We’re about halfway
through the year and I’ve hit a milestone of 50 films seen in theaters so far. It’s crazy to think where the year of 2013 has
led me, though ups and downs, moving, new starts, and through it all I’ve seen
50 different movies on the big screen. If it wasn’t clear, I love movies. I
love going to the movies. It’s honestly the most fun, relaxing, and calming
experience I can think of. Going to the theater is a kind of joy for me that I
can’t explain, to just get lost in a story, either or good bad, and experience
the journey of the characters onscreen is amazing. It’s why I’m a storyteller,
to share in some way the experience I have every time I go to the movies or a
live production. One of the joys of MoivePass is that I can go to the movies
whenever I have a chance to at an affordable price. I know I’ve talked about it
before but MoviePass really is the best gift you can give to a film junkie. If
you are interested, let me know. I’ll send you the invite (and if enough you
sign up I get a free month… just saying). But moving on…
So I’ve been planning
this article for a while because I figured about halfway through the year I’d
hit 50 films. What I’m going to do is rank, from 50 to 1, the films I’ve seen
over the first half of 2013. Most of these we’ve covered in some way, so I’m
not going crazy in depth, just a few reminders of what was good, bad, and ugly,
and why they’re grouped the way they are. So cheers to the first half of 2013!
It’ll be an interesting experiment to see how many of these make the worst list
at the end of the year, and how many stay in the top 10. Let’s take a look at
the first fifty of 2013.
Jeff’s Note:
I know y’all haven’t heard much from me
lately, partially because I’ve been torn away by other projects, but mainly
because I can’t begin to compete with Josh’s movie-watching stats. His 50 is an
achievement that I envy, and through this article I’ll put a asterisk next to
the films I’ve seen as well, and any of my thoughts in italics. It will be fun
to see how we stack up! (hint: he wins! By a LOT) Here we go…
The
Worst of the Worst
50. Movie 43 – This is
easily the worst film of the year, and it will take a real disaster to knock it
off its pedestal. By the time the Razzies come around this terrible sketch
“comedy” piece will probably have been forgotten (and for good reason as almost
every one of the 39 known actors in the film have disowned it). But Movie 43 is so bad… it’s bad. Avoid at
all costs.
49.
Tyler Perry’s Temptation – don’t be tempted… you’ll be
sorry.
48.
The Heat – This is one of the most overrated films of the
year so far. It’s made over 60 million and the sequel has already been green-lit.
Films like The Heat is why the
current state of comedy is in such a sad way. Congrats America! Here comes the
long-awaited Sandra Bullock and Mellissa McCarthy Heat trilogy.
47.
The Host
46.
Phantom – Submarine films, can’t live with them… can’t stay
awake in them.
45.
Dead Man Down
44.
G. I. Joe Retaliation – So I hear this is better than
first one, that’s faint praise everyone. One day I’ll have my retaliation for
sitting through this piece of junk.
More
Bad Than Good
43.
A Good Day to Die Hard – You know what you’re getting with
this one, you’re either going to love it, or wish they would have stopped with
the first Die Hard, when John McClane
wasn’t “on a vacation.”
42.
Escape from Planet Earth – The cartoon is the definition of
pandering the children crap, don’t waste your time.
41.
Peeples – I really like Craig Robinson, and David Allen
Grier for that matter, but this was a sad, sad film for them to lead. A Meet The Parents rip off that falls more
than a little short.
40.
Oblivion* (Jeff saw this! See our Talkin’ in the Movies)
39.
After Earth – Yes, there is a reason that this film
falls right here. It is NOT good (a few enjoyable moments) but it is slightly better
than Oblivion… give me Will Smith
over Tom Cruise any day.
38.
Man of Steel – I’m actually kind of surprised Man of Steel made it this far up the
list. But hey, miracles happen every day. I’m still searching for the reason
people enjoy Zack Snyder…. And I still, haven’t found what I’m looking for.
37.
The Last Stand – Luis Guzman is the only reason this is
not much further down the list, a few good moments make The Last Stand a semi-fun but overtly ridiculous watch.
Truly
Mediocre
36.
The Great Gatsby* – Baz Luhrmann made the film he wanted.
He just didn’t make the film anyone else wanted.
35.
Beautiful Creatures – Beautiful
Creatures is more fun than it looks, but it’s all not in the way the
filmmakers wanted. This Twilight rip
off has enough going on to be unique and some good ideas that fell flat due to
a desire to be like previous tween franchises. At the very least Beautiful Creatures is so bad, it’s
good.
34.
21 & Over – If I was in high school I would have
loved this film, but I’m not. If you are in high school (or early college) then
you will probably find quite a bit of enjoyment in 21 & Over. Be warned, this is an extreme dude film.
33.
The Amazing Burt Wonderstone
32.
Identity Thief – A poorly-written, well-cast film that
ends up having some true moments of joy mixed in with many
bash-your-head-against-a-wall moments. It’s a great plane film (something that
you’d enjoy, if you had nothing else to watch).
31.
Jack The Giant Slayer
30.
Epic
29.
Quartet
28.
Side Effects – Decent ideas, wrapped up in a slow
moving package that ends up being about bad people turning good people into bad,
and a bunch of other sad convoluted nonsense.
27.
The Company You Keep
26.
The Great and Powerful Oz – Disney’s attempt to bring us back
to Oz is their first misstep of year (sadly not their last live action fiasco
of 2013). The Great and Powerful Oz is
a decent ride through Oz that falls apart in the third act.
The
Upper Half
25.
The Internship – Well, if this starts the upper half of
films, I’m a little worried about 2013, but The
Internship is not a complete waste of time. There are some decent moments,
and again: this would make a fine plane film.
24.
Gangster Squad – Gangster
Squad took a beating at the start of the year. I’m not saying this is
great, but it is fun. All the actors (Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling,
and Sean Penn) are enjoying their parts and the visuals are at least fun. It’s
not perfect, but hey, I’d watch it again. That’s more than I can say of any of
the other films on this list so far.
23.
The Croods – A thoroughly unoriginal animated film
that doesn’t push any ground and can’t hold a candle to ahat Pixar, Dreamworks,
or Disney has to offer, but in the end it’s an enjoyable enough film with a
good message and pretty animation.
22.
Now You See Me
21.
Snitch – The Rock, doing his thing. Not the best film with
The Rock this year, but the best one he’s starred in.
More
Good than Bad
20.
Admission
19.
Spring Breakers – This is the first of two thought-provoking
films that are worth your time, but ultimately miss the top spots. Take a look
at the Nerd 5 article about why Spring
Breakers is the first must-see film of 2013. Yes, Franco is one of those
reasons.
18.
The Purge – An almost awesome film that has some very good
ideas. Check it out, more than worth your time.
17.
Olympus Had Fallen – A 90’s actions film that came 13 years
after the 90s. I’m still on board.
16.
Warm Bodies
Good
But Just Shy of Great
15.
Evil Dead – Despite every reason I wanted to hate this film,
I ended up with a smile on face through the entire thing. Yes, I worry about my
soul for smiling through this film. No, it’s not a remake or reboot but a
continuation. And yes, this is the rare example of good slasher film.
14.
The Place Beyond the Pines – An epic tale of fathers and sons,
while tackling the question of how much a parent can truly affect what their
kid becomes. The Place Beyond the Pines starts
out very strong and fades a little as it goes, but overall this is a very
complex and enjoyable film.
13.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters – This film is dumb
beyond all get out. It’s filled with logic holes, plot holes, and any other
kind of hole you can think. But man, it’s a good time. Turn your brain off and
enjoy the ride of Hansel & Gretel:
Witch Hunters, which has its tongue firmly placed in its cheek.
12.
The Sapphires
11.
Iron Man 3* – I railed pretty hard against Iron Man 3, and when all is said and
done it will probably slip down the list much further, but outside of a few
scenes that absolutely destroyed it Iron
Man 3 is a fun ride. It was just hard for me, personally, to watch.
The
Best of The Best
10.
Drinking Buddies* – This little film has grown on me
since the day I saw it. More and more it becomes something I relate to, love,
and can’t wait to see again when it releases nationwide later this summer.
Thanks to SIFF for the great sneak peak and the Q & A with director.
9.
42: The Story of An American Legend – The Jackie Robinson
story, done right. Great performances all around, especially Harrison Ford as
Branch Rickey and Chadwick Boseman as Jackie, the story of Robinson is well
told and this is a fantastic baseball film that will be remembered for years.
8.
World War Z* – This big budget zombie film hits all
right notes as it tells the story of a worldwide outbreak. Brad Pitt proves that
he can still carry a film, and World War
Z is entirely on his shoulders. World
War Z overcame its troubled production and comes out on the other side as a
great summer blockbuster.
Look
out for our upcoming Talkin’ in the Movies! Jeff did fall asleep in this one…)
7.
Fast and Furious 6 – The franchise that just keeps on
giving. Fast and Furious 6
establishes Vin Diesel, The Rock and Paul Walker as superheroes… You think I’m
wrong? Give this completely bonkers film a watch and enjoy every moment.
6.
Star Trek Into Darkness* – So far, my favorite summer
action blockbuster of 2013. Enough said.
5.
Mud –
All a part of the resurgence of Matthew McConaughey’s career, Mud is a fascinating modern Tom Sawyer
tale that is captivating, creepy, and heartfelt – all at the same time.
4.
The Iceman – A dark tale of professional mafia hit
man Richard Kuklinski is a great film, showing that any man can be an…
everyman? Michael Shannon is amazing in The
Iceman and this film delivers on every level.
3.
This Is The End* – A bold, unique, and stunning comedy
that works! This is the End comes at
the height of Meta popularity and is nothing but a good time. Take the time to
see This is the End because we need
more comedies like this one, comedies that try to push the envelope and deliver
more than the usual nonsense.
2.
Monsters University – Pixar is back my friends! I’m happy to
say that Monsters University is a
great film that just adds to long list of great Pixar films. It’s a great story
that revisits some beloved characters in a fresh way and tells an actual story
rather than just going for a money grab. Good job Pixar.
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