My Top Ten Films of 2013

I decided to review all of the movies that I saw in the past year, and list my favourites. Now, this is limited to movies that I have seen in theaters (because that's a bit easier to figure out). Looking back at it, my husband and I went to a lot of movies this past year. Most of it is because of Scene points, but also, my husband likes movies, and likes going to theaters. If it wasn't for him, I would probably just wait and watch them at home. Now, this list may be incomplete, or a little bit off, depending on whether or not the list I used was complete. It looks fairly spot on, and at very least, and the movies that I definitely loved are on here. 

I'm just going to run through all of the movies that I saw in theater. Star Trek: Into Darkness; World War Z; Man of Steel; Iron Man 3; Dark Skies; Mama; Gangster Squad; The Last Exorcism: Part 2; Oz the Great and Powerful; The ABCs of Death; Evil Dead; The Great Gatsby; The Lone Ranger; The Conjuring; You're Next; The World's End; Insidious: Chapter 2; Prisoners; The Wizard of Oz (3D/Imax 75th Anniversary Release); Carrie; The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug; American Hustle. 

Now, I will say that of all the movies we saw, there's only a few that I didn't really like, or wasn't crazy about. They're all good, but a few were less than spectacular. Overall, though, I generally enjoyed all of the movies that I saw. And then there were a few that just blew me away, and that I saw at least twice, or wanted to see more than once.

Without further ado.... (as close to the right order as I can get).

10. Iron Man 3

There have been a lot of good superhero movies. Man of Steel was really good, and I liked it, but even if I like a superhero movie, they're generally the same. The characters are fairly one dimensional, and there's not a lot of depth. However, I didn't get that sense with Iron Man 3. I think the difference is the fact that it was written by Shane Black, and he is a brilliant writer. It turned a superhero into a relate-able character; one who is just as messed up as the rest of us. I like Robert Downey Jr. quite a bit, but I think this is the first time in an Iron Man movie where I liked him the way that I do in his other movies.

9. Prisoners

What a terrifying film. I never want to watch it again, but I think that it should receive awards. It was so well done, and beautifully shot. However, it's tragic, dramatic, horrifying, fear-inducing. And it made me come to the conclusion that if I was in the Apocalypse, I would not want to be anywhere near Hugh Jackman's character's house. I recommend it. I just don't necessarily want to watch it again.

8. You're Next

You might notice quite quickly that a lot of movies on this list are horror movies. May as well admit that first, and get it out of the way. My husband and I are horror movie fans, and we saw almost all of the horror movie releases of this year, with the exception of just a few. Because of that... Yes! A lot of the movies on this list are horror. Naturally, though, they had to be good to get on this list. And boy. 2013 was a good year for horror. I chose to put You're Next on here because it completely blew me out of the water. We went for the heck of it, and I dragged my feet to the theater. I was expecting another run of the mill home invasion movie. Not my favourite type of horror. I don't know why I was expecting that. It was directed by the guy who directed the short Q is for Quack in the The ABCs of Death. That is a weird one, and Adam Wingard definitely has a style. Man, that movie was good. I left speechless, and in awe. Kind of like after I watched Cabin in the Woods. When you've seen so many horror movies (both good and bad), everything starts to look like the same movie. It follows a precise formula. So when someone breaks that formula, it's a breath of fresh air. 

7. Oz The Great and Powerful

I'm not fully sure where this movie belongs on this list, because it's impossible to compare to other movies. It was so dazzling, so mesmerizing, and just wonderful. It was almost as good as seeing The Wizard of Oz in Imax 3D. I loved the movie because it incorporated both the universes of The Wizard of Oz book and movie. It stitched them perfectly, and it just made for something so wonderfully whimsical. I'd like to own it in time, and watch it on dreary sad days.

6. Carrie

I was excited. I came. I saw. I loved the movie. It was almost better than the original. Who expected that? Not I. But goodness. I was so pleasantly surprised. Carrie is one of my favourite stories, and one of my favourite books. I've always related to the character of Carrie, and seeing an updated version was great. It also filled a couple of gaps that the original had. Chloe Grace Moretz is an amazing horror actress. I hope that she makes more and more horror films.

5. American Hustle

Great story. Great period piece. Good movie full of horrible people. I liked it. It definitely represented all of the good and the bad that made up the late 1970s. Whoever did the costuming should be applauded. It's difficult to get the 1970s perfect without being cheesy, or poorly choosing which fashions to focus on, but they did it. The movie felt like something lifted from a 1970s magazine, and the movie was well written. I think it's one of my favourite con films that I've seen.

4. Evil Dead

As far as a reboot/sequel/thing, Evil Dead was phenomenal. It was gory, brutal, disgusting, and everything that I could hope for from Evil Dead. It actually made me like the Evil Dead franchise. I enjoyed it, but the new one made me really appreciate it. That sounds odd, and a lot of people might chew my head off for saying that. But at least I do like the movies more now. This remake/reboot is just really, really, good.

3. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

For full details, go to this other post in this blog. I talked about it there.

2. The Conjuring

Best horror movie. Best biopic. Watch it. And scream. I did. Twice.

1. The Great Gatsby

I heard that a lot of people didn't like this movie. But I like Baz Luhrmann. I like dazzling spectacles. I like watching a movie, and feeling mesmerized. I want to live in the parties thrown at Gatsby's. I loved the costumes, the stories, the set, the music. It felt like I saw seeing everything through the eyes of someone in the 1920s who was going to the big city or a rich person's house for the first time. I enjoy spectacles. I enjoy glitter and dancing and shining wealth. I love the 1920s. I could watch this movie over and over again, and continue to love it. Let me bask in its splendor. In other news, I continue to be amazed that Leonardo Di Caprio hasn't won an Oscar. 

That's all folks! I think this list is all that it could be. I continue to be baffled that I saw enough movies in theater to make a list like this. Thank you, husband. 

Clever Negativity

Every time I scroll through my news feed on Facebook, I keep seeing these clever memes and posts that are just so stupendously negative. I get tired of this spiteful negativity. It's an attempt at cleverness, bringing negative things to light, but continuing to do nothing about it. It's full of contempt, and I don't know what the point is. Is it a desire to guilt people? Is there a belief that posting silly images is going to solve the world's problems? Does anyone actually think about the true meaning, and the true implications of posting something like that? Does it make that person feel justified, or like they are making a difference? Do they simply get joy from feeling like they hold the secrets of the universe? That secret being that there are negative and painful realities, and that we don't live in a perfect world.

I just don't get the point. If you don't like something, change it. Posting images doesn't accomplish anything. Yes, it would be great if it was that simple, but it doesn't accomplish anything. You just leave people feeling guilty, unsure, and not sure what to think about you. 

The Hobbit: A Long Expected Review

This evening we saw The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I just saw the first Hobbit movie (An Unexpected Journey) last week or so. That being said, both are fresh in my mind, and I'm rather glad to have seen the films so close together. That being said, I'm not clear on why everyone is hating on the movies so much.

I have heard so much negativity about the first movie. It's to the point that even in positive reviews of the second movie, they will bring up how much they didn't like the first movie. It puzzles me. Now, having seen both films, and having adored them (#gandalf4life), I have decided to address everything that people are picking on, and everything that I loved.

Let's begin with what people are picking on. 

The fact it's in three movies. Sure, we have to wait longer to get the whole story. At the same time, when it's back to back, or even closer together, it feels like such a complete story. I don't feel like anything is missing. I think that if people were to marathon all three movies after they were out, they wouldn't complain. As for things being added in, all of the "extra" stuff is stuff that Tolkien did write (it was just written in the other books that aren't the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings trilogy). I mean, I would rather get more, and feel like I'm witnessing everything than have something cut out. It's really no different than having Game of Thrones made into a TV series. Peter Jackson just opted for movies, which befits the story of the Hobbit a lot better. It's just another way to make sure that nothing gets left out. After all, look how much people complained when a lot was cut out of Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King.

How Smaug looks. I heard someone complain about the appearance of Smaug. I don't want to give anything away, but to be fair, Smaug is biologically and anatomically accurate and realistic. Something with wings tacked on cannot fly, and it can't move properly. Why do people think bats look the way they do?

Pretty dwarfs. There is some dispute over how Fili and Kili (the young dwarfs) look pretty. Aidan Turner plays Kili, and he does look prettier in comparison to how dwarfs normally look. I don't mind it. He's a younger dwarf, and I don't think it's literally written anywhere that all dwarfs have to look insanely rugged and what is considered to be brutish and manly on a stereotypical level. There are female dwarfs, and they are pretty. In the human race, we have effeminate men, who are more lightly built, a bit fairer, and so on. If humans can have that relationship, why can't dwarfs? It's not like they have one sex or one age group. 

Lack of female characters. I heard someone say this in the theater, and it must have been in relation to the film. Even if it's not, I know it's going to come up. 1) What were they watching when they saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy? 2) It's based on books from the 1940s, so strong female lead wasn't in the vocabulary. 3) Most fantasy movies don't have many female characters. 4) What about Tauriel? I'd consider her to be a strong female character (even if I don't like Evangeline Lilly. But that's kind of irrelevant). 

PEOPLE HAVE GOT TO STOP VIEWING EACH MOVIE AS ITS OWN ENTITY. All of the movies are part of one story. It seems like a main criticism is how each movie seems to have little story, or just stop, or not have a full story, or anything that you would expect from a single part of a full story. It's kind of like taking a novel, or even a single movie for that matter, only watching a third, and then deciding with absolute certainty that you hate it. It's a part of a whole, and the whole is going to be amazing. Again with the marathon-ing the movies, and watching them in one giant go. I want to do that. 

Now, on to what I like, and what I was left swooning over.

The costume and set details. Oh my Lord. The details. I'm a detail oriented person. I'm also a tactile person. So, when I can physically feel things with my eyes because of the textures shown... My soul. There are so many parts where someone is wearing something, and the textures just shine through, or the details beg the attention of wandering eyes. It's such a treat. Even without looking into the work done on the costuming and props (and a lot was done), you can just feel that work was done. The details. Oh, the details in everythiiiing.

The characters, and the people who played them. I think that the films are well cast, and everyone fits their roles impeccably. Everything. Everyone. And again, with the costumes, I enjoy how unique the costumes are to each character. Did you know that every character's costume is so unique that some armor has phrases etched on the inside, where only the actor can see it?

Everything is done by WETA Workshops, and they are lovely, talented, people. WETA was at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo last year, and we met them. They're really nice folks (Kiwis, I tell ya), and you wouldn't believe the skill and detail that goes into the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies. They even handcraft all replicas that they sell, and put as much authenticity as they possibly can. Does this have anything to do with the movie? Not necessarily. But it does play a part. As much as it goes unnoticed, these kinds of detail, and this degree of work does matter. No one necessarily notices, but if it was any different, it would feel like something was missing. And then people would have reason to complain. I think that these details are important, and they probably play into how people perform as actors. It's unbelievable. 

It's divided into three films. I was hesitant at first. But the movies don't feel long, and they don't feel rushed. Three hours just flies by. I honestly can't wait to marathon all three. For the first time when watching a film adaptation of a book, I don't feel like anything could possibly be missing. In terms of hours, it's actually less hours than it would be as a TV series. Just food for thought (and not suggesting that the Hobbit should be a TV series. Because it shouldn't). 

I love Lord of the Rings, but so far I'm enjoying the Hobbit more. That is saying a lot. The Hobbit movies are fun, entertaining, action-filled, and everything I could want from a fantasy action movie. I've been invested in a lot of fantasy recently (reading Game of Thrones, playing Skyrim, watching The Hobbit, watching Xena, so on), and The Hobbit movies combine all of the things that I enjoy about fantasy. Not to mention what is absolutely fantastic about playing Dungeons and Dragons. 

I think that's about it for now. At least, it's 1:33 AM and I should go to bed. 

In conclusion, I don't think that people should be so hasty to disown the movies. I think that if you're hesitant to watch The Hobbit movies, just watch them in marathon style. If you can. I just think that it removes the dispute of not feeling complete. Just keep remembering that it's part one, part two, and part three. The beginning, the dramatic climax, and the end. You can't judge a story based on one of those things. And come on. There's Gandalf. And a giant dragon. And... Everything. Just watch them.

#Gandalf4Life (Who am I kidding. Octothorps have no power here.)