Paul's Picks: The Ten Best Films of 2013

Incredibly, for once my years really wasn't focused primarily on film. I was married on June 26, 2013, and that took my focus away both from making and seeing films. As such, there are a lot more films I didn't see this year than most. Also, a few big awards contenders (such as Spike Jonze's Her ) still haven't screened for press here in Utah, so I haven't seen them.  But here are my persoal. highly subjective (i.e. I don't to hear your crap) picks for the 10 films that had the most impact on me in one way or another in 2013 (the list of runners up came quite close and it was tough to make cuts in some cases, although for picking number 1 couldn't have been easier.



1. 12 Years A Slave
I can't remember a time since the release of Schindler's List 20 years ago that it was so easy to pick my number 1 film for the year. Steve McQueen's masterpiece is heartbreaking, devestating, and at times inspiring, finally giving us as close as we can get to a definitive film about slavery. Lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and the entire supporting cast are superb, and McQueen's direction is utterly flawless. One of the best films I have ever seen.








2. Gravity
Director Alfonso Cuaron uses 3D IMAX to create a completely immersive, visually innovative and dazzling experience that actually feels like it takes the medium to new places instead of merely being a gimmick to jack up the price.














3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
It plays fast and loose with the midsection of Tolkien's classic, but Peter Jackson's fantasy extravanganza is one of the most thrilling blockbusters to come along in quite a while. The barrel riding sequence alone is worth multiple trips to the theater.









4. Captain Phillips
Director Paul Greengrass creates palpable tension in this utterly absorbing recount of Richard Phillips' capture by Somali pirates, aided immeasurably by Tom Hanks in peak form, giving a performance that ranks with his best.













5. Saving Mr. Banks
Tom Hanks again, utterly delightful as Walt Disney himself during the making of the classic Mary Poppins, opposite ad Oscar-worth Emma Thompson as author P.L. Travers. John Lee Hancock's film is funny, touching, and enchanting.











6. Frozen
At one invoking and breaking the mold of classic Disney fairytales, Frozen continues the string of surprising triumphs for non-Pixar Disney animation.














7. Rush
Director Ron Howard gives up one of his best films, taking a story (a rivalry between two Forumla 1 racing drivers) that held no interests for me and making it engrossing from start to finish with dazzling visuals (helped immensely by Howard's long-time editors Mike Hill and Dan Hanley) and top notch performances from Chris Hemsworth and especially Daniel Bruhl.










8. Star Trek Into Darkness
It may not be Trek at its deepest or most original, but J.J. Abram's sequel was by far the most satisfying of the summer blockbusters, the dynamic between Kirk and Spock is even stronger than last time, Benedict Cumberbatch is an exceptional villain, and the "War on Terror" subtext recalls the socio-political commentaries of some of the best episodes of the various series. A winner even if it is highly divisive among Trekkies.

9. Inside Llewyn Davis
Hilarious, melancholy and atmospheric, this is pure Coen brothers, and not likely to appeal much to those who aren't fans. But even if it leaves you feeling a little depressed, there is much to savor for those of us who love their work, and few American films are ever quite this intospective.










10. Mud
Jeff Nichols' indie drama features an extremely engaging story, great performances from Tye Sheridan, Matthew McConughey and Sam Shepard, and a surprisingly brisk pace. A real treaure.









Runners-Up: Monster University,
American Hustle, 42, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Ender's Game

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A+
Ben Stiller, Kristin Wiig, Shirley McLaine, Kathryn Hahn and Sean Penn
Based on the short story by James Thurber
Screenplay by Steve Conrad
Directed by Ben Stiller

James Thurber's classic story of a man who wants to be everything but himself is a great piece of whimsical humor, and it's most widely remembered as the inspiration for the 1947 Danny Kaye film of the same title. That is leading to the unfortunate characterization of Ben Stiller's new film  as another Hollywood remake. It's not a remake: it has nothing to do with the Danny Kaye film, which in turn had very little to do with Thurber's story. This version strays even further from the original story (no tapockata-tapocka-tapocka, but in truth both movies merely use the original source material as a jumping off point. There is not a lot of basis for comparison:  the beloved Danny Kaye version was cute, clever and diverting, but this take on the story is thoughtful, elegant and inspiring.

In this version, Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) is a negative assets manager for photographs at Life Magazine who frequently daydreams of fantastic adventures, and has a crush on his coworker Cheryl (Kristen Wiig). Photojournalist Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn), who works closely with Mitty concerning his submissions, has sent him a package containing his latest negatives and a wallet as a gift in appreciation of Walter's excellent work. Furthermore, that package contains a special photograph, negative 25, that he says in writing captures the "Quintessence of Life and that it should be used for the cover of the magazine's final issue as it converts to online status. Unfortunately, that specific negative is missing from the package and Mitty is forced to stall Ted (Adam Scott), the obnoxious corporate transition manager handling the downsizing. Using the other negatives as clues, Mitty figures out that O'Connell is in Greenland and flies there to try and find him.

Especially during the first 45 minutes of the film we are treated to the obligatory series of daydreams, most of which can be seen in the trailer, and they are memorable. In particular, a fight scene between Walter and Ted is a riot. But the daydreams are pushed more and more into the background as Walter is forced out of his comfort zone and begins to experience the wonders of real life. At the same time, the film never makes the mistake of try to villainize the power of imagination, and Walter's fantasies  are a source of strength for him. This is most memorably portrayed in a beautiful sequence where Walter draws courage to get on a helicopter by imagining Cheryl cheering him on by performing a karaoke rendition of David Bowie's  "Space Oddity," taking a cruel dig made by Ted and turning into a battle cry.

The power of imagination, of courage, and ultimately of self respect, are at the heart of this tale. Stiller the director has never shined brighter, ranging from dazzling action to moments of quiet emotion, and he gets a career best performance from Stiller the actor. The breathtaking cinematography by Stuart Dryburgh and the musical score by Theodore Shapiro combine to create a perfect picture: the "Quintessence of Walter," if you will. From the trailers, the movie was being compared to Forrest Gump or Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, but in the end, it's an experience entirely it's own. This is a modern classic, and a the crowning achievement of Stiller's career. It's also a movie that makes you happy to be alive.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is rated PG for some crude comments, mild profanity and action violence.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: B -

Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaghey, Kyle Chandler

Screenplay by Terence Winter

Directed by Martin Scorsese

In 1987, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes a stockbroker job at an established Wall street firm.. His boss, played by Matthew McConaghey (still so skinny from Dallas Buyer's Club that he can barely fill out his expensive suit)  advises him to adopt a lifestyle of casual sex and cocaine to succeed. But disaster strikes: when Jordan is barely beginning the job, Black Monday hits Wall Street, and the firm is figuratively crushed under the weight of the crash.

With Jordan unemployed in a poor job market for stockbrokers, his wife Teresa encourages him to take a job with a Long Island penny stock outfit. . His aggressive pitching style, combined with the higher commission rate of penny stocks, soon earns him a small fortune. And when a salesman named Donnie (Jonah Hill)  living in the same apartment complex sees Jordan's success, he is desperate to hitch himself to this fellow's wagon, and they decide to go into business together. To facilitate this, his accountant parents are recruited as well as several of Jordan's friends, some of them experienced marijuana dealers. Stratton Oakmont Inc. is created.  An article in Forbes dubs Jordan the "Wolf of Wall Street", and soon hundreds of ambitious young financiers flock to his company.

A decadent lifestyle of lavish parties, sex and drugs follows. By the 12th orgy scene even the more liberal members of the audience are likely to be feeling a little squeamish, and the film still has two full hours to go. Too much is never enough for Jordan, and he rides the tidal wave of success and debauchery like a man possessed, or at any rate really intent on winning an Oscar. Eventually his many indiscretions begin to catch up with him as an F.B.I. agent (Kyle Chandler) starts investigating the firm, and it's not long before things have spiraled so far out of control that it's likely that our hero couldn't figure a way out even if he was sober for a full half a day.

Director Martin Scorsese can always be counted on to deliver great performances from his actors, and this is no exception. DiCaprio gives a tour de force performance that is as exhilarating as it is painful, and much of the supporting cast does a fine job (McConaghey makes a big impression in his one scene.). Scorsese can also be counted on not to pull any punches, and here he is so determined not to sugar coat or downplay a single moment of decadence that he often looses the story in the midst of all the excess: it's almost as if he becomes so punchy over the fact that the story does not lend itself to graphic violence that he just starts screaming for more drugs and hookers, in much the same way his protagonist does. The brilliant director, whose most recent effort prior to this was the charming classic Hugo, is in over his head almost as far as Jordan Belfort, and he simply can't control this shrill, in your face mess. By the end of the movie I felt like I needed both a shower and a blood transfusion. Which is not to say that there isn't much to admire here: technical skill and clever staging abound, and some of the dialogue is genuinely hilarious. But the most memorable sequence is based largely around physical comedy, as Jordan is caught in a sticky situation as an overdose of Quaaludes leaves him literally unable to stand under his own power just as he learns that he must race home to stop Donnie from making incriminating calls on a phone that has been tapped by the F.B.I. Somehow he manages to crawl to his car, and the ensuing scene, and DiCaprio's incredible performance, mesmerizes you with a combination of horror and hilarity. If the film was able to sustain this level of brilliance throughout, I would have to say that the excessive content is off putting but justified, but in the end, they could have cut an entire hour from this movie and lost literally nothing of importance to the story.

This is easily Scorsese's most disjointed film since Gangs of New York, and while at it's best it soars higher than that tepid, violent melodrama, it is even more difficult to sit through, and unfortunately, just as with that film, you walk out unsure if the film had any particular point to make.

The Wolf of Wall Street is rated R for profanity, nudity, graphic sex, drug use, and violence. Merry Christmas.

SAVING MR. BANKS

reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A +
Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak 
Written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith
Directed by John Lee Hancock

In London, 1961, Pamela "PL" Travers (Emma Thompson), struggling financially, has reluctantly agreed to travel to Los Angeles, to meet and negotiate with with a  movie mogul who has been pursuing the rights to her books for some time.  But this isn't just any movie mogul, and these aren't just any books: the man Pamela is so loathe to meet with  is Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), and the main character of her writing is an English nanny named Mary Poppins.

Disney has been courting Travers for twenty years, after his daughters fell in love with her books, and made him promise to make a film based on them. Travers, however, has been extremely cool toward letting Disney bring her creation to the screen, mainly because he is primarily known as a producer of animated films.

Through flashbacks, Travers’ youth in Australiain 1906 is depicted, and shown to be the inspiration for much of Mary Poppins. Travers’ handsome and charismatic father, fighting a losing battle against alcoholism, was very close to Travers, whom he nicknamed Ginty.

Upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Travers is disgusted by what she feels is the city’s unreality, as well as by the naïve optimism and intrusive friendliness of its inhabitants. At the studio, things get worse when she begins collaborating with the creative team assigned to develop Mary Poppins for the screen.  she clashes with the creative team from the outset, and her meetings with Walt himself are about as smooth as a gravel road. Determined to make this film, Disney engages in and endless debate of give and take with Travers, with Walt doing most of the giving (ostensibly, at least) and Pamela doing most of the taking. In time, her relationship with the creative team improves, and progress seems to be being made. Will this movie get made after all?

Obviosuly, we know the answer to that question, but that's not the point. In fact, it's not even about the entertainment value in getting there. In the end, Saving Mr. Banks is about life, creative inspiration, family relationships, and reconciling our most cherished and most painful memories. It's about fixing things through fiction. it's about saving someone who doesn't even know he needs to be saved.

Emma Thompson is luminous as Travers, somehow making every tantrum and moment up impious stubbornness as endearing as it is irritating, because she makes us feel her love for and dependence on Mary Poppins. Tom Hanks shines as the man behind the mouse, giving a wonderfully understated performance that relies less on impersonation than it does on sincerity. B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman make a great pair as the Sherman Brothers, who wrote the beloved music and lyrics for Mary Poppins and many other Disney classics,  and Paul Giamatti nearly steals the whole thing as Travers' irrepressible limo driver. But perhaps the heart and soul of the film is Collin Farrell as Travers Goff,  Pamela's thoroughly lovable and maddeningly irresponsible father. The tragedy of his story is made all the more poignant by the realization that he is his own worst enemy, and his undying love for his daughter and zest for life make him a glorious father, but his refusal to face any sense of reality and to leave the burden of holding the family together entirely upon his wife Margaret (Ruth Wilson) while he drinks and dreams makes him also a terrible father and even worse husband.

50 years later, Mary Poppins remains a masterpiece of fun and whimsy, but also of sadness, of loss, love, and ultimately of joy. Saving Mr. Banks is the perfect companion piece, and it is an instant classic that moved me beyond words.

Saving Mr. Banks is rated PG-13 for adult themes, smoking and some mild profanity.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A
Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lily, Orlando Bloom 
Screenplay by Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh & Phillipa Boyens & Guillermo Del Toro
Directed by Peter Jackson

Previously on The Hobbit: Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) a charming, if soft spoken, resident of the shire found a wizard named Gandalf the Gray (Ian McKellan) at his door, only to have a troupe of dwarves invade his house later that day and whisk him away on An Unexpected Journey to regain the gold stolen from them by the terrible Smaug the dragon. Along the way, they met trolls, elves, and goblins, not to mention a hobo wizard and mysterious white orc named Azog who shared the dual purpose of trying the stretch the film out to nearly three hours in length despite it covering slightly less than a third of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy adventure novel. The film was a mixed bag, with a lot of fun effects and likable performances, but a slow and plodding pace that did not quite befit a great adventure, and a mixture of cheese and C.G.I. that recalled Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace. And the less said about the High Frame Rate presentation, the better. To be clear, I liked The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It was a fun movie that brought a lot of my visions of Tolkien's novel to life. It was not, however, in the same league as Peter Jackson's previous foray into Middle Earth in The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, and it didn't make my ten best of the year list. It was good, but it was far from great.

Now, in part two, The Hobbit: The Desloation of Smaug, our story begins with Bilbo, Thorin and company on the way to Erebor, running away from the white orc, when they learn that they are being tracked by a giant bear. They take refuge in the home of an acquaintance of Gandalf's, and only then does the venerable old wizard drop the bombshell that his old friend who's place they are crashing is in fact the giant bear. Specifically, he is a "skin changer" named Beorn, who is sometimes a man, and sometimes a bear, but almost always surly. Still, Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt) agrees to help them because he hates orcs even more than he hates dwarves (Beorn could run for President of The United States with that strong sense of judgement.). No sooner do they leave Beorn's company then they are set upon by giant spiders. Bilbo manages to fight off many of them with his elvish blade, which he names Sting, after his favorite rock star, and the company is rescued by wood elves, led by Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangaline Lily.). They are then taken prisoner in the forest of Mirkwood, while Bilbo slips away thanks to his "precious" discovery in part one, a ring that turns him invisible.

From here, it's up to Bilbo to get the dwarves out of Mirkwood and on their way to Lake Town, which he does in a wildly entertaining (and surprisingly violent) extended sequence involving floating through rapid in beer barrels and a seemingly endless number of marauding orcs being skewered, beheaded, and otherwise eviscerated. Soon after they meet up with a bargeman named Bard (Luke Evans), whom they bribe to get them into Lake Town, which lies at the foot of the Lonely Mountain, where they must face the dragon if they want to reclaim their gold.

Truth be told, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is actually filled with a great deal more gratuitous padding than it's predecessor, and the movie is really more Jackson than Tolkien in terms of story content. Added subplots abound, including the addition of Legolas and Tauriel and the subsequent romantic triangle between the two of them and Killi (Aidan Turner), the youngest of the dwarves, who stood out like a sore thumb in the first film for being a lot less bulbous in the face and ears than his companions and sporting Bradley Cooper brand designer stubble instead of an actual beard. Now we see why that choice was made, and though it's undeniably silly, it plays, in no small part because of the chemistry between Lilly and Turner. There is also plenty of additional material with Gandalf and Radagast (Sylvestor McCoy) investigating the mysterious Necromancer, and Stephen Fry appears as the Master of Lake Town, a corrupt government official who is desperate to hold on to power and distrusts the bargeman, Bard. All of this really just there to kill time until we get to the mountain and the dragon, but it is surprisingly well paced, and packed with so much action it feels like far less time is being taken up than is actually the case. And when we finally get to the dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness and so memorably portrays Sherlock on the BBC), it is not only well worth the wait, it's probably the coolest thing we've seen on the big screen since Sam Neil spoke those immortals words "it's a dinosaur."

This is a movie that would be easy to pick apart for straying so far from the classic source material and taking up so much time, except for the inescapable fact that it's an absolute blast. Freeman commands the screen with comic charm and a sense of quiet dignity, and by the end of the movie every man woman and child in the audience just wants to take him home and snuggle him. Armitage and Ken Stott, who plays Balin, the dwarf whom Thorin trusts most, have some gear dramatic moments as the older dwarf begins the fear that the obsession with this quest is destroying Thorin, and Ian McKellan's Gandalf would frankly be entertaining reading out of the phone book.  

In the end, there is so much excitement and fun to be had that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug more than makes up for it's overlong run time and superfluous subplots, and turns out to be a grand epic adventure that can be thoroughly enjoyed on multiple viewings. The biggest complaint coming from most audience members will be the abruptness of the ending, as they walk out of the theater salivating for part three.

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug is rated PG-13 for a great deal of fantasy violence, and some mild vulgarity.

AMERICAN HUSTLE

reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A
Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence
Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
Directed by David O. Russell

Director David O. Russell reached a personal best with Silver Linings Playbook, a joyous, mesmerizing film that was my pick for the best film of 2012, and won its leading lady, Jennifer Lawrence, an Oscar for Best Actress. Even with his impressive track record dating all the way back to the underrated Three Kings, following up such a success is quite a task. American Hustle does not quite live up to it's predecessor, but it's a terrific film in its own right.

The movie begins with the caption "some of this actually happened," which sets the tone nicely for this farcical telling of the real life story of the ABSCAM case of the late '70's. In 1978,  Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) are a couple of con artists in love. Sydney has improved Rosenfeld's scams, posing as English aristocrat "Lady Edith Greensley". They are a well-matched couple, but Irving is hesitant to leave his stepson Danny with his wife Rosalyn (Academy Award Winner Jennifer Lawrence), who will not divorce him.

FBI agent Richard "Richie" DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) catches Irving and Sydney in a loan scam but offers to release them if Irving can line up four additional arrests. Sydney opposes the agreement. Richie believes Sydney is English but has proof that her claim of aristocracy is fraudulent. Sydney tells Irving she will manipulate Richie, distancing herself from Irving.

Irving has a friend pretend to be a wealthy Arab Sheik looking for potential investments in America. An associate of Irving's suggests that the Sheikh do business with Mayor Carmine Polito of Camden, New Jersey. The popular mayor (played by two time Oscar Nominee Jeremy Renner) is campaigning to revitalize gambling in Atlantic City but has struggled to raise the necessary funds. Richie devises a plan to entrap Carmine despite the objections of his boss, and of Irving. Sydney helps Richie manipulate an FBI secretary into making an unauthorized wire transfer of $2,000,000. When Stoddard's boss, Anthony Amado, hears of the operation, he praises Richie's initiative, pressuring Stoddard to continue the operation.


Richie's over-eagerness to catch Carmine causes the mayor to leave their meeting. Irving convinces Carmine that the Sheikh is legitimate, expressing his dislike toward Richie, and the two become friends. Meanwhile, the meddlesome Rosalyn gets involved, and accompanies Richie to a party where she meets a mobster and begins an affair.

The story is a bit convoluted and even the characters have trouble keeping up with everything that is going on, but that's really the point. There are so many people working so many angles that eventually everything is destined to come crashing down, and all anyone can do is enjoy the ride.

The script by Russell and Eric Warren Singer is wickedly clever, full of sensational dialogue that recalls the Coens at their best, and the style of the film is vintage Scorsese. Russell juggles multiple characters without every letting of them feel short changed, and whatever his reputation for getting along with people may be, his ability to get unforgettable performances is second to none. Christian Bale is clearly having a lot of fun shedding his Batman image (and his hair), and shows that his intensity can serve comedy as well as it does drama. Amy Adams is sexy, strong, and sad as the girl who reluctantly accepts being used and does it right back. There is is an understated sense of despair to her performance that is heartbreaking. Bradley Cooper gets some of the films biggest laughs as the conniving poser, Richie, and Jennifer Lawrence is laugh out loud hysterical as the shrill New York housewife blessed with an abundance of personality that almost makes up for her absence of brains. It was partially due to scheduling conflicts but is also a credit to Russell's unconventional vision that he casts 40 year old Adams as the sultry siren and 23 year old it girl Lawrence as the overlooked housewife, and both execute their roles with such grace that you wouldn't have it any other way. If there is a major hurdle the movie faces it is the fact that there is no one in this story to root for: they are all awful people. And yet somehow, you can't help but care about them on some level. And that is the genius of David O. Russell.

American Hustle is rated R for profanity, sex, violence, drugs, drinking and smoking.