2013: Film in Review

2013 was a very good year for films, but at first there weren’t many releases that impressed me. Most of the big budget, blockbuster sequels that populated 2013 were quite disappointing. Iron Man 3 and Start Trek Into Darkness both turned out to be massive duds, and Thor: The Dark World wasn’t much better. While many of the major releases were disappointments, I did enjoy some of them. The standout would have to be Catching Fire, which was full of great performances and impressive direction from Francis Lawrence.

Yet when I look back on 2013, it was the smaller and more intimate films that really stole the year for me. Like countless years before, 2013 once again proved that a massive budget doesn’t always produce a fantastic film. Talented directors including Denis Villeneuve, Thomas Vinterberg, Nicholas Winding Refn, and David O. Russell all crafted engrossing films that dealt with everything from social ostracism, the search for missing children, cold-blooded revenge, and learning to cope with mental illness. Furthermore, director Alfonso Cuaron not only demonstrated how a sizable budget could be properly utilised, but he also highlighted the technical prowess involved in filmmaking with Gravity.

Although 2013 was filled with an abundance of fantastic films, there were countless others that were anything but good. On top of the aforementioned disappointments of 2013, this year produced a lot of bad films. Sloppy animated features such as Despicable Me 2 left me irritated, and even though Roland Emmerich’s latest action film was a bit of a guilty pleasure, White House Down was still riddled with many problems that made it undeniably bad. In a very surprising turn, Neill Blomkamp created a very run of the mill, uninteresting, and pretty terrible science fiction film with his latest directorial effort, Elysium.

As bad and disappointing as some films in 2013 were, the majority of them weren’t bad to the point that I was actually offended. While this may seem a bit unprofessional, I didn’t make it my mission to seek out and watch the worst films of the year. I just don’t have the time, or the money, to go out and watch all of these films. I go into the cinema to have an enjoyable experience, because I love film. That being said, there was one film this year that did catch me completely off guard and manage to offend me to the point that I thought my head would explode. However, to save this post from becoming a 5000 word rant on why I wholeheartedly despised this particular film, I’ll save it for the list.

Moving on, I will now present what I believe are the best and worst films of 2013. Unlike many other lists that may put these films into a specific numerical order, I’m going to list them with no reigning hierarchy. I loved (or hated) all of these films and didn’t want them competing with each other.

 

 

Best Films of 2013

 

Silver Linings Playbook

This was one of the first films I saw in 2013, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to begin the year. While it could have simply been another formulaic romantic comedy, David O. Russell brought Silver Linings Playbook to life with a real amount of depth through his witty screenplay and skillful direction. Packed with a variety of self-destructive characters and great performances from a skilled group of actors, the film tackled the issue of mental illness in a raw, considerate, and heartwarming fashion. Although it did become somewhat conventional in the final act, I adored Silver Linings Playbook and its story about overcoming obstacles and making the most out of life.

The Hunt

 

With his latest directorial effort, Thomas Vinterberg crafted what is undoubtedly one of the most confronting and unsettling films I watched in 2013. Exploring the controversial issue of child abuse, the film treated this delicate subject matter with a strong level of care and brutal authenticity. Carried by a heartbreaking central performance from Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt boldly examines the effects of unfounded accusations and malicious rumors. The combination of Mikkelsen’s performance and Vinterberg’s uncompromising direction produced an engrossing, eye-opening film experience that will stick with me for a very long time.

Gravity

Gravity was a thrilling 90-minute adrenaline ride that kept me glued to my seat, watching what unfolded on the cinema screen in absolute awe. From its masterful opening this film grabbed hold of me and didn’t let go until its spectacular conclusion. Through his technical precision and meticulous attention to detail, director Alfonso Cuaron created a simple yet elegant story of survival in the isolated environment of space.

Prisoners

I’ve always loved a good mystery. With Prisoners, director Denis Villeneuve constructed a disturbing and ever-deepening mystery that I was completely engrossed in. Focusing on the search for two missing children, this film was suitably bleak in its exploration of the lengths people will go to uncover the truth. Featuring complex lead performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman, Prisoners kept me fully invested in unraveling the mystery that lay at the heart of the film.

Captain Phillips

Paul Greengrass constructed another tense, authentic, and insightful film with Captain Phillips. Although the middle section of the film is drawn out a bit too much, the style of filmmaking utilised by Greengrass made me feel the full weight of the hostage situation being depicted. The strong performances from Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi only added to this, capturing the psychological and emotional consequences of these situations. This blend of realism and emotion made Captain Phillips a very tense and thrilling film.

 

Worst Film of 2013

Kick-Ass 2

That’s right, this is the only film on my list for the worst of 2013. Although I had to sit through numerous films this year that I either did not like or walked out of feeling sorely disappointed, none of them offended me like Kick-Ass 2 did. Kick-Ass 2 is nothing but a dark and depraved film that insulted me on every level through its immature reliance on excessive violence and potty-mouthed humor. I would rather gouge my own eyes out than watch this pathetic excuse of a film again.

Honourable Mention

Only God Forgives

I feel that my list wouldn’t be complete without reflecting on Nicholas Winding Refn’s latest journey with Ryan Gosling into the world of hyper violence. The experience of watching Only God Forgives at the Sydney Film Festival was very unique, as I had never really seen groups of people walk out of a film before. This is a very polarizing film, and one that has continued to lurk around in the back of my mind since I watched it. While my initial review of Only God Forgives was quite positive, I have thought about the film many times since then. Every time I dwell on this film my thoughts change, constantly going back and forth. Sometimes I find myself liking the film more than I previously did, while at other times I have questioned why I liked the film at all. I’ve often found myself going over different interpretations of the film, getting new meaning out of it. This is a beautiful, violent, and supremely dark film. Because of the way Only God Forgives has stuck with me over the course of 2013, it would be a disservice not to honour this film with a spot on my list.

 

As a final note, I’d just like to say thank you to everyone who has viewed my blog and read my reviews.

American Hustle – Review

I really admire directors who experiment in their filmmaking and don’t settle within the confines of a specific genre for too long. It shows that they’re willing to move in new directions and learn new things along the way, even if it means risking failure. Above all else, it proves they are versatile. David O. Russell stands amongst the many film directors working today who have demonstrated this flexibility over their expansive careers. He has shown this versatility through his work on a range of projects that includes dramas, comedies, and everything in between.

Commanding an ensemble cast, David O. Russell returns to cinema screens with his latest film, American Hustle. Equal parts comedy and crime drama, American Hustle is loosely based on the Abscam sting operation run by the FBI during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence, the film follows lucrative con artists Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser. After they are caught ripping off a client, the erratic and unpredictable FBI agent Richie DiMaso drags Irving and Sydney into an increasingly dangerous FBI operation aimed at stamping out political corruption.

With a cast this great and a story that I was ready to sink my teeth into, it was almost impossible for American Hustle to be anything but a success. After loving the way that David O. Russell handled Silver Linings Playbook, I was really looking forward to this film. Although I have niggling problems with the film, American Hustle was a delightful way to end the year. Alongside his co-writer Eric Warren Singer, O. Russell crafts a witty and well thought out screenplay that is full of colorful criminals, fast-talking politicians, and unstable individuals. With such a rich and diverse cast of characters, the humor of the film really shines. Whether these characters were arguing over a microwave, discussing the intricacies of the operation, or battling with their superiors, O. Russell makes the humor of the film witty and bitingly sharp. Yet even with all of this focus on humor, American Hustle is laced with many strong dramatic elements. Many of the characters are clear-cut criminals, and the film doesn’t stray away from showing both the weight and consequences of their duplicitous actions. These consequences were expressed very clearly by Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence’s respective portrayals of Carmine Polito and Rosalyn Rosenfeld, with these characters feeling very much like the victims of the film.

David O. Russell once again shows that he is very capable of commanding an ensemble cast in American Hustle. Christian Bale brings complete dedication to his performance, achieving a chameleon-like transformation into the silver-tongued con artist Irving Rosenfeld. Bale embodies his character, and this isn’t just because he put on an excessive amount of weight for the role. All of his actions and small mannerisms capture the smooth talking, calculating nature of Irving. Beyond this, Bale also illustrates the character’s vulnerable side, which becomes increasingly present when Irving is thrust into situations where he feels out of his depth.

Similarly, Amy Adams did a great job with her portrayal of Irving’s partner in crime, Sydney Prosser. The scene that introduces Sydney is absolutely perfect, appearing in an utterly alluring yet mysterious fashion. These qualities grew to define the character over the course of the film, with the performance from Amy Adams making Sydney very compelling. Adams really brought the dubious and manipulative nature of Sydney to life, with her true intentions constantly appearing to change.

In addition to the two leads, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence also produce fantastic performances. As the volatile FBI agent Richie DiMaso, Bradley Cooper continues to demonstrate the range that he is capable of. Wilder than the curled hairs on his head, Cooper makes DiMaso both lively and terrifying. Scenes where DiMaso interacts with his FBI colleagues brim with humor and really stand out, showing just how unhinged this character is. While she may not be in very many scenes, Jennifer Lawrence makes the most out of every single frame she is in. As Irving’s estranged wife Rosalyn, Lawrence beautifully captures the bitter, crazed, and damaged qualities of her character. She’s mesmerizing to watch, and although she doesn’t share as much screen time as the other characters, I wouldn’t be surprised if she nabbed another Oscar nomination for her performance.

Although I really enjoyed the performances from this talented group of actors and the interesting story that is told, I have to admit that I found the mix of comedy and drama to be a bit perplexing at times. While this blending of genres worked well when it was used to explore damaged characters such as Rosalyn or innocent individuals like Carmine Polito, it wasn’t completely successful. I found that these genres undermined each other a lot of the time, producing a film that goes through a bit of an identity crisis. The humor of the film really shines, but some of the more dramatic elements didn’t carry the weight they were intended to. Scenes involving the emergence of life-threatening situations just felt out of place when compared to the humorous nature of other sections of the film. While this problem only arose briefly, it did take me out of the film.

David O. Russell once again shows how much of a talented writer and director he is with American Hustle. Although the mix of comedy and drama doesn’t quite work in some situations, American Hustle is a hilariously enjoyable film that is full of strong performances from a very talented group of actors.