Yes, finally, the best, but, really, what does "best" mean? It's kind of relative to the one giving the opinion. The matter of choosing the best movie of the year is additionally complicated by the fact that not all the entries are in yet. Most noteworthy from these concerns, we have to hedge our bets a little, since we still haven't seen part 2 of The Hobbit.
We're going to go out on a limb, though and anticipate that - since they were produced more or less simultaneously - part 2 will share the first installment's virtues and vices: which is to say, somewhat fresher humor than was expected, but a tad excessive on the action front. Lord of the Rings mostly did well striking the right balance between action and introspection. (You know, all that dark night of soul, battling the evil within, stuff.) Part one of the Hobbit erred too much in the direction of the action genre. Hope reigns supreme though that the second part will recover the initial recipe of the franchise's success. The jury is still out.
Between though what's been released and what our secret sources have given us access to ahead of the gen-pop, we feel comfortable in declaring for the best movies of 2013 - or, more precisely, the best movie! One criterion of course is to let the people have their say. They vote with their hard earned dollars and that at least deserves honorable mention.
If you want to take that route, our winner would be Iron Man 3. This very morning, Box Office Mojo says it has grossed just shy of $410 million Shekels. As a brief aside, I have to admit being stunned by this fact. Would anyone, honestly, have anticipated the star of The Pick-Up Artist and Two Girls and a Guy, or the persona of Larry Paul from the Ally McBeal show, being the superhero star of a multi-million dollar action franchise? Really? Goodness, that's about as likely as Tobey Maguire being the superhero star of a multi-million dollar action franchise. And that's impossible, right?
But, gentle sirs (and ladies), by no means is The Best Movies of 2013 dot Net a democracy. We'll have none of that, here. We have our own esoteric and somewhat elitist standards, thank you. And, I assure you, bums in seats ain't it. We have to at least give honorable mention to a film that many will consider the best of the year. Sound City is a wonderful documentary that tells the story of one of the treasures of American rock and pop music. Tucked away in the San Fernando Valley, this remarkable studio, on the strength of its technical superiority became a recording Mecca for many of contemporary music's iconic figures.
Those ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Neil Young, to Nirvana and Metallica made the trek to the studio so far off the beaten track. The film tells the story of the studio through the eyes of those whose music was so influenced by its contribution to the contemporary music sound. This is really a great movie experience. However, really, we're not going to be so namby-pamby as to name a doc best movie of the year. Come on, now.
No, rather, we're leading the charge, ahead of the curve, throwing down the gauntlet: declaring that soul scorching flick, Le Week-End as our the best movie of the year. Don't freak out, it's not some obtuse foreign film (that would be as bad as naming a doc best movie). The Frenchified title points to the film's location, in Paris. It's there that we find a British couple in the throes of marital ennui. They are fantastically portrayed by still astoundingly gorgeous Lindsay Duncan and the painfully dowdy Jim Broadbent.
We don't want to give too much away, the dialogue is too rich and delicious to spoil, but if you're a fan of Richard Linklater's great Before Sunset series, imagine Jesse and Celine right at the end of their relationship, where cleverness has been reduced to passive aggressive cruelty. It really is though more fun than that makes it sound.
Special mention too has to be made of the wonderful supporting contribution of Jeff Goldblum. He's becoming a master of these colorful supporting roles later in his career. This still isn't up to the spooky, darkly menacing performance in Igby Goes Down, but it's still mighty fine. It is a performance for which the tall guy will long be remembered.
So, that's our story and we're sticking with it. There were some other really good movies in 2013, which have received a well deserved not. It is though Le Week-End, dark and brooding, funny and cruel, scorching the soul and maybe welling up just a tear or two, which is our pick for the very best movie of 2013. And, if you think we're wrong, well, tell us why.
We're going to go out on a limb, though and anticipate that - since they were produced more or less simultaneously - part 2 will share the first installment's virtues and vices: which is to say, somewhat fresher humor than was expected, but a tad excessive on the action front. Lord of the Rings mostly did well striking the right balance between action and introspection. (You know, all that dark night of soul, battling the evil within, stuff.) Part one of the Hobbit erred too much in the direction of the action genre. Hope reigns supreme though that the second part will recover the initial recipe of the franchise's success. The jury is still out.
Between though what's been released and what our secret sources have given us access to ahead of the gen-pop, we feel comfortable in declaring for the best movies of 2013 - or, more precisely, the best movie! One criterion of course is to let the people have their say. They vote with their hard earned dollars and that at least deserves honorable mention.
If you want to take that route, our winner would be Iron Man 3. This very morning, Box Office Mojo says it has grossed just shy of $410 million Shekels. As a brief aside, I have to admit being stunned by this fact. Would anyone, honestly, have anticipated the star of The Pick-Up Artist and Two Girls and a Guy, or the persona of Larry Paul from the Ally McBeal show, being the superhero star of a multi-million dollar action franchise? Really? Goodness, that's about as likely as Tobey Maguire being the superhero star of a multi-million dollar action franchise. And that's impossible, right?
But, gentle sirs (and ladies), by no means is The Best Movies of 2013 dot Net a democracy. We'll have none of that, here. We have our own esoteric and somewhat elitist standards, thank you. And, I assure you, bums in seats ain't it. We have to at least give honorable mention to a film that many will consider the best of the year. Sound City is a wonderful documentary that tells the story of one of the treasures of American rock and pop music. Tucked away in the San Fernando Valley, this remarkable studio, on the strength of its technical superiority became a recording Mecca for many of contemporary music's iconic figures.
Those ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Neil Young, to Nirvana and Metallica made the trek to the studio so far off the beaten track. The film tells the story of the studio through the eyes of those whose music was so influenced by its contribution to the contemporary music sound. This is really a great movie experience. However, really, we're not going to be so namby-pamby as to name a doc best movie of the year. Come on, now.
No, rather, we're leading the charge, ahead of the curve, throwing down the gauntlet: declaring that soul scorching flick, Le Week-End as our the best movie of the year. Don't freak out, it's not some obtuse foreign film (that would be as bad as naming a doc best movie). The Frenchified title points to the film's location, in Paris. It's there that we find a British couple in the throes of marital ennui. They are fantastically portrayed by still astoundingly gorgeous Lindsay Duncan and the painfully dowdy Jim Broadbent.
We don't want to give too much away, the dialogue is too rich and delicious to spoil, but if you're a fan of Richard Linklater's great Before Sunset series, imagine Jesse and Celine right at the end of their relationship, where cleverness has been reduced to passive aggressive cruelty. It really is though more fun than that makes it sound.
Special mention too has to be made of the wonderful supporting contribution of Jeff Goldblum. He's becoming a master of these colorful supporting roles later in his career. This still isn't up to the spooky, darkly menacing performance in Igby Goes Down, but it's still mighty fine. It is a performance for which the tall guy will long be remembered.
So, that's our story and we're sticking with it. There were some other really good movies in 2013, which have received a well deserved not. It is though Le Week-End, dark and brooding, funny and cruel, scorching the soul and maybe welling up just a tear or two, which is our pick for the very best movie of 2013. And, if you think we're wrong, well, tell us why.
About the Author:
Or, see his controversial piece on the reasons behind the success of Mad Men, at the Don Draper Haircut site.
