Thoughts: I continue my mild obsession with Rooney Mara with this film, which from the commercials looked like Terrence Malick-lite, which is basically what it was. The film struggles to make sense of its mumbling plot and performances (Mara as a woman trapped in the life of her girlhood is probably the best in show), but the film takes too long to get to its point and lacks Malick's sense of depth and grandeur. (2/5 stars)
The Conjuring
Thoughts: Though it isn't quite at the same level as something like Cabin in the Woods, this was easily the best horror film I saw in 2013, and has excellent work from all involved, particularly Lili Taylor as a mother possessed by a demon. The art direction of this movie was absolutely wonderful (where was that Oscar nomination?!?) and I loved that, like Cabin, it's smart enough to occasionally hold back in trying to get its scares. Definitely one of the better films on this list. (3/5 stars)
Frances Ha
Thoughts: I don't actually think that Gerwig is ripping off Lena Dunham here, but I do see the comparisons between the two. Gerwig's movie is more rife with kinder people, though she captures the boundless optimism and limited worldview of Generation Y quite well. Kudos have to go to a scene-stealing Adam Driver (can he just be in everything from now on?) and to whomever thought up the idea of a random weekend trip to Paris in the script room. (3/5 stars)
Mud
Thoughts: Academy, take note. This is what excellent Matthew McConaughey looks like, not the performance that you're about to give him an Oscar for (actually, if we want EXCELLENT McConaughey, may I suggest this link). I loved the world-weary optimism of his Mud, so consumed by a burning desire to justify his actions (a love that's only surface-level for Juniper), and the way that this film managed to make broad daylight just as suspenseful as the middle-of-the-night. Kudos also on a great ending and to the casting director on landing a bunch of actors who are on hot streaks at the moment. (3/5 stars)
Thoughts: Caper films are literally my favorite genre to watch at the movies-there's nothing I love better than figuring out a mystery, so I was going into this movie with high hopes. However, like most caper films, I left thrilled but a bit disappointed. The casting decisions ran from strong (Woody Harrelson is so great in everything lately) to tired (I love Michael Caine more than life itself, but did he really need to play yet another stodgy British aristocrat?), and the plot got very hackneyed toward the end and the twists were too easy to spot. (2/5 stars)
One Direction: This is Us
Thoughts: I don't care what anyone says, I love One Direction. Love, love, love. I won't even pretend this is a strong documentary or insightful or anything of that nature...though it does explain why Harry Styles will be the Justin Timberlake quite nicely. I'm fangirling here, and I still give it (3/5 stars).
Pacific Rim
Thoughts: I had a few thoughts during this film. One, how did this not get cited for Best Visual Effects-between this movie and the ultra-classy effects happening in Man of Steel there should have been no room for Star Trek into Darkness. Two, what the hell is up with this plot? Which screenwriter got high and thought we should have giant robots fighting giant aliens? Because this is someone who I want to party with, and who should probably never be let near a movie studio again. And finally, which straight woman/gay guy on set kept demanding that Charlie Hunnam be in various states of undress, as I owe them a thank you card? (2/5 stars...though Charlie's abs get infinity/5 stars).
The Place Beyond the Pines
Thoughts: I was live-texting this film with my brother and when I told him a few weeks later than Dane DeHaan and Ryan Gosling were both close to making my personal list for best supporting actors of 2013, he was surprised because he thought I hated the film. Apparently I only texted during the middle third, which I found tired, unfortunate, and filled with cliche (can someone put a kibosh on hiring Ray Liotta in anything ever again at this point...I'm just sort of done with it, and even when he's good like in Killing Them Softly other actors could do better and we're all just wishing we were watching GoodFellas). Bradley Cooper is no good as a former lawyer who becomes a cop to...I have no idea why he became a cop, and I genuinely paid attention during that part. Gosling was great as an aspiring hood and DeHaan even better as his delinquent son. (3/5 stars)
Thoughts: I figured with us working on the 2009 OVP, I needed to see one of the biggest competitors for the 2009 Animated Film nominations, and being a Miyazaki fan I thought it was my duty to peruse. I have to say that I left feeling pretty disappointed-I've seen some Miyazaki that I adored (Spirited Away), but this felt too contrived and simplistic for me. And I HATED that final song (which I couldn't get out of my head for days). (2/5 stars)
Spring Breakers
Thoughts: The Bling Ring went into similar territory with much finer results-please see that instead if you haven't. Franco was the best part, but anyone who thinks this is better than his work in Milk needs to put down the cocaine, and can we all just admit that Vanessa Hudgens should not be cast in anything ever again? When you're acting next to Selena Gomez and still seem like a background character with absolutely no panache, you have problems. (1/5 stars)
Stories We Tell
Thoughts: Surely very insightful, and quite an interesting combination of personal discovery and the complications that arise from family, but I didn't feel it. I tried, and feel quite stupid for not feeling it, and I found it very interesting, for sure, but the final thirty minutes seemed too much like Polley was covering up some of her family's dirty laundry and I thought she should have turned the lens on herself sooner. The last joke was a riot, though. (2/5 stars)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Thoughts: The Conjuring and this movie are the two films that I feel the worst about short-shifting (and are coincidentally the two films that I liked the best), but I've been putting off writing this review so long that I feel like I wouldn't do it justice without a re-view, and that's not in the cards for a while. A thoughtful, difficult treatise on the permanence of death and the way that we become haunted by our pasts and our loves as we age. A must see film, a Palme d'Or winner, and the only movie I've ever seen that made having sex with a catfish seem erotic. (4/5 stars)
Those are my thoughts on these films-what are yours? Did you have a favorite in the bunch?
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