Numbers 34- 16- Great Films, but Missing that Extra “Thing” and, a Special mention

The next to last post of all of the films which were released in 2013 includes films that I thought were great and which possibly could have, in another year,been in the top of my list. Most of these films have a small nitpick that keep them from the top but I enjoyed all of these immensely in one way or another this year and most of these are what make me feel that this was a fabulous year at the movies!

Also, Number 16 is a special mention that I can't leave off the list, but I also can't quite categorize or place in the top of my list, even though it belongs there (When you see the title, you will understand.)


Great Films, but Missing that Extra “Thing”

34- Behind the Candelabra- Michael Douglas plays Liberace and Matt Damon is his younger lover in Steven Soderbergh’s supposedly last film as director. The cast is fantastic and it is very well produced, but the fact that Liberace was slimy coats the entire film. I loved it and thought it was very well done, but it is graphic in spots.

33- Saratov Approach- A little tighter editing at the beginning and a better actress cast as one of the Elder’s mothers are the only 2 minor nitpicks that I have of this film. Otherwise, it is a fabulous, intense, and well made film about the true story of 2 kidnapped DS Missionaries in Russia. It doesn’t matter if you are LDS or not- this is a riveting film!

32- Captain Phillips- Tom Hanks does his normal solid job of portraying the captain of a large ship taken captive by pirates in this true story. It is a great drama with small character moments scattered throughout. The tension is kept up very well, but what makes this one a bit more special is the final scene with Hanks’ Captain finally succumbing to the stress he has felt over several days.

31- Trance- Just like another film higher on my list, this is a twisty thriller. I admit that I love these types of films more than most. But this one is funny, mysterious, intriguing, and the last 10 minutes is absolutely insane! James Macavoy, and Rosario Dawson make a great pair as an art thief who has memory loss trying to get it back so that he can find a painting that he hid which is worth millions. Not for the squeamish or easily offended but an amazingly fun ride courtesy of director Danny Boyle.

30- 42- While this film makes Jackie Robinson into a saint with no problems other than facing racism, the cast and production values are so high, I can’t deny how strong the picture is. Chadwick Boseman is riveting and Harrison Ford tears into an uncommon character role. Also, Alan Tudyk is great at playing despicable as one of the most racist people ever put on film!

29- Hunger Games- Catching Fire- The original film was one of my favorites last year. I think the cast and production values were amazing and the story drew me in and held me while Jennifer Lawrence tore into the role of Katniss and made herself a star. This one is just as well made and intriguing. However, I have not read the books and did not know where it was going. Without giving anything away, the cliffhanger twist ending negated the strength of the character of Katniss and knocked this down a bit on my list. But, it comes more from the story created in the books and the film just follows suit by keeping the plot the same. Never fear- Lawrence is just as good as she was last year and owns the character of Katniss and does a fabulous job,, it’s just the book that robs her a bit of her strength.

28- Wolverine- The gravitas of the character Wolverine is brought greatly into this film and how hard it really would be to be immortal. The weight of Hugh Jackman’s predicament and decision is brought to bear on the film and it is better for it. While not action packed, when there is action, it is tough and brutal, Jackman holds nothing back. This is definitely more of a dramatic superhero film which finally takes the character of Wolverine very seriously. Until the over the top climax, this is a masterful film and the climax doesn’t kill the film as a whole, it just makes it less than what it could have been. Jackman really IS Wolverine.

27- Thanks for Sharing- While the first 4/5ths of the film seems like an R-Rated sitcom, the last 1/5th and the cast really brings the darkness and drama out of the situations and it goes places that are quite unexpected. Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Josh gad, and Alecia Moore (or Pink- yes, Pink) star as sex addicts who are going to a sex addicts meeting. Some have been clean for a long time and are mentors, others are newer and still struggling, and some are brand new and having a difficult time even admitting that there is a problem. If you know an addict of any kind, this film is hard hitting and hard to watch, especially when some situations start to spiral out of control near the end. Very hard film to watch, but the actors make it a very strong film and a reason to watch.

26- Drew- Man Behind the Poster- As a documentary, this is actually pretty poor. There are no amazingly told stories, nothing really dramatic which is happening behind the scenes (such as Metallica Some Kind of Monster), but when your subject is Drew Struzan, the artist behind the original Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future films, along with many, many others and there are interviews with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Michael J Fox, Frank Darabont, Guillermo Del Toro, and you watch Drew paint and the camera shows many of his posters, lingering on the details, you don’t really need much more.

25- Prisoners- The cast is top notch and the script goes to places that most other stories only hint at. On Thanksgiving 2 little girls go missing and their families (played by Hugh jackman, maria Bello, Viola Davis, and Terrence Howard) all react in different ways as they attempt to discover what happened to their daughters. Jackman is just as seething with rage as he was in Wolverine and attempts torture to a suspect who had to be let go, Bello tries to drug and sleep her way through it, Howard helps Jackman out of helplessness, and Davis looks the other way at the lawlessness the husbands are creating but acknowledges that she is okay with whatever they do. Jake Gyllenhaal is the detective tasked with finding the girls. This film gets dark and gritty, and disturbing and doesn’t let up for its 2 ½ hour running time. The only slight problem is the ending does not go quite as dark as it probably should, but it is a riveting watch.

24- Mud- Matthew McCaughnahey continues his run of strong characters as a man wanted by the law, trying to get in touch with his girlfriend and befriending two boys during the summer. A very strongly acted and produced coming of age film that also touches on other universal emotions and truths, this is a small sleeper film but one that is well worth watching and is cornerstone for MM’s career resurgence the past 2 years.

23- Rush- In most sports movies, there is a “good” competitor and a “bad” competitor and the audience is manipulated to root for one over the other in the final conflict. In this true story of race car driving in the early to mid ‘70’s, the 2 drivers at the center of the story are both jerks, egomaniacs, and great at what they do. Ron Howard makes this truly a story of 2 professionals attempting to be the best at what they do and beat the other. There is no “good” or “bad” and it was a very refreshing take on a sports move with great action and racing scenes and spectacular acting bringing you into the conflict.

22- All is Lost- With a nearly wordless performance, Robert Redford plays a lone sailor, stuck at sea with a damaged boat that is slowly sinking, diminishing supplies, and nature going against him. An absolutely claustrophobic and nerve jangling film. I found my self saying “No, no, no, no, no” several times throughout the screening.

21- Enough Said- I always at least like Nicole Holofcenter films, but usually, somewhere along the course of her films, the characters end up going to places that I don’t feel are really story driven and become more chess pieces and the endings of her films usually leave me cold. Not this one. Enough Said is her masterpiece and a really funny, touching, and heartbreaking story starring Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and James gandolfini (in one of his last roles) as a couple who starts dating and tries to keep the relationship going, even though they are both divorced and have their own lives and outside influences pulling them apart. The central conflict is a bit forced and comes straight from a Three’s Company storyline, but Dreyfuss and Gandolfini handle it like pros and make you feel every bad life choice that these characters have made and their desire to have someone who loves them and to spend their life with. The supporting cast is also very strong and ties this together. Very touching.

20- Spectacular Now- Miles Teller plays a teenage alcoholic high school senior whose girlfriend breaks up with him and whose mother is never home because she is working two jobs to try to make ends meet. He meets a girl, played by Shailene Woodley, who is outside of his normal ccol clique at school and starts dating her, bringing her into his alcoholism and slow downward spiral as his high school years come to a close and he searched for his father who left his family many years ago. A gut punch of a film that feels very real with all of the emotions and small things throughout the entire film.

19- American Hustle- In a comedic, fictionalized version of the Abscam scandal in the 70’s, director David O Russell gets the most from everyone who worked on the film. The main cast- Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner- all knock their scenes out of the park, whether it’s a scene for comedy or drama and the supporting cast, along with a great surprise cameo, also nails it home. The costumes, hairstyles, and art direction all make it feel like it was actually filmed in the 70’s as well. While not as emotionally deep as ‘The Fighter’, the relationships between the characters and their motivations still ring true, but it is much more of a “fun ride” this time. And Amy Adams has never looked better!

18- 12 Years a Slave- I cannot really say anything bad about this film. The acting is great, the specific moments are very powerful, each whip and punch are felt by the audience, the story is intriguing, but… my mom was a history teacher and loved learning about the Civil War. Of course, slavery is a part of it. So, I have seen many of the real life plantations, heard many stories throughout the years, read many books, saw a ton of films, and this film, while amazingly well-done, adds nothing new to the “slave drama” subgenre. I do, however, hope that, if The Butler is up for any awards alongside 12 Years a Slave, and one of them wins, it had better be 12 Years a Slave which is a fantastically made film with no manipulation added.

17- Frozen- A few songs don’t quite work and a couple of jokes fall flat, and a slight character issue all drop this film just out of the top of my list, but I have not enjoyed a Disney-branded film this much in aa very long time. Beautifully animated, a song which will go into the pantheon of all-time great Disney songs (Let It Go), fabulous voice acting from everyone but especially Kristen Bell, and a story that focuses on family and sisters more than a “Prince Charming” make this a winner!


Special Mention

16- Jurassic Park 3D- Jurassic Park came out while I was on my mission. I did see it in the theater on my first day home, but, with the showtimes, I ended up making it my second movie back in the theater (The Fugitive was my first.) While I loved and really enjoyed Jurassic, Fugitive was in a better auditorium at the time and also such a great film, and I think I was a little overwhelmed with Fugitive and a little underwhelmed by Jurassic- ever so slightly. I have seen Jurassic many times over the years and still really enjoy it. But, seeing it in IMAX, in 3D and really being transported into it again after all these years, this was a very special theatrical experience(s- I saw it twice in IMAX 3D) and it was like seeing it for the first time all over again. This is truly a fabulous theatrical film! And no, if pressed, even all these years later, I don’t know which one I prefer- Fugitive or Jurassic.