Film in 2013 was fantastic. We
saw tons of wonderful performances, powerfully emotional dramas, hysterical
comedies, gripping thrillers, big and entertaining blockbusters, and grand
technical achievements. This year was particularly difficult in narrowing down
my choices for my favorite films, performances, directors, and technical
accomplishments. For example, I loved Amy Acker in Much
Ado About Nothing and Oscar Isaac in Inside
Llewyn Davis, but neither quite made the list, and the same can be said for
David O. Russell’s
wonderful directing in American
Hustle or Hoyte Van Hoytema’s
sublime cinematography in Her
(both just missing out on the list, when they would have made it in most other
years). And, there are a number of good films that did not make the list either
(and a few I have not yet seen). As it stands, the LeapBackBlog Film Awards are
made up, through difficult deliberation, of the films that entertained me and
grabbed me as something special, the performances that engaged me, and the
craftsmanship that delighted me. These are my favorites of 2013.
2013 was filled with many great
performances and films, leaving so many overlooked. American
Hustle, however, is not one of the overlooked films and its highly
entertaining and wonderful performances have run the table, garnering an Oscar
nomination in every acting category (and four performances among my favorite
20), which is only fitting, as it is a film completely built upon its great and
eccentric performances (as well as nostalgically festive costumes and
production design). Yet, David O. Russell’s
film does not get lost in all the big performances and showy aesthetics. At its
core, it is still a character driven narrative with strong, well-developed
characters that the audience invests in. American Hustle is a lot of fun, and
is one of the better con man films in recent memory.
Fruitvale
Station tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a young black man recently
released from prison who is desperately trying to put his life back together
and provide for his family (be a good husband to his soon-to-be wife and father
to is young daughter). However, his life is tragically taken on New Year’s Eve
2008 when he is accidently gunned down by police during an incident on the BART
train from San Francisco to Oakland. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ryan Coogler
creates a very emotionally impactful film by showcasing the man that Grant was,
his strengths and weaknesses. The audience can see themselves in the man
through his hopes, dreams, and fears. Thus, when the climactic scene arrives,
it is devastating, and maybe for a moment viewers feel (to some degree) the
helplessness that those less fortunate (deemed inferior in society due to
economic means, race, or often both) feel constantly (in a system designed to
keep them forever marred in poverty and crime with no real viable escape). If nothing
else, the film creates a connection between Grant and every viewer (regardless
of their background), putting them in his place. It is a powerful experience –
one that hopefully leads to people treating each other with a bit more kindness
and respect. In a year of many strong indie character dramas, Fruitvale Station
is one of the best and most involving.
3D is in most cases a worthless
feature, tacked on after the fact to garner high ticket prices while actually
making the film-watching experience worse (and yet people still pay for it in
droves…it makes no sense). That is not the case at all with Gravity.
Alfonso
Cuaron (a harsh critic of 3D) uses the technology to create a completely
immersive experience, capturing the imagination and to some extent giving viewers
a taste of a ‘real’ Space adventure (when really none of us will ever get to go
experience Space first hand). Gravity proves that 3D can be a fantastic
cinematic tool (if used properly), while shaming its use in 99% of other films.
There is no other film as deserving of the price of admission in 2013, as this
is a film that demands it be seen on the largest screen possible (while the
rest of these top ten films can be enjoyed equally at home). It is a thrilling
spectacle that also happens to feature strong performances and resonates
emotionally. In most years, it would be the clear cut film of the year. It is just
an incredible cinematic achievement.
Love in the modern age turns out
to be a lot like love in any other age; it is about connection. Spike Jonze’s film Her is
about connection and also the lack of connection we face culturally at present
(and possibly to a greater extent in the future). The film takes place in the
near future and is about Theodore Twombly, a man struggling with melancholia in
the wake of his wife splitting from him. He craves connection but fears being
hurt again. Thus, a relationship with his new hyper intelligent self-aware OS
Samantha seems safe. Yet, Theodore finds himself falling hard for Samantha,
while at the same time frustrated by the limitations of the relationship now
that it has become deeply emotional. Jonze creates a completely believable relationship
between Theodore and Samantha that plays out in a manner that feels truthful to
our own experiences. It is as such a film that is incredibly relatable, and
also somewhat a warning. We are so dependent on technology that we seem to put
it in the place of human activities that we need as people to create true connection.
We are isolating ourselves in the name of being social through technology. Her
is a touching and kind of sad romantic narrative that is not afraid to be optimistic
about the future as well.
There are many kinds of musicals.
Filmgoers seem to be most accustomed to the kind in which characters break into
song to express the emotions they hold inside them without it feeling out of
place in the world of the narrative (My Fair Lady, for
example). Inside
Llewyn Davis too is in a way this kind of musical, though most would not
regard it as one at first. The Coen
Brothers’ film is about Llewyn Davis, a struggling folk musician as he
toils away trying to make a career out of his music (while being a bit of a
bastard). Davis is very gruff on the outside, with a short temper and seemingly
a cold heart. But, when he plays his music (and there are multiple musical
performances in the film), the audience sees his true soul, which is filled
with guarded emotional sadness (primarily from the loss of his musical partner
and a bad relationship with his father). It is also through Davis’s music that
we see that beauty exists in a word that is otherwise faded and cold. In this
way, Inside Llewyn Davis is indeed a musical – a very, very good one.
Who knew that Ron
Howard (a filmmaker I have dismissed often in the past and probably will again
in the future) would make a film that would be among my ten favorite,
especially in such a competitively deep year as 2013. But that speaks to the
quality of Rush,
Howard’s Formula-1 drama focusing on the great rivalry and friendship between
James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Rush is a fantastic sports drama (probably one of
the five best in cinema history), built upon the excitement and danger of car
racing at its highest level. And yet, it is an even better character drama, as
Howard explores both Hunt and Lauda: what motivates them to be the best. Suffice
it to say, Rush is my favorite Ron Howard film – a film that is very well
acted, wonderfully shot, and even directed with skill.
Character dramas that are utterly
moving and completely engrossing are a rare breed, films that resonate so
deeply that we as viewers find ourselves fully invested and connected to the
characters. Short
Term 12 is one such film. Built upon one of 2013’s most incredible
performances by Brie
Larson, this gravely overlooked film is about Grace, a supervisor at a
facility for wayward youths while they await placement in a foster home. Grace
devotes herself fully to helping these kids, while trying to contain her own
demons. Writer-director Destin Cretton’s
clearly personal narrative is rich with great character moments and honest
emotion, but what is so refreshing about the film is that it has an unyielding optimism
(something often lacking in modern pop culture, rife with cynicism) even though
the narrative comes from a place of deep wounds and seemingly insurmountable
pain. Grace is a real role model for young people. Short Term 12 is a film that
needs to be seen, and I encourage anyone who has an opportunity to watch it to
do so; it is without question among the five best films of the year.
While many popular young adult
films focus on grand adventures or supernatural romances, The
Spectacular Now tells a much smaller, more relatable, and dramatically
engaging story. It is about Sutter, a high school senior who lives in the now
with no regard for his future, content to just have fun in the moment. And then
he meets Aimee, a nice girl who has plans for her future forcing Sutter to
reconsider his world view. What makes James Pondsoldt’s
film work so well is that these characters are beautifully played by Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley
(each just missing out on making the acting lists) and resonate emotionally as
real people with relatable problems. Namely, the film deals with alcoholism in
young people, as well as growing up with deadbeat parents. How do we overcome
the faults of our parents? This is a question many young people sadly must
face. While The Spectacular Now is primarily a character drama, it also works
as a charming romance. Recent YA films like The
Hunger Games and The
Twilight Saga are blowing up the box office, but films like this and The
Perks of Being a Wallflower are really the great films leading the resurgence
of good and meaningful films aimed at young adults.
Slavery in America continues to
this day to shape public consciousness and popular culture, and yet until 12
Years a Slave no other piece of media has been able to so directly tackle
it on a profoundly emotional level. What makes Solomon Northup’s story so
compelling is that in a way it encapsulates the full experience of Slavery.
Northup was a proud and prosperous freeman who was tricked and captured against
him will, transported by boat to a new place and then sold into slavery. His
first master was kind to him, but still his master. His second was a monster.
Yet, Northup endured. Finally, after twelve year, he was again free, returning
home to him family, filled with supreme happiness but also unspeakable sadness
for those not as lucky as he and the unshakeable scares of what he witnessed
and had done to him during his enslavement. Steve McQueen’s
film is filled with brilliant performances, beautiful and haunting aesthetics,
and deeply moving emotional resonance. It is my favorite film of 2013.
The
Wolf of Wall Street is centered on the exploits of Jordan Belfort, a stock
trader who starts out in penny stocks only to build an empire. However,
Belfort’s business practices are not all legal leading to an FBI investigation
and his eventual downfall. Martin
Scorsese’s film is highly entertaining. Scorsese engrosses the audience in
a world of wild drug use, sex, ego, and greed, which plays as very funny,
possibly shocking, and maybe even secretly inviting (courting the darkness
inside us all). The lifestyle of a high powered Wall Street trader is so
excessive that it all feels exaggerated and kind of insane, but Scorsese uses
it to explore what happens when capitalism is left to run amuck – the dark side
of the American Dream – an issue that is still very relevant in the world today
(especially in America). It is a masterfully made film, and one of the most
powerful cinematic experiences of the year (be it the gleeful joy of laughing
at all the antics or the abhorrence at the crude manner by which these
characters live).
Honorable Mentions (11-25):
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