Complete Grades for 2013

One last post about 2013 (with the exception of maybe an Oscar post or two next month) and then it's onward to 2014. Here is a complete list of the movies I saw this past year, alphabetical by grade.

A
Frances Ha
Her

A-
12 Years a Slave
The Place Beyond the Pines
The Wolf of Wall Street

B+
Blue Jasmine
Captain Phillips
Disconnect
Fruitvale Station
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Inside Llweyn Davis
Mud
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Spectacular Now

B
Before Midnight
The Book Thief
Dallas Buyers Club
The East
Evil Dead
Gravity
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Kings of Summer
Philomena
Saving Mr. Banks
Stuck in Love
The Way Way Back
World War Z
You're Next

B-
42
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
American Hustle
Out of the Furnace
Prisoners
Rush
Stoker
The To Do List
What Maisie Knew

C+
Adore
Beautiful Creatures
The Bling Ring
The Call
Don Jon
The Family
The Great Gatsby
The Internship
Iron Man 3
Now You See Me
Oblivion
Pain and Gain
Side Effects
Wish You Were Here

C
The Butler
A Good Day to Die Hard
John Dies at the End
Lovelace
Oldboy
This is the End
Warm Bodies
The Wolverine

C-
21 & Over
Carrie
Elysium
Parker
VHS2

D+
Black Rock
Broken City
The Canyons
Dead Man Down
Gangster Squad
The Host
Kick Ass 2
Plush
The Purge
Spring Breakers
Texas Chainsaw

D
Dark Skies
Mama
Man of Steel
Only God Forgives

D-
Movie 43
Stand Up Guys

F
The Last Exorcism Part II
The Lords of Salem
Magic, Magic
Upstream Color

Top Ten Films 2013

10. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - A lonely day dreamer finally escapes his dull life and enters on the adventure of a lifetime while trying to find a missing photograph negative. That's Walter Mitty in a nutshell and the film is a great experience filled with laughs, action and the most beautiful scenery. It's visual overload with volcanoes erupting and boats at sea. Walter Mitty is a sweet movie for the daydreamer in all of us.

09. Captain Phillips - If you like your movies intense, than Captain Phillips is for you. The true story of a cargo ship boarded by Somali pirates, Captain Phillips is the most intense film of the year. Tom Hanks is charming and heroic. Newcomer Barkhad Abdi makes his presence felt as the empathetic villain. But it's the hand held camera work and gut-wrenching emotion that makes this one of the year's best. And once you see Tom Hanks last ten minutes on film, you'll wonder why he was snubbed by Oscar this year. It may be the best ten minutes in all of movies this year.

08. Disconnect - Interwoven stories tell the tale of how we are all so dependent on technology for connection, and really, how lonely and disconnected we all feel on a day to day basis. Disconnect is a little, indie movie that I happened upon that ended up being so much better than I ever could have imagined. It's got a great ensemble featuring the likes of Jason Bateman, Paula Patton and Alexander Skarsgaard. But, mostly it's the story that you can relate to se easily. If you have ever been lonely, or bullied, or made mistakes, or wanted to escape your life... than there is something in this movie for you.

07. The Spectacular Now - This past year has been a remarkable year for coming of age stories and The Spectacular Now is the best of the bunch. It's the story of the most popular guy in school (Miles Teller) who falls for a smart and sad outcast (Shailene Woodley). And while that may sound cliche, this movie manages to avoid feeling like something you've seen a million times before. Perhaps it's the chemistry of the stars, or the fact that everything just feels real. This is a great movie about two teenagers on the cusp of becoming adults, with great performances, especially by a scene stealing Kyle Chandler.

06. Inside Llewyn Davis - The Coen Brothers have always loved unlikable men, and the folk musician at the center of Inside Llewyn Davis is no different. He's, more or less, a self-destructive asshole who angers and upsets just about everyone he comes in contact with. The fact that we can root for Llewyn at all says a lot about the amazing performance of Oscar Issac. Inside Llewyn Davis is yet ANOTHER Coen Brothers masterpiece, and this time, it's got a great, sing-along soundtrack as well.

05. 12 Years a Slave - I still believe that 12 Years a Slave has its flaws, but it's so close to being a masterpiece that it barely even matters. Not only is it an Important Movie (with capital letters!), but also it is a beautiful one. Never has something so ugly looked so pretty. The cinematography, the acting, the directing, the script: it's all wonderful. My only hesitation with it initially was thinking it was a little too pretentious. But that's nearly an afterthought now. Years from now, when people talk about the year 2013 in film, they will be talking about 12 Years a Slave.

04. The Place Beyond the Pines - Another flawed epic of a movie, The Place Beyond the Pines follows the lives of two men whose lives intersect and then, years later, their sons whose lives intersect as well. The Place Beyond the Pines is a refreshing sort of movie that is absolutely mesmerizing from start to finish. It's also unpredictable, and while the female characters seem like a sort of afterthought, the movie itself is a breath of fresh air in this day and age of remakes and sequels and unoriginality.

03. The Wolf of Wall Street - The most brazen, ballsy, out of control movie of the year is also won of the best. Martin Scorsese is still making movies like he's in his twenties with something to prove and star Leonardo DiCaprio has never been so free, completely letting go of his inhibitions to give one of the best performances of the year. The Wolf of Wall Street is an absolute masterpiece of greed and debauchery. The men at the center of the film are awful people, but that doesn't make watching them any less enjoyable.

02. Frances Ha - I don't know exactly what it is about this little black and white movie that struck me so much. Perhaps it's just how much I seem to relate to Frances (Greta Gerwig). Frances is a lonely girl living in New York City with big dreams, and although she has ambition, nothing ever quite works out for her. It's the story of struggling through life when all your friends seem to have their shit together but you can barely get out of bed some days. But mostly it's the story of a girl who is just trying to get her life straightened out. Frances says it's okay to have no idea what you're doing on a daily basis, and I thank her for it.

01. Her - The newest love story from Spike Jonze follows the story of a lonely writer desperate to make a connection (just like so many films I loved this year). He ends up falling in love with the new operating system for his computer. Her is just about everything a movie should be: smart, funny, intimate, quirky, original, sweet, and sad. This is the sort of lovely, wonderful movie that will have you crying one moment and laughing the next. Anchored by the joyful performance of Joaquin Phoenix and featuring the best screenplay of the year, Her is an absolute little gem of a movie.

Mini Reviews: The Rest of 2013

I'm planning on working on finalizing my Top Ten list for Wednesday, so, for now, here are the last of the 2013 movies that I've watched on DVD and in theaters.

Plush
Stars: Emily Browning, Xavier Samuel
Plot: A rock star trying to get over the death of her brother / songwriting partner gets involved with a groupie turned band mate who may or may not be crazy.
Thoughts: Listen, I'm all in on Xavier Samuel, so I will follow him wherever he goes. Unfortunately, this movie is not exactly a good place to go. Forget the fact that it's entirely unbelievable that Browning is a rock star. At least the music is pretty cool. But this mostly plays off as a lame B movie you might find on Showtime at 3 am.
Grade: D+

Adore
Stars: Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, James Frencheville
Plot: Two lifelong best friends begin affairs with the others grown son.
Thoughts: This could have been a very provocative, sexy, boundary pushing film. Instead, mostly because of really crappy dialogue, this movie is sort of lame. It definitely has the cast and the potential to be something sexy, but it mostly fails at that. Still, it's not a terrible movie.
Grade: C

The Kings of Summer
Stars: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally
Plot: A group of teenage friends get sick of their crazy parents and decide to run away and build a house in the middle of the woods, where they live for a summer, until girls get in the way of friendship.
Thoughts: This year has been full of really great, really original, really well done coming of age stories and The Kings of Summer is another one. It's whip smart, funny as hell and really sweet. It loses its footing a bit in the final act, but it's mostly a really worthwhile little film.
Grade: B

The Canyons
Stars: Lindsay Lohan, James Deen
Plot: A social climbing It girl is still in love with her loser / actor ex-boyfriend even though her new boyfriend is super rich, charming, controlling and a possibly a sociopath.
Thoughts: Look, I'm not about to convince anyone that this is a GOOD movie. It's not by any means of the imagination. But sometimes it's one of those movies that is so bad it's good. You know the kind... those movies that are absolutely train wrecks and you know they are terrible and, yet, you can't take your eyes off them. That's almost this movie.
Grade: D+

Inside Llewyn Davis
Stars: Oscar Issac, Carey Mulligan
Plot: A self-destructive musician wanders aimlessly around New York City, upsetting friends, crashing on people's couches, befriending cats and playing folk music.
Thoughts: Besides an ill-advised road trip sequence featuring a terribly annoying John Goodman (I never thought I'd use those words to describe Goodman, one of my absolute favorite people in the world), Llewyn Davis is pretty flawless. Llewyn is a pretty despicable guy, but because of Issac's crazy great performance, you can't help for the guy to change his asshole ways. Spoiler alert: He never does. Having just been snubbed by the Oscars, Inside Llewyn Davis is bound to reach cult status, which is exactly how it should be. Also, Adam Driver totally kills it during a singing performance with Issac and Justin Timberlake. It's worth seeing for that segment alone.
Grade: B+

Her
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Scarlett Johansson
Plot: In the very near future, when the new item in men's fashion is awful high waist pants, a lonely writer falls in love with his new computer operating system.
Thoughts: I know Her sounds absolutely ridiculous on paper, but it's damn near flawless on screen. My only problem with it is that it's just a tad too long. Other than that, it's absolutely everything a movie should be: smart, quirky, original, funny, sweet, intimate, and sad. Her is a wonderful film, and not to be missed.
Grade: A

Ain't Them Bodies Saints
Stars: Rooney Mara, Ben Foster, Casey Affleck
Plot: A young woman struggles to take care of her daughter after her boyfriend goes to jail for a crime she committed. Upon his release, he realizes she has befriended a cop from their past.
Thoughts: First off - the score to this movie is wonderful. Otherwise, it's a beautifully shot, wonderfully acted film, although it does have major pacing problems. But, honestly, I think Rooney Mara is the most beautiful girl in the entire world, so looking at her for 100 minutes isn't all that bad. Plus, I have a crush on Casey Affleck's voice.
Grade: B-

Wednesday = my Top Ten List of 2013!

Best Lead Actor 2013

Honorable Mention - Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Station, Oscar Issac in Inside Llewyn Davis.

05. Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips - For much of Captain Phillips running time, Tom Hanks is a consummate professional. As the captain of a sailing vessel overtaken by Somali pirates, its his job to remain calm. And he does so. He is the essence of calm, cool and collected. He is a heroic man who does everything in his power to save his crew. He is smart and savvy, an ordinary man put in extraordinary circumstances. And then we get to the final ten minutes or so, when Captain Phillips is rescued from his ordeal and finally takes it all in and goes in to shock. In that moment, Hanks rips your heart out. His performance to that point is so subtle and refined, and then he lets his emotions pour out of every fiber of his being. That scene alone is worthy of Oscar number 3 for Hanks.

04. Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave - The power of this years male performances is this: any other year Ejiofor would get my top honors. His performance is incendiary, a revelation, a star making performance. But this year has been a great year for male performances, supporting and lead, and Ejiofor has dropped a few spots from the number 2 position he held for months. That's not to take anything away from his heart breaking performance as a free man, kidnapped and sold into slavery. His performance has such an urgency, an intensity that makes it shine. This is a very special performance and, although the film is difficult to watch at times, its more than worth it for the performances alone.

03. Joaquin Phoenix in Her - When you think joyful, jovial, sweet, good-natured, and adorable, the first actor that comes to your mind is probably not Joaquin Phoenix. But he is all those things in Her, and so much more. I think Joaquin Phoenix, like Casey Affleck, is one of the most underrated actors working today. Phoenix completely loses himself inside his characters and you never, ever get the sense that you are watching an actor play a part. This is a 180 degree turn from his performance in The Master last year, and its hard to believe that the same man could play two vastly different characters. But in Her, Phoenix is absolutely stunning, and the fact is, he's mostly acting by himself. He has very few scene partners. It's mostly just him which makes it all the more impressive. Bonus points for those super sweet dance moves near the end!

02. Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street - Speaking of dance moves! Leo has got some sweet ones in The Wolf of Wall Street. But besides dancing, this is a side of DiCaprio we have never, ever seen before. He absolutely unleashes a part of himself that is so far removed from Jack Dawson and Romeo and Billy Corrigan. As the drug addicted, sex maniac, party animal owner of a Wall Street stock company in the late 80's and early 90's, this is a completely free, fun, uncontrollable, ferocious Leonardo DiCaprio. He has swagger, he snorts coke off of hookers asses, he does physical comedy, he does nudity, he does James Brown dance moves, he is bigger than life. It's an epic, masters class in acting, and possibly the best thing he's ever done, or ever will do.

01. Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club - For me, the movie Dallas Buyers Club had some flaws, but those flaws in no way included the performances, especially McConaughey as a good ole' Texas boy who is homophobic and hateful and misogynistic and, basically, a terrible person, until he gets diagnosed with AIDS and becomes the most unlikely of crusaders. His friendship with transvestite with a heart of gold Rayon (Jared Leto) humanizes him, and his crusade for the health of AIDS patients everywhere makes him heroic. But this isn't a movie about dying so much as its a movie about living, and McConaughey imbibes his character with so much life that it seems nothing can extinguish him. It's an amazing performance and just the latest in this brand new exciting phase of McConaughey's career. The icon of my life Liza Manelli recently said that if McConaughey doesn't win an Oscar, she'll give him hers. Here's hoping we don't have to resort to those drastic measures.

Best Lead Actress 2013

Honorable Mention: Judi Dench for Philomena, Amy Adams for American Hustle

05. Julie Delpy for Before Midnight - It must be nice, as an actress, to have a role feel so lived in. For Julie Delpy, she has been creating Celine for over 20 years. She first played this role in Before Sunrise, and now she has even co-written both sequels. Celine is as much her creation as anything else. So, kudos to her for creating a character this go around that isn't exactly easy, or charming, or likable. Celine is a fiercely intelligent character who is far from a cookie cutter cliche female character. In fact, out of every female character in film this year, Celine might be the most realistic. And that's mostly because of Julie Delpy and her smart, fearless portrayal.

04. Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks - As troublesome writer P.L. Travers, Emma Thompson absolutely kills it as the tough as nails children's writer. Her performance is utterly wonderful. She manages to make Travers dislikeable, but also sympathetic at the same time. This is the sort of role in which you can only imagine one person nailing the character and that person is Emma Thompson. No one else could have taken on this performance and played this character so well. She makes you laugh, cringe, cry and more. It's a layered, wonderful performance.

03. Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha - Frances Ha is one of my favorite movies of this past year, and a lot of that has to do with just how much I relate to Greta Gerwig and her portrayal of Frances as a lonely, quirky girl who just keeps getting beaten down by the world. Of course, Frances never gives up. Frances rolls with the punches. Sure, she'll go to Paris for a long weekend for virtually no reason. Sure, she'll embarrassingly work at a summer camp at the college she used to attend because she has no where else to live. And Gerwig plays this wonderful, lived in character with so much spark, so much charisma, so much childlike wonder, that you can't help falling completely under the spell of Frances Ha and Greta.

02. Sandra Bullock in Gravity - The problem with Gravity is the script and nothing else. There's basically no story, so the movie relies entirely on the technical achievements (which are amazing) and Sandra Bullock's starring performance. Sure, George Clooney is in the movie as well, but as Tina Fey said at last night's Golden Globes, he'd rather drift away into space than spend another minute with a woman his own age. So, we're left with Bullock and her tour de force performance as a woman quite literally lost in space, as a woman who is terrified beyond measure, but who remains a fighter down to the last moment, down to her core. And Bullock's performance is truly something special, something unforgettable.

01. Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine - There was a time when there was only one thing that mattered in the films of 2013 and that one thing was Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine. She's a snotty, rich New Yorker one instant and a semi-crazy down on her luck homeless woman the next. And Blanchett switches between every facet of Jasmine's being with an ease not very many others can accomplish. Her performance is one of the finest of the year, one of the finest in this history of Woody Allen's films. I often say that Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is the single greatest performance in the history of film. Well, Blanchett in this film reminds me of that performance so very much. Cate Blanchett is perfect for this role and she'll likely deservedly win a second Oscar come March.

Best Supporting Actor 2013

For Best Supporting Actor, I have the exact opposite problem that I had for Best Supporting Actress. For Actress, I thought there were not very many options and I was not happy with my final list at all. For Actor, there are way too many options and I could make an entirely different Top Five list and still be completely satisfied with my choices. Let's call it an honorable mention: Barkhad Abdi for his soulful villain in Captain Phillips, Sam Rockwell for his hilarious father figure in The Way Way Back, Casey Affleck for his angry and broken soldier in Out of the Furnace, Woody Harrelson as a violent meth head in Out of the Furnace, and Kyle Chandler as a scene stealing dead beat dad in The Spectacular Now. Pretty impressive list, right? However, those are the also rans. They've got nothing on these guys:

05. Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street - Every once in a while, a movie comes along with a role that is perfect for a certain actor. This year, that movie / role / actor is Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street. This role seems tailor made for his strong points. If anyone saw Moneyball a few years ago, they know Hill is more than just some funny sidekick. He's got serious acting chops. And his role in The Wolf of Wall Street perfectly combines his darker side with zingy one liners. To say Hill nearly steals the show with his manic, wild right hand man role is an understatement. He's superb in the role, right down to the crazy accent, wild clothes and questionable teeth.

04. Ben Mendelsohn in The Place Beyond the Pines - Ben Mendelsohn is probably my favorite actor that is unknown by just about everyone in the general public. I fell for his volatile psychopath in Animal Kingdom (a really great Australian movie that everyone should Netflix immediately) and never looked back. As a mentor to a young bank robber, Mendelsohn gives a truly great, intense performance. I remember after seeing this movie, way back in March, I tweeted (@wonderfulscar) "Is it too early to start the Oscar campaign for Ben Mendelsohn in The Place Beyond the Pines?" Unfortunately that's not going to happen, but, at the very least, I can honor his scene stealing, manic work on my blog.

03. Bradley Cooper in American Hustle - In a movie starring Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner, Robert DeNiro and Jennifer Lawrence, I never in a million years thought I would walk away thinking Bradley Cooper was best in show. But that's where we are when it comes to American Hustle. I never took Cooper seriously as an actor until last year's The Silver Linings Playbook. Maybe working with director David O. Russell is good for him. It seems he does his best work for that particular director. And in this film, he's easily the MVP for me. He plays Richie, a ladder climbing FBI agent who maybe wants to be a part of the con a little more than he admits. His character is easily the most complex and Cooper pulls it off effortlessly. He even pulls off that ridiculous hair.

02. Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club - Here are a few things I have learned about Jared Leto in the last few months: He seemingly hasn't aged a day since his starring role on My So-Called Life way back when. He is prettier, skinnier and has better hair than me. Also, he's a crazy great actor, starring as an AIDS infected, transvestite junkie in Dallas Buyers Club. Leto becomes this character to the point where, if you didn't know who the actor was going into the movie, you would swear it was a woman, or an actual transgender actor. He is nearly recognizable and becomes the heart and soul of this movie, which tends towards the gritty and dark. In a few months, he'll probably be adding "Academy Award Winner" to the front of his name.

01. Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave - I've always thought it would be a cool thing to get to vote for the Academy Awards. (That's probably why I decided on the top five format this year - this is like my own personal ballot.) But I wouldn't want to be the person that has to decide between Leto and Fassbender for Best Supporting Actor. Both are in a league of their own this year. But, for me, I give the slight edge to Fassbender as the violent, hateful, angry, probably bi-polar plantation owner in 12 Years a Slave. He's a hateful character - a slave owner who treats his wife like dirt, attempts to murder at will, rapes the woman he really loves. But, somehow, beneath it all, his character also has a certain charm. Fassbender's performance is like a live wire. It is explosive and intense. He truly makes the movie better when he's in a scene. In my opinion, not only did he give the best performance by a supporting actor this year, he also gave the best performance. Period.

Best Supporting Actress 2013

Every year, I make lists of who I think is the Best Lead Actor and Actress and Supporting Actor and Actress, as well as Best Films. This year, I almost skipped Best Supporting Actress. While my Best Supporting Actor list is overflowing, I was pretty unimpressed with my choices for Supporting Actress. A lot of the actresses getting Oscar buzz have failed to really shine to me. Sure, Oprah was fine in The Butler, but best supporting actress? No. We all know how I feel about Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle by now (and it ain't good, ya'll). And I remember really liking Melonie Diaz in Fruitvale Station and Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine, but for the life of me, I have no idea why now. So, this is not the best list I have ever come up with in this category. But it's the best I could do in a pretty disappointing year for supporting women.

05. Scarlett Johansson in Don Jon - I have yet to see her voice only work in Her (this weekend!!) which everyone is praising, but if she is as good as she was in Don Jon, then this has been a very good year for Johansson. I've always liked Scarlett, although I never thought she quite lived up to the potential she showed in early films like Ghost World and Lost in Translation. The closest she's come to being great is when she briefly became Woody Allen's muse. But, I was thoroughly impressed with her work as a sexy, bratty Jersey Girl in Don Jon (one of the only things I was impressed with regarding that movie!). Scarlett manages to be sexy and hilarious, using her killer curves and nailing the Jersey Girl vibe without letting her character become a rip off of Snooki. This is the perfect role for her. It allows her to be a sex symbol AND a character actress, all at once.

04. Margot Robbie in The Wolf of Wall Street - It's been a good year for pretty blonde girls playing sexy, loud Jersey girls. In Robbie's case, it's a Queens girl, but, like Scarlett, she manages to be sexy while also bringing depth to the only female character that is really distinguishable in a movie about men. She doesn't quite get to Lorraine Bracco from Goodfellas territory, but she also doesn't let this character become a Real Housewife of New Jersey, which it easily could have become. She's got one scene, especially, where she truly let's fly, and it's pretty great. This is truly a star making role for Robbie. Also, bonus points for nailing the accent. Margot Robbie is an Aussie. I never would have guessed.

03. Sarah Paulson in 12 Years a Slave - Paulson isn't getting nearly as much attention as her co-stars, but her performance is every bit as good. As the wife to a mercurial slave plantation owner, Paulson is a quiet, strained, manipulative, tense woman. She keeps her emotions in check, unless its regarding Patsey, the slave who seems to be the apple of her husband's eye. That's when Paulson really lets her anger flare up and it's great to watch a woman who is so controlled hold all of that in check until it slowly boils over. Paulson should be getting much more attention for her sly, subtle performance.

02. Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave - Nyong'o plays Patsey, a slave who should be honored to be in the position she's in. As far as slaves go, Patsey is the absolute favorite of her slave owner. In fact, he may actually be in love with her. But while Patsey puts on a brave face, she secretly begs Solomon to end her life. This may be Nyong'o's first professional role, but she's bound to have a long career ahead of her. Her performance is stunning, beautiful and utterly heart breaking.

01. Emma Watson in The Bling Ring - I know what you are probably thinking, that this is a ridiculous choice for Best Supporting Actress of the year. But I stand by my decision, and here's why. Emma Watson absolutely nails it. In a year of so many supporting female performances that didn't impress, or were completely forgettable, Watson's portrayal of a vapid, ditzy, spoiled rich brat is still so vivid in my mind. I never saw any Harry Potter movies. The only experience I had with Watson's acting was The Perks of Being a Wallflower and everyone stole that movie from her. I wasn't fully convinced Watson had any talent, but she absolutely does and she proves it in The Bling Ring. There used to be a reality show on E a few years ago that starred the girl Watson portrays in this movie. I'm not too proud to admit I watched it religiously (what? I love train wreck TV). Watson absolutely becomes this woman, nailing her vocal inflections and pronunciations, her vacant ditzy ways. It's a simply great performance, and one that has definitely stuck with me.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

I'm not sure where exactly it happens - because, in the beginning, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is sort of boring and preposterous - but, somewhere along the line, it becomes a very good movie. In fact, it becomes one of the best movies I've seen this year. It's a movie that is smart and funny, adventurous and visually stunning.

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) is a forty-something daydreamer who works at Life Magazine in the photography department. Evil bearded Ted (Adam Scott, mean and hilarious) announces Life Magazine is moving online and will be publishing their final issue with a negative from famed photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn). The only problem? Walter seems to have lost the negative. So, with urging from a pretty co-worker he's crushing on (Kristen Wiig), Walter embarks on an actual adventure, instead of just one that plays in his head. He starts following a few very vague clues and ends up at a dive bar in Greenland where he soon heads on a helicopter to a boat in the middle of the ocean. I guess, this is where the movie finally gets good because, from there, it's nearly non-stop adventure as Walter travels the world, meets interesting people and does amazing things.

This film was also directed by Stiller, and is based on a story I haven't read. When I first saw the previews, I was truly excited to see this film. The redundancy of which I saw that trailer sort of made me start to groan every time I saw it after a while, but I was still excited for the movie. And it didn't disappoint. I read somewhere that Stiller nailed the comedic aspect of the film, but didn't really sell the more dramatic parts. I disagree with that. I thought Stiller nailed the shy, reticent, day dreamer. Actually, I thought all of the performances were great, especially since almost all of the actors in this movie are more well known for comedy than anything else. But, they all gave pretty well-rounded performances. Of course, I'm the biggest Sean Penn fan in the world, and I think his small scene near the end is, far and away, the highlight of the film. The moment between Sean and Walter near the end is an absolutely beautiful scene.

Another great thing about the movie is the visuals. I don't know if it had a lot to do with Stiller as a director, per se, or if he just managed to find truly beautiful places to shoot, but the cinematography is stunning. From the run down charm of Greenland to the majestic Himalayas to skateboarding through the rolling fields of Iceland, every scene on Walter's journey is gorgeous to look at.

Of course, the real theme of the movie has to do with finding someone to connect to (which has been in a theme in a lot of movies I've watched this year), and Stiller and Wiig sell that aspect of the film as well. They have great playful, awkward chemistry. The movie may start on the slow side, but it certainly picks up and becomes a truly great movie going experience. I'm not usually one for "nice" movies, but this is definitely a very sweet, very heartwarming, nice movie.

Grade: B+

Best Directors 2013

During the month of January, I will be counting down what I think was the best in 2013 - Supporting Actor and Actress, Lead Actor and Actress and, of course, Best Films. Today I'm starting with Best Directors.

05. Noah Baumbach, Frances Ha - I've always liked Baumbach, although there has been something lacking in his earlier works (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding). Perhaps that "something" was a woman's voice. Because on Frances Ha, he collaborated with actress / co-writer Greta Gerwig and the two together made something truly special. Frances Ha is fundamentally sweet, and manages to stay away from becoming just another quirky, hipster fad (which is the problem with The Squid and the Whale). The script manages to turn Frances into a real, fleshed out person and Baumbach directs this movie as if it were something from a different era. It's not only because it's black and white does this movie feel like its from a different, less complicated time. This is Baumbach's Manhattan moment.

04. Derek Cianfrance, The Place Beyond the Pines - Cianfrance already made a beautifully tragic and intimate movie starring Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), so with this movie he tried to go epic. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. The fact is Cianfrance swings for the fences with The Place Beyond the Pines, and if he doesn't quite hit it out of the park, well, it's still a great shot. From that opening no-cut moment at the Carnival to a motorbike bank robbery to the dizzying chase through a house, this movie is an imperfect masterpiece. One thing is for sure, I can't wait to see what Cianfrance does next (rumor is: an adaptation of The Light Between Oceans, one of the best books I read last year).

03. Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity - Gravity, as a story, didn't quite do it for me. What the story lacked in... well, anything happening AT ALL, it more than made up for with its special effects and out of this world (pun intended) filmmaking. Cuaron literally makes us feel like we are in space. (Side note: I find the idea of going to space terrifying, and I have no idea why anyone would want to do it. I think you are all cray. End aside). The opening shot alone is magnificent, nearly twenty minutes of swirling, space action, larger than life, like literally nothing you've ever seen before. While the first twenty minutes is sort of the best part of the movie, story wise, the filmmaking and special effects only get better from there. Gravity is one of the few movies you needed to see in 3D, to get the full experience.

02. Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave - This is the year of directors making almost-masterpieces. First, Cianfrance, and then, McQueen. McQueen is the one getting all the awards attention though, and deservedly. 12 Years a Slave is a beautiful film. While the subject matter is horrifying, to say the least, the movie itself is a gorgeous love letter to the South. The shots in this film are simply amazing, and I hope McQueen wins the Oscar for Best Director, because he deserves it. My only problem with the movie was it got a bit too pretentious at times. Perhaps if someone had reigned him in a bit more, this would have been a perfect film. Regardless, it's still the years most engrossing filmmaking wise.

01. Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street - Then there is Martin Scorsese. 71 years old. Has already made Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Cape Fear, The Departed, Hugo. I could go on. The list of his masterpieces seems never ending, right? Well, add The Wolf of Wall Street to that list, because Scorsese is still making movies like he cares about them (which he does, obviously). He's still making movies like he's got something to prove (even though he doesn't, he hasn't in decades). He is still making movies that are the most energetic, the wildest, the most outlandish, the craziest. The Wolf of Wall Street is just another crowning achievement for, probably, the greatest living director. In my book, Scorsese could do no wrong, and with every movie, he just continues to prove my point.