Greggles 20 Top Films of 2013

20 BEST FILMS OF 2013 

# All the films listed and mentioned are films I have watched. I have no interest in listing films unseen even if they are universally recognized as the best thing since sliced bread. #

Another great year for film, with a whole host of brilliant offerings, amongst which were some corkers including almost on this list titles such as FRANCIS HA, THE BLING RING, THE EAST, WRECK IT RALPH, and CLOUD ATLAS, as well as other brilliant efforts like THE WAY WAY BACK, GANGSTER SQUAD, THOR 2,  STOKER, THE BUTLER, and PRISONERS.

This years' less than festive 'turkeys' include A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, AFTER EARTH, ESCAPE PLAN, GROWN UPS 2, MOVIE 43.

But here are the elite 20 of 2013, in my humble opinion.

20 FILTH
19 THE HOBBIT 2
18 THE GREAT GATSBY(READ OUR REVIEW)
17 SONG FOR MARION
16  CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
15 BEHIND THE CANDELABRA
14 NOW YOU SEE ME
13 PHILOMENA
12 LINCOLN
11 ZERO DARK THIRTY

10  SAVING MR BANKS








9  GRAVITY

8  LES MISERABLES (READ OUR REVIEW)

7  BLUE JASMINE











6 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

5 THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

4 ONLY GOD FORGIVES (READ OUR REVIEW)

Divided critics and audiences like no other film this year, but Winding Refn follows the smash hit 'Drive' with a very different affair. If Drive enthralled to the point where you couldn't take your eyes off it, this film drifts surreally along in a visually neon-dulled dream-like state. Some found it a bit labouring, but I say go with it completely and don't expect your standard safe pace and structure, and you may just love it.

3 SPRING BREAKERS

James Franco as a gold toothed, white rasta wannabe crime lord who plays a grand piano by a pool while sexy bikini and ski mask wearing babes with sawn off shotguns dance subtly along. What's not to like?


2   RUSH



An American director? Doing a Formula 1 movie?!? Get outa town...

EXCEPT of course, when it's Ron Howard. Here, he delivers a thriller of a movie about Formula 1 in its romantic, dangerous, explosive heyday. The true story of British racing legend James Hunt (an excellent Chris Hemsworth), and his relationships on and off the track-most notably focussing on rival driver Niki Lauda. A great piece about rivalry and friendship, it works so well because it actually spends almost as much time on Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) as it does on Hunt, allowing us to build our own, more informed opinions on each, so we are almost not sure who we are rooting for as things come right down to the wire. Enough twists, turns, and drama to rival...well, Formula 1 in its heyday.


1 ABOUT TIME

An unexpected gem in most peoples eyes, this one. I was hopeful beforehand, being a dyed in the wool fan of Richard Curtis, and was blown away by this latest- and possibly final- effort.

You know with Curtis that you are gonna get the usual quirky British supporting characters engaging in awkward exchanges,quite possibly an Englishman falling for a beautiful American girl, a slathering of sentimentality, and a soundtrack that makes you instantly leap to your laptop to download it. Legally, of course.

All of these elements were intact here, and are as welcome and warming as ever. Time travelling Domhnall Gleeson shacks up with the ever adorable Rachel McAdams, and much sweet hilarity ensues. Hilarity may be the wrong word here, though, as this is a sweeter, more reflective affair- softer even than the Curtis penned Notting Hill. It is funny though, and sequences like the opening night of flatmate Harrys' new play will  surely convert even the coldest Curtis cusser. Bill Nighy once again steels the film as our heros' Dad. And it is the scenes between the two that stand out here, they being touching, funny, deftly written by a man on top of his game. The real love story, you could say, is the relationship between father and son.

Any film that leaves you with the feeling-and it is undoubtedly the direct message intended by Richard Curtis- that you should live each moment of the day, including the rubbish bits, with your eyes open enough to still stop and see the beauty of it? Good enough for me. Life is short. Worth a go.

LIST BY GREGGLES@GREGGLESONFILM