Top ten movies of 2013
1. Philomena- Right you've seen Doctor who and Sherlock and think that the British couldn't possibly emotionally damage you anymore in 2013, well you sir are wrong. This movie has every touching story line possible, As it's a very recent film i'm not going to give some spoilers but i will say in terms of the cast Steve Coogan proves he is far more than a stand up comedian in this role, and Judi Dench as the title character was absolutely heartbreaking with everything she goes through. ALL THE AWARDS.
2.Day of the doctor- While if you want get 'technical' it's not a cinema release but it was shown in cinemas for a few weeks in some cities and went for over an hour, but this was perfect from the classic references and bringing back the zygons to 10 and 11, well just 10 and 11 in general. Only thing that let it down was the ponds being obviously absent and John Hurt was Brilliant as the cantankerous half doctor and this proved what many whovians have claimed all along (along with the christmas episode which sadly saw the departure of Matt smith's 11th doctor) that out of the moffat/Rtd team moffat is the one with the heart & the beautiful ending of 11 with the other doctors destroyed my feels. Gallifrey falls no more, all-onsy, Geronimo etc
3. Not Another Happy Ending- You might have noticed, unless you are a bit daft that my blog basically is Karen Gillan and Scotland things, so a Karen Film made in Scotland based around a writer who can only write when she is sad was basically made for me and her character Jane Lockhart being happy and moody and unsure about love brought some mega Amy Pond Comparisons and the whole love story revolving around literature much like ruby sparks which was last years number one was perfect. Plus adding a great deal of great Scottish music and scenery made this all the more perfect.
4. About time- This would have to be one of the most under-rated romantic comedies of the year, it got a short run here and overseas no one paid much notice but i really adored this movie, some British movies with American actresses really fail, but thankfully Rachel Mcadams really pulls it off and Domhnall Gleeson is a great leading man and i would have been more than happy if he gets the job of the 13/14th doctor when Peter Capaldi leaves (he was originally rumored when Matt Smith announced his departure) and it has a great British supporting cast including Will Merrick (of the extremely under-rated third gen of skins), the late Richard Griffiths (does a very Vernon Dursely esque character) and the forgotten Doctor Richard E Grant and even has a harry potter reference. The time travel plot has a very science fiction meets romance background which only adds to it's charm and has a wonderful and yet very retro soundtrack, but the true charm is definitely the father son relationship between Domhall Gleeson & Bill Nighy and like everything British the last thirty minutes will destroy you and then make everything beautiful again. Following on from love actually and many others ,Much like his previous chapters like love actually and notting hill, Another great romantic British in the chapter of Richard Curtis with that distinct English wit & charm.You will come out of this feeling like life can beautiful along with feeling many feels. Bravo Mr Curtis and co.
5. The railway man- Colin Firth as usual brings in a touching powerhouse performance as a man haunted by his war past after being in a pow camp, yes Nicole Kidman is in it but all you need to know is Colin Firth, yes OK good
6.the spectacular now- Much like 500 days of summer was 'not your ordinary love story' one of the makers of that film has done a very good job on this film, it is a coming of age but it's not in the same sense. It's more like how far you can party and drink before you start to lose control of your life and push away the people you love. Which is a good message to have with many teenagers with alcohol problems and so on, sadly this didn't get a good deal of promotion and is really word of mouth, due to the rising star of lead actress Shailene Woodley and like in the descendants, she puts in a very strong power house performance and proves she will make a brilliant Hazel Grace in this years 'the fault in our stars' adaptation . Miles Teller also puts in a very powerful performance, especially in the last 20 minutes, before you see any typical coming of age/young adult movie, see this and this gets it right
7. how i live now- I have shocked you here haven't i, yes another book adaptation and another British film, but this is somewhat different from the rest. Like with her first book adaptation film ' the lovely bones' Saorise Ronan puts in a powerful performance as angsty American teen Daisy who is sent to live with her British cousins and falls in love with the oldest one, but if you haven't read the book. You'll no it's much more than a 'romantic teen comedy'. It has a very apocalyptic war theme and all the cast, especially the younger cousin puts in great performance and there is great scenery in the wilderness of London & Wales
8. the selfish giant- Based on a contemporary fable, this is based around two 13 year old boys who go to work with a scrap dealer, this unfortunately turns into crime and a battle for the scrap dealers affections, This has brilliant scenery, a great storyline and especially great storyline development on behalf of the start of arbor's character to the end. Like this is london, ruthless and touching at the same time. This is why London gets me.
9.magic magic- This film was much hyped in the indie film circut but then sort of did a few film festivals and vanished and emerged recently online which is a shame as it has great performances from Emily Browning, Juno temple and Michael Cera even manages to be un akwwkard, well kind of. It's about a girl who has insomnia and starts to lose grip on what's real and what's fake and takes you on a journey , so kinda fight club in a way but different enteriely. Magic Magic is a trip you really to see first hand.
10. Summer in February: Ending on a double hit of Emily Browning it seems Australia all but forgot about her in 2013 which is a shame as she made some pretty great films like this one which is a romantic English drama about Lamorna Group, which was a group of English painters and the film is centered around Alfred Munnings, his friend Gilbert and the love triangle that formed between them and Emily Browning's Florence Carter-Wood. ,Emily has done a few English based films in 2013 thus pulls off a English accent very well and Dominic Cooper gives a very good portrayal of Munnings as does former Downton abbey Dan Stevens, like with about time gives you some stunning scenery of the England country side courtesy of Cornwall and showcases the larmona group's art very well and has a beautiful score.
As a lot of these films flew under the radar they were not obviously everyone's cup of tea but they were what i loved most in 2013. Honorable mentions go to: the hobbit 2, filth, kill your darlings and thor 2 which i never got around to seeing, maybe sometime this year i'll get around to seeing last years....things
#philomena#the day of the doctor#not another happy ending#about time#the railway man#the spectacular now#how i live now#the selfish giant#magic magic#summer in february#steve coogan#judi dench#matt smith#david tennant#john hurt#stephen moffat#russell t davies#karen gillan#domhall gleeson#richard griffiths#harry potter#doctor who#emily browning#colin firth#Bill nighy