Stephen's Top 13 Films of 2013
Posted by Stephen Lambrechts (follow me @Slambrechts)
Wow, what a lazy bastard I've been. I meant to get around to posting this much sooner, but with staggered releases in Australia meaning that some Oscar contenders don't get released here until well into February 2014, well, the further I get from 2013, the more it starts to feel pointless. Still, the Oscars are going to air later today, so what better time to post about last year's best films! So, without further procrastination, here are my Top 13 Films of 2013!
STEPHEN'S TOP 13 FILMS of 2013
13. Frozen - Yeah, you're still reading Neon Maniacs. I've always been a huge fan of Disney animation, and Frozen is the best film out of the studio since The Lion King. It even eclipses many of Pixar's recent efforts. Best of all, the film’s refreshing take on the ‘love conquers all’ finale, gives young girls some female heroes to look up to that don’t have to rely on heroic men to save them.
12. V/H/S 2 - Full disclaimer: I absolutely loathed the first V/H/S movie, aside from Adam Wingard's segment. It was a bafflingly stupid and boring movie that completely wasted its brilliant premise (oh really Joe Swanberg, someone's been transferring Skype conversations onto video cassettes?). The sequel however, is a monumental leap forward in terms of quality and scope that makes the first look like a student film by comparison. Gareth Evans and Timo Tjahjanto's segment 'Safe Haven' in particular stands as one of the greatest pieces of horror celluloid in years.
11. Dallas Buyers Club - On paper, a true story about people with AIDS fighting to live as long as they can sounds like typical Oscar-bait bullshit, but towering performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto raise this film up as one of the best and most moving films of the year. Seeing McConaughey's gradual change from bigotted, rednack asshole into crusader for AIDS sufferers is a delight, and not just because of his striking appearance. Also, who ever though Leto would have a performance like this in him?
10. Elysium - in a world where people will bend over backwards to defend mediocre trash sci-fi like Prometheus and the RoboCop remake, it strikes me as completely baffling that people would reject a ridiculously cool and action packed movie like Elysium for committing the heinous crime of not being able to top Neill Blomkamp's previous undisputed masterpiece District 9. Refusing to enjoy a violent, hard-R, hundred million dollar action sci-fi movie with exo-suits, Mad Max-style chases and battles, a sword-wielding psychopath antagonist and Syd Mead art design is more impossible to me than learning to fly.
9. Iron Man Three - Shane Black gives us the funniest and most action-packed Iron Man installment yet. You almost forget that Iron Man 2 ever happened. The film takes studio's solo movies up to the next level, being the first real auteur-driven Marvel film. You can see Black's fingerprints all over this thing. No other filmmaker could've produced a movie quite ike this.
8. Fruitvale Station - Much more than a recreation of a tragic event, Ryan Coogler's film is an examination of a life that could've been, but will now never be. A career making performance from Michael B. Jordan. I can't wait to see Coogler's next film (apparently, he's reteaming with Jordan for a spin-off of Rocky called Creed).
7. Pacific Rim - International treasure Guillermo del Toro effortlessly recaptures the joy and wonder of being 12 years old, without pandering to kids. Immense epic scale Mecha vs. Kaiju battles seal the deal, but Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi and Idris Elba give us a reason to care. The battle in Hong Kong will go down as one of the all-time greats.
6. Behind the Candelabra - A masterful recreation of the camp and drama behind the lives of famous musician Liberace and his gay life partner. Transcendent performances from Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Please don't retire, Mr. Soderbergh.
5. Rush - Quite possibly the best film that Ron Howard has ever made, Rush captures the dizzying excitement, appeal and danger of F1 racing like no other film before it. Features brilliant performances from Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl.
4. Spring Breakers - As close to a mainstream Harmony Korine film as we're ever likely to get, Spring Breakers is a modern day 'girls on the run' exploitation flick with all-time classic performance from James Franco as Alien. Sexy, stylish and dangerous.
3. Only God Forgives - A masterpiece of mood and atmosphere, Nicolas Winding Refn unabashedly delivers a disturbing artwork of incredible power. One of the most misunderstood films in years, it seems that audiences and critics were unable to accept the film as a piece of art, having been disappointed by the film not being a shallow piece of pulp junk, but rather a meditative story about guilt and punishment. A great film to separate the real Refn fans from the poseurs that hopped aboard after the success of Drive.
2. Gravity - Alfonso Cuarón moves into the big leagues of directors with complete technical mastery of the medium. One of the few mind-blowing cinematic experiences of recent years. Sandra Bullock gives the performance of her career, and George Clooney is the heart of the film. A once-in-a-generation cinematic experience. It took Cuarón seven years to follow up Children of Men; how’s he going to top this?
1. The Wolf of Wall Street - Martin Scorsese’s films have always been funny. While no one would confuse films like Goodfellas, The Departed, Bringing Out the Dead, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, The Aviator and many others for comedies, they’re all darkly humorous in their own way (the exceptions being After Hours, which is definitely a comedy, and The King of Comedy, which is most certainly confused for a comedy on a regular basis).
The Wolf of Wall Street however, despite a dark turn in the its third act, is not only a comedy, it’s one that is so side-splittingly hilarious, it makes a mockery of almost all of the other comedies released this year. Seriously; it makes Anchorman 2 look like 12 Years a Slave by comparison. Leonardo DiCaprio does some career best work here as Jordan Belfort, transitioning into the realm of verbal and (especially) physical comedy with the timing, ease and commitment of a comedy pro. It doesn’t hurt that he’s joined by Jonah Hill, fast approaching comedy legend status, as his waspy, bespectacled, teeth bleached, cousin screwing, public masturbating business partner Donnie Azoff.
They, along with hundreds of other stockbrokers, spend almost the entire film stealing, screwing, snorting and crashing everything in sight in what many consider to be a glorification of ‘80s Wall Street excess, but which I believe to be a public shaming of what is the most ridiculous, pathetic and abhorrent behaviour imaginable. Crack is smoked, Quaaludes are popped in the hundreds, hookers are fucked like there’s no tomorrow and hundreds of millions of dollars are stolen, and yet these guys are left (relatively) unpunished. Scorsese’s never been one to moralise and his point isn’t to tell us the obvious, that what these guys did is wrong, but to show exactly what they were doing with ‘our’ money as ‘we’ lost our life savings. We are supposed to laugh and shake our heads in utter disbelief, unless of course you think smoking crack and having to pay women to have sex with you is awesome.
Even putting morals and themes aside, we can see that this is Marty, Leo, editor Thelma and writer Terrence firing on all cylinders. No film this year has the creative energy, wit and level of skill that The Wolf of Wall Street has on display this year. It’s a 3-hour film that goes by in a flash and one I personally wanted to watch again immediately.
Okay, I confess, I was in love from within the film’s opening minute, where we see Leo blowing a straw full of coke into a hooker’s anus. That should be an Oscar category all of its own.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
12 Years a Slave - An impeccably acted film that presents misery and torment unlike any other since Hostel.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Brilliantly builds upon the themes of the first film, and then expands them into something else entirely. Cannot wait to see the next two films.
American Hustle - Incredibly entertaining from start to finish, however something about feels a bit disposable. Certainly not an 'Oscars' movie by any stretch.
The Wolverine - The best film that everyone's favourite X-man has been a part of yet. Deliberately paced and more personal than most Marvel films, seeing Wolverine in Tokyo, fighting Yakuzas, ninjas and Silver Samurai is a delight. Let down slightly by a dumb ending.
Thor: The Dark World - Doesn't quite top the first film in my book, but ends up being quite an epic and enjoyable film (once you get through the opening 40 minute slog). Loki and Thor rule.
Captain Phillips - The most devastating tale of a Captain being fucked by visitors to his vessel since Captain Stabbin was a thing.
Her - Spike Jonze often finds himself making films with brilliant concepts that somewhat lose their way as strugge to find a way to wrap themselves up, and this is no exception. Still, Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson make this tale work with their incredible and fragile relationship that feels all too real.
Fast & Furious 6 - As Ludacris (see what I did there?) as this series can get, it's always anchored by the old-fashioned, but completely true concept of family being more important anything else. Gravity and logic defying action sequences be damned; this is supremely entertaining in all the right ways.
Before Midnight - Divinely written, directed and acted, seeing Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reunite every 9 years for another day in the life of a couple in love is always going to be delightful, especially as we get to see their relationship grow as we do.
You're Next - Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett give us one of the best horror movies of the year. The concept that one of victims of a home invasion is more deadly than any of the invaders is a great one, and the film finally makes me a fan of Sharni Vinson. Chick is badass.
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So there you have it. Most of these movies won't be winning Oscars today, but you know what? They're still going to be entertaining me for years to come. What are your favourite movies of 2013? Tell us in the comments below!
