Best of 2013 - Others

This category is for other genre of movies like comedy & drama, which I rarely seek upon (though it does not eliminate my views and respect for those kind of films).

Anyway, this category will cover a very narrow scope, as they are limited to those I have watched, and I have to be blunt, it is literally a very small number. So just bear with me while I try to pick the best of the films I have watched which were outside of the 5 main categories before this one. An apology in advance for not being able to cover these kind of films properly.


Nominees:
-Gravity
-Prisoners
-Rush

          As stated previously, I did not watch a lot of these kind of films, but as I recall, with the lack of blockbuster films in the months of September & October, along with the excellent reviews of the films above, I decided to watch those three above, with all displaying some great qualities, each in their own unique way.
          Gravity is the film that shook the minds and hearts of movie makers and audiences alike, with Alfonso Cuaron making this spectacle of a visual treat, like none other before. Prisoners is the film that delivers the thrill and suspense of a complex plot line, with confusion and twists being the centre of attraction of a well made plot. While Rush is a rare film that amazingly depicts an excellent rivalry of the past, in some style, supported with some excellent cast, visuals & drama.



Winner: Rush

          Gravity may be the film that shook the world and set minds anew, and also earns the biggest bucks of the three, but as an overall film, Rush is in my favour. Prisoners was never in the game as it lacked in proper pace and a satisfying ending. Although Gravity was one to remember for the ages, it just loses out to the overall quality and exciting movie experience that is Rush, experiencing the old rivalry of two great individuals, properly exploring opposite characters that attract yet clashes, with some of the best emotional conflicts and excellent visuals that brings a great movie to watch.

(imo)

Best of 2013 - Superhero

Yep, in case you're wondering where the superheroes were, here they are. This category needs no introduction, so lets just get on with it.


Nominees:
-Iron Man 3
-Man of Steel
-Thor: The Dark World

          There are only four superhero movies this year, yet they are all awesome, as you can see with these Marvel and DC superhero films which have been coming year after year after year. The Wolverine didn't make the list of nominee because of the overall blockbuster experience. On its own, it is a great movie, but didn't deliver as much fun and awe as the three nominees above.
          On the nominees side, however, Iron Man 3 delivers one of the finest overall blockbuster experience, with some great action sequences, along with the visual effects. Man of Steel is a great re-introduction of the character of Superman, while also opening a great big door for the world of DC to join in and compete in the big screens. Thor: The Dark World is an improvement over its predecessor, while bringing some of the most fun and laughs you can ever find in these kind of films.



Winner: Man of Steel

          Sorry Marvel, DC wins this time. Although as the other films, Marvel movies never disappoint and are always a joy to watch, Man of Steel just have that extra quality and a massively positive outcome for the universe. The overall quality of the film is excellent, with brilliant action sequences and visuals, while the strong characters and cast bring for a wonderful new Superman film, which outcome is probably the strongest aspect of it all, teasing other DC characters, and opening great big doors (or gates, we should say) for the DC cinematic universe to come into the mix.

(imo)

Best of 2013 - Science-Fiction (Beyond)

So, this will be the other side of the previous science-fiction category, in which the world itself would not feel like the one we live in now, whereby other races and creatures existed, probably alongside humans as well.


Nominees:
-Pacific Rim
-Star Trek Into Darkness
-The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

          As can be seen from the list of nominees, the movies are those which has creatures/races not of our world. Other films like this may include Riddick & After Earth. Oblivion is a tricky one though, as it centres mainly on humans, but the existence of an alien creature itself placed it here. And while Oblivion and After Earth have similar elements in them, AE is supposedly a rather big disappointment with very low quality both in plot and in characters. Oblivion, on the other hand, is strong on those aspects, but barely made it due to the brilliance and scale of the visuals of the films listed as the nominees.
          Pacific Rim is one that feels like a true science-fiction film with massive battle sequences between giant robots and humongous aliens. Into Darkness has the proper mix of story, drama, humour, and action as well, and a great twist of one menacingly terrifying villain. Meanwhile, The Desolation of Smaug is a vast improvement over An Unexpected Journey in nearly every way, is much more action packed, and delivers great visuals for a wonderful return to Middle-Earth. Plus, it has a more menacingly terrifying villain in the form of a dragon, and which is coincidentally voiced by the same person as the menacingly terrifying villain in STID. What a job this person has (*Benedict Cumberbatch).



Winner: Star Trek Into Darkness

          Pacific Rim was never in the game due to its rather simple plot and drama, but The Hobbit was just unlucky to lose out to Star Trek, which has the better of the overall quality. The Hobbit delivers what it ought to do with excellent visuals and fun action pack sequences, but is let down by minor flaws. Star Trek doesn't have those, delivering an excellent movie experience that seemed flawless for both fans and newcomers.

(imo)

Best of 2013 - Science-Fiction (Humans)

This category is unique so perhaps requires a bit of explanation. The category of science-fiction is much too wide, so I had to narrow it down a bit, by separating movies which involve otherworldly elements or aliens or other races, in a separate category.

This post will seek to explore on the movies which is mostly set on Earth and involves mainly on humans, with the involvement of science-fiction elements. No clear and accurate distinction is to be made, but is more based on feeling of similar elements of the films.


Nominees:
-Elysium
-The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
-World War Z

          I hope you don't get too confused with the distinction I try to make, but I believe things will be clearer as you read the next post which will be on the other side of the genre. But as seen in the movies listed on the nominees, it should be relatively clear that this is about films which are mainly on humans or based on human elements and human actions. Other films like this include G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which did not make the cut due to its unintelligent plot, focusing too much on fun and action.
          Elysium is decent in its plot, but is great with the mix of drama and action, along with its loose depiction of some of the world's political and social issues. Catching Fire is a great sequel to an already great film, while keeping us wanting for more even after the end of the film. World War Z is amazing for its balanced mix of action, humour, drama, and even some horror elements. It's accurate portrayal of character reactions is also of positive note.



Winner: The Hunger Games - Catching Fire

          This one is not an obvious one, as I am highly compelled to consider the other two nominees well. However, CF manages to overcome the others due to its excellent cast and strong characters, and a great plot that drives audiences to root and wonder for the characters. It feels like an improvement over its predecessor, which is already a great movie on its own.

(imo)

Best of 2013 - Action

This post is on the "action" category, and action here simply means action films that can be real and is set on the real world we live in now, with little or no elements of science-fiction and hence is not of a science-fiction category (which will come later on)


Nominees:
-Fast & Furious 6
-Now You See Me
-The Lone Ranger

          Not a lot of action films this year stands out more than others. Some like Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down are, coincidentally and surprisingly, similar. Both didn't manage to make it, although WHD nearly did for its extra dose of fun incorporating a lot of humour in the midst of the gunfights. One film in particular which highly disappoints, is A Good Day to Die Hard, which must be one of the worst action films ever, especially coming from a franchise that should know better.
          Fast & Furious 6 is a great film, which manages to take things to a whole new level, with actions involving flip cars, tanks, and even planes. Now You See Me is brilliant as it doesn't feel like a common action film, instead incorporating the likes of magic & illusion to pull off amazing & cool sequences for some awesome action entertainment. The Lone Ranger is a bit slow paced, but is overall an entertaining experience, especially due to the dynamic of the two main characters.



Winner: Fast & Furious 6

          Again, it feels a bit unanimous for myself. The three great sequences on the flip cars, tank, and plane is already on a whole new level, and would have made it the best of the year. Yet, it is more than that. The movie manages to bring back past characters which strengthens the plot points well, and also connecting the franchise one film to another which is a remarkable feature, and puts this film on a big margin away from the other nominees. 

(imo)

Best of 2013 - Animation

With the end of the year close by, it is again the time to look back and find out which films excel more than others, for my version of the "Best of 2013"

The categories here will be distinctions that can be made within the scope of the movies that I watch, which will be revealed as we go, along with some description of the category.

Firstly, animation films. A pretty obvious distinction, and one type of film that I still follow quite closely too, for their unbounded creativity and genuine quality they may bring.


Nominees:
-Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
-Despicable Me 2
-Frozen

          Animation films this year have seen some of the better ones, along with some that fail to entertain. The likes of Free Birds and Turbo just didn't meet the required expectations for animation movies that aim to be the show for the families, while some other films are just pure fun and joy that bring along the qualities of modern animation.
          For the sake of making it fun, I decided to put in 3 nominations for each category. For this one though, some are just unlucky to not make it, like Monsters University and The Croods. MU possesses an overall decent quality, but unfortunately has annoying characters which lets down the overall experience.
          Cloudy 2 is an overall fun experience, while displaying some excellent visuals, brilliant story, and some emotional ride for the families. Despicable 2, on the other hand, is pure entertainment with all the fun, humour and action, but simply excels at it. Frozen is the film that manages to rekindle the Disney fire, and brings back all good things about Disney, including the songs, comedy, and drama.



Winner: Frozen

          Truthfully, Frozen is pretty much the obvious winner here. Although Cloudy 2 and Despicable 2 is really a fun time for the movies, but Frozen recaptures the Disney quality, and Disney quality means awesome. The mixture of the comedy and drama, as well as the enjoyable songs is the true quality that shines, and puts Frozen in the position as the best animation film of 2013.

(imo)

Looking Forward: January 2014

The start of the year is relatively quiet, but not without a few that could be a surprise package...

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Jan 17-USA, Jan 24-UK, Jan 16-Singapore)

          At first glance, it seems just like another typical covert agent type movie. But at the absence of other well-known franchise, this one looks to be one to watch in January. It certainly has potential, the character being an adaptation of the Jack Ryan novel series by the late Tom Clancy, although this particular film is the origin story and won't be adapted from a specific novel. And I have always enjoyed these kind of action movies anyway. With a decent cast in the likes of Chris Pine & Kevin Costner, and a seemingly promising story, this might just give us the extra dose of movie needed for at the start of the year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9KAnx4EvaE (Trailer #1)

I, Frankenstein (Jan 24-USA, Jan 29-UK, Jan 23-Singapore)

          A fantasy action film revolving around the famous mythical creature 'Frankenstein'. This looks like another one of those movies that takes a famous myth, but iterates it as something different than what it ought to be. In this case, Frankenstein, though still being an experimented creation, is now embedded with superhuman abilities and fighting skills, and also being involved in a war of mythical creatures. The trailers show some decent fantasy action sequences, with good looking visuals & CGI. But the story didn't look promising as of yet. No idea why the title is as it is, but still, this is probably one to watch in a rather lifeless January.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCUZd1iuq3o (Trailer #1)

Other Movies:

The Nut Job (January 17)

-Yet another animation movie with some amazing ensemble voice cast...

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIffnIC3sWk)