Best of 2013
A list of the films I've seen thus far released in 2013, listed from best to worst. As I see a new film I'll adjust the list. Call it a work in progress and feel free to comment.
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- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsSandra BullockGeorge ClooneyEd HarrisDr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first time on a space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsChiwetel EjioforMichael Kenneth WilliamsMichael FassbenderIn the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsJoaquin PhoenixAmy AdamsScarlett JohanssonIn a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpySeamus Davey-FitzpatrickWe meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsMia WasikowskaNicole KidmanMatthew GoodeAfter India's father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.First film in the English language for master director Chan-Wook Park is a brilliant, slow burning thriller/horror film. A decent story (by actor Wentworth Miller) is masterfully orchestrated with an immense attention for detail and some disturbing imagery. With echoes of Hitchcock, Park has created another great film.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsDaniel BrühlChris HemsworthOlivia WildeThe merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingKristin Scott ThomasVithaya PansringarmJulian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death.After the success of Drive, director Nicolas Winding Refn returned to the more abstract, off putting cinema, that slowly gets under your skin. It's deliberately paced, very well acted (mostly by Kristin Scott Thomas) and quite alienation in it's non-conventional form. Refn finds themes and motifs in asian cinema, as well as his usual favourites like Lynch, Tarkovsky and Scorsese. A gripping, tough, but ultimately rewarding experience.
- DirectorJay OlivaStarsJustin ChambersC. Thomas HowellMichael B. JordanThe Flash finds himself in a war torn alternate timeline and teams up with alternate versions of his fellow heroes to return home and restore the timeline.The Flashpoint Paradox may be more of a The Flash sole outing, than an Justice League film. Most of the action takes place in an alternated time line, so many of the usual heroes are quite different than we're used to see them. None of this matters, because the film is one of the greatest DC animated features, I've ever seen. And they're usually pretty good. Any fan of DC, comics in general and animated features should give this a try.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsOscar IsaacCarey MulliganJohn GoodmanA week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsDaniel RadcliffeJuno TempleMax MinghellaIn the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to find strange horns sprouting from his forehead.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJonah HillMargot RobbieBased on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHugh JackmanJake GyllenhaalViola DavisWhen Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.
- DirectorEvan GoldbergSeth RogenStarsJames FrancoJonah HillSeth RogenSix Los Angeles celebrities are stuck in James Franco's house after a series of devastating events just destroyed the city. Inside, the group not only have to face the apocalypse, but themselves.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsHugh JackmanWill Yun LeeTao OkamotoWolverine comes to Japan to meet an old friend whose life he saved years ago, and gets embroiled in a conspiracy involving yakuza and mutants.This actually caught me a bit by surprise. I knew it would be better than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but I hadn't anticipated such high quality drama without sacrificing the action that's standard in these superhero flicks. Hugh Jackman has never been better as the titular hero and the Japanese setting fits Logan perfectly. Only a couple of things stops the film from being Fox' best X-Men related effort to date, but that may not even be the film's fault, but more a consequence of letting the film be a sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand. Overall it's more adult than most comic book films and the serious drama perfectly fits the complex main character. Now bring on Days of Future Past...
- DirectorFede AlvarezStarsJane LevyShiloh FernandezJessica LucasFive friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods.First of all, like so many of my generation, I have nothing but love for the original Evil Dead trilogy, directed by Sam Raimi. But, unlike many, I've always welcomed remakes, re-imaginations, etc, as it won't take anything away from the original film.
This film hit the blood soaked head of the nail, for me. The general story is better than in the original and you definitely get all the gore and blood splatter you can expect from a film with this title. First time feature director Fede Alvarez goes full retard, gore wise, and it pays of. The practical effects are ace and the pacing and directing all fits the profile. Some standard horror film clichés (annoying characters, stupid decisions, etc.) holds the film from being an all out gore master piece (like Evil Dead II), but the film is very satisfying, and way better than a studio remake of a 30+ year old film had any right to be. - DirectorJon S. BairdStarsJames McAvoyJamie BellEddie MarsanA corrupt, junkie cop with bipolar disorder attempts to manipulate his way through a promotion in order to win back his wife and daughter while also fighting his own inner demons.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsCate BlanchettAlec BaldwinPeter SarsgaardA New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks like a million dollars but isn't bringing money, peace or love.
- DirectorSimon BarrettJason EisenerGareth EvansStarsLawrence Michael LevineKelsy AbbottAdam WingardSearching for a missing student, two private investigators break into his house and find collection of VHS tapes. Viewing the horrific contents of each cassette, they realize there may be dark motives behind the student's disappearance.
- DirectorShane BlackStarsRobert Downey Jr.Guy PearceGwyneth PaltrowWhen Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.The third entry in any film series is always in danger of being repetitive and inferior to earlier entries. That's why it's a very good idea to get someone new to write/direct and give a fresh perspective on the character/universe. Shane Black gets it. This flick is more lightweight and way funnier than previous Marvel-film, and most superhero films in general. Everything but the kitchen sink is thrown in the mix, and one must not pause to think too hard about the logistics of it all. The same twist that many fanboys feel diminished an iconic Iron Man villain, made it ll the more enjoyable for me. As entertaining as they come.
- DirectorDestin Daniel CrettonStarsBrie LarsonFrantz TurnerJohn Gallagher Jr.A 20-something supervising staff member of a residential treatment facility navigates the troubled waters of that world alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend.
- DirectorRichard CurtisStarsDomhnall GleesonRachel McAdamsBill NighyAt the age of 21, Tim discovers he can travel in time and change what happens and has happened in his own life. His decision to make his world a better place by getting a girlfriend turns out not to be as easy as you might think.If anyone knows how to make a modern-day fairy-tale, it's Richard Curtis. The love story alone would make this a great flick, but combined with a twist of sci-fi, About Time is a small masterpiece.
- DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsMatthew McConaugheyJennifer GarnerJared LetoIn 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is diagnosed with the disease.
- DirectorNeill BlomkampStarsMatt DamonJodie FosterSharlto CopleyIn the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.
- DirectorChristoffer BoeStarsPilou AsbækNicolas BroJesper ChristensenBased on true events, two notorious and provocative figures of modern Danish history, Spies and Glistrup, provide a radical view on liberty through money, sex and drugs.
- DirectorJustin LinStarsVin DieselPaul WalkerDwayne JohnsonHobbs has Dominic and Brian reassemble their crew to take down a team of mercenaries, but Dominic unexpectedly gets sidetracked with facing his presumed deceased girlfriend, Letty.The series that started as a joke, has grown to be one of the best action franchises ever. Seriously. The first couple of films were all about the cars and the racing, but the last couple of entries has delivered really great action, memorable set pieces, bucket of charm and humour, decent drama (!?) and more ass kicking than most contemporary films. And it's not about to slow down.