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

[Ezen Baklattan]

Side note. I saw Blue Jasmine again last night. It probably manages to get ahead of Catching Fire, but what's done is done. 

 

 

25. THE GREAT GATSBY

"Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can."

Let’s go from living in your twenties to the 1920s. I admit that I adore the thematically-rich novel this film is based off of, especially its heartbreaking musings on disillusionment in (then) modern society and the falsification of ones identity to impress others. Baz Lurhman’s film – while a bit too showy rather than deep for its own good – still manages to capture at least most of the magic of the novel. The characters are all well cast, and each actor does a solid job of capturing the essence of these flawed figures on the screen. Elizabeth Debicki is also an impressive new face with a great on-screen personality who I look forward to seeing in more films. Baz Lurhman’s direction does feel a bit awkward at times, especially with club music during the apartment party scene, but he does have quite an eye for visual flair, especially in the grand party scenes that sweep us off our feet. The ending, much like in the book, hits like a shot in the heart, even if the accumulation of the frame story involving Nick’s discussions with a therapist feels a bit tacked on. The Great Gatsby is a faithful – if flawed – adaption of the beloved novel while still providing a spark of its own. 

 

 

24. MUD

"He's not dangerous." / "Sounds like a shitload of state troopers think differently."

In some regards, this is the kind of movie what I was hoping Super 8 would be. Despite the focus on McConaughey, this is ultimately a story about Ellis, a young boy living with his family near the Mississippi river, who embarks on a coming off age journey when he and his friend come across a mysterious fugitive living in a boat, known only as Mud. The film gives a wholly unique adventure that explores both the complicated life of Ellis (who has the rarity of an excellent child performance in Tye Sheridan) and the more troublesome matters that Mud (played sharply by McConaughey, who is having a career turnaround like nothing I’ve ever seen) has to face, including dealing with some other shady “friends.” It really does feel like a modern Mark Twain tale, taking riffs off of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, as well as even a couple coming of age dramas of the 1980s, too. There’s a wonderful charm of adventure and quiet thrills that come along in this film, combining both poignancy and emotion to create a wholly satisfying final product. Jeff Nichols has done something truly special here, and I’m more excited than ever to see what he’ll do next. 

 

 

23. SPRING BREAKERS

"SPRAAANG BREAAAAAK!!!!!!"

Harmony Korine’s insane breakdown of American teen culture and dreams of living the high life take center stage in one of the year’s most gloriously psychotic movies of the year. What starts off as a generic-seeming spring break adventure for a group of young girls gradually turns into a nightmare – or perhaps a fever dream, as they are taken under the wing of a Florida criminal Alien, played by James Franco in a nearly transparent role? I can’t remember the last time any other actor has dissolved into a role like this – he’s truly incredible. Anyways, the story of these girls and Alien seems like it would go into a standard crime route, but it does anything but. While some of them can’t deal with this kind of life, two of them become completely devoured by it, going from simple college girls at the start of the film to masked, bikini-clad murderers who fearlessly shoot up a beach side house full of other low-lifes. The craziest – and most horrifying – part of all of this is that these girls have not just accepted these actions, but they fully embrace it, chanting “Spring break forever!” as the end credits soon take over. Call it a little too self-indulgent at times, but there’s no denying that this is one of the most unique, twisted, and visceral films of the 21^st century. 

 

 

22. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

"I'm the captain now."

Maybe I was just feeling really exhausted when I first saw this, but I feel like if they had cut out about 10 or 15 minutes here, this would have been a bit stronger. Yet despite a few spots of drag, it’s not a lie that this is a truly intense and brilliant picture. Tom Hanks plays the titular protagonist with a mix of both fear and courage as he struggles to find a way out of this situation. Perhaps more impressive is Barkhad Abdi as the leader of the Somali pirates who invade Phillips’s cargo ship. Rather than just paint these characters as straight up bad guys, Greengrass and Ray dive into these characters’ lives to show that they didn’t have much choice but to take a part in this, and we come to feel sorry for him and his friends while simultaneously fearing them. Gopher is absolutely right: another perspective on the film could have painted them as “heroes.” Everything builds up to one of the best endings of the year, which combines unforced sympathy for the pirates – even after what they had done, and Tom Hank’s emotional breakdown after the trauma from everything that he has been though. I wasn’t quite as hyped as others for the film, but the ending delivers truly delivers the goods. Believe the hype.

 

 

21. IN THE HOUSE

"Do you want me to stop?"

One of the more overlooked films of the year is also one of the most fascinating. Based on a French Play, we follow the life of a teen student who plants himself into the life of a seemingly ideal family to write about for school, but as his obsession with the family grows, his stories begin to blur the lines between reality and fiction, and his teacher becomes both concerned and fascinated at the ability of this boy. The film works because it combines a tense, yet subtle thriller that makes a few notes from the works of Alfred Hitchcock, with a smart examination of the beauty – and potential danger- in the art of storytelling when combined so deeply with real life, even boasting a hint of satire about the definition of a normal family, something that the student is determined to dive into, considering the troubles with his own. The second act isn’t quite as strong, due to a series of mildly underdeveloped moments that feel a bit out of place, but for this most part, this is a sly and incredibly engaging mix of psychological drama, dark comedy, satire, and commentary, not to mention one of the most original stories in recent memory. 

Edited January 23, 2014 by Spaghetti

[tawasal]

Great list Spaghetti and I have seen almost 90% of those on your list. 

[tawasal]

Continue the awesome job Spaghetti, I can't wait to see the rest and maybe if there are some movies I haven't seen in your top 20 I wanna find them and watch them ASAP. 

[Ezen Baklattan]

Thanks, tawasal!

[4815162342]

Look at me...LOOK at me.I'm da listmaker now.

[lab276]

A master list wouldn't go amiss.

[baumer]

A master list wouldn't go amiss.

 

Too much work.

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

 

20. RUSH

"A wise man can learn more from his enemies than a fool from his friends."

Rush is one of those movies – and one of the many that came out this year - that you just watch and afterwards, think to yourself, “Damn, that was pretty freaking great.” The beauty of Rush is that in its study of the famous British F1 racer James Hunt and his new coming rival from Austria – Niki Lauda, is that each character is given a powerful and varied story. You’re constantly jumping back and forth between who to root for, and in the end, you realize that the movie isn’t making you choose one over the other. Both Hunt and Lauda have moments where they truly shine, as well as moments when they’re not as good people, no doubt thanks to Hemsworth and especially Bruhl’s fantastic performances. Also worth mentioning is Ron Howard’s incredible direction. The race scenes are exhilarating to watch, especially on the big screen, with gorgeous cinematography capturing every intense moment from a variety of awesome angles, masterful sound design criminally snubbed at the Oscars, and sharp editing both on and off the track. A lesser director could have let this fall into mediocrity, but Howard knows how to keep the story and the races strong, creating one of the most criminally overlooked gems of 2013. 

 

 

19. STORIES WE TELL

"It's only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all, when you're telling it to yourself or someone else."

Sarah Polley’s transcendent pet project in exploring the life of her late mother begins to take a turn for the interesting when different perspectives from different family members gradually pour into the scene in one of the most astounding documentaries of recent memory. It’s a funny how Stories We Tell plays a bit like a suspenseful thriller – with each scene changing what you know, sometimes asserting that what you had seen prior was false, about the mystery of this woman’s life, as well as a bigger question of who fathered Sarah that takes a large part of the film, yet the film always feels warm, low-key, and authentic thanks to Sarah Polley’s exploration of her own family. A bit like In The House, this is another movie that explores the nature of storytelling and its potential disconnect from reality, but instead of discussing the development of compelling stories, the film dives into the significance of truly knowing the stories of family, and her investigation brings together her family, even despite the possible divides that her findings could have created. Polley succeeds in creating a well-crafted, beautiful, and meaningful look into the ties of family, truth, and stories, and the result turns out to be one something unlike anythine I have seen before in film. 

 

 

 

18. BIG BAD WOLVES

"Some men are created evil."

A nightmare becomes reality in this Tarantino-esque (Note that this is Tarantino’s favorite movie of last year) Israeli thriller, in which a team of three vigilantes, led by a scornful father whose daughter has gone missing, torture the alleged child molester who may or may not have been responsible for what happened to her, but was still released by the police on a technicality. Big Bad Wolves is simultaneously entertaining and horrifying cinema, squeezing a great deal of extremely dark humor out of its highly sensitive premise, supplementing to a greatly melancholy and horrifying mood for the film. The ensemble of men is riveting, especially the father and the alleged child molester, who seems to be an innocent school teacher despite the allegations that has ruined his life and his career, but might there be something beneath that? The torture scenes show no mercy, displaying some graphic punishment that will leave you squirming in your seat, yet it’s so well done that you can’t look away, no matter how hard you try. The plot is fairly simple, but the film specializes in its black-as-night comedy and its wicked sense of sadism, including a title-implied satirization of fairy tale characters as wicked beings, and it’ll leave you shaken to the core in the most entertaining way possible. It doesn't get more messed up than this. 

 

 

 

17. YOU’RE NEXT

“I want you to fuck me next to your dead mom.”

I so regret not seeing this with a gigantic crowd – but this movie still kicks all kind of ass no matter how you watch it. It combines horror, suspense, and brutality in ways that no one has tried before, and as the three masked assassins hunt down this bickering upper-middle class family, you won’t want to miss a moment of it. The highlight of the film is not the effective, suspense building horror, but also its perveted sense of humor, from subtlety clever dialogue (Joe Swanberg talking about commercials as art) to riotously deadpan (see the quote above) to gloriously dark and twisted (pretty much most of the killings, which will both shock you and make you laugh or cheer hysterically, more often than not it’s actually all three. This also has one of the best Chekov’s Gun moments I’ve ever seen.) Sharni Vinson steals the show as the guest of the family, who fights back against the assassins without a hint of mercy, making her one of my favorite horror movie heroines ever. Many people wrote it off as a generic horror piece because, frankly, that’s how the marketing made it out to be, but at the same time, the surprise of the latter is offputting in the best possible way. Adam Wingard’s capability with both horror and humor shine, as well as his impeccable ability to twist our expectations and leave us guessing as to what will come next until the final frame, carrying the film to awesome and unexpected heights.

 

 

16. NEBRASKA

"Does he have alzheimer's?" / "No, he just believes what people tell him."

One of this year’s best ensembles can be found in the warm family dramedy Nebraska, a tale of growing old, family troubles, dealing with reality, and more. Bob Nelson’s wonderful script combines both a dash of great wit, strong character development, and several memorable moments. There’s a couple scenes in this movie where the characters all watch TV together and the camera fixes all of them as they watch (looking right at the camera) and sometimes go off on amusing side conversations, which are some of my favorite parts of the movie. Bruce Dern is fantastic as the stubborn Woody, determined to get his million dollars that probably came from a scamming contest, giving his role determination and a sharp personality against the other critical members of his family, especially his wife, played in a brilliant performance from June Squibb. Perhaps more overlooked is Will Forte as his son, who tries to support him and prevent him from getting into more trouble than what was necessary, trying to help his father live out this fantasy and prevent others from taking the joy that he does have from him. These characters, and the many others in the ensemble, all have moments to shine, but they still maintain a sense of nuance as they try to navigate their own troubles in life, all while reacting to Woody’s trip to find his fortune. The warm, homely feel of the movie, mixed with a surprisingly rich as growing old, solidifies this film as something truly special. 

[baumer]

Spaghetti, I had no idea you could write this well.  I'm kind of blown away at your reviews here.  You articulate everything so well.  Very nicely done.  

[Ezen Baklattan]

Thanks! I'm serious, it means a lot to me.

[baumer]

You're welcome.

 

BTW, what was the Chekov's Gun moment?  Was it the hammer booby trap that the cop walks into at the end of the movie?

[Ezen Baklattan]

Yep. 

[baumer]

That's a brilliant observation by you.  I had to look up the term.  I like it.

 

I also thought that trap was an homage to the original Nightmare on Elm Street (which funny enough I'm putting on in about 10 minutes).  Nancy sets that up for Freddy as well, and nails him with it when she pulls him out of her dream.

[Ezen Baklattan]

There's a lot of love for classic horror in You're Next. I expected to like it, but it was even crazier than I could have imagined. 

[Jack Nevada]

Ah yes, 2013. A year that started out weak but only got better and better as it went along. The year before, 2012, is widely considered one of the best years in film, and I don't disagree with that. But I'm going to go ahead that the stuff from 2013 was even better. 

 

As you can see from the title I'm bitching out and only doing 25 movies instead of 100 or 50, but these 25 movies I'm about to write about are about as good as it gets. Also the smaller amount of movies means I can be more in depth about each title. 

 

But, I see that Spaghetti is still working hard on his stuff so I'll wait for him to finish his write up. 

 

PS. I'm only including movies that got an American theatrical release, which means I had to leave out a few great ones like Filth, We Are The Best! and Behind the Candelabra.

 

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

15. A THOUSAND TIMES GOODNIGHT

"She is given an ultimatum: Her work or her family. The choice seems obvious."

This Norwegian (but English Language) didn’t quite have a full release here yet, but when it does, prepare thyself for one of the most powerful dramas I’ve seen in years. Juliette Binoche plays a mother who works as a global photographer, frequently exploring turbulent and dangerous actions and scenes in the world. After being injured by a suicide bombing she was trying to photograph, she soon finds herself having to choose between her profession and her family. The film amazes thanks to its effective, but not overbearing, performances from Binoche and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays her husband. They both work together to create an effective family dymanic, with scenes of both the joys of parenthood mixed in with the somberness of the stress that Binoche’s job places on both them and herself. There’s an incredible scene during the second act where Binoche and her daughter are taking pictures of an African village, and what follows a few minutes after a peaceful encounter strengthens this divide in a fearful and devastating manner. The film prevents itself from going overboard and sappy, opting not to go for a cop out happy ending that might have been expected of such a story, but instead giving us what might be one of the best final scenes of the year in a way that’s anything but predictable. It’s a wholly original and beautifully crafted (thanks to the wonderful direction of Erik Poppe) tale that surprised me on every single level.

 

 

14. THE ACT OF KILLING

"In my dreams they have threatening voices. They're like ghosts who hate me...they laugh, but frighteningly."

You know the quote, "History is written by the victors"? This film explores what happens when the victors are evil. The Act of Killing is, in some ways, one of the most terrifying films I’ve ever seen, yet it’s not exactly a horror film. In what might be one of the most shocking, surreal, and amazing documentaries to hit the big screen in recent memory, the legacy of a horrific genocide in Indonesia during the 1960s is explored by the re-creation of these killings – by the men responsible – in the style of classic movies. In what might be a bizarre and potentially crude experiment, what we get instead is something none of us could have expected. These killers are accepted as heroes in the country, and crime lords and murderers are celebrated by the youth there almost like teeny-bopper pop stars here, with children cheering enthusiastically as they see a squad leader riding down the street in a car.  The scene with a talk show with some of these killers is particularly disturbing. You’ll find yourself desperately hoping that none of this is real, but through the film’s artificiality in its perverted deconstruction of these killings, the reality ironically enters the spotlight, and this gaze into a horrific real life occurrence that reveals the darker side of humanity, will leave you quickly ready to put on a Disney movie. If by the time the movie ends, you’re not cowering in the corner of your room, you can’t have been paying attention to the film.

 

 

13. STOKER

"Personally speaking, I can't wait to watch life tear you apart."

Park Chan-wook’s masterful direction delivers one of the most underrated and brilliant movies I’ve seen all year. Wentworth Miller’s script provides reasonable grounds for a decent story involving a family murder, but it pretty much lets Park cast his magic on the scren, and boy does it shine. It’s almost a bit like Drive, with a decent script that’s primarily carried by powerful direction. The chilling and brooding atmosphere of the film, (something that even Alfred Hitchcock would be impressed with, and his influence is all over Stoker) as well as India Stoker’s growing fondness for her uncle and the tensions that have persisted between her and her mother, Evelyn, creates a gaze into a horrifying abyss of the dark side of this family. The trifecta of performances from Kidman, Goode, and Waskiwonttrytospellhername, art direction, music, editing, and especially the wholly artistic cinematography – everything in this film is in near perfect condition to help tell this story. To help this story go farther than it ever could have possibly gone. As far as explorations of mood and style go, few films can match the control and darkness that Park Chan-wook creates in his first English language film, and while sporting a fairly simple plot, it still manages to creep you out and keep you entranced for long after you leave the theater, not just after an episode between India and a police offer that ends the film of a frightening note. 

 

 

12. BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR

"You don't love me anymore?"

Insert any jokes about this being pure Cannes fodder, being a 3-hour NC-17 French drama about young lesbians, but this really is an incredible film. In spite of it’s lengthy run time, it really just tells the tale of a relationship between a young and sexually uncertain teenage girl, Adele, as she falls in love with an older, more confident art student Emma, who is the kind of person that Adele longs to be. Because of this, we truly dive into the psyches of these characters, who are given such great credibility and emotion thanks to the performances of Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux, and I kept engaged for the entire run time.  (Ironically, the controversial sex scenes felt the most forced, even if they serve purpose in the film) film feels realistic in its depiction of young love, not shying away from the joy, confusion, and frustration it can bring. A particular scene in the heart of the final half is especially painful, showing where Adele’s complicated emotions leads to her relationship a near halt. What follows is not the typical Hollywood ending where everything works out in the end, as Adele continues to live in conclusion, yet in some ways, this was the best and most satisfying for the film to end, as it shows that she is really growing up and learning more about her life, and who she is as a person, as she goes along. In this manner, it’s one of the best coming of age stories of the decade so far.

 

 

11. 12 YEARS A SLAVE

"You will not live to see another day!"

Have you ever left a movie feeling just amazed at how damn great everything about it was? How about a movie that has you leaving the theater feeling devastated and shaken? 12 Years A Slave fits the criteria for both of these movies. Steve McQueen, Chiwetel Eijiofor, and John Ridley worked together to create a deep and unflinching look into slavery that no film has gone before. We’ve seen this kind of topic in film before, but no film goes so far in depicting the sheer brutality of it all as 12 Years does. Nearly all of the people he meets on his journey is either a fellow victim, including the excellent Lupita Nyong’O as a slave named Patsy, an often ruthless participant in the slavery system, or....Brad Pitt, in one of the movie’s weakest moments. Either way, the emotion in this film comes off as emotionally powerful without becoming overly manipulative, and the journey that we watch unfold is both gripping and shocking. In one way, it almost fits in with Gravity and All Is Lost as a survival drama on the perseverance of the human spirit even amidst surroundings of adversity, which is ironically brought up by other humans. Consider the fact that this missed out on my top 10 of the year to be a testament to just how damn great this year was for film. 

[tawasal]

Yay! for BLUE. It deserves to be in the top 10. 

[Ezen Baklattan]

Surprise! Three more!

 

 

10. FROZEN

"Don't let them in, don't let them see, be the good girl, you always had to be..."

I’ve never been more confident and excited in the future of Disney. Even beyond the exciting story, show-stopping and clever musical numbers, and wonderful characters, there’s a true magic to Frozen. It serves as a celebration of Renaissance Disney in some aspects, including the Menken-esque wonder and excitement in “For the First Time in Forever” and the charming sidekicks met along the way, specifically the adorable Sven and the hilarious Olaf. At the same time, the film crafts itself to create a new, progressive, and wholly unique identity for itself. We have a sarcastic Ice seller who isn’t quite smitten at first with our heroic princess, who herself isn’t exactly the most dainty character out there, yet Anna & Kristoff become more human and relatable by the fact that they’re “fixer uppers”, although they do have good hearts. The twist played on with the stereotypical Prince Charming character is also completely unexpected and actually brilliant. The heart of this movie, however, is the powerful relationship between the heroic Anna and her older sister, Elsa. She might be one of Disney’s most well written characters, closing the doors to those around her in fear of hurting others and oppression, having grown up in an environment of fear rather than love. The way this movie paints love not as something between a handsome prince and princess, but rather a bond between two sisters, and something that can change us for the better, is executed in a beautiful manner. Frozen is something truly special in Disney’s hall of fame in film, and the result is a fully entertaining, dazzling, and cathartic experience. 

 

 

9. GRAVITY

"Don't be anxious. Anxiety is bad for the heart."

Alfonso Cuaron’s long and difficult journey to bring this tale of outer space isolation to the big screen, including the perfection of visual effects technology and a series of casting decisions, was absolutely worth it. Gravity is the exact reason of what makes movie going both exciting and resonant to our worlds. Sandra Bullock and, to a lesser extent, George Clooney, help to dive into powerful characters that we become closely involved with from the beginning, and when Murphy’s Law begins to take hold of their situation, it becomes a fight for survival and a story of developing the will to live. Ryan Stone tries desperately to find a way to safety, and with her oxygen depleting, the stakes are raised to a terrifying, but not superficial, level. As things begin to worsen, she regains her will to live, even with no one on Earth to return to after the death of her child, and the final scene in the lake feels like the ending that everyone involved – the characters, the filmmakers, and the audience – deserve. Regardless of whether you thought Stone would live to tell this story, you’re stuck on the edge of your seat. You’ll be holding your breath until the final title card appears, and you’ll still be breathing heavily as you leave the auditorium. With a wholly gripping and perfectly designed “mise en scene” thanks to the ambition of Cuaron, as well as a story that goes beyond genre tropes and searches for something deeply human, it becomes clear that Gravity is something truly special. It’s a cinematic roller coaster ride in the best kind of way.

 

 

8. ALL IS LOST

“.....fuck!!!!!”

In what has been considered by many to be something of a companion piece to Gravity, All Is Lost is another existential survival drama, but instead of two people stranded in outer space, Robert Redford, playing an unnamed and mostly silent man, is all alone as he struggles to find safety after his boat strikes a cargo ship full of cheaply made sneakers. Both Robert Redford, giving a beautiful physical performance, and J.C. Chandor give incredible power to the film, dealing with the strong sense of melancholy, desperation, and gradual hopelessness by creating a strong sense of subtlety yet power in creating atmosphere. There’s also great deal of visual imagery that clues us into the life of this character. We get so little information about him, not even a name, but if we look closely, Chandor’s direction and Redford’s performance reveal so much about the character without even saying a word. Thinking back to the comparisons with Gravity, there’s also an emphasis on the power of the human spirit, in spite of this film’s greater fear and nuance, and the settings (specifically ships, both in space and on sea) around both Ryan Stone and “our man” act as sanctuaries to the protagonists against an atmosphere that acts as the antagonists. I don’t like the idea of choosing one over the other, because both are ultimately masterpieces that shine in their own ways, so the fact that I ranked this over Gravity is just indicative of my slight preference for this film. Both are absolute testaments to the power of cinema.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Spaghetti

[baumer]

Is Act of Killing on HV now?  I really need to see it.

[tawasal]

I am going to watch ALL IS LOST tonight.