It's true of course that "best" is a bit of a slippery term. It kind of depends on who you're asking and what standards, personal or otherwise, they're applying. Plus, the year ain't quite over yet and your faithful reporter cannot claim to have seen the second part of The Hobbit yet, so, all bets are hedged on that one.
Jumping the gun on the Hobbit though probably isn't such a leap of faith. Since it was made pretty much simultaneously with part 1, it's pretty safe to assume it will replicate the former's same pros and cons: to be precise, more fresh humor than we'd anticipated, but a bit too much in the action thing. One of the ingredients of LOTR's success was the sure handed balancing of action adventure and introspection (all that soul searching, battling the evil within, stuff). Sadly, the initial installment of the Hobbit strayed too far toward the action end of the spectrum. Who knows, though, perhaps the balance has been restored in the editing room. We will see.
Otherwise, though, the field is pretty well revealed. Considering what's been already released, and screenings achieved by our secret sources, ahead of the general population, confidence oozes as we declare for the best movies of 2013 - or, rather, the best movie! Some will suggest that the decision is made by the people. They have cast their ballots with the laying down of their hard earned money.
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.
And so, now you know, the die is cast, the truth is told, our favorite for 2013 is revealed. Or, anyway, that's our story and we're sticking to it. Unquestionably, there were some other excellent offerings, which have received a well deserved not. Le Week-End, with its dark and brooding, funny and cruel, rich dialogue, that scorches the soul even as it may well up a tear or two, is our pick for the best of the best movies of 2013. If you think we're wrong, let us know why.
Jumping the gun on the Hobbit though probably isn't such a leap of faith. Since it was made pretty much simultaneously with part 1, it's pretty safe to assume it will replicate the former's same pros and cons: to be precise, more fresh humor than we'd anticipated, but a bit too much in the action thing. One of the ingredients of LOTR's success was the sure handed balancing of action adventure and introspection (all that soul searching, battling the evil within, stuff). Sadly, the initial installment of the Hobbit strayed too far toward the action end of the spectrum. Who knows, though, perhaps the balance has been restored in the editing room. We will see.
Otherwise, though, the field is pretty well revealed. Considering what's been already released, and screenings achieved by our secret sources, ahead of the general population, confidence oozes as we declare for the best movies of 2013 - or, rather, the best movie! Some will suggest that the decision is made by the people. They have cast their ballots with the laying down of their hard earned money.
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.
And so, now you know, the die is cast, the truth is told, our favorite for 2013 is revealed. Or, anyway, that's our story and we're sticking to it. Unquestionably, there were some other excellent offerings, which have received a well deserved not. Le Week-End, with its dark and brooding, funny and cruel, rich dialogue, that scorches the soul even as it may well up a tear or two, is our pick for the best of the best movies of 2013. If you think we're wrong, let us know why.
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Or, see his controversial piece on the reasons behind the success of Mad Men, at the Don Draper Haircut site.
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