Here are my top 12 films of 2013, it includes some that are technically 2012 films, but weren’t released over in Europe until in 2013, which also shows will also reflect on my 2014 list. Movies such as see 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, Inside Llewyn Davis, American Hustle, Prisoners or Out of the Furnace are movies I won’t see until later on 2014, but I don’t wish to wait to publish my list for that long. Hence because of the two 2012 films I have on my list, I decided to extend this by two slots.
1) Django Unchained: Tarantino’s grand revenge epic about a once slave turned into the fastest gun in the South, with one of the best movie soundtracks for years to come, smooth dialogue and magnificent performances all around from Samuel L. Jackson, Leonardo Dicaprio, Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx, this spaghetti western literally made me a nut for the genre. Thank you Tarantino.
2) Hunt: It’s a cruel world, when people become suspicious of Mads Mikkelsen’s character as a pedophile; a small village turns against its own. It’s a nasty take on today’s social world where even the tiniest rumors can make people so afraid and confused, they will turn their backs on their friends and see them as enemies. Utterly brilliant movie with Mads Mikkelsen’s strongest performance to date.
3) Filth: It might owe a lot to Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting movie in regards to storytelling & music influence, but James McAvoy’s performance as corrupt detective Bruce Roberts is the best black comedy I’ve seen all year. It’s crude, disgusting and downright vile; I loved every single moment of this movie.
4) Only God Forgives: Nicolas Winding Refn & Ryan Gosling team up for the Revenge hunt movie, where the hunted is the perspective and the hunter is antagonist, but what chances do you have when the Hunter is literally the God of Vengeance? Brutal, intriguing and downright addicting, this is Nicolas Winding Refn’s spiritual successor to Valhalla Rising.
5) Big Bad Wolves: It’s an Israeli film about torture; do I even need to say more about this brilliant black comedy? Tzahi Grad’s deep voice makes him the badass father of the year, while Haim Ilfman’s score gives a haunting atmosphere to the gruesome sceneries.
6) Silver Linings Playbook: Bradley Cooper & Jennifer Lawrence give an optimistic movie that deals with the heavy subject regarding mentally ill people, it had my tears flowing at the end!
7) Don Jon: Joseph-Gordon Levitt’s movie about today’s sex addiction, sex culture in general and the true values of relationship. Scarlet Johansson’s subtle performance as a manipulating ***** to Don Jon going the Cougar Path is nothing short of true romance, I would have preferred if Don Jon could have gotten his hardcore porn fantasy come true, but perhaps American cinema isn’t ready for that just yet.
8) The Place Beyond the Pines: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper & Dane DeHaan give a story of choices and the impact they leave behind, a great drama on consequences & legacy.
9) Spring Breakers: The gangster movie for the MTV generation, bikini glad *****es chasing for the American Dream with James Franco as a rapper, what’s not to love?
10) Pain and Gain: Michael Bay’s 90s Gangsta movie offended critics & people alike and I love it. Dwayne Johnson & Mark Walhberg are cynical narcistic dumbasses who will go thru anything to gain the American dream, and I love it.
11) Escape Plan: This movie is hands down the best dumb action movie I saw, full of chemistry between Sylvester Stallone & Arnold Schwarzenegger, I will never buy into the idea of Stallone being a genius, but it’s one of its strong charms that makes me appreciate this action flick.
12) The Dark Knight Returns: Jay Oliva’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s grand Batman story is a true homage, Jay Oliva delivers the drama and action with this superhero epic that turns into the battle of the gods, with Jay Oliva the second star of this movie has to be Christopher Drake, who gives us a grand synth album full of 80s film vibe.
Honorable mentions in no particular order:
- Seven Psychopaths
- Mud
- Vikingdom
- Ninja: Shadow of a Tear
- Blue Caprice
- The Frozen Ground
- 2 Guns
- Lovelace
- Wolf of Wall Street
- Captain Philliphs
- Call Girl
- The Conjuring
- Elysium
- Adéle: Chapters 1 & 2
- Metallica: Through the Never
- This is the End
- The Wolverine: Unleashed Extendet Edition
- Devil’s Pass
- Resolution
- Superman Unbound
- Riddick
- Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox
- Behind the Candelabra
- The Master
- Byzantium
- What Maisie Knew
- Zero Dark Thirty
- The Croods
- Desciple Me 2
- World War Z
- Man of Steel
- The Iceman
- Frozen
- Fast & Furious 6
- Fruitvale Station
- Kick-Ass 2
- The Counselor
- The Pacific Rim
- Gangster Squad
- Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
- Olympus Has Fallen
- G.I Joe Retaliation
- The Evil Dead
/10
