Count Down 100 Movies from 2013 (Multiple users) Tele page 20

[Films]

Great job Baumer. Im going to start my top 60 in a couple of days (maybe tomorrow or tonight) can i go next

[baumer]

Open a new thread.  Same title.

[Ezen Baklattan]

I might do a countdown of 50.

[Michael Gary Scott]

I will end up 90-95 movies after this week but doing a countdown seems daunting

[baumer]

Well whoever starts one up first...

[Ezen Baklattan]

I might start tomorrow at the earliest.

[Films]

im going to start mine now

[Gopher]

Great job Baumer I have some movies to see.So both you and Gopher said WoWS is Martin Scorsese dropping the mic. Would that mean STiD and Free Birds, the 100th films on your lists are cinematic equivalent of Fredo fumbling for his gun?

HOW DARE YOU. FREE BIRDS IS A GODAMNED TREASURE.Sorry, I get defensive when someone is mean to my precious Free Birds.

[Films]

HOW DARE YOU. FREE BIRDS IS A GODAMNED TREASURE.Sorry, I get defensive when someone is mean to my precious Free Birds.

 

Well if you hate people being mean to free birds, just wait to my review in my countdown coming up very soon

[Ezen Baklattan]

I'll start a top 50 after Films. 

[DAR]

I saw A Place Beyond the Pines the other day, so I think that puts me at 20 films

[The Futurist]

Baumer, do you like going to the movies ?

 

 

Well done, mate.

[baumer]

Yep, I like to take in the occasional film.

[Ezen Baklattan]

I'll start tonight, after I see August: Osage County, which may or may not end up making my list.

[baumer]

Films is doing his right now, perhaps you could start writing yours, Spaghetti, but wait to post it until he is done with his.  

 

Sounds good as Films is going to be a while doing his.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Christmas baumer

[Ezen Baklattan]

Yeah, I got the message from Films. 

Edited January 18, 2014 by Spaghetti

[tawasal]

I'll start tonight, after I see August: Osage County, which may or may not end up making my list.

 

It's awful movie.

[Ezen Baklattan]

I know, it's not a hundred, but I've only seen around 70 films this year, but I might give this a shot anyway with fifty films. I know Gopher and Baumer already gave great lists, and mine probably won't be quite as interesting (or maybe even well written.  ) but I figure it's worth a shot. A few notes before I start.

 

1. HOLY CRAP. This was an incredible year for movies. Everything in this list is at least a 7/10 on my grading scale, and there's more than a few 10/10s. I love what a unique array of films we've gotten, and it really does give me hope for the future of Hollywood. And interestingly enough, a lot of the best movies weren't even films that are going all out for oscars, although many contenders were very good. Some cynics say that Hollywood is artistically bankrupt, but I think this year begs to differ.

 

2. I will go through five films per day over the course of ten days. 

 

3. I still haven't seen a bunch of films that probably would have shown up on here, most notably FRUITVALE STATION, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES, THE WIND RISES, and HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS.

 

4. I've seen a few films that only got festival releases this year, and some may technically be coming out in 2014, but I'm including them here simply for the sake of continuity.

 

With that, I'll get started with my first five in a few minutes.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Spaghetti

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

50. AMERICAN HUSTLE

"Sometimes, all you have in life are fucked-up, poisonous choices."

This is a strange film, but not in terms of subject matter, although what did go down with the ABSCAM crisis of the late 70s was quite crazy. Rather, the film feels like a collection of really great scenes with great actors, but the thread connecting everything is too uneven for the film to fully work. In other words, these are really interesting (and occasionally hilarious) characters, but the plot that unites them all feels weak, and its emphasized so much that we aren’t given enough to really give a damn about what they were going through, or if they would make it out. David O. Russel truly is better at directing actors and characters than he is at stories, but fortunately, this means that the cast is actually pretty good. Amy Adams shines above the rest as Christian Bale’s (who was also excellent) clever, seductive, and foxy mistress and co-con artist. Few actresses have the range that she does. Louis C.K. and Jeremy Renner are also strong with their smaller roles. Jennifer Lawrence had a few good moments, including a riotous scene with a “science oven,” but I can’t shake the feeling that she seems miscast. Someone like Alison Brie would have been perfect for the role, but Lawrence is honestly too young for the part, in my opinion. For all of the strengths that the film has, it ultimately feels slight and far from what I had hoped for at the beginning of the year.

 

 

49. FROM UP ON POPPY HILL

"It seems like everyone in the country is eager to get rid of the old and make way for the new."

As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Studio Ghibli. From Up On Poppy Hill continues the trend of the studio’s visual beauty, with its gorgeous and richly detailed setting of 1960s Japan, and a school clubhouse that needs to be saved from bulldozers paving way for the future, or in this case, the 1964 Olympics. This film starts off as a wonderful, if somewhat slight, exploration of nostalgia, focusing on a teenage girl named Umi and a special relationship that blooms between her and Shun as they try to lead their friends in rescuing the clubhouse. If the film had gone into more depth with this story, it could have potentially been in my top 20. The reason it misses the mark, however, is that a lot of the film’s time is given to a certain complication in the relationship, which leads the film to some awkward situations and a bit of dialogue that will leave you shaking your head. But I digress. From Up on Poppy Hill is still strong enough to carry itself through the rough waters it travels through, and it’s certainly one of the more aesthetically pleasing films of the year. It’s a far cry from the studio’s best dramas, but I’ve yet to see a film I dislike from these Japanese masters. (I haven’t seen Tales From Earthsea, so this may change.)

 

 

48. FAST & FURIOUS 6

"Wrong team, bitch."

Mindless action, if done right, can be genuine fun. The sixth installment to this franchise revs things up to insane levels, and it resulted in one of the most delightful summer blockbusters of the 21^st century. Director Justin Lin conjures up some insane setpieces, including a tank chase on the highway and a fight on an airplane, that are wonderfully crafted and simply breathtaking to watch. With a giant crowd in a packed cinema, you really feel so alive with the cheers and the laughs that this movie keeps bringing you. What elevates this film from other mindless action flicks is not the thrills of the setting, but of the characters in these setting. Each protagonist is given a personality and a background that we care for, not to mention how flat out endearing these guys are. I actually cared about their situation, and I wanted them to make it to safety. The last scene of the film, which shows them all uniting safetly over a relaxing barbecue, is one of the most unexpectedly sweet moments of the year. I don’t know how they do it, but this series has a winning formula. Unfortunately, it just won’t be the same after the tragic death of Paul Walker. 

 

 

47. THE CONJURING

"Want to play a game of hide & clap?"

Another film this summer that surprised me deeply from a genre I don’t usually like. Modern horror has mainly just resorted to cheap jump scares and brutal killings, but in James Wan’s summer surprise, he doesn’t go to any of those levels. He creates intense and pants-shitting buildup before landing scares, which make them all the more terrifying. The atmosphere is severely underutilized for horror films nowadays, but the Conjuring runs with it. The music, the setting, the cinematography – everything is conditioned just right to create the ultimate scarefest. The characters of the film also go beyond modern horror standards. We come to genuinely care for these characters and fear for them when things go bump in the night, and by the second act of the film, everything keeps getting worse and worse until the relieving happy ending. The haunted house story has been done before, but James Wan’s smart direction gives the film a perfect environment for the story to unfold.  The only other issue with the film is the plot with the doll, which feels tacked on and doesn’t add much to the story of the family. Either way, prepare for scares like nothing else in this old-fashioned horror delight. 

 

 

46. MONSOON SHOOTOUT

"Here, you might need one."

Chances are you haven’t heard of this film, as it only played at festivals this year, but if it does get near you, it’s certainly worth a look. This Indian noir-thriller (I’m already sold) focuses on a young cop who finds himself pointing a gun at a criminal during a heavy rain storm, and what follows are three scenarios that could play out, each with a unique set of consequences. The film works because our protagonist is a young rookie determined to do good, and his desire to do right drives him to a dilemma of confusion, struggling to make his first hard decision as an officer of the law. The film plays well on noir and crime motifs, as each outcome unravels into distinct and complex situations – none of which involve clean getaways for our hero. The movie plays a bit too on the nose with its themes of choice, and the explorations aren’t as well paced and elaborate as they should have been, as the film only clocks in at 90 minutes. What we do have is still a unique and strong product that plays with style well enough to be worth a look for the curious, and an ending that completely shakes up the set up the film had spent the first 80 minutes building up. It’s a mostly satisfying piece of foreign action-drama.

[CoolioD1]

Oh my god. Alison Brie in American Hustle. Now THAT would've been something else...