Well it’s the end of the year…it’s been 38 cinema visits, 228 film viewings (159 excluding multiple viewings), 5 five star films, 7 four star films and 76 posts. Out of the 38 times I went to the cinema (including the Odeon, ABC, Empire, Cineworld and an open air screening of Funny Girl), I picked ten of my favourites, and as much as I’d like to say it was hard – there was a clear winner. I always tend to start with number one anyway (so it’s not much of a countdown) but here’s my number one film of 2013 by about ten thousand miles:
1. RUSH
Oh my goodness, this was a fantastic film. It had everything – an amazing soundtrack, a great cast, incredible effects, beautiful cinematography, good pace and so much tensity you could have been sick. Daniel Bruhl and Chris Hemsworth were astonishingly good in Ron Howard’s masterpiece and the soundtrack, well, just have a listen to this piece. This film had me on the very edge of my seat, and even made me excited about Formula 1 – quite impressive really. I can’t really put it in to words how much I loved this film, it’s more the kind where you just “ugh” at how good it was. Unmissable.
2. PHILOMENA
At two is the beautiful Philomena, with a breathtaking story, most beautifully acted by Steve Coogan and Dame Judi Dench. It was so easy to get lost in this story and to get so completely wrapped up in it – it also made me cry…and laugh. This was another film with a great (and moving) soundtrack to accompany it. This film got an easy five stars and just screamed ‘award-winning’. Really an emotional and groundbreaking story and film. Extraordinary.
3. CLOUD ATLAS
This was so hard to write about the first time I saw it and now I have to do it again! This was a very long film, with a very complex story line – one which I have so far failed to successfully explain to anyone. You couldn’t really ask for a better cast (Whishaw, Broadbent, Grant, Hanks, Berry, D’Arcy, Sarandon, Weaving, Sturgess and Bae). Each story was, well, perfect. I can’t fault it, even now. Cloud Atlas was a display of each actor at their best, showing just how able and talented they really were. It really was incredibly ambitious and just wonderful. Groundbreaking.
4. THE WAY WAY BACK
The more and more I thought about this film, whilst compiling my list, I just kept sighing and thinking ‘it’s not high enough’, but it’s okay, I soon realized it was actually fourth so that’s okay. Wow. The Way Way Back was the shock entry of the year; not because I thought it would be bad but because I wasn’t overly excited to go see it; it wasn’t set that I was even going to see it. I remember, however, at the end of the film, I was sat with my coat and bags across three seats with my mouth wide open and my arms holding me back to the seats. My eyes were just about watering and I’m pretty sure I looked back to the projectionist’s room as if to say ‘Please play it again…now”. I really need this film on DVD, it’s one of my favourite films ever and really is great. Amazing. (Oh my God it’s really good).
5. FROZEN
I mentioned in the review about getting the soundtrack for Christmas, and I’m not going to lie, I’ve been listening to it for over 2 hours now. I know all the words. I’m not even ashamed, what a bold film this was. Although it’s not hand-drawn like ‘Disney classics’, it made it into my Disney classics because of the great music and songs, the brilliant characters and the strong themes of friendship, love and family. It sounds frivolous to some, but it has a great moral at the end and genuinely, this film was beautiful – the ice and the settings, the characters and (on a girly note) the dresses! It stays true to Disney is all I can say. Charming.
6. IRON MAN 3
This is an action film. This is a Marvel film. This is how it should be done. Starting to sound like a broken record I’m sure, but it had good music (try this bad boy for size). I really, really liked Guy Pearce as a bad guy – really tough to kill and good looking. The whole suits debacle was very impressive and generally all the effects were excellent. The film starts well with Eiffel 65’s Blue and ends well with an epic epilogue. Robert Downey Jr. was on top form and, I mean, I’ve watched this on DVD near 4 times this year. Says it all really. It’s a great triumph for Marvel. Fantastic.
7. THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
I only saw this recently so I probably won’t be able to say much more than the review I wrote last week, but this was amazing. Beautiful piece of film right here – great acting from a great cast. A wonderful story, illustrated beyond perfectly in the astounding Iceland and in Mitty’s daydreams. A taste of action, a touch of romance and a solid plot and story line underlying it all. I got on a train to Weymouth Cineworld to see this film and saying it’ worth it – I mean it really was worth it. Huge congratulations to Mr. Stiller for his acting and directing; a man who in my eyes has yet to fail. Incredible.
8. FRANCES HA
Oh look, another film in my top ten that I din’t pay to see! I was incredibly lucky to see this film with the late Anwar Brett, a great film journalist and author, and his fabulous daughter (an equally great film blogger), Sian Brett. It was fascinating to discuss the film with them (all the way back from Wareham Rex), and to listen to other film bloggers and lovers (even more so than I) talk about it. You can read my review easily, so instead I’ll talk about what they said. Something that really stuck was the great scene (YouTube it) when Frances is running through the city, dancing across the road to David Bowie’s Modern Love – a song I still haven’t got out of my head. The film was greatly funny and every line that came out of Greta Gerwig’s mouth was quotable and memorable. On the ride home, I’m pretty sure everything she said was actually quoted. It was awfully clever – a film that was just about a girl stumbling through her ordinary life. Her friendship that was more like a romance and her failing career, her lack of a place to stay and her non-existent love life as an “undateable”. Frances Ha is my role model and the DVD will be on my shelf in no time. Unforgettable.
9. THOR: THE DARK WORLD
Strangely this film was hilarious. I can say straight off that the absence of Loki would have pushed this film out of the top ten. Tom Hiddleston was utterly brilliant and we wouldn’t have it any other way. There is a brilliance in Loki’s character (further enhanced by Hiddleston) that means he could kill a good guy and no-one would care at all. Too devilishly charming. Anyway, we established long ago I fancy him, let’s move on. The two post-credits shorts were a bit odd really but who cares? The scenery was fittingly stunning and the action was full-on and tense. It was a great action film and a good marker for great things to come from Marvel. With few faults, Thor 2 sits comfortably at number 9 with many hilarious scenes and lot of bad-ass action and adventure. Good old Marvel. Excellent.
10. THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
I haven’t seen many indie films or non-mainstream films this year, and I haven’t seen Gravity (don’t kill me David), and I was one of about five people on this earth to be indifferent towards Captain Phillips. So I feel like Catching Fire just scraped its way in, and who knows, if I’d seen Gravity I might not be writing this, but I didn’t so let’s move on. I wrote a very late and a very long review of this film and generally, it was very good. This was a very intense film with fantastic effects (seeping fog) and great costume design and make-up. Also everyone loves Jennifer Lawrence, so that’s a plus. Simply, good casting, great acting, fabulous setting, make-up and costume and true-to book story telling made for a great four star film. I would happily buy the DVD and watch it all over again (especially with my new popcorn maker and reusable popcorn cup – get me!). Brilliant.
So that’s me for the year, hopefully it’s been good for you and fingers crossed that the one coming is better still. So what’s your top ten? Maybe you agree, maybe you don’t. Happy New Year either way and here’s to another happy year of film, remembering that when times get bad – I have eight new DVD’s to watch and escape into!
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