Best Film of 2013

Finally we make it to the last category and arguably the most important one. With this list you have to take into consideration the films I’ve missed during the year and the fact that this is just my own opinion. No need to take it so seriously!

It has been great fun going back through all the films of 2013, working out which ones I've still to get on DVD/Blu Ray and which ones I should be telling anyone who will listen to avoid. So I'll shut up now and get on with it, here are my favourite films of 2013!

This was a hard one to pick, between this and White House Down, however I decided upon the slightly more realistic feeling ‘attack on the White House’ film as my favourite. Gerard Butler plays up the muscle man on a mission to prove his worth. Explosions, punches and a thin plotline about terrorists are the main ingredients for this Action Film Fantasy, but you don’t really need anything else. I also love that the essence of this film boils down to the White House is saved by some dude from Paisley!

This is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me – very girly and musical, but sometimes you just need a bit of fluff! This does the job with an engaging cast and an interesting take on the underdog story – a bit like Bring It On but with singing instead of cheerleading. Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson hold the cast together well in this funny, smart and thoroughly likeable film. Even if the songs are not to your taste there is real heart that keeps you satisfied.

[Original Review] And what an End it is! Even with the bible quotes and religious undertones peppered throughout (never to be taken too seriously), I loved this film. Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, this plays on the real life personalities of themselves and their famous friends, then racks up the silliness in fistfuls to great effect.

This one feels like it was out years ago now but that is why it is in my top 10 – the story, the soundtrack, the performances, they all still are fresh in my mind even from way back in January last year. Big props go to Christophe Waltz, Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio – whether out on their own or all together these three provided the pedestal that Quentin Tarantino could depend on nicely.

[Original Review] ‘Another!’ smashes mug on floor.

Time to catch up with the Asgardians after the mess they left in New York during Avengers Assemble and what a joy it was. As with most of the Marvel Avengers franchise, this film has a great balance of action, humour and emotional depth. Of the two Marvel films out, the other being Iron Man 3, this one just edged it way into my heart a little more - as you could tell by my comparing it to a cake in my October review!

[Original Review] Got a box of tissues with you? I certainly needed them, as did many other people who ‘had something in their eye’ or was ‘just getting over a cold’. Dench and Coogan provided the perfect double act in this heart wrenching story, based on the true and grim story of the Catholic church and their money-making business of selling children. It was great to see this film get some Oscar nods including Best Picture and Dench as Best Actress.

[Top 2013 Review] Reaching the top spot on my ‘Most Surprising’ film of the year list, I don’t need to say too much here. This is one gritty film that I could go back to over and over with a powerful performance from Michael Shannon.

Guns, girls and James Franco’s teeth – that’s what you leave with, that and an uneasy sense that you kind of wish it could have been you. A wild, neon coloured dream of teenage recklessness and gratuitous, if subdued, violence. It is absurd and equally refreshing with a repetition and rhythm that keeps bringing you back down and grounding the events in a heightened version of reality. Just don’t watch this with your parents!

Disney Pixar hits it out the park again. This is a Disney princess tale without you even knowing it (unless like me you saw it three times in the cinema). In a fake world of computer games and consoles there is a basis of real emotion that works well and a great group of characters that are hard to not love. The funky soundtrack and the fast, bright colours keep the kids entertained just as much as it did me. On a personal note I would have loved to of seen a bigger nod to Tron.

This is a bit of a nerd choice and I also know there are some people, fans or otherwise, that will disagree with my favourite film of the year. However I have my reasons even if they are the same reasons other disagree with. Overall this was a fun, action-packed and, at times, tense sci-fi with a cast of characters that have you hooked from the start.

It was a bold choice during Star Trek (2009) to restart the timeline, and it only seems right that the crew would still encounter the same people on their journeys through this new timeline but do things differently and end up with different consequences. I really enjoyed the mirroring and shout-outs to the original series and films, it in no way felt like they were making fun of or copying but playing with the rich history of the Star Trek universe to satisfy the fans and newcomers.

One thing it could do with is less Uhura and more Bones, focussing on the original relationship between the boys that made the original series such a success. No matter this minor complaint, when the music starts and the Enterprise is introduced in all its glory, I still can’t help but get the goosebumps!

For good measure here are another ten that narrowly missed out on reaching my top 10 best films of 2013: Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa [OR], The Way, Way Back [OR], Iron Man 3, Gravity [OR], Argo, The World’s End [OR], White House Down [OR], 42 [OR], Gangster Squad and Don Jon [OR]. However if you disagree or have your own opinion please feel free to add a comment below, which I can then ignore and go back to watching Star Trek Into Darkness again!

So I'll be back again next year with my 'awards', until then keep coming back to see my reviews of the films during 2014, which is off to a great start so far and long may it continue. 

Here are some that I'm especially excited about - big ones like Maleficent, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, How to Train your Dragon 2 and the rebooting of Transformers with Mark Wahlberg of all people. Then some smaller ones like Only Lovers Left Alive, The Boxtrolls, Chef, Zero Theorem, The Fault in our Stars and Snowpiercer. Find out if they live up to my expectations back here over the coming months.