Spring began with a few solid films, most notably Oblivion. There was sadly some disappointing showings from Oz The Great And Powerful and After Earth. Nothing outstanding until in May where I saw The Great Gatsby and one film that is in my top 10. Despite a lot of promising summer blockbusters, most of them were generally disappointing (e.g. The World's End) but thankfully not awful. The only films that I enjoyed the most was Pacific Rim and the wonderfully funny Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. It was great popcorn fun and surpassed my expectations. Another one that I enjoyed but maybe not in a popcorn way was Before Midnight. The third film in the 'Before' trilogy keeps showing how great the makers writing is. Also the on-screen relationship of Ethan Hawke and Golden Globe nominated Julie Delpy is still cinema gold.
Another one that came out in the summer was Belle. A brilliantly written and performed costume period drama. Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars as a mixed race daughter of an Admiral, who is raised in 18th century England.
Then in October, I started to see some film of the year contenders and a lot of them remain high up in my top 10. Then came the last few months of the year when the award contenders introduced themselves to the world. A lot of them have made my top 10 and some I sadly had to leave out. This included The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, All Is Lost, Enough Said, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, Inside Llewyn Davis and Short Term 12 for where I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. A final mention should go to Rush. Director Ron Howard shows how good he still is as he portrays the rivalry of Formula 1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda (played by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl). It is as amazing as the documentary 'Senna' with some great performances that are being recognized in the major awards. I would recommend it for both fans and non-fans of F1.
Despite this being about films of 2013, there were a few very late entries as films that debuted in 2013 has only just been released in the UK in 2014. One, is the highly engrossing, Locke. When a film has one setting and one actor, and it is done right, it is one of the film of the year. Starring Tom Hardy, it is as good as similar films such as Phone Booth and Buried. There was also the highly interesting Only Lovers Left Alive. With Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston leading the way, the wonderfully visual vampire romantic drama gave us one of the most interesting vampire films in years. Another one, is the final feature film of Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises. A very personal movie that also lacks in the fantasy. Despite that, it's unreal animation, interesting characters and heartfelt story made it a memorable farewell to one of the most successful directors of all-time. It deserved praise by getting a nomination for Best Animated Film at the Oscars.
Before I announce my top 10, I have to say why I am not including certain films despite being released in the UK in 2013. The way I do it is on the worldwide release. These films 'Les Miserables', 'Django Unchained', 'Lincoln', 'Hitchcock', my film of 2012 'Cloud Atlas' and 'Mud' were all released in the UK in 2013, but they are all officially 2012 films as their worldwide release was in 2012. So that is why I am not including these films.
My list may also include film documentaries and TV movies as they are officially seen as films. So don't be surprised if my list contains movies that may not have been released at your local multiplex. One film documentary that just missed out is the Oscar nominated Cutie And The Boxer. Another documentary that I loved was 'Which Way Is The Front Line From Here?' which shows us the life of photojournalist and film-maker Tim Hetherington. There was a terrific TV movie that was shown during the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and this is An Adventure In Space And Time. It showed the beginnings of Doctor Who and how William Hartnell loved being the first Doctor and it was a terrific portrayal of TV's longest running sci-fi tv series. Also, I felt it would work for non-Who fans as well.
It has only been recently that I wanted to try and see to every film that is up for Best Picture at the Oscars. Thankfully, I just about managed to do it. Only four of those nine managed to make my top 10. The ones sadly missing out are the enjoyably eslow-pace Nebraska, the very interesting American Hustle, the adrenaline-fueled The Wolf Of Wall Street, the brilliantly scar The Conjuring, the moving Dallas Buyers Club, the highly emotional 12 Years A Slave, the powerful drama Blue Is The Warmest Colour and the tense dark and almost David Fincher-esque Prisoners. I did like them a lot. But sadly, I felt that there were 10 better films in what has been a great year in film, especially for its diversity in stories and presentation of films.
My final mentions go to the highly ambitious Under The Skin that came so close to my top 10. It may not be for everyone, but it felt like one of those films that needs to be experienced. It was immersive from the start and definitely took me and many others off guard.
I would also like to mention the wonderful comedy drama The Way Way Back. It is such a lovely coming of age film that we do not see that often. It is worth watching just for Sam Rockwell's performance alone.
Here is a list of the films that I gave an 8/10, but missed out on the top 10, where films also got an 8/10 but I enjoyed more:
51) Cutie And The Boxer
50) 1: Life On The Limit
49) Muscle Shoals
48) Milius
47) The Double
46) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
45) All Is Lost
44) Which Way Is The Front Line From Me?: The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington
43) Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
42) Monsters University
41) The Wind Rises
40) The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone
39) Nebraska
38) The Selfish Giant
37) Inside Llewyn Davis
36) Before Midnight
35) Ilo Ilo
34) The Great Gatsby
33) The Wolf Of Wall Street
32) The Kings Of Summer
31) Metro Manila
30) Starred Up
29) The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
28) Only Lovers Left Alive
27) Enough Said
26) 12 Years A Slave
25) We Are The Best!
24) Locke
23) American Hustle
22) The Conjuring
21) Under The Skin
20) Lone Survivor
19) An Adventure In Space And Time
18) Short Term 12
17) Blue Is The Warmest Colour
16) Belle
15) Dallas Buyers Club
14) The Way Way Back
13) Rush
12) Prisoners
11) Fruitvale Station
Here is my top 10:
It centres around an orca called Tilikum and various incidents and fatalities involving trainers at various Sea Worlds, including the biggest in San Diego.
It completely sucked me in, and was totally gripping. There are some incredible scenes that some may find distressing.
The pace is still frenetic and that is what makes this franchise so enjoyable. With the arrival of a new villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Captain Kirk and his crew are in another dilemma.
This cleverly written love story has a lot of great ideas and brings out great performances. Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlet Johansson's relationship on-screen sucks you in from the moment they meet. Also, it is beautifully shot.
Based on the true story of a pirate hijacking, Tom Hanks plays Captain Phillips and along with the performance of Barkhad Abdi as the Somali pirate leader, it is a brilliant blend of top acting and intense action.
Lead by the most down to earth actors Tom Hanks and the BAFTA nominated Emma Thompson, this is a highly enjoyable insight to this heart-warming book that becomes a timeless classic.
Even with the retirement of Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli still seem to create more treasured features with the most gorgeous animation and spiritual story-telling around.
Everything just cries out vintage Disney. Great songs, loveable characters, well-paced story and the perfect amount of action, peril and romance.
The family film of 2013.
As they approach closer to the Lonely Mountain, we get to see more new places in Middle Earth whilst a dark power is rising at a place that was known to be abandoned and lifeless.
An incredible true story of an Irish women played by the immortal Judi Dench looking for her lost son who was adopted from a convent.
With the help of a journalist played by Steve Coogan, this moving and surprisingly funny tale completely struck me and shows how great British drama really is.
1) Gravity - After seven years in the making, director Alfonso Cuaron has created an experience we will never forget.A story set in space about two astronauts who work together after an accident leaves them adrift.
The perfect use of 3D and ground-breaking cinematography and visual effects around this gripping story has become a milestone for future film-makers.
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