Sunday, March 13, 2016
Top 8 of 2013
This is the first year that I haven't done a full top 10. The reason is that it just wasn't a very strong year for movies. To be in consideration for my top 10 list, I need to give a movie at least a 7 out of 10. And there are only 8 movies that qualified from 2013. I had a hard time picking a favorite, too. There just wasn't one that stood out above the rest. With that in mind, here's my list:
8. The Spectacular Now
In general, I really like high school movies, especially one with a good love story. And the relationship between Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley's characters is what makes this movie stand out. This also has Academy Award winner Brie Larson and Academy Award nominee from this year Jennifer Jason Leigh in small roles.
7. Saving Mr. Banks
Mary Poppins is a classic, and this movie has a great sense of nostalgia throughout. The scenes between Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks are great, and it's interesting to see how Mary Poppins came together. The flashback scenes are not good, though, and that's what kept this movie from being higher on my list.
6. 42
Like with high school movies, I love a good sports movie. And this one has all the ingredients. You really believe that Chadwick Boseman is Jackie Robinson. Harrison Ford is memorable as Branch Rickey. It does a good job of shining a light on just how racist this country was in the 1950s.
5. Blue Jasmine
Every few years, Woody Allen has a gem. While this one is not quite as good as Midnight in Paris, it's very enjoyable. Cate Blanchett deservedly won the Academy Award for her performance. She is at the same time sympathetic and detestable. There are some great performances as well from Louis CK and Alec Baldwin, among others.
4. Frozen
Let it gooooooooooo. If nothing else, this has one of the better Disney soundtracks in recent years. I'm partial to For the First Time in Forever. The quality of the animation really stands out as well. The story is kind of secondary, but Anna is a character that you really grow to root for as the movie goes on.
3. Gravity
Alfonso Cuaron did a wonderful job with this movie. The visuals are really quite remarkable. It's one of those movies that you really need to see in the theater, to get the whole experience. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney work well together, and when he leaves the movie it suffers for it. But it's worth it just for the visual experience.
2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
I liked these books a lot, and this is the best of the movies (I haven't seen the last one yet though). Jennifer Lawrence is a star and she is captivating as Katniss. The visual effects of some of the elements of the games are great. It packs an emotional punch as well as some of the characters start dying. And it has that great cliffhanger ending that's in the book.
1. Captain Phillips
What Paul Greengrass is able to pull off here is keeping the tension throughout even though you know the main character lives. The initial scenes where the pirates come on board the ship are great. Tom Hanks as usual puts in a great performance. Barkhad Abdi is very memorable in his role. In most years this probably would not be my top movie of the year, but in a year with not many other good choices, it made it at #1.
This is the first year that I haven't done a full top 10. The reason is that it just wasn't a very strong year for movies. To be in consideration for my top 10 list, I need to give a movie at least a 7 out of 10. And there are only 8 movies that qualified from 2013. I had a hard time picking a favorite, too. There just wasn't one that stood out above the rest. With that in mind, here's my list:
8. The Spectacular Now
In general, I really like high school movies, especially one with a good love story. And the relationship between Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley's characters is what makes this movie stand out. This also has Academy Award winner Brie Larson and Academy Award nominee from this year Jennifer Jason Leigh in small roles.
7. Saving Mr. Banks
Mary Poppins is a classic, and this movie has a great sense of nostalgia throughout. The scenes between Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks are great, and it's interesting to see how Mary Poppins came together. The flashback scenes are not good, though, and that's what kept this movie from being higher on my list.
6. 42
Like with high school movies, I love a good sports movie. And this one has all the ingredients. You really believe that Chadwick Boseman is Jackie Robinson. Harrison Ford is memorable as Branch Rickey. It does a good job of shining a light on just how racist this country was in the 1950s.
5. Blue Jasmine
Every few years, Woody Allen has a gem. While this one is not quite as good as Midnight in Paris, it's very enjoyable. Cate Blanchett deservedly won the Academy Award for her performance. She is at the same time sympathetic and detestable. There are some great performances as well from Louis CK and Alec Baldwin, among others.
4. Frozen
Let it gooooooooooo. If nothing else, this has one of the better Disney soundtracks in recent years. I'm partial to For the First Time in Forever. The quality of the animation really stands out as well. The story is kind of secondary, but Anna is a character that you really grow to root for as the movie goes on.
3. Gravity
Alfonso Cuaron did a wonderful job with this movie. The visuals are really quite remarkable. It's one of those movies that you really need to see in the theater, to get the whole experience. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney work well together, and when he leaves the movie it suffers for it. But it's worth it just for the visual experience.
2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
I liked these books a lot, and this is the best of the movies (I haven't seen the last one yet though). Jennifer Lawrence is a star and she is captivating as Katniss. The visual effects of some of the elements of the games are great. It packs an emotional punch as well as some of the characters start dying. And it has that great cliffhanger ending that's in the book.
1. Captain Phillips
What Paul Greengrass is able to pull off here is keeping the tension throughout even though you know the main character lives. The initial scenes where the pirates come on board the ship are great. Tom Hanks as usual puts in a great performance. Barkhad Abdi is very memorable in his role. In most years this probably would not be my top movie of the year, but in a year with not many other good choices, it made it at #1.
