It's true of course that "best" is a bit of a slippery term. It kind of depends on who you're asking and what standards, personal or otherwise, they're applying. Plus, the year ain't quite over yet and your faithful reporter cannot claim to have seen the second part of The Hobbit yet, so, all bets are hedged on that one.
Jumping the gun on the Hobbit though probably isn't such a leap of faith. Since it was made pretty much simultaneously with part 1, it's pretty safe to assume it will replicate the former's same pros and cons: to be precise, more fresh humor than we'd anticipated, but a bit too much in the action thing. One of the ingredients of LOTR's success was the sure handed balancing of action adventure and introspection (all that soul searching, battling the evil within, stuff). Sadly, the initial installment of the Hobbit strayed too far toward the action end of the spectrum. Who knows, though, perhaps the balance has been restored in the editing room. We will see.
Between though what's been released and what our secret sources have given us access to ahead of the gen-pop, we feel comfortable in declaring for the best movies of 2013 - or, more precisely, the best movie! One criterion of course is to let the people have their say. They vote with their hard earned dollars and that at least deserves honorable mention.
If you want to take that route, our winner would be Iron Man 3. This very morning, Box Office Mojo says it has grossed just shy of $410 million Shekels. As a brief aside, I have to admit being stunned by this fact. Would anyone, honestly, have anticipated the star of The Pick-Up Artist and Two Girls and a Guy, or the persona of Larry Paul from the Ally McBeal show, being the superhero star of a multi-million dollar action franchise? Really? Goodness, that's about as likely as Tobey Maguire being the superhero star of a multi-million dollar action franchise. And that's impossible, right?
But, no, this is no democracy here at The Best Movies of 2013. We're going to evaluate on something more than merely bums in seats. It's quite possible that the best movie of the year actually was the delightful and intriguing Sound City. This documentary tells the story of one of the best kept secrets of both American rock and the San Fernando Valley. Tucked away discreetly amid rows of ramshackle warehouses, this extraordinary studio, on the strength of its technical excellence would win its way into a legendary place within the subculture of American pop and rock stars.
Those ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Neil Young, to Nirvana and Metallica made the trek to the studio so far off the beaten track. The film tells the story of the studio through the eyes of those whose music was so influenced by its contribution to the contemporary music sound. This is really a great movie experience. However, really, we're not going to be so namby-pamby as to name a doc best movie of the year. Come on, now.
No sir, here at Best Movies of 2013, we're leading the charge, of what we expect to be a critical avalanche and making it official (unofficially) that our best movie of the year is Le Week-End. Don't worry; it's not one of those obscure, self-indulgent foreign films. (Heck a documentary would be better than that.) The French flavored name refers to the setting, in Paris. There we find a British couple on the last legs of their relationship. The performances are brilliantly acted by the still exquisitely beautiful Lindsay Duncan and the heart-breaking dowdiness of Jim Broadbent.
We don't want to give too much away, the dialogue is too rich and delicious to spoil, but if you're a fan of Richard Linklater's great Before Sunset series, imagine Jesse and Celine right at the end of their relationship, where cleverness has been reduced to passive aggressive cruelty. It really is though more fun than that makes it sound.
Special mention too has to be made of the wonderful supporting contribution of Jeff Goldblum. He's becoming a master of these colorful supporting roles later in his career. This still isn't up to the spooky, darkly menacing performance in Igby Goes Down, but it's still mighty fine. It is a performance for which the tall guy will long be remembered.
And there you go, officially unofficial, that's our story and we're sticking with it. Undoubtedly some other titles have received a well deserved not. Le Week-End, though, is our choice, with its dark, brooding, funny and cruel, dialogue that scorches the soul and maybe wells up a tear or two. That's our choice for the very best movie of 2013. And, if you think we're wrong, well, tell us why.
Jumping the gun on the Hobbit though probably isn't such a leap of faith. Since it was made pretty much simultaneously with part 1, it's pretty safe to assume it will replicate the former's same pros and cons: to be precise, more fresh humor than we'd anticipated, but a bit too much in the action thing. One of the ingredients of LOTR's success was the sure handed balancing of action adventure and introspection (all that soul searching, battling the evil within, stuff). Sadly, the initial installment of the Hobbit strayed too far toward the action end of the spectrum. Who knows, though, perhaps the balance has been restored in the editing room. We will see.
Between though what's been released and what our secret sources have given us access to ahead of the gen-pop, we feel comfortable in declaring for the best movies of 2013 - or, more precisely, the best movie! One criterion of course is to let the people have their say. They vote with their hard earned dollars and that at least deserves honorable mention.
If you want to take that route, our winner would be Iron Man 3. This very morning, Box Office Mojo says it has grossed just shy of $410 million Shekels. As a brief aside, I have to admit being stunned by this fact. Would anyone, honestly, have anticipated the star of The Pick-Up Artist and Two Girls and a Guy, or the persona of Larry Paul from the Ally McBeal show, being the superhero star of a multi-million dollar action franchise? Really? Goodness, that's about as likely as Tobey Maguire being the superhero star of a multi-million dollar action franchise. And that's impossible, right?
But, no, this is no democracy here at The Best Movies of 2013. We're going to evaluate on something more than merely bums in seats. It's quite possible that the best movie of the year actually was the delightful and intriguing Sound City. This documentary tells the story of one of the best kept secrets of both American rock and the San Fernando Valley. Tucked away discreetly amid rows of ramshackle warehouses, this extraordinary studio, on the strength of its technical excellence would win its way into a legendary place within the subculture of American pop and rock stars.
Those ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Neil Young, to Nirvana and Metallica made the trek to the studio so far off the beaten track. The film tells the story of the studio through the eyes of those whose music was so influenced by its contribution to the contemporary music sound. This is really a great movie experience. However, really, we're not going to be so namby-pamby as to name a doc best movie of the year. Come on, now.
No sir, here at Best Movies of 2013, we're leading the charge, of what we expect to be a critical avalanche and making it official (unofficially) that our best movie of the year is Le Week-End. Don't worry; it's not one of those obscure, self-indulgent foreign films. (Heck a documentary would be better than that.) The French flavored name refers to the setting, in Paris. There we find a British couple on the last legs of their relationship. The performances are brilliantly acted by the still exquisitely beautiful Lindsay Duncan and the heart-breaking dowdiness of Jim Broadbent.
We don't want to give too much away, the dialogue is too rich and delicious to spoil, but if you're a fan of Richard Linklater's great Before Sunset series, imagine Jesse and Celine right at the end of their relationship, where cleverness has been reduced to passive aggressive cruelty. It really is though more fun than that makes it sound.
Special mention too has to be made of the wonderful supporting contribution of Jeff Goldblum. He's becoming a master of these colorful supporting roles later in his career. This still isn't up to the spooky, darkly menacing performance in Igby Goes Down, but it's still mighty fine. It is a performance for which the tall guy will long be remembered.
And there you go, officially unofficial, that's our story and we're sticking with it. Undoubtedly some other titles have received a well deserved not. Le Week-End, though, is our choice, with its dark, brooding, funny and cruel, dialogue that scorches the soul and maybe wells up a tear or two. That's our choice for the very best movie of 2013. And, if you think we're wrong, well, tell us why.
About the Author:
Mickey Jhonny regularly writes on television and popular culture. Learn about a popular culture phenomenon in his great piece on The Walking Dead Fanfiction.