Top 10 Favorite Films of 2013 and a few Oscar Predictions

I wanted to post my top ten films of 2013 much, much earlier, but I hadn't gotten around to seeing the majority of the ones I wanted to see. At this point though, I've finally seen the majority of the nominees and I feel like I can form a pretty solid top ten. Additionally, I've listed a few of my Oscar predictions - what will win and what should win. (Because that seems to be the popular format these days and I'm far too lazy to rebel against the norm) Enjoy!!

THE ONES I MISSED:

The Act of Killing

All is Lost

Blue is the Warmest Color
Dallas Buyers Club

Frances Ha

Fruitvale Station

The Great Beauty

The Hunt

Short Term 12

Stories We Tell

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Big Sur
Don Jon

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Inside Llewyn Davis

Iron Man 3

Kill Your Darlings

Pacific Rim

Prisoners

The Spectacular Now

This is the End

Trance

The Way Way Back

The World’s End

THE BEST OF THE BEST (In ascending order):

10. AMERICAN HUSTLE – A Scorsese wannabe of the finest order. David O’Russell delivers a fun, zany look at the world of con-artists. This is probably the most overrated of the Best Picture nominees but it’s hard to resist its manic energy and great performances.

9. THE WIND RISES – Hayao Miyazaki’s swan song is more thematically subdued than his other works, but just as visually stunning. It is a fitting finale for the career of the world’s greatest living animator.

8. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET – Pure, unadulterated, obscene insanity and I loved every single one of its 180 minutes. Scorsese is still churning out the goods like no other and Leo DiCaprio delivers one of his very best performances.

 

7. PHILOMENA – I ended up enjoying this much more than I thought I would. It was incredibly moving and frequently hilarious. Great screenplay and great performances from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan.

6. HER – An exceptional, deeply felt take on love and relationships. Spike Jonze knocks yet another one out of the park and the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johanssen are spectacular.

5. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS – One of the most gripping thrillers I’ve ever seen. Paul Greengrass’s direction sets the intensely realistic mood and Tom Hanks gives one of the finest performances of the year, which, naturally, disqualifies him from Oscar attention.

4. MUD – Matthew McConaughey may have the Best Actor Oscar in the bag this year for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club, but I’m rather fond of his performance in this superb coming-of-age tale written and directed by one of my favorite filmmakers Jeff Nichols.

3. 12 YEARS A SLAVE – Emotionally devastating and undeniably powerful. Expertly directed by Steve McQueen and featuring incredible performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o and Michael Fassbender. It is an unforgettable viewing experience.

2. GRAVITY – Sure, the backlash is riding high at this point in the Oscar race, but Gravity is single-handedly one of the greatest cinematic experiences of all time and the strongest argument for the use of 3D I have ever seen. Alfonso Cuaron continues to prove why he is one of the greatest working filmmakers of this day and age.

1. BEFORE MIDNIGHT – The third part of one of the greatest trilogies of all time may actually be the best of the series. I can only hope Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy continue churning these out every nine years, as they are, without question, the most honest and refreshing cinematic depictions of love I have ever seen.

AND NOW FOR A FEW OSCAR PREDICTIONS:

BEST PICTURE:

What will win: 12 Years a Slave

What should win: Gravity

BEST DIRECTOR:

Who will win: Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity

Who should win: Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity

BEST ACTOR:

Who will win: Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club

Who should win: Chiwitel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave

BEST ACTRESS:

Who will win: Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine

Who should win: Sandra Bullock - Gravity

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Who will win: Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Who should win: Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Who will win: Lupita Nyong’o - 12 Years a Slave

Who should win: Lupita Nyong’o - 12 Years a Slave

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Who will win: Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell - American Hustle

Who should win: Spike Jonze - Her

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

Who will win: John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave

Who should win: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke - Before Midnight

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

What will win: Frozen

What should win: The Wind Rises

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Who will win: Emmanuel Lubezki - Gravity


Who should win: Emmanuel Lubezki - Gravity

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Who will win: Steven Price - Gravity


Who should win: Steven Price - Gravity

BEST FILM EDITING:
Who will win: Adam Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers - American Hustle

Who should win: Adam Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers - American Hustle

Adventures with Miyazaki Part 4: Kiki's Delivery Service

With Kiki’s Delivery Service, Miyazaki continues in the vein of the relaxed storytelling method he utilized in My Neighbor Totoro. By that I mean he doesn’t focus so much on plot as he does on character and location. It’s not quite the rousing success that My Neighbor Totoro was and it’s not one of my personal favorites of his filmography, but it’s still decent and lovely to look at.

Kiki is a witch in training and has just reached her 13^th birthday. When a witch reaches the age of 13, they embark on a sort of coming-of-age pilgrimage in which they find a town or city that requires their assistance and offer aid however they can. Upon arriving in the town of Koriko with her best friend – a talking cat named Jiji, Kiki is befriended by a kindhearted woman named Osono who runs a bakery with her husband and, in exchange for helping around the shop, is allowed to stay in a room on the property.

She begins to run her own personal delivery service, flying baked goods and presents all over town. As she works, she meets all kinds of new people such as the artistic young painter Ursula who lives in a cabin in the forest and a kind-hearted old woman. All the while Kiki dodges the advances of a goofy young boy named Tombo who has a huge crush on her and an obsession with aviation. During her time in Koriko, Kiki strives to discover her purpose and gain a sense of self-confidence.

It’s funny, despite dealing with the ‘magical’ subject matter of a witch in training who has a talking cat and flies around on a broomstick, Kiki’s Delivery Service is Miyazaki’s most grounded outing yet. The animation is more straightforward and not quite as evocative or as memorable as in his previous films and while the aimless nature of My Neighbor Totoro’s plot worked in its favor, here it just comes across as a bit dull and meandering. Nevertheless, Kiki’s Delivery Service still carries Miyazaki’s trademarks of charming characters and beautiful animation and manages to entertain without being quite as successful as his previous films.

FINAL RATING: 3.5/5