2013 – My Top 5 Films

Another year has passed and 2013 was, in my opinion, not the most exciting or memorable year for cinema. That said, there were still plenty of brilliant films released and in this blog, I’ll take a look at my top 5. Do bare in mind there are still a number of films I am yet to see.

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5. The Place Beyond The Pines

The Place Beyond The Pines

Perhaps a surprise inclusion, ‘The Place Beyond The Pines’ does have its flaws due to it being overly ambitious and let down by a final act, but despite that, it really is a good film. The concepts and theories it explored meant I left the cinema thinking about the film again and again; it really stuck with me. Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper were both terrific, the cinematography was also brilliant and were it not for the story becoming a bit too coincidental in the final act, it probably would have been tipped for Oscars.

4. Rush

Chris Hemsworth in Rush

‘Rush’ may not have been a huge summer blockbuster, though this was not helped by its appeal to only a very niche market, but it is a terrific sports-drama which tells the story of James Hunt and Nicki Lauda’s F1 rivalry in the 70s beautifully. Hunt and Lauda’s highly contrasting personalities but respect for each other are so well captured by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl respectively; the latter with a chance of an Oscar nod having already received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. ‘Rush’ did well to highlight the glitz and glamour, as well as the dangers, of being an F1 driver and made for a fast-paced and action-packed film. The cinematography is also beautifully executed and everything does have a 70s feel. Despite its run in theatres not being on a massive scale, ‘Rush’ has not gone unnoticed and has received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama, and don’t be surprised if it does receive a couple of nominations at this year’s Oscars.

3. Django Unchained

Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained

‘Django Unchained’ strictly speaking was a 2012 release, but it wasn’t released in the UK until mid January so I regard it as a 2013 film. Tarantino managed to create yet another brilliant film, and this time he ventured into the genre of western. Some felt that ‘Inglourious Basterds’ was disappointing and that Tarantino had lost his spark, ‘Django’ has silenced his critics. The duo of freed-slave Django (Jamie Foxx) and bounty hunter Schultz (Christoph Waltz), along with supporting roles from Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson, all help make ‘Django Unchained’ an exciting, funny and unique western.

Tarantino is well known for his imaginative screenplays, intense dialogue scenes and violence, and ‘Django’ did not disappoint. Tarantino received an Oscar for his screenplay and rightly so. What makes Tarantino so good is his faith in long dialogue scenes. He is not afraid to have conversations, altercations and speeches last for longer than your average film as he has faith in his stories and characters, and for this, credit must also go to the actors themselves. ‘Django Unchained’ does not quite match up to ‘Pulp Fiction’, and I don’t think another Tarantino film ever will, but it’s certainly in his top 3.

2. Gravity

Sandra Bullock in Gravity

Contrast to ‘Rush’, ‘Gravity’ was a massive release, coupled with a huge amount of hype. It wowed critics with its stunning visuals and exceptional performance from Sandra Bullock. Some people were disappointed with ‘Gravity’ and felt that it didn’t live up to the hype, and based on what I’ve heard and read, this was down to the plot being too simplistic and there being little in the way of character development. For me, none of this matters for a film like ‘Gravity.’ The film is not about a complex story or character development, it is about being thrown into an unthinkable situation with Bullock and experiencing it with her. ‘Gravity’ won’t win any awards for its screenplay, but it will probably sweep all of the technical awards up for grabs in 2014 and will probably receive some for its direction.

What I liked most about ‘Gravity’ was the camera work used. It seems to be the trend to disorientate the audience through the use of shaky-cam and other frustrating techniques. This may work for some people, but not for me, I hate it. The shots in ‘Gravity’ are all so smooth and it’s never over edited. The opening shot alone lasts for 13 minutes but never bores, it is flawless, and this is consistent throughout. Bullock’s performance has also been highly acclaimed, and rightly so.

Some might argue that ‘Gravity’ is more style over substance, but this is not the case. I personally haven’t found myself as on edge in the cinema since Danny Boyle’s ‘127 Hours’, which in a way is similar to ‘Gravity’.

1. Captain Phillips

Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips

Put simply, everything about ‘Captain Phillips’ is perfect. Tom Hanks reminded us once again of what a sensational actor he is, and Barkhad Abdi showed us what an actor he could go on to be. Both are imperative to the success of ‘Captain Phillips’. The film is emotionally charged, never lacking in pace and terrifically shot. Paul Greengrass avoided exaggerating Captain Phillips’s abilities as he is never represented to be a hero, he is simply the captain of ship who is thrown into an unthinkable situation, and way out of his depth. Whether Greengrass fabricated the truth of the events I cannot say. The film has received a number of nominations at the Golden Globes and is likely to receive a number at the Oscars, where it has a strong chance of winning a few.

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So that’s my top 5 films of 2013. This list was chosen from the following films:

Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Man of Steel, The World’s End, This Is The End, The Conjuring, Prisoners, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

In addition:

Worst film of 2013: Man of Steel

Most Disappointing: Iron Man 3

REVIEW: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

This review may be slightly late, but ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ is still performing well in the box office having grossed over $650million worldwide. Peter Jackson’s first instalment ‘An Unexpected Journey’ was a commercial success, taking over $1billion worldwide, but reviews were mixed and the film received criticism for its pacing and reliance on CGI. ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ is an improvement on its predecessor however some issues are still present.

Martin Freeman in ‘The Desolation of Smaug’

‘The Desolation of Smaug’ (TDOS) picks up from where ‘An Unexpected Journey’ (AUJ) left off with Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) and the dwarves attempting to escape from the chasing Azog and his Orc pack. As they continue their adventure, Gandalf must depart due to an old evil returning leaving Bilbo and the dwarves to continue on their quest to reclaim their homeland from the cunning fire-breathing dragon Smaug. Bilbo begins to find his courage before he is faced with entering the lonely mountain in the hope that he doesn’t encounter Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch).

One of the biggest improvements on ‘AUJ’ evident in ‘TDOS’ is the pacing. Although it does take a while to get going, once it does, it doesn’t lose it. New characters have been introduced to gather more interest, including ‘Lord of the Rings’ hero Legolas as well as Tauriel, a completely new character, who help add another perspective to the film which is not evident in the book. There is also the fantastic Bard (Luke Evans) who is without a doubt the strongest of the newly introduced characters (non-CGI). He is a hero, arguably a villain, and is exactly the type of character ‘AUJ’ was missing. Undoubtably he will play a huge role in the last of the trilogy and the film will benefit greatly from it.

Another character that has to be praised is Smaug. After all the talk and build up throughout the ‘AUJ’, we finally get to encounter the fire-breathing dragon (which should not come as a spoiler to you, if you’ve seen the trailers). Smaug has been executed almost perfectly. Visually, he looks stunning and speaks brilliantly. Benedict Cumberbatch has not failed in bringing Smaug to life and creating a personality, not just a dragon. Smaug steals the film.

The editing is much tighter and you do get a much greater sense of scale, in terms of the story, from ‘TDOS’. An ‘AUJ’ may have felt so padded because it didn’t ever feel like there was enough happening, or going to happen, to fill three films. ‘TDOS’ does have a lot more going on and does now actually feel like there is a lot at stake for not only the dwarves, but everyone. Despite this, ‘TDOS’ does always feel like the second of a trilogy; everything is being positioned for the big finale, ‘There And Back Again.’

Whilst ‘TDOS’ is an improvement on ‘AUJ’, there are still the same issues evident in this as there were in the first. Firstly, there is still an over-reliance on CGI but unfortunately this is something everyone has to except as Peter Jackson hasn’t exactly hid his preference of CGI over make-up and miniatures; which many don’t agree with. Whilst he can be forgiven for CGI during action sequences, creating characters completely from CGI when they could have been created with the use of effective make-up is wrong. Azog is unimpressive, and Bolg is the same.

In addition, though this may simply be because ‘The Hobbit’ is a light-hearted children’s book, there is still no sense of danger. Why this is such an issue is because it makes getting really immersed into the action near impossible, it makes it quite boring and sometimes laughable; maybe this is what Jackson wants. Comparisons between ‘Lord of the Rings’ (LOTR) and ‘The Hobbit’ shouldn’t be drawn up too often, but in this case it needs to be. With ‘LOTR’, it never felt like anyone was safe from injury or death. This is the opposite with ‘The Hobbit’ and this is down to some over-the-top action sequences. The CGI does play a part in this as highly unrealistic moments take place. ‘LOTR’ did have a few too, but they were still executed much better and never quite as far-fetched.

Despite some flaws still being present in ‘The Desolation of Smaug’, it is a vast improvement on ‘An Unexpected Journey’ and is likely to be bettered by the finale ‘There and Back Again.’ The exaggerated action sequences and overuse of CGI is something we have to accept will be present in the third, but the series now has enough momentum and strong enough characters to carry it through for a satisfying conclusion.

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