Best Movies of 2013

Its been an interesting year for the movie industry, whether we talk Hollywood or Bollywood. Big tent-pole movies were the norm at the box office, and there were both successes and flops from each region. It can’t be denied either that some of the box offices successes have proved to be quite surprising, such as the runaway hits Frozen and The Hunger Games #2: Catching Fire, which continue to tell studio executives that female-led movies, especially action movies, CAN be successful if given a chance and that hiding behind ridiculous sexist attitudes and thinking just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Or let’s talk Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim which underperformed in the US but was a big hit in international markets and the reason for the former can no doubt be laid at the feet of the subversive trend in American media of trash-talking movies that are different.

But enough of that. This post, the first such that I’m doing, is meant to celebrate the movies that I thoroughly enjoyed this year, whether Hollywood or Bollywood, and that’s what I’m going to focus on here. So let’s have at it.

A few notes:

• This list is only for Hollywood movies, or rather, English-language movies.
• Some of these movies I’ve seen in the last few days in an attempt to catch-up so not all were seen in the 2013 calendar year.
• This is a list of movies that came out all throughout 2013.
• Where I have not been able to provide a review, I’ve added a brief “why”.

*****

1. Frozen

Genre: Animated/Fantasy | Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Why: A fantastic movie that hews closely to classic Disney storylines and yet also includes some great reversal of Disney’s typical cliches. But to get to the core of it, this is an amazing story about the relationship between two sisters.

2. Pacific Rim

Genre: Action/Science Fiction/Kaiju | Studio: Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures

Review

3. Hunger Games #2: Catching Fire

Genre: Action/Dystopia | Studio: Lionsgate

Why: I loved the first movie and the second movie takes things several steps forward. Part of it covers similar ground as the first movie, in that we get to see the bloody and violent Hunter Games once more. But what the movie does differently there is to do a whole new spin on it, new situations, new players, new motivations, and that’s why I loved it. It also helped that all the actors turned out their A-game this time, especially Donald Sutherland!

4. Gravity

Genre: Drama/Science Fiction | Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Why: I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie, but a slow drama-thriller was definitely not it. Some truly awesome visuals and damn good acting by Sandra Bullock helped put the movie on this list. The whole air of desperation and panic really gets to you.

5. Man of Steel 

Genre: Action/Science Fiction/Superheroes/Comics | Studio: Legendary Pictures, DC Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Pictures

Review

6. RED 2

Genre: Action/Comedy/Comics | Studio: DC Entertainment, di Bonaventura Pictures, Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate

Review

7. Thor: The Dark World

Genre: Action/Adventure/Science Fiction/Fantasy/Comics/Superheroes | Studio: Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios, Motion Pictures

Why: The first movie was pretty good if a bit generic. The second movie does some really great stuff with Thor and Loki although the villain isn’t quite so spectacular at all. Still, I had massive fun watching this, most especially because of the drama between Thor and Loki, and also because Frigga got a really great action scene.

8. Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug

Genre: High Fantasy/Adventure/Adaptation | Studio: New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. Pictures

Why: The first movie, although enjoyable, was quite slow and a bit ponderous (review). The second movie ups the stakes pretty well and is much more awesome in almost every way. And the new addition, Evangeline Lilly’s Tauriel, pretty much kicked ass all throughout.

9. Rush

Genre: Biography/Sports/Drama | Studio: Universal Pictures

Why: Edge of the seat intensity, that’s what this movie is all about. Great acting by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl as well, perfectly capturing the sense of rivalry and antagonism between two of formula one racing’s greats.

10. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

Genre: Action/Horror/Dark Fantasy/Comedy | Studio: Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Why: Most people would have called this a pretty silly movie. Most people do in fact call it that. For me, this was the surprise hit of the year. It didn’t rule the box office, but it still made almost four times its budget, so it definitely had something going for it. Good acting, decent plot, great visuals.