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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
Does It Float?: Texas Chainsaw 3D
By: Addison Wylie
Horror movies usually guarantee fun at the movie theatre. Whether the quality of the movie is good or not, experiencing an eerie and tense film with a group of mostly strangers – who hopefully aren’t too gabby – is a riot. Everyone is witnessing the disturbing visuals and the scares for the first time making the overall vibe very exciting and relentlessly uneasy.
However, some horrors have a hard time making that jump to DVD, Blu-Ray, and VOD because the in-theatre experience plays crucial. Some frightful flicks hold up tremendously – and even look better on your HD television – but not all scary movies can be so lucky.
With this webisode of Does It Float?, I wanted to see if that was the case with 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D. I absolutely dug it in theatres and really enjoyed how director John Luessenhop handled the popular franchise. But, I wanted to know if this love for the 3D film could carry over to the small screen on Blu-Ray in 2D. And, do the twists, the turns, and the unsettling sequences float on a second viewing?
Webisode two, coming right up!
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To read my original review, click here!
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Texas Chainsaw 3D
By Addison Wylie
As far as sub-standard horror goes, Texas Chainsaw 3D is as by-the-numbers as scary movies go; if you skim the surface. However, I think John Luessenhop’s film is smarter than it looks and deserves more credit than it’s throwaway January release date gives it.
Texas Chainsaw 3D takes us to the beginning of the long-running story; except this time, it wishes to wipe the slate clean. This sequel to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre starts off with a quick recap of the first and then seamlessly takes us into the further telling of the gruesome tale.
For people like me who, for some reason, missed watching the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies (I know, I know), the brief recap is much appreciated. The old footage – which has been converted into 3D (calm down, fans) – has been handled well and makes us excited for the following film.
Warning to fans though: In order to watch the new horror film without struggle, it’s important for you to go in with an open mind. Luessenhop and his three screenwriters (Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan, and Kristen Elms) with Stephen Susco, Marcus and Sulivan getting credits for conjuring up the story) gives Texas Chainsaw fanatics a treat by having an introduction that features actors from the original 1974 slasher return as their famous characters, but Texas Chainsaw 3D is trying to do something different…surprisingly.
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill modern day horror like many are expecting it to be. In fact, don’t be surprised if it fools you. For the first half of Luessenhop’s flick, you wonder why it’s been made and what purpose it’s serving. The acting isn’t very inspired, the 3D feels tacked on to add an extra surcharge to the price of admission, and the set-up feels awfully familiar; right down to the character cliches of “the hot girl” and “the token black guy”.
But then, something happens. You figure out exactly what the director and his screenwriters are doing. It isn’t a result of the moviegoer trying to dig deep in the film to find meaning or purpose. It’s quite clear.
Texas Chainsaw 3D has been made as an old 70’s slasher movie, in a modern world, while displaying an extremely straight face. It’s a grindhouse movie without all the flashy filters, the missing reels, and the self-conscious attitude that Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have displayed in the past. To use an unlikely but honest example, Texas Chainsaw 3D is to grindhouse cinema as Louie C.K’s Pootie Tang is to blaxploitation cinema.
Now, this doesn’t mean the film doesn’t have a sense of humour. I think the cast is in on it as much as they need to be to pull off the subtle humour while at the same time selling the film as a product of the 70’s. A good example would be actress Alexandra Daddario and her button-up shirt. As the movie rolls along, she gradually loses more buttons until her midriff becomes side partial nudity. It’s never acknowledged directly, but if you have a keen eye, you can see the film smirk.
Even the film’s 3D finds its way to work. It isn’t the greatest use of the technology (the shallow depth of field is always apparent) but it finds a way to be involving and fun (expect lots of chainsaw wiggling towards the camera). But, like the old edge the film has, the 3D isn’t supposed to emulate modern day usage. It wants to trade immersiveness for gimmicky fun. If Luessenhop had the access to old red-and-bue lensed anaglyph 3D glasses to distribute with his film, I have no doubt he would’ve jumped at the opportunity.
Unfortunately, the film has been marketed as yet “another scary movie” and with the Texas Chainsaw title accompanied with it, audiences are inevitably going to have expectations. It wouldn’t phase me to see naysayers picking apart the logic hair by hair.
However, if you like what you read and you’d like to have some fun at your local cinema during the doldrums of January, give Texas Chainsaw 3D a shot. I’m more than happy I did.
Wylie Writes 