Top 5 Films Of 2013
...going to movies felt strange to me in 2013. I went about as often as I normally would or have in the past, but it felt as if a giant hit or colossal miss was nowhere in sight. Amongst the films I saw this past year, the anticipation lie solely in Man Of Steel and there were a few disappointments, but nothing soul crushing. Compared to 2012 that had both The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, 2013 felt a bit muted. Pacific Rim was not quite the masterpiece of B-movie magic I expected, but it was still enjoyable. At the same time, nothing surprised by being a significant amount more moving than expected. Everything just seemed to be good or not. That stated, here are my choices for my 5 favorite film experiences of 2013, plus one alternate and one dud.
* Biggest Disappointment of 2013:
Machete Kills
The trailer for Machete Kills was already lackluster to start. The film-grained grind fest that was the original Machete was looking more like a bad Charles Bronson film from the mid-1980's. Aside from the cleaner effects and resolution set to remove the viewer from the original's grindhouse experience, too many stars were suddenly shoehorned in including Lady Gaga. Essentially, Machete Kills did much of what the original had done, only every bit wrong by comparison. In an attempt to go bigger, Machete Kills feels a lot smaller in its shadow.
* The Wolverine
If you felt the need to dig through my recent posts, you might run across my post on The Wolverine. Having not found a moment for a 2nd viewing, I felt that The Wolverine is a great film encapsulated by an overall good film. There was a very solid attempt at making this a Dark Knight styled character study. The final showdown, while good by normal standards, seemed a bit out of place after such a strong run up to that point. It almost seemed as if they had one concept in mind and then switched gears in the last 20 minutes to appease the core audience. It is a bit of a shame because as a member of the alleged core audience, I really enjoyed the more patient direction the film was headed. Still, The Wolverine is a very noticeable step forward for the comic book film.
5. Trance
There were some weird occurrences with this film for me. In essence, Trance was really just a good thriller that was elevated by yet another striking performance by James McAvoy. It also did not hurt to have a few scenes involving Rosario Dawson being probably as sultry as she's ever been on screen. From what I recall, Trance was basically about con artists conning one another,amidst James McAvoy dealing with memory loss. With a lesser actor in the lead, Trance would have likely been a serviceable film. James McAvoy.....he is good.
4. Iron Man 3
There seems to be an overwhelming amount of people that appreciated the manner in which The Mandarin was handled. On that note, I am somewhat indifferent. It was an interesting twist that made me go "Ahh...I see what you've done." and not much else. My issue with was how poorly Ben Kingsley played the famed villain as if he was in the role of a shopping mall Santa. Thankfully, the script was very tight and Guy Pearce more than lifted the ends that were sagging by Kingsley's awful performance. And when Tony Stark is on screen, he could have battled it out with a shopping mall Santa and I would still be on board.
3. Gravity
Much has been made about the impossibility of the scientific aspects of Gravity. There are some errors for sure. That stated, the manner in which you are instantly thrust into the thick of vast emptiness from the outset is both breathtaking and horrifying. When viewed in 3D, the line between reality and the presentation can blur more than you might think. The visuals have incredible depth and clarity. I imagine the audiences who were experiencing 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1969 felt the same at that time. The story is good enough to keep you invested in the characters throughout, even when their reactions to situations or the situations themselves start to feel cut rate. But those visuals...just incredible.
2. Star Trek Into Darkness
Being very uninitiated into the Star Trek canon thus far, I only have the previous J.J. Abrams film to go from. I have been told that the recent film was more for the masses. This did nothing to circumvent my enjoyment of the first movie. Having watched Star Trek Into Darkness multiple times now, the step forward the current installment of the franchise has taken is on the level of The Dark Knight from Batman Begins. Good as the first one is, Into Darkness is a rich sequel that succeeds on every level. Chris Pine does a masterful job as James T. Kirk, paying respectful homage to William Shatner without either imitating or mocking. Zachary Quinto as Spock is a sight to behold as he takes a relatively emotionless character and transforms him in increments throughout the story. However, Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan steals the entire movie from everyone around him. If you never thought you could feel sympathy for the devil, think again. His use of facial expression, his passion with the dialogue and his menace makes him a top tier villain in any film. I could talk for hours about how much I truly love this entire ensemble. Star Trek Into Darkness is a pitch perfect science fiction treasure.
1. Man Of Steel
I can attest to the fact that in 2013, Man Of Steel was the summer film I was yearning for more than any other. A lot of people seem to dislike Zac Snyder. I am not one of those people. I believe him to to be one of the most visually gifted directors working today. I will admit to having been disappointed in the reaction to Man Of Steel as well. Being the first comic book superhero, Superman is different things to different people. Given this, there were a large and vocal group that did not want a bleaker vision for the character. Even amongst those that did, they had a set of rules in mind that could not be tinkered with. Man Of Steel felt like it was aiming to go big in all areas and in my mind, the aim was on target. The opening sequence on Krypton was a sight to behold. To see Kal-El's home world fully realized was breathtaking and to leave it behind left me wanting more. The fantastical is definitely a place that future comic book films need to go. There seemed to be a somewhat dryer color palette utilized that gave Man Of Steel a grittier feel overall and again, it was a place I feel the character needed to go for the first time. The story has also been one of multiple debates. I felt Man Of Steel was basically one man's inward journey to make sense of who he was on the outside. It took the character seriously rather than adhere strictly to his sometimes corny history. As far as performances go, everyone involved turned in a solid outing. Henry Cavill is perfect choice to don the cape. However, once again, it was the villain role that stands out in my mind. Michael Shannon as General Zod was on par with Heath Ledger as The Joker. His facial twitches feel like they could melt steel. His delivery of dialogue could send a lightning bolt down one's spine. When held up against the Richard Donner film, Terrence Stamp as General Zod now seems like a disco tech reject. Time will tell if the public warms to a very different version of the Man Of Steel. Until that time, I have no issue with calling it my favorite film of 2013.
* Biggest Disappointment of 2013:
The trailer for Machete Kills was already lackluster to start. The film-grained grind fest that was the original Machete was looking more like a bad Charles Bronson film from the mid-1980's. Aside from the cleaner effects and resolution set to remove the viewer from the original's grindhouse experience, too many stars were suddenly shoehorned in including Lady Gaga. Essentially, Machete Kills did much of what the original had done, only every bit wrong by comparison. In an attempt to go bigger, Machete Kills feels a lot smaller in its shadow.
If you felt the need to dig through my recent posts, you might run across my post on The Wolverine. Having not found a moment for a 2nd viewing, I felt that The Wolverine is a great film encapsulated by an overall good film. There was a very solid attempt at making this a Dark Knight styled character study. The final showdown, while good by normal standards, seemed a bit out of place after such a strong run up to that point. It almost seemed as if they had one concept in mind and then switched gears in the last 20 minutes to appease the core audience. It is a bit of a shame because as a member of the alleged core audience, I really enjoyed the more patient direction the film was headed. Still, The Wolverine is a very noticeable step forward for the comic book film.
There were some weird occurrences with this film for me. In essence, Trance was really just a good thriller that was elevated by yet another striking performance by James McAvoy. It also did not hurt to have a few scenes involving Rosario Dawson being probably as sultry as she's ever been on screen. From what I recall, Trance was basically about con artists conning one another,amidst James McAvoy dealing with memory loss. With a lesser actor in the lead, Trance would have likely been a serviceable film. James McAvoy.....he is good.
There seems to be an overwhelming amount of people that appreciated the manner in which The Mandarin was handled. On that note, I am somewhat indifferent. It was an interesting twist that made me go "Ahh...I see what you've done." and not much else. My issue with was how poorly Ben Kingsley played the famed villain as if he was in the role of a shopping mall Santa. Thankfully, the script was very tight and Guy Pearce more than lifted the ends that were sagging by Kingsley's awful performance. And when Tony Stark is on screen, he could have battled it out with a shopping mall Santa and I would still be on board.
Much has been made about the impossibility of the scientific aspects of Gravity. There are some errors for sure. That stated, the manner in which you are instantly thrust into the thick of vast emptiness from the outset is both breathtaking and horrifying. When viewed in 3D, the line between reality and the presentation can blur more than you might think. The visuals have incredible depth and clarity. I imagine the audiences who were experiencing 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1969 felt the same at that time. The story is good enough to keep you invested in the characters throughout, even when their reactions to situations or the situations themselves start to feel cut rate. But those visuals...just incredible.
Being very uninitiated into the Star Trek canon thus far, I only have the previous J.J. Abrams film to go from. I have been told that the recent film was more for the masses. This did nothing to circumvent my enjoyment of the first movie. Having watched Star Trek Into Darkness multiple times now, the step forward the current installment of the franchise has taken is on the level of The Dark Knight from Batman Begins. Good as the first one is, Into Darkness is a rich sequel that succeeds on every level. Chris Pine does a masterful job as James T. Kirk, paying respectful homage to William Shatner without either imitating or mocking. Zachary Quinto as Spock is a sight to behold as he takes a relatively emotionless character and transforms him in increments throughout the story. However, Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan steals the entire movie from everyone around him. If you never thought you could feel sympathy for the devil, think again. His use of facial expression, his passion with the dialogue and his menace makes him a top tier villain in any film. I could talk for hours about how much I truly love this entire ensemble. Star Trek Into Darkness is a pitch perfect science fiction treasure.
I can attest to the fact that in 2013, Man Of Steel was the summer film I was yearning for more than any other. A lot of people seem to dislike Zac Snyder. I am not one of those people. I believe him to to be one of the most visually gifted directors working today. I will admit to having been disappointed in the reaction to Man Of Steel as well. Being the first comic book superhero, Superman is different things to different people. Given this, there were a large and vocal group that did not want a bleaker vision for the character. Even amongst those that did, they had a set of rules in mind that could not be tinkered with. Man Of Steel felt like it was aiming to go big in all areas and in my mind, the aim was on target. The opening sequence on Krypton was a sight to behold. To see Kal-El's home world fully realized was breathtaking and to leave it behind left me wanting more. The fantastical is definitely a place that future comic book films need to go. There seemed to be a somewhat dryer color palette utilized that gave Man Of Steel a grittier feel overall and again, it was a place I feel the character needed to go for the first time. The story has also been one of multiple debates. I felt Man Of Steel was basically one man's inward journey to make sense of who he was on the outside. It took the character seriously rather than adhere strictly to his sometimes corny history. As far as performances go, everyone involved turned in a solid outing. Henry Cavill is perfect choice to don the cape. However, once again, it was the villain role that stands out in my mind. Michael Shannon as General Zod was on par with Heath Ledger as The Joker. His facial twitches feel like they could melt steel. His delivery of dialogue could send a lightning bolt down one's spine. When held up against the Richard Donner film, Terrence Stamp as General Zod now seems like a disco tech reject. Time will tell if the public warms to a very different version of the Man Of Steel. Until that time, I have no issue with calling it my favorite film of 2013.
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