Spectacular science-fiction which in spite of its many inaccuracies and contrivances tops this list as the greatest movie experience of 2013. Director Alfonso Cuarón had already shown with his previous master work ''Children of Men'' that he could create suspense and intensity in a way that few can, and with ''Gravity'' he has found the perfect scenario for wracking our nerves. It has been compared to Kubrick's classic ''2001: A Space Odyssey" but it is far more entertaining than that, much thanks to Steven Price's music, father and son Cuarón's script and Sandra Bullock's utterly convincing performance.
2. EVIL DEAD
As a massive fan of Sam Raimi's original ''Evil Dead,'' this was of course the event of the year for me. Personally, I had no expectations going in, and it did not disappoint. One could make a list consisting of just the many references to the old movies, which goes to show that the film was made as much for old fans as new. Both a sequel, remake and a reboot, director Fede Alvarez delivered and with excellent gore, performances and story we not only got a worthy new rendition of the iconic horror movie but a great new version to boot. It is also the first time in a ''cabin in the woods'' movie where there is a legitimate reason for the characters to remain in the scary setting despite some horrible shit going down.
3. UNDER THE SKIN
It's not just about Scarlett Johanssen in this one, although she is the main attraction. It's also about the sound, the music, the cinematography, the atmosphere. Jonathan Glazer's ''Under the Skin'' is one of the most artistic and remarkable films to grace our screens in the past decade. The story of an alien trying to survive on Earth by devouring men while driving around Scotland in a van, is based on a novel by Michel Faber (which must be an amazing read, considering what an amazing film it is). Apparently it took over a decade to make the film, and I'm so happy that it ended up as weird and esoteric as it did. Falls into the cateogry of either you hate it or you love it, which in my book is a good classification to fall into.
4. THE DOUBLE
British auteur Richard Ayoade did not particularly wow me with his debut film ''Submarine,'' so I wasn't exactly expecting greatness with his sophomore effort ''The Double,'' but happily I got a stunning cinematic experience which makes me put the man on the map, so to speak. Loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story, Jesse Eisenberg (in a truly impressive performance) plays a man in a very Terry Gilliamesque milieu who comes across a doppelganger, a physically identical individual, who is basically his superior in all intents and purposes. What the makers of the film have managed to achieve when it comes to sound, look and atmosphere is remarkable, a perfect gem in my eyes and a viewing experience that is pretty much unparalleled.
5. OBLIVION
Based on a graphic novel (which shows), Joseph Kosinki's dystopia was everything that similar movies of the year failed to be (I'm thinking here of Neill Blomkamp's ''Elysium'' in
particular), much thanks to wonderful artistry and M83's magnificent soundtrack. Tom Cruise carries the movie as a man working on Earth when the rest of humanity has left and the planet is basically a source for energy. It's really beautiful, entertaining and quite rewarding, but frankly if you have a short attention span it might not be for you.
6. MAN OF STEEL
As a fan of Zack Snyder's work, I found this Superman-reboot to deliver on all fronts, particularly after the immensely uninteresting previous effort in 2006; it had a perfect leading man in Henry Cavill, a worthy heir of Christopher Reeve's mantle, spectacular special effects and an engaging plot. It may just have been a clever introduction to the upcoming Superman vs. Batman franchise, but it sure got me going, thanks to kickass action scenes and the whole epic-ness of it.
7. AS I LAY DYING
James Franco's adaptation of William Faulkner's novel may come across as boring and slightly incomprehensible to viewers unfamiliar with said author's work, but for someone who has read the book, this is a brilliant film. Great acting, beautiful cinematography and a great script of course, since it's basically a word-for-word filming of Faulkner's gut-wrenching text. Keeping Franco's other film of the same year in mind, ''Child of God,'' this is a man who, despite his celebrity persona and oftentimes ridiculous acting choices, can be relied on to deliver spellbinding art movies and solid readings of great drama (his ''Of Mice and Men'' on Broadway was also praised).
8. TRACKS
Australian actress Mia Wasikowska had a great year in 2013, co-starring in aforementioned ''The Double,'' Jim Jarmusch's vampire indie flick ''Only Lovers Left Alive,'' and Park-Chan Wook's (director of ''Old Boy'') ''Stoker.'' Lately we've been seeing great dramas of strong women in tough situations, like this true story of Robyn Davidson's trek across the Australian outback in the 1970's on camelback. The story is spellbinding in and of itself, but it's made even more so by its beauty and awe, plus Wasikowska's performance, an actress who has had a very interesting career up to now and someone I will be following with great keenness.
9. PACIFIC RIM
It's a shame that we never got to see Guillermo del Toro's version of ''The Hobbit,'' because if I know that man, it would've been far superior to Peter Jackson's finished trilogy. However, we did get this tribute to Japanese entertainment, a kaiju/mecha extravaganza. Kaiju of course is the Japanese term for monster movies (think, ''Godzilla'') and mecha, for those of you unfamiliar with manga and anime, is about robots and machines. Here, enormous dinosaur-like havoc-wreakers from another dimension invade our world and it's up to humanity in huge robots to save the day. Genius filmmaker Guillermo del Toro knows how to deliver a perfect matinée feature and despite its criticisms, there isn't a boring moment in the whole film.
10. BIG BAD WOLVES
Isareli filmmakers Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado's thriller ''Big Bad Wolves'' got a lot of attention stateside thanks to Quentin Tarantino, who announced it as the movie of the year. He wasn't wrong. ''Big Bad Wolves'' has the balls to be everything that ''Prisoners'' wanted to be but wasn't. It's dark, it's cringe-worthy, it's horrible, and it's also funny and moving, in its somewhat askew and often tongue-in-cheek portrayal of a few individuals' attempt to have their revenge on a supposed child molester and killer. On a side note, the directors' previous film, ''Rabies,'' from 2010 is also worth a watch.
Honourable mentions: Spring Breakers, Her, The Place Beyond the Pines, The World's End, Inside Llewyn Davies, The Croods, Frances Ha, World War Z, Blue Is the Warmest Colour, Only Lovers Left Alive.
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar