2013 has been a great year for film, garnering more high rated reviews than in years past. Here are my favorite thirteen plus some additional films for your consideration.
13. The World's End (Dir: Edgar
Wright)
An
entertaining and funny adult comedy with a science fiction twist, director
Edgar Wright combines the crudeness of a group of old friends with character
defining dramatic content. For a sendoff in a trilogy of films directed by
Wright, the end proves best of all.
12. Blue Jasmine (Dir: Woody
Allen)
Woody Allen has been making great films longer than most
featured on this list. With this film Allen creates a character that is deeply
sincere but also damaged and lost. Jasmine’s demise is darkly comedic with
turns that are purely dramatic. The journey may be difficult to watch, but it’s
the kind of disaster you can’t help but stare at.
11. Nebraska (Dir:
Alexander Payne)
A thoroughly pleasing “trip-down-memory-lane” film driven by
wonderfully crafted characters. Additionally the interesting story that Payne
paints in the background, of a small town similar to those in the Midwest, depicts
the struggle that still exists there.
10. Short Term 12 (Dir: Destin
Cretton)
Looking into the lives of children harmed by mistreatment
with unwavering attention, this film has the unique quality of being uplifting
even when it’s upsetting. It develops into an emotional film that dodges the
over sensationalized aspects of similar dramas for a focused and genuine
outlook.
9. Stories We Tell (Dir: Sarah
Polley)
Through a combination of old photographs, video inserts, and
strikingly authentic interviews, Sarah Polley carefully unravels the complex
story of her beloved mother. While the story formulates around her childhood it
has an immediate influence on the current state of her life. The documentary
examines how we observe the past and how it affects the personal present.
8. Frances Ha (Dir: Noah
Baumbach)
Greta Gerwig gives a charming performance in a film that is
candid in its indulgence of twentysomething sensibilities. The roaming
narrative, shot in contrasted black and white, is an ingenious snapshot of
Frances’s life, friendships, and interaction within a city that feels too small
for her personality.
7. Upstream Color (Dir: Shane
Carruth)
Some films you need to watch twice, “Upstream Color” may be
one you’ll need to watch more. Complex and undefined in its’ resolution, the
mostly wordless film is structured on the idea of suggestion. It’s an
engrossing and thought provoking work of independent film.
6. Inside Llewyn
Davis (Dir:
Joel and Ethan Coen)
A film about folk music, the need for success, and the regret
that comes with ambition. The Coen Brother’s continue to fascinate with this
compelling and comedic story that is only accommodated by the amusingly complex
character of Llewyn Davis.
5. The Act of Killing
(Dir:
Joshua Oppenheimer)
An oddly compelling documentary about the genocide in South
East Asia in the 1960’s allows an unconventional approach to displaying the
horrific actions of the past. By placing a camera in the blood stained hands of
the executioners and allowing them to recreate their evils in the vein of a
Hollywood production, the insight is both startling and unpredicted.
4. Her (Dir: Spike
Jonze)
An awkward though touching story of a man who falls in love
with a computer named Samantha. Though the catch in this technology themed film
is the representation of love and how it affects the lead character through
every facet of his life. While the film offers commentary on the
technologically shaped future and the implications on human behavior, the
underlying motivation exists in the complexities of love and life.
3. Before Midnight (Dir:
Richard Linklater)
Director Richard Linklater creates a delicate and somewhat
damaged aspect to the relationship of his long journeyed couple. The lack of
interaction from the narrative with concern towards the viewer’s perceived
progression of the characters motivations keeps a backseat perspective through all
the terrains of the couple’s three-film lifespan. The result is a captivating trip.
2. Gravity (Dir:
Alfonso Cuarón)
Amidst the beautifully composed backgrounds and spectacular
sequences, director Alfonso Cuarón constructs a
story of survival and redemption. Cuarón devises to explore space in an artful
way, with all its imperfections and impossibilities. There is a visual beauty
in nearly every scene and the simplistic, though multifaceted, undertones of
the narrative mark “Gravity” as an achievement in filmmaking.
1. 12 Years A Slave (Dir: Steve
McQueen)
Steve McQueen unflinchingly portrays the atrocities of
slavery amidst a narrative wherein happiness is an artificial emotion. It’s an
affecting film that is thoughtfully photographed with purposeful framing and
lingering scenery. The story is engrossing and the fantastic performances only
further assist it. McQueen has made an important film that depicts slavery in a
way other films haven’t, and all the more impressive by the film artistry
utilized in creating this stunning and demanding work.
Other Good Films
A Hijacking
American Hustle
A Band Called Death
The Butler
Computer Chess
Dallas Buyers Club
Drug War
Fruitvale Station
The Great Beauty
Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Leviathan
Much Ado About Nothing
Museum Hours
No
Pieta
Prisoners
Room 237
Stoker
This Is The End
The Way Way Back
Wolf of Wall Street
No comments:
Post a Comment