I have to say that 2013 was a fantastic year for movies. So, making this list was particularly difficult. In an average year, I'd say that there are two to three great movies released. This year, there were at least eight or nine. And, three bona fide masterpieces came out in 2013, an extreme rarity.
In fact, while I have my Top 10 list all figured out, I'm still not sure what movie will take the top spot. I plan to post individual entries about each movie on my list, like I did in 2011. I should be able to finish it all in about a week or so. Hopefully, by then, I'll have it all figured out.
In any event, this is a different post entirely. This is the post where I talk about the movies I really liked that didn't make the list. Needless to say, there were a lot of those. So, in the interest of brevity, I'm just going to throw out some titles of movies that I think people should see.
I'll start with a list of indie movies that few people saw but that I'd highly recommend:
The Spectacular Now
The Way Way Back (Actually...a lot of people saw this one)
Drinking Buddies
In a World
Kings of Summer
Frances Ha
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
I know I'm leaving some movies off that list. Oh well.
I'll spare you the list of big-budget studio movies that I'd recommend and go straight to my REAL Honorable Mentions. These are the movies that I just couldn't find room for on my Top 10 list, even though I wanted to include them.
Here they are, in alphabetical order:
Before Midnight
A fitting capstone to Richard Linklater's trilogy exploring modern love and romance. If you've seen Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, you probably took the time to see this one as well. If you haven't seen them, you should. I wasn't fully on board with the first two films -- I enjoyed them, I just didn't go gaga over them like many people did. However, I really liked this last film.
Julie Delpy is absolutely superb in the movie. And, Ethan Hawke continues to carve out an interesting niche for himself. Definitely worth your time.
Captain Phillips
I actually reviewed this movie on the blog. It's a wonderful piece of filmmaking, featuring what may very well be Tom Hanks finest performance to date.
In any almost other year, this would have easily made my Top 10. This year, however, it just misses the cut. It was probably the hardest movie to keep off my list.
Iron Man 3
You should all know by now that I'm a sucker for comic book movies. And, though I had hoped that Man of Steel would take the prize as Super Hero Movie of the Year, it fell short of my lofty expectations. Luckily enough, Marvel injected some new life into its top franchise, most notably by putting director Shane Black. The result was the best big-budget blockbuster of the summer.
You've all seen this movie already, so I won't say any more.
Prisoners
I was very surprised that I liked this movie as much as I did. And, it held up the second time around.
Denis Villeneuve's crime drama was one of the most intense, gripping movie-going experiences I had in 2013. It's also a showcase of some very fine acting. Jake Gyllenhaal turns in what is easily the best performance of his career, playing a tortured cop determined to solve a child kidnapping. Hugh Jackman is also fantastic as the father of one of the kidnapped children.
Prisoners could have easily been just another run-of-the-mill crime thriller. And, I suppose, in many ways, that's what it is. But, it's all in the execution. With these actors, this director, and the brilliant cinematography by the great Roger Deakins, it comes together very, very nicely.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Martin Scorsese movies are like pizza: even when they're bad they're still pretty good. Not that this movie is bad -- it just doesn't reach the same heights as other Martin Scorsese-Leonardo DiCaprio ventures. It's a little too long -- just under three hours -- and, at times, it's a little too self-indulgent and gratuitous.
Still, it's hilarious. And, it has a myriad of great performances in it. DiCaprio is in top form. Jonah Hill is also very, very good. The whole ensemble just does a great job.
There's definitely room for criticism with this film. But, what it does well it does so well that it deserves a lot of praise.
Alright, there we have it. There were a number of other films worth mentioning in 2013. But, I don't want this to go on forever.
Next up -- hopefully in short order -- will be the post about Number 10 on my list.
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