Here's the year in review according to me. These are the best and the worst of films in 2013. Enjoy and happy 2014!
I obviously have not been able to see every movies this year. So in order to know where I'm coming from when I made this list, here are the films I've seen this year: 21 & Over, About Time, American Hustle, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Carrie, The Conjuring, Despicable Me 2, Don Jon, Elysium, Evil Dead, Frozen, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, Gravity, The Great Gatsby, The Hangover Part III, The Heat, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Identity Thief, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Insidious: Chapter 2, Iron Man 3, Mama, Man of Steel, Monster's University, Movie 43, One Direction: This is Us, Oz the Great and Powerful, Pacific Rim, The Place Beyond the Pines, Prisoners, The Purge, The Spectacular Now, Spring Breakers, Star Trek Into Darkness, Struck By Lightning, Stuck in Love, This is the End, Thor: The Dark World, The To-Do List, Upstream Color, Warm Bodies, The Way, Way Back, White House Down, The Wolverine, The World's End, World War Z.
The 5 Worst Movies of the Year
5. Warm Bodies
A movie that attempted to mix the zombie genre with a Twilight-esque romance. It was definitely an ambitious idea, but the execution just didn't work well. Plus, the marketing made the movie seemed like a comedy and it definitely wasn't.
4. Mama
Trusting the fact that Guillermo Del Toro's name was attached to this was a bad move on my part. It was a horror movie that had great scenes in the beginning, but became ludicrous as it went on, especially in the third act.
3. Evil Dead
To be fair, I'm not a huge fan of the original either. But this film just felt dumb. It was a gore-fest that didn't really come up with anything new.
2. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III
This movie feels like the definition of "tried too hard." It's gratingly quirky and completely uninteresting.
1. Movie 43
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Made even worse by the amount of talented people involved in this project.
10 Best Films of the Year
10. This is the End
A hilarious movie that pokes fun at celebrities and their personas. It takes on the end times in a funny way and the cast is great.
9. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Much better than the first Hunger Games film. It is much truer to the book and captures the spirit much better. The stakes are definitely raised, which is exactly what you want in a sequel.
8. Frozen
The best animated film of the year hands down. Incredibly well done and the songs will be stuck in your hand long after you leave the theater.
7. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Ron Burgandy is back and it's kind of a big deal. While not perfect by any means, it feels like a worthy successor to the first film. It's hilarious and the cameos are awesome.
6. The Place Beyond the Pines
A film that tells the story of fathers and sons and consequences of past actions. It's incredibly well done and thought-provoking.
5. The Way, Way Back
Written by Academy-Award Winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, it captures how a screwed-up family feels and how it feels to be kind of odd while growing up. Sam Rockwell is fantastic in this.
4. The Spectacular Now
An amazing movie about kids in high school who are dealing with things way more difficult to deal with than they should be able to deal with. The chemistry between the two leads is great and it's an amazing high school movie.
3. Upstream Color
Shane Carruth's follow-up to Primer. It's incredibly smart and well-done and it's one you will keep thinking about for days after it's over.
2. American Hustle
David O. Russell directs a stellar ensemble cast in a story about con artists forced to participate in a FBI sting operation in the late 1970's. Worth seeing just for the incredible performances.
1. Gravity
Without a doubt the most ambitious and spectacular movie of the year. The performances are incredible, the direction inspired, and the special effects are ground-breaking. I love this movie and if you haven't seen it yet, you are missing out.
