Top 5 films of 2013

12 Years A Slave- Directed by Steve McQueen.

In a year full of great films, 12 Years A Slave stood out amongst the rest as one of the most important movies in recent memory. Chiwetel Ejiofor leads a brilliant cast, along with scene stealing turns from Paul Dano, newcomer Lupita Nyong'o and a genuinely frightening performance from Michael Fassbender that will leave viewers squirming in their seats for generations to come. McQueen's visceral, no nonsense direction creates an intense and bleak atmosphere that reflects the grim stain in American history the film depicts. A truly powerful film that will resonate through the ages.

Before Midnight- Directed by Richard Linklater

My most anticipated film of the year did not disappoint. If 12 Years A Slave hadn't brought the historical/social gravitas, Before Midnight would have reigned supreme as my favorite film of 2013. The latest in Richard Linklater's "Before" film series is a raw examination of adult relationships. Less romance, more melancholy and monotony but captivating all the same. The characters of Jesse and Celine have come along way from their starry-eyed first encounter in Before Sunrise. Unlike in previous chapters (of this... possibly the greatest trilogy ever?) it's not time that's their enemy, it's everyday life.

Her- Directed by Spike Jonze

I've always liked Spike Jonze. I grew up watching his music videos and commercials before I realized he was goofy Conrad from Three Kings. When I saw Adaptation, I was too young to fully understand his ingenious subtlety behind the camera but I knew something awesome was taking place onscreen. Well, Spike's latest film Her is nothing short of a masterpiece and I can say with confidence, Spike, I love you man. Joaquin Phoenix delivers another career defining performance as Theodore, a lovelorn writer who falls in love with his computer OS. This movie encapsulates the emotional weight of Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep's elevator scene in Adaptation, but takes it into the stratosphere. A truly beautiful film.

The Place Beyond The Pines- Directed by Derek Cianfrance

The most overlooked film of the year? I think so. Derek Cianfrance's sprawling crime/family epic is one of the most emotionally jarring films of 2013. It's dark and morbid, but poetic and touching. Everyone in the large ensemble cast delivers great performances but Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper do the best work of their careers in this film. Say what you will about the plot or execution of this ambitious film, the acting, cinematography and musical score are untouchable and are all worth a viewing in their own right.

Pain & Gain- Directed by Michael Bay

A Michael Bay film that I didn't hate, let alone standing tall in my top 5 list?! Well, Pain & Gain is that good (in a horribly callous, despicable way) folks. This thoroughly deplorable yet jaw-droppingly funny film follows the real life exploits of quite possibly, the dumbest criminals in recorded history. Bay grabs this project by the horns and turns what would otherwise be a dark and twisted film into a tongue and cheek self aware eye wink to all the haters (such as myself) who have chastised the man since Pearl Harbor. Let it be clear that no one does lowbrow entertainment (juvenile humor, explosions) like Michael Bay. Hail to the king.


*HONORABLE MENTIONS*

2013 was an amazing year in cinema. I should have posted a top 10 list for all the great stuff I saw this year but for the sake of continuity, kept the top 5 tradition going. Anyways, here are the rest of my favorite films from last year:

Prisoners
Dark, Law & Order: SVU plot, with Jake Gyllenhaal's scene stealing performance/hair.

Pacific Rim
The most fun I had at the movies all year. In IMAX 3D or standard, Gypsy Danger rules in any format.

American Hustle
David O. Russel continues his streak of awesomeness. Enough said.

Spring Breakers
I will defend this film til my dying breath! James Franco and his neon lit femme fatales are amazing to watch.

Only God Forgives
Despite it's flaws, I simply could not stop thinking of Refn's latest film long after I left the theater. Don't agree with me? "Wanna fight?"

Check my Letterboxd profile for all things film related and reviews for my entire top 10:

Movie Review: The Spectacular Now

I haven't hated a movie in a long time. The Spectacular Now breaks this streak. As much as I disliked The Bling Ring, at least Sofia Coppola knows how to maneuver a fucking camera. The same can't be said for The Craptacular Now's director James Ponsoldt.

Where to begin? Well, like Public Enemy said, "Don't Believe The Hype." I guess that was my first problem. I figured a movie that both friends and critics raved about (with an astonishing 93% on Rotten Tomatoes! WTF?) must be good. Well fuck me for assuming. Had I gone into this screening blind, having only seen the trailer earlier this summer, I might have walked out merely disappointed...instead of fucking livid.

So what's up with this film? Why did The Spectacular Now rub me so raw? Well, the script is hokey (boring, contrived, lazy), the acting is bad (Characters? No. Caricatures? Yes.) and the direction is flat. Like, Kevin Smith "shooting two people in front of a wall talking," flat. I can handle lame dialogue/plot. I can tolerate ham-fisted performances, but if that's the case then at least give me something to look at dude. When a film drops the ball on all three levels, that's when I shut down and have Episode I flashbacks.

Smarmy Douche: The Movie.

The Spectacular Now follows an unlikeable punk named Sutter as he teeters on the brink of graduating high school and faces the grim realities of adulthood. Yeah, it's one of those movies. Only here, the protagonist is a smarmy douche who is so thoroughly unlikable I actually wished bodily harm upon his character. Sutter is a teenage alcoholic from a broken home who masks his inner pains with a court jester facade. He's supposed to be the fast talking, life of the party who woos the ladies and skates through life a la Ferris Bueller or Zack Morris but instead, he comes across as a sloppy John Cusack. He speaks in cliches and is more used car salesman than high school student. After breaking up with his girlfriend, Sutter meets Aimee, the only likable/believable human in the enter film. She's the shy, maidenly bookworm who shows Sutter that it's possible to breathe oxygen without acting like a cliched douche all the time. Props to actress Shailene Woodley for being this films only saving grace. Even with such a horrible script, she did her best. The rest of the cast? Lifetime movie of the week territory.

Don't get me wrong, it is possible to enjoy a film with unlikeable characters. Pain & Gain and Spring Breakers both centered on psychotic narcissists but were entertaining films because they didn't try to force the audience to relate to their asshole protagonists. Like I said before, if the plot and characters are fucked, you better have some sick visual style to win the viewer over with. Alas, The Spectacular Now fails here. Hardcore. I know this is a mega low budget indie film, but with today's technology, there is no excuse for such shoddy imagery on screen. The whole film just looks dark and dingy. Even Mud which takes place in a fucking swamp looked more pristine. I understand not every film can look as gorgeous as The Place Beyond The Pines, but if you want us to sympathize with a smarmy douche like Sutter, aka: the drunk driving captain of the world, how about some thought provoking/haunting shots like THIS huh?

So that's that. The Spectacular Now: the most infuriating movie of the summer. Remember what Chuck D said about hype? He was referring to this trailer.

Movie Review: The Place Beyond The Pines

Prepare yourself, this film is amazing on multiple levels. First, it's amazing that someone even tried to tackle a project like this. Director Derek Cianfrance's follow up to 2010's Blue Valentine continues exploring the dynamics of dysfunctional families. While his last film was about the woeful dissolution of a marriage, The Place Beyond The Pines highlights the relationship (or lack thereof) between fathers and sons, spanning across three generations.

Like I said before, this film is epic in every sense of the word. A triptych tale, The Place Beyond The Pines is basically three separate movies that momentarily converge at one crucial point. Again, it's amazing that someone could even get a movie like this made in this day and age. Ryan Gosling plays a motorcycle riding drifter named Luke who is blindsided when a fling from his past results in fatherhood. He turns to a life of crime in order to provide for his son, and that's when he crosses paths with Avery, a rookie cop with boy scout sensibilities and a young son of his own, played by Bradley Cooper in one of his best performances to date. That's all I can divulge without going into spoiler territory. Let's just say, it's epic. You get action, thrills, nerve racking suspense, echoes of romance, heartbreak, violence, tragedy, all these elements hit you at different times as you wonder just what the hell is happening.

The cast, led by Gosling and Cooper, deliver outstanding performances. Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn, Dane DeHaan and a uber sleazy Ray Liotta are especially noteworthy. It's amazing that someone as beautiful as Mendes (or Gosling...or Cooper) can appear so believably haggard and run down over the course of a movie like this. Gorgeous actors, coupled with astonishingly beautiful shots of Upstate New York's wilderness, saturated with tremendous amounts of grief and melancholy to the point where they're no longer pretty...just sad. My boy Mike Patton's score for the film only accentuates the emotional beatdown that transpires onscreen. Good (in a morose kind of way) stuff there.

As awesome as this film's trailer is, don't fall into it's trap. It's more akin to The Godfather than Heat if you catch my drift. Is The Place Beyond The Pines perfect? Definitely not. Is it a challenging and ambitious film that deserves both praise and discussion? Totally. Props to Derek Cianfrance for even trying this one, but congratulations for it coming together so well.