Top 20 Movies of 2013

Here is my "Top 20 Movies of 2013" list. This list is as of the date this entry was posted and has probably changed if you are reading this much later. I barely got out to the movies at all this year, but I've seen enough to make this list relevant. In my opinion, 2013 is one of the better years for cinema that we've had in a while and there's still much more that I want to see. As always, this is only my opinion.

#20 Saving Mr. Banks - When I was a kid, Mary Poppins was one of about a dozen Disney VHS tapes that I owned. I loved that movie and am surprised that I never wore out the tape from playing and rewinding so much. When I found out late last year that they were making a movie based on Walt Disney trying to get the rights to P.L. Travers' unusual nanny, I immediately got excited. After all, many Mouse fans did not believe that we would see a Disney film based on any part of Walt's life in our own lifetime. Now, I should warn you that Saving Mr. Banks completely dramatizes the true story of Travers travels to Disney's studios, but it's necessary to tell the story it wants to tell. Not only that, but it continues to grow Disney's heart. They probably just hope that you don't look up how Travers really felt about the film.

#19 Computer Chess - Computer Chess is unlike any other film I've seen. It's an indie film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski, who is known in the indie circuit for his 16mm indie features like Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation, and Beeswax. For Computer Chess, Bujalski decided to go analog and used an old Sony AVC-3260 video camera to film the movie. The story is about a chess tournament held over a weekend at a no-name local hotel that pits man and machine against man and/or machine. The movie starts out very normal, but as you meet other things like a New Age encounter group, cats, and a prostitute, things get weird. I found myself laughing quite a bit at the movie, and I just know that if any of the characters could hear me, they would have stopped what they were doing, turned their faces towards me, and given me a stern look.

#18 Star Trek Into Darkness - I'm always skeptical about sequels and I was worried that Star Trek 2 was going to disappoint me somehow. I'm glad I was wrong as this was one of the most action-packed films of the year. I liked it just as much as the first film as it feels like the action and peril never stops. Benedict Cumberbatch joins the cast as Khan (Oh, come on! I'm not spoiling anything! Even J.J. Abrams says that he regrets keeping Cumberbatch's character a secret.), and brings a whole new sense of fear and hopelessness to this universe of Star Trek lore. This movie makes me very hopeful for what is to come in Abrams' Star Wars Episode VII.

#17 Stories We Tell - Stories We Tell is a "documentary" about two different things. For one, it's an incredible personal story about discovering one's true identity, and I don't mean that figuratively. The other part reveals this "documentary" as a study on how people tell stories and how people can have differing views on how things occurred. I totally buy into the first part of the film, and I'm quite turned off by the second part. I know I've heard a similar story to Sarah Polley's before on This American Life, but I don't remember what episode it was on. Either way, they're both enthralling tales, and had the movie just ended after the big reveal, Stories We Tell would have made it further up on my list. However, for whatever reason, Polley takes the movie deeper than it needed to go.

#16 12 Years a Slave - Let me get one thing out of the way before I really dive into 12 Years a Slave. You have to read this. Now, I agree with just about everything that Mr. Douglas says, but I did not boycott myself from the film. It's still wonderfully made, as I've heard most of Steve McQueen's films are (this was my first one). Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance is one of the best of the year (but I'll never forget him as The Operative in Serenity) and I can't really complain about the rest of the cast either. The scenes depicting the brutality of slavery are effective and won't be forgotten by me. One thing I do feel the need to complain about is Hans Zimmer's score. I know it's already all over the Internet, but really, man? The Thin Red Line, Inception, Captain Phillips, and now this all have similar sounding tracks in their music. What gives!? Anyway, this movie does not bring any new ideas to the table when it comes to depicting slavery in America, but it is well-made.

#15 All is Lost - Robert Redford stars as the only human being you see in All is Lost. Because of this, the movie has very little dialogue and relies heavily on Redford's abilities to act. He does an amazing job playing a man whose sail ship isn't holding up so well after a collision with a shipping container. What's so impressive is the production value for such a small movie. You feel the hopelessness that Redford's character feels.

#14 Frances Ha - I know people like Frances. I'm willing to bet everyone my age does. She is the definition of the millennial generation. Grew up relatively privileged, but is now living with roommates while being "broke." Being spontaneous and inventing these overly-ambitions dreams of success. Believing that you don't have to stick to just one thing and that there is possibly something better around the next corner. Star Greta Gerwig is the same age as me and she co-wrote the script with director and boyfriend Noah Baumbach. Because we are likely in the older end of the spectrum for the millennial generation, I think we have a better view and understanding of our peers. I like to think that the choice to film in black and white here was to help the older generations relate to the characters of this film, and I think it worked.

#13 Frozen - I've been patiently waiting for Frozen for a couple years now and it still managed to exceed my expectations. I'm really digging this new era of films that Walt Disney Animation Studios is putting out. It seemed to start with Tangled, then Wreck-It Ralph, and now Frozen. I used to hold my breath for Disney films for a few years there because you just didn't know what you were going to get, but it feels like they've been paying a lot more attention to their stories. Frozen is a great move by the Mouse because it brings two new Disney princesses (more merchandi$e!) to the mix. The romance also doesn't follow the typical cookie cutter shape of previous films involving Disney princesses.

#12 The Bling Ring - Am I really the only one that liked the hell out of this movie? Okay, so it's no Lost in Translation, but nothing will be for Sofia Coppola ever again. What I love about The Bling Ring is how cool it is. The players are cool and the music is cool. Of course it's wrong to steal, but this movie glorifies it just like society glorifies celebrities. Coppola has a way of catching my eye. Every shot in her film interests me and keeps me engaged. Also, did I mention how cool this movie is?

#11 Much Ado About Nothing - I like Joss Whedon when he's not making The Avengers. It is safe to say that I enjoy everything he has done, except for the overrated Marvel film. It's his passion projects that really stand out. These include things like Firefly, Dr. Horrible, and now Much Ado About Nothing. Around season 5 of his Buffy series, he started hosting Shakespeare Sundays at his house in which friends (usually actors) would come over for readings of his plays. Before his 12-day break from post-production of The Avengers, Whedon was exhausted, but instead of relaxing on a beach somewhere, he chose to take the advice of his wife and quickly film Much Ado in their own home with their own money. He said that it revitalized him when he got back to cutting The Avengers. You can see all the heart, time, and love that he put in Much Ado. It probably even made The Avengers watchable for me, but I still don't care for it.

#10 The World's End - I had waited forever to see the final film in the beloved Cornetto Trilogy. The World's End is a great end to a series of films that transcended genres. It all started with Shaun of the Dead inventing zombie romantic comedies since we now have Zombieland and Warm Bodies. Then Hot Fuzz came about to take action comedy to a whole new level. And now The World's End seems to combine apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic sci-fi with drunk buddy comedy. No matter what, Edgar Wright's style is to bring you the unexpected and that's what someone like me is looking for in film.

#9 Inside Llewyn Davis - Inside Llewyn Davis does not feel like a Coen Brothers film. I would be completely convinced if you told me that some no-name indie director made this film as opposed to the siblings behind instant classics like Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country For Old Men. This sort of goes to show what an original film Inside Llewyn Davis is. The character of Llewyn Davis is a struggling folk singer who would probably be better off singing the blues. He is brilliantly performed by Oscar Isaac who actually plays guitar and sings in the film since he's a Juilliard School graduate. With only one exception, each song that he plays was played in full and recorded in one take. Most of the music was written by T-Bone Burnett.

#8 American Hustle - There's a reason why David O. Russell films are always going to be ones to look forward to. The guy makes strong, character-driven pieces that explore family and relationships far better than most other directors can. American Hustle is loosely based on the FBI Abscam operation of the late 1970s and '80s. The best aspect of the film has to be the acting. Russell brought back a bunch of familiar faces that he's worked with before including Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro. Added to the all-star cast were Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, and Michael Peña.

#7 The Spectacular Now - The Spectacular Now is not your typical indie teen coming-of-age film, and that's what separates it apart from other movies this year. The theme feels so much more real and heavy. I don't think I've seen such a natural teen relationship come together before Now. This is such a grown up film with powerful performances by Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley. This all surprised me when I watched the film since the writers were also the guys responsible for the quirky and energetic indie romantic comedy, 500 Days of Summer.

#6 Before Midnight - Seeing as how Before Midnight was being praised by many critics this year, I finally took the plunge and watched the entire trilogy that has taken 18 years to be completed. Obviously, what everyone enjoys about the Before series is the natural, witty dialogue between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Before Midnight feels different from the previous two movies for reasons I cannot explain, but it still captures incredible discussions, but with even more characters. All of the movies have felt like such major passion projects. Had I seen the first movie a long time ago, I have no idea how excited I would be waiting for the new films to come out. This is one of the best trilogies of all-time.

#5 The Act of Killing - I'm typically not one for "documentaries" because I feel like there is always a bias or intention that a director has when deciding to make one. Even if that is true for The Act of Killing, it is still an amazing piece of artwork. Sight & Sound, The A.V. Club, and The Guardian all ranked The Act of Killing at #1 on their top movies list. What happens when you agree to help a gangster who has literally killed over 1,000 people re-enact and film their memories and experiences? This movie will show you. It's powerful, engaging, and sometimes downright sick. Best "documentary" I have seen in years.

#4 Nebraska - I can easily say that Alexander Payne is one of my favorite current directors. Ever since I saw Election, he has not disappointed me. This is the first feature film that Payne has directed in which he did not write (Fun fact: The guy who wrote it used to be on local sketch comedy show Almost Live). Like Frances Ha and Much Ado About Nothing, Nebraska is a black-and-white film used to give you a timeless feel. In a sense, I compare this movie to Sideways because of the road trip factor, but it really stands on its own fantastic merit. The payoff is probably one of the most satisfying in all of Payne's films and I smile every time I think about it.

#3 Upstream Color - The weirdest movie of the year goes to Upstream Color. I cannot even begin to explain what this movie is all about without sounding like a completely crazy person. Deep down, the movie explores relationships and why we might quarrel when we don't really have a solid handle on the reason. Is it our history, our upbringing, cosmic, religious, or a parasite? Why do we view ourselves the way we do? The movie asks so many questions, and you'll be asking way more by the end of the film, but that's what makes it fun. Upstream Color is written by, edited by, scored by, filmed by, produced by, directed by, and starring Shane Carruth, the man behind an equally non-conventional film, Primer. While taking his time, he's proving himself to be one of the most interesting minds in film-making.

#2 The Kings of Summer - I don't recall laughing more in any other movie than The Kings of Summer. It's much more than a coming-of-age drama. This film connected with me for a variety of reasons, but I think it just takes me back to my childhood of exploring the woods, building tree forts, and splashing in creeks. The cinematography, along with Upstream Color's and my #1 film, is some of my favorite of the year. DP Ross Riege used RED Epic cameras to capture some of the most gorgeous moments you'll see on screen. Ryan Miller's soundtrack is incredibly infectious and fitting. Top that with some hilarious performances by Nick Offerman and Moises Arias, and you have my #2 favorite film of 2013.

Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for...





#1 - The Smurfs 2 - Sike!

#1 Gravity - I've had my eye on this film since 2011 because Alfonso Cuarón is my favorite director (you'll find it on my most anticipated lists for both 2012 and 2013). There was nothing that entertained me more than Gravity did this year. The suspense is intense. I'm pretty sure I was clinching all of my muscles and stopped breathing multiple times while watching this film. The cinematography is out of this world. Great use of animation and special effects, as well as clever editing to make some scenes look like long takes -- a Cuarón trademark. The sound effects are award worthy, as is the haunting score that accompanies it. If you were going to watch one movie from 2013, Gravity should be it.

Movies I didn't see that received good reviews: Mud, Short Term 12, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Philomena, Blue Jasmine, Blue is the Warmest Color, Rush, Her, The Wolf of Wall Street.

Past lists:
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005