Added by MaxL on 31 Dec 2013 05:27

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My Top 10 Favourite Movies of 2013

Sort by: Showing 10 items

Decade: Rating: List Type:

915

6.8

7.2

The Croods (2013)

After Free Birds made me lose all hope in modern children's entertainment, this movie restored that hope. :) It's not a stunningly clever, layered family film or anything, but it's a laugh riot from start to finish. A lot of the humour stems from this family of cavemen discovering new things and slowly abandoning their primitive savage ways, and almost every joke hits its mark. And the characters are so likable that the sentimental turn the movie takes towards the end works really effectively too. It's a movie that both children and adults alike can have a tonne of fun watching.

MaxL's rating:

1178

6.3

6.6

This Is the End (2013)

This is another one that, for the most part, doesn't aspire to be anything more than hilarious. I think the main reason it's so effective is the simplicity of the premise: how many jokes can we make about a bunch of celebrities holed up in this one house during the apocalypse? Maybe the movie bites off more than it can chew by examining faith at the end, but it still keeps up the same humour all the while, so it never feels out of place. How can you not love sarcastic demons? :D It all just made me laugh a lot; that's all I really needed.

MaxL's rating:

344

7.3

8.4

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013)

The conclusion to the animated adaptation of Frank Miller's classic graphic novel (which I haven't read yet). It's definitely the darkest, most brutally grisly Batman story I've ever seen – especially regarding the Joker – but it's also, in just about every respect, the perfect swan song for Batman. It goes into what he means to the public, which ultimately proves to be his greatest foe. I especially like how its themes and plot points are very different from part one, but it's still very well connected; they definitely seem like one whole. And the climactic battle with Superman is nothing short of spectacular.

MaxL's rating:

1001

6.9

The World's End (2013)

What a coincidence to have two apocalyptic comedies with such similar names within the same year! :) This, the dream team of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright's third collaboration, is not quite as good as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, but it still brings constant merriment, so it's really a treat. I especially like how, contrary to the other two films, Pegg plays the wild and free character while Frost is the stick-in-the-mud. And the moment that first reveals what's happened to the town is hilarious not just for what happens, but because of just how out of the blue it is. :)

MaxL's rating:

1951

6.8

7.4

Frozen (2013)

Disney does it again with a splendid animated feature inspired in part by the Snow Queen fairytale. It's all the more surprising considering the trailers made it look painfully unfunny. But the film itself turned out to be a witty, very well written and endlessly charming work. The characters are so lovable that they draw you in instantly, so even the overly modern jokes that annoyed me in the trailer actually do work in context. Plus, there's one particular plot thread that becomes an expert satire on how brief Disney romances can be. :) This could potentially become one of my new Disney favourites.

MaxL's rating:

1848

6.3

6.8

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

I'd point to this movie as a masterpiece of building momentum. The first act, while often laugh-out-loud funny, isn't all that compelling. But as it progresses, each scene adds to the previous one so seamlessly that the audience's investment and excitement rises like a straight, constant incline – to the point where I was on the edge of my seat during the portal-hopping climax. It's not much more than a typical action blockbuster, but with enough wit and enough focus on its simple premise to be consistently entertaining. Ultimately, I enjoyed it even more than the first Thor; it's more focused and more consistent.

MaxL's rating:

1928

7.4

7.7

Gravity (2013)

This is a good, solid thriller whose single greatest strength is how perfectly it nails the illusion of being in space. The way they simulate zero-gravity is utterly convincing, right down to the minutest details, and the cinematography adds all the more to that by making the camera seem like it too is floating. This flawless recreation of space also enhances the desperation of the story, as Sandra Bullock's character succumbs more and more to loneliness and the pressures of the danger she's in. Plus, I saw it in IMAX, and I could go on forever about how well it suited the format! :)

MaxL's rating:

457

7.4

The Way Way Back

This is one that I really underestimated. I had a feeling I'd enjoy it, but I didn't expect it to be this endlessly funny and charming! :) It's about fourteen-year-old Duncan, who's forced into a summer vacation with his mother and her new boyfriend, but a welcome distraction is provided when he finds friends in the oddball staff of the local water park. Duncan's new friends, as eccentric as they are, are so delightfully funny and charismatic that I couldn't help but share whole-heartedly in the relief that their company provided. In fact, I honestly didn't want to leave them, they're so much fun! :)

MaxL's rating:

6.6

Superman: Unbound (2013)

After the miserable Man of Steel, this movie was a frigging godsend! :D I mean, talk about the complete opposite! It's an adaptation of a comic book story arc that was written before every superhero story decided it needed to be The Dark Knight, so it's fun, good-natured and paints Superman in the inspirational light he should be. The story itself is fantastic, too. It involves Superman attempting to rescue the captured Kryptonian city of Kandor from one of Brainiac's glass jars, while also preventing Brainiac from reaching Earth – so he has a more personal goal as well as the safety of the world at heart.

MaxL's rating:

796

7.7

8.1

Rush (2013)

It's an account of the 1976 Formula One season, especially the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. And boy is it aptly named! :) It's such a rush that even someone who doesn't give a shit about Formula One (like me) can still find it exhilarating. Like a good sports movie should be, it's more about the people than the sport itself, and their passion (as well as the filmmakers') is conveyed so effectively that the audience can't help but share in it themselves. James and Niki are both really likable in their own ways, but neither one is completely blameless, so I ended up rooting for them both perhaps equally. On top of that, the cinematography is great, the action is great, the acting is great… It's just a thoroughly masterful, and clearly deeply passionate, film. It's my favourite movie of the year.

MaxL's rating:

Welcome to part two of my end-of-year recap for 2013. I already listed my least favourite movies of the year; be sure to check that list out here (www.listal.com/list/my-top-10-least-favourite-1827) if you haven't. And there was no shortage of candidates, let me tell you! There were so many uninspiring, unimpressive duds this year that I seriously considered extending that list to a top twenty.
But there were a few bright spots in that sea of disappointment! :) They weren't that bright, though – especially compared to the best of last year: The Cabin in the Woods became one of my new favourite movies. I'm not sure if any 2013 movies will end up joining the ranks of my all-time favourites, but the ten I'm about to list still stand proudly above all their peers.
Now, again, my somewhat pessimistic assessment may be a tad premature, because I didn't see everything this year. There are a few movies I missed that sound like they might have been relatively enjoyable, like Riddick, About Time, 2 Guns and The Wolverine. But perhaps the one that I'm kicking myself the most for missing is Philomena. There's also 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street and the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis, which sadly don't come out until January here in Britain. I'm also really looking forward to when Hayao Miyazaki's final film, The Wind Rises, finally makes it overseas.
But, out of what I did get to see up until the last day of the year, here are the ten movies that made 2013 slightly more bearable.

Runners-up:
Captain Phillips
The Conjuring
Don Jon
The Kings of Summer
Monsters University
Pacific Rim
Prisoners
Saving Mr Banks
Star Trek Into Darkness