There are only a few days left before classes start and you are sucked into the tumultuous vortex of drinking — also known as “drop/add week.” Since you’re most definitely tired of conversing with Mom and Dad and even more tired of scrolling Instagram (cool, you made your childhood dog look vintage), soak up the last remaining time of winter break the right way: on the couch with some cinematic genius. Check out one (or all) of what I deem to be the best films of 2013.
10. Graceland
This film doesn’t attempt to use violence or nudity for shock value, though its content warrants it. “Graceland” is a very stylized thriller that’s centered on the ransom of a politician’s daughter. The politician’s driver, Marlon (whose job is already on thin ice), gets dragged into the chaos and invariably proves his worth. “Graceland” makes the top ten because of its heavy use of the audience; you are kept in the dark until the very end, making the reveal more than worthwhile.
9. Behind the Candelabra
Oscar winner and helmsmen of several critical and financial successes, Steven Soderbergh was told that his final feature film was “too gay” by almost all Hollywood studios (shocking, I know.) Soderbergh was undeterred by this of course, and invariably took the idea to HBO, who saw the rich, endless possibilities and set things in motion. Perhaps it was better the film not wither away in the hands of studios too afraid to tell a homosexual love story. Wladziu Valentino Liberace ‘Liberace’ and Scott Thorson’s rise and fall is tremendously relatable to all types of viewers. This film is an impeccably crafted drama with wit, charm, and tension. Michael Douglas and Matt Damon’s performances are among the best they’ve given in their careers and with multiple Emmy nominations and huge ratings, it seems evident that the only losers here were the studios.
Via: hbo.com
8. This is the End
Definitely one of the best comedies of this decade (besides Jake Kasdan’s tremendously underrated film “Walk Hard” and Paul Feig’s “Bridesmaids”), “This is the End” focuses on real life actors dealing with the real life issue of the apocalypse. Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride and Jay Baruchel make up only a handful in the plethora of cast mates who bring pure comedic gold to the film. All of your friends have probably quoted this film more than once, and it’s already beginning to become a household name.
7. Blue Is the Warmest Color (La vie d’Adele)
“Blue is the Warmest Color” is an exceptionally beautiful yet simple romance. Abdellatif Kechiche’s french drama is based on a graphic novel of the same name and was the big winner at Cannes this summer. The story follows Adele, who begins a friendship with a blue haired girl named Emma. Their relationship eventually grows and the two fall deeply in love. Clocking in at a little over three hours, the film is appears like a typical methodical approach to teen angst. However, Kechiche fills that time with fervent energy and raw performances.
Via: athenacinema.com
6. Prisoners
What if you caught the man that took your family from you? What lengths would you go to in order to rescue them? “Prisoners,” directed by Denis Villeneuve (Incendies), will make you take an uncomfortable look at just what violence can bring, and at what costs. You will question the motives of every character on screen more than once, and the conclusion will leave many gasping for air, wondering what the hell happened. Fierce performances by the cast (including the exceptional leads Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal) and smart direction help cement “Prisoners” as one of the best, most harrowing films of the year.
5. The Wolf of Wall Street:
Based on the biography of Jordon Belfort, Martin Scorsese’s film “The Wolf of Wall Street” follows the lucrative nature of a zany stockbroker who lives in a wonderland of excess from the late eighties ‘til the early 2000s. By the new millennium, the FBI has begun cracking down on (some) corrupt practices of (certain) economic giants, including Belfort. “The Wolf of Wall Street” is just another notch in Scorsese’s belt. The electric collaboration between Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and their lovechild of a film is, of course, near damn perfect. The stress of the audience mounts with each decision Belfort makes. The film may go too far for some, but for those of you with bendable constitutions, you’ll have a hell of a great time.
4. Spring Breakers
(Speaking of bendable constitutions…)
Via: from the supermassive.com
If you’ve been lucky enough to see “The Wolf of Wall Street” already and it may have (unfortunately) left a bad taste in your mouth, I do not recommend Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers.” You will probably have a stroke. You may even have to repress your budding sexuality even further (the horror!). Korine is notorious for being a provocateur; he uses this directorial style to turns heads with his MTV- sque world of the glorified week of “spring break.” And in all its vice-filled glory, there is an underbelly of seriously hallucinogenic horror. Korine’s film portrays a group of midwestern girls that are itching to drop their mediocre lives and experience something much more tangible- and by tangible I mean crime-ridden escapades with a rapper named ‘Alien’ (James Franco). I’m thankful for artists like Korine who, in a tight studio system, still find a way to tell stories a little differently, thereby more effectively and much more energetically. The casting choices never feel like stun casting (even Selena Gomez fits the bill), and the off-putting inclusion of Britney Spears sets this film apart from your typical sterile, over-hyped college flicks.
3. Gravity
Gravity is a simple survival story set in space; no long monologues about the mortality of man, no melodrama. The team that brought us Children of Men (one of the best science fictions films of the past decade) draws from human fear and desperation into continuous moments of utter disbelief. Gravity is a gripping feat, and pairs masterful directing with a mind-blowing onslaught of computer imaging. Need to understand further why Gravity has made the top three? Click here.
2. The Act of Killing
“The Act of Killing” is a documentary involving a group of Indonesian men who, in the 1960’s, took part in their countries anti-communism death squad. These squads were responsible for one of the worst genocides in the history of the world: the killing of over one million alleged communists.
Indonesia upholds the group as heroes to this day, and many are treated like celebrities. This is largely due to their government’s white washing of events and facts to make the people of Indonesia buy into the lie (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?) These squads were actually created by a government partially instilled by the great U.S. of A (the U.S. instigated a coup that led to the removal of Indonesian leader Sukarno and his cabinet). To hear these men speak lightly of such horrendous events is chilling. To see what they have manifested as reenactments of their kills is … well, daunting. Joshua Oppenheimer and his crew give allowances to several veterans to “creatively” portray their take on the happenings (the murders) within the death squad. At no point do the filmmakers of the documentary attempt to soften any of what the veterans’ say or make. The editing is deliberate and non-partial. It’s an honest documentary in its entirety and deserves top mention in this Best List.
1. 12 Years a Slave
“12 Years a Slave” is probably one of the best American films made on the subject of slavery. Directed without restraint by Steven McQueen (“Hunger”and “Shame”) the film leaves viewers of all social classes pondering on the horrors we have, as a nation, chosen to desensitize. Exploitation and violence for profit are the contenders of this piece. 172 years later and not much has changed. Racism may have a new, modern face, but it is still rampant and real. This is a reminder McQueen readily provides.
Via: thewrap.com
Honorable Mentions
Pacific Rim, The Heat, Blackfish, Antiviral, V/H/S/2
