So, in preparing my list for 2013, there are some movies that
I’ve ranked much lower than those preferred by the critics and awards-givers. But that’s the benefit of having my own
list…I don’t have to worry about what they say.
Kudos go out to a few actors this year who gave good
performances in multiple movies. They
include Tom Hanks (“Captain Phillips,” “Saving Mr. Banks”), Sandra Bullock (“The
Heat,” “Gravity”), Carey Mulligan (“The Great Gatsby,” “Inside Llewyn Davis”),
Jennifer Lawrence (“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “American Hustle”), Channing
Tatum (“Side Effects,” “White House Down”), Scarlet Johansson (“Don Jon,”
“Her”), Max Casella (“Blue Jasmine,” “Inside Llewyn Davis”), Rooney Mara (“Side
Effects,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” “Her”), Brie Larson ("The Spectacular Now," Don Jon," "Short Term 12"), Benedict Cumberbatch (“Star Trek
Into Darkness,” “12 Years a Slave,” “August: Osage County”), and the ubiquitous
Amy Adams (“Man of Steel,” “American Hustle,” “Her”).
Now, those of you who know me and/or have read my list
before, probably realize a few things about my movie preferences:
- My favorite movies have both a good plot and well-developed characters. Unfortunately, not enough of today’s films possess those characteristics—there are a lot of good plots with no real characters, and there are just as many movies about characters with hardly any plot.
- I don’t like movies about nasty people doing awful things to each other. I find those movies neither entertaining nor possessing any redeeming social value, so I leave them off my list.
- I enjoy movies that either entertain me and/or in some way uplift me. I get plenty of reality in my daily life, so I don’t need to pay to watch it on screen.
- I don’t watch a lot of animated films because, let’s face it, how many times can you watch a talking rodent, even if he is somewhat humorous? I figure I paid my dues in the animation department when Alex was young, so unless a film is in some other way outstanding, I skip the cartoons.
- I don’t include documentaries on my list, because comparing them to scripted and acted films is like the proverbial “apples to oranges.”
- I’m a writer, so I tend to like films where the script is fresh and interesting, but I’m also a guy, so I like well-made action films.
- I’m not invited to free movie screenings, nor do I get to meet the casts or directors. I’m just a person who likes movies, pays to see them like everyone else, and writes about the ones he likes.
Now that we’ve cleared
all of that up, I want to point out that as I see additional movies from 2013, I may add them to this list. So, while it started as the 30 best movies, it may end up with several more. Here it is—my list of the Best Movies of 2013, in inverse order:
34. Inside Llewyn Davis
This is a movie about a fairly interesting character, but there is no real
plot, so it appears on my list, but at the bottom. Oscar Isaac does a fine job with the lead
role in this Coen Brothers film, and he is well-supported by performances by
Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, and Max Casella. But the film goes nowhere, other than
painting a portrait of a fairly unlikeable person. If you enjoy acoustic folk music, you’ll
probably want to see this film somewhere with a good sound system.
33. Man of Steel
So, I’m a sucker for Superman movies.
What I liked about this one was that it didn’t try to do too much…it
just told the Superman story in an interesting way. I also liked how it reimagined Lois Lane as a
kickass Amy Adams. Zach Snyder’s
direction wasn’t perfect, but it reigned in a high-powered cast (including
Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Laurence Fishburne) into (if this
is possible) a little movie about a larger-than-life superhero.
32. World War Z
While we’re on the subject of reimagining, director Marc Forster put together a
film, loosely based on the Max Brooks novel, that added new elements to a tired
genre by making the Zombies fast and the protagonists (including Brad Pitt)
smart. The character development was
less than outstanding, but it was still fun and interesting to watch.
31. American Hustle
I’m putting this movie on my list because of the performances by Amy Adams and
Christian Bale. However, in terms of the
other two leads, Jennifer Lawrence overacted, and Bradley Cooper was
terrible. Nevertheless, it tells the
true, albeit highly fictionalized, tale of the Abscam scandal of 1978. It is directed by David O. Russell, who gets
lost in the backstories, and as a result, the narrative flow suffers. However, it ties together well in the end,
and there are a few dark comedic turns along the way.
30. White House Down
You might be tempted to laugh at this selection, but I laughed with it. This Roland Emmerich-directed movie is a
blatant rip-off of “Die Hard,” “Air Force One,” and a slew of other
action-comedy films. But it’s fun to
watch, and the buddy chemistry is apparent between Jamie Foxx and Channing
Tatum, not to mention Maggie Gyllenhaal, Richard Jenkins, James Woods, and a
bunch of other actors who really appeared to enjoy making this very
entertaining movie.
29. Blue Jasmine
This Woody Allen-written/directed film is one of those movies that are all
about the characters without much plot.
However, the acting by Cate Blanchett is Oscar-worthy, and because of
that, I included it on my list. Her performance
is pitch perfect, as is her WASPy American accent, and her character is very
well-developed. While not one of Woody’s
best, it still warrants a mention here.
28. Before Midnight
Let me start by saying that this movie—the third in a long-term series, was not
nearly so good as its predecessors—“Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset.” However, as the conclusion (or seeming
conclusion) of this Richard Linklater trilogy, it had enough interesting
moments to make my list. Ethan Hawke and
Julie Delpy reprise the roles they first invented in 1995, and bring some sense
of closure, however uncomfortable, to the saga of their characters’ intertwined
lives.
27. The Wolf of Wall Street
Remember how I said earlier that I don’t like movies about nasty people doing
awful things to each other? Well, this
is one of those movies…and it lasts for three hours. It’s on my list for one reason…Leonardo
DiCaprio, who proved with this role that his time has come. This was a bravura performance from beginning
to end, as a character that made you love him and hate him at the same
time. Add in his amazing physical
performance (he spent nearly the entire movie drunk, high, or both), and you
have a performance that is my hands-down favorite for the Academy Award (even
if the high-minded voters don’t give it to him).
26. The Dallas Buyers Club
Set in 1985, as the AIDS epidemic began reaching a crisis, this movie,
directed by Jean-Marc
Vallée, is a tender portrayal of one man’s journey from a straight
stud who contracts the virus (from a prostitute) to a benevolent caregiver who
is trying to bring relief, through medication, to thousands of AIDS
patients. The lead character,
played beautifully by Matthew McConaughey,
develops a close relationship with another patient, in an Oscar-worthy
performance by Jared Leto. The
antagonist in this film, written by Craig Borten
and Melisa
Wallack, is the government, which doesn’t want medications to be
widely distributed before they have been fully tested and approved through a
lengthy process controlled by the medical establishment—all this while patients
continued to die at a rapid pace.
Although the film bogs down at times, it is still a worthwhile two
hours.
25. Iron Man 3
The first “Iron Man” movie in 2008 was one of the better Marvel superhero
movies, as director Jon Favreau gave Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow a
free rein to create interesting characters, and their chemistry was
palpable. The second installment (2010)
suffered a bit from sequelitis, so I feared for number 3. But while sticking with the same two, very
talented actors (plus Don Cheadle), they shook things up by having this film
written by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and directed by Black. Favreau stuck around as executive producer
while reprising his acting role, and the cast was bolstered by the performances
of Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley. It
worked, as once again the franchise seemed fresh, and the film was fun to
watch.
24. 42
It seems like every year produces one, good, sports movie, and 42 is that. But Brian
Helgeland’s film is also about the civil rights struggle, as it
tells the story of Jackie Robinson (played by Chadwick Boseman) breaking Major
League Baseball’s color barrier.
Nitpickers will point out that some of the facts are off, but who
cares? The film is a surprisingly
affective portrayal of a difficult time for African American athletes. It also featured excellent performances by Nicole
Beharie as Rachel Robinson (Jackie’s wife) and Harrison Ford (who appeared in
four movies this year) in an outstanding portrayal of Branch Rickey, the
Brooklyn Dodgers executive who ushered in a new era of professional sports.
23. Star Trek Into Darkness
In this, the second installment of JJ Abrams’s Star Trek prequels, I really enjoyed how
this film built on the characters Abrams established in the first film while
beginning to show how they will eventually grow into the larger-than-life crew
of the Starship Enterprise. The plot,
although on the light side, kept me interested enough to pay attention to the
actors, most of whom were reprising roles they first played in 2009, and who
were joined in this film by Benedict Cumberbatch and Alice Eve, among others. There’s a certain quality to this new
franchise that I enjoy in each installment.
22. August: Osage County
Now, you might think that a film starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts,
Chris Cooper, Juliette Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Sam Shepard,
Julianne Nicholson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Margo Martindale, and Abigail Breslin
would be ranked higher, especially because it is based on a Pulitzer
Prize-winning play that was transferred to the screen by its playwright, Tracy
Letts. But John Wells’s direction seems
to bog down this otherwise brilliant ensemble.
Also, the stage convention of having all of the secrets exposed in the
last 20 minutes is less effective on film.
Nevertheless, this movie is worth seeing, if for no other reason than
watching the interplay between the lead characters, played by Streep and
Roberts—reaffirming them both as outstanding screen actors.
21. The Bling Ring
This is a movie you’re not likely to forget, because in making it, Sofia
Coppola crafted a very disturbing film that tells the true story of a group of
high school students who broke into and stole from the homes of several
Hollywood celebrities. But really, it’s
about how our celebrity-oriented culture messes with the minds of children and
young adults. I won’t go into greater
detail for fear of ruining the all-too-true but remarkably unsettling ending of
a story that would have been much harder to believe when I was a teenager. I’ll only say that the excellent performances
by Emma Watson and a few other rising stars, complemented by Ms. Coppola’s
directorial choices, make this a movie worth watching.
20. About Time
In addition to superhero movies, I admit to having a fondness for time-travel
adventures, and this movie, directed by Richard Curtis (who also directed “Love
Actually”), puts a whole new spin on time travel, because its lead character,
played by Domhnall Gleeson has inherited a family trait (also shared by his
father, played by Bill Nighy) that enables him to will himself back to any
previous moment in his life. At first,
it seems a little like “Groundhog Day,” as he keeps correcting the past so he can
end up with a woman played by Rachel McAdams, but he eventually learns that
every slight difference in the past can have major impacts on the future, and
so, if he doesn’t want to take a chance by messing up a major aspect of his
life, he has to choose the points to which he’s no longer willing to
return. It’s like Doc Brown in “Back to
the Future” said, “the results…could cause a chain reaction that would unravel
the very fabric of the space time continuum” (I told you I like time-travel
adventures). In any event, what is
remarkable about this film is the tenderness with which the lead character
treats his love and family relationships, and that’s what makes it so
endearing.
19. The East
Co-written by director Zal
Batmanglij and star Brit Marling,
this is a movie about an operative (played by Marling) with a private firm that
provides intelligence for large corporate clients about eco-terrorist groups. She is sent to work undercover with one of these
groups, whose members include characters played by Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen
Page, and Aldis Hodge. Also featured are
performances by Patricia Clarkson, Jason Ritter and Julia Ormond, in what can best
be described as a thriller with a conscience.
This is a movie that I added after I originally posted
the list, having seen it on blu-ray. I can’t
say much more about the plot without spoiling it, but it is a very thoughtful
examination of both sides of a complicated issue, and it is worth seeing.
18. Side Effects
This Steven
Soderbergh film was released back in January, so it’s easy to forget
it was a 2013 film, but it was, and it is a very good movie about our society’s
overdependence on psychopharmaceutical prescriptions. It also happens to be a very effective
thriller that stars Channing Tatum, Rooney Mara, Jude Law, and Catherine
Zeta-Jones, and keeps you on the edge of your seat with notable twists and turns. Soderbergh creates a weave of intrigue
through his filming techniques combined with a well-written script by Scott Z.
Burns. It’s one of those films that
combines plot and characters quite effectively.
17. Fruitvale Station
This film, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, tells the true story of
22-year-old Oscar Grant III, who was shot and killed by Bay Area Transit
Police, early on New Year’s Day, 2009.
It begins with an actual smartphone video of the shooting and then tells
the story of the events of the day before—events that led up to the
shooting. This is a film that shows what
a good director can do with an interesting story, well-developed characters,
and fine acting by a cast that includes Michael B.
Jordan, Melonie Diaz,
and Octavia
Spencer. The movie starts at
a somewhat leisurely pace, but that pace and the tension surrounding it build
as the story unfolds.
16. The Spectacular Now
This is one that I added after I first published my list. I had wanted to see this film, directed by James Ponsoldt, when it came out early in the year, but I missed it and only saw it recently on pay-per-view. Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, it is a beautiful, coming-of-age film about two high school seniors, played magnificently by Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, who come from difficult households and who begin as strangers, despite sharing classes. He's an extrovert on the border of alcoholism, while she's an introvert who has had little experience with relationships. They somehow find and help each other while learning to take control of their lives. It's a little story but it is well-crafted, and there is something about it that leaves the viewer wanting more. It would be nice to see where these characters end up in a few years, and I hope we get the chance to do so.
15. Rush
Written by Peter Morgan and directed by Ron Howard, this film tells the true story of Niki Lauder (played by Daniel Bruhl), the Formula One Racing World Champion, and his courageous battle to live and return to racing after suffering life-threatening burns in a crash. His situation and personality are positioned in contrast to those of his chief rival, James Hunt (played by Chris Hemsworth), whose lifestyle and approach were very different from those of Lauder, while their rivalry propelled both men to succeed. At first, I had thought this movie would be cliché, so I passed on seeing it in the theaters and waited for it to become available through on-demand. I was wrong to do so, because it's a wonderful story of a kind of odd friendship between two very different and somewhat unlikeable people. Ron Howard generally makes good movies, and this is one of them.
14. Her
You can think of this as “Pygmalion” for the digital age. It initially presents itself as a somewhat
whimsical, futuristic tale of a man who develops a relationship and eventually
falls in love with his operating system. But it’s much more than that because while the
man (played outstandingly by Joaquin Phoenix) is essentially staying in one
place, seemingly content to relish his new (albeit unorthodox) love, the
operating system (voiced by Scarlet Johansson) is constantly learning, growing,
and experiencing. In addition, director
Spike Jonze creates some outstanding visual images while developing a
futuristic setting that is similar to but different from our current world,
even down to the types of clothing the characters wear. The script, which Jonze wrote, is often
brilliant, but occasionally mundane. I
realize he did this intentionally to make it sound like a real relationship,
but it tends to bog down the pace, which is why I didn’t it give a higher ranking. Nevertheless, this is a movie that begs to be
seen.
13. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
I like the “Hunger Games” franchise, and I really liked this installment, which
is deeper and better developed than the initial film. Based on the book and series by Suzanne
Collins, director Francis
Lawrence demonstrates an ability to pull complex performances out of
this excellent cast, headed again by Jennifer Lawrence (no relationship to the
director). What is mistakenly viewed by
many as a series just for teens is at times dark and brooding, and at other
times reminiscent of Nazi Germany. Along
the way, the characters are forced to make difficult, life-and-death decisions,
but through it all, there is a sense of honor and rebellion against
tyranny. The sequel-style ending is
somewhat unsettling, but make no mistake…this is a good movie.
12. Don Jon
Initially, this film, which is written, directed by, and starring Joseph
Gordon-Levitt, seems like an examination of the seedy underside of
internet pornography. But as the story
moves along, it’s apparent that it’s really about the confusion that many young
males feel about their sexual place in society.
Are they supposed to be the Don Juan (as the title’s play on words
surmises) that society has often glamorized, or is there a real role for them
as sexual beings within a loving relationship?
This movie examines those questions and the journey of one young man to
find answers, even if he thinks he already has those answers. While it’s fun to see Tony Danza play the
lead character’s father, the real heavy lifting in this film is done by Scarlet
Johansson and Julianne Moore, who represent vastly different roles on the
spectrum of modern womanhood. Overall, Gordon-Levitt
has shown amazing potential as a writer-director of his first, full-length
film.
11. The Conjuring
Most home-possession, horror films are formulaic, badly filmed, and poorly
acted pieces of crap. Notable exceptions
to this rule are “The Amityville Horror” (1979) and “Poltergeist” (1982). But both of those movies are more than 30
years old, and since then, there has been a dearth of quality films from this
sub-genre…until “The Conjuring.” What
makes this film different is that it is positioned as the true story of Ed and
Elaine Warren (played expertly by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), real-life
ghostbusters who rid homes of demonic possession and keep souvenirs from each
adventure. The family whose home is
being haunted is headed by a down-to-Earth couple played very well by Ron
Livingston and Lili Taylor. Now, you may
be thinking, like all sane people who watch home possession movies, “Why don’t
they just get the hell out of there?”
This movie answers that question by making the haunting about the
family, not just the house, so leaving does not fix the problem, but rather it
exacerbates that problem. In other
words, this film handles the topic intelligently, and manages to be scary
without resorting to the typical, jump-out-at-you, horror tricks. If you’ve been looking for a good horror
film, try this one.
10. Captain Phillips
Unless you are really young, or you had your head in the sand, you can recall
the story of the real-life ordeal faced by Captain Richard Phillips and the Maersk
Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. And you probably remember how it ends. It doesn’t matter, because much as he did
with “United 93” in 2006, director Paul Greengrass builds the tension and
pacing of this movie as the story progresses.
So, from a plot perspective, the film is almost a documentary. What makes it interesting is how the movie
develops and pits against each other the two captains, played by Tom Hanks (who
is just a marvelous actor) and Barkhad Abdi (in his first movie role). The cat-and-mouse game between these two
headstrong men is what kept me glued to my seat.
9. The Way Way Back
We’ve all seen coming-of-age films, and we can recall a slew of movies about
dysfunctional families, and of course, you can likely list a number of stories
filmed at amusement parks of one kind or another. But this may be the first film I can think of
that combines all three of these sub-genres.
That’s right, it’s a movie about a boy from a dysfunctional family, who
comes of age mostly at an amusement park—well, to be precise, a water park (to
be more precise, Water Wizz, a real water park actually located in Wareham,
MA). And the most surprising aspect is
that it’s a really good movie. Directors
Nat Faxon and Jim Rash started with a good script (that they wrote) and hired
an outstanding cast that includes Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney,
Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, and Sam Rockwell (in one of his
movie-stealing performances). What
emerges is an occasionally funny but often poignant tale of growing up under
difficult circumstances.
8. Short Term 12
Watching this film, I couldn't help but remember when I first started to notice independent films, long before Harvey Weinstein and others hijacked the term. This movie reminds me of those films. Brilliantly written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, this film stars Brie Larson and John Gallagher Jr., as two adults overseeing a housing facility for at-risk teens. As the movie unfolds, you learn about their pasts (particularly that of Larson's character) that led them to their current situation. This is a movie with heart and soul that made me think and feel about each of its characters. It also establishes Brie Larson as a rising star. I just saw it after it was released on DVD, and I urge you to see it.
7. Nebraska
Alexander Payne has a knack for directing oddly sensitive movies (“Sideways,”
“About Schmidt”) that put people in and out of somewhat uncomfortable
situations. He is also expert at drawing
out compelling performances, such as the ones given by Bruce Dern and Will
Forte in this black-and-white beauty of a film.
In it, Bruce Dern’s character is an older alcoholic at the early stages
of Alzheimer’s disease who believes that a magazine offer promising him one
million dollars means that he only has to travel from Billings, Montana to
Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his prize.
Although realizing that the offer is simply a come-on to get Dern’s
character to buy magazines, his son, played by Will Forte, eventually agrees to
drive him to Lincoln. On the way, they
stop in the town where they used to live, and they experience the celebrity and
envy that can come with supposed wealth.
Written by Bob Nelson, this is a wonderfully directed, acted, and filmed
movie.
6. The Butler
Directed by Lee Daniels, this film tells the story of Cecil Gaines (played by
Forest Whitaker), a fictional butler who served in the White House during the
administrations of multiple presidents, beginning in the 1950s. However, the movie uses this device to trace
the roots and development of the Civil Rights movement, and how African
Americans from different backgrounds and generations viewed the tactics of
different groups involved in that struggle.
As a white American who was alive during most of that movement, I found
it incredibly interesting how the film demonstrated that, as different methods
were tried and tested, each met with both support and resistance from various
elements of the population intended to benefit from the results. I also liked the portrayal of different presidents
and their levels of sensitivity to the people who surrounded them every day. Gaines’s personal story, as written by Craig
Brewer, was also bolstered by supporting performances by Oprah Winfrey, David
Banner, Terrence Howard, and a slew of other talented, well-known actors.
5. Philomena
Stephen Frears directed this exquisite movie, starring Judi Dench and Steve
Coogan, who also co-wrote the script with Jeff Pope, based on a book by Martin
Sixsmith. It’s about a woman who seeks
the help of a burnt-out journalist to locate the son who was taken from her
decades ago in the Magdelene institutions run by the Catholic church in
Ireland. I have to admit that I went to
the theater expecting a typically slow, British film, but I walked out impressed
by the story, the acting , the flow, and especially, the interactions between
the two lead characters, played marvelously by Dench and Coogan (who is more
known for his over-the-top comedic roles).
It’s not what you expect, even as those expectations change throughout
the film, but it is simultaneously tender and infuriating. I’m sure this will soon be on pay-per-view
and Netflix, so if you haven’t seen it, be sure to do so.
4. In a World…
In a world where the Golden Globes try to convince us that “American Hustle,” “Her,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” “Nebraska,”
and “The Wolf of Wall Street” are comedies, the best actual comedy of
2013 was “In a World….” Written,
starring, and directed by Lake Bell, this is a humorous portrayal of the shady
underside of the voiceover profession. In
it, Bell plays the daughter of a voiceover legend, played outstandingly by Fred
Melamed (whom you will recognize instantly if not for his previous movie roles
than for his voice). Bell, who has acted
in several films and TV shows, enlisted the help of her friends in this, her
first full-length feature film.
Fortunately for the viewers, those friends include Rob Corddry, Eva
Longoria, Demitri Martin, Nick Offerman, Ken Marino, and Gena Davis. This is a well-made, interesting, funny, and
touching film about family dynamics and a small slice of the entertainment
industry that we experience every day but to which we rarely pay attention.
3. 12 Years a Slave
Chiwetel
Ejiofor (a great actor with an unfortunate name) stars as Solomon
Northup, a free black man who is hoodwinked and sold into slavery, in this
brilliant film directed by Steve McQueen (who also directed “Shame” and “Hunger”). Based on a true story as originally written by
Northup himself, and transferred to a screenplay by John Ridley, this is a
gut-wrenching, personal portrayal of life as a slave, primarily on a plantation
owned by a character played convincingly by Michael Fassbender. The other supporting performances are just as
convincing, particularly those by Lupita Nyong'o, Dwight Henry and Adepero Oduye, who portray characters
born into slavery. While attempting to intellectually
and viscerally convey the helplessness and confinement of slavery, the film is
occasionally too focused on the life of one talented and educated man and less inclusive
of the suffering of slaves outside of the tiny sphere in which Northup has to survive. Nonetheless, it is a well-made and finely
acted movie about a time in America that should be regularly revisited.
2. Saving Mr. Banks
One would think a film about the making of the movie, “Mary Poppins” would be a
light, humorous, romp through the Disney time machine. That’s not the case. Instead, what we have is an examination of the
difficult and unpleasant events in the life of P.L. Travers, the author of the
Mary Poppins books (player perfectly by the always amazing Emma Thompson) that
led her to eventually create this character, in part to overcome the scars of her
Australian childhood. Pit that determined
woman against the character of Walt Disney himself (played by Tom Hanks), and the
movie presents a clash of wills and the eventual process that was required to
get “Mary Poppins” onto the silver screen.
The script by Kelly Marcel
and Sue Smith
draws on actual recordings made by the creative team during the movie-making
process, and the direction by John Lee Hancock is right on the money. Add in fine supporting performances by
Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman, Paul Giamatti, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson,
Kathy Baker, and Rachel Griffiths, and you have a movie that combines good
storytelling with great characters to make you sing, laugh, cry, and want to
see it again.
1. Gravity
What Alfonso Cuarón accomplished with this film is no less than mind-blowing. He created a drama that envelopes you in a
three-dimensional vision of space while making you feel the way you might in
zero gravity. Add to that a story about
a broken person (played by Sandra Bullock) trying to survive in immensely
difficult circumstances, even if she’s not sure she wants to survive. Some criticize it by saying there is no way the
character would have lived through all the hardships she faced. But get real folks…it’s a movie. If the lead character died after 20 minutes,
would you go to see it? If it makes you feel
better, assume that 20 other people in similar situations died and that this
film is about the exception. Then you
can focus on what makes this movie outstanding—the cinematography by Emmanuel
Lubezki, the score by Steven Price, the editing by Cuarón and Mark Sanger, the
acting by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, and the vision, skill, and guts of
Alfonso Cuarón to put it all together into a film that is so powerful and
absorbing that you leave the theater feeling exhausted, almost like you went through
it yourself. This is what filmmaking is
supposed to be about…losing yourself for 91 minutes in the fantastic vacuum of
space, only to fall to Earth before exiting the theater. I don’t know about you, but that’s why I go to
the movies.
