Narrowing
down my picks for the Best of 2013 was tough. I started with 30 contenders and
the cuts got painful as I made my final choices (hence the 10 honorable
mentions at the bottom). There are a few acclaimed films I still haven’t seen (including Dallas Buyers Club, Blue Jasmine and Nebraska), but the list is primarily
designed to prompt discussions and direct you to quality material. E-mail joshsewell81@gmail.com
with your thoughts on the list below, as well as your own picks.
This tale of princess sisters is a return to the glory days of Disney’s animated features. However, in a welcome recognition of modernity, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) take the lead in solving their problems instead of waiting for a handsome prince to come along and fix everything. The film is further strengthened by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez’s phenomenal songs. My daughter has seen it three times and shows no signs of burnout. (In theaters)
This
documentary about the magnetic Hackney brothers and their struggle to make it
in the music business is one of the most astonishing, emotional stories I saw
all year. If it was a fictional story from the mind of a screenwriter, people
would say it was too farfetched. The brothers’ laughter is glorious, and you’re
a robot if you don’t get choked up when the film its shifts focus to Bobby’s
children. (On DVD and Netflix Instant)
I’m
a sucker for time travel and sentimentality done well, so writer-director
Richard Curtis’ latest played me like a fiddle. Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel
McAdams are terrific together, and Bill Nighy plays the greatest father in the
world. There’s a transition near the end of the film that left me a wrecked,
sobbing mess. It’s a beautiful story that will have you calling your dad as
soon as it’s over. (Hits DVD on Feb. 4)
The
final installment in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy (following Shaun of the
Dead and Hot Fuzz) is more complicated than it initially seems. A story about
a has-been (Simon Pegg) begging his former friends (Nick Frost, Martin Freeman,
Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan) to relive their glory days shifts gears and asks
tough questions about damaged relationships, being a responsible adult and the
dangers of nostalgia. As with Wright’s other films, it grows richer with repeat
viewings. Bonus points for the bold ending. (On DVD)
Steve
McQueen’s stark depiction of America’s greatest shame isn’t an easy watch, and it
shouldn’t be. However, it never feels like homework thanks John Ridley’s rich, fact-based
narrative, Sean Bobbitt’s beautiful cinematography and stunning performances
from all actors involved. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o and Michael
Fassbender all deserve Oscar attention. Film fans and history students alike
will be watching this for generations to come. (In theaters)
The
premise for this film sounds like a bad joke: a recently divorced loner
(Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with his computer’s new operating system (Scarlett
Johansson). Yet in the hands of writer-director Spike Jonze, it’s a beautiful,
melancholy story with plenty of heart, a twisted sense of humor, beautiful music and gorgeous visuals. Phoenix
delivers a phenomenal performance in what is essentially a one-man show.
Johansson does some of the best work of her career even though she never
appears on screen. (In local theaters on Jan. 10)
The
most relentless film of the year, hands down. Within 10 minutes, two astronauts
(Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) endure a terrifying debris field that kills
their crewmates and destroys their spacecraft. The next 80 minutes is devoted
to them trying to find a way back to Earth. I never looked at my watch. Heck, I
think I forgot to breathe. The movie, along with the technology invented to
make it, proves that Alfonso Cuaron is one of our greatest living filmmakers. Bullock
delivers the performance of her career and Clooney gets to hone his comedic
chops. (In theaters)
Martin
Scorsese’s jet-black comedy about an amoral stockbroker and his frat boy
business practices is already being misread by audiences. Scorsese allows
scumbag Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) to tell his own story, so of course
it’s going to glorify everything about Wall Street that most people find
repellant. That’s the whole point. Whether viewers realize it or not, Terrence
Winter’s bitterly funny screenplay – brought to life by killer performances
from DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler and others – is a scathing indictment
of America’s financial sector. (In theaters)
Jesse
(Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), who met in 1995’s Before Sunrise, are
one of the greatest cinematic love stories of the modern era. The third
installment of their relationship feels the most realistic because it’s gutsy enough
to go to some uncomfortable places. Director Richard Linklater, who penned the
script with Hawke and Delpy, constrains the couple to a hotel room for the film’s
second half, where they proceed to fight in a way most married people should
recognize with dawning horror. Jesse and Celine’s future might be in doubt for
a while, but those in long-term relationships know that hashing out your differences
can sometimes make a relationship even stronger. (On DVD)
This
authentic look into the lives of 20-somethings who work in a group home for
at-risk teens is often brutal, but it finds humor and heart in unexpected
places. The stakes might seem low to some, but writer-director Destin Cretton makes
the case that improving the lives of troubled kids is world-changing. Brie
Larson, who plays seasoned counselor Grace, deserves an Oscar nomination she sadly
won’t receive. John Gallagher Jr. is skilled at providing tension-breaking laughs.
Kaitlyn Dever and Keith Stanfield are wonderful as residents of Short Term 12, delivering
emotional gut-punches and surprising wit. It's another film that might sound like homework, but it's an incredibly rewarding experience. (Hits DVD on Jan. 14)
Honorable
Mentions (in alphabetical order):
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Drinking Buddies
The Heat
Inside Llewyn Davis
Mud
Side Effects
The
Spectacular Now
Spring Breakers
Stories We Tell
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