After finally seeing enough films, I can now make my list of my Top 10 best movies of 2013. Before I begin, I have a couple disclaimers. One, this is my list and my opinion will be different to yours meaning, so please respect my opinion as I would respect yours. Two, I didn't see every movie to come out this year but I did see all of the ones I was desperate to see. Three, this list will also be different to my preliminary list I made on New Year's Eve as I have seen more movies and my opinion on a couple of movies may have changed.
One last thing, the honourable mentions. These are movies I thought were great but I can't put them on my Top 10 list because I enjoyed other movies more. They are:
12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Elysium
Frozen
Mud
Saving Mr Banks
I know right? 12 Years a Slave didn't make the list? That just shows you how much I love these 10 great movies below. Without further ado, let's begin the list:
#10 Prisoners
Despite having an unsettling subject matter, Prisoners is masterfully shot by the genius Roger Deakins and acted beautifully by Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano in particular. Prisoners will keep you guessing throughout and is one that really gets under you skin when you've finished watching it, much like David Fincher's Se7en.
#9 The Place Beyond the Pines
I gave this great movie an A+ but it has moved down the list in the last couple of weeks. Despite not enjoying the movie as much as others on the list, I found myself in awe of it's beauty and completely captivated by the characters on screen. The acting is fantastic, the script emotionally engaging and what I loved so much about it was it's unique handle on storytelling, which allowed this clear three-part drama to unfold.
#8 Star Trek Into Darkness
JJ Abrams yet again provides us with a stunning and entertaining Star Trek movie, only this time it really is meant for Star Trek fans. Despite not knowing a thing about Star Trek lore, I enjoyed this movie so much. I thought the relationship between Kirk and Spok was as dynamic as ever without it ever re-hashing the first film and Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain was incredibly captivating and menacing, as expected.
#7 Man of Steel
Some people love it and some people hate it. I love it. I know it has many flaws and I can understand them, but I walked out of Man of Steel with what I wanted, a gateway to a DC Cinematic Universe, which they are now expanding. Hans Zimmer's score was the best of the year, Cavill was a perfect Superman and watching Superman use his powers causing utter chaos and destruction was entertaining as hell, and fine by me.
#6 Her
I don't like romance movies but I love Her. Spike Jonze's love story is brought to realisation through an award-worthy screenplay and characters that the actor's realise to their full potential. Joaquin Phoenix is mesmerising as ever, Scarlett Johansson's voice work brought her character (a computer) to life as it's own being, and I found myself really wanting this relationship to work. Heavily emotionally invested within the story and in awe about the care and detail put into the world building, Her really got under my skin.
#5 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
This is more like it. This was one of the most fun movie experiences of the year because this movie did exactly what the Lord of the Rings did, it made you feel as if you were going on the quest. The Desolation of Smaug was non-stop excitement and thrills throughout. Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen were perfect as Bilbo and Gandalf respectively, plus the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) is the best dragon ever put on screen. Jaw-droppingly beautiful and menacing as hell, he was a great asset to the story and the movie as a whole. I have to wait a whole year for the last movie, which is way too long.
#4 American Hustle
David O'Russell's latest effort has received critical acclaim from award-giving associations so nowadays it is the cool thing to say that it's overrated. I disagree. The writing is fantastic, the music is kick-ass, and the characters are so layered and so interesting that I could literally sit down and watch them interact with each other all day long. The performances are all amazing, plus it's a movie with such a clever plot that it demands repeat viewings. I can't wait to watch it a second time.
#3 Gravity
As a 90 minute thriller, Gravity is perfection. Sat there with my heart-pounding and my fists clenched, all I wanted was for Sandra Bullock to bloody grab on to something! Gravity is the best visual experience I've ever had with a movie. The visual effects are the best I've ever seen and the sound editing was used effectively. The cinematography was also the best of the year as it gave the emptiness and isolation of space it's own character, contributing more to the thrills. Alfonso Cuaron deserves a Best Director award at the Oscar's as this "Director's film" had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Like Avatar, people think it's the cool thing to hate on it but I honestly loved the thing to pieces.
#2 The Wolf of Wall Street
Martin Scorsese is back and this time the 71 year old is producing a super-charged movie like the Wolf of Wall Street. Directed with flair and energy, this movie is also the funniest of the entire year. I spent a lot of the 3 hour run time laughing my ass off or being seriously entertained by everything that was happening on screen. Di Caprio finally got an Oscar nod for this performance in which he is on fire, Jonah Hill also scored a much-deserved nomination as well. As said before, this movie is 3 hours long and not one single second of it was dull. I love the debauchery and hilarity of this movie, but it's only number 2.
#1 Rush
I walked out of Rush with a beaming smile on my face. I was so thankful that such a great movie had been made about the sport I love, and handled with such accuracy and care. The amount of detail that went into re-creating one of the best rivalries in F1 history was staggering. The music, the editing, the cinematography, the phenomenally-handled race sequences added to this atmosphere of high-octane drama and danger. However, Chris Hemsworth's portrayal of James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl's Oscar-snubbed performance as Niki Lauda were stand-out. The rivalry was handled with amazing perspective and maturity and I was constantly switching back and forth between the 2 without ever having to chose which one to route for. Despite knowing the outcome of the story (being a massive F1 nerd) I still found myself on the edge of my seat clenching my fists at what was going happening on screen. It's honestly one of my favourite movies of all time, I love Rush. It's my favourite movie of 2013.
Thank you to anyone who viewed this list and I can't wait to start reviewing 2014 releases in the future. 2013 was an amazing year for movies, so comment below your top 10/favourite movie of the year and share your opinions with the world.
Thanks for reading,
Matt
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