Top 13 films of 2013

For once, I don't have an outright favourite movie from last year, which is surprising because it wasn't a particularly strong year for film.  There was, however, a strong selection at the top of the pile, all with different strengths, and I really can't separate them.  So my top 4 are all equal...

1. The Wolf of Wall Street.  The slickest, most fun film of the year.
=  12 Years a Slave.  A masterpiece that will go down as one of the all-time greats.
=  Captain Phillips.  By far the most tense film of the year.
=  Dallas Buyers Club.  An acting masterclass.

5.  Behind the Candelabra.  A brilliant character development with amazing acting.
6.  The Hunt.  My favourite foreign language film of the year.  Shocking and hard to watch at times.
7.  The Way Way Back.  The year's (if not the decade's) most uplifting movie.
8.  Blue is the Warmest Colour.  An amazing character study with (lengthy) scenes of a sexual nature.

9.  Monsters University.  Mike and Sulley return for more Pixar goodness.
10.  Despicable Me 2.  Minion madness.  I thought this was hilarious.
11.  Lovelace.  A decent biopic of seventies porn-star Linda Lovelace.

12.  American Hustle.  Jennifer Lawrence.  Enough said.
13.  Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.  Norwich's finest export finally hits the big screen. 

Disney's Frozen (2013) - The List Hero Review

Like a critical supervillain, the first two months of my calendar year is usually spent observing Hollywood's awards season from my lair in the Midlands.  It has been one of my favourite pass-times for the last five or six years.  And this year has been no different.  As usual, there are the select few films that appear to be sweeping the board (12 Years a Slave & Gravity this year) and the Best Animated Feature category is no exception.  Frozen is a red-hot banker to become Disney's first non-Pixar movie to win the prestigious Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.  The box-office-smashing hit has already won the corresponding accolade at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, the Critics Choice Awards and the renowned animation honors, the Annie Awards - where it won four other gongs too!

But my question is this:  how?

Having laughed my head off to two of the other major animated movies of 2013 - Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University - I felt that Frozen had a lot to live up to.  However, seeing all of those accolades, I felt sure that Disney would do the trick.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The film is set in the fictional kingdom of Arendelle, where two princesses live.  One is a normal girl, the other one has magical powers... for some reason.  However, after an accident, the one with the magical powers needs to keep the magical powers a secret from her sister... because some trolls told her so.  I hated this film.  Other than a talking snowman called Olaf, I really couldn't work out what Frozen had going for it.  The "jokes" were few an far between, and when they did arrive it was mainly Princess Anna (the non-magical one) saying one thing but then, in  a very modern-America kind-of-way, jokingly meaning another.

By Disney standards, the songs were utterly useless too.  Here are the opening lyrics to one of the early songs:
The window is open, so is that door,
I didn't know they did that anymore.
Who on Earth wrote that song?  Mickey Mouse?

So the jokes are rubbish and the songs are worse.  However, there must surely be an uplifting, meaningful message behind the film, right?  Erm... not that I can work out.  Here's a plot summary (let me know if you can work out the meaning):  Girl has (completely unexplained) magical powers that she doesn't want.  Then everyone finds out about the powers so she runs away.  Her sister goes to fetch her back.  They meet a friendly snowman (by far the highlight of the film) and fight a nasty snowman (not sure why).  Then the magic princess comes back to Arandelle.  In a parallel side-plot, that I couldn't have cared less about, the non-magic sister falls in love with a prince on the day she meets him but he turns out to be a nob (not that anyone cares because he's barely in the film) and then, at the end, she gets it on with some ice-chopper bloke that talks to his moose/reindeer.  Utter garbage.

Although the Best Animated Feature Oscar is a category that's only been open since 2001, it seems amazing that Disney (other than their Pixar movies) have not won this gong.  There have been some excellent Disney animations in recent years such as The Princess & The Frog and Tangled, which were understandably beaten to the award by Up and Toy Story 3 respectably.  However, this time last year, I was on the opposite side of the fence, hoping that Disney's Wreck It Ralph (in my opinion, one of the best films of 2012) would beat Pixar's fairly average Brave.  Sadly, it didn't.

So it seems amazing to me that a movie as terrible as Frozen is sweeping the board and taking every award in sight.  The Academy seem to have lost the plot with this award recently; I disagreed with last year's decision, I disliked Rango the year before that, and I dislike Frozen now.  And what's even more amazing is that Pixar's Monsters University didn't even get a nomination!  This means, as we watch the awards being dished out on the TV in our super-lair, the minions and I will have to keep my fingers crossed for Despicable Me 2 to snatch a shock victory.

Rating for Frozen:  It would have been 1 but I did stick with it until the end and at least children (the film's target audience) will enjoy the visuals, overlook the terrible lyrics and laugh at Olaf.  So, it's an extremely generous 2 out of 5.  

The 67th BAFTAs - I generally concur

The 67th British Academy Film Awards more commonly known as the BAFTAs, were held on 16 February 2014 honouring the best national and foreign films of 2013.

Although I personally believe that some of the nominations were lacking some of the best films and performances, the awards generally appeared to go to worthy winners.

Here's my view...

Best Documentary:  The Act of Killing

One of the most creative, artistic and downright shocking documentaries I've ever seen.  A film that's will stay with you for days.  Documentary maker, Joshua Oppenheimer, put a lot on the line in the making of this film as he meets a former Indonesian killing squad who went on to establish a powerful right-wing political organisation.  A worthy winner.  Good to see that Black Fish was also a nominee.

Best Supporting Actress:  Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalyn Rosenfeld, American Hustle

The beautiful Miss Lawrence would certainly be my choice for the award this year.  Although I didn't particularly love American Hustle, Lawrence was the standout performance.  Bringing a huge dash of humour to the role of Christian Bale's neglected wife, Lawrence shows again that she is one of the most versatile acting ladies on the planet.  One of many gongs to come her way no doubt.

Best Supporting Actor:  Barkhad Abdi as Abduwali Muse, Captain Phillips 

Great to see a Somali on my blog!  I can't believe that I still haven't seen Captain Phillips!  However, in this category is a list of nominees that I'm really impressed with:

Daniel Brühl – Rush as Niki Lauda

Bradley Cooper – American Hustle as Richie DiMaso

Matt Damon – Behind the Candelabra as Scott Thorson

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave as Edwin Epps

Abdi's fellow nominees are all excellent in their roles, although I'm disappointed that there's no Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street) or Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), and I was particularly pleased to see Matt Damon in there (Behind the Candelabra is one of my favourite films of the year).  Thus, in such a tough category, Abdi must have given some performance!  I'm really looking forward to seeing Captain Phillips.

Best Actress in a lead role:  Cate Blanchett as Jasmine Francis, Blue Jasmine

Despite the controversy that has been surrounding Woody Allen since the Golden Globes, there can be no doubting that Cate Blanchett's performance in Blue Jasmine (written and directed by Allen) is outstanding.  Compared to her fellow nominees, there is not even the slightest competition.  Some may lay claim to the idea that Sandra Bullock's one-woman-show in Gravity is award worthy but, quite frankly, I found 2 hours of floating around in space a little dull.  On a personal note, I would have loved to have seen a little more love for Blue is the Warmest Color's Adele Exarchopoulos, who is quite excellent in the multi-award-winning French flick.

Best Actor in a lead role:  Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave 

Very disappointed that there was no nomination for Matthew McConaughey for his work on Dallas Buyers Club.  However, if the award went to anyone else then it had to be Chiwetel or Leonardo Di Caprio for The Wolf of Wall Street.  With every one of Chiwetel's facial expressions you feel the pain or other emotion that his wrongly enslaved character is feeling.  A worthy winner.

Best Director:  Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

Whilst I can't deny the artistic achievements of this film, I cannot agree with this award for one simple reason:  the movie bored the socks off me!  The film was produced in Britain so no great surprise that it won 6 BAFTAs (double the amount of its nearest rival).

Best Film:  12 Years a Slave

Beautiful direction, superb acting, and powerful music all add up to the fact that 12 Years a Slave is the best film of 2013.  Great stories are often told on the cinema screen, but can be let down by terrible scripts, poor acting, sloppy directors, or cheesy music.  This film isn't.  It's cinema perfection and a worthy winner.  Very disappointed with the list of fellow nominees for this award; no Wolf of Wall Street, Behind the Candelabra or Dallas Buyers Club, the two films that even come close to 12 Years a Slave, so this award was never really in doubt.

So, overall, good work British Academy.  You may have missed a few key nominations but your gang of winners is a respectable bunch.  Well done.

Films of 2012: Five List Hero Recommendations

Argo

Directed by Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck delivers a tense political drama in his best film to date.  Argo tells the true story of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomats out of revolutionary Iran.  The film has already won Best Drama at the Golden Globes, where Affleck was also awarded Best Director.

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Wreck-It Ralph

Directed by Rich Moore

Disney's 52nd feature length movie stars a video game villain, Ralph (voiced by John C Reilly), who wants to be a hero.  He then sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.  Exciting, funny, and deeply touching at times, the film won the Best Animated Feature award at the Critics Choice Awards and the National Board of Review Awards - it has also been nominated for the same award at the Oscars.

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The Hunger Games

Directed by Gary Ross

The extremely foxy Jennifer Lawrence gives yet another outstanding performance in The Hunger Games as Katniss Everdeen.  Set in dystopian America, Katniss voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete.  The success of the film is its ability to make us care about the characters in a situation completely alien to our own.

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Flight

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Denzel Washington returns to form as an airline pilot saves a flight from crashing, but an investigation into the malfunctions reveals something troubling about the pilot's private life.  Director Zemeckis returns to live action after dabbling into the world of animation.  The film received two Academy Award nominations - Best Actor for Washington and Best Original Screenplay for its script.

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Brave

Directed by Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman

This may not be one of Pixar's best, but it still hit the right notes.  Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.  Brave has already won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and is hot favourite to pinch the Oscar for the same award.

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Still to watch:  Django Unchained, Silver Lining Playbook, Life of Pi, End of Watch, The Master, Lawless, Moonrise Kingdom, Untouchable.

Top ELEVEN Films of 2011

01  /  The Skin I Live In  /  directed by Pedro Almodovar (above)
02  /  The Help  /  directed by Tate Taylor
03  /  Moneyball  /  directed by Bennett Miller
04  /  The Lincoln Lawyer  /  directed by Brad Furman
05  /  Limitless  /  directed by Neil Burger
06  /  The Artist  /  directed by Michel Hazanavicius
07  /  Midnight in Paris  /  directed by Woody Allen
08  /  Crazy, Stupid, Love  /  directed by Glenn Ficarra
09  /  My Week With Marilyn  /  directed by Simon Curtis
10  /  The Descendants  /  directed by Alexander Payne
11  /  Untouchable  /  directed by Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano  (below)

Films of 2011: Five List Hero Recommendations

The Help

Directed by Tate Taylor

Unashamedly pushes all of the right buttons to create a superbly emotional movie.  It has a strong plot with an even stronger cast.

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Moneyball

Directed by Bennett Miller

Brad Pitt has an uncanny knack of choosing great films to star in and this is no exception.  Thankfully, you don't need to know anything about baseball to enjoy this movie as it will have you cheering until the end.  Pitt is accompanied by an excellent cast with great turns from Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffmann.

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The Skin I Live In

Directed by Pedro Almodovar

Spanish veteran Pedro Almodovar serves up possibly the most insane film of 2011 with The Skin I Live In.  As the film jumps back-and-forth from past to present, Almodovar gradually allows us to discover the shocking details of what's been occurring at the home of surgeon Robert Ledgard (played by Antonio Banderas) until we reach what, in my opinion, is one of the most memorable endings of recent times.  The movie won the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language.

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The Lincoln Lawyer

Directed by Brad Furman

Cocky, arrogant, but ultimately excellent at his job.  Brad Furman's film adaptation of The Lincoln Lawyer takes us into the ultra-confident world of criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller (played here by Matthew McConaughey).  The film has sharp directing and a smooth soundtrack, leaving the overall effect of a movie almost as slick as the lawyer himself.  The story, originally written by author Michael Connelly, sees Haller take on a case involving spoilt rich boy Louis Roulet (played by spoilt rich boy Ryan Phillipe).  Haller believes that Roulet is innocent but there are a few twists along the way that prove the case to be his biggest test yet.


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Limitless

Directed by Neil Burger

My pleasant surprise of 2011 was a movie that can be considered a Jekyll and Hyde of the 21st Century.  I expected little from Limitless, mainly due to its cock-sure advertising and the fact that I wasn't particularly a fan of Bradley Cooper (following The Hangover and All About Steve).  However, this movie changed my opinion of the actor - from the early scenes when he's an unmotivated writer, to his awakening through drugs, and then when the inevitable problems occur - Cooper is excellent.  He transforms through different emotions and a variety of personalities.  Neil Burger (whose previous work includes 2006's The Illusionist) directs the film with enough flair to keep it interesting and believable throughout, and, come the end, the film leaves you pondering on the question: what would I have done in his shoes?

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5 films that should have won the Best Picture Oscar

1.  Brokeback Mountain  (2005)

To think that Brokeback is just a gay cowboy film is beyond stupid.  To say that it is a beautifully tragic bi-sexual love story is probably more like it.  It's a gripping film with powerful performances that take you to the heights and depths of human emotion.  And the film that beat it to the top gong?  Crash is unrealistic and (despite trying so hard to be clever) told its audience nothing about its central topic of racism.

What won instead?  Crash

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2.  Goodfellas  (1990)

Goodfellas shows us the rise and eventual fall of gangster Henry Hill.  Superbly directed by Martin Scorsese and containing phenomenal performances from Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci, this is my number one gangster film. However, it wasn't good enough to win the Best Picture as Kevin Costner's reasonable but extremely soppy Dances With Wolves took the gong.

What won instead?  Dances With Wolves

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3.  Saving Private Ryan  (1998)

This is probably the most realistic war movie that you're likely to see.  It makes you truly realise how terrifying it must have been to be involved and how horrifying the whole process of war really is.  Spielberg's directing is at an all-time high and the performance of all the cast is perfect.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Shakespeare in Love but how the hell did it beat this giant of a film?!

What won instead?  Shakespeare in Love

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4.  The Last Picture Show  (1971)

This is one of the best coming-of-age dramas that has ever been made.  Despite being in black-and-white, it is still a beautiful picture that focuses around the lives of teenagers in a small Texan town.  As for the film that beat it, The French Connection has a paper-thin plot and is only famous for its pretty impressive car chase.

What won instead?  The French Connection

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5.  Pulp Fiction  (1994)

It hurts me to type this because Forrest Gump is my favourite film of all time!  However, the editing, the music, and the directing of Pulp Fiction were well ahead of the game and really it should have won.  

What won instead?  Forrest Gump