End of 2013: 15 Favourite films of the Year

I know it is too late but I am back with my final list for 2013 and it is big one - Favourite films of the year. I won’t do any honourable mentions here but if you are interested, here is a list of all the films from 2013 I saw ranked. Not much to add, let's get to movies!

15. Blancanieves: You can guess that I love Black and White films because there are going to be three on this list. But I don't think anybody, including me, would've guessed that I would have a black and white silent film putting its own spin on Snow white fairy tale, set in 1920's Spain that revolves around female bullfighter. Especially when I saw it on those small, crappy screens on flights. But it did!

14. Her: I had my doubts on whether Her would work based on its premise. But I was so engrossed in this film that for whole length of movie, I didn't even think about it once. It would have been ranked higher if I can figure out what exactly I thought of its ending but it wins on so many other levels to leave it out of this list completely - beautiful story, Phoenix's unexpected and charming portrayal, Adams, Johansson's voice work, just to name a few.

13. Frances Ha: I have said this before that this film came as a genuine pleasant surprise for me. Based on whatever little history I have with both Gerwig and Baumbach, I was fully prepared to be annoyed, irritated by it but it was lovely, heartfelt. Frances does a lot of crazy things in film but she was just charming or self deprecating enough for me to never feel like going off the rails, even when she goes to Paris for couple of days on whim.

12. 12 Years a Slave: Even since I've seen this, I've been trying to figure out how I really feel about it. If I am being very honest, as much as I liked it, it didn't hit me that hard like it did many others and I frankly think that's because I've never been there. But then I think of something like Mother India(1957), which is a kind of movie that is hard to sell to anyone if you don't get it and that makes me respect it more because I like Mother India(1957). I guess all I am saying is I may not love it but I really respect it for what it is.

11. Blue is the Warmest Colour: Blue has been in news since winning its Palme d'Or for various reasons. I am not really interested in how many of those things were true and how many were not but one thing is for sure - it is a damn fine film spearheaded by two amazing performances, especially by Adele Exarcholpoulis. It's incredible how natural she is in this role and actually it's not just her. Everything about this film falls exactly in place.

10. Captain Phillips: I have not seen a whole lot of Greengrass' work but he seems to know how to hold viewer's attention very well. He puts us right in the middle of things with the opening scene of film itself and it only builds from there till that final scene where Tom Hanks just kills it. This film is greatly assisted by two phenomenal performances that certainly elevate it to another level but Greengrass' stern direction also deserves credit for keeping tight control of this ship. It was always clear that he was the real captain of this ship.

9. The Wolf of Wall Street: I have said this before and I will say this again - if you think this films is trying to glorify Jordan Belford, his lifestyle or his unscrupulous ways, it is you who needs to check your own moralities than anyone else. Scorsese made this film as a passive observer and left it to us to make whatever we want to from it. Personally, it never felt like him glorifying Belford's hedonistic lifestyle because I was repulsed by its overabundance. If you feel attracted to them, who is to blame? Think again! 

8. Nebraska: Highest ranked film of the 9 Best Picture nominated films this year and last of the three B&W film on my list. Payne did not write this movie for a change but he is master of taking flawed, sometimes pathetic, sometimes irritable, unlikable characters and redeem them by the end by giving them real pathos. Woody Grant is perfect example of such a character and Nebraska is perfect example of how he makes them work. I know it never had any chance but if I had a ballot, this would be my choice.

7. Mud: I saw Mud on my way back from US to India. 30,000 feet above ground, pressure controlled cabin and small screens with no idea of what quality of print you get is certainly not the most conducive environment for movie watching, especially for someone like me who often gets airsick and to make matters worse I was flying 14 hours straight from San Francisco to Hong Kong. I guess it speaks highly of this films quality that it not only has stuck with me for past 7 months, it remained in my top 5 till start of February.

6. Before Midnight: Even though I had my doubts about this film, as I have for any sequel and even more if it is of a film I like, it was also one of my most anticipated movies of this year. This third installment also has everything that makes first two so great - long cuts, great conversations, beautiful locations and yet, like first two films, it ventures into places not many movies have before. As unromantic as it might be, it gives us what I think is most realistic stage in the relationship of Jessie and Celine and I love that they went there. And any scene that has anything like that dining table conversation scene is a win in my books. 

5: The Broken Circle Breakdown: Last two years I've been doing these lists, I've always had a foreign film topping them. If you scroll down a little, you will see that streak continuing but it's not just that. This year, none of my top 5 films is an English feature film. That in no way is a knock against mainstream Hollywood cinema; I've never had 3 BP nominees in my top 10 either so 2013 was a great year for them as well. But I think that makes this feat even more remarkable. As for the film, even though it has 'Breakdown' in the title, I never expected it to go as far as it did and it blew me away when it did.

4. The Lunchbox: I don't know what will it take for them to do it or if they ever will do it but I really wish Bollywood made more movies like this. It will probably take another Cate Blanchett to tell them - "The Earth is round, people!". As much as I like what makes it so different from everyone else and I am usually a proponent of most of it, it wouldn't harm them to start putting out more meaningful films that don't revolve around a love story. It is a very simple but elegant story told in a very straight forward but effective way. And it gets elevated to whole another level by extremely natural and charming performances by all three of its main characters.

3. Stories We Tell: I have loved Polley since I saw her first in The Sweet Hereafter(1997) and have always been interested in what she does. But I never expected anyone, even as talented as her, would do something like this. It has been months since I have seen this documentary but I still can not believe what Polley did with this documentary. Not only did she bring something buried deep into the family closet, she handles it with great poise. I am still in awe of frankness she brings into this and maturity with which she handles this whole thing looking at it from every possible angle and giving a voice to anyone and everyone related to that event. 

2. The Hunt: Obviously I loved this film, it would not have been at no.2 otherwise but what's more impressive for me is, even though this movie infuriated me like anything else, it doesn't incriminate anyone. Everyone is to be blamed and at the same time no one can be. You can't blame little girl, she doesn't know consequences of her action. You can't really blame her parents, teachers or even others in town because, frankly, I am not sure if I would've behaved any differently if put into anyone's shoes. And even then we feel so sorry that Lucas has to go through such an ordeal for no mistake of his own.

1. The Past: As I noted before, streak that started with Incendies(2011) and continued with Amour(2012) last year has continued this year with The Past. They are all foreign, they are all tragedies and they are all hard to watch and maybe even like but I not only like them; I love them. I have never seen either Incendies or Amour again after seeing them once and I have no intention of doing that anytime soon but they have firmly secured their place in my top 100 and it will be a while before they will be displaced, if at all they will be.

Farhadi seems to revel in bringing out dynamics of people going through divorce. He did that beautifully in A Separation(2011)(which, BTW, has become my second favourite movie of that year behind Incendies), he does that equally potently here though there is whole different dynamic of their kids here. But what made The Past special for me was the way everything just gets worse and worse as we get deeper into the story. And like The Hunt, I have no idea whom to blame. Maybe everyone or maybe no one!

Catching up with 2013 Mini- Reviews: Part One

Before Midnight(2013): One of the best trilogies of our times is finally complete! Off course, we don't know if Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke will stop after this third installment. Hell, till this time last year I doubt if I knew there will be this third installment. I remember when the news broke that they are already working on this one, my first reaction was Why? Off course, I loved the first two and coming out of nowhere, this third movie seemed like nothing but a bad idea. Fortunately, Linklater-Delpy-Hawke trio proved everyone wrong. Not only did they prove everyone wrong, I guess now people will be much more receptive of any further installments if there are any. I ain't asking for them but I know I will be if they are up for it.

At the end of Before Sunset(2004), Jesse misses his plane and stays with Celine. Nine years after, they are not only still together but also have beautiful twin daughters. It opens with Jesse dropping his son, from his first wife, off at the airport. They are spending their summer somewhere in Greece at one of Jesse's writer friend's house. Once again, we spend a day of their life with them and once again we get plenty of long takes and beautiful conversations. As a matter of fact, I think I can make a strong case for the dinner table scene as not only the best scene of the whole trilogy but even one of the best ever. Delpy's bimbo herself would win half the battle. And then there is Natalia's story to cap it off. The only difference is this time, having spent nine years together, their whirlwind, perfect romance is through it's spring and is moving more towards its autumn. Conversations here are more about how the other one is suffocating them in this relationship. Sometimes it is just a cordial nudging, teasing while at one point it even transforms into full-blown storm. 

It's obviously hard to see what many of us perceive as the ideal, almost ethereal romance going through these very earthly phases but, if truth be told, I like the fact that they dared to go there. And not only did they go there but they did it convincingly. Sure we can go on playing the blame game, which as a matter of fact both Celine and Jesse do plenty of, but what I liked about it is it exposes both the sides. On many occasions, I found myself leaning back and forth during their fight. And in the end we have a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, if we get another film, they are still together. I really, really hope they are!
Rating(out of 5):

Pacific Rim(2013): Yet another film that I had my doubts about when I first heard about it. I will be honest; from the trailer it looked like another Michael Bay vehicle with all the technology and showiness and not much anything else. Sure, it had Del Toro at the helm but you never know. Well, it was definitely better than that. I like the fact that it tries to go against the norm. For starters, Kaijus come from underground; not the biggest of the difference but hey, nobody thought of that before. Their first strike comes down at San Francisco. Once again, it is still in US but at least not New York and when was the last time someone mentioned Manilla in a disaster film? I was happy for all that but unfortunately, that ends here. 

Everything later on is pretty generic. It sets up the whole film in first 5 minutes with most generic voice over narration. As a typical disaster film, it gets over emotional at the end trying to make a big statement. It has all the typical characters, follows certain pattern and even overthrows logic for making a spectacle of it all. But fortunately, despite all that, it isn’t a crappy film. Even if it is just a spectacle, it is a good spectacle. Actually, it is a good action film. Technology used is brilliant, visuals are stunning, fights are amazing and both Kaijus and Jaegers are designed with great care eye for the detail. There is almost no dull moment in the film and as the movie progresses, even though very predictable and unnecessarily emotional, fights only get bigger and bigger in scale. Even though none of the actors was bad, I don't think they had much to do here. I remember Rinko Kikuchi being the big deal at the time of its release. She is quite good as well but except for the fact that she was a woman who had something to do other than being a love interest, I didn't think there was anything different to her character than all the others in the movie. Overall, I think Pacific Rim was worth watching for its technical feat but on the narrative side, it definitely could have been much better.
Rating(out of 5):

Stories We Tell(2013): I have been a fan of Sarah Polley’s work for a few years now. In the early months of this blog, I watched The Sweet Hereafter(1997) which affected me dearly. In fact, it was the first ever review I wrote. Ian Holm’s harrowing portrait of this guilt ridden lawyer was certainly the main reason for it but Polley’s Nicole, the only survivor of the accident, made quite an impression on me. Then Away From Her(2006), which believe it or not also introduced me to wonderful Julie Christy, and last year’s Take This Waltz(2012) further cemented her position. But even then I don’t think I ever expected something like this from her. Well, I didn’t expect something like this from anyone but here I am. Not only watching it but also writing about it.

Since it made its first screening in last year’s TIFF, Stories We Tell has been on my radar. I have tried to keep my distance but despite my best effort, I was exposed to certain facts about it prior to watching it. [SPOILER ALERT] I knew it revealed that Michael Polley is not her biological father. It even told who is her real father[SPOILER END]. So I thought I would be ready for it when it comes. To my utter surprise, it still sneaked up on me and even more surprisingly; this prior knowledge did not ruin the whole thing for me. What I did feel throughout the film but some sort of voyeuristic guilt, like watching something I am not supposed to and despite knowing that full well, can't take my eyes off because it is so fascinating. I still can’t believe she made a film out of something so personal and here is the whole family talking so candidly about it. Candidly! That’s a word of prime importance here as, despite everything, none of the family seems to be engaging much in the blame game. I am sure there are many families with similar stories out there but what impressed me the most about this documentary was the maturity with which this family handles the whole situation and how Polley presents it exploring every facet of the story.

This whole story is about perspectives. Like Rashomon(1950), this film is trying to tell us how the story changes according to who is telling the story? what are his affiliations and motives to be involved in this story? As Polley says towards end that to get the whole story, she felt it necessary to include everyone that played part in this story or was affected by it. It’s fascinating to watch every person associated with the story has his own version of it. At the end, it drags a bit longer than necessary but other than that I don't believe there are many films that made me think about so many things before.

Rating(out of 5):