The Year in Movies: 2013

 2013

Number of Movies I've Seen: 66

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  ended in 2011

Oscar Winner:
12 Years a Slave -  A tearjerker about a man wrongfully enslaved who fights his way back to freedom with the help of Brad Pitt. This movie is solid and is carried by the heartbreaking performance of Lupita Nyong'o, but it reeks of white savior. This was still two years before #OscarSoWhite started trending, but this was a very safe way for the Academy to look diverse while giving the aforementioned Brad Pitt an Oscar for producing. 

Box Office Winner:
Iron Man 3 - Arguably the worst of the MCU on full display. How on Earth did it make so much money?

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Fruitvale Station - The heartbreaking true story of the last day of Oscar Grant on the last day of 2008.  You know it's coming. You'll see it coming. It'll break your heart. The delicate direction and performances walk an incredibly difficult tightrope that never exploits, never patronizes, and always returns to the theme to love one another and treat every day like it's your last. Hard to believe we are still fighting this fight. Maybe if more people saw this instead of the two movies above, we'd be farther along in the fight.

3. her - Spike Jonze directs his masterpiece. Folks in 2050 are going to look back on this movie and talk about how far ahead of its time it was. The smarter computers get, the more we are going to fall in love with them.

4. Before Midnight  - Linklater puts the bow on his "Before Trilogy" and we get the most adult, scary, and argumentative version of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy talking. I could watch these movies forever.

5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Mockingjay was my favorite book, but because of the greed of splitting it into two movies, this is easily my favorite movie of the franchise. One of the best book to movie adaptations of the modern age.

6. Star Trek: Into Darkness - I need to rewatch this one, but I remember really loving it.

7.  August: Osage County - When I first reviewed this movie, I described it as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf but with an entire family. I'll stick by that. This is just a single, knockdown, dragout family fight put to screen. That might not sound very good to you, but I eat it up.

8. Frozen - The best movie in Disney's modern age. You can tell there were rewrites, but the storytellers were able to create some real magic in this one.

9. Kings of Summer - A beautifully odd story about three runaways who make a summer of their dreams in the woods a short walk from suburbia.  This movie is what happens when auteurs from my generation, raised on The Goonies, Stand By Me, and Explorers, begin to make art-house films.

10. Mud - I know this was on my 2012 list, but what can I say? It's release year is a bit questionable and you need to see this movie!

Best of the Year - 2003: Finding Nemo

 

It will be very interesting how film history views the early Pixar films. With apologies to Cars, I'm not sure there has ever been a run of films from a single studio that were as flawless as their first six films (Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles). What's even more amazing is that the second run (post-Cars) is arguably better (Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, Toy Story 3). Bottom line, these guys just hit a sweet spot of creativity, technology, and artistic acumen. 

Finding Nemo has the guts to have its "Bambi's mother" scene in the introduction and from there takes you on a journey of agape and familial love that only few films can hope to achieve. It's funny, scary, exciting, and beautiful. It may not be my favorite from Pixar (and will certainly not be the last that you'll see on this blog), but I can't recommend any movie from 2003 more. Here's my 2011 take.

The Year in Movies: 2003

 2003

Number of Movies I've Seen: 58

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  16

Oscar Winner:
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - These movies are pretty close to perfect. The guts that New Line Cinema had to throw money at Peter Jackson to fulfill his trilogy is quite impressive. He went a little off the rails with the ending of this one in particular (and with the subsequent Hobbit movies), but for the most part Jackson created the greatest fantasy adaptation ever put to screen. I always found it odd that the Academy waited to crown the trilogy with this final installment. It was probably my least favorite Oscar night because everything was so inevitable. I try to throw these extended editions into the DVD player at least once a summer. 

Box Office Winner:
NEXT WEEK!

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Touching the Void - Quite possibly my favorite documentary of all time. This movie tells of the journey of two mountain climbers in the remote Andes as tragedy strikes. The actual men narrate their story and the combination of interview and reenactment is harrowing. I said as much here.

3. Tokyo Godfathers - As much as Brian has tried, I haven't completely fallen into anime culture. I do, however, appreciate their feature length films. This is especially true of the master Hayao Miyazaki, and the gone-too-soon Satoshi Kon. Kon made this film along with three others before succumbing to cancer at 46. Godfathers is one of my favorite Christmas film and I actually talked about it out of order in 2010 to coincide with the holiday. 

4. Whale Rider  - Absolutely riveting film about the holding onto your culture set in modern day New Zealand among the Maori people. Keisha Castle-Hughes is brilliant and you should probably go see this film right now! Original take.

5. The Matrix Reloaded/The Matrix Revolutions - I know... I know. You've got to realize in 2003 I was locked in to this series. The sequels weren't perfect but they did deliver on the philosophical mythos that the Wachowski's promised. I'll definitely see the fourth. 

6. The Dreamers - Another thing I was discovering in the early 00's was how transcendent movies could be. This movie does so much with so little (3 characters in a Paris apartment who love movies). It also broke down barriers for me on how movies could deal with sexuality. Also, Eva Green and Michael Pitt are heavenly. 

7.  Cold Mountain- Another one I'd really like to rewatch. I know I dug it when it was released. I'm not really proud of this review though...

8. Kill Bill Vol. 1 - I have rewatched this one recently and it really holds up. Vol. 2 still drags a bit though.

9. The Corporation - A documentary outlining my distaste for capitalism. Watch at your own risk.

10. Dogville - I got really into Lars von Trier during this time. I'm not sure how I feel about him today, but he is certainly one of our most original filmmakers. Still waiting on the third installment to this series....  It'll probably never happen though.

Best of the Year: 1993 - Dazed and Confused

 

A few blogs back, I mentioned that "slice-of-life, coming-of-age teen films that take place in one day/night close to the last day of school/graduation" are one of my favorite genres. American Graffiti may have been the first, but this one is the best. Richard Linklater has become my favorite director mainly because of his ability to throw out the rules of filmmaking. His debut film, Slacker is a beautiful non-narrative snapshot of strange people in Austin, Texas. It isn't as entertaining as Dazed, but many modern filmmakers list it as an inspiration that you didn't need a Hollywood studio or million-dollar budget to make a movie. This movie simply oozes coolness. The greatest hits of the '70s soundtrack doesn't hurt, but the movie complements the songs with its screenplay, staging, and costuming. It's hard to believe that this movie's setting (1976) was only seventeen years prior to its release year (1993). This means if it were made in 2020 it would be about 2003.... the year I graduated.... college.  ugh.....  #old

Here's my take from 2010.

The Year in Movies: 1993

 1993

Number of Movies I've Seen: 28

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  2

Oscar Winner:
Schindler's List - I put off watching this one forever (which is the only reason it didn't make it onto the original 365). I knew what it was about and I just was never in the mood to throw it into the DVD player (I actually owned the DVD for more than a decade before watching it). A podcast on the AFI top 100 finally twisted my arm enough to watch it and boy was I flummoxed. It is probably Spielberg's greatest achievement, which is saying quite a bit. The wit and humor really surprised me and, of course, the small triumph in the midst of terrible tragedy was simply beautiful. I'm not sure when I'll watch it again, but I'm glad I finally did.

Box Office Winner:
Jurassic Park -  Pretty amazing that the same director helmed both the box-office champ and the Best Picture of 1993. Just goes to show how transcendent of a talent Spielberg is. I'll never forget watching this movie at the Plaza theater in Kinston (close to where Big Lots is now). My parents bought us extra large tootsie rolls and I still think of marauding Dinosaurs every time I taste that chocolate. It is amazing how the special effects still hold up nearly 30 years later. I know it isn't the most popular take, but I see this as Spielberg's much better remake of Jaws.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Schindler's List 

3. Short Cuts - After Prairie Home Companion, Dr. T & the Women, Nashville, and M.A.S.H., I thought maybe Robert Altman just wasn't for me. I'm not sure what enticed me to give him one more shot (probably Julianne Moore, let's be honest), but I'm glad I did. This movie is a brilliant character study interweaving multiple stories throughout Los Angeles. If it were made today it would probably exist as a 4-5 episode HBO miniseries. I mean that as a high complement. I guess I need to watch some more Altman... I think The Player is next.

4. Robin Hood: Men in Tights - This was my first Mel Brooks, and while it probably isn't my favorite, it is pretty great and stacks up well against his earlier classics. I also dig Robin Hood stories. Here is my original take

5. Jurassic Park 

6. The Sandlot - Everything that is great about a solid "kids" movie.

7. True Romance - If only this had been directed by Quentin Tarantino. His first screenplay gets a bit slighted by Tony Scott's early '90s "cool" direction and Hans Zimmer's techno-chic soundtrack. Excellent performances all around. There is a brilliant film hiding somewhere under the surface of this one.

8. Philadelphia - I remember watching this in health class in high school. Probably about a decade ahead of its time.

9. Sleepless in Seattle - Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan lay the groundwork for every weepy romantic comedy for the next 20 years.

10. Dave - Another one I remember watching in school (Coach Ross' ELP class). Solid comedy that puts heart above politics to a fault.

Best of the Year: 1983 - Terms of Endearment

 In writing this blog, one of the things I am trying to do is watch every Best Picture winner. Sometimes it is a slog (The Broadway Melody), sometimes its a punishment (Tom Jones), sometimes it is puzzling (Marty), but a few times it has been majestic. This was one of those times. I adored this movie. Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger breath imperfect life into the mother/daughter dynamic and Jeff Daniels, Jack Nicholson, and John Lithgow all deliver muted performances that don't interfere with the powerhouse performances from their on-screen romances. I really want to seek out more from both MacLaine and Winger because I have loved pretty much everything I have seen them in and this movie allowed them to flex their acting muscles more than most. The story is the epitome of melodrama, while avoiding manipulation and the need for very much suspension of disbelief. 

Looking at the films nominated for awards at the Oscars from this year, I have only seen 3. So, while I love this movie, I recognize that I still have a pretty significant blindspot in the early '80s.

The Year in Movies: 1983

 1983

Number of Movies I've Seen: 10

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  1

Oscar Winner:
NEXT POST!

Box Office Winner:
Return of the Jedi -  I am intentionally leaving out Star Wars movies in my discussions for the best of the year. Jedi is probably my favorite of all of the saga and would easily be the best movie of 1983 (if not the entire '80s) if I didn't exclude them. You can read my original blog take on it here.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Outsiders -  This might have been the coolest book we read in middle school. It was even cooler when I discovered the movie with pretty much every actor in Hollywood in it. This movie spent quite a bit of time on my "favorites of the year list" before I recently watched the #1. It is a solid flick and I definitely need a rewatch with Abby.

3. Zelig - Woody Allen in one of his most interesting straight comedies. It actually precedes the most famous "granddaddy" of all fake documentaries (This is Spinal Tap) by a year. It is kind of interesting to think of the alternate universe where Woody started churning out these pseudo-docs and Christopher Guest spent the next thirty years making quirky romantic comedies.

4. Risky Business - When I saw this movie for the first time I was surprised to learn how dark it was. It seems the only aspect of this film that is stuck in our collective consciousnesses is the "Old Time Rock N Roll" dance. I think that actually hurts the amount of love this movie receives. 

5. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - Probably my favorite Monty Python film. As with most "sketch comedy", this movie is VERY hit and miss with me. I adore "Every Sperm is Sacred" but abhor the obese "Mr. Creosote". 

6. Wargames - I don't remember much about this one, and I'm not really sure its worth a rewatch.

7. Deathstalker - I recently watched this while researching exploitation films. I think I summed up my thoughts pretty clearly on my letterboxd review: Poorly written episode of He-Man accidentally gets made into a 75 minute B movie where men all want to kill each other and women have successfully freed the nipple.

8. Superman III - I don't remember much about this one, and I'm pretty sure it is not worth a rewatch.

9. Scarface - If you've followed my writings at all, you know that I am not a fan of the Pacino/DeNiro/Scorsese/Coppola/Crime/Mobster movies. This movie embodies what I despise most about that genre of movies. I really didn't like this movie.

Best of the Year: 1973 - American Graffiti

 Slice-of-life, coming-of-age teen films that take place in one day/night close to the last day of school/graduation may be one of my favorite genres. This one may not be the best of that mini-genre (I'll save that one for next week this time - 1993), but I'm pretty sure it was the first. We all know how George Lucas' story would end (on heaps of money, a bit jaded from creating new movies or directing), but I think it is much more interesting to go back and look at how his story began. THX-1138 and American Graffiti I feel are really underrated mainly because we mainly think of Lucas being entrenched in a galaxy far, far away. This is unfortunate because during the '70s and early '80s we really saw how much of a brilliant storyteller Lucas was. I love Star Wars, but I'll be honest, part of me wants to see the alternate Lucas who never had to deal with creating the most popular franchise of the 20th century. How many more neat little films could we have gotten? 

The Year in Movies: 1973

1973

Number of Movies I've Seen: 7

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  2

Oscar Winner:
The Sting - (Pictured above) Another one of the rare years that the Academy nearly got it perfect. This movie ranks among a very short list of films that I have never heard anyone speak ill of. If you like movies, you are pretty much guaranteed to like watching Newman and Redford in this smart and witty heist flick. I am definitely due a rewatch on this one and I think Abby will dig it. Here is my original take from 2010.

Box Office Winner:
The Exorcist-  I never really got this one. I don't really have a problem with it, but I just don't get the appeal. Don't get me wrong, it is a very well made movie and the soundtrack is super creepy. I'm not really a horror fan, so I guess there's that.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Sting 

3. The Holy Mountain - I was introduced to Alejandro Jodorowsky with the documentary Jodorowsky's Dune about the filmmaker's failed attempt at adapting Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic. I was intrigued by his other films and I added them to my netflix physical queue. This was the only one I got my hands on before I ditched the disks about a year ago. This movie....  Oh my. It follows a Christ-like figure through all kinds of symbolic trials and journeys. It is beautiful and haunting, but most of all it shocks. Not in a "jump-scare" horror way, but in a wide-eyed way that leaves the viewer aghast and thinking about it for weeks to come.

4. Robin Hood - This anthropomorphic Disney retelling is probably my favorite of the 60s and 70s Disney animated films.

5. The Exorcist 

6. Soylent Green - If this movie wasn't so dated by its wardrobes, misogyny, music, and video-game systems it would be a brilliant look at a dystopian future. Alas, it is very, very dated.

7. Westworld - HBO needed to remake this one. This movie takes a brilliant concept and just fumbles in the most boring way possible.

Best of the Year: 1963 - The Great Escape

Once in a decade it seems the best actors in Hollywood get together with a solid script and make an excellent popcorn flick. This movie is nearly perfect for what it is. It isn't going to solve any world problems or change the face of film-making, but it provides the viewer with a perfect escape (see what I did there?). Read my original blog post here.

The Year in Movies: 1963

1963

Number of Movies I've Seen: 7

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  2

Oscar Winner:
Tom Jones - Probably the worst best picture I've seen so far. This is movie is like the joke that your weird uncle tells you. It isn't funny or crude but it is super creepy because of his implication that it IS funny and crude.

Box Office Winner:
Cleopatra -  It's the only instance of a film being the highest grossing film of the year and also losing money for its studio. I'll catch up to this one eventually.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Irma la Douce - The Apartment's Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon, and Shirley MacLaine reunite to film a movie where Lemmon falls in love with unattainable MacLaine and hopes to rescue her from the men who only want "one thing", but this time... in Paris. It isn't an exact copy of The Apartment, but it is close. I guess if you are going to copy something at least it something great. Read my original blog post here.

3. Jason and the Argonauts - (Pictured above) I remember plenty about my trips to the movies. Rental trips are a bit less memorable for some reason. This one has stuck with me though. I was hanging out with my dad without my mom and Kim for some reason and we went across the street to Gaskin's Mini-mart to rent a movie (that's right, in the late '80s/early '90s even Hanrahan convenience stores got into the movie rental game). My dad suggested this one and my pre-teen brain conflated it with the "Jason" movies my friends were all bragging about seeing so I agreed. I was a bit disappointed at first that there were no hockey-masked killers, but then I was transfixed with this magical mythology with some of the coolest stop-motion I had ever seen. Ray Harryhausen was ridiculously ahead of his time, and may be one of the most underrated filmmakers of the 20th century. 

4. From Russia with Love -  Roger Moore will always be my Bond. This is good stuff though. 

5. The Sword in the Stone - I really need to rewatch this one on Disney +, but I remember really digging it.

6. 8 1/2 - I think maybe French new-wave is just not my thing. I admit I need to watch more though...

7. Tom Jones

Best of the Year: 1953 - From Here to Eternity

 

My answer to the question: "What is your favorite war movie?" It's pretty telling about me that it only contains about 5 minutes of "war". This movie is dense. Dense in the sense that there is so much going on. The allegories scattered about represent ethical topics as diverse as war, control, and even spirituality. The performances are superb. Burt Lancaster and Donna Reed are both smoldering. Frank Sinatra is the bumbling can't-get-right with a heart of gold. Ernest Borgnine is despicable and Sgt. Fatso and Montgomery Clift is flawless as the every-man who the viewer can't help but root for right up until the bombs start to fall. You can read what I wrote about it in 2010 here.

The Year in Movies: 1953

 1953

Number of Movies I've Seen: 6

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  1

Oscar Winner:
NEXT POST!

Box Office Winner:
The Robe -  Billed as "The First Motion Picture in Cinemascope!", this movie looks really interesting. A Roman soldier wins Jesus' robe during the crucifixion that he takes part in. He then wrestles with the guilt of his actions. I will definitely put it on my watchlist.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Shane - (pictured above) This is one of those movies that is so near perfect, but is hard to really pinpoint what is great about it. A western with a heart of gold.

3. Roman Holiday -  This is a romance with no chemistry except that Audrey Hepburn makes that impossible. This is a romance where the male character is a complete creep who takes advantage of a drugged fragile girl except that Gregory Peck makes that impossible. If ever there was a pile of cinema trash rescued by two brilliant actors, this is it.

4. Peter Pan - More important for the pieces that are timeless than for the film as a whole. Better in small portions.

5. The Wild One - This was quite a bit better than I thought it would be mainly because of the nuanced morality. Marlon Brando is a straight up dessert.

6. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - I love Marilyn Monroe in The Seven-Year Itch and Some Like it Hot. I had heard that some reviewers actually like this movie from her the most so I was excited to check it out. I have no idea what they were watching. She plays a ditz who isn't in on the joke. I found it bland, dated, and boring.

Best of the Year: 1943 - The Ox-Bow Incident

 During my Junior year of college, my advisor (super-cool Ichthyologist, Dr. Stephen Norton) gave my one of the coolest tips: Sign up for as many interesting-sounding classes as possible, attend the first day, peruse the syllabus, and then drop back down to the number of hours you actually want to take. One of the interesting courses I signed up for that first semester was "Politics in Film". The class met on Wednesday night for three hours. I figured, a free movie every week and some good ol' political discussion would be a blast. The first week was One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It was my first viewing and I was super excited to be able to discuss it immediately after it was over. When my "take" on the movie was met with confused glances, I would soon find out that I was the only non-political science major in the room. That coupled with the weekly research paper, caused me to pretty swiftly drop the class. I did, however, grab the class schedule of movies to watch on my own. One of them was The Ox-Bow Incident.

This movie is a heartbreaking takedown of the "posse" form of justice. Henry Fonda is masterful as always as the viewers conscience. This is one of my shortest "favorites of the year" at around 1 hour and 15 minutes and I strongly urge you to seek it out if you haven't already seen it. I wonder with the research paper topic was that week?  

The Year in Movies: 1943

1943

Number of Movies I've Seen: 3

yeah.. yeah....

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
Casablanca - This confused the heck out of me when doing my blog, but somehow the studio executives got Casablanca entered into the Oscars a full year after it was released. I guess it was the right call...

Box Office Winner:
This is the Army -  I have read that this is an overlong reproduction of Irving Berlin's USO stage show.  I feel pretty safe in saying I can skip this.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Sahara - (pictured above) No, not the Matthew McConaughey Dirk Pitt flick. This one is actually fun. Bogart and other Hollywood and British actors get a tank stuck in the middle of the desert at an underground cave. Surrounded by Nazis and the harshness of the title wasteland they must work together to survive. I watched this after seeing that it was on Rian Johnson's list of recommendations for his actors while filming The Last Jedi. It is well worth the watch.

3. Du Barry was a Lady -  I caught this one on the TCM app not too long ago because I knew I was short on 1943 films and it was billed as a pseudo-time-travel musical with Gene Kelly, Red Skelton, Virginia O'Brien, and Lucille Ball. There were some really fun musical numbers, an overly simplistic story, and a crazy time travel dream sequence middle act. Way too much Red Skelton and Lucille Ball and nowhere near enough Gene Kelly and Virginia O'Brien. Highlights are Gene Kelly's jaw-dropping dance number and Virginia O'Brien's song "Salome" neither of which had anything to do with the story.

Best of the Year: 1933 - Duck Soup

You won't see too many modern straight up comedies on my list because I honestly believe that the 1930s Marx Brothers movies represent the peak of the genre. These movies birthed everything from Looney Tunes to Woody Allen. 

Duck Soup represents everything that made them great. Outside of the four brothers, this is a conventional and almost serious movie about a neighboring country trying to take advantage and annex the financially troubled nation of Freedonia. Dropping the brothers in though turns the movie on its head. Just to give you a taste, the image above kicks off the final act as the brothers (led by Groucho as Rufus T. Firefly) defend Freedonia from invasion. As you can see they are dressed in Revolutionary War garb. With every cut in the battle Groucho's outfit changes up through the history of wars of the United States to that point. I see something new like this or catch another super-fast joke every time I rewatch a Marx Brothers movie. 

The Year in Movies: 1933

1933

Number of Movies I've Seen: 3

I still have plenty of work to do in this decade.

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  1

Oscar Winner:
Cavalcade - This is one of the Best Pictures I haven't had a chance to see yet. Everything I have heard isn't very promising though...  

Box Office Winner:
Roman Scandals -  Another Eddie Cantor flick that looks really interesting and I definitely want to check it out. Unfortunately I can't find a good copy anywhere. I find it odd that one of the biggest box office stars from the 1930s doesn't get much love today. I hope it isn't because these movies are bad...  Certainly looking forward to Eddie Cantor week on TCM.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. King Kong - (pictured above) Obviously, this movie is really good. The only reason it isn't the best of the year is because my #1 film is one of my all-time favorites. I can't imagine how mind-blowing it must've been to see this movie in the theater in 1933. It also probably has had more influence on modern Hollywood than any movie prior to The Wizard of Oz.

3. Our Betters -  Genuinely boring film about adultery by American rich girls within British aristocracy punctuated by a pretty stellar scene where their gay best friend makes everything okay. 

Best of the Year: 1923 - Our Hospitality

I truly believe that this movie would be held in higher esteem if not for its odd title. I inadvertently went on a streak earlier this summer watching unfortunately named movies (others included Mildred Pierce, Mrs. Miniver, and Du Barry was a Lady). Our Hospitality is comic genius plain and simple. Buster Keaton portrays a young man who left his hometown as a baby only to return to collect his inheritance. He pictures a picturesque estate, but when he arrives he realizes he has been bequeathed a role in a generations spanning family feud. Of course, he immediately falls in love with the beautiful daughter of his enemy family. Hi-jinks ensue and the film culminates with an impressive trip down white water. As with my other movies from 1923, this is available on YouTube for free and is certainly worth your time.