2013's Best And Most Overrated Movies: Non-Spam Edition

[Cena's Little Helper]

List and explain your choices for the 10 best films of 2013 and/or list your choices for the 10 worst or most overrated films of 2013.

Since it takes me longer to properly articulate praise, I'll use this OP to list and explain my choices for the 10 most overrated films of 2013:

1) American Hustle: This is a solid, 3 out of 5 stars, summer popcorn flick. It's adequately written, nicely paced, sufficiently tense, and the performances from Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner make me glad that these men persevered in their careers (if you knew that the main antagonists from Wedding Crashers and SWAT would become A-list stars, then you're a much smarter man/woman than I am). However, besides the performances from the aforementioned men and Jennifer Lawrence, this is NOT an Oscar-caliber film, especially when compared to what else has come out this year. American Hustle may as well have been directed by Steven Spielberg since instances of David O. Russell's signature directorial style are rarely seen in this film. If Russell wants to become a master of efficiency and pop out enjoyable films once a year, then American Hustle shows that he is more than capable of doing so. If he wants to stay on track to becoming one of America's great directors, then he obviously needs to take more time to develop his films.

2, Tie) The World's End: By far the most disappointing film I have seen in the past five years. Wright, Pegg, and Frost end their Blood and Cornetto Trilogy with a whimper instead of a bang. While initially promising, the revelation of a shire inhabited by nothing more than alien-controlled, anthropomorphic automatons left me asking the same question my wife asked me on our wedding night: "That's it?" Oh, and one more thing: Paddy Considine is a great actor, but he should not have had been an additional lead in this film. He should have stayed the fuck in the background like he did in Hot Fuzz and let Pegg and Frost work their magic.

2, Blue Is The Warmest Color: Has anyone here ever seen Persepolis, an extremely pretentious and stupid animated film about some anti-establishment Iranian girl? That was a graphic novel adaptation just like Blue Is The Warmest Color. Besides some decent sex scenes, this film is just as pretentious and stupid as Persepolis; to make matters even worse, it's twice as long.

4) Fruitvale Station: The praise heaped on Fruitvale Station shows that the American film establishment is still trying to delude itself into thinking that our indie film scene is still worth a shit. It's not and Fruitvale Station is a perfect example of why this is the case. When did equating racially-sensitive subject matter with good filmmaking come back into vogue? I thought the film industry had already learned this lesson after stupidly financing Spike Lee's films for more than a decade.

5) Dallas Buyers Club: Excellent performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto in an otherwise horrible fucking movie.

6) Captain Phillips: This film makes me believe in a conspiracy among film critics. I imagine they all got together, realized that Tom Hanks hadn't been nominated for an Oscar in more than ten years, and decided to give Captain Phillips universal acclaim in order to get Hanks his sixth Best Actor nomination. Like all of Paul Greengrass's films, Captain Phillips is nothing more a hyperrealistic exercise in dramatizing recent world affairs. In other words, it's meant for people who loathe the thought of picking up a newspaper but want to impress their friends with their knowledge of current affairs over a Starbucks latte.

7) World War Z: I thought it was already established that films can now be R-rated and make boatloads of money at the box office? World War Z is an insult to zombie and horror fans alike. While I wouldn't consider World War Z overrated per se (except if judged by its impressive box office), I put it on my list just so I could air out my grievance.

8) Elysium: Elysium is exactly what happens when a director with an overinflated ego is given a budget that is about four times larger than the budget of their debut film. Bloomkamp better hit the next one out of the park lest he wants to become the South African version of M. Night Shyamalan.

9) Man Of Steel: Zack Snyder directed a film that sucked a lot less than Watchmen and Sucker Punch and that portrayed an edgier Superman. So what? This reminds me of how people treated Transformers when it first came out; just because it didn't suck as much as a Michael Bay film usually does, people thought it was a great summer blockbuster. It wasn't though, and the same line of logic can be applied to Man Of Steel. Man Of Steel still sucked, it just didn't suck anywhere near as much as we expected it to.

10) Labor Day: Terrible, terrible film that proves three things: 1) Jason Reitman is currently the most overrated director in America; 2) It took so long for Josh Brolin to get his big break because he is not all that good; 3) Someone needs to level with Kate Winslet about the trajectory her career has taken in recent years. Labor Day is one of the worst films of the year. I have preemptively put it on this list since at least one critic will praise it even though it should be universally panned.

I'll post my top 10 later for the reason I already mentioned.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I know I'm late on this, but I'm caught up on 2013 stuff for the most part.

Best

1. Her- Her offers a unique and thought-provoking form of social commentary with a futuristic twist. Joaquin Phoenix is a socially awkward and lonely man, who's searching for a companion, so he trusts and falls in love with an operating system with artificial intelligence. It's a sweet, moving, and sentimental love story, and Her is loaded with underlying messages. Spike Jonze's quirky sense of humor is good for a few laughs, the cast is top notch (my only complaint is we don't see enough of Rooney Mara here), and you can make an argument for Joaquin Phoenix deserving a spot in the Best Actor category for the Academy Awards.

2. 12 Years A Slave- I don't have any problems with 12 Years A Slave winning Best Picture. Lupita Nyong'o earned her Oscar, but I still believe Fassbender deserved the Best Supporting Actor award. Although, I can't imagine Jared Leto having another shot at the gold in the future, and Fassbender is a phenomenal actor, who will win multiple awards before his career is over.

3. Blue Jasmine- The best romantic comedy of 2013, and Cate Blanchett is extraordinary in the leading role, a true Oscar-winning performance.

4. Gravity- Alfonso Cuarón was a deserved shoe-in for Best Director, and kudos to Sandra Bullock for a top notch performance to hold the screen for the vast majority of the movie. Although, it's hard to feel the same awe-inspiring feelings at the theater, when you watch Gravity at home.

5. Philomena- Outstanding chemistry between Judi Dench and Steve Coogan in a heartfelt drama that deserves recognition and praise.

6. The Wolf Of Wall Street- The Wolf Of Wall Street is pure black comedy gold. The two hours and fifty-nine minutes runtime feels like a breeze during the extravagant bonanza. Stop and think about it for a second. A film that runs nearly three hours maintains consistent laughs with a wild and rowdy tone. I never had any "oh man, when is this going to end!" feelings of exasperation. Not once. The Wolf Of Wall Street pulls you into an obscene world full of corruption, greed, drugs, backstabbing, and sleazy debauchery, and I couldn't pull my eyes away from the screen.

7. Nebraska- I had my doubts about this with Will Forte. I dunno. Sometimes he makes me laugh, and sometimes he annoys the shit out of me. Bruce Dern is fantastic in the leading role, and June Squibb is hilarious. Nebraska is a story about an aging old man, who's losing it, but Nebraska never feels too heavy handed, because there's a nice balance between the more serious moments and comedy.

8. All Is Lost- Redford’s remarkable ability to convey The Sailor’s frustrations, his anger, and a crushing sense of hopelessness with facial expressions and body language deserves admiration. For one hour and forty-five minutes, Redford is the only human being you’ll see in full view, but his captivating performance hooks you in. You’re rooting for this resourceful and clever man to survive, you’re waiting on his rescue, and I lost track for counting the “edge of your seat” close calls here (sharks, the storm, etc.). Redford deserved a spot in the Best Actor category, and he's a noticeable snub for the 2014 Academy Awards. And kudos to director/writer J.C. Chandor for his steady and precise work behind the camera.

9. Inside Lleyn Davis- Another good film from The Coen Brothers. Inside Lleyn Davis is one of my favorites, because it's a story about chasing your dreams, and what happens, when you constantly fail and run into a series of setbacks. Do you have what it takes to push forward and persevere? Or will you quit and start over again? Do you have what it takes?

You can feel and see the crushing sense of hopelessness from Oscar Isaac towards end, when he's forced to make a decision about taking a real job to put some money in his pocket (Llewyn is a hopeless freeloader throughout the movie) and throwing in the towel for good. Plenty of laughs, and kudos to Carey Mulligan for an enjoyable performance, as the woman, who hates Llewyn. My only complaint is Inside Llewyn Davis needs more John Goodman.

10. Maniac- An outstanding remake that challenges the original for superiority, Elijah Wood (evil, creepy Elijah Wood is > Frodo, or shy and nervous Elijah Wood) is amazing in the leading role, and it's the best horror film in 2013. That's enough to justify a spot on my list.

Overrated

1. American Hustle- Too many undeserved Oscar nominations. I'll start with Christian Bale. Bale's Irving Rosenfeld? it's a good performance, but an Oscar worthy performance? I don't think so. On top of that, if we're comparing Bale to this year's list of nominees and the winner, Matthew McConaughey, Bale is stuck in the third or fourth spot for the rankings. Need some more food for thought? Here's one name for you: Robert Redford. You can make a legit argument for Redford as a noticeable snub at the Oscars this year, and if you take the time to watch All Is Lost, you'll see why Redford deserved a spot in the Best Actor category.

And let's be honest, if we're comparing American Hustle's Irving to Bale's outstanding career as an actor, Irving doesn't deserve a spot in the top three (in no particular order, American Psycho, The Machinist, The Fighter) for Bale's best performances.

Of course, if someone mentions the name American Hustle, you'll know what they're talking about right off the bat. But we're not going to remember American Hustle as one of the all-time greats, and a decorated Oscar winner (ten nominations is ridiculous) that deserves unquestioned praise and recognition.

2. This Is The End- I tried to give this a second chance, but nothing changed. A terrible and overrated comedy with too many unfunny weed and dick jokes every five minutes. Without an ensemble cast of popular comedic actors and celebrity cameos, This Is The End is a forgotten film in 2013, easily. And it's frustrating, because Seth Rogen is still capable of delivering a good film (watch Neighbors).

3. World War Z- Tdigs nailed it.

4. Captain Phillips- Tdigs nailed it.

5. August: Osage County- I didn't have a big problem with AOC (AOC features one of my favorite dinner table scenes ever. Next to Scent Of A Woman, and that's saying something), but the star-studded cast is the only reason why anyone cared about this. I love Meryl Streep, but she received an Oscar nomination for her name alone this year. Streep delivers, but she's not alone, and she receives A LOT of help from a very good cast here (including Abigail Breslin). So in the end, the supporting cast put a dent in Streep's chances for a win this year. On the flip side of that, Julia Roberts performance is NOT Oscar worthy.

6. The Wolverine- The main reason why I watch certain movies a second time to be sure. On the second watch, I almost fell asleep three or four times, because The Wolverine bored the shit out of me. On top of that, The Wolverine gets a weak and unimpressive "it's better than Origins" pass. Also, The Wolverine pissed me off, because this film represents an annoying and reoccurring trend for superhero films: dark, moody character studies about a tortured soul. I want to have fun with superhero films. I don't want to watch something that's overly serious and dark.

7. The Heat- I laughed every now and then, and Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock shared good chemistry, but The Heat is another product of the McCarthy hype train after Bridesmaids.

8. Don Jon- I don't get the big fuss over this. Joesph Gordon-Levitt is solid in the leading role, and they did a good job of stripping Scarlett Johansson's Barbara down to the core towards the end. At first, you're lead to believe Barbara is this nice woman, who's going to change Jon's life, but during the final stages of the movie, they reveal Barbara's true colors, as a manipulative and selfish bitch.

But Don Jon tries too hard to be another pretentious romantic comedy that's breaking the mold to be something different. Overall, Don Jon is a barely above average film, and I honestly don't understand the praise for this.

9. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- It's much better than the first film, but Catching Fire is another product of the Jennifer Lawrence (and I actually like Lawrence) hype train. Also, all the "this generation's The Empire Strikes Back" praise really bothers me. First of all, let's wait for Mockingjay Part One before we start comparing and contrasting with Star Wars. Seriously, we're not at a Return Of The Jedi point yet, and we're already heaping on praise for one of the greatest sequels ever made? That's just ridiculous.

10. Side Effects- Why the fuck did I give this a 10/10??? I guess my love for Rooney Mara got the best of me. Watched it for a second a time, and I still enjoyed it, but Side Effects is kind of dull until the very end, when they reveal the secrets behind the big twists.

 

[Holly]

i like these stuff most about movies
Blue Jasmine- The best romantic comedy of 2013, and Cate Blanchett is extraordinary in the leading role, a true Oscar-winning performance.
The Heat- I laughed every now and then, and Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock shared good chemistry, but The Heat is another product of the McCarthy hype train after Bridesmaids.
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