Doug's Favorite Movies of 2013

Gravity
20 Feet From Stardom
Side Effects
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
This is the End
The Way Way Back
American Hustle
The World's End
The Lone Ranger
Mud
The Wolf of Wall Street 

Honorable Mention:

Her
Captain Phillips
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Spring Breakers
World War Z
Saving Mister Banks
In a World...

American Hustle

There’s a lack of modulation here. This potboiler about small-time con-artists hits the ground running in the opening seconds and never lets up. The story becomes more and more ridiculous and confusing and after a while, all you can do is laugh at the clothes. You wonder if it can ever resolve itself in any kind of satisfying way. But then… IT DOES! And it all makes sense! And when it’s over, you can look back at the movie, at the slickly deceptive performances from Christian Bale and Amy Adams, with heaps of praise. So I liked this! It may have a retro style, but the bewildering and deceptive filmmaking is modern and whip-smart. I continue to be impressed by Christian Bale’s ability to gain and lose weight, and how well he disappears into this character of the middle-aged schlub. Amy Adams is great here, with her bad British accent and plunging necklines. As she misleads and distracts her “mark” in the “con”, she also convincingly fools the audience, and you never know whose side she’s on. It’s sublime. I also have to say that I loved Louis C.K. in this: it’s the best I’ve ever seen him. My advice is: see this and trust the filmmakers. When you find yourself distracted and staring at the hair, it’s all slight of hand, and you’ll soon be shown what they made you miss.

Saving Mister Banks

This was dramatically heavier than I would have guessed based on the ad campaign. Because it’s Disney, it’s hard to know how whitewashed the story is. According to the movie, the author of “Mary Poppins” had a very rough childhood during which a couple of unimaginably traumatic incidents happened. Emotionally, these moments make the lows lower, and therefore, the highs higher. Again, it’s hard to know how much of this is real. But Emma Thompson’s depiction of “P.L. Travers,” aka Helen Goff, with her obsessive compulsive tendencies and rigid, unhappy demeanor, is skilled. When she finally falls under the spell of Disney’s musical it’s especially touching. Whether it happened or not, to see this grouchy, lonely woman feel carefree for just a moment, akin to Jane and Michael Banks’ father flying a kite for the first time, one delights in the possibilities. Sometimes truth is greater than fiction, but the fiction feels better.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

(Second Viewing)

Saw it again, this time in 48 fps, which I still don’t find offensive and I actually kind of LIKE. This actually felt shorter on the second viewing, too, which is unusual. Another thing I noticed is that the “Tolkein” of it all doesn’t really matter. Yes the fan-base can enjoy that “Gimli” is the son of “Gloin,” etcetera, but Peter Jackson has made movies that people who DON’T have an encyclopedic knowledge of the books can still enjoy. As long as lanky, well-dressed pixies are impaling orcs with arrows, and tiny British dudes are outwitting dragons, I’m in!

Oldboy

File this remake under, “Unnecessary.” There’s nothing wrong with the idea of retelling the notorious Korean revenge porno in English, and the casting was interesting. The pace is fairly brisk, and there are a couple of minor twists to the end of this version that I liked. There’s nothing wrong with this movie, per se. There’s just no reason to see this version instead of the original.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I continue to be amazed by these movies. Every frame, every fired Elven arrow, every note of music is made with a perfect, unalloyed love of cinema. Is the plot unnecessarily convoluted? Yes. Do the action scenes go on too long? Yes. Is that a problem for me? No. It’s a spectacular movie to behold and I don’t mind the half-hour side-trips that lead to almost nothing. Because I trust Peter Jackson and I know that, at some point, he’s going to razzle-dazzle me with the most amazingly bad-ass, deep-voiced, sinister, fire-breathing dragon to ever grace the silver screen. And I trust that Bilbo will not be too afraid of it, for numerous convoluted reasons. And I trust that at the end of it all I’ll be blown away by the value I got for my entertainment dollar.

About Time

A perfectly nice time-travel romance in which absolutely nothing goes wrong. The main character learns he can time-travel, he uses it to correct awkward moments in his life, roll credits. In most time-travel scenarios there’s a least some fear that you’ll... A. Run into yourself in the past, or B. Change history in some unchangeable way. The stakes should be a little higher here. I kept waiting for the wife to find out that many of the moments in her life were premeditated. That the man she married was not the perfectly smooth version that she knew. I was hoping that there would be a conversation about this, and this would create some trouble for the intrepid, time-travelling British hero. But, nope. Life is pretty easy for this dude. And ultimately, with all of this sci-fi ability to change the world right in the palm of his hand, it turns out  happiness is about playing one more ping-pong game with dad.

Dallas Buyers Club

Thankfully, filmmakers of Dallas Buyers Club know how tragic the AIDS epidemic was, especially in the 80’s. But they also understand that you’re at the movies and there’s only so many facial legions and dying people you can see before it starts to get depressing. With that in mind, the focus is put squarely on the shoulders of Matthew McConaughey’s deft depiction of schemer Ron Woodroof and his sneaky but noble efforts to defy the FDA and bring relief to AIDS patients. This movie is truly an indictment of the FDA, and filmmakers never hold back from portraying them as villains. But once you get past your anger about how these people were treated and/or neglected, McConaughey’s charm is the glue that holds the story together. His personal journey from a slime-ball/bigot to an advocate and hero is first-class.

The Hunger Games - Catching Fire

An exciting and strongly-made chapter of the young adult saga. There are sequences that are masterfully suspenseful and make for a fun night at the movies. But there’s something missing from the big picture. If “The Hunger Games” is a reality TV show, then depicting the blood-thirsty audience might help add context to the politics of this. The movie’s focus on Katniss, although powerful, feels insulated from the rest of the universe that they’re fighting for. Filmmakers presume that the audience understands the politics of the outside world, but seeing it would add all kinds of welcome dramatic weight. Nevertheless, when the poisonous fog rolls in, you’ll be clutching your popcorn with white-knuckled fervor.

Inside Llewyn Davis

This is not my favorite Coen brothers movie, but there are moments of pure lunacy that I love. Most of these moments involve a golden cat, which symbolizes something akin to chaos. It’s as though the Coens decided that, after nailing a logistically complicated western, True Grit, they needed to find some kind of cinematic challenge; something that had never before been attempted. “I know! Let’s make a movie prominently featuring a cat!” …and let the chaos ensue. But there’s more to this movie than the cat. It’s a strange, existential, Homer-esque musical, featuring bittersweet and solemn versions of folk music anthems. There’s love all over this movie. There’s a love of music, a love of New York, a love chaos, a love of movies, and as stated, a love of cats. It’s beautifully made and worth seeing, but it may not resonate with non-cynical types because of its cyclical grimness.

The Face of Love

This maudlin romance starring Annette Benning feels like an update to the 1993 Jodie Foster movie Sommersby, which is a remake of the French movie The Return of Martin Guerre. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with a romance about widows and mom-types, this particular version of that story did not appeal to me at all. I think I would rather see Ed Harris yelling at people instead of being all kissy-kissy.

Nebraska

The surprising thing about Nebraska is not Bruce Dern's canny performance as the cranky, old coot. Dern is a revered Hollywood character-actor and odds are the role of a lifetime would come his way sooner or later. What’s truly surprising and new about Alexander Payne’s road-trip dramedy is Will Forte. Comedy, the character-based, SNL type improv, is hard. Forte did his time and practiced his craft, sometimes playing characters you roll your eyes at and jump on the fast-forward button. (see "The Falconer") But as part of an ensemble he learned to listen and to “give and take.” And the give and take between him and Dern as father and son is pure and laudable.  The road trip aspects of this reminded me of Sideways and About Schmidt, two movies I loved. Nebraska was a little to bleak and bitter-sweet for me to fawn over it unabashedly, but it’s the best version of its kind of thing, and well-

worth seeing.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

A really, really good (almost great) biopic featuring and strong and dignified performance by Idris Elba in the title role. The drama forgoes a Forrest Gump style “history’s greatest hits” and instead focuses on Mandela’s personal relationships and the different fighting styles between him and his wife. The result is a highly emotional drama, but one that may leave audiences wanting a little more historical resonance.

Congratulations!

An attempt at a Samuel Beckett/Waiting for Godot comedy of absurdism. As the jokes become more and more stale, one realizes that the movie was made by stoners for stoners and anyone else watching will be left feeling jerked around. Thumbs way down.

Thor: The Dark World

When the invading aliens spoke gibberish and the audience was shown subtitles, I realized that the Shakespearean Ice Giants from Kenneth Branagh’s first movie were long gone, and that the latest chapter of "Thor" wouldn’t be about the invaders or the plot. It’s about Thor’s relationships with his father, his brother, and the woman. And that’s not a bad thing. It doesn’t make for a lot of world-ending jeopardy or juicy, comic-book mayhem, but it strengthens Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of Thor so he’s not just a ruggedly handsome douche-bag in a cape. It’s an enjoyable and entertaining chapter of the saga, even if the stakes are low.

Bad Grandpa

As impressed as I am with Johnny Knoxville and his willingness to don the make-up, play a character, and humiliate himself, I never really believed I was watching a crazy, old man. It always just seemed like a 40-year-old in an old guy suit. That doesn’t mean the movie isn’t funny. There are several big belly laughs thanks in large part to the kid, Jackson Nicoll, who’s a little firecracker. It’s a bit like "Borat", but less mean-spirited. While it’s worth seeing, it could easily wait for home video.

The Counselor

** SPOILER-ISH **

Ridley Scott seems determined to pilot this flaming heap straight into the ground in a blaze of glory. With a great cast led by Michael Fassbender, beautiful shots, and a driving pace, it just couldn’t be more unpleasant. And rather than try to tell a somewhat realistic noir/crime tale like American Gangster, The Counselor ventures into weird, "Saw" movie, torture-porn territory. I blame the screenplay, written by “it” noir novelist Cormac McCarthy, whose mania seemed to go unchecked here. There’s no conclusion, there’s no resolution. It’s just Fassbender curled up into a ball crying after all the main characters are killed. Bah! Maybe he needs some counseling??

The Fifth Estate

I’m not sure how to feel about this movie. The themes about truth and journalism are strong, but the execution is scatterbrained. Filmmakers try to use visual metaphors to tell the story. Rows of desks with computers sit on a sandy beach, and this is symbolic for some reason. Of course there are the old clichés, too. Computer screens reflecting in the faces of their users. Dollies circle around desks mid-hack. Anything to make a movie about computers more interesting. But they didn’t really need the gimmicks. The story of Wikileaks and the sudden impact on the world is enough of a story. So I didn’t hate it, but I’m not endorsing it either.

Captain Phillips

What’s with all the tense movies lately? Even though it’s a true story and you know how it’s going to end, Paul Greengrass and company manage to milk as much suspense out of Captain Phillips as they can. It’s effective, and when the ordeal is finally over you can feel the weight being lifted from Captain Phillips’ shoulders in a strong piece of acting from Tom “I-can-do-anything” Hanks. The filmmaking here is admirable. The bare-bones editing, the lack of unnecessary shots, and the sporadic music score keeps the momentum driving while you wonder when in hell are the Navy Seals finally going to show up? I also appreciated that the movie doesn’t have a “Rah-rah-rah, go America!” tone to it, as it respectfully depicts the harsh and desperate life of the Somalis and their lack of reasonable life choices.

Gravity

There are only a few ways we can really measure the success of a movie: Box office, awards, and the critics and their star ratings. Gravity has all of those things locked down and adds one more category to the list: pulse. Filmmakers have basically made this movie in real time. There are only a few obvious cuts because lengthy stretches unfold second by second and minute by minute. It has an obvious psychological and visceral effect. As one beholds Sandy Bullock and all of her space problems, one is always aware of the deadly ticking clock and the dread that another disaster could happen at any moment. So take your heart pills before you go. Everything about this movie is awesome. Even the obvious casting choices are welcome since you’re invested so much in their survival, they sure as hell better be likable. Alfonzo Cuarón has always been a filmmaker who raised the bar. He absolutely outdoes himself here. Sci-fi savvy, rollercoaster thrilling, emotional, masculine, feminine, perfect tension and release. Gravity is a blast. See it in 3-D.

Rush

I wanted to like this. But every single creative decision is middle-of-the-road and dull. The techniques designed to keep the plot moving are obvious and amateurish. Car race announcers don’t highlight the action in the races, they narrate the plot. It’s embarrassing. “What a historic rivalry these two racers have...”, ad nauseam. We get! It’s a rivalry. Quit announcing that to us! The whole affair has the sophistication of an old Speed Racer cartoon. Too bad Tony Scott died. He could have crushed this.  

Don Jon

Taking into account all the things that could be said about modern human reproduction, Don Jon doesn’t blaze some radically new trail. But seeing as he’s one of the FEW mainstream filmmakers to even breech some of the taboos, Joseph Gordon-Levitt deserves credit. It’s unusual, too, that the structure here is unconventional. Normally, a movie would establish a main characters problems in the first few minutes, then he would spend most of the movie solving them. But here, filmmakers spend at least an hour establishing the main character, his wants and his obstacles, then the resolution presents itself surprisingly quickly. While the results are not totally unexpected, the briskness of the resolution is refreshing, and you leave the theater feeling satisfied. We all know JGL is talented. Now he can add directing to his resume. It’s a good movie.

The Grandmaster

In martial arts movies, I love it when two opponents have a rational discussion about their Kung fu styles. “I understand you are a master of cannon fist! I am a master of pumpkin palm! You should challenge me!” The Grandmaster is the quintessential example of that. But with all of the talk about fighting styles, there’s very little character development. Although the battles are choreographed beautifully, one often forgets WHAT the characters were fighting about in the first place. It’s a nice escapist dream, but unfortunately it’s an unemotional one.

The World's End

Funny that a movie so similar to This is the End comes out, but few critics have made the connection. Both movies feel totally original. Simply put, The World’s End is about guys and beer. But it’s also about lamenting lost youth, the good old days, and freedom. Not just freedom, but the urge for freedom in a progressively more assimilated world, where even old pubs get corporatized and Starbucks-ified. It’s not just that the themes are so strong, the movie itself is very well-made. Great compositions, great music, and a creatively unconventional pace. Bursts of action follow languid diatribes about getting old. And just when you think the movie’s over, there’s a little more weirdness to be had. To try and lavish praise on this movie in a blog that no one reads would be pointless. It’s a great movie about meaningful things that also has the occasional robot/bar-brawl/karate fight. You couldn’t really ask for more.

Lee Daniel's The Butler

..will most likely be a best picture nominee for several reasons. The pace is fast and strong. It’s never boring and rarely strays into histrionics and melodrama the way Precious did. Somebody edited the hell out of this movie. Also, Forest Whitaker is GREAT in this. Ever since he stepped out of the Trans Am in "Fast Times", he’s had an imposing but quiet authority. While he’s in the room for major civil rights policy decisions, he has to pretend he isn’t listening and pour the coffee. His ability to depict a character NOT saying something is incredible here. Story-wise, it’s sort of like Forest Gump. Whitaker’s quiet butler recounts highlights from 20th century history, in which a famous actor will drop in to play one scene as a president, and then we move on to a different era. On paper, it’s unimpressive. But Whitaker’s depiction of the civil rights "fly on the wall" is profound.

Kick Ass 2

Swing and a miss. The sequel to Kick Ass is neither kick nor ass. It lacks playfulness. There is no more irony. The use of music was conventional and lame. And for all of the controversy that Jim Carrey stirred up about the movie being too violent? He’s hardly in the movie and he’s barely memorable. And it’s NOT that violent. It's a tragedy because I liked the first movie so much. But I strongly recommend that if you really liked the first movie, do not see this bad sequel. It will be disappointing and it will actually damage your appreciation of the first movie.

In a World...

What Zoolander is to modeling, In A World is to voiceover artists. Not as ridiculous, but not a realistic exposé either. Writer/Director/Star Lake Bell shows a lot of promise here. She offers some insight into the voiceover subculture, but also maintains the importance of the father/daughter relationship, which is relatable no matter what their vocation is. The ubiquitous, ever-growing troupe that started out as The State and is now Children’s Hospital blazes trails and takes risks. Here’s hoping we see many more indie comedies from this thoughtful bunch.

We're the Millers

I liked this. It’s a subversive comedy asking, “What is a family?” The filmmakers feel comfortable declaring: it’s any group of misfits who can stick together. Jason Sudeikis has had plenty of time to rehearse this character on SNL. First he’s a bachelor drug dealer, then he’s a guy pretending to be the squarest dad in the world. So there’s always a little sass in his voice as he tries to play it straight. People pick on Jennifer Aniston for being one-note, but she always manages to go toe-to-toe with the biggest smart-alecks in the business and she ends up holding her own. With cannabis starting to become legal and accepted, bits of this script feel like they were ripped from a bygone era; a Cheech and Chong movie. But the funny and likeable cast works the timeless theme of “a family can be anything” to their advantage.

Elysium

This is about a lot of big ideas. Politically, it’s everything but the kitchen sink: Health care, discrimination, immigration, class warfare. It’s important that filmmakers are thinking about these subjects and using sci-fi to tell their story. Some of the best political statements in the history of movies and literature have been told in a sci-fi realm. The problem is, big ideas don’t leave a lot of room for character development. Characters tend to be allegories. That’s Matt Damon’s everyman, “Max” -- similarities to Mad Max are purely intentional. He’s a trope; an archetype. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just that: they had Matt Damon. They could have used him a little better. Same story with Jodie Foster. If she signs up to be the villain, make her play the villain. Notwithstanding, there’s a lot of entertainment value here, even if there aren’t a lot of surprises. And we need guys like Neill Blomkamp thinking of the big ideas about how to change the world, and then beating us over the head with them. 

This is the End

Yep. I saw it again. It's not as surprising the second time (obviously), but it's still really funny.

The Conjuring

Beware of the clichés! They're everywhere! It’s the family moving into the new/old house with the spooky basement and the spooky toys and the children are in peril and they can’t move and it turns out to be something about witches and blah, blah, blah. I was not impressed. Also, regarding the whole plot point about witches being evil and referencing the witch trials, let’s not forget: the witch trials were an atrocity. They are an embarrassment to American history, and the expression “witch hunt” is used as an example of condemning people without any evidence. So, trying to lend credibility to that? Claiming there were real “witches” in the witch trials? I ain’t got time for that.

The Wolverine

** SPOILERS **

A refreshing change of style for a “superhero” movie. In fact, this is much more like a martial arts movie than an “X-Men” movie. The filmmakers establish mood and tone expertly. The compositions and shots are gorgeous and fluid, and they lack the cuttiness of most of the summer’s action/Man of Steel fare. Hugh Jackman is badass as Wolverine, as always, and there are ample amounts of ass-kicking on display. Nice, too, to see Jean Grey hanging on to her power over him, as super-heroines are prone to do to superheroes. While not a planet-saving journey for Wolverine, it’s a well-made chapter of the legend.

Blue Jasmine

Cate Blanchette nails it. Unraveling and well-dressed, her character uses high fashion and appearance to mask her nervous breakdown. She and the entire supporting cast are great. But the movie ends IN THE WRONG PLACE! It ends only with destruction and no resolution. I’m not saying I require a “happy” ending, but I do require an ending. This movie does NOT have one which makes the whole experience annoying and depressing.

Big Trouble in Little China

Nice to see this on the big screen. My memory of this movie is fuzzy, and I am not sure if I ever saw the whole thing. It's such a weird and funny mix of Asian mysticism, kung fu, and 1980s style macho action. The smart-alecky silliness is the best part about it. The score by John Carpenter is by far the worst part about it. If Spielberg, Lucas and Ridley Scott can all re-cut their movies, maybe somebody can convince Carpenter to re-do the score?

20 Feet From Stardom

A fantastic, fascinating, and emotional documentary about backup singers. But not just any backup singers. Black backup singers and their very important place in rock 'n roll. I recommend this movie to everybody. You won't be disappointed.

The Way Way Back

Yep. Saw it twice.

Pacific Rim

The joke I made when I left the theater was this felt like what the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers might be like if they had a lot of money. While it's true that it's harmlessly stupid, it's still a loving and worthwhile tribute to the beloved genre: giant monsters attacking cities. There is a fancy Japanese word for it, but I'm not so pretentious as to try and use it in a sentence.

The Way Way Back

14-year-old Duncan never has the drive or the ambition of a typical movie protagonist. More often than not he wants to get away from things. It makes movie this delightfully unusual. The existing world of adults is awful, and it’s not until he meets Owen (show stealing by Sam Rockwell) that he begins his “coming of age.” In this case, that means having a father figure/big brother figure who brings him out of his shell and encourages him to communicate. Someone positive. The cast is consummate, the script is the right amounts of unique and familiar, and the resolution is worthwhile. Really, really good movie.

Man Of Steel

** SPOILERS **

Second viewing. I gave it another chance, in 2D, and my opinion of this movie did not improve. It could have started a half an hour later. The plot, the business of recovering the DNA of all Kryptonians imbedded in Clark’s body, is foggy and uncompelling. Besides, who cares? Except for Clark, all Kryptonians seem like a bunch of dicks anyway. Why should we care so much about saving them? The action is way too cutty and CG-ish. Seeing this movie a second time made me appreciate The Lone Ranger more. Apologies to Zach Snyder. (You’re still a talented mensch, Zach! Let’s do lunch!)

The Lone Ranger

** HI-HO SPOILER ALERT! **

Gore Verbinski has a taste for the surreal. Going all the way back to Mousehunt and The Mexican, he takes traditional stories, characters, and situations and throws in a big shot of heatstroke-induced quirkiness. The Lone Ranger fits right into Verbinksi’s milieu. Although casual fans of the Ranger might be put-off by this sobering reality: this is actually the Tonto story, and it’s not a straight telling.

There’s a satirical edge to Tonto, slyly needling the white man’s stereotype of “The Noble Savage.” Depp’s Tonto is just a weird medicine man at first. But when the movie dips into his back-story, we learn why his own tribe cast him away. He has a quest, and he just might be insane with revenge. As his behavior becomes more erratic and he starts talking to the horses, you start to wonder if maybe Tonto is that Indian following Jim Morrison around in Oliver Stone’s Doors movie -- high on peyote.

The ranger, John Reid, is the sidekick here, and he and Tonto bounce back and forth between bickering like characters in a Woody Allen movie to saving each other’s asses from the movie’s formidable railroad tycoon villains. But after all the back-story, lingering desert weirdness, and scene-stealing by the various horses, the action is glorious. From the thrilling days of yesteryear and a mighty high-ho silver Verbinski and company orchestrate one of the most fun, most exhilarating movie climaxes in many a moon. Long takes and wide shots make the incredible action easy to follow (unlike Man of Steel), and it doesn’t hurt that Rossini’s on the soundtrack. I embrace Verbinski for all the hi-jinks and all the weirdness. I loved the “Pirates” movies and I loved Rango. There’s so much imagination on display here, it’s a shame more people aren’t seeing it.

Monsters U

Monsters Inc was so mind-blowingly creative. The world, the characters, and the story. Every frame is sublime. And it was about energy – alternative energy. Harnessing laughter. Deep stuff. Monsters U gives us the same world and same characters, with a standard, college clichés, Revenge of the Nerds plot. It’s not about anything we haven’t seen before. The animation is good, but a little too cutesy and cuddly. The story isn’t meant to appeal to a demo over 8 years old, and some of it doesn’t track with the other movie. I understand why Pixar/Disney would need to slide their target age down a ways. I, Doug Howell, middle-aged man, am not buying the toys or riding the rides. But it’s a shame this movie is so thematically inferior to its predecessor.

The Heat

Lots and lots of female laughter in the crowded audience. It’s not the clichéd story, it’s not the plot, and it’s not the writing that makes it funny. It’s all about the delivery. The two leads, Bullock and McCarthy, fine-tune their timing so that even non-jokes can get a laugh. On paper or in the wrong hands this could have been a disaster. Instead, it’s amusing, light-hearted, and predictable without being irritating.

The Purge

A commendable low-budget thriller, using limited locations wisely. Throughout the movie, the ridiculous premise remains a sticking point. Plot holes are rampant, which cause the audience to wonder why the villains are even bothering with their killing spree. At least the townspeople in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” had their reasons, however stupid and crazy they were. But it’s not supposed to be taken literally. The whole movie is meant to be a rich vs. poor, 1% parable, which sort of works some of the time, but they could have pushed their symbols much harder.