"Top Ten Films of 2013"

My "Top Ten Films of 2013"

"Top Ten Films of 2013"

Published on Dec. 26, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

1).  ”12 Years a Slave”  (2013)

Based on a true story, this film is about Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free Black man living in upstate New York with his wife and child in the year 1841.  On a business trip, he is kidnapped and sold into slavery.  His life is filled with misery and hard work as he is shipped from plantation to plantation in Louisiana at the mercy and whim of the plantation owners.  This incredibly moving film has some of the year’s best performances in it.  Ejiofor is stunning in a role of a lifetime, but it’s the supporting cast that makes this such an outstanding film.  Lupita Nyong’o is astonishing as the defiant slave Patsey and Michael Fassbender gives a spellbinding performance as a sadistic slave owner.  This is a film that is going to stay with me for a long time. 12 Years a Slave Website 

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

2).  ”Nebraska”  (2013)

Woody (Bruce Dern) is convinced that he has won a million dollars and wants to travel from Montana, where he lives, to Nebraska to collect the winnings. Against the wishes of Woody’s wife, Kate (June Squibb), and brother, Ross (Bob Odenkirk). David (Will Forte), Woody’s youngest son, decides to take his father cross-country to the company that has issued the ticket. Bruce Dern gives a brilliant, understated performance.  The surprise of the film is what a great job Will Forte does as the son who desperately wants to reconnect with his father.  This is road trip film where the people in the movie don’t seem to ever move. Nebraska Website           (Read my full review here)

Photo courtesy of Cinedigm

3).  ”Short Term 12″  (2013)

Grace (Brie Larson) works as a supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers.  Her boyfriend, Mason (John Gallagher Jr.), works with her at the home.  Grace’s world is changed when Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), a troubled teenage girl  enters the facility and Grace sees herself in Jayden.  Brie Larson gives my favorite performance of this year.  She has a nice, comfortable chemistry with John Gallagher Jr., making us feel that this couple has been together for quite awhile.  The film has a great message about finding family anywhere you can. Short Term 12 Website     (Read my full review here)

Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers

4). “Her” (2013)

A writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who is still mourning the breakup of his marriage, installs a new operating system on his computer that is designed to learn about him and respond to his needs.  Very soon he finds that he has fallen in love with his computer. The premise is based on if a man can fall in love with his operating system, in this case played in voice only by Scarlett Johansson.  I say yes because I also fell in love with Johansson’s character.  This is a wonderful, unconventional film about falling love. Her Website

Photo courtesy of A24

5).  ”The Spectacular Now”  (2013)

Sutter (Miles Teller) is a high school senior who is just happy living in the present. He seems to have everything you would want – he’s popular, has a good job and his girlfriend is the prettiest girl in high school. Suddenly, everything comes crashing down around Sutter when his girlfriend dumps him and leaves his once promising world now in tatters. Sutter then meets Aimee (Shailene Woodley) who isn’t like anyone he has ever met before and just might be the person to get him back on track.  I felt that the dialogue in this film was incredibly realistic and the chemistry between Teller and Woodley was perfect. The Spectacular Now Website        (Read my full review here)

Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

6).  ”Captain Philips”  (2013)

Based on a true story, the American ship, Maersk Alabama, captained by Richard Philips (Tom Hanks), becomes the first U.S. ship in two hundred years to be hijacked by pirates.  The Somali pirates want millions of dollars to return the ship and its crew.  Can Capt. Philips and his crew stall long enough for help to arrive?  Hanks is perfect in the role, but it’s Barkhad Dbdi, who plays one of the pirates that makes this movie work so well as he gives an amazing performance.  I absolutely loved the final scene in this film as it takes it from a good film to a great one. Captain Phillips Website

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

7).  ”The Way Way Back” (2013)

Duncan (Liam James) is not having the best of summers. Instead of spending his summer vacation with his father in California, he is forced to spend it with his mom (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend (Steve Carell) at his summer beach house. When Duncan discovers a water park called Water Wizz, that’s where his summer finally starts to get a little better, as he meets Owen (Sam Rockwell) the manager.  I loved the interaction between James and Rockwell.  This is a fun, funny film that has a heart as big as the monster slide in the park. The Way Way Back Facebook Page       (Read my full review here)

Photo courtesy of CBS Films

8).  ”The Kings of Summer”  (2013)

Three teenage boys (Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias) decide to get away from their rather strange and controlling parents by running away to build a house in the middle of the woods.  While viewers will see this film for the supporting cast, which is full of great comedians like Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, it’s the three lead boys (Robinson, Basso and Arias) that make this film so exceptional and a joy to watch.  Nick Robinson, playing the leader of the gang, Joe, is absolutely perfect in the role of a kid who is so tired of his life that he just wants to run away.  The film is a wonderful coming of age film where the boys find out that running away doesn’t always solve life’s problems. The Kings of Summer Website

Photo Courtesy of Warner Brothers

9). “Gravity”  (2013)

A medical engineer, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), and a veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney), are on a space mission. During a spacewalk, satellite debris crashes into the Space Shuttle and sends Dr. Stone adrift into space with limited oxygen.  This was the most beautiful film I saw this year. and I hope everyone went to the theatre to see it on the big screen.  This is a film that couldn’t have been made 20 years ago and I give credit to director / co-writer Alfonso Cuaron on bringing us an astonishing movie-going experience. Gravity Website

Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company

10).  ”Fruitvale Station”  (2013)

This is the true story of the last day in the life of Oscar (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year old man who was killed by transit cops in the Bay area of California one New Year’s morning. This film will make you angry and sad at the same time and is sure to start conversations up as soon as the film ends.  I loved Jordan’s performance as the flawed but likeable Oscar.  This is a film that you know how it’s going to end but hope someway that it won’t. Fruitvale Station Website        (Read my full review here)

Almost on the list:  ”Drinking Buddies”, “The Conjuring”, “Enough Said”, “The Stories We Tell”, “20 Feet From Stardom”, “Cutie and the Boxer”, “Upstream Color”, “All is Lost”, “Inside Llewyn Davis”, “Frozen”, “The World’s End”, “A Band Called Death”, “Dallas Buyers Club”,”Mud”, “The Heat”.

"Inside Llewyn Davis" Movie Review

My review of "Inside Llewlyn Davis" starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman.

"Inside Llewyn Davis"

Published on Dec. 20, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of CBS Films

"Inside Llewyn Davis"  (2013)

Llewyn Davis (Oscar Issac) is a struggling folk musician, who, after his musical partner dies, attempts to make it as a solo act by playing at clubs around the Greenwich Village area in the 1961.  Llewyn doesn’t do too well and has to sleep on the couches of his friends and family. It seems that Llewyn while a talented artist, is his own worst enemy as he continually burns the bridges with the people who love and admire him the most. Llewyn finally realizes that he must deal with the fact that his dream of being a musician may just not be in his reach.

For the audience who didn’t grow up in the time period, the film does a great job of creating the atmosphere and feel of the folk scene in early 1960′s New York. The cinematographer, Bruno Delbonnel, perfectly captures the feel of the city at the time.  His use of soft focus and muted lighting makes the city appear in a perpetual grey tint as Llewyn searches continually for his next gig and next couch to sleep on.  I love the look of this film. You can instantly tell how affluent each person is just by seeing the hallways to their apartment.  The folk singers live in buildings with tiny hallways and doors that seem to be set at impossible angles.  When Llewyn visits a couple that helps out struggling artists, their hallway is wide, as is their door.

As with any Coen film, there is a lot of humor in the film, brought mostly through the situations that Llewyn gets himself into, including a number of scenes with a cat that he gets stuck with and has to take on his travels.

Issac gives an outstanding performance of a handsome guy who has a great many demons inside him, making him, at the same time, sympathetic and unlikeable.  Llewyn is a difficult person to get along with.  He is cantankerous, quick to make snap judgments and seems to care more about the cat that he has mistakenly acquired than the people who make up his life.  Llewyn is the type of person that has talent but doesn’t have a real plan for success, so he tends to just wander from gig to gig without any direction.

Supporting characters are always important in Coen brothers films, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Carey Mulligan plays a fellow folk singer whose contempt for Llewyn is shown just by the deadly glances she gives him each time they meet.  John Goodman, of course, makes an appearance as an over-the-hill jazz musician, and F. Murray Abraham plays a club owner who can make or break Llewyn’s career.  Justin Timberlake plays the almost “anti-Llewyn,” a happy folk singer who writes catchy pop songs, the kind that Llewyn feels are beneath his standards.

The music in this film is outstanding, most of which was recorded on set as the cameras were rolling, including the Justin Timberlake song “Mr. Kennedy,” which makes for an incredibly funny recording session. Issac has a fine singing voice, which brings back memories of very early Bruce Springsteen.  He has one of those voices that really make you listen carefully to the song, making every word he sings important.  There are a wide variety folk music styles and a great deal of them are on display in this film.  Several of the songs are just breathtaking, including “Five Hundred Miles” that Timberlake and Mulligan sing on, and Isaac singing the ballad “The Death Of Queen Jane” is just magical.

The film isn’t as humorous as other Coen films such as “Pulp Fiction” or “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and some film-goers may not like this film due to such an unlikable main character.  That being said,  “Inside Llewyn Davis” is sure to please the Coen brothers’ fans, and lovers of folk music as it the film gives us an inside view of the music scene that was to shape a generation.

My Rating:  Full Price

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Inside Llewyn Davis” Website

The film is playing in Atlanta at Lefont Sandy Springs and Landmark Midtown Art Cinema .
Please note that the reviewer is an employee of CBS Broadcasting, Inc and the film is being distributed by CBS Films, which is owned by CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

"The Armstrong Lie" Movie Review

My review of the documentary "The Armstong Lie"

"The Armstrong Lie"

Published on Dec. 13, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

"The Armstrong Lie"   (2013)

Lance Armstrong retired after winning his 7th Tour de France, the world’s most grueling sporting event. Riding the tour is a test of both the physical and the mental side of man’s ability to overcome pain to complete a sporting event. Armstrong seemed to be a man that could not be broken and was determined to leave everyone behind, choking on his dust. While there had always been allegations following Armstrong around that he used Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’s), he had never tested positive and vigorously denied ever using them.

In 2009, Armstrong decided to mount a comeback, to prove he was the best and that he was clean. Filmmaker Alex Gibney was given unprecedented access to film this comeback that ultimately ended with Armstrong not winning his 8th Tour but coming in third.

In this fascinating documentary about the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong, we see that the comeback was Armstrong’s biggest mistake. By coming back, he reopened many doors that had been left closed, and many of his former teammates, who had been silent up to then, decided to take down Armstrong. What Gibney does a great job establishing is the background of Armstrong. We see how he was raised by a single mom, his love of endurance sports such as the triathlons and his first introduction to riding the one of the world’s most popular sporting events.

What makes this film unique is that for the first time, Armstrong is answering questions that he has always denied or has spun around to his own defense. He is confronted by Gibney, who knows Armstrong well and unlike Oprah, able to get him to answer the tough questions. Is as if Gibney has finally broken down the wall that Armstrong had carefully put up between himself and the press.

This film is intriguing because it was meant to be just about Armstrong’s comeback bid, but as the firestorm grew every day around his possible use of PED’s, Gibney decided to make a totally different film. Gibney interviews a host of riders, a great many that were on Armstrong’s winning Tour de France teams, making a case against Armstrong, voice by voice. The film goes beyond that comeback Tour and delves deeply into Armstrong’s races, making us feel as if we were there along for the ride. The filmmaker does a great job of giving us a background to the sport and why the Tour de France is so important to Europeans. We are there when Armstrong is training, as well as the candid moments during the 2009 race itself, showing Armstrong with his family, all the while medical teams continually test his blood for PED’s.

Gibney paints a picture of a man so driven that he wouldn’t think twice to try to destroy anyone that tried to bring him down. A man that overcame cancer and made an incredible amount of money in a sport that few Americans ever participate in, much less watch.  He was a man sure of himself that he says in the film “I certainly thought I would never get caught.” Ultimately, it was Armstrong himself that brought down his empire, and Gibney brings this to the screen for us to see.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“The Armstrong Lie” is currently playing at UA Tara Cinemas 4