2013 Top 10 Update: Still not definitive

I'm still struggling to get all the films from my list of shame watched before I make my definitive top 10 (or 20 or 30 at this rate) of 2013. Films still to watch include Lincoln, Frozen, Blue Jasmine and Blue is the Warmest Colour and you never know which, if any, may squeeze their way into my top 10 of 2013. I expect to have a definitive list by June hopefully!

Seeing as yesterday I already took the crazy step of doing a top 10 of 2014 so far list, I thought it best to also update what I think were my favourite films of 2013. I have already done my top 10 British films, top 10 horror, sci-fi and fantasy and top documentaries but all these will have changed as my mind works through the films for years to come and also I add more films from the list of shame.

Way back in July 2013, I decided these films were my top 10 of the year so far but this has changed considerably now. Click the titles for full reviews. Without further ado, here is my top 10 of 2013 at the moment:

10. The World's End

 

9. Gravity

8. The Selfish Giant

7. Captain Philips

6. Philomena

5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

4. Side by Side

3. Spring Breakers

2. Before Midnight 

1. The Impossible

Unfortunately I never reviewed Gravity and there are two other newcomers to this list that I have also not reviewed.

I watched Before Midnight last night and it has blown away most of the competition. I expected it to be good but not that good! It will stay with me for a long, long time I suspect. Though I didn't fully believe the last minute hint at a happy ending, I think maybe that is the point. There are some serious cracks in Jesse and Celine's relationship and though they can keep trying to paper over them, the cracks may yet continue to grow. It might be a very sad story if we ever catch up with these two again.

Another newcomer to the list is The Selfish Giant which is a small British film about two kids who get in with metal scrappers to earn some pounds while skipping school. The performances of the two boys in the leads were absolutely incredible and the story and cinematography were amazing, if utterly tragic in every sense.

What do you think of my top 10 of 2013 so far?

Top Documentaries of 2013

I watched 8 documentaries this year, all of which were released in 2013 in the UK. A couple of these are likely to end up in my top 20 films of the year when I finally get round to making that list. First I have to get through my list of shame and then I'll get on to making a top 20 for 2013. Here's my list of world cinema films I watched this year as well and here is a rundown of all the TV I also watched this year.

8. More than Honey

'Despite the attention to details, presentation of facts and such an intriguing question at the heart of the premise, More Than Honey is less than thrilling. The future of beekeeping is briefly considered but by the end, you may find that you have heard more than enough.'

7. When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun

 'When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun gives the sobering facts with little fanfare and pieces together a chronology of resistance leading up to the Beijing Olympics while giving a voice to those who too often remain unheard.'
 
I also interviewed the director Dirk Simon for Filmoria which you can read here. 

6. How to Survive a Plague

 'How to Survive a Plague is a testament to the incredible bravery, impressive organisation and inspiring action of those at the frontline in the fight against AIDS'

 
5. The Gatekeepers

'The Gatekeepers is a riveting exploration of men with unnatural and terrifying amounts of power. Their actions in the past are often inexcusable, but by the end, their thoughts and their argument will have you hanging on their every word. The Gatekeepers is an extremely important piece of film; its message and conclusion should be heard by those in positions of power all over the world.'

4. Utopia

'Utopia has a powerful message to share and deserves to be seen in every Australian school and by everyone blinded by the sunny delights of Neighbours and Home and Away.'

3. Sound City 

'Sound City details the history of the studio before Dave Grohl collects together an array of musicians to record an album on the old Sound City production board.'

2. Desert Runners

'Desert Runners is a near perfect documentary, capturing the wonder of the human spirit and letting the audience into a world most of us would never dream of becoming a part of. Most importantly it makes us care for characters that could have been hard to connect with. You might not go running with them, but you won’t forget them.'

1. Side by Side

'Side By Side is much more than a documentary about the differences between film and digital. It is a chance to see some of the best directors in the film business discussing their craft and an incredibly important historical document for film buffs. If the end of film is nigh, then Side by Side is a brilliantly fitting swansong to a medium that has made us all fall so deeply in love with the movies.'

What were your favourite documentaries of 2013 or that you saw this year?

Why don't you stay awhile? More 2013 lists from I Love That Film:

TV in 2013: Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Walking Dead, Homeland and more

World Cinema in 2013

Best books I read in 2013

2013 List of Shame or 25 films I should have seen this year

2013 Top 10 Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction

2013 Top 10 So Far (written in July)

Best British Films of 2013

Top 25 Films to see in 2014

2013 Top 10 So Far

It seems like lots of folks have been taking stock of the year that is 2013 so far seeing as we are over half way through it. As I'm about to take my mid-year holiday and probably won't be doing a lot of film watching for the next few weeks, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to make a note of all the (UK cinema) new releases I have seen in 2013 and what my favourites of the year have been so far.

So firstly here are all of the 2013 releases I have watched so far in the order that I watched them:

1. The Impossible
2. Flight
3. The Bay
4. Les Miserables
5. Rebellion
6. No
7. Wreck-It Ralph
8. I Give it a Year
9. The Fall of the Essex Boys
10. Warm Bodies
11. Hitchcock
12. Cloud Atlas
13. Song For Marion
14. A Good Day to Die Hard
15. Stoker
16. The Paperboy
17. Django Unchained
18. Zero Dark Thirty
19. Broken
20. Robot and Frank
21. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
22. Sleep Tight
23. The Lords of Salem
24. Trance
25. The Liability
26. Side Effects
27. Evil Dead
28. Spring Breakers
29. Olympus Has Fallen
30. The Gatekeepers
31. Iron Man 3
32. Bait
33. The Look of Love
34. Bernie
35. Everybody Has a Plan
36. 21 & Over
37. Side by Side
38. Sound City
39. A Hijacking
40. Sweet Vengeance
41. This is the End
42. Come as You Are
43. Summer in February
44. Man of Steel
45. Star Trek into Darkness
46. Desert Runners
47. Monsters University
48. The Internship
49. To the Wonder
50.  The Deep
51. The World's End
52. Frances Ha
53. Dark Skies

So 53 of the 95 films I have watched this year have been brand new releases which must be some kind of record for me and I have Filmoria to thank for special advance screenings of many of these. Without further ado, here is my top 10 of 2013 so far:

10. I Give it a Year 
9. This is the End
8. Evil Dead
7. Desert Runners
6. Cloud Atlas
5. Django Unchained
4. The World's End
3. Side by Side
2. Spring Breakers

1. The Impossible

Please click any title for my reviews of the films. It's a pretty crazy list for me. A rom-com??? A remake??? Two documentaries, what looked like (and probably is to some extent) sexist crap, two comedies about the end of the world and a true life tale of massive loss of life. Cheery isn't it?

So that's my top 10 of the year so far (I think). What have been your favourite 2013 films so far? Perhaps The Impossible has stuck with me the most because I'm off to Thaliand. Though it may have focussed on only one family, it is still the true story of the deaths of 200,000 people and was therefore bound to have a strong impact. It is certainly the film that had the biggest emotional effect on me this year. 

I'll be back in a few weeks so until then... take care now and bye bye then!

Message from Side By Side Producer

On the plus side, after having Game of Thrones spoiled for me, I also on the same day received this lovely message from the producer of the fantastic documentary Side By Side which I reviewed for Filmoria here and also compared to the documentary Sound City here. The producer is Justin Szasla and he sent me an email saying exactly this:

Hi Peter--I am the producer of the doc SIDE BY SIDE and I just happened to read your DVD review today. Thanks for writing such an intelligent, conscientious and thoughtful piece. -Justin Szlasa

How cool is that? Firstly to think that he stumbled upon my review at Filmoria and secondly that he would take a moment to say such a kind thing. What a gentleman! 

It's only the second time I've had a filmmaker contact me about a review and the first time was less pleasant. Once upon a time Jonathan Newman, the director of a film called Foster, tweeted to me saying my review was "interesting". It was a (generous) two star review and I said back to him that I wished I could put in every review 'but at least this guy got a film made which is an incredible achievement' but I thought people would get bored of reading that.

Anyway now I'm on a roll there was also the time one of the stars of My Brother the Devil tweeted this:

Thx 2 @filmoria 4 giving @mbtdfilm an Amazing review! *powerful performances nearing perfection* *endlessly complex* *purely entertaining*
— James Floyd (@iJamesFloyd) October 30, 2012

And the time Matt Reeves director of Cloverfield tweeted this:

@pturner1010 Really enjoyed your article, Peter.
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) March 5, 2011

Have you had any feedback from the wonderful people that make the movies we all love to watch and write about? Did you get as excited as me?

Side By Side vs Sound City

I had a fascinating double bill of two documentaries on Sunday; Side by Side followed by Sound City. One has Keanu Reeves asking the greatest living directors in cinema all about their thoughts on film vs digital formats and the other has Dave Grohl reminiscing on the studio where Nevermind was recorded back in his Nirvana days.

Both these documentaries dealt with the technologies of creative media production in accessible but differing ways. Side by Side is concerned with film and looks to the future more than the past and Sound City is concerned with making music and mostly looks to the past. Both offer a history of producing entertainment/art with Sound City focusing only on artists that have recorded at the legendary but now defunct recording studio. Side by Side focuses on Hollywood and American independent filmmakers mostly and gets a fairly balanced look at the differing opinions of many filmmakers on the digital vs film debate.

Both documentaries feature a roll call of famous talent from their respective mediums; Side by Side has Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Richard Linklater, Danny Boyle, David Fincher whereas Sound City has Paul McCartney, Josh Homme, Trent Reznor, Stevie Nicks and many more.

Side by Side details the history of film and the encroaching spread of the use of digital technology from sound to editing to cameras. Sound City details the history of the studio before Dave Grohl collects together an array of musicians to record an album on the old Sound City production board. Both the films seems to mourn the passing of a more traditional way of making their arts.

I was in awe of both of these documentaries and their stunning access to major players in both the music and film industries. If you have any interest in films or rock music, you will most likely be enthralled by both of these films. They are not just a testament to a bygone age and a consideration of the modern technologies and what has been lost and gained, they are also a unique chance to hear many legends speak their mind about their passions.

Sound City trailer:



Side by Side Trailer:

Most anticipated 2013 Movies (Jan-March)

2013 is looking like it will get off to a sound start judging by what I've been reading about upcoming releases in the first quarter of the year. John McClane returns in the fifth of the Die Hard franchise, a guy called John Dies at the End of his movie, Danny Boyle gets back to making films after fussing over Frankenstein and the Olympics, Leatherface saws up screens in 3D and the fourth deadliest natural disaster of the last century gets a cinematic rendering.

I originally intended to do a post on the films of 2013 that I'm most looking forward to but found so many to excite me just in the first three months that I thought it best to stop there. No doubt the summer will have its blockbusters including Star Trek Into Darkness, World War Z and Man of Steel and December will bring another round of hobbit adventures but for now here's my top 10 films to look out for in the first three months of 2013.

10. Side by Side
 

A documentary that will finally help me to get the differences and the pros and cons of shooting on film or digital. Produced by Keanu Reeves, it takes an in-depth look at the digital revolution in filmmaking. 'Through interviews with directors, cinematographers, film students, producers, technologists, editors, and exhibitors, SIDE BY SIDE examines all aspects of filmmaking — from capture to edit, visual effects to color correction, distribution to archive.'

9. Texas Chainsaw 3D

I shouldn't get too excited. It's not going to be better than the original. While I enjoyed the remake, I don't remember a thing about the prequel that followed it. The trailer looks trashy as hell with sexy looking model-types getting semi-undressed and all that crap but I can't help hoping that the return of Leatherface and his trusty tool will get me buzzing with excitement once again. Yikes that sounds dirty.

8. Trance

Danny Boyle directs a fantastic cast including I Love That Film favourite Vincent Cassel. Say no more.

7. Compliance

Sounds disturbing and intriguing: 'When a prank caller convinces a fast food restaurant manager to interrogate an innocent young employee, no-one is left unharmed. Based on true events.'

6. John Dies at the End

It's got Paul Giamatti and it sounds mental. 'A new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return as no longer human.'

5. The Bay

Found footage gets a kick in the ass by Barry Levinson in this sick looking shocker. 'Chaos breaks out in a small Maryland town after an ecological disaster occurs.'

4. Gangster Squad

I'm currently reading the book and it promises to be a great gangster flick. Love the look of the cast and director Ruben Fleischer showed real promise with Zombieland. 'A chronicle of the LAPD's fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s.'

3. Django Unchained

I thought this was going to be released in 2012 and with an even better cast than it has now. Unfortunately lots of great cast members dropped out and the film is now set for a January release but early reviews have been great and I'm still very excited to see what could be one of Tarantino's last films if his retirement goes ahead as planned.

2. The Impossible

I'm a sucker for a real life tragedy, as sick as that sounds. Titanic and United 93 reduce me to a tearful wreck every time and I know The Impossible will do the same. While I'm gutted the filmmakers have decided to focus on just one family and then change them from Spanish to English for some reason, it still looks epic, tragic, and ultimately uplifting. However there were over 200,000 lives lost in the Boxing Day tsunami and a film about the local people affected must be made in the future and I hope the producers of this film give a lot of money to the people who are still struggling with the consequences of the disaster.

1.  A Good Day to Die Hard

I love John McClane. The original Die Hard trilogy are some of my favourite all time action films, particularly the first one. I thought Die Hard 4 was a major misstep but I can't help but hope that this will see McClane back on form cracking wise and cracking skulls.

There's my list of January to March UK releases. What are you most looking forward to in 2013?

Film VS Digital: The Documentary

Just found out from the wonderful Empire that Keanu Reeves is presenting/starring in a new documentary, Side by Side, about the evolution of filmmaking from traditional celluloid means to the current trend for digital technologies.  The Empire article seems to suggest that Reeves has played a big part in rounding up the many big-time directors interviewed in the film and I'm sure his presence has no doubt helped in getting the likes of Scorsese, Fincher, Cameron, Soderbergh, Lynch, Boyle, Linklater and many others to show up and give their opinions.  But I'm equally sure credit must go to director Christopher Kenneally and his production team.  Check out the trailer below:


Side by Side Official Trailer (2012) from Company Films on Vimeo.



Look at that list of names!  The last time I saw so many great directors in a documentary was The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing and that has been an essential teaching tool for me ever since I came across it at university.  See part 1 below:



If Side by Side is even half as good as that was at explaining things, I will be very happy.  I am not a technophile.  I find technology very difficult to understand.  I can sometimes see the difference between digital and film.  I know I'm not generally a fan of 3D because I don't think it adds much to the pleasures of cinema.  But that's about it so I can't wait to hear from the experts. 

Side by Side premieres at the Berlin Film Festival in February.  I wonder what they shot it on?