My Top 10 Favorite Movies Of 2013!

Well readers, it was a fun year, wasn't it? 2013 has come and left as does every new year when it runs its course. But now there's work to do. Every blogger, critic, and journalist has to come out of the woodwork, reflect on the year, muster their courage, stand their ground, and proclaim their favorite movies. So let's not waste any time. In the grand tradition of my forefathers in reviewing before me, here are my top ten favorite movies of 2013:

10) Monsters University. When I was a kid, I had the privilege of watching an advance screening of "Monsters Inc." and I was enthralled. I loved the characters, comedy, drama, world-building. I was humming "Put That Thing Back Where It Came From, Or So Help Me!" at levels that don't reflect a normal functioning human brain, but what the hell. The movie was awesome, so when I heard Pixar was planning a prequel, I got hyped. So, "Monsters University" came out, and while I will say I don't think it's the highest of Pixar's caliber, I believe it to be on par with its (do I call this a predecessor cause of the date it was released or sequel cause of the chronology?). I love seeing Mike and Sulley in different roles; I like seeing their competitive sides come out. They're not always friendly to each other, which adds a rarely seen layer to their relationship. Besides the characters, the comedy is fast and top-notch: this definitely feels like "Animal House" for monsters. I love the way the story flows, love its moral. My generation grew up with the first movie, and being in college for this release, the film's relevance never shone clearer. Pixar showed its appreciation for the fans with a smart, funny, and touching prequel, definitely worthy of my number ten spot.

9) Prisoners. A real grim entry in my list this year, but this thriller/mystery hooked me in. For almost three hours, I was on the edge of my seat as Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) searched every nook, cranny, and potential lead to find his daughter. I love how this movie's shot like a nightmare. It definitely is our world, but everything's dark, the colors are muted. Life feels hazy and as Keller's desperation consumes him, the way the film and world moves forward loses more and more control. A lot of people didn't like the violence, calling it "torture porn", but I think it fits by showing Keller's deterioration. As the movie goes on, he knows his actions are insane and probably won't get him anywhere, but this lead is his last hope. Beating whatever information he can out of the suspect is all he thinks he can possibly do, despite its increasing uselessness. This movie made me question the breaking point of a man's spirit and compassion; its story kept me hooked. With top-notch acting from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, I'd say go see "Prisoners" as soon as you can.

8) Pacific Rim. This was SO much fun. A virtual Gundam Wing meets Godzilla blockbuster showdown. I fell in love with this bombastic action picture immediately. Idris Elba's General Pentecost has my undying love, I could hear him command our "canceling the apocalypse" all day. He and Rinko Kikuchi's Mako are the heart of this film, and never in a movie about giant robots fighting supersized aliens would I have thought I'd almost be shedding a tear. When not being sucked in by their relationship, I fell in love with the stylized action, the happy-go-lucky silly tone, and the inner workings of the robot mechanics. It satisfied every pore I could fill with testosterone and made for one of the most fun times at the movie theater last year.

7) Star Trek: Into Darkness. (Let me preface this by saying: I have not watched anything Star Trek except for the 2009 film and William Shatner's kidney-quavering cry of "KHAAAAAAN!") With the disappointments the blockbuster hype gave me this year (Iron Man 3, Man of Steel), I'm so glad this movie not only fulfilled my hype, but exceeded it. Benedict Cumberbatch's performance discomforts, scares, commands total confidence. The way he steals any scene is breath-taking and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. This is a great villain and I love every second of hating him. This time around, the stakes were raised. The danger is ever-prevalent, the action grand and powerful. Our favorite characters come back, developed more and more as the plot advances. As Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, and Scotty adventure through the universe, I want to keep following them on the ride. This is a fun, smart action film.

6) The Wolf of Wall Street. This one has garnered its fair share of controversy, and I touched upon the nature of why I think it's evoked the response and why I feel it's important to make movies that act as catalyst for conversation. However, I feel I haven't touched on why I like it as a film, or if I have, not in the right detail. I love the acting: DiCaprio, Hill, Reiner, Robbie. Their characters leap off the screen and hook me in. It takes a lot to don these characters and these attitudes and these people pulled it off with aplomb, DiCaprio receiving my highest praise. The comedy elicits that "I'm going to hell for laughing at this" response, but with sharp writing and quick editing, it varies from just the shock humor, drawing from dialogue and fourth wall jokes that had me roaring. The touches to its time period fit well, melding in the dialogue and story. It's not there to be used as just dressing. This movie carries such an unshakable swagger that even though I don't agree with these characters' extravagance and morals, I admire the filmmakers for taking this task. As I've said, this movie grabs the audience's attention and refuses to let go until they've learned their lesson. Go see this now.

5) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. If there's a film other than "Star Trek: Into Darkness" that completely satisfied my hype and exceeded it, it's the 2nd part of the "Hobbit" trilogy, which excels at what a sequel should. It develops the characters we know further, introduces new welcome additions, drives the plot forward, and does it in a way that sets itself apart from the original without losing the charm. For a movie that takes three hours to finish, the plot meanders less, driving the action up a couple notches. The story is lean, energetic, and impacting. I fell in love with Benedict Cumberbatch's chops as a villain in Star Trek, but this role cemented it. His class and confidence shines through as an elegant, almost diplomatic villain. However, when he calls his wings "hurricanes", his teeth "swords", you buy it. This is someone you don't mess with. He commands respect and deserves it. Even without Smaug, the orchestration of these action scenes in the river, Laketown, the spiders' lair, it's a masterpiece. If a movie can take so long, and still leave a packed audience wanting even more, it has to be doing something really right. I'd say go see the first "Hobbit" to get your context, but stay anxious for this flick.

4) About Time. Here's a film I never thought I'd like as much as I did. I usually figure out which movie to review by putting my available choices (due to time, distance, and budget) in a random name selector and going from there. The selection of the time was "About Time" and the movie promised a cute romantic comedy where an awkward young man discovers he can travel back and forth through his lifetime, using this skill to woo and romance his lady love. Simple. Easy. Not going to take me long to review. By its placement on this list, you can tell I was dead wrong. This is truly a joy to watch: Domhnall Gleason and Rachel McAdams have perfect chemistry together; they act like a real couple and discuss whatever's on their mind, whether it be Kate Moss or the way work sucks. These conversations sound genuine, the characters feel alive. Give credit to director/writer Richard Curtis who manages to blend romance, comedy, drama, and time travel in a way that never feels forced or strained. My favorite thing about this film? It's just about life. Ignoring the time travel element, "About Time" is the story of one man's life and how it develops. It doesn't rely on cliche or any forced villain. It's just life, and even though we've seen the moral told in millions of movies before, it sounds sweeter here. Such a refreshing execution.

3) Inside Llewyn Davis. You know the great part about this entry in the list? I saw this movie on December 31st. It barely squeaked in, but you know what? That's the testament to a great movie, and "Inside Llewyn Davis" is a great film. The Coen brothers orchestrate another fantastic tale starring Oscar Issac as Llewyn Davis, a down-on-his-luck folk singer whom, after his music partner's suicide, tries to gain some sense of direction in life, either in success with his solo career or his relationships with old flames and old friends. Oscar Issac does a great job portraying both Llewyn's hopefulness and hopelessness; he's a cynic trying to find something to give his life meaning. The Coens tend to emphasize the journey rather than the destination, bringing in a row of colorful characters that aren't given too much screen time but the actors they cast leave a huge impression: Carey Mulligan as Llewyn's no-nonsense ex, Jean, John Goodman as the egotistical jerk Roland Turner, Stark Sands as the innocent Troy Nelson, Adam Driver as Al Cody or "outer space" as I like to call him. (You'll get it later, trust me.) The ending will turn people off, but it fits. I don't think it's the ending I wanted for this character, but after reflecting on his choices and attitude, it's an ending he deserves. It's a tight, emotional, heartwarming and heartbreaking film that worked on me in just the right way. Late addition, but a very welcome one.

2) Evil Dead. So how do I follow a critical darling with this?! Well, this is a favorites list, and I didn't have more fun than watching this bloody insane mess of a remake to one of my favorite horror films. Originally directed by Sam Raimi, "The Evil Dead" told the story of five teenagers who, on a weekend in a cabin in the woods, stumbled across the Book of the Dead, cursed literature with the power to summon demons if read out loud. Of course one of the teenagers reads the book and all hell breaks loose. The original film was balls-to-the-wall horror, the only relief coming in bursts of dark humor. For an eleven year old kid, this movie got me. So when I heard a remake was in the works, I rightly became skeptical. But after seeing Fede Alvarez's stylistic over-the-top vision, I was hooked. The sheer amount of blood and gore shook me to my core, keeping to the original's terrifying scares and terrible taste in humor while adding modern effects and sensibilities that work in the film's favor. I officially established my crush on Jane Levy; her portrayal of Mia is vulnerable and demented. She can play off so many emotions and does it so well, I fell in love. Individual scenes stick out in my head, each more twisted than the latter, and I think what it's like to watch this can be summed up in the scene where Mia has been possessed by a demon and locked in the basement for everyone else's protection. Her friend is going to get some water for another injured boy when she can hear Mia's voice crying for help from the basement door. (At this point, the audience I was with started screaming, "NO, NO, don't listen to her!) Of course, feeling pity, the friend slowly sneaks up to the basement door, where Mia's possessed and mutilated self pops up, dragging the poor girl into the basement. Now, any other movie would have just left the scare at that and cut to Mia's brother helping the injured friend, but not here. We see the friend in the basement. We see Mia pop back up, scaring her to death. She takes a blade to her tongue, slicing it deeper and deeper until it's split in two ways. The audience is already screaming at this point, but as if that's not enough, the demonic Mia starts forcibly making out with the friend, black sludge and blood drizzling into her mouth. Now THAT'S balls-to-the-wall. The movie's uncompromising and raises the bar on scares and shock all the way to the end. It's a bloodbath that stayed true to its predecessor while staying its own creation that rivals the mad genius of the original. (By the way, Deadites. If you still haven't seen this, wait until the end of the credits. Just...do it.)

And now...the moment you've all been waiting for. My favorite movie of 2013 is...

1) The Great Gatsby. Since this movie premiered in March, I knew it was going to be my favorite. I sat in the theater speechless as the credits rolled. This movie was a gem. From the visuals to the casting to the story, I was completely hooked. Baz Luhrmann needs to be put in a cage with a piece of paper and paintbrush, and with electrodes attached to his body, studied. If only so we can figure out his process of creating these spectacular sets and imagery. I feel this year was marked by bombast and extravagance and no movie basked and rolled around in it more. Every set is alive. Every set has a million things going on, a million colors and lights flashing and swirling around. "But so what?" you say. "Luhrmann's always done that kind of thing." Very true. But here, he finally learned the art of leaving the camera alone. The camera stays still for longer, allowing me to appreciate the sets and how beautifully made they are. The setups for character introduction blow me away, and I'm actually not referencing Leonardo DiCaprio's entrance as Jay Gatsby, but rather Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan. Draped in soft silk curtains, the winds blows around, shrouding a beauty in mystery and suspense. The neutral color palette brings more attention to who could be behind these curtains laying on the couch. The scene's alluring, gentle, delicate, classy, and just as the tension can be built no more, she appears. I remember sitting in the theater, my mouth agape. It was a perfectly fitting entrance, wonderfully executed to fit the character's personality. The film nailed it, and speaking of nailing it, I love the casting. From DiCaprio's youthful charm as Jay Gatsby to Tobey Maguire's patient and quiet Nick Carraway, the casting here is perfect. These actors fit their characters like a glove, especially Joel Edgerton as Daisy's husband Tom Buchanan. When I read the book in high school, this image is what I had of Tom: a tall, cocky high-end brute who thought himself king of the world. He had style, but no class. As soon as I saw Joel Edgerton in the role, Tom Buchanan came to life. I was enthralled. I hear people complain about the movie in relation to the book; mainly I hear critics complain about the lack of attention to the American Dream and how this tragedy is an example of how the ideal fails. I think people wanted the movie to tell more and take more of a side against Gatsby's extravagance, but instead thought the film was just another romance, dressed in 1920's fashion. I don't see it this way. Gatsby believes the American Dream to be perfect, ideal. If one works as hard as they can, being smarter than everyone, taking the right risks and opportunities, they can achieve any goal they set their mind out to. While the advice works for Gatsby's financial success, it can't work to get Daisy. He's been groomed to believe he can control every aspect of life with determination and effort, but as he fails to receive the love he desires, he starts losing his mind. In desperate confusion, he accumulates more and more wealth because that's all he knows. The philosophy he centers his life around is failing him, and he can't cope. It's heartbreaking to see him scramble to make sense of it all, and we learn from this the American Dream isn't perfect. Like any other ideal, it has flaws; it doesn't always work. I don't have to hear a history lesson on the Roaring Twenties and the debauchery that occured in order to get the message. Gatsby's relationship with Daisy says it all. It's a movie that floored me when I first saw it. Everything blew me away, and continues to do so everytime I see it. It's my favorite movie of 2013.

Thank you all very much for these last couple months of reading and providing whatever feedback you have. I hope to continue on this little adventure, and get better at this reviewing thing with every movie and click-clack of my keyboard. I appreciate all the support and hope you all have an awesome 2014. Keep tuned, more reviews are on the way. As always, I'm the Man Without A Plan, signing off.