2013 Favorite Films

I saw more movies in the theater in 2013 than any year I can remember.  I saw blockbusters, small independent films, comedies, dramas, documentaries, and more than my fair share of student films at festivals.   As a television and film teacher, I just wish I could convince the IRS all of these film-going experiences should be tax deductible.  Even so, my money was well spent this year as movie after movie made me love what I do even more.  Here’s a look at some of my favorites from 2013. 

Short Term 12

Disclaimer: my friend and co-worker, Destin Daniel Cretton, wrote and directed this movie, and I am all about supporting my creative friends’ films, books, albums, etc.  But, my love for this movie goes way beyond supporting a friend.  Short Term 12 was my favorite movie this year, and one of my favorite films in a long time.  I saw it three times in the theater, and the last time I saw a movie more than twice at the theater was my favorite childhood film, Back to the Future.  This film about troubled teens and their caregivers in a short-term facility is a compassionate and hopeful, yet heart-wrenchingly realistic story that you must see. 

The Way Way Back

Sam Rockwell’s character, Owen, is my hero in this film about a teenager, Duncan, struggling to fit in during an awkward summer vacation with his mom and her boyfriend.  Rockwell joins an amazing cast, including Steve Carrell, Allison Janney, Toni Collette, Maya Rudolph, and Liam James as Duncan. Owen is the manager of Water Wizz, the local water park, and he gives Duncan a job and a friendship that transforms the young man.

Gravity

Gravity deserves all the recognition its getting for this breathtaking and genuinely moving film. I’ve always enjoyed a good space movie, and this is the best one I have seen in a long time.  Worth every extra dollar I spent on seeing it in 3D and IMAX for this blockbuster film with two of today’s biggest stars, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.   I once thought Tom Hanks gave the best one-actor-only extended movie performance in Castaway.  Sandra Bullock tops it in this film. 

Lee Daniels’ The Butler

I watched the entire credits of this film, because I wanted to see the names of every person who brought this important story to the screen.  I love when a movie can help bring history to life in an engaging, thoughtful, and powerful way.  Thank you Lee Daniels for this film and the stellar performances you brought out of Forrest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey and the entire cast.  I hope generations will learn from this fictional portrayal of a real-life presidential butler.

Don Jon

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of my favorite actors today, and in this movie he’s a triple-threat: writer-director-actor.  The underlying theme of how pornography can negatively impact real life is powerful, and I appreciate that both men and women’s unrealistic expectations are addressed.  I just wish he could have told the story without flashing the pornographic images on the screen every time Don Jon boots up his computer.  Still, it’s a strong film with a strong message from a great filmmaker.  Plus, there are some standout performances by Tony Danza (THE Tony Danza), Scarlett Johansson, and Julianne Moore. 

Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto are exceptional as two unlikely friends, both fighting the AIDS virus in this compelling film, based on a true story of a Texas electrician and rodeo cowboy who contracts the virus in 1985.  McConaughey’s character, Ron Woodruff, sets up a buyers club with Rayon (Leto), a transsexual, to help AIDS patients buy medication they could not receive otherwise at the time.

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

As an avid fiction reader since I was a kid, it’s unusual for a movie to surpass my imagination when its based on a book I have read.  Director Francis Lawrence accomplishes just that in part two of the Hunger Games series – his visualization of this story was beyond mine.  And, the casting of all the main characters in the two Hunger Games films so far has been perfect.   I am excited that the trilogy will be multiplied into four films. 

Drinking Buddies

Friendships can be complicated. A friendship between a man and a woman just adds more possibility of complication.   Throw in beer, jobs at a brewery, and things get even more complex between the co-workers played by Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson.  A limited-release film that’s well worth seeing if you like friends, beer, and good filmmaking. 

Fruitvale Station

I did not want this film to end for two reasons: #1 Michael B. Jordan, of Friday Night Lights TV fame, is compelling and engaging as Oscar Grant, a young man going through one day of his life trying to be a better person for his family and himself,  #2 This film is based on a true story out of the news headlines, and I didn’t want Grant to die at the end of this day in the fatal incident at the Fruitvale BART station in the Bay area.  Honestly, the optimist in me kept hoping for a happy Hollywood ending.  This is an awesome film, but I am not sure I could watch it again because of the heartbreaking climax.  

Thor: The Dark World

There were a lot of good super hero films in 2013, but Thor: The Dark World was my favorite in all aspects.  Some may say I’m a little biased, as a big fan of my fellow long-haired, super hero played again by Chris Hemsworth.  But, I’ve played a journalist on television, and I can give an impartial report on a film.  I’ll even prove I can look beyond my strong, personal connection with The Mighty Thor, and say Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Thor’s brother, is one of my favorite movie villains.  See I can be fair and unbiased – I should hate Loki. 

Other great films I saw in 2013: Rush, Jobs, Despicable Me 2, In A World, 2 Guns, The World’s End, The Wolverine.