I haven't done a blog post in a while.
Let's do that.
Keep in mind this is more of a rambling blog post instead of a formal list.
Despite having missed a number of
important films this past year (12 Years a Slave, Inside Llewyn Davis,
Kill Your Darlings, The Spectacular Now, Trance, the divisive Only
God Forgives, and The Place Beyond the Pines, to name a few,) I saw
more new releases in 2013 than in any other year of my life. Out of
the 37 new releases I saw – about 20 of which I liked – here are
my top ten films of 2013:
10. Spring Breakers
Harmony Korrine's
sunshine-and-kerosine satire was one of the most unique films to come
out this year. Despite being marketed in the vein of party movies
like Project X and The Hangover, Spring Breakers
is a hazy fever dream about materialism and the disillusion of
American youth. The cast shines with ingeniously casted Disney
starlets and James Franco. Franco's performance in particular would
have easily been up for an Oscar in a film more accessible to the
Academy. Although its narrative is relatively weak, Spring Breakers
is a difficult, poignant piece of artwork that left a lasting impact
on me.
9. Evil Dead
I've already said
everything I need to say about this movie. It's a fun, gory romp that
is relentless, stylish, and thoroughly entertaining. You can check
out my review here
8. The Conjuring
A perfect haunted
house film, and one of the best horror films to come out in years. I
honestly don't have much more to say about this movie. It does what
it does, and it does it flawlessly.
7. Gravity
If there were ever
an example of a movie whose end result was greater than the sum of
its individual parts, it's Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity. The fact
of the matter is that the story isn't anything special. A standard
survival movie... In space! The religious themes are awkwardly worked
in, hamfisted, and ultimately unnecessary to the film. The writing's
not anything to get excited about either. To be frank, I could
probably write out more criticisms for Gravity than praises; however,
the cinematography, direction, SFX work, and a strong lead
performance from Sandra Bullock save the movie from mediocrity.
Cuaron created a spectacle. This is almost unquestionably the
prettiest movie that's ever been released. The cinematography took my
breath away a number of times. This is a movie that captures
childhood magic, and makes you ask “how did they do that?”
Despite being generic, the story is told fairly well and with
palpable tension. You're kept on the edge of your seat, temporarily
blinded to all the movie's shortcomings. It's hard to believe that
something that is essentially a 90 minute anxiety attack can be so
fun. This is not a perfect film by any means, and its merits will
decrease greatly during the transition from theater to home media,
but seeing Gravity in 3D in a theater was without a doubt one of the
best rides I took all year.
6. American Hustle
American Hustle
is a fantastic movie. A fantastic movie that didn't strike me in the
way that it struck others. This movie proved to be a year-end darling
that really knocked it out of the park with critics and audiences.
And it's not without reason: the performances are top-notch, the
story is fantastic and unpredictable, and the dialogue is
well-written. However, this one didn't rank higher for me due to the
blandness that I perceived in the direction. David O. Russell knows
how to make a really good movie. A really good, really safe movie.
The direction here is begging for more risk-taking and style, which
Russell never really steps up to the plate for. The direction is very
straightforward, and the style is incredibly lacking in spite of
fantastic costume design.
I do
like David O. Russell's work, but I don't love it. The movies he
makes are excellent, but executed without much risk. Had this movie
been helmed by a different director, or if Russell stepped further
outside of his comfort zone, this probably would have ranked higher
for me.
5. Oldboy
This is one that
isn't going to be making many year-end lists. This is partially due
to the fact that it brought in less than $2 Million at the box
office, so not too many people have seen it. Also, it was widely
panned by critics and audiences alike.
Why is this on my
year-end list again?
Oh right, because
this is a story that I love, told in a way that kept me incredibly
engaged and entertained. The original Korean film is my favorite
movie of all time, so I went in with high expectations, though I
didn't write it off as a “shitty remake” as so many others did
before going in. I went in with an open mind, and came out incredibly
satisfied.
For those who
don't know, Oldboy is the story of a man who is imprisoned in a room
for over decade without any reason known to him. Upon his release, he
is given five days to unravel the mystery of his imprisonment. The
movie is a fast-paced mystery with twists and turns that even kept
me, someone familiar with the story, entertained. It's violent,
twisted, smart, and remarkably entrancing.
Though the film
could have used a bit more fleshing out (almost undeniably due to the
massive cuts Lee had to make to the film,) I loved it. Fantastic
cast. Josh Brolin's Joseph Doucett is a vile man who repents and
seeks revenge with an undeniable fire in his eyes. His performances
in the violent scenes are especially notable – Brolin smashes
everyone who stands in the way of the truth with legitimate
animalistic aggression. Brolin is truly one of the most underrated
actors of our time. Elizabeth Olsen is a fantastic rising star, and,
though her role here was cut down – and therefore less developed -
from what it probably initially was, she played the part as well as
anyone could. Sharlto Copley's antagonistic role, Adrian Pryce,
garnered a lot of criticisms due to the campy, over-the-top nature of
the performance. For such a mentally disturbed yet sophisticated
character, though, I thought it was very fitting. And of course,
Samuel L. Jackson is Samuel L. Jackson, which I enjoy.
The pacing is much
faster than the original, which is fitting for the change in tone.
The movie is more of a noir revenge mystery instead of an existential
horror like the original, and the feel of the movie really reflects
that.
Explaining my love for this movie on a critical level is difficult. I do think the film has more than its fair share of artistic merits, but a full explanation of my feelings would probably come through more clearly in a full review. Which might happen when it hits Blu-Ray.
If you're into
dark mysteries, check this one out. If you don't have a stick up your
ass regarding remakes, you'll probably at least like it.
The original is
better, but Spike Lee's Oldboy is a fine, incredibly
entertaining film nonetheless.
4. Pain & Gain
Had someone
approached me at the beginning of the year and told me that a Michael
Bay movie would be making my top five of the year, I would have
shared a good-natured laugh with them and then proceeded to buy them
a big Pastrami sandwich from the deli down the road because such
comedy must build an appetite. Alas, Bay's Pain & Gain was
one of the most enjoyable movies I watched this year. Easily the most
pleasantly surprised I was all year. This movie is a lost buddy
action gem of the 1990s, injected with a staggering dosage of
new-millennium cynicism and excess. A satire of indulgence, greed,
and “swoll” lifestyle set against the backdrop of a darkly
comedic action crime movie. Never has Bay's direction been more
suited for a film. The bombastic, over-the-top cinematography and
story direction couldn't have been done better (at least in the same
style) by any other director. Michael Bay's juvenile sense of humor
and questionable view of the world are the perfect tools to tell the
stranger-than-fiction story of the real-life Sun Gym Gang. The three
leads are wonderfully written; instead of being portrayed as
anti-heroes, we see these charming, charismatic guys as evil, evil
men who are still likable enough to follow. The story is both
hilariously unbelievable and nauseatingly gruesome. Every
performance is so filled with heart and passion that it's baffling,
especially from Dwayne Johnson. This is a project that everyone
involved was passionate about, and it shows. Wonderful performances,
appropriate direction, eye-catching cinematography, and a ton of fun.
This is one film on the list that I recommend without any hesitation.
Funny, intriguing, and an absolute spectacle.
I can firmly say
that I love a Michael Bay movie, and I don't even care.
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
Most people who
follow film are crying out in agony. Martin Scorsese's divisive
sleaze romp The Wolf of Wall Street being placed on a year-end
list above American Hustle, a film almost universally considered both
by critics and audiences alike to be superior to Wolf? I suppose to
explain this, I have to make a bit of a digression and delve into my
personal tastes.
Though I do like
doing these articles, I'm primarily a writer of poetry and prose. If
you read some of my material, you'll likely be pretty overwhelmed at times by
drugs, sex, and violence. That's what I like to write about. Is it
because I'm childish and those things are cool? I don't think so. I
think that all of these things are good tools to use in art for the
purpose of demonstrating the human experience. Oftentimes in
exploitative media, exploitation is used poorly for shock value and
to appeal to an immature audience. When executed well, though, it
makes for great art.
To sum it up, I
like obscene exploitation when it's executed with craft and meaning.
In this movie, it does have meaning. The excess, greed, and insanity
perfectly paints a picture of an unstable man's downfall. This movie
wasn't just sex and drugs, it was disease. On top of that,
exploitation in movies is simply entertaining to me. I'm the kind of
person who started throwing money in every which way as soon as I
heard that there was a scene in Wolf in which Leonardo DiCaprio blows
cocaine out of a hooker's anus. One thing I admire so strongly about
this film is its honest, graphic depiction of human sexuality. Due to
American squeamishness in terms of sex in media, this is a bold move
by Scorsese that is a unique treat to witness in a mainstream movie
theater.
This would all be
meaningless if the film wasn't good by its own merits. Needless to
say, Scorsese brings his A-game. There's not anything new that I can
say about his directorial work that hasn't already been said. Like
most respectable artists, he takes risks that are sure to polarize
his audience. The pacing, structure, and narration of the film are
all very unconventional and could be offputting, but they worked for
me.
I won't even begin
to delve into the marvelous performance by DiCaprio. It's everything
you'd hope for and more from the ultimate Scorsese/DiCaprio
collaboration.
2. Stoker
This shouldn't
come as a surprise to anyone who either reads this blog or has ever
spoken to me for more than five minutes. Park Chan-Wook is among my
favorite directors, and his English-language debut was almost
everything I'd hoped it would be. Dark, sleazy, and deliciously
Hitchkockian, Stoker flew under the radar when it received a
limited release, but this humble little film is something truly
special. The mystery and performances are good, but what really
sticks out to me about this movie is the unique direction.
I've written a
review for Stoker, you can check it out here if you haven't already.
1. Out of the Furnace
Let's ignore the
Rotten Tomatoes score. Let's ignore the lukewarm reception, poor
box-office performance, and lack of audience buzz. Scott Cooper's Out
of the Furnace was the film I saw this year where the first thing
I said to my viewing companion afterward was “That was the best
thing I've seen all year.” Though I thought this would be dethroned
by latecomers American Hustle and Wolf of Wall Street, my sentiments
are consistent: as a fan of film, there isn't a single new release in
2013 that I enjoyed more than Out of the Furnace.
This is the kind
of movie that opens with a methhead inbred redneck shoving a hot dog
down a woman's throat while at a drive-in. Somehow this is done with
stark seriousness and terror. It's that kind of movie.
A blue collar
tragedy set in the American midwest, Cooper's bleak tale paints a
picture more vivid and human than most films. While the plot may not
be the strongest aspect – though I didn't have as many problems
with it as many critics did – the craftsmanship of the film
constructs such a beautiful piece of art that it utterly blindsided
me. The tone is bleak and honest. The cinematography is breathtaking.
The characters feel so human; there's a scene between Christian Bale
and Zoe Saldana early on in the film that was possibly one of the
most devastating moments put to film. The performances and characters
are so strong that the sparse shortcomings of the plot are more than
redeemed.
No better cast was
compiled for a film this year, and everyone is at their best. Every
bit of Oscar buzz that Bale has gotten thus far for American Hustle
is a waste; Bale's performance in Out of the Furnace is the best of
his career. Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe, Casey Affleck, Forrest
Whitaker, and Zoe Saldana also turn in some of the best work of their
careers. I could write about each individual performance until the
cows come home, but it would be useless. You have to see them to
believe them.
Scott Cooper is
one of the most promising up-and-coming directors around right now.
Keep an eye on him.
Chances are you
haven't seen Out of the Furnace since it only raked in about $9
Million at the domestic box office. If you're reading this, you
should probably get to seeing it... Now.
...
And that concludes my year-end list! If you've read this far, I applaud and thank you. It's a good thing I'm not a major movie critic, or this list would probably get me strung up by my neck.
