End of 2013 - Top Ten

Here is the most important Top Ten of 2013...

For a longer list of the films I have seen in 2013, follow the link at http://mubi.com/lists/films-of-2013--6

10. The Bling Ring

Sofia Coppola’s film has been almost forgotten since it debuted in the Un Cert Regard section of Cannes, despite having the big calling card of Emma Watson involved. Coppola has fallen out of favour it seems with critics, which has meant her last two features have been largely ignored. The Bling Ring however looks at extreme celebrity fandom while remaining playful and funny. She also extracts strong performances all-round. Hopefully The Bling Ring will pick up some reconsideration over time.

9. A Field in England

Ben Wheatley’s mixture of hallucinogenics and 16^th century England created more of a stir for its simultaneous release in cinemas, VOD and DVD on the same day. A Field in England however is a crazy puzzle of a film that never reveals itself too much to the audience. The magic mushroom scene is one of the best moments of 2013 cinema. Wheatley is a unique figure in British cinema.

8. Blue is the Warmest Colour

Despite the backlash after its Palme D’or win, Blue is the Warmest Colour remains a powerful no holding back feature on how love comes and goes. Held together by two fantastic leading performances, which Kechiche allows to flourish by using constant close-ups of both Exarchopoulos and Seydoux.

7. Computer Chess

Perhaps the weirdest movie of 2013, Andrew Bujalski has more than cemented his place as a leading figure in independent film making. Computer Chess is a massive leap forward from his original films, and has created a film that is simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic. Computer Chess never allows you to settle, right up until the very final seconds.

6. The Worlds End

Edgar Wright has rounded up the Cornetto Trilogy with the best British film of the year. Wright balances between being constantly funny, and relevant to the issue of commercialisation and globalisation. Wright makes it look extremely easy to do so and elevates a film into become an important piece of work.

5. Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine holds back nothing in its portrayal of depression, and both Woody Allen and Cate Blanchett deserve equal praise for their work. Allen plays against the comedic expectations that follow him extremely well, when scenes that could have easily have been funny, instead become traumatic to watch.

4. Upstream Colour

It took 9 years, but Upstream Colour is the follow-up that has more than matched the expectations that followed Shane Carruth after his début feature, Primer. Carruth comfortably floats between symbolism and fragments of stories that always just seem out of reach. We are never left completely behind with the story, yet always one step behind. An extremely hard thing to do, but Carruth does it with ease.

3. Before Midnight

Another conclusion to a trilogy, Before Midnight looks simple, but is so full of tiny details that will keep giving more on each viewing. The long walks and conversations remain true and honest, displaying everything out in the open. Hard to ask for more.

2. The Great Beauty

Extremely fun, extremely beautiful and extremely watchable. Sorrentino makes 150mins seem like a quick breeze as we are allowed access to the Bunga-Bunga parties in Italy, and all of the high-life that comes with it. Sorrentino freely flows around the streets of Rome with such ease, it is almost impossible not to be drawn into its seductive nature.

1. Gravity

Just what you want to see from an extremely high-budget film from Hollywood. The technical achievements are clear to see, the long takes that require an incredible amount of pre-planning. However Gravity is more than just a little bit of showing off. It taps into fears of death, isolation, rebirth, nature, evaluation and survival, all in 90 minutes. The recycling of high budget, hollow comic-book films with little redeeming value is put to shame by the work of Cuaron and Lubezki.

End of 2013 - Surprises and Disappointments

2013 is coming to a close, and therefore the end of year lists start. It is almost unfair for me to do so, as I don’t have the luck of being able to see many films that have yet to be released in the UK, or any screener copies. So this list will be updating and changing throughout the next few years. However, I will be uploading my current 2013 top ten, alongside a few comments about why the film is among the best of the year. There are also some films that cropped up on end of year lists for others, due to them getting wide releases in 2013, despite premiers in 2012. For ease, I will just be sticking to films that have been released in 2013 according to IMDB (meaning the exclusion of some fantastic films, such as Wadjda and Shady)

However, for now, I will mention a few films that have surprised, and disappointed me over the last year for varying reasons.

SURPRISES

The Purge

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me this year was The Purge directed by James DeMonaco. DeMonaco uses a simple plot device, what if we were allowed to do anything for 24 hours once a year without any repercussions, and uses it as an examination of the privileged. DeMonaco attacks white middle-class culture and its demonisation of the poor. The Purge that comes into place once a year is inevitably used to kill those who ‘suck off the rich’, who have ‘no re-deeming value’ to society. However, when the rich neighbours start to mistrust and attack each other, do they begin to see the absurd nature of this attitude. By the end, I was left wondering how this film had received such a negative response by nearly all film critics. Too close to the bone? While watching I was reminded of Funny Games by Haneke. I wonder if Haneke had made the exact same film, would this be higher up on end of year lists?

White House Down

White House Down is cheesy, silly and thoughtless at times, but it never forgives to be aware of these faults without becoming too tacky. White House Down is most importantly funny, without ever trying too hard. Channing Tatum takes on the lead role with a mixture of seriousness and playfulness. Others may have leant too hard on one side of these, but Tatum straddles both fantastically well. Not many films have made me laugh out loud as much as White House Down this year.

World War Z

I loved the detail, and attention to detail that the book had. I was weary of the problems the film had in production, and weary of director Marc Forster, who although talented, sometimes becomes an overbearing figure on his films (see Stranger Than Fiction). World War Z is far from perfect, but despite going into the film worried it would be a total mess, I came out slightly relieved. The film almost ignores the book, however does this not mean it doesn't make for an interesting addition to the zombie cannon. I think this is where the problem laid for many fans, that the film wasn’t the book. But when taking on a book that goes into such detail, spanning many years, a two hour film will never do it justice. World War Z understood this. The directors of the French New Wave wanted its own cinema language, rather than just adaptations of literature, and in World War Z, we have a slightly warped version of how a book can be translated into cinema.

Pain and Gain

As is the case with many of these surprises for me, Pain and Gain was a victim of pre-judgement, this time due to its director Michael Bay. His films are easy to criticise as disposable and thoughtless, but with Pain and Gain, Bay remains at full-force, however perfectly matches the tone of this pumped-up and intense story. Bay still falls into many of his own traps, such as it being far too long than needed, but Pain and Gain is funny, as well as an interesting examination of the American Dream gone wrong.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

The Grandmaster

Wong kar-wai is fantastic, but The Grandmaster is a mess that could compare to his 2046 in terms of it being poorly pieced together. It is interesting, and it is beautifully pictured, but it is so hard to follow at times, that it’s easy to lose track of what has happened. This may be purely through the differences in culture, where in China the story is well known. However, for me (and seemingly for other non-Chinese audience goers), there needed to be more explaining. There are three versions of this film floating around, and the European cut has more explanation of the story to go with it, so he was clearly aware this may be a problem, but there just wasn’t enough.

Only God Forgives

The film was hammered when released at Cannes this year, perhaps a victim of expectations being too high after Drive (which I did really like). It has recently however been making something of a come-back, and has appeared in the Guardian top ten of the year (as well as plenty of worst films of 2013). However I found it to be soulless and void of anything. Despite the film only being around 85 minutes (and it did feel a lot longer), it felt stretched to breaking point, trying to extend the running time. For all of its beautiful shots, Refn seemed to have forgotten a story.

Key Films and Themes of 2013

It is nearly impossible to sum-up over-riding themes in a year of cinema, but its almost impossible to resist the temptation to do so. American cinema is nearly always the easiest to do so, due to the availability of such films, so I have attempted to place some re-occurring themes and matched them with corresponding films. I have also listed some key films from around the world that have either made an impact on cinema this year, or on me. This has meant some films mentioned I have not seen, but deserve to be mentioned due to their impact on others.

American cinema seems to have been mostly concerned with two, twinned themes. Isolation and Technology, and Inequality and Celebrity/Excess. These themes are unavoidable in modern day America, and therefore is of no surprise they have often cropped up. These themes have also been occasional supported by other key films from across the globe, but have been placed alongside American counterparts to support the idea.

Isolation

Upstream Color (Carruth)

Long anticipated second feature by Carruth. Represents isolation and connection through artificial means, all while only ever telling fragments of story at a time. Key American independent film.

Gravity (Cuaron)

Most clear-cut film about isolation, Gravity contrasts the vastness of space with the emotions of one human. Perfect blend of Hollywood scale and creativity.

Her (Jonze)

Leviathan (Castaing-Taylor and Paravel)

Technology

The Worlds End (Wright)

Last of the trilogy, The World’s End examines how technology and commercialisation is removing the heart and soul of the United Kingdom.

Computer Chess (Bujalski)

Incredibly creative, Bujalski’s latest feature looks at the fear of technology from the 80s, and how what seemed strange then, is beyond normal now. That’s all until the ending…

Inequality

Elysium (Blompkamp)

Not as great as District 9, but still able to present more challenging ideas than most Hollywood blockbusters would ever attempt to do. By taking on an extremely relevant subject matter in America right now, Blompkamp was always likely to split audiences. His vision however of the future is distinctive and beautiful. Both on Earth, and on Elysium.

The Purge (DeMonaco

Altogether ignored by critics, The Purge is an examination on white-middle class America, and how it demonises the poor. Unafraid to explore racism and prejudice. If Haneke made an American genre film.

12 Years a Slave (McQueen)

Captain Phillips (Greenway)

Fruitvale Station (Coogan)

The Immigrant (Gray)

Celebrity and Excess

The Great Beauty (Sorrantino)

Wondering and beautiful, The Great Beauty shows post-Bunga Bunga Italy. Shows the hollowness of extreme wealth.

The Bling Ring (Coppola)

Celebrity obsession. Coppola takes an interesting story and allows her actors the freedom to really embrace all of their silliness and contradictions. The American dream has become wanting more for nothing.

Pain and Gain (Bay)

Similar themes in Pain and Gain to The Bling Ring. Dismissed due to Bay being the director. Is funny, over the top, and slightly over-long, however does a fantastic job at showing how the American dream has become corrupted.

The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese)

The Lone Ranger (Verbinski)

A film not so much about excessiveness, but is the embodiment of the idea itself. Unfair criticism for the film damaged from start, but has already seen some retrospective consideration.

Key Asian

Wadjda (Al-Mansour)

Sold on the fact that it is the first Saudi film by a Woman, Wadjda has a lot more going for it than just that. Funny, and heartfelt.

Shady (Watanabe)

Biggest unknown, seen at the Raindance Film Festival. Completely sucks you in. The subtle tonal shifts throughout are incredibly done.

Stray Dogs (Ming-liang)

Like Father, Like Son (Koreeda)

A Touch of Sin (Zhengke)

The Act of Killing (Oppenheimer)

Topping a number of End of Year lists, The Act of Killing is perhaps the must-see documentary this year.

The Grandmaster (Kar-wai)

Blind Detective (To)

North/South America

La Reconstruccion (Taratuto)

An  Argentinian look at isolation, set in the deep cold South. The performance of Diego Peretti is a stand-out.

From Tuesday to Tuesday (Trivino)

Short Term 12 (Cretton)
Tom at the Farm (Dolan)

Prinsoners (Villeneueve)

Africa

Grigris (Haroun)

Although not as well received as previous effort, A Screaming Man, it is still of note due to the fact it is the only African film this year to break into the a main competition at this years festivals.

Mother of George (Dosunmu)

Europe

Blue is the Warmest Colour (Kechiche)

Beneath the controversy about the director/actress relationship, and the (shock horror) lesbian roles, Blue is the Warmest Colour is a perfectly pitched love/break-up story.

The Past (Farhadi)

Bastards (Denis)

Child’s Pose (Netzer)

Under the Skin (Glazer)

The Selfish Giant (Bernard)

The Double (Ayoade)

Ida (Pawlikowski)

Museum Hours (Cohen)