There is no denying 2013 was a solid year for film. There were tons of great features and docs that were released and it was even a record year for the box office. That being said, unlike the past few years since I started making these lists, I was going through my list of films that I really liked and couldn’t come up with 10 films that left a serious impact on me. Sure, there were a lot of great films that I liked and would recommend, but I could only think of maybe five or so that left their mark. I’m sure part of the reason was that I had to watch a movie like The Act of Killing over few days because life got in the way and I know that probably would have made the cut if I cranked it out in one shot.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to take a slightly different approach to my Top 10 list of 2013. The list will be 10 of my favorite films from the year but the criteria to make the cut doesn’t mean they were actually the best films of the year. The movie had to captivate me in some way, leave a significant impact or just keep me highly entertained, so yes, this is very subjective and not based on my review scores. The list, no doubt, will tell you about my tastes and in my honorable mentions I’ll include some of the other great films that I really enjoyed from this year (anything between number 6-9 could honestly be shuffled around, it was very hard to choose the order).
Note: I haven’t seen movies like All is Lost, Nebraska, Stories We Tell, or Inside Llewyn Davis yet so that’s why you won’t see them below in case they had a chance of making the cut.
Without further ado, here are my top 10 movies of 2013 starting with the honorable mentions:
Honorable mentions: American Hustle, Before Midnight, Don Jon, This is the End, Fast & Furious 6, You’re Next, It’s a Disaster, The Act of Killing, Lone Survivor, Frozen, Drinking Buddies, The Summit, Trance
10. Her (My review)– Barely beating out any number of the above honorable mentions, thinking back, Her was such a thoughtful and fascinating film about how we humans interact with technology and what our future could actually look like someday. Spike Jonze’s film is highly detailed and thoroughly captivating as Joaquin Phoenix and his operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, build their relationship and try to convince us that this isn’t really that farfetched of an idea, that a relationship can form between a human and a machine. This is a quintessential quality adult film.
9. 12 Years a Slave – Talk about a powerful film. It was hard for me not to argue that this was torture porn disguised as a drama, which is partially true, but Steve McQueen’s telling of Solomon Northup’s loss of freedom and life in slavery is nothing short of powerful and devastating. It’s a reminder of just how bad things were during this time period of American history and outstanding performances by both the leads and supporting cast will make this a frontrunner come Oscar time. I don’t think I’ll ever forget watching this film for the first time.
8. Pain and Gain (My review) – I understand there are a lot of people that don’t like Michael Bay or his style but Pain and Gain is such a different kind of film. The fact that it is a true story is incredible and the fast paced approach that Bay takes to tell both this comedic and rather horrible story is smart and well done. It’s a movie that’s not only well acted but one that shows Michael Bay has the ability to make a quality movie while still managing to entertain audiences for the entire duration of a film. Think of this as a movie as fun as Bad Boys but with a better story.
7. Lesson of the Evil (My review) – There is always one bloody and crazy Asian film that makes my year end list and this year is no different. Leave it to Takashi Miike to make me smile with homicidal joy while I get to watch a teacher go on a rampage and kill his students. What I really loved about the film is that Miike and Hideaki Ito do a great job showing the two drastically different sides of Mr. Hasumi, the teacher, and how his sociopathic nature leads him to massacre hordes of teenagers. It also doesn’t hurt that the movie progressively gets better as time goes on, something I always love in a film.
6. Pacific Rim (My review) – I know Pacific Rim isn’t the best movie, nor is it really a “Top 10” kind of film either, but there is something about giant robots and giant monsters beating the shit out of each other that makes me giggle like a child and that’s what Guillermo del Toro accomplished with his epic action film. All I need to see is the Battle of Hong Kong on repeat with a loud sound system and then hear Idris Elba yelling “today we are cancelling the apocalypse!” to remind me why I love this movie so damn much. To answer your question, yes I am most definitely a fan boy and hope that there is a sequel with less bad dialogue and Charlie Hunnam.
5. The Wolf of Wall Street – Though I never got around to actually reviewing this one, Martin Scorsese’s latest film is a three hour long thrill ride that does nothing but entertain the hell out of the audience. The first two hours of the film move so fast that it feels like a cocaine induced trip, and rightfully so since Jordan Belfort and his crew of stockbrokers take so many drugs you barely have a chance to breathe from their lives of excess. Not only that, the movie is freakin’ hilarious and oddly enough there are very few films that came out in 2013 that will make you laugh more than this one did, which is weird cause it’s a Scorsese film. The final hour slows down considerably but I do think the film does a great job of telling Belfort’s story while not glorifying criminals, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance is very indicative of that. If you haven’t seen it yet you’re missing out on one hell of a good time, just be prepared for tons of drugs, sex, hot woman and the use of the word “fuck” a lot.
4. The Angels’ Share (my review) – A sweet and funny crowd-pleaser that really hit home for me. Ken Loach’s film is all about second chances and finding your path in life even if it means bending some rules to make it happen. What I really enjoyed besides the story was how down to earth, honest and natural the entire film felt, everybody seemed like people I could encounter and they all provided good laughs throughout. This is one of the few films that I will always recommend to people when 2013 is long and gone thanks to its genuine nature.
3. Rush – How could anyone seriously not like Rush? Ron Howard’s biographical action drama is an intense, nail-biting piece of cinema that makes F1 seem like the most intense sport to ever exist, especially when viewed through the lens of a crazy rivalry that ends in inspiring tragedy (is that possible)? Daniel Bruhl gives an incredible performance as Niki Lauda and Chris Hemsworth is equally as good as the playboy James Hunt. Rush never left me bored and was the thrill ride I, and I’m sure many people, wanted it to be.
2. Gravity (my review) – I’m kind of surprised this isn’t going in the number one spot but it’s probably better this way. From a cinematic standpoint, there is nothing that beats Gravity this year. Probably one of the best films you’ll see in IMAX and 3D, Alfonso Cuaron’s space thriller may be light on plot but the way he uses sound is brilliant and the way you literally become immersed in space is bar-none one of the most impressive displays of technology and cinematography in a modern movie that we’ve seen to date (it’s your move James Cameron).
1. Captain Phillips – It wasn’t until recently that I realized this was probably my favorite film of the year. I keep thinking back on Tom Hanks’ performance and how awesome the final 15-20 minutes of the film were and all I can do is smile at the thought of it. The story of Captain Phillips is exciting, intense and truly impressive from a real-life rescue perspective but the way director Paul Greengrass handles and balances the storytelling as well as the riveting action sequences is really where the film thrives and sets it apart from everything else I’ve seen this year. This really was an excellent film that ended up being far better than it I expected it to be and while movies like Before Midnight were terrific, I was much more entertained by the excitement of this story than by the simple conversations of adults.
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