Top Ten Best of: 2013

Greetings fellow film-maniacs!

2013 was a great year for cinema.

We had great art house films and great action-packed blockbusters.

Now that the year is over, I think it's time to do my “Top 10 Best of 2013” list. 

DISCLAIMER 1: This is the list of my favorite films of the year.  This isn't what I think should win the Oscars or even be nominated; it's just my taste.  As John Campea of AMC Movie Talk says, "All film is subjective."

DISCLAIMER 2: All reviews are spoiler free unless noted beforehand in a disclaimer.

Before I get to my countdown, let me name some honorable mentions that were hard to not include in my list:

Delivery Man (Guilty pleasure of mine)

Grudge Match (Guilty pleasure of mine)

Iron Man 3

Insidious Chapter 2

Warm Bodies(Which makes number 11 if I went higher)

Olympus Has Fallen

The Croods

Okay, here we go…

10: Driving in at number 10 is the first film directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Jon.  Don Jon is expertly written and directed.  All the acting was superb.  The direction of JGL was sub par.  Don Jon really shows how stupid men’s and women's imagination of love can be.

9: Raining in at number 9 is a film that I had no expectations going into.  This choice may also lose respect but it nearly made me piss myself.  My number 9 film is Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.  Bad Grandpa isn't for everyone but if you believe in all-goes-in film, then Bad Grandpa is for you.  Bad Grandpa's comedy is top notch. There were a few scenes that I thought I was going to pass out because I was laughing too much.  The story is OK, especially with it being a Jackass film, it could've been terrible.  The story is believable, but unbelievable at the same time. 

8: Cruising in at number 8 is Star Trek: Into Darkness.  I had loads of excitement coming into Star Trek, and I can say it didn't exceed my expectations, but it wasn't lower.  Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays John Harrison was excellent.  Benedict Cumberbatch is knocking roles out of the park.  J. J. Abrams direction could be better than the first Star Trek. The action is clear and concise and I didn't want to puke afterwards.

7: Sailing in at number 7 is a true (or at least a kinda true) story, Captain Phillips.  Captain Phillips stars one of my favorite actors, Tom Hanks.  Tom Hanks is on point as Captain Phillips.  I saw the character Captain Phillips when I watched this feature, not Tom Hanks.  It is expertly directed by Paul Greengrass.  Even though I knew the story and remembered when it happened a few years ago, I was on the edge of my seat in the last 15 minutes of the movie.

6: Flying in at number 6 is my favorite superhero, Man of Steel.  Despite quite a bit of hate, I love Man of Steel.  The action is beautiful and amazing.  Zack Snyder really knows how to do action.  A lot of hate gets thrown at the storyline.  Some say the story was weak, but I thought it was fantastic.  Michael Shannon's character, General Zod, is probably my favorite villain of 2013.  While he was hated, you can feel his plight to bring back his race.  I personally cannot wait for Man of Steel 2.

5: Appearing at number 5 is James Wan's scare fest, The Conjuring.  I had a lot of hype coming into this movie because I love James Wan's work.  He is one of my favorite directors working right now.  The Conjuring scares were on point.  Everything kept the suspense going; from the story, to the demon, to the sound.  The sound design felt like it was in the room with you.  I recommend this to all horror fans.

4: Journeying in at number 4 is the newest film in Middle Earth, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  I am a huge fan of the first Lord of the Rings trilogy.  The first Hobbit didn't live up to its expectations but it was still worth it.  This one surpasses all expectations.  Peter Jackson did it again.  The action was dazzling. Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug is one of my favorite CG character in a live action film. (POSSIBLE SPOILER)This movie really shows this trilogy is about Thorin Oakenshield not Bilbo. 

3:  Rolling in at number 3 is the story of the Mouse and Poppins joining forces, Saving Mr. Banks.  Saving Mr. Banks has a phenomenal story.  The actors of the film were all superb.  The direction is expertly done.  It is an eye-opening experience in a behind-the-scenes kind of look.  Tom Hanks was fantastic as Walt Disney.  He transforms himself so perfectly in every single role he plays.

2: Coming in at number 2 is The Wolf of Wall Street.  The Wolf of Wall Street is my favorite live-action film of the year.  The acting and direction are great.  Martin Scorsese really knocked this film out of the park.  This is my favorite Leonardo Dicaprio film.  The greatest strength of this movie is the outstanding dialogue.  It's a 3-hour movie, but I could've sat through 3 more hours with no problem. I definitely will be getting this on Blu Ray.

1: Blowing in at number 1, my favorite film of the year, Frozen.  Frozen is a movie I was not interested in at all by the trailer.  I thought it was going to be cheesy, but boy, was I wrong.  I absolutely love this film.  The acting and story were great.  Let me talk about the music for a minute. The Frozen soundtrack could be the best sound track of the year.  Frozen is now my number 3 favorite animated movie of all time, with Toy Story being number 2 and Lion King being number 1.  I recommend this to all families looking for a good time. 

So that’s my list.

Like I said, this is my opinion so if I missed some of yours, I apologize, but this is my list.

Please comment with your choices, I would love to chat movies with you. 

My top ten worst list will be up tomorrow, 1/6/14.

Thank you for reading, and surf on back for all your movie reviews and movie news!

Keep on babbling, film-maniacs.