Well, since I got my worst movies out of the way that I saw in 2013, I might as well talk about the best movies I saw that really engaged me and I loved so much. Here they are:
The Wolf Of Wall Street and American Hustle - (This was a tie because I loved both movies and both of them had so much similar themes in common that I had to put them at the top of my list. Dicaprio and Bale really showed so much great acting in both movies and I loved the concept of both of them about the FBI getting involved with these scheming guys who just wanted to make a living of their own. I dug the hell out of the performances of Dicaprio, Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill, everyone involved. There's so much more that I could talk about, but, you just got to check them out for yourself and see how these 2 directors made the most ambitious and funny films I loved this year.)
Pain & Gain - ( This is the Michael Bay movie that I loved the most. This is not Transformers or Bad Boys. This is a real life story about how these 3 bodybuilders who are complete dumbasses managed to get involved with kidnapping, extortion, attempted murder, money laundering, and I just really loved the narrative with all of the narration of Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Ed Harris, and everyone else and it took a big risk for a movie like this to come out and I'm glad it did because it was really funny, engaging, and best of all, it actually showed that Michael Bay can be a damn good director when he has the right material to work with. I even saw this movie 2 times in the theater.
Gravity - ( I really wish I could've went and seen this in IMAX 3D because if I did, it would've really made the atmosphere enhance better for me, but, I'm so glad I got to see this epic and enduring science fiction film that takes the most realistic approach by filming in space and make you feel like you're actually there on the edge of the space station, and I really loved this film. Sandra Bullock showed so much fear and depth to character and she is struggling on the edge of her life on trying to get back to earth. George Clooney was really amazing too as always, with him being the more wiser of the 2 and giving Bullock steps on how to get back to earth. I cant wait to get this movie on Blu ray 3d and DVD when it comes out. I hope at least the effects and music get nominated at the Oscars).
Prisoners - (This is the most bleak and depressing mystery film I have seen. Hugh Jackman plays a father who tries so hard to get his daughter back that was kidnapped along with Terrence Howard's daughter. It was really engaging with the mystery of where things lead to and Jake Gyllenhaal was great too as Detective Loki who strives to put all the pieces of the puzzle together on getting the daughters back and I really think Jackman should earn a Best Actor nomination for his performance because he is really intimidating and is guilt ridden for all the extreme measures that his character goes through. I especially loved the ending and I know it's ambiguous, but, I'm pretty sure I knew what happened).
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smug - ( Once again, Peter Jackson really shows how much he loves the source material of the Hobbit and expands the storyline of Middle Earth into an epic episodic tale of every character having their own arc to what follows a tale of courage, heroism, compassion, and funny moments involving Bilbo Baggins and the 12 Dwarves to confront the Dragon Smaug. The 3D was really great, the acting is superb, the pacing was a lot better, and overall, this movie really shined and I am definitely looking forward to There and Back Again next year in IMAX 3D).
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - ( If you thought the first Hunger Games had problems with the action and storyline from the book, well Catching Fire fixes all of those problems. The action is no longer shaky cam, the acting is still solid especially Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, and the bleakness of the story is really enhanced too with the characters having to redeem themselves of all the trauma that cause the citizens of the other districts' families of the first film to be controlled and I'm definitely looking forward to Mocking Jay Part 1 coming up in 2014).
Pacific Rim - (Now this is what I'm talking about. This is how you make a monsters vs robots movie and make it work really well. The 3D was really terrific, the action scenes were so fluent and had some great set pieces and I loved the performances of Charlie Hunnam, Ron Pearlman, Charlie Oday, and Idris Elba. It even has a great backstory for the main girl and how the Kaiju had caused her pain and I really bought the chemistry between her and Riley. If you want a great tribute and homage to monster films, Kaiju, and everything that made those earlier movies so much fun, I highly recommend this film. It made me even more excited to see what they do with the new Godzilla film coming out later in 2014).
The Conjuring - (This is one of the scariest films that I have seen in the theater in such a long time. James Wann really knows how to use suspense and atmosphere and I loved all of the characters especially Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's roles. It has a really murky tale about these 2 supernatural specialists who have to make an exorcism work at this family's home when the most unwanted force comes to possess one of the main characters. If you love the Exorcist, you would really get a kick out of this film. I cant wait to see a sequel to this if they get around to doing one).
Oblivion - (This is everything that a Tom Cruise action film works for. It has a great story that is complex and even a throwback to some older sci-fi movies and I really wish I could've watched this in IMAX because it's not your typical sci-fi action film. It has stunning cinematography and visual set pieces and it has a great build up to it's story and I really dug the soundtrack when it starts playing Ramble On by Led Zeppelin [My favorite band of all time] and it's just an overall great sci-fi film. Morgan freeman was awesome too as the mysterious underground leader of these group of people that were hiding from these droids that were after them).
Out Of The Furnace - (I realize that I didn't really recommend the movie that much the first time I watched it, but, after thinking back, I really enjoyed this film. It's a movie about all the hard times that an out of convict goes through in order to get his brother back and everyone in this film does their best performances they can work with on the script that this movie had. Christian Bale is so great in this film along with Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson and I even loved the cinematography and music as well. Shit gets dark and brutal toward the second act and I was really invested with what was going to happen next. Every time I heard that song Release by Pearl Jam, it really moved me and I got so involved with the movie. I'll get this one on Blu Ray as well).