2013 Films From Best To Worst

Absolutely fantastic film. The story has been done before, since the dawn of cinema and even before in other forms of media, but Snowpiercer doesn't feel stale in any way. Visually the film is superb, be it from a production design, effects or filming standpoint. The acting is great as well and there are a number of terrific scenes. This is a film that will stay with you long after having seen it.

There were a lot of questions on how a solo Marvel superhero would fare after The Avengers and the answer given by Iron Man Three is perfectly. Writer/Director Shane Black crafts a film that is at least as good if not better than The Avengers, giving Tony Stark a strong, personal arc and dousing the film in a refreshing old-school nineties film with superb action scenes that for once thankfully do not revolve around smashing into buildings, truly hilarious comedy, a great script with many surprises and spot-on actors. The best action blockbuster of the year.

Alexandre Aja continues to prove he's one of his generation's most interesting filmmakers with this pure piece of joy. Horns is a beautiful, funny, haunting, engrossing film with perfectly cast actors. How it did not get more attention upon release is baffling to me.

Transferring effortlessly to American cinema, director Park Chan-wook's style and talent loses nothing in translation and those who enjoyed his work on films like OldBoy and I Saw the Devil should find their pleasure in Stoker as well while newcomers will discover a beautifully creepy family thriller with depth, compelling performances and lush cinematography that will haunt them for ever more.

There is nothing else out there quite like the immersion and spectacle of Peter Jackson's Tolkien-inspired films and for those who are averse it, The Desolation of Smaug will do nothing to change their mindset, but for others it is another fantastic journey in a fantastical land. The action, visuals and epicness of it all are as grand as ever, and the dragon Smaug is a total revelation, akin to Gollum in his day.

The poor reception and general dismissal of this movie has baffled me. This was a really, really fun time. Great action, great actors, great laughs, great pacing, great music. A wonderful, romantic, adventure romp with a refreshing classic feel.

14 years after the Yamadas, Isao Takahata finally returns with a wonderful, sad tale and Studio Ghibli's most touching heroine since Chihiro. The watercolor art style is original and beautiful, Joe Hisaishi's music is as emotional as ever and the film is just a great watch.

Alfonso Cuaron's long-awaited next film (seven years in the making) does not disappoint. A simple story of survival supported by strong acting and incredible visuals.

An extremely compelling and engaging story with an all around incredible cast and plenty of humor to tell this portrait of a rather uncommon character. That it took so long to get this film made is astounding but the way it finally came together really makes it all worth it.

The worst was expected when in came to this film. A striking departure from the adapted novel, a director whose last flirtations with big budget action proved controversial at best and word of an extremely troubled production, with a completely rewritten and reshot third act. Miraculously however, the end result is a ton of fun, grand spectacle done right with loud thrills, mild chills and a satisfaction meter well filled.

Forget the Bruce Willis films way down the list, this is the year's real Die Hard film right here. The always enjoyable Roland Emmerich crafts a terrifically fun action ride with as usual for him a focus on characters, played here by an appealing and charismatic cast.

Master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's supposed final film is also his most grounded in reality, telling a romanticized version of the life of a famous Japanese airplane designer. As such the film isn't filled with the flurry of fantastical visuals Miyazaki is known for and isn't as immediately loveable. However Miyazaki manages to cram stylistic inventiveness throughout the gorgeous animation and sound design and while the war is never directly adressed, to Miyazaki's credit you can still feel its shadow subtly creeping throughout the picture, giving the proceedings a dark, foreboding feel.

Just like Tangled three years before, a superb, beautiful, charming, wonderful animated tale with a classic feel. We have truly been in a new Disney Golden Age of animation for the past five years, after a significant dry spell.

A fantastic entry to the X-Men series with James Mangold crafting some truly stunning action scenes to go alongside a deep and engrossing tale that feels like something out of the 70s, with the Japanese setting proving to be very welcome indeed, just as the fine native actors that populate it.

A great little romantic comedy, with a smart script, an engaging cast with strong chemistry and a number of laugh-out-loud moments. One of the year's nice surprises.

A great third entry to the series, which should enthrall all those who enjoy Linklater's "Before" films. Still fresh, still funny, still engaging and as inventively edited as ever, it's always fun to check back in with these characters every few years and see how they've evolved.

A remake done right. Rather than try to one-up the terrific 1976 original, Kimberly Peirce's version bases itself on the same screenplay, almost identical save for a few updates to "fit" the new decade and the adding of sequences which were actually planned for the original put scrapped due to budget and technical limitations of the time. The movie doesn't try to out-gross you, dazzle you or add unnecessary scares, instead relying on the considerable strength of its story, its cast and its direction. This then becomes an incredibly interesting companion piece to Brian De Palma, telling the same story in a different but just as pertinent style, with a fantastic cast.

A very solid thriller made all the more interesting by the strength of its performances. Dujardin, Roth and all are solid, but it's Cécile de France who's the true headliner here. Portraying an emotionally complex character who's at the center of the plot, Cécile de France gives an incredible, starmaking turn and this film should turn anyone who sees it into a fan of the actress.

In every way a superior sequel, Catching Fire will enthrall those who appreciated the first installment and may even convince those who didn't.

Don't be put off that this is a black & white drama in Polish. Anything but boring, Ida is a wonderful, beautiful to look at, formidably acted and all around captivating tale of self-discovery.

When it comes to documentaries, I tend to often miss seeing them in theaters. Enchanted Kingdom was thankfully an exception. Shot all across Africa, the film is a visual stunner, particularly in 3D. There is no overarching "plot", the editing and narrator Idris Elba content with just moving things along from one setting (or rather "kingdom") and the next to see some of the expected animal action but also some you've most likely never seen before. It's all fascinating and awe-inspiring.

Continuing with the second installment's tradition of centering heavily on villain, this third film is the occasion to witness another superb performance from Aamir Khan as well as the truly impressive stunts and effects peppered with hilarious comedy. Bring on Dhoom 4!

Functioning very much as a companion piece to her 2010 effort Somewhere, exploring the other side of the Hollywood coin, The Bling Ring won't turn any Sofia Coppola detractors around. Those who aren't allergic to her lethargic style will find a disturbingly fascinating "true events" film populated by loatheful people you just want to punch in the face. While not staging her work as a "hesit film", Coppola nevertheless captures two great scenes as the titular Ring ransacks Paris Hilton's real-life home, which is a sight to behold, and later raid Audrina Patridge's pad, filmed from afar in a single, still shot.

Sure it's silly, but in a very good way. It's all good fun and surprisingly enjoyable with very nicely staged action scenes and some good ideas in the script.

Less mainstreamly enjoyable as Le Guay's prior couple of films but still recommended to anyone who would enjoy watching two great actors playing off each other rehearsing one of the great texts of the stage.

A lot here is done right. The actors are very good and well-cast, the plot is very faithful to the excellent novel and overall you can tell a lot of care went into the look and feel of the picture. But the film sadly rushes along at a breakneck speed, aligning "big plot scenes" one after the other and never giving itself the time to breathe and let itself leave an impact on the uninitiated viewer, instead only slowing down for the conclusion. If the film had just been allowed to be 30 minutes to an hour longer, it could have been amazing.

A very solid prequel for Pixar that plays with the conventions of college films and is populated with plenty of colorful, inventive and endearing characters all withn gorgeous animation and plenty of laughs and heart.

Lee Daniels' magnum opus is only very loosely based on reality but remains an effective film with strong performances from an incredibly wide array of talent.

Woody Allen is back in good form this year, with pretty-much a straight drama that offers a few surprises along the way, served by an exceptional cast delivering strong performances all around.

An extremely ambitious film that was sadly overlooked and misunderstood upon release, The Lone Ranger doesn't always hit home but when it does it is grandiose, such as the spectacular final action scene which belongs in the genre Hall of Fame. In addition the film boasts some beautiful cinematography and fine performances, in particular an unrecognizable William Fichtner as the villain. Even moreso than the previous year's John Carter, this costly Disney flop deserves a second look.

Expectations were high and this sequel didn't quite fully live up to them, but remains a highly enjoyable entry in the Marvel canon. There are plenty of good performances, with Tom Hiddleston again stealing the show, lots of laughter to be had and the action has its moments too, particularly the final battle which I found highly enjoyable. But overall the film suffers from being just very good, not exceptional.

A slightly lesser film than the original, this prequel is still a heck of a lot of fun and an excellent blockbuster with great fight scenes, effects and a lot of humor. There is not as much of a mystery compared to the prior film, and things are much less grounded, but as far as I'm concerned, bring on Detective Dee 3.