I sometimes feel like being a film student is considered synonymous with good taste, and I spend a fair proportion of my time beating myself up over all the films I haven't seen, or even worse, all the 'good' films I didn't like. Hardly encouraging for someone who would love to be a film critic and should be comfortable with their own opinions! Anyway, all self-flagellation aside, here is my Top Ten Films of 2013. It's missing all sorts of things that I should have seen this year like
Blue Jasmine, Blue Is The Warmest Colour and
Nebraska, but it's an honest list of what I genuinely enjoyed.
1. Short Term 12
It seems that
Short Term 12 is a film that went undeservedly under the radar in the UK (and possibly worldwide), so it gives me great pleasure to put it at the top of this list in the hopes that I could somehow single-handedly generate all the attention it deserves. It was one of the the most simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming films I've ever seen, not just in 2013. Brie Larson gives a stunning performance that everyone is raving about and rightly so. It's a shining example of the power of a simple indie film to drag you into its world and successfully keep you there, enthralled, for the entire length of the film.
2. Django Unchained
I never expect anything less than awesome from Tarantino and thankfully he delivered with Django Unchained. Christoph Waltz proved yet again that he was born to play the characters Tarantino writes for him, and paired up fantastically with Jamie Foxx. It was good fun seeing Tarantino trying his hand at the Western genre, and it ticked all the good violence/good jokes/good writing boxes you would expect it to.
3. Blackfish
I'm a fan of documentaries, partly just because I enjoy acquiring knowledge (how sad am I?) but also because I think it's impressive how a well made documentary can engage you and shock you just as much, if not more than a fiction film can. Blackfish is a prime example of that. I avoided the film for awhile because I wasn't sure how a film about a killer whale could be anywhere near as interesting and fantastic as the buzz surrounding it suggested. All I can say is that if you're of that opinion too, give it a go. I can almost guarantee you'll be hooked (fun maritime pun!), it's a fine example of the power of documentary filmmaking.
4. The Place Beyond The Pines
I've spent the last three years telling anyone who'll listen how good Blue Valentine is so I was very excited for another Cianfrance and Gosling collaboration, Ryan Gosling seems to possess a mystical skill for bringing out the best in directors. The film was absolutely beautiful style-wise as I had hoped, and without wanting to give away too much, it surprised me with lots of twists I wasn't expecting at all too. It goes without saying that I'm excited to see what Derek Cianfrance comes out with next!
5. This Is The End
I have a massive soft-spot for anything involving Seth Rogen, James Franco et al. so I fell totally in love with this film. I will defend it to the end as the funniest thing I saw in 2013 by far (that's right Anchorman 2, I was disappointed). Whilst it occasionally dips into being a bit silly and in bad taste, overall I think it was a massive success and it's great fun to watch the way each actor portrays themselves, Michael Cera in particular steals the show in the scenes that he's in.
6. What Maisie Knew
I should probably confess that my initial interest in this film was sparked by on set shots of Alexander Skaarsgard doing that thing where hot guys are with cute kids and then bam! you're really broody (as depicted above), so I was actually pleasantly surprised when I finally saw this film. Similarly to Short Term 12 its got the whole simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming thing going on, which I think is an impressive feat for any filmmaker. Sadly it also seems to have gone under the radar as well, but it's a must see for anyone who loves a dose of well-observed and authentic emotion on film.
7. Pacific Rim
Lots of people claimed that Pacific Rim was overdone, but it's a film about GIANT ROBOTS vs ALIENS, so I seriously don't understand what's not to like, plus I'm not sure how they weren't expecting it to come across at least slightly cheesy anyway. Personally I felt it was almost Starship Troopers-esque in the way it came across, which is certainly not a bad thing, and if you take it with a pinch of salt some moments in it are just downright hilarious. Also, Charlie Day is one of my favourite human-beings and his role as Dr. Newton Gieszler may or may not have biased my opinion of the film...
8. The Way, Way Back
Yet another brilliant American indie film that I think went undeservedly unnoticed this year. Again, like Short Term 12 and What Maisie Knew I think one of it's main strengths was undeniably how genuine and well observed it was. I was also lucky enough to interview Liam James, the film's main character for the website I write for and he was a really sweet guy who I think did a very impressive job of holding his own on screen alongside great actors like Sam Rockwell and Steve Carell. The Way Way Back was a heartwarming and hilarious coming-of-age tale and I don't think I could want much more from a film!
9. Wreck It Ralph
I'm a sucker for a good Disney film and this pipped Monsters University to the post as my favourite animated film of the year (Frozen was fairly good too, it wasn't a bad year for Disney!). I think the fantastic selection of video game references in the film certainly made it appeal to older audiences than Disney films usually do, but it still had a good story and great ideas throughout and I can tell it's an animated film that I'll re-watch for years to come.
10. Spring Breakers
It won't win any prizes for plot or character development, but there was something about the trashy-ness of Spring Breakers that I found really compelling. It's bright, bold visual style was enough alone to keep me entertained throughout, although even with that said, I just can't find it in me to hate the film no matter how hard I try. Plus, I think theres a lot to be said for filmmakers that are brave enough to be so divisive and Harmony Korine has certainly achieved that if nothing else.
