Thursday, January 30, 2014

BEST MOVIES & TV: 2013


The Great, The Good, and The Interesting!


12 YEARS A SLAVE




Shortcut links:
BEST MOVIES: 2013
BEST DOCUMENTARIES: 2013
BEST TV: 2013


Note: This will often spotlight directors for special merit.
But Auteur Theory is a shoebox; films are a collaborative effort with everyone involved.





"And... Action!"



B E S T
M O V I E S :
2 0 1 3







E R O S





✭✭✭✭✭
BEFORE MIDNIGHT
After the warm-up of BEFORE SUNRISE (1995) and BEFORE SUNSET (2004), this brave film bristles with a bold maturity that is wondrous, bruising, and poignant.


✭✭✭✭✭
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (France)
One of the most resonant and engaging romance stories that I've ever seen.

HER
The nuances of cyber-love. I didn't think this would work, but it is excellent and inspired at every turn.




T H I N K





✭✭✭✭✭
12 YEARS A SLAVE
THE movie, of any year.
A true story of repression and liberation in the slavery South.
Required viewing for anyone with a brain and soul.


KILL YOUR DARLINGS
The true story of the murder that brought Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs together.


THE EAST
Brit Marling scores again; the star/co-writer/co-producer (ANOTHER EARTH, SOUND OF MY VOICE) fights the power with this smart thriller.


DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Harrowing true story of a man's battle against AIDS,
and the corrupt government and drug companies that let it run rampant for profit.

THE FIFTH ESTATE
An interesting, generally well-rounded drama about Wikileaks.
Benedict Cumberbatch.
[see also documentary, "We Steal Secrets" (2013)]


MANDELA: Long Walk To Freedom
Idris Elba and Naomie Harris.
A fast-paced highlight reel of an important life, with just enough character.


THE BUTLER
A broad strokes overview of the Civil Rights struggle told through one man's family, with strong moments.

MUHAMMAD ALI'S GREATEST FIGHT
The behind-the-scenes story of how The Greatest's conscientious objection to the Vietnam War nearly tore up the Supreme Court.

➤ • The Struggle For the Moral Soul: MARTIN LUTHER KING and Civil Rights


✭✭✭✭✭
FRUITVALE STATION
An excellent film, devastating.
The true story of a struggling young man in Oakland and what the Law did to him.

TO THE WONDER
No to defeatist existentialism.
Yes to epic visuals, a majestic score, and a truly wondrous Olga Kurylenko.

MUD
A coming-of-age thriller in the Southern swamps. Great cast.


CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
A cargo ship is seized out of desperation.
Gripping, intense, multi-sided.

A HIJACKING (Denmark)
A Danish parallel to CAPTAIN PHILLIPS;
Instead of action, this focuses on the Corporate nickel-and-diming of the hostages' lives, and its toll.

ALL IS LOST
Redford.
The elder man and the sea, or, The Naturalist vs. Nature.



✭✭✭✭✭
WADJDA (Saudi Arabia) ⇧
A must-see. A young Saudi girl is determined to get a bike, even though only boys can have them.
Youthful hope vs. the stranglehold of religious sexism in Saudi Arabia, by female director Haifaa al-Mansour.


THE GRANDMASTER (Hong Kong)
A Wong Kar-wai (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE) spectacle with Tony Leung and goddess Zhang Ziyi.
Gorgeous martial arts epic interlaced with war, revenge, and heartbreak.

RENOIR (France)
A quiet drama about Jean Renoir's later years (and the origins of his filmmaker sons) that does a remarkable job emulating the light and impressionism of his work in its cinematography.

MUSEUM HOURS (Austria)
Understated story of new friends bonding over discussions of life and culture in an art museum.

THE SELFISH GIANT (U.K.)
Brutal dramedy about two hardscrabble boys doing all the wrong moves to survive.

THE LAST MATCH, a.k.a., 'La Partida' (Cuba/Spain)
Two young Cuban men discover their attraction to each other, and the dangers of others' reactions.


THE PAST, a.k.a., 'Le Passe' (France/Iran) ⇧
✭✭✭✭✭
The director of A SEPARATION (2011) scores again.
An effortlessly complex human drama more gripping and surprising than any suspense thriller.

NO (Chile)
Engrossing dramady about the populist voting drive in 1988 to purge the dictator Pinochet from power.




S M I L E





IN A WORLD
Lake Bell (writer/director/star) wants to be the first great female Movie Trailer narrator.


SAVING MR. BANKS
When Walt Disney met P.L. Travers, and the havoc of bringing MARY POPPINS to film life.
Emma Thompson, practically perfect in every way!

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
Coen Brothers. A shaggy dog story about the early-'60s Folk movement, with left-field moments and stunning music by star Oscar Isaac.

THE WORLD'S END (U.K.)
Never watching spoiling trailers has served me well again!
This seemed like a routine buddy comedy, until 30 minutes in when everything suddenly went... insane.


THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Or, 'A$$hole Chic (A Satire)'.
The most fiercely absurdist Scorsese has been since his cult flick AFTER HOURS.

GIMME THE LOOT
A couple of NYC graffiti artists need money and manage to goof up everything they touch.
Interesting cast, odd turns, and zany moments.

R100 (Japan)
A man signs a contract with a dominatrix agency, who begin to attack him at all times like ninjas.
The fun film gets exponentially wilder right into the huge finale.





D R E A M





✭✭✭✭✭
GRAVITY
A quantuum leap forward in cinema craft, as seismic as 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and STAR WARS.
And a beautiful rebirth parable underneath.



STAR TREK: Into Darkness
This is an excellent reinterpretation -and escalation- of classic elements, fresh with new possibility.
Any naysayers are fools.

THOR 2: The Dark World
The only Superman film done right this year.



ELYSIUM
This is how most of us live right now; mass poverty with no healthcare, overlorded by The Rich on high.
This is real life.

PIERCING BRIGHTNESS (UK)
Experimental indie; thin story with good craft.

PACIFIC RIM
Robots vs. Monsters!
I haven't been a Kaiju movie afficianado, but this Del Toro film is magnificent!



THE HOBBIT: The Desolation of Smaug
Tauriel!



Underrated, Dept.:

OBLIVION
This film constantly plays notes from other classic SF films, knowing your familiarity and feinting clever with them.
Feels like reading a good SciFi short story.

AFTER EARTH
A dsystopic future parable starring Will Smith and his son, Jaden.
Some wonkiness, but in general it's very enjoyable.




N I G H T M A R E




✭✭✭✭✭
UPSTREAM COLOR
The creator of PRIMER returns with a sharp headtrip film that demands every moment of your concentration and imagination.
Excellent craft, mindbending smarts, and the ever-versatile Amy Seimetz.



EUROPA REPORT
"All these worlds are yours except Europa. Attempt no landing there."
-Arthur C. Clarke, "2010: ODYSSEY TWO"


CARRIE
There are two films interpreting Stephen King's classic book; both are worth your time.
Director Kimberly Peirce (BOYS DON'T CRY) skips DePalma's Hitchcock stylings in favor of focusing new nuance to characters and actions in every scene.


THE TRUTH ABOUT EMANUEL
Thoughtful, twisty psychological Indie by writer/director Francesca Gregorini.


SIDE EFFECTS
Soderbergh's quietly subversive homage to a particular Hitchcock film, with merit all its own.


STRANGER BY THE LAKE (France)
At an isolated cruisers beach, a man sees the guy he cares for murder someone.




G R A P H I C
I M A G E S





BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (France) ⇧
✭✭✭✭✭
> Four Color Films review
This brilliant film is based on Julie Maroh's graphic novel, "Le Bleu est une Couleur Chaude", thoroughly expanded and deepened.


IRON MAN 3
> Four Color Films review
Fun but uneven mix of IRON MAN and KISS KISS BANG BANG.
(Slighting Gwyneth Paltrow and Rebecca Hall was foolish.)


THOR 2: The Dark World
> Four Color Films review
An antidote to MAN OF KILL.


AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
The best DOLLHOUSE writers combine the better parts of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and ALIAS with the Marvel mythos.




A R T F L I X





STEVEN UNIVERSE
Ultra-Pop zaniness!

TOY STORY HALLOWEEN (TV special)
Every time they sequel TOY STORY, it only improves!

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
Pixar makes films for adults who remember the wonder of being a kid.

FROM UP ON POPPY HILL
Studio Ghibli. Nuff said.

ERNEST AND CELESTINE (France)
Exquisite watercolor film that warms you like a splendid meal.

RIO 2096: A STORY OF LOVE AND FURY (Brazil)
Hand animated allegory about the oppressive history of Brazil, challenged across 600 years by an immortal and his reincarnated love.







B E S T
D O C U M E N T A R I E S :
2 0 1 3




✭✭✭✭✭
THE AFRICAN AMERICANS (PBS mini-series) ⇧
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. gives an excellent and always timely overview of the crucial history and contributions of Africans in the United States.


WE STEAL SECRETS: The Story of WikiLeaks
An admirable journalistic attempt to show all sides of the Julian Assange and Bradley Manning controversies.

INEQUALITY FOR ALL
Robert Reich reveals how the economy is a grift machine.

FIRE IN THE BLOOD
In the '90s, drug companies blocked access to affordable anti-AIDS medicines, causing the deaths of millions of 'third world' people.

FAR OUT ISN'T FAR ENOUGH: The Tomi Ungerer Story
A children's book author/illustrator deals with uncomfortable truths and gets hammered by reactionaries.

STORIES WE TELL
A journalist discovers her hidden parentage, and examines all the roots and repercussions of this.

ROOM 237
We bring our own meanings to everything;
revel in these unique interpretations of Kubrick's THE SHINING (1980).

MUSCLE SHOALS
Rival to Motown and Stax, the Muscle Shoals studio made many of the greatest Rock and Soul songs ever.

SOUND CITY
A seedy studio, a magic mixing board, and a history of great music.







B E S T
T V :
2 0 1 3





(The season number follows each title.)





D R A M A





✭✭✭✭✭
RECTIFY 1 ⇧
The best show on television.
Has a zen understanding of human joy and pain that is often breathtaking.



✭✭✭✭✭
MASTERS OF SEX 1 ⇧
How Masters and Johnson liberated the libido! Lizzy Caplan is a force.


✭✭✭✭✭
BREAKING BAD 5
A shattering and elegant close for one of Television's greatest shows.

THE KILLING 3
Grim, ambitious, fearless performances, Amy Seimetz.

LOW WINTER SUN 1
An urban crimed drama starring Mark Strong, remaking his original British series.

MAD MEN 6



BATES MOTEL 1
The co-showrunner of 'Lost' remakes PSYCHO as TWIN PEAKS.

TOP OF THE LAKE (mini-series)
A murder in the remote woods. Jane Campion does TWIN PEAKS in New Zealand.

HANNIBAL 1
At last, the spotlight shifts from Hannibal Lecter to the game-changing and very first empathic investigator, Will Graham (RED DRAGON, 1981)!
Now Moriarty has the Holmes that disappeared from the subsequent books.





W O N D E R




THE RETURNED (a.k.a., Les Revenants/ They Come Back) 1 (France) ⇧
Parallels the spirit of Stephen King in poetic depths that the bubble-dum UNDER THE DOME never will.

GAME OF THRONES 3
Brutal.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. 1
It'll never beat Kirby or Steranko, but I like it.

ALMOST HUMAN 1
Cop and robot partner. Formulaic, but good leads.

SLEEPY HOLLOW 1
Crazed fun.
With more retcon backstory than Supergirl.






U K




✭✭✭✭✭
ORPHAN BLACK (Canada/BBC) 1 ⇧
Tatiana Maslaney.
The clone odyssey. Same genes, different dreams.


DOCTOR WHO 7
Thank you, Matt Smith, for your livewire run.

MISFITS 5
Final season fo the punk 'superheroes'. The first two seasons mattered most.

THE FALL 1
Gillian Anderson gets spotlight in a taut, bracing murder procedural set in Ireland.

BROADCHURCH 1
David Tennant. Jody Whittaker.
A death devestates a coastal town, as two detectives battle each other.

RIPPER STREET 2
A Whitechapel police precinct, grappling in the wake of the Ripper murders.
COPPER is good, but RIPPER STREET is great.




BLACK MIRROR 2 ⇧
The acidic anthology set 'five minutes in the future' tops itself with another trio of brutal, cautionary speculative fictions.


"DOCTOR WHO: An Adventure in Space and Time"
A splendid take on the making of the original First Doctor serials (1963-'66).
David Bradley is marvelous as Willam Hartnell. So much so that he should portray the First Doctor at some point on the current series.
(Update: And he did, on the 2017 Christmas Special.)




C O M E D Y




ENLIGHTENED 2 ⇧
Destroy evil corporations. Save your soul.

ELEMENTARY 2
The fine American parallel to SHERLOCK hits its stride, with more mythos and exponential depth.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT 4
From wobble to stand to jog to sprint; an odd season that regains its original glory full-on by the end.

STEVEN UNIVERSE 1
The beach! Pizza! Super powers! Aliens! Plus songs!




© Tym Stevens



See also:


BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023
BEST MUSIC: 2023
BEST COMICS: 2023

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2022
BEST MUSIC: 2022
BEST COMICS: 2022

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2021
BEST MUSIC: 2021
BEST COMICS: 2021

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2020
BEST MUSIC: 2020
BEST COMICS: 2020

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2019
BEST MUSIC: 2019
BEST COMICS: 2019

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2018
BEST MUSIC: 2018
BEST COMICS: 2018

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2017
BEST MUSIC: 2017
BEST COMICS: 2017

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2016
BEST MUSIC: 2016
BEST COMICS: 2016

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2015
BEST MUSIC: 2015
BEST COMICS: 2015

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2014
BEST MUSIC: 2014
BEST COMICS: 2014

BEST MUSIC: 2013
BEST COMICS: 2013

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2012
BEST MUSIC: 2012
BEST COMICS: 2012

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2011
BEST MUSIC: 2011
BEST COMICS: 2011

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2000-2010
BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010
BEST COMICS: 2000-2010


_______________


How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything!

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player!

How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players!

TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players!


The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist


_______________


THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player

THE CANON 2: 50 More Books That Created Modern Pop Culture, with Music Player

THE CANON 3: 50 Recent Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player


"Cut!




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