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.

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.

Mini DVD Reviews

I've been catching up on some of the movies I missed in theaters now that they are available to rent. Here are some mini reviews on the (mostly good!) movies I've watched recently:

The East
Stars: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgaard, Ellen Page, Shiloh Fernandez
Plot: A woman goes undercover to infiltrate an anarchist group who attacks corrupt businesses in interesting ways. She finds herself questioning where she stands on their practices after a while.
Thoughts: I think Marling is an incredible talent. If she wanted to be, she could be a huge Hollywood rom-com star much like Julia Roberts. She is so strikingly beautiful. But, she wants to write her own work, and much like her previous self-penned films Another Earth and Sound of My Voice, The East is flawed but intense, smart, thought-provoking and enjoyable.
Grade: B

The Purge
Stars: Ethan Hawke
Plot: It's the future in America and there is no crime and no unemployment and everyone is happy. Why? Once a year, the government picks one night where you can do whatever the hell you want - murder, included.
Thoughts: I was interested in seeing this movie because I think the premise is pretty spectacular. It's such a great idea, but the execution is not particularly good. The script has so many plot holes that it is laughable and the characters act in ways that only characters in horror movies act, bad decision after bad decision.
Grade: D+

Before Midnight
Stars: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
Plot: It's nearly a decade after Jesse and Celeste reunited in Paris and now they are a couple with twins and on vacation where they do a whole lot of talking and fighting.
Thoughts: I love this trilogy of movies. I think it's such a beautifully written ode to love and lust, and while the first one was the best, Before Midnight is excellent as well. Of course, if you don't like movies that are super talky, then this probably isn't for you. But the epic fight Jesse and Celeste have in the hotel room just about rivals any fight in any Marvel movie released this year.
Grade: B

Lovelace
Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard
Plot: The true story of Linda Lovelace, a young girl who falls for the wrong man and becomes the biggest porn star in the world.
Thoughts: Well, Peter Sarsgaard absolutely kills it. He is so damn good that it almost makes this mess of a movie worth it. The problem? Well, for one, as a movie about porn, it's not sexy in the least. And secondly, I have recently decided that Amanda Seyfried is just not that great of an actress. I'm not sure whey she keeps getting so many high-profiled gigs (okay, I do, she's gorgeous), but the talent just isn't there. Unless she is terribly miscast in every movie. I guess that's possible.
Grade: C

Disconnect
Stars: Jason Bateman, Paula Patton, Alexander Skarsgaard
Plot: Interwoven stories tell the tales of how we no longer make any personal connections in this world, everything filtered through social media, and how we are all so desperately lonely, just trying to find someone to connect to.
Thoughts: I'm not sure why no one has been talking about this movie. I saw one preview months ago and thought it looked good, but have heard virtually no word of mouth on it. I'm not sure why, because it's sort of, almost brilliant. It's the best movie from this year that you've never heard of and I highly suggest everyone rent it immediately.
Grade: B+

Only God Forgives
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristen Scott Thomas
Plot: A man seeks revenge on the people who murdered his brother.
Thoughts: This movie was infuriating and frustrating on every level. It was directed by the same person who made Drive a few years back, a movie that was super stylish and so, so good. Only God Forgives, however, is all style over substance. It looks amazing, and is possibly the most beautifully shot film of the year, but it's pretty much just an hour and a half of people being moody and looking cool and barely saying anything at all.
Grade: D

Stuck In Love
Stars: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman
Plot: A family of writers deal with love and loss and heartache.
Thoughts: This movie isn't spectacular in any way, but it's a very nice, good movie. It's not something I can pick apart at all - maybe it's a little too cliche. It's just such a nice, feel good, harmless, funny, cute movie that I couldn't help but fall under it's spell. Also, Lerman is adorable.
Grade: B

Frances Ha
Stars: Greta Gerwig
Plot: A twenty-something woman in New York City tries to make her life a little bit less of a mess.
Thoughts: I've been wanting to see this movie for months and I'll say - it was worth the wait! Frances Ha is officially my favorite movie of the year. It's a love story about two best friends and I think it's so refreshing that men are basically an after thought. It's a great little black and white movie about friends growing apart but struggling to stay together and growing up and getting your shit together. I can't say enough about it, other than - go watch it now! So great!
Grade: A

Friday Top Five - Giving Thanks

Obviously I have many things to be thankful for, but since this is a blog about movies, in this post I'm giving thanks for all things cinematic.

05. Bargains!
Ever since I saw the mediocre movie Prisoners, I've been wanting to watch a movie similar but so much better: David Fincher's (my favorite director)2007 masterpiece Zodiac. So I've been searching everywhere for it and finally found it at Barnes and Noble. It was $9.99. But it was also 50% off. Plus, I'm a member so I got an extra 10% off. So I ended up buying this movie for something like $3.50, which equals out to about a dollar an hour (shit is brilliant, but long!).

04. Good Movies!
If you want me to break down my grading in its most simple of forms, here goes: A = great, B = good, C = average, D = bad, F = terrible. So, in 2013 I have only given out 2 A-'s. That's a little disappointing except when I think about how many B's I've given out. A lot! There may not be many great movies this year, but there are a lot of good movies! Everything from downright dramas (Mud) to indie horror movies (You're Next) to movies about legendary baseball players (42). There are movies that will make you laugh (The Way Way Back), cry (Fruitvale Station) and do a bit of both (The Spectacular Now). So, yes, with a little over a month to go, I'd say 2013 was a pretty good year for movies.

03. Xavier Samuel
Seriously. Click on the link. And you're welcome.

02. That I live in a world where Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese are still making movies on the regular
Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese have made some of the most classic movies of all time. They are both getting up there in age. No one would blame them if they wanted to retire and take up golf or read more books or whatever. But they are both churning out borderline masterpieces this far into their career. Allen still makes a movie a year. Sure, they aren't all amazing, but as recently as 2011, he made one of his best movies (Midnight in Paris). Plus, this year's offering (Blue Jasmine) is one of the good movies I was referring to in #4. It's still securely in my top ten list. Then there's Scorsese, who altered the course of how I would think about him forever in 2011, by making a masterpiece that was also a kids movie (Hugo). [Seriously, the guy that directed Goodfellas!]. This year, he's made The Wolf of Wall Street, which is my single most anticipated movie of the year. Both of these guys were in my top ten in 2011, and it looks like they might both do it again this year.

01. Girl Power
A few years ago, an actress you probably never heard of named Brit Marling was sick and tired of the roles she was being offered - ditzy blonde, the girlfriend, the horror movie victim. So, what did she decide to do? Write her own roles! What followed was a career as an actress/writer/producer that led to movies such as Another Earth, Sound of My Voice, and this year's The East. Not to be outdone, Greta Gerwig got in on the writing scene too, co-writing and starring in France Ha (which is on its way to my house as I type this). Then there are the girls on the small screen, too. Mindy Kaling proves you can love boys and fashion and celebrity gossip and still be smart and funny. Lena Dunham is currently the showrunner/writer/star of the most love it or hate it show on TV, Girls. I personally love it, and don't see anyone writing more interesting, flawed female characters anywhere in all of Hollywood. As a semi-feminist, I'm pretty stoked to see these ladies (and I'm sure there's more, but it's early and I'm tired and can't think!) are changing the landscape of how women are seen in Hollywood.

DVD Mini Reviews

Starting Monday, I will be revealing my Top Ten Best and Worst of 2012 lists. For now, here are the last of the DVD's I've watched for movies released this year.

Safety Not Guaranteed
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, Mark Duplass
Plot: A group of journalists investigate a newspaper ad looking for a time travel partner.
Thoughts: Some parts of this comedy are really cute and Plaza is a great indie leading lady. However, for every sweet, funny moment, there are just as many cliches.
Grade: C

Bernie
Starring: Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Shirley McClaine
Plot: A seemingly sweet funeral director may have a very surprising dark side.
Thoughts: Every one seemed to love this movie as it's made it's way onto Top Ten lists and received award nominations. I found it to be impressive only because they managed to get Jack Black to not act like an idiot for an hour and forty minutes. McConaughey is having some kind of year, though.
Grade: C-

Sound of My Voice
Starring: Brit Marling
Plot: Two investigative journalists infiltrate a cult where the members worship a woman who claims to be from the future.
Thoughts: I absolutely loved this movie and find Marling to be stunning. It's almost impossible to take your eyes off of her. A star is born.
Grade: B

Seeking a Friend For the End of the World
Starring: Steve Carrell, Keira Knightley
Plot: Two strangers who have zero chemistry take a road trip to find the man's long lost love before the world ends.
Thoughts: Like I said, Carrell and Knightley have zero chemistry. Still, parts of this are really cute. But the ending ultimately ruined it for me. If it had ended a few moments earlier, I would have given this a much better grade.
Grade: D

The Deep Blue Sea
Starring: Rachel Weisz
Plot: A woman struggles with suicide and depression after leaving her rich husband for another man.
Thoughts: I tried to watch this once before, months ago, and I couldn't make it past twenty minutes. Still, it does get better. Some of it is visually stunning and Weisz is perfection. Still, kinda boring.
Grade: C

Damsels in Distress
Starring: Greta Gerwig
Plot: A group of college students try to prevent suicide and also dance.
Thoughts: Seriously, painful and unwatchable.
Grade: F

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy
Plot: A group of older people move to India to live at a once thriving hotel.
Thoughts: This movie is quite charming and sweet. Of course, Maggie Smith is the queen bitch of the world. Love her. (That's a compliment)
Grade: B-

Your Sister's Sister
Starring: Emily Blunt, RoseMarie Dewitt, Mark Duplass
Plot: A down on his luck guy manages to become involved in a love triangle with his best friend and her lesbian sister while spending a weekend at a secluded cabin.
Thoughts: A really winning, cute movie with a very likeable cast.
Grade: B

Arbitrage
Starring: Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Nate Parker, Tim Roth, Brit Marling
Plot: A super rich man becomes involved in a hit and run case while dealing with a failing business / fraud.
Thoughts: A really taut, exceptional thriller / drama. Performances by Gere and Parker are electrifying and worth the rental alone.
Grade: B

Pitch Perfect
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin
Plot: A freshman in college becomes involved in an accapella singing group.
Thoughts: When this movie is at it's best, it's campy, wonderful fun, reminiscent of Bring It On. When it's at its worst, it's cheesy and silly. Still, the fun wins out in the end.
Grade: B

DVD Mini Reviews

Time again to get caught up on some of the 2012 movies I've missed in theaters.

Girl in Progress
Starring: Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine, Cierra Ramirez, Patricia Arquette
Plot: A young girl with a flighty mom decides to become a woman and experience certain cliched coming of age actions in order to grow up.
Thoughts: I guess this was the movie that was supposed to make me a believer in Mendes and her acting talents but it didn't quite work that way. The only parts of the movie that are at all interesting, are the ones featuring Ramirez, who is sort of a find and needs a better movie than this.
Grade: C-

Lola Versus
Starring: Greta Gerwig, Joel Kinnaman, Bill Pullman
Plot: Lola has a pretty great life, engaged to a hottie and just about to finish graduate school, but then her life is turned upside down when her fiancee unceremoniously dumps her and she has to try to figure out things while her life becomes more and more of a mess.
Thoughts: I sort of loved this movie. I know that it wasn't necessarily a good movie but it was quirky and cute and Gerwig is totally loveable, even as Lola is making all kinds of bad decisions. Maybe it was just a good movie for me at a certain time in my life, but I liked it.
Grade: B

Take This Waltz
Starring: Michelle Williams, Luke Kirby, Seth Rogen
Plot: A seemingly happily married woman meets a stranger on a business trip and falls hard for him. This is further complicates her life when she realizes that he is her neighbor.
Thoughts: I mean, if you can get over Michelle Williams talking like a baby and being a generally bad person, then the movie isn't so bad. Luke Kirby, who I've never seen before, is sort of the saving grace of the film. He is so fun to watch and Kirby and Williams have great chemistry. Still, this movie is more annoying than good.
Grade: C-

The Raven
Starring: John Cusack, Alice Eve
Plot: In the last days of Edgar Allan Poe, he becomes involved in solving a series of murders that are based upon his stories.
Thoughts: Why, John Cusack, why??? This movie is a huge, terrible mess. I kept telling myself, "It can't be that bad, right?" Well, yes, yes, it can. Also, the acting M.O. of just about everyone in the movie seems to be: Let's all yell as loud as we can and assume that this shows emotion.
Grade: D

Ruby Sparks
Starring: Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, Chris Messina
Plot: A young man struggling with writing and relationships finds a way out of it by writing the perfect woman... who comes to life and starts living with him.
Thoughts: I loved this movie so much. It was super cute although it did have its flaws. Kazan, who also wrote the film, is beyond adorable and she and Dano have a great, natural chemistry.
Grade: B (B+ if I'm feeling nice on any given day)