You may notice that the ratings are not very consistent. A movie I gave four stars may be higher up than another movie I gave five stars. There are a two reasons for this:
I am fairly knew to film criticism, and I am trying to refine how I rate movies. This is actually the most difficult thing for me about doing this. I often see a movie and think "Holy cow, that was a great movie!" or "Man, that was bad!" Other times I think "This movie would have been so much better if they would have just changed certain aspects." Coming up with a rating that reflects these opinions and is completely fair to the quality of the film is very difficult for me. I have been debating changing my rating system for 2014.
Another reason for the inconsistency is because of retrospect. There have been times I give a rating and realize I should have either heightened or lowered it. This usually happens as I watch and read other reviews, which I try not doing until after I have reviewed the movie myself. I actually have manually changed some ratings on this blog, but most of them are the same as they have always been.
And so without any further ado, here is my list of the top 10 movies of 2013.
10. "Ender's Game"
"Ender's Game" is a very interesting movie. It is about a fifteen-year-old genius named Ender who is selected to train for leadership role in the Earth's defense against an alien race that is speculated to return. The premise is really interesting, and the ending blew my mind.
The film is a little slow at the beginning, but once it starts going, it is very entertaining. It features some good child-acting, impressive visuals, and an interesting premise. It is definitely worth seeing.
9. "Gravity"
"Gravity" lets us know how it would feel to be stuck in space with nothing but your spacesuit, the limited oxygen you have in your tank and another astronaut who knows how to use a jet pack, which also has limited fuel. This movie had me at the edge of my seat for a good portion of it. There was also a particularly poignant scene near the end that I really liked.
One thing that impressed me about this film is the director knew the premise was not meant for a long, complicated film. It is a very simple storyline with a very short length--90 minutes-- and a lesson smoothly placed at the end.
8. "Thor: The Dark World"
"Thor: The Dark World" gives Marvel fans exactly what they have come to expect: action, adventure, comedy and well-defined characters. What works for this movie is how well it further develops Loki. Tom Hiddelston's portrayal of the god of mischief is so fun to watch in all three films he is in. In this one, we learn more about this character's motivations, and some of his actions further puzzle us. He is a complex character, and I look forward to seeing what happens with him next.
7. "Frozen"
To tell the truth, I thought the first part of this movie was a little too much like "Tangled." It was the way the movie wrapped up in the third act that really impressed me. This movie took the next step in a recent trend Disney princess films have been setting since the days of "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast." This film takes the traditional "Cinderella" style movie, satirizes aspects of it, and turns it on its head. It really is an overall brilliant film!
6. "Prisoners"
This movie is no where to be found on this blog because I saw it during a transitionary period, which is a long story that I will explain further in a later post. Basically, I was debating whether I wanted to do a blog or make YouTube videos. I tried doing this one as a video review, and I had a really hard time with it. That is partially why I decided to start this blog. I never got around to doing a written review of this one.
This movie stars Hugh Jackman, Terrence Howard and Jake Gyllenhaal. It is about two little girls who go missing, and it is about what extremes some parents will go for their children. Jackman's performance is what stood out to me. He has been great in everything I have seen him in, and this one is no exception. He constantly does horrible things that actually impede the investigation. However, you cannot really judge him because he is in a terrible situation that I would not wish on my enemies. Jackman plays this believably, and while I have not heard whether or not he has been nominated, he definitely deserves an Oscar for this role.
This is worth seeing, but I must warn you that it is not the movie for the faint of heart. It is intense and dark.
5. "Captain Phillips"
This movie reminded me why film is such a great art form. It is about something that actually happened. Tom Hanks plays a captain of a cargo ship that gets ambushed by some Somali pirates who take the him captive. It is something that had been read about in newspapers and talked about on television. However, until it was actually put onto the silver screen, there has never been a way to empathize with Captain Phillips in as powerful a way as you do seeing this movie.
Hanks did such a good job at portraying just how scary this situation had to have been, and the actors who played the pirates were terrifying. There is a scene at the end where Hanks showed me just how powerful an actor he can be. I am not going to spoil it for you, but you will know it when you see it.
4. "Saving Mr. Banks"
This movie is about the creation of "Mary Poppins." Actually it is not so much about how the movie was made as it is about how the film rights were obtained so that Walt Disney could adapt it into a film. It is a very interesting film that explains the life P.L. Travers, the author of "Mary Poppins." It has some very touching moments, and it adds depth to a classic film that I watched all the time as a kid.
3. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
About halfway into this movie, I realized that there is really very little wrong with it. It improved upon the mistakes that were made in the first film, namely that the camera was still and focused. Furthermore, I actually like how these films were adapted. They took a book that was done in first-person point of view and made it into a movie that shows the perspective of many other characters.
From beginning to end this movie was very entertaining. It is not so much about the Hunger Games as it is about the aftermath of some choices the characters made at the end of the first film. A lot of people's lives are in danger unless the characters react a certain way, and that leads to some intense situations.
2. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
Peter Jackson will be known in the history of cinema as the one who took some of the most complicated books and adapted them onto the silver screen. Not only did he just do it, but he did it right. Both "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" films are masterpieces that I will watch 20 years from now.
There are so many great things about this film, but I am just going to point out the main aspect that had me coming back to the theatres willingly: Smaug the dragon. I said this in my review, but he is without a doubt the coolest dragon I have ever seen on screen. He is HUGE, he is menacing and he is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.
1. "Star Trek: Into Darkness"
It is weird that a "Star Trek" movie would win out over a Middle Earth movie in a list that I made. I am much more of a "Lord of the Rings" fan than I am a "Star Trek" fan. However, when comparing these two movies, "Into Darkness" had a slight edge over "The Desolation of Smaug."
That edge was the pacing. "Into Darkness" had a very quick pace that had my attention from beginning to end. While "The Desolation of Smaug" was probably better in this aspect than its predecessor, I felt that "Into Darkness" did a slightly better job.
A complaint I have heard about this movie is that it is very similar to "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." I have never seen it, so I could not tell you whether or not it is.
What I can tell you is this movie is almost perfect! The visuals are impressive, the acting is good and the villain is menacing. This film introduced me to Benedict Cumberbatch, who has become one of my favorite actors over the course of this year. He has such a huge on-screen presence. He is formal, calm and calculating. Whenever he is in a scene, he seems to overshadow everybody else.
Another thing I like about this film is it did a good job at being complex without overdoing it. There end up being a couple different antagonists in this film, and the way it is done is easy to take in.
This film also develops the relationships established in the first film even further. In particular it does this with Spock and Kirk's. By the end of the film, their relationship is at a different place than it was at the beginning.
You may notice that a full review of this film is also not on this blog. That is because it came out before I started reviewing movies, and I have been busy reviewing the films that are in theatres already.
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