Top 10 of 2013

Yeah, yeah, I know. 2013 ended two months ago. But I don't have the free time I once did pre-2011. I'm a busy, responsible adult now, so I have two days a week now to get my movie viewing done. And sometimes I don't feel like going to the movies. It's taken me awhile, but I've finally got around to seeing enough films that I'm confident in releasing a top 10. Also, the Oscars are tomorrow so no one is going to give a damn after that.

#10. Gravity, 91 min. PG-13

I saw this movie in October 2012 at a special focus group screening. I walked away fairly impressed, but had signed a non-disclosure agreement, so talking about it was a big no-no until it was released. I haven't seen it since, but it has stuck with me after all this time and though what I saw is probably a little different from the final product, it was still a mesmerizing thrill-ride. Cuaron is a modern master of suspense and thrills, and every time he releases a new picture it is a rare treat.

#9. Fruitvale Station, 85 min. R

While I have some issues with how great this movie makes its protagonist, Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) seem, and the heavy foreshadowing, especially when his mother (Octavia Spencer) insists he use public transit instead of driving to downtown San Fran (which leads to her feeling guilty about the events that end the film). But overall, it's a well told retelling of the true incident that happened at Fruitvale station in Oakland on New Year's Eve 2008. Michael B. Jordan is terrific and the movie really pulls on your emotional strings at the end (nearly brought me to tears), so besides a few flaws, this was a solid film.

#8. Dallas Buyers Club, 117 min. R

The film that will win McConaughey and Jared Leto oscars is a fantastic tale of a Dallas cowboy who finds out he has contracted AIDs and decides to smuggle drugs from Mexico that seem to help with the disease more than the highly touted AZT. McConaughey transforms from a smug, self-centered homophobe to someone who understands that homosexuals are human beings too, even though he is exploiting them (though to a much lesser extent than the FDA was). It's an emotionally gripping film that solidifies McConaughey's place as one of our finest actors of this generation.

#7. 12 Years a Slave, 134 min. R

The incredible true story of Solomon Northup, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery for 12 years before he miraculously escaped. Chiwetel Ejiofor is fantastic as Northup, and Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Paul Dano round out a terrific cast that sheds the image of the nobel slave owner, a thought Gone with the Wind would have us believe, and bares the true rotten soul of slavery. It's not the first piece to do it, but it is maybe the most significant film on slavery ever made, something that we tackle so rarely because, unlike the Holocaust, it is a very dark chapter of our history. But nonetheless, Steve McQueen's retelling of this remarkably true story is harrowing and horrifying.

#6. The Wolf of Wall Street, 180 min. R

Very few film take you on the thrill ride that is Wolf of Wall Street. This film is about excess and is, itself, excess in every sense. It's long, it features multiple scenes of the main characters partying, spending money, and doing all sorts of drugs. Of all the movies Martin Scorsese has made, Leonardo DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort is probably his most despicable. That may be a bold statement considering The Departed, Goodfellas, and Taxi Driver, but Belfort lives a life so extravagant its revolting, and when he is given an out, he decides to keep on playing the game. It's a remarkable film, with great performances and set pieces throughout, and by the end of it you'll be left overwhelmed and amazed that someone could live life so large.

#5. The Act of Killing, 115 min. NR

This is a one-of-a-kind documentary, about some truly horrible people gloating about the heinous acts they have committed. Director Joshua Oppenheimer and an anonymous co-director began documenting the lavish lifestyle that mobsters in Indonesia live, after a genocide the government sanctioned for the extermination of all communists. What these men did is disgusting, and even more so is how they are treated like celebrities for their actions. The movie follows one mobster, Anwar Congo, who it seems undergoes an awakening, and by the end is retching in a way as if the guilt of his actions have finally caught up with him. It's an amazing movie, one you should seek out immediately (it's on Netflix Instant, so no excuses).

#4. Captain Phillips, 134 min. PG-13

My favorite genre is the thriller, so whenever a fine example of what a thriller is comes along, I can't help but heap praise on it. I know the controversy around how much of a hero the real Phillips was (apparently he was kind of a son-of-a-bitch), but honestly I don't care that much. What matters is that this is a tightly wound, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that, even though you know the outcome, keeps you in suspense. Tom Hanks as Phillips and Barkhad Abdi as the lead pirate (at least of the small group that takes the ship) are both fantastic, and Hanks gives his best performance in years in a final two minutes unlike any I've before.

#3. Her, 126 min. R

Director Spike Jonze has yet to make a film I don't consider one of the best of their respective years. And here, he creates his most compelling film yet. Joaquin Phoenix is Theodore Twombly, a recently-divorced lonely man how befriends a highly advanced OS system. The friendship grows to a romantic relationship, and like the best sci-fi parables, it is about our present and future at the same time. So many people are shown becoming obsessed with their devices, a reality that is already true for our times. And yet, the movie never sneers down or belittles this behavior, instead taking it a face value and actually making it kind of sweet. It would be too easy to make fun of this behavior and Jonze strikes a magnificent balance. Not to mention the fantastic production design which realizes a futuristic Los Angeles by marring LA with Shanghai.

#2. Inside Llewyn Davis, 104 min. R

The Coen Brothers always have a way of making movie that surprises you. Inside Llewyn Davis is the latest in a long run of hits for them, focusing on the emerging folk scene in early 60s New York. The main character Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a fairly unlikable guy, but he's been hit with hard times and is understandably very bitter about his situation. Simply reveling in the Coens' universe is always a treat, and here we are provided with a range of character from John Goodman's Jazz man, to Justin Timberlake in a quiet but effective performance, to the spirited parody song Please, Mr. Kennedy. It's a film about atmosphere and mood, and achieves both magnificently.

#1. Before Midnight, 109 min. R

I have a confession: I still haven't seen Before Sunrise (1995), the film of two young lovers who meet cute on a train one night. I have seen Before Sunset (2004), which was a fantastic reunion for the characters. Now we have Before Midnight, which tells the story so often forgotten in Hollywood romantic comedies: what happens after the Hooneymoon.  True Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) aren't married, but they have two girls and have settled down together. The movie chronicles another day in their life, this time one that culminates in an explosive argument that threatens to end their 18-year courtship. Whether they remain together is unclear, but what we are treated to is exquisite dialogue, real people, and a film that isn't afraid to, once again, leave its audience wondering how Jesse and Celine's relationship continue. Perhaps in 2022, when Hawke are Delpy are in their 50s, we'll get another check-in. Either way, this is a satisfying, hypnotizing tale of a romance that may have waned, but is still strong.


Other odds and ends:
Best Director: Spike Jonze for Her
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix for Her
Best Actress: Julie Delpy for Before Midnight
Best Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips
Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave

Worst Film of 2013: The Lone Ranger
Most Overrated Film of 2013: Elysium