Mallard's Top 10 of 2013
1. Fruitvale Station- Follows the life of Oscar Grant (played by Michael B. Jordan), and the events leading up to his tragic death. Understated yet powerful, with some of the most genuine performances of the year.
Scene to watch for: Any scene with Oscar and his daughter.
2. The Wolf of Wall Street- This is a wild ride of a movie. Leonardo DiCaprio is phenomenal as the man addicted to sex, drugs, and of course money.
Scene to watch for: Jordan Belfort (Leo) has taken a lethal amount of quaaludes and must attempt to pull it together to get to his car and drive home.
8. The Way, Way Back- One of the better coming-of-age films in recent memory, thanks to a clever script from Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, and awesome performances from the always spot-on Sam Rockwell and Steve Carrell playing against type.
Honorable Mentions: "American Hustle", "Star Trek Into Darkness", "Catching Fire", "Elysium"
Scene to watch for: Any scene with Oscar and his daughter.
2. The Wolf of Wall Street- This is a wild ride of a movie. Leonardo DiCaprio is phenomenal as the man addicted to sex, drugs, and of course money.
Scene to watch for: Jordan Belfort (Leo) has taken a lethal amount of quaaludes and must attempt to pull it together to get to his car and drive home.
3. 12 Years a Slave- A harrowing, incredibly moving film. Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a truly soulful performance as Solomon Northup.
Scene to watch for: Solomon Northup joining in singing "Roll Jordan Roll" during a funeral.
4. Blackfish- An eye-opening documentary that sheds light on the corporate greed of Sea World, and their utter disregard for the whales (and their own employees). Not to mention the lack of oversight and cover-ups when fatal incidents do occur.
Scene to watch for: Sea World trainers admitting to receiving very little training and being inadequately prepared to deal with whales that weigh upwards of 10,000 lbs.
5. Gravity- Sandra Bullock hangs in the balance of life and death in this visual spectacle directed by Alfonso Cuaron. The cinematography/visual effects alone make this one worth watching, to say nothing of Bullock's award-caliber performance.
Scene to watch for: Bullock escaping from an exploding space station.
6. Rush- Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl (Inglourious Basterds) are Formula 1 racing rivals James Hunt and Nikki Lauda in this surprisingly good Ron Howard film. I knew nothing about Formula 1 or either of the real-life figures that the film is based on, yet I was completely drawn in by this story. The race scenes aren't too shabby either.
Scene to watch for: Nikki Lauda picks up two hitchhikers and gives them the ride of their life.
7. The World's End- The third outing for Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright may be their best one yet.
Scene to watch for: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost drunkenly debating human nature with a third party who is clearly pissed off at their belligerence.
Scene to watch for: Sam Rockwell quoting "I Need a Hero" to youngsters who have no idea what he's talking about.
9. Blue Jasmine- Cate Blanchett lives and breathes Jasmine, the emotional train wreck who must get used to not being fabulously wealthy anymore.
Scene to watch for: Cate Blanchett drunkenly gives life advice to her two young nephews.
10. This is the End- For a comedy nerd such as myself, this movie was bliss. No, it's not a great film by any stretch, but it is extremely entertaining.
Scene to watch for: Danny McBride and James Franco's shouting match.
Disclaimer: I have yet to see Spike Jonze's "Her" or the Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis"
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