My favourite giant green gamma-irradiated film writer, Film Crit Hulk, recently posted his list of the top 10 films of 2013, which—spoiler alert—turned out to be a passionate, and convincing, argument against the whole concept of these year-end rankings. It’s worth a read, and honestly, I think he’s right.
I’m going to post a ranked list anyway. My reasons may or may not make sense: essentially, since the whole point of starting this blog is to help me document and track the development of my views on film, I think that it may be useful, down the road, to get a sense of how I was comparing things. Perhaps I’ll look back at this a year from now and wonder if I was crazy to put one of these movies above some of the others.
But this definitely isn’t intended to be a list of the “best” films of 2013. I make no claim that any of these is objectively better or worse than any other, and for the most part I wouldn’t feel competent to do so. It is rather a list of my favourite movies; the ones that were pure joys to watch, whatever flaws they may or may not have had, or that got stuck in my head and wouldn’t go away.
I’ll admit, ranking these things is fun, if difficult. The huge supply of great films last year didn’t make it any easier. I considered over two dozen films for this list, and in a different mood I could easily have included any of them. I ended up going beyond the standard ten entries simply because there were more than ten films that I just couldn’t resist raving about.
Even at 14 entries, it’s easy to look over the films I didn’t include and question my own judgment. How could I not include the visceral spectacle that was Gravity? Or the tense, engaging thrills of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire? Or the fascinating cinematic prank Spring Breakers? Or even the straightforwardly hilarious The Heat, the funniest comedy of the year by my reckoning? Well, I don’t know. I loved all those movies, and many others. But, at least as of right now, I think I loved the 14 listed below just a little bit more.
(One last note: Stories We Tell, which appeared on some critics' best-of-2013 lists, does not appear here simply because here in Canada it came out in 2012. It was easily on top of the 2012 favourites list that I never made, and at some point I will write about it here in detail.)
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14) Inside Llewyn Davis
As with so many of the Coen brothers’ films, there is an awful lot to think about in this one. It’s probably the film that would be most likely to rocket up this list if I ever came back and reconsidered it, because it will probably take some time to unravel everything that the film does (and remember, as it is there’s very little difference between #14 and #1). But even if I haven’t quite figured it out yet, it’s still a wonderfully entertaining musical (albeit an unconventional one) filled with moments of hope and sadness and hilarity, and it quickly builds great empathy for the title character.
13) 12 Years a Slave
Most stories about American slavery (including some very, very good ones) have a tendency to flinch at its horror, falling short of an honest depiction of the horrific brutality that it entailed. 12 Years a Slave does not. It shows appalling horrors bluntly, hammering in every injustice and every atrocity, big or small. It shows moments of great strength and courage among the slaves, but never lets you forget that they’re chained (both figuratively and literally) in a situation where no amount of strength or courage can keep them from relentless misery. This is not a movie that you enjoy, exactly, but it is a cathartic and revelatory experience that everyone should see.
12) Much Ado About Nothing
Joss Whedon’s adaptation of the Shakespeare play is almost certainly the best movie ever made by a guy at his house with his friends in barely a week for hardly any money. The result, if a little rough at some of the edges, is a delight. An intriguing juxtaposition of Shakespearean language, a modern setting, and a film noir-esque aesthetic helps heighten the tension and highlight some of the more outrageously antiquated aspects of the play. Amy Acker dominates the screen as Beatrice, mastering the language and flitting effortlessly between silly physical comedy and gut-wrenching monologues.
11) Warm Bodies
A stellar blend of romantic comedy and zombie action (but heavy on the comedy). There’s no doubt that this is a deeply silly movie, but it’s very funny throughout, and it’s so earnestly committed to its theme that it just oozes charm. Nicholas Hoult gives a fantastic performance in a challenging role with an extremely high grunt-to-word ratio.
10) It’s a Disaster!
I had the good fortune to see this at the 2012 Edmonton International Film Festival, where the brilliant dark comedy brought down the house. That was the only time it ever hit Edmonton, and it got only a token theatrical release elsewhere, but I still can’t understand why; it’s one of the smartest comedies of the year, and it proved to be a crowd-pleaser on the rare occasions it got to play in front of a crowd. A great cast, including David Cross and Julia Stiles, perfectly sells the desperate self-absorption of a group of couples who gather for brunch only to face impending doom, and the film has one of the best, most memorable endings I’ve seen.
9) The World’s End
The followup to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz was always going to be a frenetic, hilarious experience, and The World’s End certainly didn’t disappoint on that front. It also serves as a surprisingly, even sneakily resonant exploration of adulthood and alcoholism, featuring a brilliant performance from Simon Pegg that is as deeply-felt as it is hilarious. But even if you don’t notice or care about that stuff, you’ll still love this movie; there’s a reason I keep using the word hilarious. (It’s because the film is hilarious.)
8) Blue is the Warmest Colour
The Palme d’Or winner has earned a reputation in some circles as glorified lesbian porn, but it is far from that. It is a beautiful, evocative love story, a meditation on passion, and a celebration of sensuousness. It’s a female coming-of-age story, which is all too rare, and it perfectly captures the pleasures and pains of entering adulthood, thanks in no small part to amazing performances from the two lead actors. And yes, it has a few lengthy, very explicit sex scenes, which can be uncomfortable to watch, but are also vital to highlighting the passion and sensuality that ultimately forms the basis of the relationship between Emma and Adèle. It captures these emotions, and others, vividly. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
7) Before Midnight
This film may have disappointed some by lacking the sexy passion of the first two instalments in the series, but really, that was the point. After seeing Jesse and Celine meeting in Before Sunrise, then reuniting after nine years apart in Before Sunset, we now get to see them nine years into their life together, and of course it’s not the same. The film still features long, engrossing conversations between the two as its predecessors did, but the passion has been largely replaced—with familiarity, with a deeper sort of intimacy, but also with a hint of sadness over what has been lost. It retains a great deal of warmth and optimism, but it’s honest about the challenges of maintaining a long-term relationship, and it’s not afraid to have its characters, particularly Ethan Hawke’s Jesse, look stupid when need be.
6) The Act of Killing
A stunning, horrifying, and absolutely essential documentary about the perpetrators of mass killings in Indonesia in the 1960s, who not only remain free but are often prominent leaders, and even lauded as heroes. In an effort to understand the psychology of these killers, director Joshua Oppenheimer puts them behind the camera, allowing them to stage and film recreations of their crimes. The results can hardly be believed. The glee with which they take on the task is appalling, but the frankness of their depictions and discussions, as brutal and difficult to watch as they are, makes this film as fascinating and informative as it is disturbing—and it is very, very disturbing. I feel a little uncomfortable even including this on a list of “favourites”, given the appalling subject matter, but it is impossible for me not to stand in awe of this audacious cinematic accomplishment.
5) Wadjda
It’s sadly enough of a wonder that writer-director Haifaa al-Mansour was even able to make this film—as a Saudi woman who insisted on filming in Saudi Arabia for authenticity, her inability to legally do things like drive, or even just associate with male crew members in public, could have proven insurmountable obstacles. That her first feature film is so assured, so smart, so purposeful, and so entertaining, would be a wonder in any circumstances. The story, which follows the titular young girl as she tries to raise money to buy a bicycle after being told that they’re not for girls, is unavoidably political, but it approaches the politics through the most personal lens, and it’s impossible not to get swept up in empathy for young Wadjda.
4) The Wolf of Wall Street
This uncomfortably hilarious comedy has been taken by some to glorify the antics of Jordan Belfort, the real-life white-collar criminal on whose autobiography it’s based, but I can’t really understand how. It does not exalt Belfort and his disgusting ilk; it exposes them, laying bare their amorality, their perversion, and their idiocy. As an exploration of how people are drawn to this life of crime, it certainly demonstrates the fun that they’re able to have; but the film always emphasizes how hollow, how destructive, and how plain stupid this fun is. One of the most memorable and hilarious sequences shows Belfort so high that he can neither speak nor stand, slowly and clumsily crawling into his car and driving home, unable to even notice that he’s crashing into everything along the way. The film’s contempt for its subject is vicious, thought-provoking, but very entertaining.
3) Short Term 12
A low-budget indie film that barely even got a theatrical release here in Edmonton, this is destined to be a permanent fixture on those “best movies you’ve never seen” lists. The low-key drama set in a short term home for troubled youth quickly drew me in with a portrayal of difficult circumstances that always rings true. It’s sad, even haunting, without ever feeling manipulative, and without losing track of the small joys and hopefulness that people manage to find in even truly lousy circumstances. It’s a masterpiece so subtly powerful that I have trouble even understanding how it’s so good.
2) Her
If I were a film maker, Her is the movie that I would have spent my career trying (and failing) to make. It is a near flawless science fiction romance that feels both timely and timeless, at once sexy, philosophical, melancholy, wickedly funny, and so much more. Joaquin Phoenix gives, to no one’s surprise, a virtuoso performance in a challenging role. I think I’ll need to take some time to reflect on the film before offering any detailed thoughts, but so far, in the short time since I saw it, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it for a second.
1) Frozen
Frozen is a movie that does many things, and it does them all to near perfection. It’s a very funny comedy. It’s a musical with several soon-to-be-classic songs, ranging from melancholy to silly fun. It’s a moving coming-of-age story of two young women who haven’t been allowed to grow up normally. It’s a powerful, thoughtful love story. It’s a Disney Princess movie that acknowledges the clichés of the genre, then cleverly subverts them in bold and satisfying ways. It’s beautifully animated, expertly written, brilliantly performed, and I loved every minute of it. It’s stuck with me long after my first viewing, and the more I think about it, the more convinced I am of its brilliance. I’ve seen it twice, I can’t wait to see it again, and it is undoubtedly my favourite movie of 2013.
