Yes, finally, the best, but, really, what does "best" mean? It's kind of relative to the one giving the opinion. The matter of choosing the best movie of the year is additionally complicated by the fact that not all the entries are in yet. Most noteworthy from these concerns, we have to hedge our bets a little, since we still haven't seen part 2 of The Hobbit.
I'm guessing though that - having been produced pretty much simultaneously with the first part - it will share the initial installment's charms and weaknesses: more fresh humor than you'd expect, but maybe just a little too loud. LOTR did a good job for the most part of keeping the right balance between action adventure and introspective soul search. The first part of the Hobbit leaned too far into the action genre. We remain hopeful though that part 2 will redeem the franchise. But we'll see.
Between though what's been released and what our secret sources have given us access to ahead of the gen-pop, we feel comfortable in declaring for the best movies of 2013 - or, more precisely, the best movie! One criterion of course is to let the people have their say. They vote with their hard earned dollars and that at least deserves honorable mention.
So, in a sop to populism, we will acknowledge that in this category the winner is Iron Man 3. This morning Box Office Mojo had it listed as running up into the territory of $410 million Shekels in box office grosses. And, I can't resist just a brief digression of personal amazement. Honestly, who ever would have predicted that the protagonist of The Pick-Up Artist and Two Girls and a Guy, or the persona of Larry Paul from Ally McBeal , would be the superhero star of a megabuck action franchise? Well, sure fooled me. That's almost as nuts as little Tobey Maguire being the superhero star of a megabuck action franchise. And that could never happen, right?
Well, be all that as it may, this movie watchdog is no democracy. We've got our own idiosyncratic ways of choosing the best movies. And behinds-in-seats is not it. I certainly would be sympathetic you anyone who insisted that the delightful and intriguing Sound City in fact deserved the honors. This great documentary reveals the story behind the story, giving us the scoop on one of the best kept secrets in American popular culture. Hidden away in the San Fernando Valley, amid ramshackle warehouses, an extraordinary studio, with amazing technical capacities, became a recording shrine for iconic names among American pop and rock musicians.
Those ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Neil Young, to Nirvana and Metallica made the trek to the studio so far off the beaten track. The film tells the story of the studio through the eyes of those whose music was so influenced by its contribution to the contemporary music sound. This is really a great movie experience. However, really, we're not going to be so namby-pamby as to name a doc best movie of the year. Come on, now.
No, rather, we're leading the charge, ahead of the curve, throwing down the gauntlet: declaring that soul scorching flick, Le Week-End as our the best movie of the year. Don't freak out, it's not some obtuse foreign film (that would be as bad as naming a doc best movie). The Frenchified title points to the film's location, in Paris. It's there that we find a British couple in the throes of marital ennui. They are fantastically portrayed by still astoundingly gorgeous Lindsay Duncan and the painfully dowdy Jim Broadbent.
We don't want to give too much away, the dialogue is too rich and delicious to spoil, but if you're a fan of Richard Linklater's great Before Sunset series, imagine Jesse and Celine right at the end of their relationship, where cleverness has been reduced to passive aggressive cruelty. It really is though more fun than that makes it sound.
Also needing special mention is the supporting role provided by Jeff Goldblum, another stellar contribution to his later career forte. This one still hasn't equaled the dark menace of his great contribution to Igby Goes Down, but it's still a pretty great performance. One for which I suspect the tall guy will long be remembered.
And so, now you know, the die is cast, the truth is told, our favorite for 2013 is revealed. Or, anyway, that's our story and we're sticking to it. Unquestionably, there were some other excellent offerings, which have received a well deserved not. Le Week-End, with its dark and brooding, funny and cruel, rich dialogue, that scorches the soul even as it may well up a tear or two, is our pick for the best of the best movies of 2013. If you think we're wrong, let us know why.
I'm guessing though that - having been produced pretty much simultaneously with the first part - it will share the initial installment's charms and weaknesses: more fresh humor than you'd expect, but maybe just a little too loud. LOTR did a good job for the most part of keeping the right balance between action adventure and introspective soul search. The first part of the Hobbit leaned too far into the action genre. We remain hopeful though that part 2 will redeem the franchise. But we'll see.
Between though what's been released and what our secret sources have given us access to ahead of the gen-pop, we feel comfortable in declaring for the best movies of 2013 - or, more precisely, the best movie! One criterion of course is to let the people have their say. They vote with their hard earned dollars and that at least deserves honorable mention.
So, in a sop to populism, we will acknowledge that in this category the winner is Iron Man 3. This morning Box Office Mojo had it listed as running up into the territory of $410 million Shekels in box office grosses. And, I can't resist just a brief digression of personal amazement. Honestly, who ever would have predicted that the protagonist of The Pick-Up Artist and Two Girls and a Guy, or the persona of Larry Paul from Ally McBeal , would be the superhero star of a megabuck action franchise? Well, sure fooled me. That's almost as nuts as little Tobey Maguire being the superhero star of a megabuck action franchise. And that could never happen, right?
Well, be all that as it may, this movie watchdog is no democracy. We've got our own idiosyncratic ways of choosing the best movies. And behinds-in-seats is not it. I certainly would be sympathetic you anyone who insisted that the delightful and intriguing Sound City in fact deserved the honors. This great documentary reveals the story behind the story, giving us the scoop on one of the best kept secrets in American popular culture. Hidden away in the San Fernando Valley, amid ramshackle warehouses, an extraordinary studio, with amazing technical capacities, became a recording shrine for iconic names among American pop and rock musicians.
Those ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Neil Young, to Nirvana and Metallica made the trek to the studio so far off the beaten track. The film tells the story of the studio through the eyes of those whose music was so influenced by its contribution to the contemporary music sound. This is really a great movie experience. However, really, we're not going to be so namby-pamby as to name a doc best movie of the year. Come on, now.
No, rather, we're leading the charge, ahead of the curve, throwing down the gauntlet: declaring that soul scorching flick, Le Week-End as our the best movie of the year. Don't freak out, it's not some obtuse foreign film (that would be as bad as naming a doc best movie). The Frenchified title points to the film's location, in Paris. It's there that we find a British couple in the throes of marital ennui. They are fantastically portrayed by still astoundingly gorgeous Lindsay Duncan and the painfully dowdy Jim Broadbent.
We don't want to give too much away, the dialogue is too rich and delicious to spoil, but if you're a fan of Richard Linklater's great Before Sunset series, imagine Jesse and Celine right at the end of their relationship, where cleverness has been reduced to passive aggressive cruelty. It really is though more fun than that makes it sound.
Also needing special mention is the supporting role provided by Jeff Goldblum, another stellar contribution to his later career forte. This one still hasn't equaled the dark menace of his great contribution to Igby Goes Down, but it's still a pretty great performance. One for which I suspect the tall guy will long be remembered.
And so, now you know, the die is cast, the truth is told, our favorite for 2013 is revealed. Or, anyway, that's our story and we're sticking to it. Unquestionably, there were some other excellent offerings, which have received a well deserved not. Le Week-End, with its dark and brooding, funny and cruel, rich dialogue, that scorches the soul even as it may well up a tear or two, is our pick for the best of the best movies of 2013. If you think we're wrong, let us know why.
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