10. THE HEAT
Easily the biggest surprise of 2013. After seeing the trailer and posters for this all signs pointed to shit. Fake out! If you are watching this to pick out the flaws, you’ll find plenty, but this movie is funny from start to finish. McCarthy and Bullock are hilarious together and it’s not often that you see two female characters carry an entire movie.
9. PRINCE AVALANCHE*
This movie really flew under the radar. It stars Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, two of my favorite actors and it was written by David Gordon Green, writer of Pineapple Express and Your Highness (classics). Prince Avalanche is slow moving, but it will make you laugh and later cry. Side note: Hirsch does a great job as the lazy goofball sidekick.
8. AMERICAN HUSTLE
The eight-spot may be low on the list for this one. I’m sure it is one of the movies that you like the more you watch. Every single cast member delivers but maybe the huge hype raised my expectations too high. Still, American Hustle is a great follow up to Silver Linings. I think Bale just got fat because he felt like it, btw.
7. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
I once heard Wolf described as “frat boy porn”, and that could not sum it up any better. Despite that, I really liked this movie. You see a side of DiCaprio that you usually don’t see and Jonah Hill kills it as his idiot partner. It goes on too long (3+ hours!) but there are moments in this that I will never forget. Oh yeah, and there are boobs, lots of boobs…
6. PRISONERS
Awwww man, Prisoners. Such an intense movie--it had me at the edge of my seat the entire time. I wanted to know who took those girls!!! Huge Jacked Man really carries this movie, yet all of the supporting cast is solid as well (Paul Dano awesome as always). I feel like this movie was overshadowed but if you like thrillers, check it out yo.
5. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES
Has Ryan Gosling ever done a bad movie? Beyond the Pines is one hell of an epic drama. Maybe it shoves its message down your throat…who cares! I go to the movies to see something that I have never seen before and this one delivers in that department. Beyond the Pines is more like three short movies that could stand on their own, yet they are all connected. Oh and Gosling is tatted up and looks like a total badass.
4. THIS IS THE END
Not much to say about this one. If you haven’t seen it, you’re dumb. The idea is completely original and I love all the actors playing exaggerated versions of themselves. Like Beyond the Pines, this movie showed me things that I have never seen before. Haha Michael Cera.
3. THE HUNT*
Definitely the most hipster pick on my list. The Hunt is a Danish movie so you will need to read subtitles. This is a hard movie to watch for all the right reasons. It terrified me because it shows how a little white lie can absolutely destroy someone’s life. Ugh and the fact that it’s so believable scares me even more. It’s streaming on Netflix, so watch it now ya dumbo!
2. HER
It’s about a guy who bangs Siri. Her takes place in the near future and the future that Spike Jonze has imagined is so realistic you can easily picture yourself living there. What stood out for me was the look of this movie. I’m not usually into the tints and shades a director uses because I don’t know about that shit. I DO know that Her looks fucking cool. Most of all, I know I could jerk it to Scarlett Johansson’s voice too.
1. MUD
What a huge year for Matthew Mickonahey (sp?). Jeff Nichols is slowly becoming my favorite director. If you have not seen Take Shelter from a couple years ago, find it and watch it. Mud is the perfect story and Nichols avoids all stupid clichés that this movie could’ve had. A poor southern father that doesn’t beat his son? A trailer trash uncle that isn’t an asshole? How can this be!? Most of the characters are neither good nor bad: they’re human. FYI, Reese Witherspoon is hot as a redneck slut.
Honorable Mentions
SPRING BREAKERS*
DON JON
BLUE JASMINE
SIDE EFFECTS*
FROZEN
GRAVITY
Full Disclosure (Movies I have not seen)
NEBRASKA
THE SPECTACULAR NOW
12 YEARS A SLAVE
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
DALLAS BUYER’S CLUB
*Streaming on Netflix