1. Inside Llewyn
Davis For those of you who know me or have frequented my blog through the
years, seeing this movie top my 2013 list won’t be much of a shocker. It may
even seem obligatory, but I could think of nothing better to represent my idea
of a perfect new film than that one about the folk singer with the cat in it.
The work of Joel and Ethan Coen through the past three decades has changed the
face of independent American cinema, and with each new film they change it
again and again. Inside Llewyn Davis is
so tragic in its ideas about a life merely existing that it would almost seem
like a swan song if you didn’t know the brothers would be back with another
fresh surprise in a year or two. It follows a fictional musician in the 60s as
he wanders from place to place trying to find shelter, work or companionship,
and always meeting up with some tragedy instead. It is a comedy, though many
may not see it that way, because it laughs at the fact that Llewyn Davis is the
symbol of nonconformity and yet is so typical of the stubborn, struggling
nonconformist. Oscar Isaac is perfect as the flawed title character and has a
surprising singing voice as well. There are some wonderful cameos throughout also,
but I won’t mention them specifically. This is a movie that is reminiscent of
the style of the Coens’ best work, while always remaining startlingly new. It
is a beautiful and haunting movie and, in my opinion, the year’s best.
2. Nebraska
You’d think 52 year-old director Alexander Payne was more like 80 if you were
to look through his resume, a list of work that includes About Schmidt, Sideways, The Descendants and now Nebraska.
These are all movies about middle-aged or older men who have met with an
emotional crisis and are incapable of dealing with it. In Payne’s latest, Bruce
Dern stars as a senile father of two who so thoroughly believes a spam letter
that says he won a million dollars that he sets out on foot to retrieve it,
despite protests from his sons. Will Forte co-stars as the son who inevitably
helps his father with his journey and grows closer to him as a result. But this
does not play out as predictably as it sounds. Payne has made a genius piece of
comedy, a film that is somber about the decrepit nature of its hero, while
equally capable of laughing at it. So many movies about the elderly either
tiptoe around them in the hope of avoiding offense, or play up illnesses for
dramatic effect. Nebraska treats its characters and its
audience like the mature adults they are, knowing that there’s little sense in
telling a story about life that does nothing but mourn it. I may have smiled
more during Nebraska than in any other movie last
year. It is a miraculously understanding, funny and altogether charming
experience. Oh, and I must mention the wonderful June Squibb, who has done here
for the elderly what Bridesmaids did
for women, but that’s for another essay.
3. Gravity Director
Alfonso Cuaron has finally broken through that terrible barrier between effects
and art, a problem that has plagued the cinema for some time now. The trouble
is that most movies that use computer effects the right way are weighed down by
heavy problems in the more important areas. For example, James Cameron’s Avatar was visually breathtaking, but in
telling a story so full of holes it almost leaks off the screen, and Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, though technically stunning,
was so thematically bizarre it was difficult to actually enjoy. Now, with Gravity, we have a movie that covers all
possible ground. Some have complained that it doesn’t really have a story, but
story isn’t the point here. This is a movie that connects emotionally with its
audience without the benefit of a manipulative plot. Along with the powerful
performance by Sandra Bullock and some of the most intense action sequences in
recent film history, Gravity is also
one of the very few movies that deserves the awe-inspiring setting of outer
space, and it may be the first picture since 2001: A Space Odyssey to truly capture both the emotional and
visual cinematic possibilities of its enormity. The seemingly impossible
effects will be discussed for decades, but it is a great entertainment now.
4. Her What is
love? Is it something tangible; something emotional? Is it something only
unconditionally experienced between family, or can perfect love be experienced
between strangers? Can a man love his dog? Can a man love his computer? To
treat Spike Jonze’s new movie as a source of silliness, as many seem to think
it is when faced with its seemingly deranged premise, is to ignore what it
really has to say, which is a heck of a lot. Joaquin Phoenix plays a man who
lives in some future time when everything has turned into a hipster movie and
who falls very much in love with his computer’s operating system, voiced by
Scarlett Johansson. Johansson’s work takes voice acting to an exciting new
level. We never imagine someone providing a voice for the computer, because she
is the computer, complete with a wide range of emotions that we never thought
artificial intelligence, or Johansson for that matter, could possess. Director
Jonze treats his romance between man and machine very seriously and in this
earnestness he managed to create a story that not only gives new boundaries to how
we think of love, but how something as finite as a movie can define it. Then
again, it takes a special movie to tinker with such ideas and still hold onto
an emotional appeal. But Her is a
very special movie.
5. 12 Years a Slave
It’s easy to joke about Hollywood movies that deal with the atrocities that occurred
during the reign of slavery in America
(“Are we ever going to live this down?” etc.). However, nobody who has seen
Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave
could possibly joke about it. It came into theatres not long after such movies
as Django Unchained, Lincoln and The Help used humor, action and white people dilemmas to help
viewers feel properly guilty about racism, but without feeling too bad. 12 Years is not a mere popcorn flick and
certainly isn’t another pointless guilt trip. It is a deeply moving, often
horrifyingly accurate portrayal of just what the slaves went through,
constantly forcing us to not only see terrible things occur, but to be right up
in the middle of them. McQueen is a director fascinated by the painful side
effects of being human and here has made a masterpiece of brutal, unflinching
honesty. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as the free black man wrongly imprisoned and is
very good in the role, providing the character the strength and subtle
hostility that also gives the picture an emotional anchor. Special praise must also
go to the co-stars: Michael Fassbender as the downright evil plantation owner
and especially Lupita Nyong’o as the girl most excruciatingly tortured by the
period’s wrongs.
6. Upstream Color
Many of you are now looking at the screen sideways and muttering, “Upwhat Huh?”
No, Shane Carruth’s second feature as director, writer, cinematographer,
composer and editor didn’t get a lot of exposure. It was too strange and
unconventional and not marketable in the slightest, yet these are its
strengths. Too often a trip to the movies means seeing a lot of the same old
thing. Most of today’s filmmakers, many without even realizing it, are just
making other people’s movies again, having been “raised” all of their careers
on a century of movies that already did it right. There is nothing like Upstream Color, a movie that defies tradition
and valiantly gives the finger to the impatience of today’s viewers who will
allow this beautiful movie to sink out of memory. It is cinema at its purest,
so perfect in telling a story through its images, sounds and suggestions that
it never needs to explain itself. Even when we don’t understand, we get it (The
beginning of the movie deals with a drug that apparently causes hypnosis, but
we’re never actually told this.). Amy Seimetz is wonderful as the star, but
through no fault of her own, it’s easier to remember that worm crawling through
her arm than the performance she gives afterwards. Film needs more people like
Shane Carruth.
7. Philomena As
if we needed further proof that Judi Dench is one of the greatest actresses
currently working in film, here she is starring as Philomena, a real-life
heroine and this year’s strongest performance by a lead actress. The story
concerns a woman who is to be the central figure in a human interest story to
be written by a man played with perfect cynicism by Steve Coogan. Philomena had
a baby as a teenager, a baby that was taken in by a convent and given away, and
she has regretted not knowing her son for all these years. Dench and Coogan
have great chemistry, and as they set off in search of the lost child, the film
could almost pass as a comedy. This is, however, not a comedy, but one of the
best dramas of the year, a finely tuned emotional roller coaster headlined by
that incredible performance from Dench. I wouldn’t dare give away any more of
the movie’s narrative developments, but I will say that not everything happens
as I expected. The fact that this was a woman’s real story and that Dench’s
strength was Philomena’s as well gives the picture such additional tragic and
inspirational weight that it will not be easily forgotten. The steady,
well-paced direction from British film veteran Stephen Frears helps too.
8. Mud Matthew
McConaughey may have acted himself right into infamy with two incredible
performances this year that outrank any of his past misfortunes on film (The
other performance is in Dallas Buyers
Club, also a good movie in its own right.). As the titular character in Mud, he creates a man that has all the
traits of a typical McConaughey role, but with an added layer of mysticism,
like an American legend come to life. Truly, the entire experience of watching Mud is like witnessing an American
classic ahead of its initiation into legacy. Written and helmed by Jeff
Nichols, that great new voice in independent films that also brought us the
equally incredible Take Shelter a
couple years ago, this is a wholly original story full of a genuine wonder and
awe for such simple excitement. This is a very down-to-earth kind of movie. It
has no use for the typical avenues of cinematic showmanship, instead investing
in its characters, particularly in young actor Tye Sheridan and co-star Reese
Witherspoon, so that when the action scenes do come, we actually care what may
happen. Even before the climactic events of the movie, Mud is an entrancing event, so good that it actually convinced me to
keep giving new movies a chance when I was nearly ready to give up on them.
9. American Hustle
With the awards season in full swing, it is little surprise that David O.
Russell’s new con-filled comedy caper is topping many lists. It is a delightful
movie, slick and surreal, and full of great performances. On the downside, it
may be just a little too good, meaning that it’s so self-assured and so dazzling
in its insanity that it probably doesn’t have enough meat to outlast the test
of time (At least, not as easily as Russell’s previous effort Silver Linings Playbook will undoubtedly
last for ages.). However, that has little effect on how enjoyable American Hustle is now. You can’t really go wrong with a cast like Christian Bale (So
greasy, hunched over and overweight, he’s almost unrecognizable.), Amy Adams
(Wonderfully manipulative, as a character and an actress. The British accent
she uses isn’t always convincing, but is that the point?), Bradley Cooper
(Hilariously brash and uncouth. Unlike anything else in Cooper’s repertoire.),
Jennifer Lawrence (Scene-stealingly manic with an underbelly of sentiment. How
can a 23 year-old be such a mature and believable actress?) and Jeremy Renner
(Typical Renner. Friendly. Kind. Almost stupid.) all in one place. But what’s
really impressive is how much, for a con story anyway, the movie relies on its
viewers trying to guess what the characters are feeling more than just what they’re doing, which is the very thing
most movies of this sort really lack. Who cares what the criminals pull off if
they’re just a bunch of the same lame criminals?
10. All is Lost Yes,
this does seem to be the year for old people. I don’t know where Robert Redford
has been hiding, but it’s surprisingly good to see him back in action. Now,
earlier this year, he did direct and star in The Company You Keep, which wasn’t too good, but All is Lost may be one of the greatest
one man shows in movies. The set-up and delivery of the film is so
straight-forward it’s almost scary how well it works. A man is on his boat. The
boat begins to sink. He escapes to his life raft. He tries to survive. That is
the movie, and if it sounds boring, you’re underestimating an incredible
cinematic achievement. All is Lost,
as directed by J. C. Chandor is an astonishing piece of art, defying all
logical conveniences of normal film plot devices. It is its own creature and
is, even while being about “nothing,” one of the most involving movies I’ve
seen in a long time. This success is partly due to the fact I couldn’t have
expected it to be as great as it was, partly because it is so great on a
visceral level and also partly because of Redford,
who outdoes his entire acting career in a role that required almost no spoken
dialogue. This is an ideal performance to show people who don’t understand the
difference between a great performance
and a great character. Most actors
would have just been floating on a boat for ninety minutes. Redford
brings the agony.
Honorable Mentions: Before Midnight, Dallas Buyers Club, Disconnect,
Frances Ha, Fruitvale Station, The Place Beyond the Pines, Rush, Saving Mr.
Banks, Stoker, What Maisie Knew
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