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Wylie Writes’ Ten Best Movies of 2013
By: Addison Wylie
Now that we’ve recognized the bad movies that were slingshot at audiences last year, it’s time to move on and engulf ourselves in the cream of the crop.
2013 introduced a wide variety of great films to audiences. I feel like I say that every year, but as I scour my selected picks, the only thing these movies share are the odd genre they’re grouped in.
Take documentaries, for example. Audiences were shown terrific autobiographies that opened their subjects like books. André Gregory: Before and After Dinner was one that caught my interest. Gregory is a writer, an actor, a director, an all around theatrical wiz, yet he presents himself as such a humble human being who could easily sweep the average movie goer off their feet. Director Cindy Kleine doesn’t have to stretch to find a comfortable groove for this pleasant doc.
Nicky’s Family wasn’t necessarily a straightforward autobiography like André Gregory: Before and After Dinner, but it told a revolutionary story involving Nicholas Winton. Winton, who rescued Jewish children before WWII, is shown in high regard with Matej Mináč’s film. Nicky’s Family may look like something you’d find on PBS on a Sunday afternoon, but the doc’s importance could impact a sold-out stadium.
Rounding out the list of sensational documentaries was Lucy Walker’s The Crash Reel, a film that snuck onto our radars when the year was winding down. The message about the importance of safety during extreme sports follows alongside snowboarder Kevin Pearce’s inspirational story. Walker’s doc is incredible, and you’ll never want to take your eyes off of it.
There were a few independent films that caught my attention and impressed me with their storytelling. The Oxbow Cure, for instance, is a film that moves deliberately slow. However, Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas were able to chill me to the bone with their frigid settings and drawn out creeping.
Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil was a fantastic feature film debut, providing superb performances from actors who could rationalize their drastic arcs quite well. Sean Garrity’s Blood Pressure was a worthy-enough thriller with an anchoring turn from Michelle Giroux. The film has its flaws, but I enjoyed myself all the way through this low budget drama.
And, Tower. I desperately wanted Tower and actor Derek Bogart to receive more recognition for their contributions to Toronto’s indie scene. It was an uncomfortable, often amusing and unhinged jarring character study from filmmaker Kazik Radwanski. I’ve seen a lot of fine performances from lots of actors in 2013, but Bogart’s portrayal of a disconnected wanderer stuck with me all year round.
Of course, I had some mainstream picks. I thought The Wolf of Wall Street was great fun. It was a lengthly film, but it showed audiences that Martin Scorsese is still a gutsy filmmaker willing to tackle any genre at any given time. August: Osage County was another strong contender. It’s ensemble cast knocked the film out of the park, and frequently had me in stitches.
Blue is the Warmest Colour, The Spectacular Now, and The Way, Way Back were three coming-of-age films that were unforgettable. All three featured moving performances from everyone involved, the creative minds behind the flicks were fearless, and nothing was sugarcoated. Movie goers could sense the filmmakers treating the characters with earnest gratitude, which helped sustain the staying power of each flick.
But, enough lollygaging. Let’s take a look at what fleshed out the top spots of 2013.
Underrated Movies:
Everyday is Like Sunday
It’s A Disaster!
Nicky’s Family
Texas Chainsaw 3D
Warm Bodies
Honourable Mentions:
#15. Tatsumi
#14. Charles Bradley: Soul of America
#13. To The Wonder
#12. Nebraska
#11. Short Term 12
Wylie Writes’ Ten Best Movies of 2013
#10. Spring Breakers
Spring Breakers acts as a statement about the impatient youth of today, and about the need for constant change amongst a modern younger generation.
It’s also a stylistic blast and an interesting conversation starter. Filmmaker Harmony Korine reassures his fans that he isn’t leaving, and he brilliantly introduces younger audiences to a new way to look at movies.
#9. Her
Spike Jonze’s poignant work is a personal film about an impersonal society.
#8. Downloaded
Downloaded is a fantastic documentary on the brink of a remarkable level involving the rise and the inevitable fall of the file trading peer-to-peer service Napster.
#7. 12 Years a Slave
An absolutely brutal, but rewarding watch that’s extremely well acted by its vast ensemble.
Filmmaker Steve McQueen shows an anthropological side to the relationship between an owner and his slave, as well as a fascinating, stomach churning outlook on how easy it was for people to consider other people “possessions”.
Jim Mickle’s We Are What We Are shows a hauntingly humanistic portrayal of something that’s downright unfathomable: cannibalism. The film is an excellent slow burn with a jaw-dropping payoff.
#5. A Hijacking
Unfortunately overshadowed, A Hijacking is a riveting docudrama that I hope gets the respect and attention it deserves despite ingredients that some may be seasick about.
Dallas Buyers Club is an all around exceptional piece of work with flawless lead performances by Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto.
#3. Mud
Like the film’s stoic bluegrass backdrop, Mud resonates quietly. It’s an outstanding movie with phenomenal acting and careful direction.
#2. Before Midnight
Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight is brilliantly observant with its authentic portrayal of two people who love – and will always love – each other. The screenplay is simply one of the best.
#1. The Place Beyond the Pines
A complete 180° for filmmaker Derek Cianfrance. This sweeping drama about redemption, fatherhood, and “doing the right thing” is absorbing and never drops the ball. A true classic in the making.
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‘Ten Best Movies of 2013’ Artwork by: Sonya Padovani
Charles Bradley: Soul of America
By: Addison Wylie
It’s hard to find dislikable qualities in Poull Brien’s crowd pleaser Charles Bradley: Soul of America. Whether you attend a screening of the film because you like Bradley’s music, funk/blues music in general, or a good underdog story, Brien’s doc will have you leaving the theatre with a giant smile plastered to your face while you bob your head to the funky tunes streamlining through your cranium.
The doc quickly lets movie goers know that Charles Bradley, a 62-year-old dedicated and emotional musician/former James Brown impersonator, has a debut album slated for January 2011. We’re then taken through Bradley’s life 50 days prior to the release party of his mainstream breakthrough. During these days preceding the big event, Bradley performs in front of wide audiences, rehearses songs with his committed songwriter, and gets acquainted with old friends and acquaints the movie going audience with his complicated upbringing.
As far as its documentary format goes, Charles Bradley: Soul of America is traditional. It doesn’t take on a boring “talking heads” display, but it doesn’t break outside the mould of generic documentary building blocks. It isn’t bad, but there isn’t anything new to it as well.
It refrains from being a concert film for the first half or so, but luckily Brien embraces the concert film format and happily shows extended performances and the devotion Bradley commits on stage. These performances add so much more to Bradley as a musician and movie goers end up getting an intimate view of the gifted singer as well as his entertaining stage portrayal.
While it may appear that I’m expecting Brien’s musical flick to reinvent the documentary wheel, it actually quietly does.
Charles Bradley: Soul of America executes a filmmaking tactic that adds a visceral sensation to the experience in the sense that the film acts as a cinematic version of the proficient performer. When we see Bradley sing on stage, that emotion he exudes transcends through the screen and affects us. We feel that excitement he earns during his show-stopping set.
The same can be said about his other emotions. Bradley likes to storytell – it’s a crucial step in the songwriting process, as we learn. When Bradley tells a light-hearted or heart-wrenching story, we feel that weight in his words. It’s a clear sign that Bradley is a great storyteller. When he spins those stories into musical lyrical gold, those feelings resonate and will give you chills every time.
For that feeling alone and how Brien can flawlessly and consistently show Bradley as a talented and compelling individual makes this documentary soar as high as those docs that are innovative with their narrative. It’s memorability skyrockets because of this strength.
Poull Brien’s doc clocks in at 74 minutes, but doesn’t feel like that at all. Many fans of Bradley’s commend him and tell him that they wish they heard more of him on stage. The ironic thing is Brien could’ve actually gotten away with more concert footage giving movie goers that fulfillment to see more of Charles Bradley performing. What the film offers is a good amount of music, but audiences won’t be complaining if an upcoming extended edition of the film happened to feature more of these magnetic scenes.
Bradley’s childhood will have you transfixed by how bothersome the living conditions became for the musician as well as the saddening events that occurred during Bradley’s youth. The way Bradley and his Mother tell these points in the timeline add to the fascination.
We’re almost halfway through 2013 and it’s already been an extremely strong year for the documentary genre, but this is also one of those times where movie goers will find themselves purchasing the film’s soundtrack or any of Bradley’s albums as soon as they exit the theatre. Hell, by the credit crawl, you won’t stop tapping your feet. This is a great piece of work!
Wylie Writes 