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defrogBecause you can’t possibly have enough “Best Of The Year” lists on the Internet.
Films now. Music soon.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER: If yr favorite movie of 2013 isn’t here, it’s likely because (1) I didn’t get a chance to see it, (2) it hasn’t been released in Hong Kong yet, or (3) I did see it but didn’t like it as much as you did. Also, if some of these seem kind of old, it’s because their release date was 2012 for yr country, but 2013 for Hong Kong. Get me?
TOP TEN DEF FILMS OF 2013
1. Gravity
2. Seven Psychopaths
3. Django Unchained
4. Holy Motors
5. The Grandmaster
6. Cloud Atlas
7. No
8. Snowpiercer
9. The Counselor
10. Side Effects
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Pacific Rim
Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons
The Wind Rises
BATSHIT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Machete Kills
BEST FILM WITH JASON STATHAM BEATING THE HELL OUT OF PEOPLE
Parker
THE ONE FILM I LIKED THAT NO ONE ELSE DID
After Earth
WORST FILM OF 2013
The Host
============================================
TOP TEN DEF FILMS OF 2013 (DIRECTOR’S CUT)
1. Gravity
An obvious choice, maybe, but it really is an amazingly good film – simple premise, brilliant execution by Alfonso Cuaron, stunning visuals, and Sandra Bullock knocks it out of the park. Even the sound design is amazing.
2. Seven Psychopaths
When yr doing a comedy about psychopaths and dog-kidnappers, and the ensemble cast includes Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits and Harry Dean Stanton, it’s hard to go wrong. And British writer/director Martin McDonagh makes the most of it. Well written and quite funny, with great performances from everyone.
3. Django Unchained
Like with any Tarantino film, opinions will vary widely. For me, it’s a great Spaghetti Western tribute/mash-up, with memorable characters, some brilliant performances (Christoph Waltz does it again) and snappy dialogue driving a story that’s fairly straightforward but a good one for the genre.
4. Holy Motors
Easily the strangest film I saw in 2013 – Leos Carax’s surreal fantasy about a man who uses elaborate make-up and disguises to play different roles in different parallel lives, from a stockbroker, a gangster and an omnivorous madman to a street beggar and a motion-capture model. It’s an inventive, creative and gutsy film, and some of the scenes will be sticking in my head for a long time.
5. The Grandmaster
Wong Kar-wei’s take on the legend of Ip Man. And, this being Wong Kar-wei, it’s not about kung fu fighting so much as the philosophies behind it, and how those philosophies shape and motivate the characters in the film, where almost every sentence spoken is a metaphor. Apart from one subplot squandered by excessive editing, it’s a nice, fresh take on an old story.
6. Cloud Atlas
Another one of those films people either loved or hated – six storylines interconnected across six eras from the mid-19th century to the 22nd century. The “we are all connected through time” angle doesn’t quite come across, and the make-up jobs sometimes get a little dodgy, but The Wachowskis and Tom Twyker really do pull off a fantastic juggling act here. More films should be this ambitious.
7. No
Docudrama about the 1988 plebiscite in Chile in which the govt asked people to vote on whether fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet should be given another eight years of power. The film explores the relationship between political propaganda and marketing, as well as the dangers of campaigning against the dictator of a ruthless military junta (especially when you fully expect him to rig the results anyway). Understated, but fascinating.
8. Snowpiercer
Dystopian sci-fi action film and the English-language debut of Korean director Bong Joon-Ho in which the Earth is now an ice ball and human survivors engage in class warfare on a high-speed train. Bong’s somewhat surreal approach makes the premise work as he takes the story in unexpected directions (albeit while occasionally overdoing it). Also, it has Tilda Swinton acting bonkers as a Thatcherish govt minister, which is just awesome. So it is.
9. The Counselor
Screenplay by Cormac McCarthy, directed by Ridley Scott, stellar cast – but not many people liked this film, complaining it was (1) too wordy, (2) too depressing, and (3) too light on the kind of thrills you expect from a drug-deal-gone-wrong film, especially one directed by Scott. Also, there’s the windshield scene. As it happens, I liked it for the same reasons. Sue me.
10. Side Effects
Stephen Soderbergh’s Hitchcockian mystery about a woman suffering from depression who takes an experimental drug and ends up killing her husband whilst sleepwalking under its effects. Or does she? The script keeps you guessing, and avoids the Big Pharma clichés most films would exploit.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Pacific Rim
Guillermo del Toro’s love letter to giant-monster/giant robot films. There’s so much wrong about it – technological silliness, bad decision making, hammy acting, making Hong Kong look like a Blade Runner set – and yet it works so wonderfully, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons
Not exactly the new Stephen Chow comedy so much as one where he co-directs and co-writes this latest riff on Journey To The West, in which competing demon hunters compete to free the Monkey King to stop a ravenous pig demon. However much of it is Chow’s film, it has the same type of nonsense humor. A bit uneven, but very entertaining
The Wind Rises
Hayao Miyazaki’s controversial swan song about Jiro Horikoshi, an airplane designer who eventually designed the Mitsubishi A5M, the precursor to the infamous Zero fighter plane. It pales in comparison to other films he’s done, and the love story angle is too cheesy for me. But – like all of Miyazaki’s movies, the craftsmanship is impeccable and well worth the price of admission.
BATSHIT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Machete Kills
Diminishing returns for Robert Rodriguez’s second Machete film, but it does have two things it has going for it: (1) Rodriguez’s casting choices (Lady Gaga as an assassin, Charlie Sheen as the President, Mel Gibson as a demented weapons CEO with a Star Wars fetish) and (2) his philosophy that when it comes to grindhouse action, no idea is too ludicrous. No fucks were given during the making of this motion picture. This is a good thing.
BEST FILM WITH JASON STATHAM BEATING THE HELL OUT OF PEOPLE
Parker
When I read Richard Stark’s Parker novels, I don’t really think of Jason Statham playing the lead. But he did it this year. And he did a pretty decent job, all things considered. The film itself is pretty good if you like 80s-era action films based on mystery/crime novels and don't mind a few plot holes.
THE ONE FILM I LIKED THAT NO ONE ELSE DID
After Earth
Let’s admit that everyone dumped on this film for reasons that had nothing to do with the actual film itself: (1) M. Night Shyalaman co-wrote and directed it, (2) nepotism (Jaden Smith co-stars with his dad OMG!), and (3) Scientology something blah blah blah. Take away those memes, and what you have with After Earth is a fairly decent film, albeit a flawed one that doesn’t really do enough with its father-son/coming-of-age premise. But it’s not nearly as godawful as most people say, and it’s definitely better than The Happening.
WORST FILM OF 2013
The Host
Not the Korean monster movie, but the film based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer that isn’t Twilight. It essentially does for the alien invasion/possession genre what Twilight did for vampire lore – namely, make it as boring as possible via insipid teenage romance. Granted, I am not the target audience for this kind of film. Still, damn.
Wake me when it’s over,
This is dF
Films now. Music soon.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER: If yr favorite movie of 2013 isn’t here, it’s likely because (1) I didn’t get a chance to see it, (2) it hasn’t been released in Hong Kong yet, or (3) I did see it but didn’t like it as much as you did. Also, if some of these seem kind of old, it’s because their release date was 2012 for yr country, but 2013 for Hong Kong. Get me?
TOP TEN DEF FILMS OF 2013
1. Gravity
2. Seven Psychopaths
3. Django Unchained
4. Holy Motors
5. The Grandmaster
6. Cloud Atlas
7. No
8. Snowpiercer
9. The Counselor
10. Side Effects
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Pacific Rim
Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons
The Wind Rises
BATSHIT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Machete Kills
BEST FILM WITH JASON STATHAM BEATING THE HELL OUT OF PEOPLE
Parker
THE ONE FILM I LIKED THAT NO ONE ELSE DID
After Earth
WORST FILM OF 2013
The Host
============================================
TOP TEN DEF FILMS OF 2013 (DIRECTOR’S CUT)
1. Gravity
An obvious choice, maybe, but it really is an amazingly good film – simple premise, brilliant execution by Alfonso Cuaron, stunning visuals, and Sandra Bullock knocks it out of the park. Even the sound design is amazing.
2. Seven Psychopaths
When yr doing a comedy about psychopaths and dog-kidnappers, and the ensemble cast includes Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits and Harry Dean Stanton, it’s hard to go wrong. And British writer/director Martin McDonagh makes the most of it. Well written and quite funny, with great performances from everyone.
3. Django Unchained
Like with any Tarantino film, opinions will vary widely. For me, it’s a great Spaghetti Western tribute/mash-up, with memorable characters, some brilliant performances (Christoph Waltz does it again) and snappy dialogue driving a story that’s fairly straightforward but a good one for the genre.
4. Holy Motors
Easily the strangest film I saw in 2013 – Leos Carax’s surreal fantasy about a man who uses elaborate make-up and disguises to play different roles in different parallel lives, from a stockbroker, a gangster and an omnivorous madman to a street beggar and a motion-capture model. It’s an inventive, creative and gutsy film, and some of the scenes will be sticking in my head for a long time.
5. The Grandmaster
Wong Kar-wei’s take on the legend of Ip Man. And, this being Wong Kar-wei, it’s not about kung fu fighting so much as the philosophies behind it, and how those philosophies shape and motivate the characters in the film, where almost every sentence spoken is a metaphor. Apart from one subplot squandered by excessive editing, it’s a nice, fresh take on an old story.
6. Cloud Atlas
Another one of those films people either loved or hated – six storylines interconnected across six eras from the mid-19th century to the 22nd century. The “we are all connected through time” angle doesn’t quite come across, and the make-up jobs sometimes get a little dodgy, but The Wachowskis and Tom Twyker really do pull off a fantastic juggling act here. More films should be this ambitious.
7. No
Docudrama about the 1988 plebiscite in Chile in which the govt asked people to vote on whether fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet should be given another eight years of power. The film explores the relationship between political propaganda and marketing, as well as the dangers of campaigning against the dictator of a ruthless military junta (especially when you fully expect him to rig the results anyway). Understated, but fascinating.
8. Snowpiercer
Dystopian sci-fi action film and the English-language debut of Korean director Bong Joon-Ho in which the Earth is now an ice ball and human survivors engage in class warfare on a high-speed train. Bong’s somewhat surreal approach makes the premise work as he takes the story in unexpected directions (albeit while occasionally overdoing it). Also, it has Tilda Swinton acting bonkers as a Thatcherish govt minister, which is just awesome. So it is.
9. The Counselor
Screenplay by Cormac McCarthy, directed by Ridley Scott, stellar cast – but not many people liked this film, complaining it was (1) too wordy, (2) too depressing, and (3) too light on the kind of thrills you expect from a drug-deal-gone-wrong film, especially one directed by Scott. Also, there’s the windshield scene. As it happens, I liked it for the same reasons. Sue me.
10. Side Effects
Stephen Soderbergh’s Hitchcockian mystery about a woman suffering from depression who takes an experimental drug and ends up killing her husband whilst sleepwalking under its effects. Or does she? The script keeps you guessing, and avoids the Big Pharma clichés most films would exploit.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Pacific Rim
Guillermo del Toro’s love letter to giant-monster/giant robot films. There’s so much wrong about it – technological silliness, bad decision making, hammy acting, making Hong Kong look like a Blade Runner set – and yet it works so wonderfully, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons
Not exactly the new Stephen Chow comedy so much as one where he co-directs and co-writes this latest riff on Journey To The West, in which competing demon hunters compete to free the Monkey King to stop a ravenous pig demon. However much of it is Chow’s film, it has the same type of nonsense humor. A bit uneven, but very entertaining
The Wind Rises
Hayao Miyazaki’s controversial swan song about Jiro Horikoshi, an airplane designer who eventually designed the Mitsubishi A5M, the precursor to the infamous Zero fighter plane. It pales in comparison to other films he’s done, and the love story angle is too cheesy for me. But – like all of Miyazaki’s movies, the craftsmanship is impeccable and well worth the price of admission.
BATSHIT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Machete Kills
Diminishing returns for Robert Rodriguez’s second Machete film, but it does have two things it has going for it: (1) Rodriguez’s casting choices (Lady Gaga as an assassin, Charlie Sheen as the President, Mel Gibson as a demented weapons CEO with a Star Wars fetish) and (2) his philosophy that when it comes to grindhouse action, no idea is too ludicrous. No fucks were given during the making of this motion picture. This is a good thing.
BEST FILM WITH JASON STATHAM BEATING THE HELL OUT OF PEOPLE
Parker
When I read Richard Stark’s Parker novels, I don’t really think of Jason Statham playing the lead. But he did it this year. And he did a pretty decent job, all things considered. The film itself is pretty good if you like 80s-era action films based on mystery/crime novels and don't mind a few plot holes.
THE ONE FILM I LIKED THAT NO ONE ELSE DID
After Earth
Let’s admit that everyone dumped on this film for reasons that had nothing to do with the actual film itself: (1) M. Night Shyalaman co-wrote and directed it, (2) nepotism (Jaden Smith co-stars with his dad OMG!), and (3) Scientology something blah blah blah. Take away those memes, and what you have with After Earth is a fairly decent film, albeit a flawed one that doesn’t really do enough with its father-son/coming-of-age premise. But it’s not nearly as godawful as most people say, and it’s definitely better than The Happening.
WORST FILM OF 2013
The Host
Not the Korean monster movie, but the film based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer that isn’t Twilight. It essentially does for the alien invasion/possession genre what Twilight did for vampire lore – namely, make it as boring as possible via insipid teenage romance. Granted, I am not the target audience for this kind of film. Still, damn.
Wake me when it’s over,
This is dF
