pretty moving experience and meditation on legacy. The performances are all great and the film probably has the strongest tone of any movie I saw this year (Prisoners might be the other competitor here). The ideas that it presents about inescapability and responsibility will just stick with you as you watch the characters circle the drain of small town life.
This Is The End – The funniest movie of the year. As I talk about on the podcast, if we are moving past the current era of slacker improv comedies that started with Judd Apatow’s The 40 Year Old Virgin, This Is The End is a fitting cap. It’s vulgar, hilarious and doesn’t pull any of its punches. As nasty as it got at times, you welcomed it.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – In a year that offered up a darker Superman, a Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustles and loneliness leading someone to fall in love with their operating system, by the time it got to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty it just felt good to smile. I enjoyed all of those movies that I just referenced but Walter Mitty beats out Her, The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle for its level of positivity. By the time I watched it, I was done with watching a character’s self induced spiral over two hours and was ready for something that felt fresh. Ben Stiller finally finds himself making a movie on a bigger level, not necessarily a comedy and on a bigger scale than anything he’s attempted. The result is just something that is both inspiring and fun to watch. The argument against the movie could be that if you don’t like Ben Stiller it will be a long ride. He is in every scene. But at the same time let yourself be surprised by how innocent and likable the whole experience is. This really reminded me of another Christmas Day release that I enjoyed from years ago that played to the heartfelt moments but may not have been well received by theatergoers: Frank Darabont’s ‘The Majestic”.
Man of Steel – I’m ready to catch heat for this one but this was my favorite comic book movie of the year (sorry, Thor 2… I still love you for being a lot of fun). From the John Byrne style Krypton opening to seeing the apocalyptic results of super humans fighting it out for the real time on screen, Man of Steel was the cinematic relaunch that the character needed. Even though I missed John Williams score and dopey Clark Kent, this felt like the modern Superman that we needed to set the stage for what Warner Bros has in store. I’ll admit that it wasn’t perfect but it did the job it needed to do and I love arguing the merits of the film that a lot of people seem to overlook. Plus, when left with no choice Superman kills… just like in the comics!
Zero Charisma – I’d like to think that we were one of the first champions of this incredible film, having directors Andrew and Katie call in to the show prior to the SXSW premiere, then meeting and loving the film at SXSW and ultimately having them as guests on the show months later when Zero Charisma was released on VOD. I really do hope that you all have seen the movie by now because it is both the best movie about roleplaying culture and the best movie to ever portray geeks.
Prisoners – On top of this being Hugh Jackman’s best performance, Prisoners is just a really good mystery film combined with a revenge tale that twists and twists around itself like a snake. I hope this one doesn’t get overlooked by the awards but I’m worried that it. Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Mario Bello, Terrence Howard… the movie is absolutely stacked and if it was released in November or December no one would question it being nominated in a few categories.
Gravity – Thin script? There’s just no pleasing Gravity’s detractors. Luckily, their easy to ignore… because you can’t hear their whining in the vacuum of space. As visually stunning as it is white knuckle stress-inducing, Gravity is also Sandra Bullock’s best performance. At times, the visuals felt informed by video games like Half Life (and some of the skin of your teeth escape sequences do too) but that’s not a detraction from the film but something it does well. You really are in the main characters shoes from beginning to end and from one spectacular panic attack to the next. What an incredible roller coaster.
Dallas Buyers Club – Can they give both Best Actor awards to Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto this year? Because Dallas Buyers Club contains the two best performances we’re going to see. This movie is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking and the main character’s journey, from being completely despicable to becoming a champion, is the most engaging story I’ve seen this year. This was probably my favorite film.
The Most Fun I Had In The Theaters This Year: This is a combined sub-category made up of two experiences… watching White House Down with my wife and brother Paul as if we were watching a prolonged South Park episode. Tied with watching Olympus Has Fallen a few weeks after watching Die Hard 5 and realizing Olympus Has Fallen was a much better Die Hard movie.
http://youtu.be/fvMPU0WaPcc
S.J. Borger
1. 12 Years A Slave — A must see. Bravura performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dwight Henry, and, well, the entire cast, combined with a compelling script and a gripping visual style makes this, if not the year’s best movie, certainly a contender.
2. Frozen — Aside from the fact that our Princesses eyes are bigger than their wrists (really, Disney??), Frozen hits all the right notes: story, acting, music, comedy and romance.
3. American Hustle — Batman, Rocket Raccoon, Lois Lane, Hawkeye and Katniss get together to play a FBI agent, a con man and a corrupt Mayor (and the women who fascinate them). What more do we need to say?
4. Fruitvale Station — The true story of Oscar Grant III, who was shot to death by BART police at Fruitvale Station. The movie explores Oscar’s last day. While some critics have taken issue with the film omission and manipulation of facts, it is finely crafted and still worth watching.
5. The Way Way Back—A sweet, quirky comedy/drama about a family vacation to Cape Cod, with a charming coming-of-age story surrounding 14-year-old Duncan. It manages to avoid becoming too saccharine or too schmaltzy, thanks mostly to its strong cast.
Matt Kelly
1. The Kings of Summer – There’s a chance that this is my #1 because it’s the most recent film I’ve seen (thanks Netflix) but I genuinely believe regardless when I saw this movie I would have enjoyed it the same. It mixes drama and comedy in a delightful way just like the previously mentioned Way Way Back the only difference is that I was immediately enjoying myself from the first shot while WWB took some time to warm up to. When The Kings of Summer wants to be funny it hits the right notes but it shines when it wants to be dramatic. It beautifully captures the joys of summer in a fresh way.
2. The Way Way Back – This movie was a slowburn at first. In the first 5 minutes all I knew was that I hated Steve Carrel’s character (as well as most of the other characters) and felt depressed by what I was watching. Then Sam Rockwell walked on screen and reminded us why he is one of the best (and most under appreciated) actors working today. Every line he deliveries hits beautifully. It’s his charisma (as well as the beautiful water park set) that brings Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s coming of age dramedy about adolescence and Water Parks to the top of so many other critics “Best of” lists this year. There was only one film that I believe captured the excitement of a great summer better…
3. Room 237 – When it played festivals last year this was the film I heard about in every podcast and festival summary. I could not wait to finally get around to seeing it. FINALLY it was available on DVD and it lived up to every single bat-shit crazy fan theory I was promised and more! The movie presentation is fairly simple. Footage from The Shining, random stock footage and voice over. It’s not a visually interesting film (although when they point out the source of people’s insanity it can sometimes be hilarious) the real star is the unseen narration. Every person is nothing short of crazy and I love them for it.
4. Monsters University – You gotta love how frequently Pixar writes movies like The Incredibles and Monsters University where their basic message are things like “Not everyone is special” and “Kids sometimes your dreams just don’t work out”. Beyond the fact the Pixar’s latest film dishes out some hard reality to its intended audiences, it’s also hilarious. Packed with fantastic voice acting, a great story and solid comedy Monster University turned into an enjoyable animated version of Revenge of the Nerds.
5. The First Time – My cowriter and I love the movie In the Land of Women. So the second writer/director Jon Kasdan’s follow up film came out we immediately watched it. Technically the film is from 2012 but since it was not available outside a few festivals screenings until this year I’m giving myself approval to include it (thank you me). It’s a charming little rom-com about high schoolers. I’m fairly confident that he and I are the only men in the world who love this movie as much as we do (much like our love of In the Land of Women) so I’m not even going to try to explain my insanity to you. I will say that after watching this movie with him, I watched it three more times alone and we began working on a script inspired by a conversation the movie started between us. So Jon Kasdan if you’re reading this thank you, and also please appear on my podcast (www.thesaintmortshow.com)
6. Maniac – I went into this with high expectations. Everyone was calling it the best horror movie of 2013. I was already pretty impressed by American Mary and Evil Dead but the fine people at r/horror were right (obligatory shout out to my Reddit peeps). This is what horror movie remakes should be. Franck Khalfoun, Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur took an infamous but pretty forgettable horror film from the 80’s and put a fresh vision on it to create a bizarre but fantastic viewing experience. I’m sure you’ve already read somewhere about how the film is shoot entirely from the serial killers perspective, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this going in but ended up loving the eerie effect it caused. Casting the otherwise lovable Elijah Wood as an uncontrollable killing machine also helps to drive home the message of never knowing the true person behind the mask.
7. Dear Mr. Watterson – One could argue that I’m slightly bias here as the director has appeared on my podcast. Some may even say this is another classic Matt Kelly way of plugging his podcast in a different article and while I’m certainly going to do that (click here and check out my interview) this documentary was a genuine delight. Joel Allen Schroeder appropriately captures the joy this comic strip has brought to countless people. The highlight of the film is the telling of Bill Watterson’s infamous anti-advertising speech from the perspectives of his peers who experienced it live.
8. Before Midnight – I still don’t quite know how I feel about Before Midnight. For that reason it has earned its place on my top 10. No film has felt as real as part 3 of Richard Linklater’s series of relationship analysis. If you’re a fan of the previous installments than you have learned to love Jesse and Celine. Until this point you’ve seen them strictly as people madly in love and constantly flirty. Before Midnight allows us to see those moments when even a perfect couple hits a rocky patch. As the film neared it’s end I remember feeling my heart hurting thinking ‘Please, it can’t end this way’. It’s an emotional roller-coaster unlike any other.
9. Inside Jaws – When I first heard about Inside Jaws I just assumed it was a documentary in the same vein as The Shark is Still Working. I was very wrong. Jamie Benning has compiled and created the ultimate viewing experience for not just Jaws fans but film fans. The movie works as a commentary track to Jaws compiled of interview clips over the years with people involved with Jaws as well a few interviews Benning conducted himself. Also included are outtakes, deleted scenes edited back into the movie and a few moments of instant replay to point out things you may have NEVER noticed before. I did not expect to stay awake until 3am watching it but I loved every second of it.
10. The World’s End – I genuinely thought this would be my number one film of the year. I was such a huge fan of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz that I could not wait to see the final pieces of their genre parody trilogy. I left the theater feeling indifferent. I didn’t hate it, but I certainly didn’t love it. I can honestly say that it was not going to be in my top 10 until I watched it last week for a second time. In typical Edgar Wright fashion, this is a grower. The second round I caught the fantastic foreshadowing that Wright has made himself known for. I wouldn’t be shocked if a few years from now this has climbed it’s way into my top 5 of 2013 in a retroactive article.
Top 10 Movies I didn’t seen in 2013 but hear are quite good and right up my alley: John Dies At the End, Spring Breakers, Downloaded, You’re Next, Bad Milo, Frozen, Saving Mr. Banks, Gravity, The Spectacular Now, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Derek Kraneveldt
My top five films for this year are not necessarily the best movies around, but simply the films that I enjoyed the most. That’s why you’ll see Pacific Rim in my top 5; not because it’s the best, but because it’s freaking awesome. Here goes:
1. Gravity – This is a film that you need to see in theatres if possible (it’s still playing all over the place, so get on it). Alfonso Caurón’s previous film Children of Men, in all of its post-apocalyptic, depressing as hell, incredibly shot glory remains one of my favourite films of all time, and Gravity sits right up there with it. Gravity is so believable that a reporter even asked the director what it was like to film in space. It’s the best 3D that has ever been released, and the only 3D film that has ever made me feel sick to my stomach (seemingly deliberately). There really isn’t anything not to love about Gravity, and its incredible cinematography and impossibly long takes are likely to leave you just as breathless as Ryan Stone is throughout the film.
2. Rush – I’m not a racing fan. I don’t even like sports. That being said, there were multiple moments throughout my first viewing of Ron Howard’s Rush that I though to myself “maybe I should start watching Formula One.” The film tells the incredible tale of the 1970’s rivalry of racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, and it may just be one of the best sports films that I’ve ever seen. Superbly directed, acted, written, and edited, Rush should not be passed up by anyone.
3. Pacific Rim – I saw Pacific Rim more than a few times in theatres. It’s far and away from the best film to release this year, and it had more than its fair share of problems, but it was so freaking bad-ass that I didn’t care. This is Power Rangers for adults in an unbelievably realized apocalyptic world, it’s easily the most fun that I had in a theatre this year, and it had me repeating Idris Elba’s epic speech for weeks. Pacific Rim all but bombed in North America, so I desperately hope that its stellar overseas performance leads to a sequel being greenlit.
4. Prisoners – In a year of unbelievably intense and terrifying films, Prisoners may just take the cake. The film follows the investigation of the kidnapping of two young girls, focussing in on both the police officer charged with the case, and the parents dealing with everyone’s worst nightmare. Prisoners may have a few too many red herring moments, but the intensity of the plot and especially the performances (Hugh Jackman’s definitely being the standout) more than made up for them. If you’re a parent, I could easily see Prisoners being your top horror film of 2013.
5. The Kings of Summer – This is a film that I had never heard of until just a few weeks back (thanks, dad). Simply put, The Kings of Summer is a coming-of-age drama/comedy that takes you right back to being a 15 year old kid, debating whether or not to run away from home because your parents suck and you’re smarter than everyone else. The movie is hilarious (Bellagio could easily star in his own spinoff), touching, nostalgic, and heartbreaking, all at the same time.