I'm unlikely to see anymore films from 2013 before the end of the year now and despite the cult status of Ron Burgundy and co I would be very surprised if a comedy (and a comedy sequel no less) could make a crack in this list at this stage. It's been another great year for movies and not just because there was another film set in Middle Earth. Anyway, without further ado here's my top 10 movies of the year...
10. The World's End.
The finale(?) of Wright/Pegg/Frost's Cornetto Trilogy decided to take the Sci-fi genre to task after the RomZomCom and Faux Buddy Cop Dramedy of their previous efforts. The World's End had a script so honed that it's many in-jokes and references will only be revealed on repeat viewings and the excellent Brit ensemble hammered home the series' well earned 'national treasure' status.
9. Cloud Atlas
I actually saw this collaboration between Tom Tykwer and the Jakowskis in LA back in 2012, but it didn't come out in the UK until February of this year so I'm including it now. The movie received a mixed reception both here and abroad, but I loved it's quirkiness and it's scope, the many transformations of it's cast across multiple timelines and characters, genders and races and it's haunting melancholic soundtrack. I was so inspired by the film I picked up the novel it was based on, though I've yet to make much progress on that front I admit :P
8. Thor: The Dark World
One of two incredibly solid entries from Marvel this year, Thor: The Dark World hammers this position away from Iron Man 3 due to it's unapologetic fantasy/sci-fi trappings and a hat trick performance for Tom Hiddleston as Loki. The film follows a fairly straightforward arc until the mischievous one shows up - and then all bets are off. An almost unrecognizable Christoper Eccleston plays the main villain, but it's the set-pieces that really steal the show, with a finale that sees aliens descend on Greenwich and inter-dimensional rifts opening up all over good ol' London town.
7. Les Miserables
I went to see this with my Nan, My Mum and my then Girlfriend, so it was embarrassing that I was the one most moved to tears by this movie. My unfamiliarity with the source material may have helped, but it was the sheer honesty of the performances that really got to me. Sure, Anne Hathaway was truly Oscar-worthy, but Hugh Jackman also showed off his impressive range. I even appreciated Russell Crowe's Faux Rock style delivery.
6. Rush
No. I do not have a man-crush on Chris Hemsworth. He just happens to be in a couple of my favourite movies this year. This Ron Howard directed biopic centres on the rivalry between 1970s F1 racers, Niki Lauda and James Hunt. The experience of watching it on the big screen was like seeing Top Gun on Tarmac. Excellent stuff.
5. Pacific Rim
The first thing I quietly mentioned to a friend of mine whilst watching this was 'Where do I plug in the Controller?'. Pacific Rim truly was the ultimate geek-out fantasy sci-fi wish fulfillment of the year: Two mentally linked pilots, control giant mechs (because they are two big for just one person to deal with) as they battle giant lovecraftian monsters who have infiltrated the Earth through a portal at the bottom of the Ocean. An excellent 'TV' cast featuring the likes of Idris 'Stringer Bell/Luther/CANCELLIN THE APOCALYPSE!' Elba, Charlie Hunum and Guillermo Del Toro regular, Ron Perlman, from Sons of Anarchy and Charlie Day from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. A masterclass in world-building from a true cinematic maestro. This is what happens when you give $200 million to the right film-maker. I only hope Michael Bay got a chance to see this before he started work on his next Transformers 'product'.
4. Zero Dark Thirty
If the Hurt Locker proved that Catherine Bigelow could direct a military movie, Zero Dark Thirty showed she could make a military epic. With a script that ended up getting re-written by history during it's creation, this movie managed to evoke tension way before those choppers began flying across that pitch black sky, Delta Force marines in tow.
3. Captain Phillips
Despite Paul Greengrass's pedigree and Tom Hank's proven acting chops I wasn't expecting to love this movie quite as much as I did. The fact that we got to see the Somali Pirates side of the story helped balance things out nicely as did the realistic approach to film-making that characterizes much of Paul Greengrass's output. What really got me though, was Tom Hank's incredible turn at the film's conclusion. I don't think there has been a more Oscar-worthy bit of acting all year.
2. Gravity
Alfonso Cuaron has long been regarded as a master of the long single take and he took that process to extreme lengths in the creation of Gravity. In fact, several technical innovations occurred over the course of the film's lengthy gestation which will affect future movie productions for years to come. What really surprised me was how well they made up for a lack of sound and fiery explosions with intricate particle effects and a truly beautiful score. Bullock and Clooney are just fine in their roles, but the real star of the movie is Cuaron's uncompromising vision. It absolutely brought me to tears.
1. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
When it comes to Peter Jackson and Middle Earth, all the objectivity with which I write this goes to hell. Last year, 'An Unexpected Journey' was pipped to the number one slot at the last minute by The Life of Pi, such was the profound effect that movie had on me. This year however, I have so little confidence in Anchorman being a match for it, let alone any other movie on this list, that I have no trouble declaring The Desolation of Smaug as my movie of 2013. Like the Two Towers in THAT trilogy, this second Hobbit movie has the advantage of a rolling start, but where the LOTR movie had Frodo and Sam Traipsing to Mordor and the people of Rohan marching to Helms Deep, TDOS has dwarves riding in barrels (possibly the most entertaining piece of cinema I have seen in years!) and an elaborate dragon encounter for a finale, making this at least the most 'fun' movie set in Middle Earth to date! All that said, the body-count is still very high, with the returning Legolas and invented Tauriel Elf characters showing little mercy for the endless stream of Orcs and Goblins that cross our heroes' path. Before this paragraph runs as long as the movie, all I have left to say is that it was an absolute pleasure to be back in Middle Earth for a fifth time and as awkward and unfortunate as the film's ending might be for some, I'm not sure there's a better place to leave us wanting to see the final installment more.
