It’s time again for my personal
ranking of the movies of the previous year.
If you have noticed, this second-half edition for top 2013 movies is a
“top 20” list. Remember that the movies
to be listed here are movies I’ve seen
in the second-half of the 2013, hence, movies I’ve seen after I have written the first-half edition (which you should check
out first if you haven’t read it yet) regardless of whether they were released
in the first or second half. So with a
top 20 this time, I have more room to cover more of the movies I’ve seen in the
crowded second half.
Then from among the movies listed
in the first-half edition (which you should read first) and this second-half
edition, I will be picking out my “Top 10 Movies of 2013” in the end.
Of course, per usual, it’s
unavoidable that I missed a couple of 2013 movies. I have two in mind that would be very likely
in the top of my list IF only I have
seen them: Captain Philips and Frozen (especially this).
Let’s get the ball rollin’…
20.) JUSTICE LEAGUE: FLASHPOINT
PARADOX
This was an animated film
adaptation of the captivating comicbook storyline, “Flashpoint”, by Geoff Johns
and Andy Kubert. The story is about how Barry Allen, the Flash, unbeknownst to him, changed reality when he saved
his mother from being murdered. By
saving his mother, he set off a “butterfly effect” chain of events that changed
the status quo of the universe as he knows it: e.g. Bruce Wayne was the one
that got killed instead of his parents, Thomas Wayne became Batman and Martha
Wayne became the Joker; Barry Allen never gained his Flash powers; Aquaman and Atlantis
is at war with Wonder Woman and the Amazons, with Europe as their battlefield; Kal El’s ship has been discovered by the U.S. government instead of the Kents
and has been imprisoned in an underground facility ever since he was a baby;
etc. The central character of this tale
is Flash, as he attempts to return the universe back to its original reality. The aftermath of all of this, same as with
the comics, is the reboot of the DC animated universe into the “New 52”
(ugh).
19.) THE WORLD’S END
19.) THE WORLD’S END
A group of friends, now adults,
reunites to re-attempt a pub crawl covering 12 pubs in their hometown, which
they had first attempted 20 years ago, in their youth, but failed. But along the way, they uncovered an ongoing
secret alien invasion in the town, in which the residents are being replaced by
android doppelgangers.
This could be my least favorite
in Edgar Wright’s “Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy”, but it was still a fun mix
of hilarity, suspense, and action.
18.) ON THE JOB (OTJ)
See? It’s possible. The Filipino movie industry can create a
fresh, engaging, well-written, well-acted, and thought-provoking film. It has flaws, but overall, OTJ is the most brilliant Pinoy film
I’ve ever seen since Mistah.
It’s so good that Hollywood is
even thinking of re-making it. But I don’t think that’s a good idea. In my opinion, OTJ only works because the cultural, political, and socio-economic
condition it was set on is actually a Filipino reality. It is so real, hence, it was so
emphatic. Now, against an American
backdrop? I don't think it would have the same impact.
My only annoyance in this film is
how terrible Gerald Anderson’s acting is at times. It seems, in front of my eyes, he’s becoming
“Budoy” when he’s acting out naivety and green-ness as a rookie hitman. Maybe it was just because Anderson spends so
much screen time with Joel Torre, who delivered a powerful performance; that
Anderson’s lesser quality as an actor stood out as he pales greatly in
comparison with Torre.
17.) THE WOLVERINE
The Wolverine is indeed an upgrade from X-Men Origins: Wolverine but it was not at all superb. It has several memorable and entertaining action
scenes but the overall story is totally dumb.
Hugh Jackman’s perfect depiction of Wolverine on screen nonetheless made
the movie worth watching.
Moreover, the movie’s
post-credits scene – Magneto and Prof. X confronts Logan – has started to lay
down the elements that could spark the explosion of Fox’s attempt to establish
their own Marvel Cinematic Universe that would revolve around their X-Men
properties. It hasn’t made any concrete
connections yet and there are still a ton of questions left unanswered (which X-Men: Days of Future’s Past will hopefully
bring closures to) but the fact that Fox is indeed endeavoring for something big
and ambitious with their Marvel-licensed brands – perplexing and mysterious they
may be at this point – brings intriguing excitement.
16.) DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS
To enjoy this movie, one has to
be already a fan of Dragon Ball Z who
is used to and accepts the absurdity of it, thinks of it as one of the greatest anime ever made, hates Dragon Ball GT,
and has always wanted another movie set in the Dragon Ball Z time period and that would have the same Dragon Ball Z quality. I am one, thus, I have no trouble liking this
movie. This has everything every fan loved
about Dragon Ball Z back in its
heyday.
This movie features arguably the
most powerful antagonist (but is not necessarily evil as other Dragon Ball Z villains like Freeza and
Cell) that the Z Fighters has to face: Lord Bills, the God of Destruction
(while several Dragon Ball Z
characters have been introduced before that have power levels that allow them
to singlehandedly destroy a planet, Lord Bills can destroy a galaxy with no
effort). The only chance that Goku and
friends have is to figure out how to summon the legendary “Super Saiyan
God.”
15.) HUNTER X HUNTER: PHANTOM
ROGUE
I’m not at all satisfied with
this movie. I’m not saying that this
movie is bad. It was nonetheless
entertaining and action-packed. But it
lacks the special kind of kickass quality that made Hunter X Hunter an exceptional manga. And it does have several slow, dull
moments. Heck, even Hisoka and Leorio,
my two most favorite HxH characters,
almost bored me here. The character that
has the most kickass moments in this movie is not even one of the main
protagonist but Nobunaga, the ronin member of the Phantom Troupe. Still, with the manga in another lengthy hiatus right now, I’ll take what dose of Hunter
X Hunter I can get.
14.) WORLD WAR Z
When it seems that there are just
too many zombie movies existing already, making another one tiresome, World War Z actually brings something
different to the game – which made this zombie flick still worth watching. This film has no resemblance at all with the
book it is based on except for the title, but it was still able to establish a
smart premise and story without having to rely on its book source (which is
considered one of the most definite and greatest zombie novels ever written). This movie is far from perfect, but it still
worked. It also helps that the lead character,
played by Brad Pitt, is easily likable and notable – a unique zombie-fighting
protagonist.
13.) RUSH
Rush is an exhilarating biographical sports drama about the rivalry
of legendary drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the 1976 Formula One season. The movie features gripping performances from the
two leads, intense race scenes, and impressive production values. Niki Lauda even praised it for its authenticity;
he was quoted: “When I saw it the first
time I was impressed. There were no Hollywood changes or things changed a
little bit Hollywood-like. It is very accurate. And this really surprised me
very positively.”
12.) DESPICABLE ME 2
Though I find the first one
funnier, cleverer, and having a better story, this sequel still offered big laughs
and an entertaining narrative. And, just
like before, most of those laughs and entertaining highlights are due to the
Minions.
11.) R.E.D. 2
R.E.D. 2 contains all the charm that made its predecessor one of my favorite movies back in 2010. It’s funny,
badass, and action-packed.
And once again, John Malkovich’s
character, Marvin Boggs, is the most interesting character among the bunch,
though he’s unfortunately a bit toned down compared to the first movie. Would love more of his antics in the next
movie (if there will be).
Helen Mirren’s character,
Victoria, however, is a lot more badass in this movie. The regal Helen Mirren as an action hero
still blows me away. She’s natural when
kicking butt.
Next to those two, Bruce Willis’
character, Frank Moses, is almost unremarkable.
But he still has great moments, considering he’s the lead. The moment he escaped detention and coolly picked
out one-by-one his assassins was my most favorite action-sequence in the
movie.
Lastly, between this and his role
as Storm Shadow in G.I. Joe, Lee
Byung-hun seems to be a legit sexy badass.
He is hands down my favorite Korean actor right now. Would love to see him in bigger roles in the
future. (Dear Marvel, please consider
giving him for the role of Shang-Chi, if you have any plans of bringing the Master
of Kung-Fu in the big screen.)
10.) THE CROODS
I was actually not expecting it to
be good. I thought that it was going to
be mediocre at most. But I was wrong. The
Croods is a heart-warming, thoughtful, and hilarious animated movie. It’s about a family of cavemen that was compelled
to travel towards unknown lands to survive a changing, hostile planet. The movie humorously tackled the themes of
brawn vs. brains, embracing change, and some family tropes.
9.) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
Since I haven’t seen Frozen (as of writing), which everyone
is clamoring accolades about, my choice for best animated movie this year is Monsters University. Really. While others are complaining about how Pixar
is losing its creativity, I, however, tremendously enjoyed this movie. I think that this was even better than Monsters, Inc. The setting and story situation of Monsters U worked better for me than what Monsters, Inc. had.
Note: While Epic cracked the top 6 in the first-half edition, I find Despicable
Me 2, The Croods, and Monster University superior animated movies
to it.
8.) THOR: THE DARK WORLD
I have to admit that it feels
like this movie is a little higher in this list than it deserves to be, but has
benefited during evaluation because I’m just too much of a Marvel fan boy. LOL.
Honestly, I was mildly disappointed with this movie. It was great at most, and there were parts
where it’s amazing. But I was expecting
more from it. To me, it feels like it
was lacking of “epicness.”
I was hoping that this movie
would finally establish that Thor is the one that puts the mighty in the
Earth’s Mightiest Team (i.e. the Avengers), that he’s the “Superman” of the
Marvel Universe. I wanted this movie to
show that when he’s not with the Avengers, Thor has the room to go all out with
his tremendous lightning powers, easily obliterating his targets – great as
they may be. Hence, I wanted the threat
the he will face – Malekith and the Dark Elves – to be so great that he will be
compelled to do just that: show how powerful he really is. But, in the movie, greatly threatening has
Malekith had been, it was not enough to give Thor that opportunity.
Nonetheless, evaluating the movie
as it is, Thor 2 was still of great
quality – especially the visuals. But I
liked the first one better. The first
one has a better story, IMO.
The best thing about this movie
is Loki. He was a delight to watch. His awesomeness was just exploding in every
scene he’s in. Kudos to Tom Hiddleston
and his charisma for making this possible.
(I know it’s unlikely, but Marvel
should think of making a Loki
movie. I would love to have that.)
7.) ENDER’S GAME
I haven’t read the book yet. And I thought of not watching this movie
until I read the book first. Then,
again, as a sci-fi buff, I’m already aware of the story and general concept of
Ender’s Game anyway for it’s a part of sci-fi fans’ collective consciousness
(i.e. from having conversations with those who read it and reading sci-fi articles
that refer to it). So watching it
doesn’t necessarily spoil the book for me.
There were a lot of sci-fi movies
this year. I love sci-fi and it should
have been a good year for me. But it was
not so. Movies like Elysium and Oblivion proved
to be disappointingly lacking (though they had fantastic visuals, they reek of bothersome,
distracting plot holes. And they were
boring at times). And then there’s After Earth… I never finished watching it. About thirty minutes into the movie, it was
easily established how stupid the entire premise of it and how horribly bland
Will Smith’s son is, that I stopped wasting my time. My love for sci-fi, which even extends to the
silly kinds, and Will Smith’s charisma couldn’t save that dumb movie for
me.
So thank God for Ender’s Game. It was basically a straight adaptation of the
book – having many of its details intact – and since the book is a sci-fi
classic, the appeal and enjoyability of the movie to sci-fi fans (regardless of
the Orson Scott Card-hate that exists due to his views) is guaranteed. I’m glad this movie was made. Love how Ender, one of the greatest boy geniuses in fiction, was perfectly portrayed on screen. Made up for my disappointment of those other
sci-fi films.
6.) PACIFIC RIM
As far as the story and
characters go, this movie was unremarkably generic. But it makes up for it by the epicness of its
visuals. Once the monstrous battle
between Jaegers and Kaijus starts, every flaw of this movie was forgiven. I’ve always wanted Hollywood to make a
“mecha” movie, and this is a start, and I’m glad they did. I hope there’s going to be more of this kind
of movies (but with better stories).
5.) MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
This was probably the movie I was
much excited to watch this year, Joss Whedon’s handling of a Shakespearean
classic (which he filmed in just 2 weeks!).
I was not disappointed. Much Ado About Nothing was oozing with
humor, cleverness, and appeal. Everyone
of the cast delivered compelling performances and did justice to their
respective characters.
My first thought was this move was
going to be a modernized take on the tale.
But as I get to watch it, I found out that it wasn’t like that at
all. The airs, manner, and dialogue of
the characters were still in a Shakespearean approach, but with modern sets and
costumes. It’s a brilliant concept. Watching its execution on screen has been a
refreshing, delightful, and fun experience.
This movie simply displays
Whedon’s versatility and genius.
4.) THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING
FIRE
Such a joy to see the fascinating
Katniss Everdeen in action again. And
this movie delivered magnificently.
Many are saying that this was one of the rare instances in which the movie was better than the book. I can’t be a judge of that for I haven’t read the book. But I can see where that thought is coming from.
Many are saying that this was one of the rare instances in which the movie was better than the book. I can’t be a judge of that for I haven’t read the book. But I can see where that thought is coming from.
This sequel significantly upped
the notch from its predecessor, one of the greatest movies of 2012. There
was an obvious increase in value and quality in everything I see. Compared to the last film, characters outside
of Katniss become more interesting (especially Peeta), the visuals are more
splendid (Panem’s metropolitan grandeur is finally revealed), and there is much
more powerful emotion in this movie.
It was an amazing film that
introduced more stakes and elements that give indication that things are still
going to be more intense and kickass from here.
Can’t wait for Mockingjay.
3.) THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF
SMAUG
This fantasy film was simply
fantastic. It was a display of wonderful
storytelling and exciting visuals. And,
yes, it was better than the first film.
Everything about this movie was
such a joy to watch. Martin Freeman (as Bilbo) has continued to prove that he is lightyears more awesome than Elijah Wood (who was Frodo in the LOTR films) in playing a lead Hobbit. Bilbo and the
dwarves’ different misadventures along their journey was a lot of fun. I love how the movie magnificently executed
the barrel scene. The inclusion of
Legolas was worth it; we saw Legolas be awesome as an archer (and to a minimal
extent, using a knife) in LOTR, but, here in this movie, we were also treated
with Legolas’ versatility in using various weapons and close-combat. And, as with Star Trek Into Darkness, Benedict Cumberbatch stole the show the moment his character appeared on screen; his rich, sinister voicing of Smaug lighted up
every scene he’s in as much as the dragon’s exhaling of fire.
Just like Catching Fire, this second installment also raised the stakes for
everyone and perfectly set us up for next year’s offering. Man, the cliff-hanger ending makes me
impatient for the finale.
2.) GRAVITY
Gravity is going to be a classic.
It was an artsy and stunning film.
The cinematography was so breath-taking that it was almost as if the
movie was actually shot in space. The story
was smooth and fascinating from start to finish. The narrative was done in a way in which it
the story was “straightly” done in sequential order, meaning there were no
“cuts” in scenes, but merely a succession of scenes, and it worked well; it was
never boring for the acting was so engagingly powerful that even though only
Sandra Bullock and George Clooney (plus one insignificant, faceless extra who
was killed early on) are the only charters on screen, you will never lose
interest as the movie and the actors successfully made the audience deeply
invest on the characters. Bullock even
had to single-handedly carry about two-thirds of the film’s screen time – after
Clooney’s character sacrificed himself so that Bullock’s character can survive –
as her character will keep you absorbed into the narrative.
I think she can get another Oscar from this.
1.) NOW YOU SEE ME
Critics pan this movie. I don’t care.
I loved this movie and it’s my most favorite movie of 2013. Now You
See Me feels like a mix of Ocean’s 11
and The Illusionist. A combination of heist and magic. It was a movie of twists, intrigues, and
magical fun. Nothing is what it seems to
be, and that tiny and mundane details could prove to be important later
on. There was never a dull second in
this movie. It kept me entertained and engrossed
from start to finish.
Maybe the reason I liked this
movie so much is I have no idea what the movie is all about before watching
it. I saw the movie without expecting
anything. And I was blown away.
All members of the Four Horsemen
– the main characters – were allowed to individually shine, with the
unfortunate exception of the female member who was unremarkable compared to the
other three. She seemed to be a mere
glorified assistant when compared to how the three male members were notably
portrayed. The three male Horsemen were
all given awesome moments wherein they showcased their skills and expertise,
cementing themselves as significant contributors to the Four Horsemen’s schemes. The female did not have this kind of
moment.
There were various twists in this
movie – ranging from tiny to mind-blowing, but all delightful. But the main twist of the movie, however, was
almost predictable. The identity of the
“Fifth” Horseman was almost too easy to decipher. Why?
(spoiler) He’s that guy that the movie was seemingly trying hard of
making as the guy you won’t ever expect.
Nonetheless, it was still a wonderful development.
The entire movie is one, big magic
show – full of misdirection, mystery, thrills, and wondrous entertainment.
* * *
TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2013
10.) ODD THOMAS
9.) MAN OF STEEL
8.) PACIFIC RIM
7.) MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
6.) THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
5.) IRON MAN 3
4.) THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF
SMAUG
3.) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
2.) GRAVITY
1.) NOW YOU SEE ME
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