My Favorite Movies of 2013: #15-7

No need for chit-chat, on to the rest of the list!

#15 About Time

Despite some reservations about the main character and how he build's his relationship, I really enjoyed this film. It can be pretty funny, while also being quite emotional as well. It sticks to the few rules about time travel it sets up very well, which certainly counts for a lot. This movie wins the "Much Better than the Trailer" award for 2013.



#14 All is Lost

I'm glad that my local cineplex has a place for films like this, which were not heavily distributed on seen by many people. In a very deep year for performances, Robert Redford gave one of the best in a film with little dialogue, and only one credited character. I must admit part of the thrill of the film was watching a very spry 77 year old man do many of his own stunts in the film. In a fair world, this essential distillation of "man vs. environment" would be as well known as Gravity.

#13 Captain Phillips

We must be in the "nautical themed films with stars overlooked by the Academy" section of the list.  Like Redford, Hanks gave a great performance that wasn't deemed worthy of being included on the nomination list. At least Barkhad Abdi, playing the pirate counterpart to Hanks, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The film is very tense pretty much from start to finish, and is fair to the pirates, without necessarily making them sympathetic. The last few minutes of the film feature some of the best acting of Hanks career.

#12 Computer Chess

The other film on this list I didn't see in a theater, I knew little about this going into it. In fact, I thought it was a documentary for about ten minutes into it, before correcting myself online. Having been a programmer for many years and a member of my high school chess team, most of the characters in this film were dead-on. This was a definite treat when I watched it on Netflix. What's really great about it is the direction it goes. What starts as a pretty typical mockumentary film begins something more by the end. Even if you aren't a programming geek or a chess nerd, this is a great film.

#11 Monsters University

Sure, this isn't nearly up to par with the greatest of the Pixar films. It's certainly not as great as the original film, which is one of my favorite Pixar films. Still, it is a much better film than many people give it credit for. Sure, it is often a by-the-numbers "snobs versus slobs" college film, especially early on. However, the turn it takes about 2/3 of the way through takes it in a different direction, and I really appreciated that. Besides, the Oozma Kappa (OK) house members were very great (especially Charlie Day's Al), if a few were underused (especially Dave Foley's Terry). Perhaps Pixar has slipped a bit, but this is still a very entertaining movie.

#10 Blue is the Warmest Color

This film wins the "Film I Recommend But Will Not Watch with Parents, Ever.*" award for this year. The only NC-17 film on the list, it is also unintentionally the only "foreign" film on the list as well**. The NC-17 rating is probably well-earned, although almost entirely contained in one ten minute scene. Most of the rest of the film is a bittersweet tale of young romance that also serves as a coming of age tale for the main character. It's a great film that should be seen by everyone. However, if watching a film with my parents, I'll pick something else, thank you very much.

#9 The Way Way Back

The runner-up for the "favorite film of the summer", this film by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash would have to have worked hard for me not to have liked it. Fortunately, for the most part it did not succeed in that mission. The best parts of this film are the performances by the ever reliable Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney. However, I also enjoyed the performances by the rest of the main characters, including Steve Carell's ass of a potential step-father. It wins the award for "Best Movie Created in Part by a Person With a Name that I Always Read as Fat Nixon".

#8 Twelve Years a Slave

This film wins the "The It's Pat Memorial Least Funny Film co-starring an SNL Alum" award for this year. In addition, this was certainly one of the best films I saw all year, if it wasn't exactly the most fun film to get through. Each of the actors pictured in the accompanying image deserved their Oscar nominations, in what was a powerful and painful look at the twelve years Solomon Northup lost while being wrongfully enslaved. It's one of those films you should watch at least once, but probably won't watch it again unless you have to, as it is just rather painful.

#7 Gravity

It will be interesting to see how this film holds up on DVD. Like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Lawrence of Arabia, this is a film that might only be truly appreciated on a big screen. In this case, on an Imax screen with 3D. There is enough there besides the stunning visuals that I am confident it will still be very, very good on a small screen. Sandra Bullock gives an excellent performance as she fights for survival and a chance to return to Earth after everything goes to hell up in space. Also, George Clooney plays a typical George Clooney role.

Up Next: My favorite six of the year, movies which stood out well above the rest of the pack. Each one will get their own post. I will warn you, as these posts will contain spoilers. For those who wish to remain spoiler free, I will also offer a post for the final six much like these last two posts. I promise they will remain spoiler free.

* I know that's bad grammar. The period at that point is essential, so it stays.
** I've been good at seeing a wide range of films, but I'm still deficient when it comes to foreign cinema. Unfortunately, foreign films rarely make it to the multiplex, even though many indie films do. Room to grow, I suppose.