CJF's Top 7 Films of 2013

In contrast to videogames, in my opinion, 2013 was really disappointing when it came to film selections in comparison to last year. Most of the films I've watched were either okay or I just didn't care for it. Even the selection of animated films this year was really mediocre and I didn't bother to watch most of them because they did not interest me one bit and I heard some of them weren't really worth it. And don't get me started about the summer movie line-up.

On the bright side, however, there were at least some films this year that stood out to me to the most and that I really, really liked them. Today, I count down my Top 7 Films from 2013. Why Top Seven? Because it's a luckier number than 13.
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7.) Philomena

I could have picked any film to start off at number seven, but with the exception of the next six, I didn't care for a lot of them, but I thought for a moment and decided to add Philomena on the list.

Philomena tells the true story about Martin Sixsmith (played by Steve Coogan) who helps an Irish mother, Philomena Lee (played by Dame Judi Dench), search for her long-lost son, who was sold to an American family while she was forced to live in a convent.

Judi Dench does an amazing job portraying a mother who was  full of guilt because she gave birth at a young age without having been married. Although despite that, she cared for her son until he was given away and that's what led to her 50-year search for him.

Steve Coogan also does an amazing job playing the real-life journalist who didn't seem interested at first, but went for it anyways and both Dench and Coogan worked really well together.

The film has its share of light humor, but a lot of deep and powerful moments as well, especially near the end. It's nothing special, but I think it's worth at least a viewing.
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6.) Monsters University

I loved Monsters, Inc. when I was a child and I still love it to this day. However, my expectations for this film were neutral (like every film nowadays), but after I watched it, I was amazed. Can you also believe that it came out on the same day I graduated high school?

The film is a prequel to the original, showing how Mike and Sulley first met in the titular university. They started out as rivals, but decide to put aside their differences when they were kicked out of scaring class and, in order to be reinstated to that major, they take part in a fraternity to compete in the Scaring Games.

The film really tackles on the whole "strength vs. weakness" aspect and you see how well the fraternity work together. It's also really funny; adults should get a laugh as well as kids. It also has some familiar elements we've seen from the previous film that I quickly managed to spot.

I have very little complaints about this film and I enjoyed it a lot. It's also another film in which I've seen it in theaters twice (I was crazy about it), along with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 and Silver Linings Playbook. It's not Pixar's best work, but it's a heck of a lot better than the last couple of films they made (Cars 2 and Brave weren't really spectacular in my eyes).

Also, the animated short preceding it, The Blue Umbrella, was really beautiful to look at.
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5.) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I really enjoyed An Unexpected Journey last year and I say the same about The Desolation of Smaug. Gandalf separates from Bilbo and the Dwarves to investigate a great evil. In the meantime, the group journey to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim it from Smaug the dragon.

I love the development for Bilbo Baggins as he is much braver this time around, and Thorin, leader of the Dwarves, is even more interesting, as it sort of explores on what he will do when they reclaim the Lonely Mountain as well as retrieve the MacGuffin-- I mean, the Arkenstone. The film also features the return of Legolas from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, once again played by Orlando Bloom, and he's just as awesome.

I think the main highlight, however, is Smaug himself, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. The CGI is just amazing to look at and he is really intimidating, especially with Cumberbatch's voice work.

As much as the cliffhanger bothered me a lot, I completely understand the direction that Peter Jackson was going for in making one book into a trilogy of films. I can't wait for the final part next year regardless.
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4.) Saving Mr. Banks

One of the biggest surprises this year was Saving Mr. Banks, which tells the story of how Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) tried to get the film rights to the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers (played by Emma Thompson). I haven't seen Mary Poppins in years, but I jumped into this movie regardless.

The main focus of the film is Travers herself. The story alternates between her childhood and adulthood. In her childhood, it explores the relationship between Travers and her loving father, who despite being a friendly and playful guy, he has a bit of a drinking problem. He even serves as the inspiration for the father character in Mary Poppins. In her adulthood in 1961, she meets Walt Disney, as well the songwriters, The Sherman Brothers, and Don DaGradi, the screenwriter for the film. Throughout the film, she expresses her dislike of some of the decisions made in the film adaptation.

The scenes involving the screenwriting are my favorite parts in the movie and hearing the songs in the developing process were a joy to watch. I remember an elderly woman sitting a row behind me singing and humming along to some of the songs like "Spoonful of Sugar" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite." I especially couldn't help myself humming along to some of the tunes. The childhood scenes are also good; it's just that the 1961 scenes overshadowed them, in my opinion.

The entire film is a joy to watch and it will leave you in chuckles from time to time, but it also has its deep and heartfelt moments and they did a number on me indeed; I almost felt like crying after walking out. I also came to a realization after watching it: I need to see Mary Poppins again and see how well it holds up.
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3.) Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

When it comes to a list like this, I will only include films that made a theatrical release. Since this one was simulcasted in both TV AND cinemas worldwide, I've decided to include this on the list. Like James Bond, I became a fan of Doctor Who just in time for the series' 50th Anniversary and this did not disappoint. Although, I didn't think it had to be theaters, because in my opinion, Doctor Who belongs only on television, but that's just me.

David Tennant returns as the 10th Doctor (my favorite Doctor) and I could tell he immediately felt right at home reprising the role. Both he and his successor, Matt Smith, play their parts well and have such great chemistry together. It also features John Hurt, who plays a forgotten incarnation of the Doctor, first introduced in the recent season finale "The Name of the Doctor" and as usual, he delivers a really powerful performance and worked really well with the other Doctors.

With that said, I do have a couple of complaints that either confused me or sort of turned me off. First off are the Zygons; their last appearance on-screen was in the 1975 serial Terror of the Zygons, and I was really disappointed with their reintroduction. In short, I felt they were really downplayed. I do have another complaint corcerning one scene, but that would result in me spoiling it, so I'll leave it at that.

Other than that, "The Day of the Doctor" lived up to the hype and it was a nice way to celebrate the show's 50th Anniversary. Although I only recommend it to the fans of the show; newcomers will have to watch the previous seasons in order to make sense out of some things.
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2.) Frozen

When I saw the teaser for this film, I was a little skeptical, but after the film was promoted more, I was looking forward to seeing it. After watching it, I think it's safe to say that I think it's one of Disney's strongest animated films.

The main focus of the film is the relationship between sisters Anna and Elsa. Elsa runs away after her coronation after everyone discovers that she has ice powers and causes a huge snow storm. Anna, aided by a mountain man named Kristoff, his deer Sven, and a snowman named Olaf, sets out to find her in order to make things right again.

The characters are all well-written and the story also left me in chuckles from time to time, especially the "In Summer" song, sung by Olaf. But my favorite song has to be "Let it Go" because of how great it ties in with Elsa's motivation and character, as well as the stunning imagery and animation that left me with chills down my spine (hey, look, an ice pun).

Disney has really gotten their feet back together these past few years, with great quality animated films like The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Winnie the Pooh, and Wreck-It Ralph, and it's easy for me to add Frozen on the list. Am I sensing yet a new Disney Renaissance? Only time will tell. Also, that Mickey Mouse short preceding it: ingenious.
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1.) Blue is the Warmest Color (La Vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 & 2)

I bet none of you could have guessed my number one film of 2013. This is the biggest surprise I have had all year. When I first heard that this won the Palme d'Or in this year's Cannes Film Festival, I looked up information about the film and its premise and I was really interested, but I had to wait until December, when a nearby art house theater was playing it and it was well worth the wait.

Based on the graphic novel of the same name, it tells the story of a high-school student named Adèle who meets a blue-haired lesbian named Emma and falls in love with her. They eventually form a romantic relationship and we see the years go by as they live on with their lives together.

For a film that is three hours long, it never felt boring the whole way because, being a fan of certain romances, I was so emotionally invested in the two female leads who both did an amazing job with their roles. And from what I've heard, they only read the script once and the director advised them to improvise, to make it more real, and it succeeds at that.

What made this film infamous for are the lovemaking scenes between the two leads and let me just say that it got an NC-17 rating for a good reason. They're the most graphic sex scenes I've ever laid my eyes on. I remember seeing someone in the movie theater walking out after the first one. A minor nitpick I have is that they kind of drag, but never to the point where they overstay their welcome, at least to me.

I've read the graphic novel myself and in my opinion, I prefer the film. But the graphic novel is still good and it did a couple of things better than the film, so I recommend it. If you're a fan of romance and you don't mind reading subtitles, I strongly recommend this movie, but be warned: the sex scenes ARE pretty graphic. It's probably not going to win any Oscars (maybe a Best Foreign Language Film nomination), but to heck with the Oscars.

I predicted that this might be my favorite film this year and my prediction came true. This is the best film I have watched all year and not any other film from 2013 will change my mind. Add that to my list of favorite films from each year of this decade:

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I'm sure there were some other great films that I missed out on, like Gravity and Pacific Rim, but that's mainly because (A) I didn't hear much about them, (B) I wasn't interested, or (C) I got lazy. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this list and have a Happy New Year.

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