It’s not quite the end of 2013, but with all of the major releases out of the way it’s time to look back on 12 months of film releases. Browsing over numerous media sources it’s clear which films have wowed critics and audiences alike, and the ones which have appalled everyone are just as obvious. Here we have a look back at the very best, and very worst, moments from one very busy year.
The Best
Mud
Matthew Matthew McConaughey’s career resurgence continues (following The Lincoln Lawyer, Killer Joe, and Magic Mike) with this excellent tale of murder and strife. Mud (McConaughey) is a mysterious character discovered on a desolate island by two young boys. They form a bond with him and help him survive in the wilderness. This is pretty much it, but it’s a stylish, brilliantly acted, and very poignant tale. It’s surely destined for cult classic.
Gravity
A spectacular space romp with George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. The latter puts in an excellent performance which has resurrected her A List Celebrity status. Acting chops aside, movie goers were dazzled by some of the most dramatic special effects we’ve ever seen.
The one downside to Gravity? The country music at the start. Mozart or Beethoven would have been more suitable!
The Place Beyond the Pines
Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling continue to bolster their “More Than Just A Pretty Face” reputations with this thought provoking tale. It’s inventively structured, and some of Gosling’s bank robbing scenes (this isn’t giving much away) are thrilling. More of this please, Hollywood.
Rush
Ron Howard’s dramatic portrait of the equally dramatic 1976 Formula One World Championship. James Hunt and Niki Lauda fought it out, with the latter suffering a horrendous accident at the Nurburgring. All concerned with the film admitted they had no interest in the sport, which makes the end result very impressive. It’s a tense, frightening, and thoroughly enjoyable film – even if Formula One isn’t your thing.
Beware of Mr. Baker
Here we have a long overdue documentary about legendary drummer Ginger Baker. In Beware of Mr. Baker we have access to his berserk antics over the last 40 years. Baker’s an eccentric, tumultuous guy even in his 70s – he breaks the director’s nose with his walking stick during a spat, and generally has a go at everyone for everything for no real reason. Most tellingly, old band mates from The Cream (Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce) talk of his extraordinary talent, but nightmarish, heroin fueled antics off stage.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Starring the ever tremendous Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan, and other familiar Star Trek sorts, Into Darkness is an intense sci-fi adventure. Showcasing excellent set-pieces and a, largely, strong script, Star Trek continues to rub George Lucas’ face into his awful Star Wars prequels.
Captain Phillips
Based on a true story (although this assertion seems to have been used very loosely), Paul Greengrass’ latest film is incredibly intense and unnerving. Tom Hanks also proves he’s more than still got it with a brilliant performance. Starring as the eponymous Captain Phillips, his ship is invaded by pirates and events spiral out of control from there. Tremendous cinema.
The Selfish Giant
This British drama was inspired by an Oscar Wilde story. The story focuses on two working class young boys in England who work for a scrap dealer in the hopes of becoming rich. It’s been nominated for, and won, all manner of international prizes and is well worth hunting down.
Django Unchained
It just about scrapes in to the 2013 list (it could be argued it’s a late 2012 film, but it’s here all the same), Quentin Taratino’s very enjoyable, provocative slavery tale has some of the best scenes of dialogue and action this year. Despite Tarantino’s awful cameo late in the film, there’s very little to fault here. Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson are on particularly excellent form.
Blackfish
A very moving documentary which examines orcas in captivity at SeaWorld. Particular emphasis is placed on the 22.5ft long, 22,000 pound Tilikum who is the largest orca in captivity. Having been maintained in cramped conditions since 1983, Tilikum has been involved with the death of three people. The film argues his environment is driving him insane. SeaWorld (big surprise) condemned the film, but this should be a message to the world that captivity doesn’t work.
Other notable inclusions: Le Week-End, 12 Years a Slave, Behind the Candelabra, The Act of Killing, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
The Worst…
Movie 43
This staggered everyone with its gross stupidity. Boasting a star studded cast to draw in the punters, the reaction from the media and public was one of general dismay. The likes of Halle Berry, Richard Gere, Kate Winslet, Liev Schrieber, and many more, humiliate themselves in a series of puerile sketches. It’s worth watching to contemplate how a stellar cast got lumped in to what’s likely to be considered the Worst Film of 2013.
Hangover: Part 3
The first outing was a reasonably enjoyable comedy. The sequel was passable. The trilogy closer took things to a bland conclusion. Whilst all concerned no doubt picked up a big paycheck, this was nothing more than lazy money making.
Diana
Naomi Watts stars as the Princess following one of Watts’ career highs in 2012 (an Oscar nomination for The Impossible). She’s followed it up with a career low in the remarkably meek and boring Diana. An on edge Watts, seemingly aware of the quality of the film, walked out of an interview with the BBC’s Simon Mayo during Mark Kermode’s review show.
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is horrendously overlong. At 150 minutes it drags badly, despite the cast’s best efforts. What’s so disappointing is some nifty editing to 90 minutes could have made this enjoyable. We expected so much more, which is why it’s on the list.
A Good Day To Die Hard
The Die Hard series had another unnecessary outing this year. Bruce Willis seems determined not to give up his action pants (he was, admittedly, great in last year’s Looper), but the film is a mixture of endless explosions, swearing, vast kill counts, and an offensive trip to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
After Earth
The Smith father-son team of Will and Jaden team up in After Earth, one of the year’s most disappointing sci-fi films. It’s almost 2 hours long, and the main problem is how remarkably tedious the whole endeavour is. It was panned by movie goers and critics alike.
Kick-Ass 2
The first Kick-Ass was a breath of fresh air and a brilliant take on Hollywood’s recent fondness for superhero movies. It didn’t need a sequel – it got one anyway. It’s an ill judged, poorly executed, and violent romp which the media panned. Adding to its woes was one of its stars, Jim Carrey, who refused to do any promotional work for the film.
Getaway
With the often bankable Ethan Hawke as its lead, Getaway is a race-against-time action romp where Hawke’s character attempts to save his kidnapped wife – cue endless car chase sequences, terrible dialogue, and dodgy acting. Certainly one of the most mindlessly stupid films of 2013.
Run For Your Wife
A horrendous comedy starring Danny Dyer, Neil Morrissey, and a vast cameo list of minor British celebrities. As with the disastrous Keith Lemon film last year, this is one to entirely avoid.
Other notable inclusions: Grown Ups 2, Scary Movie 5, The Smurfs 2, A Haunted House, Paranoia.
