I love movies but going to the movie theater often is
expensive. So this list is a little late but I’ve finally caught
up with the majority of the movies from 2013 that I wanted to see. Here are my top 5 movies of this past
year.
1. Gravity
No movie has stuck with me more this year than Gravity. I love when directors do something that
makes you stop in awe of what you are seeing on the screen. This movie not only kept me interested
and on the edge of my seat but visually it does so much with 3D and the big
screen that it makes you feel as if you are floating in outer space with Sandra
Bullock. I’ve told many people
this but if you haven’t seen Gravity yet you better run to the theaters and see
it while it's still on the big screen.
I know that watching this on a smaller screen won’t resonate like this
film does at the movie theater, in 3D, with large speakers that make the
horror-like film score shake your bones.
George Clooney is charming and Sandra Bullock has a strong
performance making you feel her panic and fear over and over again. The weak part of Gravity is the script
written by Director Alfonso Cuaron’s son Jonas, but the weak writing is
elevated by the amazing camera shots synchronized with the terrifying musical score. I saw this movie when it
came out in October and it left me astounded. Then I went back for a second watch a couple weeks ago
because I wanted to experience this captivating film one more time on the big
screen.
2. Nebraska
I’ve begun to realize that the less and less I know about a
movie heading into it the more and more I will enjoy it. This was the case with Nebraska, I knew
it was directed by Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”, “About Schmidt”) and I
knew that Will Forte (“MacGruber”) was in it. I kept hearing how interesting this movie was and so I made
sure Brooke and I could see it on the “Let’s go to the movies every week before
our baby comes and makes it less likely for us to go to the movies tour.”
We walked into a nearly empty theater on a snow day and as
the movie started I remembered that it was in black and white and was nervous
this may cause Brooke not to enjoy it.
Side note: I usually have an open mind while going into a movie but I’m
mainly concerned with my wife liking a movie, especially when I talk her into
seeing it, because if she doesn’t like it I feel like somehow I failed at
choosing the right movie for us to see-ridiculous I know.
The movie began on an old man walking on the side of a
highway and this was the beginning of a gripping movie about a father and a
son. Fathers and their sons and
sons and their fathers is always something that intrigues me. This movie shows a son who knows his
father won’t be with him much longer and wants to know who his father is and
where he came from. I won’t say
much more about this movie other than it is a touching story that deserves a
watch.
3. Her
I have an IPhone, you have an IPhone, we all have
IPhones. Spike Jonze movies
(“Being John Malkovich” “Adaptation”) always make me stop and process what I
just watched and “Her” kept that tradition alive. This movie asks the question how far is too far in our
relationship with technology?
Joaquin Phoenix gives another transforming performance as Theodore
Twombly a man who falls in love with his Siri like voice operating system
voiced by Scarlett Johansson. This
movie shows that technology can’t fulfill the need for relationships, but we
need to find our relationships with the people we care for in our lives. I love the world that Spike Jonze
creates in this movie and as I watched this world it seemed like a possible
glimpse into our future. Warning that this movie has a couple uncomfortable scenes of sexual experiences expressed through word. Aside from those scenes I really enjoyed following Theodore on this journey of figuring out what love is and can you love a programed operating system.
4. 12 Years a
Slave
I covered how beautiful this movie is here: http://baconculture.blogspot.com/2013/10/12-years-slave.html
I’ll never forget seeing this movie and the powerful images
of the devastation that slavery was.
5. Mud
Jeff Nichols just keeps directing interesting movies
centered around strong male leads.
This movie focuses on Mud (Matthew McConaughey) a man who befriends two
boys as he flees men who are seeking to kill him. At this point anything Jeff Nichols directs will peak my
interest because he knows how to tell stories about normal people who go
through life changing events.
Honorable Mentions
-Fast 6
-In a World...
-The Act of Killing
