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Year In Review - The Films: Best of the big screen in 2013Published on Thursday, 2 January 2014 21:56 - Written by By Stewart Smith2013 was kind of an amazing year for movies.It didn’t seem that way at first glance, but as I was taking a look back and compiling would-be entries for this article, it really hit me just how many great movies came out this year. Granted, there were several films I was anticipating that I haven’t gotten a chance to see (such as “Inside Llewyn Davis,” “Her” and “Short Term 12”), but overall, I’m very happy with the list I’ve assembled. As always, any list like this is extremely subjective and not all of these movies are “Oscar worthy,” but hey, opinions, man. Feel free to drop me a line with your disagreements, as well as list of your own.
10. “FROM UP ON POPPY HILL”
This one was unexpected. I only saw it thanks to it being a gift to my wife and I from some dear friends, but I’m exceptionally grateful I had the chance to watch it. At its core, “From Up On Poppy Hill” is a “boy meets girl” story with a twist, but it’s the delicacy with which Goro Miyazaki (son of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki) handles the lives of and relationship between Umi and Shun that this becomes something memorable and truly heartfelt. It’s a quiet, intimate film, the likes of which we don’t normally associate with animated fare, but that’s part of what makes this one feel so special.
9. “PACIFIC RIM”
I am under no illusions that this is a perfect movie. It has flaws — some of them glaring. But I don’t care. I love this movie. I love the energy it has, I love the way that Guillermo Del Toro and Travis Beacham’s obvious love for kaiju movies and giant robot anime is on full display here. In my review, I remarked that this was Del Toro’s “Star Wars,” an assessment I still fully stand behind. It is a loving tribute to the genres and archetypes that enamored Del Toro as a young film fan, and that love comes across so fully in a film that is bursting with personality and fun. No other movie this year made me grin with delight the way that “Pacific Rim” did.
8. “GRAVITY”Is there another movie this year that proved just how unique the theater-going experience can be than Alfonso Cuaron’s latest? I submit to you there was not. This is bravado filmmaking at its finest, a piece of work that manages to provide a thrilling, white-knuckle spectacle while rooting it all in solid characterization. “Gravity” is a film can be seen in other formats and locations, but to be fully experienced the way its creator intended one must be seated in a darkened theater.
7. “ALL IS LOST”“Gravity” may be the more thrilling and technologically astonishing minimalist film from 2013, but the collaboration between Robert Redford and director J.C. Chandor was the one that left me more feeling like there was more to chew on. There’s something remarkable in watching not only how Chandor keeps things moving despite so little happening, but how captivating Redford is with a performance that is largely physical (he only has about 12 lines of dialogue). Redford has made a career out of engaging performances, but this is something that could really only have been accomplished at this stage of his career. It’s outstanding stuff and marks Chandor as one to absolutely keep an eye on in the future.
6. “BLUE JASMINE”Age means nothing. Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese (check back later in the list for more on him) proved this beyond any doubt in 2013. Allen is, undoubtedly, hit-or-miss when it comes to his output, but when he hits, we get material like “Blue Jasmine.” It’s one Allen’s best films in years thanks to his directorial stamp, but also in large part to the stunning performance by Cate Blanchett as the titular Jasmine. She is a selfish, self-destructive, massively unlikable character and Blanchett does career-best work as she weaves her into a character worthy of sympathy and pathos. There’s no denying that “Blue Jasmine” is a massive downer of a movie (that final shot is about as bleak as it gets), but that it’s one of the year’s best, most compelling movies is further proof of the geniuses at work here.
5. “The Grandmaster”A beautiful, poetic (and surprisingly sad) film, leave it to Wong Kar-Wai to deliver an insightful film about one of the greatest names in martial arts history. With some stunning cinematography and a wonderfully internalized lead performance by Tony Leung, Wai gives us an intriguing portrait of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man. Plenty of films have been made about Ip Man, but none of them have ever felt so gorgeously and thoughtfully constructed as this. There is a longer cut out there than what North American theaters received, which apparently enhances the film a great deal, but as it stands, this was a film that lingered in my mind for quite some time after first viewing and I can’t wait to experience it again.