AJ's Top 10 of 2013

Another Hollywood year is now complete. Granted, some movies that have been "technically" released in 2013 haven't seen a wide release, and so I won't be considering them for my Best of the Year list. These include, but are not limited to; August: Osage County, Her, Labor Day and Lone Survivor. Having gotten that out of the way, I saw 46 theatrically released films this year, and here are my 10 favorite.

10. The Wolf of Wall Street

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It runs close to 3 hours, but Terrence Winter's screenplay and Leonardo Dicaprio's performance keep your eyes glued and your attention span directed to the screen, where the crime movie of the year is delivered in the most hilarious way.

9. Epic

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The scope of events in Epic is enormous, but the film never loses its focus, its heart, or its fun, and as a result, Epic is the best animated film of the year (yes, to everyone asking yourself right now, I did see Frozen).

8. Blue Jasmine

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Cate Blanchett lights up the screen in her portrayal of Jasmine. We can't help but enjoy every minute of the movie that forces us to look at our materialistic and individualistic behaviors and the way they affect us.

7. The Way Way Back

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Even though the characters don't always stand out as well as they do in Juno or Up in the Air, The Way Way Back is a fun summer indie that features great performances from Liam James, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb and Sam Rockwell.

6. Kick-Ass 2

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Most of the times I disagreed with mainstream critics this year is when I gave bad reviews to critically acclaimed films. Here, I gave a good review for a film that wasn't as well received. But I don't care, because I can say with absolute certainty that Kick-Ass 2 is a good movie. Hilarious, action-packed, and with a great screenplay, Kick-Ass 2 is one heck of a good time.

5. Don Jon

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It's not perfect, but Don Jon is still the best comedy of the year and offers amazing potential for the future career of Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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Story-wise, acting-wise, and in respect to its technical construction, it's a huge improvement on its predecessor. It's not always as exciting, but to be fair, most of the excitement takes place outside of the arena in this sequel.

3. 12 Years a Slave

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I wanted more honesty, more brutality, and a more distinct time layout. Without it, I still saw an awe-invoking tale of survival and humanity.

2. Gravity

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It might be safe to say that sci-fi and special effects have reached a new cinematic landmark. Also, add Sandra Bullock to the list of great lead female sci-fi performances, alongside Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, Noomi Rapace in Prometheus, and Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2.

1. Mud

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Tye Sheridan is a revelation as Ellis, and Matthew McConaughey proves that 2013 is his year for movies. Mud isn't just the best movie of the year, it's a showcase of mesmerizing acting, writing, directing, music, and cinematography, and is a simple yet powerful reminder that originality in filmmaking is still possible. Movies like Mud are the gems that true movie lovers seek to appreciate.

The Wolf of Wall Street

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I'll try to make this review shorter than the nearly 3-hour long Wolf of Wall Street. But, like the movie, regardless of length, I hope it will be worth your time. The movie is based on the true story of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort. After the 1987 stock market crash, fresh-out-of-college Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes a job selling penny stocks. His prior experience on Wall Street earns him enormous profits. When he concludes that enough is never enough, he opens up his own firm with his neighbor Donnie (Jonah Hill).

The movie illustrates the idea that some roller coasters in life are ones you can't get off of so easily. Once Jordan's firm, which he names Stratton Oakmont, earns billions in revenue, the company expands, and Jordan's behaviors become rather racy. He begins using drugs and sleeping with prostitutes several times a day and divorces his good-natured wife to marry a model.

As expected, following years of being on top, The Man comes to bring Jordan down. In The Wolf of Wall Street, "The Man" is FBI Agent Patrick Denham. Jordan starts moving money around internationally, and when prompted to leave the company with what he's already made, he tells his employees that nothing will ever take him away from Stratton Oakmont. That is, except for corruption and ignorance.

DiCaprio delivers his usual effortless on-screen brilliance in this film, especially in the scenes that require most of him. Whether he's throwing himself down a flight of stairs and crawling into his car under the influence of aged drugs, telling colleagues to sell him a pen, giving the best motivational speeches I've ever seen on film, or punching his wife in the stomach, he, like Terence Winter's screenplay, is totally immersive. The movie is very long, and so naturally it slows down at points. However, thanks to DiCaprio, it never gets boring.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't cut some scenes from the movie. As time went by, I pinpointed a few scenes and made mental notes of which ones Scorsese could've cut without hearing much ruckus from the audience. One negative attribute was that with some of these unnecessary scenes, the extraordinary comedic setup was partially let down during its second half. I also wanted to see more from both of Jordan's wives and from his first boss (Matthew McConaughey), who gave Jordan tips on how hookers, coke, and whacking off are what keep all great stockbrokers sane. I have a feeling the character had a lot more to offer, and seeing him for only two scenes was a disappointment. Aside from DiCaprio and McConaughey, the rest of the cast excelled as well. Jonah Hill, Jon Bernthal, Jean Dujardin, and Kyle Chandler all surprised me with noteworthy performances unlike any other they had given in their careers.

The Wolf of Wall Street sells one of the year's best ensemble casts, screenplays and comedies. In short, it's one of the best of 2013, and although it could've been better, I'm happy with what Scorsese gave us.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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I don't think I'm alone when I say The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was a letdown. With too many characters, pointless conversations, scenes of unnecessary exposition, and a gruesomely long runtime, An Unexpected Journey didn't exactly have many LOTR fans jumping for joy at the thought of a second entry. Rest assure, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a huge improvement on the first installment of the Hobbit trilogy, with a clear layout of characters, more action, more excitement, and more reasons to recommend it.

Following a near deadly confrontation with Azog, an Orc who is trying to end the Dwarven line of Durin, the company of Dwarves, plus the hobbit Bilbo and the Wizard Gandalf, continue their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and kill the gargantuan dragon Smaug. In this middle part of the story, Bilbo and the dwarves are separated from Gandalf, and must face off against giant spiders, elves, orc armies, bitter townspeople of Laketown, and of course, Smaug.

Some of the new characters include the elf Tauriel (Kate Austen...I mean Evangeline Lilly) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom), who reprises his role from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. Their story becomes intertwined with that of the dwarves, and the romance between Tauriel and Kili the dwarf was well thought out and even better executed on the big screen. Bard the Bowman, who helps smuggle the dwarves into Laketown, provided more conflict for the story and was brought to life respectably by Luke Evans. However, the new character that is impossible to not mention is Smaug. His menacing presence was everything I had hoped it would be. His design was ferocious, his mannerisms were diabolical, and his voice work by Benedict Cumberbatch was astounding. His role in the next installment promises to be even better, or so I would hope.

As I stated earlier, The Desolation of Smaug is a step-up from its predecessor in many ways. The cinematography was clearer and scenes were lit better. Characters were better established, comic relief was more effective, and the special effects here made the ones used in An Unexpected Journey look even worse than they already did. Though while it's still a better movie than its prequel, The Desolation of Smaug still had a few flaws of its own. For instance, the movie was still too long, especially since some scenes in the first hour or so weren't essential to the story. Having said that, this movie jumps into the good stuff a lot faster than in the first movie. Also, even though there was a better range of characters and stories, we still don't get to know all of the dwares as individuals and that's a huge hinderance when you're trying to root for them. Additionally, Azog didn't play as big a role in this movie, and that wouldn't be a problem if some of us hadn't forgotten why he was chasing after the dwarves in the first place. Finally, the ending was a bit too abrupt for my liking.

If you gave up hope on the remainder of this franchise after the first, fear not. Most of the adventure, fun, and action of Middle Earth is back with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smuag. And no, it's not as good as the original trilogy, but it's a great movie, and a much better one than An Unexpected Journey.

Rating: 4/5

Inside Llewen Davis

Inside Llewen Davis began with a solid start. There was fresh comedy, attention-grabbing songs, and top-notch performances from Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and Justin Timberlake. After a while though, it seems like the Coen Brothers must've run out of ideas, because about 40 minutes in, the film took a total turn for the worse, and everything I was enjoying about it went away. I guess it's another one of 2013's cinematic letdowns.

Folk singer Llewen Davis (Oscar Isaac) is struggling to get noticed after his partner commits suicide. He's shown to have little motivation, and if anyone were to ask him "How bad do you want this?" he probably wouldn't give a convincing answer. He plays small gigs to make enough to get by and stays on the couches of associates, acquaintances, and even people he's just met due to his lack of a dwelling place. He oftentimes finds himself residing with his fellow folk-singer friends Jim and Jean (Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan) or the apartment of an older college professor and his wife.

Llewen starts collaborating with Jim to produce a record he's sure will be a hit, while his most recent album, entitled "Inside Llewen Davis," is having a hard time being sold. Meanwhile, he overstays his welcome at the professor's apartment, and because Jean has lost all respect for Llewen, he hitches a ride to Chicago to try and sell his record again. I was enjoying every minute of Inside Llewen Davis until the decision was made to bring Llewen outside of New York and temporarily replace Mulligan (who was probably the best part about the movie) and Timberlake with John Goodman and Garret Hedlund.

Once the pair of musicians played by Hedlund and Goodman pick up Llewen on their way to Chicago, the movie became extremely (and I know I've used this word a lot this year) boring. After 40 minutes of magnificent character establishment, near-perfect comedic dialogue, and songs that I'm planning on buying on iTunes, we're placed in a car with two characters we know nothing about and who haven't been properly introduced. The remainder of the movie is mostly devoid of laughs and memorable scenes, and it truly puzzles me how and why the Coen Brothers would set up such a perfect situation for a week in the life of Llewen Davis and then let it come crashing down on itself. I would've been all for recommending this movie had there been more Carey Mulligan, more music, and less melodrama.

The fact that movies like this, Dallas Buyers Club and Nebraska are being considered two of the year's best is telling me just one thing - 2013 was a pretty damn weak year for movies. I'll go ahead and give this movie a positive score, but I think you'll thank me if you walk out of the theater right after you hear the line "Where's his scrotum?"

Rating: 3/5

American Hustle

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It was a little over a year ago when writer-director David O. Russell released Silver Linings Playbook. I gave it a 4/5, mainly for the performances of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. Looking back, I probably should've scored it with a 3.5/5, especially since I'd give Russell's newest movie, American Hustle, a 4/5 as well. American Hustle matches Russell's previous work in the field of acting but is an improvement in pacing, comedy and drama.

Christian Bale stars as conman Irving Rosenfeld, who partners up with Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) to start up a new operation. Irving has Sydney bring him her rich friends, where he offers to invest their money. The two embezzle the cash and pocket the profit. As their funds increase, so does their mutual attraction, which complicates the already tumultuous marriage between Irving and his carelessly unstable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). 

After initial success, Irving and Sydney are busted by FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso makes a deal with the two to release them if they help him catch four other con artists. Irving accepts, and he, Sydney, and Richie work to bring down the mayor of Camden, NJ for taking a bribe. As Irving takes Rosalyn on dinner dates with Mayor Polito (Jeremy Renner) and his wife, Irving forms a legitimate friendship with Polito and starts to feel remorseful about his role in the takedown of a person who he sees as a great man. Meanwhile, Sydney, still under the guise of her alias as the British Edith Greensley, is welcoming the advances of Richie following a spat with Irving. 

The movie has a lot of key ingredients for a Grade-A movie: an all-star cast, brilliant performances, great comic relief, twists and surprises, commendable cinematography, and set pieces, costumes and hairstyling that places you in the timeframe of the story. But American Hustle is missing something - focus. The movie focuses more on the characters and sometimes forgets to touch base with the audience about what those characters are up to and what their true intentions are. 

Still, despite the imperfections in the screenplay, the cast carries the movie well enough on their own. Christian Bale provides an enjoyable comedic presence as Irving. It's not a career-best, but it's still praiseworthy. Amy Adams is simply fantastic in her best performance since The Fighter, and I sincerely hope she gets her 5th Oscar nomination for her efforts. And as expected, Jennifer Lawrence steals every scene she's in, and her performance in American Hustle proves that she undoubtedly is one of the best actresses of this generation. 

You should expect to see the cast on stage at the SAG Awards in a few weeks, as it'll be a shock if they don't take home the prize for Best Acting Ensemble. But when it comes to Best Picture or Best Screenplay at the Oscars, I think David O. Russell might walk away empty handed for the second year in a row. He makes movies that I deeply want to love, although he always lets me down just a bit. He's a good filmmaker, and I know he can be great. David O. Russell isn't quite there just yet, but i have faith that one day he will be.

Rating: 4/5

Philomena

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Philomena is a delightful film that leaves powerfully sweet impact. Based on the true story of Philomena Lee (played by Judi Dench), an Irish woman whose illegitimate son was given up for adoption during her teenage years, the movie recounts her efforts to relocate him 50 years later. With the help of a down-on-his-luck journalist (Steve Coogan, who also co-produced and co-worte the film) looking for his comeback, Philomena begins to see real hope of reuniting with her son Michael.

The journalist, Martin, concludes that Anthony was probably adopted by an American couple and takes Philomena to the States so she can demand answers on his whereabouts. When the two are in America, there's a huge revelation about Anthony and his life every five minutes or so, and you won't believe some of the things about Anthony and the life he lived. The story moves with the pacing and immediacy of a classic mystery film, but instead of a murderer or kidnapper, you're hoping to find reason, for Philomena's sake.

For her age-defying portrayal of Philomena, Judi Dench deserves an Oscar. The veteran actress will most likely be going up against Sandra Bullock in Gravity, Amy Adams in American Hustle, and Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine for the gold, and while all of these ladies gave fantastic performances, I think that with Philomena, Judi Dench gives the best female performance of the year. She carries all of the emotion of the Philomena and her horrifying adolescent years, but also conveys the "sweet old lady" persona rather nicely. I'm hoping the Academy sees in Dench what I did, and if they do, the Best Actress Oscar should be an easy decision this year.

In one of the film's final scenes, Philomena and Martin lash out at the nuns who wronged her when they gave away her son. Martin behaves one way, while Philomena deals with them with a different approach. I found myself rooting for Martin at first, but when I saw how Philomena reacted, I asked myself how I would react in that situation. That's the power Philomena had. Sure, it was entertaining, and constantly surprising, but it also forced me to look at myself to answer the questions the film poses. Would I have the willpower to look for somebody every day for 50 years? Is it possible to love and accept, no questions asked? Most importantly, could I forgive as Philomena did?

With so many unexpected plot twists, you'll have a hard time believing Philomena is based on a true story. It's interesting to watch it with the knowledge that Philomena depicts a real story because it adds even more of a punch to the "no way!" feeling you get whenever another revelation is made. Philomena Lee's story is indescribably life-affirming, and needs to be seen to be believed.

Rating: 4.5/5

Nebraska

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It's movies like Nebraska that really make me want to become a professional movie critic, because even if I can stray just one person away from a movie like this, I'll feel like I have done my job. When I look at how well this film has done, I see a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92%, and a label of "Certified Fresh." I see a Metaritic score of 86, indicating "Universal Acclaim." I also see it received 5 Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. To anybody who enjoyed this movie, I have two questions for you - how and why?

This 2013 Cannes Film Festival entry follows David Grant (Will Forte) as he brings his aloof and alcoholic father Woody to Nebraska, where the old man is convinced he won a $1 million grand prize. David knows it's a scam, but to give his mother (June Squibb) a break and to spend some quality time with his dad, he agrees to drive him to the sweepstakes headquarters to make his father happy.

Along the way, Woody hits his head after drinking one night and is advised to stay put for a few days and rest. David drives over to his aunt's house, where his mother and brother join him for a family reunion with his cousins and uncles and aunts. Already sounds like a movie worth seeing, huh? Well if I haven't made this movie sound boring enough, it really only gets worse. Rather than recap the rest of the synopsis, let's just sum it up by saying that Woody encounters a few old faces is in his hometown and embarrasses himself and his family when everyone that thinks he has actually won a million dollars finds out it was a sham.

There were three scenes I enjoyed in this movie. That's right - three. One is when David is talking to his cousins about how long it takes to drive certain distances, another is when David's mother cusses out a few family members, and the last is when David and his brother steal a compressor. In a 110 minute movie, that only adds up to about 5 minutes of enjoyable screentime. Other Alexander Payne movies like The Descendants and Sideways had a lot more than that. If it weren't for June Squibb's performance, I might've left the theater.

Nebraska was a total waste of time and money, and the only Oscar nominations I could conceivably see it being worthy of are Best Actor for Bruce Dern and Best Supporting Actress for June Squibb. Will Forte has been recognized by some critics circles, though I have no idea why. He seemed to read his lines off just to get his paycheck. Best Screenplay? What for? For one of the most awkwardly paced and unessential works of cinema this year? And Best Director? Well, let's just say that I've seen a lot better from Alexander Payne and was thoroughly disappointed.

Nebraska is as boring and desolate as the State that it takes place in probably is. Still, Squibb made me laugh, and Dern's dedication to his role deserves acknowledgement. But that's all I can commend here.

Rating: 2/5

The Book Thief

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The first film I saw that dealt with World War II through the eyes of a child was 2008's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. While The Book Thief is commendable for its efforts, I'd definitely give the edge to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Why? A better lead performer, a stronger ending, and a story more worthy of telling. But don't get me wrong - up until the end, The Book Thief is an intriguing motion picture about innocence in a time of fear, friendship in a time of war, and hope in a time of bleakness.

In 1938 Germany, Liesel is sent by her mother to live with a different family. Her new parents are Hans and Elsa Hubermann, and while Elsa is initially strict, demanding, and cold to her adoptive daughter, Hans is eager to welcome the child into his home. In the same neighborhood as Liesel is Rudy, an amiable youngster who befriends the shy Liesel. Over the years, Liesel becomes more comfortable in her new home, learns to love and respect the Hubbermann's, and becomes inseparable with Rudy. But as books burn and Jewish-owned businesses become scarce, Liesel becomes nervous with what is becoming of Germany.

One night, Hans and Elsa find themselves housing a fugitive Jew named Max, the son of a man who saved Hans' life in World War I. While Max's presence doesn't make life easy for the couple, he and Liesel become instant friends. Liesel later finds solace in the house of the Bürgermeister, where his wife welcomes Liesel to come over and read with her anytime in their elaborate library. When her husband discovers this, Liesel is told to leave and never return, causing her to sneak into their house to borrow books so she can continue to read.

The Book Thief is a good movie - there's no doubt, but it's a tad slow-paced at times, leaves questions unanswered and doesn't always use its strengths. For example, Nico Liersch shines as Rudy, stealing every scene from Sophie Nélissee in her lead performance as Liesel when they're on the screen together, but he's not in the movie as much as you'll want him to be. The same goes for Max - even though the character is crucial to the story, he takes the back seat for most of the film. Also, what's the story with the Bürgermeister's wife?

The disappointments were minimal, but still left a major impact on my feelings toward the film. I have two main criticisms. The first is the casting of Sophie Nélissee as Liesel. In my eyes, her performance never amounts to anything spectacular, especially in comparison to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The lead in that movie went on to star in Ender's Game and Martin Scorcese's Hugo, because people saw talent in the young Asa Butterfield. Nothing about the young Sophie drags your eyes to her, unfortunately. The second criticism goes to the ending. Without giving away their identities, I will say that many characters die in the end. But the ones who do die and the circumstances of their deaths leave you asking many questions. Why? What purpose does their death serve? What message is it sending? What does it all mean?

Granted, World War II has been studied and converted into historical fiction for decades, and whenever a new perspective of the time comes along, most people find it worthy of exploring unless it's really bad. With its costume and set design, impressive performances from the supporting cast, and immersive breadth of ideas explored, The Book Thief is worth a watch. Having said that, make sure you check out The Boy in the Striped Pajamas first.

Rating: 3.5/5

Dallas Buyers Club

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Dallas Buyers Club isn't selling much aside from some golden performances. The biopic about Texas-druggie Ron Woodruff (portrayed by Matthew McConaughey) started off strong, setting up the universe of the homophobic and morally loose Southerner very well. We worry about Ron's longevity when he is diagnosed with AIDS and given 30 days to live. We are intrigued when we meet the transgendered Rayon (Jared Leto), and are interested to see what more the character will bring to the story. Unfortunately for Mr. McConaughey and Mr. Leto, the screenplay eventually lets them down, and the lack of dedicated direction causes the movie to sail into the terrifying waters of boredom.

The story starts in 1985, where we see a picture of Ron's life. He's the stereotypical deep-south native, sleeping with any girl he meets, spending most of his free time in bars, and putting almost everything in his body. He soon becomes sick to the point of passing out, waking up in the hospital where two doctors tell him of his infection. Ron reacts by storming out and proclaiming he's "not a queer."

Realizing his disease is killing him from the inside, Ron goes back to the hospital to get medicine, where he meets Rayon, an AIDS-infected patient. When Ron starts to feel even worse from the dugs given to him, he partners up with Rayon and begins to smuggle in drugs from Mexico that haven't been approved by the FDA. After Ron secures his own health, outliving the doctor's prediction of 30 days by several years, he sells the drugs to other AIDS patients in the area, charing $400 a month for unlimited medicine in his "Dallas Buyers Club."

Matther McConaughey and Jared Leto are being showered with awards and nominations by critics and associations alike, and they are very much deserved. Both went through immense physical changes to get into the frame of their characters and are immensely successful in their performances. However, if it weren't for the two male leads, there would be nothing impressive or noteworthy about this movie aside from the scenes that depict the corruption of the FDA, and to be honest, I've seen government corruption done better in a lot of other movies.

After the first 20 minutes or so of the Club's introduction, scenes become repetitive, and I honestly wondered why the movie was still going. For the story that it told, Dallas Buyers Club was too long. They might have been able to get away with the length had the screenplay been more clever with its content (showing more scenes of Ron's battle with the FDA, more on Rayon, etc.).

This movie isn't garbage, but it's a shame the first 40 minutes or so lead me to think there was a lot more good stuff coming my way. If it weren't for McConaughey and Leto totally immersing themselves into their roles, there wouldn't be anything worthwhile about Dallas Buyers Club.

Rating: 2.5/5