My Top Ten Movies for 2013

Top Ten (movies released during and that I actually was able to watch) of 2013:

1.        Captain Phillips - Expertly directed and acted, this is a near flawless exercise in creating onscreen suspense.  The final half hour of the movie is as powerful as they get. 

2.       The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug – This one makes a strong transition into feeling like a movie truly connected to the emotions of the original Lord of the Rings films. Peter Jackson deserves credit for doing what George Lucas couldn’t, which is take lesser material and come close to the gravitas delivered in the originals.  And the visuals in this, once Smaug the dragon comes into the movie, will amaze you.  And I happened to enjoy the first Hobbit more than many others, but I still recognize this one as an improvement in content.

3.       Fast & Furious 6 – This was on my list before Paul Walker tragically passed away this year.  His departure just makes re-watching this terrifically entertaining action film more than bittersweet, it actually makes it hard to do.  This is in no small part due to what has propelled these films to greater heights at the box office over the past 4 years:  the team on screen is a family. 

4.       Gravity – Truly a unique experience, this movie warrants all the “game changing” chatter it generated.  I read where someone said in 30 years people will still talk about this movie and will still be watching it.  That’s probably true…and time will only tell what imaginative innovations will come from that.

5.       Prisoners – It’s on my list because the movie was so well made.  The hardest movie for me to watch this year was also one of the most fulfilling journeys I’ve taken at the movies in a while.

6.       Man of Steel – This dates back to my childhood, but if a Superman movie comes out the chances are good I’m going to be there.  Many people didn’t like the liberties they took with the character and the storyline, but I thought they didn’t go far enough.  And the action was wild.  This is what it would look like if people with near infinite powers really fought on earth.

7.       Sound City – Dave Grohl chronicles the life and death of the Sound City studios where so much legendary music was recorded, including Nirvana’s Nevermind.  The movie is both a walk down memory lane for the studio and a profile of just how much the digital revolution changed the face of the music industry. 

8.       Star Trek Into Darkness – I didn’t care as much for this when I first saw it in theatres. Just not in the right mood I guess.  In picking it back up on video, it truly is an epic space tale with a modern shot of adrenaline to keep the kids interested.  It’s a great ride. 

9.       Thor:  The Dark World – Iron Man 3 won’t make my list, but this continuation of the Thor storyline was entertaining in a way that surprised me.  It found a quick pace and held a tricky balance with plenty of humor and action all stemming from parallel worlds collapsing in on each other.  I expected to enjoy it, but I didn’t expect it to be that much pure fun.

10.   Wish You Were Here – A little seen Australian movie about 4 people who vacation in Southeast Asia and one goes missing.  The movie plays out by cutting back and forth between the aftermath of their return to Australia and the events of the vacation itself.  It’s incredibly engrossing, right up until the end where it loses a bit of steam.  For most of the ride at least, I was on pins and needles.

Gravity & Captain Phillips (2013)

Director:  Alfonso Cuaron / Paul Greengrass

Since I was able to see these movies across two consecutive nights, I’m taking the opportunity to write my first dual movie review.  It’s fitting both because of how I was able to see them and also because they are both tense and unique survival stories made with a high quality of craftsmanship.

I’ll review them in the order in which I experienced them.  Gravity is probably the most talked about movie in theatres right now.  It’s the “3D event that you must experience in the theatre”.  As with anything that gets a lot of press, there are a lot of haters.  So, I tried to expel any expectation I might have had for the movie and walk in ready for whatever awaited me.  I might add also that I’ve been in a recent lull as far as movie watching goes.  The quality is just not there in many of the releases today and I was at a point where I felt like the only thing that will really be worth waiting for is whatever Marvel Comics puts out next.  At least I can count on those to entertain me.  If the timing hadn’t worked out for me to have an opportunity to easily go see Gravity, I probably wouldn’t have bothered.  So, not only did I walk into this movie with no real expectations, I also walked into the movie and didn’t run in.  The old me would have been beating down the doors to get to something that was causing this much chatter.  Needless to say, I needed something to excite me again to get me back into “movies”. 

Having said all that, I can confirm that Gravity was the perfect movie for me to watch at this point in my life. The movie is so interesting that it’s hard for me to even focus my points.  It’s a game-changer of a movie.  Structurally, the story just kind of floats and moves along at a pace that is intended to let you get sucked into what the storytellers want you to focus on, which is equal parts both the marvel and the ultimate terror of being isolated in space.  Sandra Bullock plays Ryan Stone, an astronaut on her first trek into space, and George Clooney is Kowalski, the seasoned vet accompanying her who is planning to retire from space travel after this trip.  The story is very simple.  They are there to fix a broken satellite when an unexpected problem occurs that threatens their ship and their ability to return home.  They end up separated and fighting for their lives in what would appear to be a catastrophically hopeless situation.  Sandra’s character has a background that we are told bits and pieces about.  She’s a mother who has lost her child to a freak accident, which means she was already lost.  She’s as lost as any decent parent would be.  Now, to compound that, she’s in space and another freak accident is now threatening her life.  Her spirit will be her only chance at survival, and as any parent should know, her will to live has already taken a toll.  So the movie centers on her fight for survival and her finding the will to live, the will to go on.  They incorporate some very interesting story elements and visuals that make you realize she’s not only fighting for her life, she’s going through a very spiritual experience.

I focused on the elements of story first, because I really feel that beyond the 3D and the technology that it took to create the visuals of being lost in space, the movie would be flat if it didn’t engage you with characters that you can connect with.   Our protagonist’s plight is simple and her feelings are universal.  Of course, I can’t ignore the visuals though.  I’m not a huge fan of 3D, but I was sure glad I elected to see this one in that format. More than any other 3D film before it, including Avatar, I think Gravity transcends by using the 3D to put you as close as possible into the character’s world.  In fact, after watching it I would have been disappointed had they elected to not make this movie in 3D.  It makes the film truly immersive and enhances the experience.  Even if there are some points where I couldn’t focus very well, it was worth it.  The film is truly a work of art of the highest order.  This includes the wonderful job done in the music throughout the movie.  Using a mash up of sounds that are creepy and fascinating, the music drives the tension in the movie and becomes a key factor in driving the story along.  It’s some of the more interesting music I’ve ever heard composed.

Well, after the high of seeing Gravity, I seized the opportunity to go back for another movie, hoping I would be just as pleased.  Much to my fortune, I checked out Captain Phillips next.  It was a safe bet being that it stars Tom Hanks in a dramatic role and is directed by Paul Greengrass, who tore up the screen with The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum (action doesn’t get much better than those two movies).  Captain Phillips tells another riveting tale of survival, and this one happens to be true.  This is the story of the 2009 seizing of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship by Somali pirates.  More specifically, this is the story of Captain Richard Phillips, who first guided his crew through with precision while their ship was being taken by 4 Somali pirates with machine guns.  Tom Hanks inhabits the moral courage and strength it took for this every-day guy to stand up to these thugs and keep his wits about him when others would rightly crumble into tears.  The pacing is perfect and the movie does a terrific job of cutting between what Phillips is enduring after he is taken hostage in a lifeboat with the 4 pirates, and the struggles of the Navy to manage what could be some very bad press for the country and the need to protect one of our own.  The movie is really a testament to what people can endure under extreme stress and how some situations hinge on every single moment.  By the end of the movie, I was worn out.  I probably won’t see another movie this year with such a strong and immersive performance from the lead actor as well.  As Sandra does in Gravity, Hanks takes you right along with him on his trip to freedom and you feel every wave of emotion just as he feels it.  To me, this rivals his work in Philadelphia, which was another performance filled with deep struggle and emotion.

Captain Phillips is another expertly crafted film, but with a very different style, of course, from Gravity.  The movie holds you during points of high tension and extends that tension through quick edits, pounding music and bravura acting from the cast.  The 4 guys selected to play the Somali pirates have never acted before, I’ve read, but they were perfect for the parts.  They do a spectacular job and bring authenticity to the film. If you see the film, I’m not giving anything away by saying that I think the last 10 minutes of the movie will win Hanks the best actor Oscar for this year.  He’s that good. 

On that note, it’s possible I’ve seen two Best Picture nominees back to back.  If you told me right now that Tom Hanks would pick up Best Actor for his role as Phillips and Sandra Bullock would attain Best Actress for her creation of Ryan Stone, I would say fantastic!  I think they deserve it if only for restoring my faith in movies and what they mean to me. 

 

Pacific Rim (2013)

Director:  Guillermo Del Toro

Pacific Rim aims to be escapist entertainment that provides big thrills and just enough sympathetic character hooks to get the audience invested.  I give the movie credit for not solely relying on the giant robots fighting giant monsters appeal, but you should understand they had me at giant robots fighting giant monsters.  When done with high production values, who could ask for more on a hot summer weekend?  And the trailers for this movie have been viewed in my family probably thirty times in anticipation.

So I mentioned high production values, and this film certainly has that in spades.  I’m a fan of movies by Guillermo Del Toro (Blade II, Hellboy I & II, and Pan’s Labyrinth).  He has a uniquely identifiable visual style that translates well between big time Hollywood pictures and smaller, more simplistic horror genre fare. The effects are so good in this movie that you never get a sense of “green screen” and the fake feeling that comes with it.  This guy is an artist and his favorite canvas is the surreal.  He loves toying with visually interesting monsters and things that could exist if our world were opened up to other dimensions.  His imagination is all over the screen and it sucks you in.  If you aren’t entranced by it, then I guess that’s fair.  But I would question anyone who says it’s not creative and bold. 

Del Toro has created a vision of our world’s end at the hand of monsters entering through a portal that opens on the ocean floor.  After a quick catch-up at the opening of the movie that chronicles the devastation, he brings us directly into the action and the final days of a government program that constructs huge robots and assigns pilots to take them out and beat down the monsters attacking our world.  Each robot requires two pilots who guide the vessel in a way that recalls Avatar.  The robots are called Jaegars (German for hunters) and the monsters are called Kaiju (Japanese for monsters). 

We meet our hero early on, played by Charlie Hunnam of the FX TV show Sons of Anarchy.  As an actor, he’s a bit rough around the edges and I didn’t see anything that really sets him apart, but he was average enough.  The commander of the whole show, known as Marshall, is played by Idris Elba, a British actor who really holds the screen and brings the right level of dramatic weight and machismo to the role.  You get the feeling you could have a very intelligent conversation with this guy, but he’s also world weary tough enough to make you understand you don’t want to get in his way.  Rinko Kikuchi also stars as an emotionally scarred lady who has talent to become a Jaeger pilot, but a certain history with the monsters.  The rest of the film is populated by actors that match their parts and Charlie Day shines as a rag-tag scientist researching the brain activity of the monsters. He’s reliable comic relief. 

I haven’t said enough about the action.  There are funny little things in films like this.  Apparently you know it’s the end of the world because the sun never shines and it rains all the time…like through the whole movie.  Having said that, you’d be hard pressed to find cooler visuals and more stylized fight scenes than when the Jaegars go up against the Kaiju.  The word I left the theater with was “incredible”.  I stand by it.

For my money, Pacific Rim was exactly what I wanted and possibly even more so.  Robots fought monsters.  Civilization took its last stand.  One robot even pulled out a huge, mechanical sword.  How much more can you ask for?  Well, how about this?  My son marveled at what he was watching as much as I did.  He talked to my wife and I through the “cool” parts of the movie and came alive with smiles.  After the movie he asked us repeatedly what our favorite monster and robots were. It doesn’t get any better than that. 

Man of Steel (2013)

Director:  Zach Snyder

It’s amazing to me how much baggage a new Superman movie brings with it.  I almost feel sorry for the people who get the most credit for taking it on…because they certainly stand the most to lose in the public eye.  In this case, we have the pedigree of Christopher Nolan (as producer), David Goyer (screenwriter, also worked with Nolan on his Dark Knight trilogy as a collaborator), and Zach Snyder (director of such admired works as Watchmen and 300…or maligned works depending on your viewpoint).  So what’s the first significant thing they did right with this movie?  Similar to how they made Batman their own by removing his name (eventually) from the title and sticking with The Dark Knight, they put a similar stamp on Superman by naming the movie simply Man of Steel.  I have to say I like the impact of this.  To some it probably doesn’t matter at all, but to me it says “this is my Superman movie and I want you to know it stands apart from the others”.  Bravo gentlemen!

And I have to say, the changes don’t stop there.  This version of Superman is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.  The vision is as close to complete in detail and emotion as I think they could possibly achieve.  For starters, we get to see a fully realized version of the world of Krypton at the beginning of the film.  The story elements are all the same, but the world is more closely articulated for a modern, more cynical audience that demands logic wherever possible.  I won’t give anything away other than to say I appreciated the detail (specifics about why he wears the suit he eventually wears, why there is an S on the front, and the list goes on).  I thought this was a very inventive and creative telling of the Superman origin story. 

So, here’s my overall summary.  The action is what you should expect.  They certainly don’t disappoint in the special effects.  Hans Zimmer’s score of the film is a highlight of the movie.  He uses repetitive musical queues to great effect and keeps your emotions going.  Whether it’s on the Kent farm growing up or wandering around as a drifter looking for work or flying above the city battling General Zod, the music is perfectly fit to each scene. I hate to go light on the visuals and the direction, because I felt it was all top-notch.  The movie is paced with a narrative that was definitely influenced by Christopher Nolan and his knack for structure.  And the cast assembled was very good.  Kudos to scene stealers Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, and Michael Shannon (whose General Zod is a fully imagined, passionate warlord who truly believes he is doing the right thing).  Henry Cavill does a solid job as Superman and I can’t say anything negative about him because my wife will surely read this review (she’s a huge fan).  So, I’ll leave my comments about this lucky Brit at that.  (I will add though that for my money, Christopher Reeve is and will always be Superman).

The element of the film I appreciated the most was the deft handling of both father figures, Jor-El and Jonathan Kent.  Russell Crowe brings depth to his limited scenes and plays Jor-El like a space-age version of his gladiator Maximus, a man of deep integrity and respect for family.  I think it’s his best performance in years.  Kevin Costner has an even tougher job because his screen time is significantly less than Russell Crowes, but he nails the conflict that the Kent family feels by being at once blessed beyond belief with the gift of a son and knowing that it is only a matter of time before he has to head out into the big, cruel world.  In many ways, Superman and his legacy is more about family and the importance of having parents who care for you, who teach you good morals and who love you unconditionally.  Superman’s strongest power usually turns out to be his moral side and his love for humankind in whatever version you are watching.  This one is no different.  And without giving away a spoiler, my single favorite moment in this film has to do with Clark and his Kent family.  It’s a heartbreaking moment that stands high in the realm of Superman lore in my book. 

In the end, some people will see this movie and no doubt agree with me that it’s worth the price of admission, and definitely worthy of a sequel.  Some will pick it apart and complain to no end about a handful of points that for whatever reason spoiled the whole movie for them.  I’m actually kind of glad I let that side of myself go.  I’m much happier in looking for the things I like in a film, as opposed to what bothers me. 

So, I think this movie gets the highest compliment an individual such as me can bestow.  I want to see it again before it leaves the big screen…and then I’ll surely own an HD copy. 

End of Watch (2012)

Director:  David Ayers

Ok, I’ll begin by asking a question…how is this movie not nominated for Best Picture and at least two acting nominations at the 2012 Academy Awards?  It makes no sense to me and it’s a good example of why the Oscars have slowly dipped into a meaningless obscurity over the years to the point where now it’s really just another fashion show for Hollywood to roll out the red carpet…unbelievable really.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, David Ayers has been writing and/or directing many police dramas in the movies.  I think it’s fair to say he has been the largest contributor to this sub-genre during his filmmaking days.  He is the mind behind Training Day’s script, the little seen but very good Kurt Russell film Dark Blue, Keanu Reeves’ Street Kings, and now he brings us the more intimate thriller End of Watch.  Casting Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena (both delivering Oscar worthy performances) as two LAPD patrolmen who cover some of the nastiest parts of South Central but at their core are just two average guys who get in as much trouble for childish jokes on other cops as the recognition they receive for gutsy, sometimes almost reckless, heroism in the line of duty.  These guys are good people and the movie takes the right amount of time letting you hear the day-to-day discussions between the two to really get you into their heads and understand that their hearts are in the right place.  They have wives, children, and homes and just happen to have a job that’s possibly more dangerous than they truly recognize.

This film has two sides to it in my opinion.  One is the story of these two police brothers who are unfortunately in over their heads with the level of danger they encounter on the daily streets of LA.  The movie focuses on their relationship and is all the better for it.  The other side is a portrait of the state of things in Los Angeles gang-life.  The movie is to me like a modern day version of Colors, which was a Robert Duvall & Sean Penn movie from back in the late Eighties which was much heralded for bringing a focus to gang-life terribleness.  This film makes a direct point to elaborate on the changing of the guard in LA to Mexican-led gangs.  The brutality of the gangs, with direct relation to Mexican drug cartels, is more than just savage, it’s inhumane and pure evil.  There are moments in the movie that are very disturbing and made my heart heavy at the brutality that exists in this world right around the corner. 

This is a “smaller” movie that is purposefully made with a documentary filmmaking style.  Jake Gyllenhaal’s character is obsessed with filming his daily routines for a project he is working on.  Thus we get to ride along with them “Cops” style.  This was the right move for the movie and adds to the immediacy of the story.  I felt the execution of the script through the direction and acting from the two stars delivered on a powerful story by Ayers.  This film was written and directed by David Ayers, so it’s primarily his vision on screen.  I think if this film had been made 10 years ago it would have been loaded down with Academy attention.  Oh well, that doesn’t matter.  The movie is tough to watch in places, but I recommend it.  At a point in my life, I wanted to be a filmmaker and I can say with honesty that this is the kind of movie I would have been proud to have made.  It’s not the harsh language used or the brutality that I liked (those are unavoidable things due to the world the movie is set in) but the honest and emotional impact that the movie delivers.  It leaves a mark.  If you’re thinking about it an hour after the movie is over, then you’ve succeeded.  This is that kind of movie. 

The Perks of being a Wallflower (2012)

Director:  Stephen Chbosky

 So, The Perks of being a Wallflower was marketed as a modern day answer to the now classic John Hughes films of the Eighties era.  The kind of movie that would give you the inside scoop on high school and show you the TRUTH about the hell that those four years can be.  The story is most certainly a “high school” movie.  A movie about the wounded youth that walk the halls and specifically what has wounded them.  With focus on the wounds themselves and recognizing that there’s much more to deal with than just the bully who knocks the books from your hands or the problem you have in getting up the courage to ask a girl out, the story finds a way to transcend just being another “high school” movie.

First, let me say kudos to Logan Lerman (who plays Charlie, the story’s central character).  This kid is simply terrific in the movie.  His acting is never forced and the honesty in which he embodies the character is fascinating to watch.  This is a guy I’ve seen in Percy Jackson and some other kind of bad movies, but here he delivers a touching, soulful performance.  He’s going to be one to watch, if he stays attached to the right material.  His character, Charlie, is a troubled young man who we know at the outset has had his share of issues. He has no real friends at school when the story begins and the movie centers on the connection he makes with two particular outsiders (he’s a freshman and they are seniors, which is a perfect way to immediately clue you in on the old soul that Charlie has).  They are played by Ezra Miller (also a huge find and I expect to see more of him) and Hermione herself, Emma Watson.  They fit the roles perfectly and individually they do a fantastic job in the film, a very true job of acting such that it seems effortless.

I hate to give away any major plot points so I’ll just try to illustrate as best I can why I think this movie is special.  The film is written and directed by the author of the acclaimed novel on which it is based.  This doesn’t happen that often.  The author was allowed to present his vision on screen and, while I haven’t read the novel yet, it does feel like a writer’s film.  There is specific, choice voiceover and narration through certain points of the film.  I gathered he knew the right words to pluck from his source material. 

My wife and I both felt like the movie took a little bit of time to really get into the story and where it was going, but by the end I think we were both similarly floored.  This can be a common experience when a film is made from a novel.  Novels allow cultivation and take time to expand the story in a way that can come across as slow in a movie.  I won’t say the direction was perfect or any sign of a major filmmaker, but I can say that I felt like he succeeded in delivering a story that feels urgent, personal, and vital. 

We all would probably agree that high school sucks.  The movie takes us far enough into the world to recognize this as a fact, but doesn’t pretend to be the first movie to do so.  The story goes deeper in a way that I was very moved by. 

This one’s a journey and one that I urge you to take.