2013 in Film
All The Films I've Watched (For The First Time) In 2013! Aiming to watch like 300. Obviously I can't watch one every single day because sometimes I'd be on holiday, out, tired or on small breaks but I barely sleep somedays so I watch a few films sometimes...
Will be accompanied by a small review and score, mainly for my own benefit but I am no film expert (I do study film so I know basics but I'm not a critic by any length).
7+ are films I'd watch again...
5- are films I wouldn't watch again...
Will be accompanied by a small review and score, mainly for my own benefit but I am no film expert (I do study film so I know basics but I'm not a critic by any length).
7+ are films I'd watch again...
5- are films I wouldn't watch again...
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- DirectorMark TonderaiStarsJennifer LawrenceElisabeth ShueMax ThieriotAfter moving with her mother to a small town, a teenager finds that an accident happened in the house at the end of the street. Things get more complicated when she befriends a boy. A double murder is not an accident.Not as bad as I thought it would be. Fairly good with a weird but nice twist at the end. Although I guessed a little as the story progressed, it was just a "what if" moment. Made sense and it was well made. Some decent scenes and acting by Jennifer Lawrence and Max Theirot.
6.5/10 - DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsChase WilliamsonRob MayesPaul GiamattiA new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return no longer human. Can two college drop-outs save humanity from this silent, otherworldly invasion?Low budget but really awesome, somewhat of a *beep* Alternate realities, giant insects and a monster made from meat! Fun movie though and awesome acting especially from the leads.
8.5/10 - DirectorXavier GensStarsLauren GermanMichael BiehnMilo VentimigliaSurvivors of a nuclear attack are grouped together for days in the basement of their apartment building, where fear and dwindling supplies wear away at their dynamic.Weird pace to the film begins in the central part of the story just at the end of the atomic bombs and then it's 2 hours which is quite slow paced ... Although deeply disturbing in some parts, especially the change of appearance of the brothers throughout the film and of course the rape and torture, still quite an entertaining film... Left a little shocked and I'm not usually shocked at much!
Lacked a lot of things but the acting was top notch...
6/10 - DirectorBob SagetStarsSamuel L. JacksonAlyson HanniganBob SagetA mockumentary that illuminates penguin survival and mating rituals, as well as one bird's search for love while on a seventy-mile trek with his hedonistic buddies.Writing this at the 40 minute point... Made me slightly smile a few times but apart from that it's bad, a great concept but not a very good script. God knows how they got people like Samuel L. Jackson and Whoopie Goldberg into the project...
Not the worst spoof I've ever seen (Cough Cough Disaster Movie) but close.
1/10 - DirectorRian JohnsonStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittBruce WillisEmily BluntIn 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination.Wow, didn't expect to like this one despite Joseph Gordon-Levitt being a great actor for me, I'm not one for massive sci-fi films, they usually are too over the top. This was just right in all respects. Time-travel as a concept can be a very complicated confusing thing and to make a film about can lead to massive plot holes and very hard to not become confusing. This didn't run the risk of becoming that and made the whole thing somewhat simple without dumbing it down. It kept me engaged all throughout the movie and the ending is great and unexpected, but at the same time obvious?
Great acting especially from the kid in the film (without spoiling too much)!
9/10 - DirectorRandall ColeStarsNick StahlMia KirshnerDevon SawaA young couple find themselves in an unnerving situation with a mysterious stalker.It's a good concept of this type of movie to be a "found footage" genre, it's a lot less "cinematic" and more real. However, there were many points in the film I would have liked to be a lot more cinematic especially because the same static camera shots in the film proves to get boring after half the movie. The plot is out there, no doubt about that, but some of the scenarios presented in the movie were really pushing you to suspend your disbelief (Usually I don't have trouble with it) i.e. the installment of the cameras in places and the fact that the stalker could enter the house with someone upstairs and the person upstairs not hear the door opening and closing but hear a knock or small bang...
Anyway, it had it's moments and it had a very eerie and creepy atmosphere at times but it was ruined by inconsistencies and some bad acting (It was too dull).
3.5/10 - DirectorChris MooreStarsDon McManusRyanne DuzichTeddy DunnWhilst celebrating a graduation at a secluded vacation home, a group of college students find themselves targeted by a sadistic killer who forces them to play a deadly game of killing one another in order to survive.The first 30 minutes or so was dullbut when the story got into the main stage it was fun for a while but I couldn't help thinking it dried up after a few deaths despite many twists and turns. However, the ending of the film was great, the story really comes together and it's not just another mediocre film. Without the ending it'd be about a 3 or 4 now with the ending I'd give it a 6!
6/10 - DirectorDavid FincherStarsMorgan FreemanBrad PittKevin SpaceyTwo detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.Had this for a year or so but never got round to watching it despite high praise I've heard from many people... Thank god I did today. Strong performances all around, was glad to see Kevin Spacey in the film and such a creepy performance. I thought the story and direction was consistently good and the pacing was great. Nothing to fault, however for some reason I felt a little empty at the end, almost a "is this it?" sort of feeling but don't get me wrong the end twist was great (as well as a few throughout). Apart from that going up there as one of my favorite films, possible the best serial killer film I've seen...
9.5/10 - DirectorAnders Thomas JensenStarsNikolaj Lie KaasMads MikkelsenLine KruseTwo Danish friends are tired of their employer and open their own butcher shop. An electrician accidentally dies in the freezer and he's sold as marinated chicken and business picks up. What happens when they run out of "chicken"?Dutch movie about two butchers who are struggling to set up there own butcher shop after leaving their previous job due to there cocky boss. Great movie, directing, writing etc. Acting was superb! Not much else to say, maybe think twice about visiting butcher shops in europe! 8.5/10
- DirectorDennis DuganStarsChris FarleyNicollette SheridanRobin ShouA man tries to rescue a woman with a little help from his half brother.Maybe I was just anticipating too much but I didn't like it much. A few laughs here and there but nothing that really stood out for me... Nothing to really re-watch for unfortunately.
2/10 - DirectorAdam GreenStarsKane HodderJoel David MooreDeon RichmondWhen a group of tourists in a New Orleans haunted swamp tour find themselves stranded in the wilderness, their evening of fun and spooks turns into a horrific nightmare.Excited about this one, unfortunately I wasn't too impressed :/.
First of all you have to go in knowing this really isn't a serious film and I mean that in a somewhat self-parodic way. Everything is cliched and cheesy but I think that's the intended way it was to be received... at least I hope it was.
I understand what it was trying to do, if it was that, but honestly it didn't do it for me. One or two laughs here and there but just nowhere near what I expected of it.
2/10 - DirectorNeil MarshallStarsShauna MacdonaldNatalie MendozaAlex ReidA caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.Picked it up a few months ago after hearing raving reviews from everyone and never got round to watching it... It was pretty scary but a lot of jump scares in the last quarter. That being said it's quite psychological and slow moving in towards the middle with them descending the cave, almost like 2 movies... It was very well made and it had a gritty and almost realistic feel to it that British horror has. Up there with the 28 days later series and maybe not as good but near Eden lake! Glad I bought on DVD!
9/10 - DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsColin FarrellWoody HarrelsonSam RockwellA struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.Wow... It's a strong comedy but it doesn't feel like a comedy somehow. The dry humor is fantastic and it had just the right level as not to go overboard and become trashy. Very well written with several twists and it leaks originality, whenever it build up to something we've already seen it surprises us with something different. The casting was perfect and so was the acting, Not really a bad performance from one person. Colin Farrel playing well with Sam Rockwell as the leads.
Probably the best film I've seen this year! Will have to check out In Bruges...
9.5/10 - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsKevin CostnerClint EastwoodLaura DernA kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.Great film with Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood. Haven't seen many Eastwood films and I heard this is his directing debut?
Regardless a really good film with some great messages in. Kevin Costner makes a great good/bad guy with the ability to create a likable character and still be a criminal and the kid in the film really came out half-way through. Running time could have probably been cut down a bit and the pacing was fairly slow after a fast start but nevertheless a good film and nearly had me tearful at the end!
8/10 - DirectorM.J. BassettStarsAdelaide ClemensKit HaringtonSean BeanWhen her adoptive father disappears, Sharon Da Silva is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.meh... It wasn't as good as the original silent hill, not by a long shot. It had several creepy moments as you'd expect from anything silent hill but it wasn't consistent and it wasn't tense or anything like the original. Also I wasn't that drawn in to this and lost focus several times in the film :/ It wasn't a bad movie and had a few nice moments in it but comparing with the original it didn't come anywhere as near...
5/10 - DirectorGen SekiguchiStarsTadanobu AsanoReika HashimotoKyôko KoizumiFive bizarre stories with no apparent connection to one and other eventually become intertwined, resulting in surreal circumstances.A bizarre film with 5 main storylines that interweave within each other. The stories were great and original, you have a guy who is constantly trying to kill his wife, another guy who is left hypnotized to think he is a bird after the hypnotist is killed mid-show etc. Despite the hilarious looking exterior of the film with wacky sequences there is quite a lot of message underneath it all. Like most films I've seen out of Japan they wackyness always has some kind of metaphorical meaning, being just under 2 hours I think it'll take a few times to fully take in what is going on, however my first viewing I found it quite moving towards the end. A lot of things suggesting love and valuing people. Great film!
Some reason Vinnie Jones seemed a little weak on the acting? maybe it was just the contrast in style that Japan has and Vinnie is used to, or maybe it's just me seeing Vinnie is different roles, it just kind of stuck out in a bad way however it didn't detract from the film...
9/10 - DirectorBrian HooksDeon TaylorStarsAustin BasisChris BlasmanJonathan ChaseFinals at the prestigious University of Dreyskill are finally over and it's time to party. "The Crew", as they are known by their peers and dorm mates, are invited to a rich classmate's hideaway mansion high up in the hills of Colorado. What was supposed to be a weekend of fun and relaxation quickly becomes a trip they will never forget, if they survive. A simple game of prank scare phone calls becomes an intense game of survival and escape when one of the Crew members accidentally calls the wrong person.What can I say? Cliched... or in some cases rip-off. A pretty bad rip-off of most slashers. At the start it's almost exactly like Scream.
First of all the story is too unjustified? I don't mind unlikely storylines but some coming to kill off teens just because of a prank phone call? Granted he could be psychotic in the first place but the film didn't explore any of that... That's not the worst part of the story though, the serial killer aspect was totally ditched half-way through despite it being set-up and it just turns into another teen slasher.
Cliched characters, bad acting etc. Nothing really worth it, the effects weren't bad and sure their was a good bit of gore but after 1 decapitation they all just become boring...
2/10 - DirectorKeenen Ivory WayansStarsShawn WayansMarlon WayansKerry WashingtonA wannabe-dad mistakes a vertically-challenged criminal on the lam for his newly-adopted son.Little brothers film... Didn't laugh once :/ didn't really see anything funny, maybe the restaurant scene at the start could've been funny but that's what you get with the Wayans now days... All pretty much flops and unfunny...
1/10 - DirectorD.J. CarusoStarsShia LaBeoufDavid MorseCarrie-Anne MossWhen a teenager is placed under house arrest, he succumbs to despair and starts spying on his neighbors, hoping to spice up his life. This, however, leads him to witness a serial killer on the loose.A nice straight forward movie. The story is fine nothing really complex in the sense of twists and turns and it has a lot of cliches in but the story keeps you interested and it is quite ambiguous until the last act of the film where it gets action packed. A nice suspense type film and the pacing although seems slow, doesn't get boring and it's well acted. Nothing really stand-out however it's a great movie.
7/10 - DirectorJohn PaysonStarsJerry O'ConnellMegan WardBilly WestA nice guy has just moved to New York and discovers that he must share his run-down apartment with a couple thousand singing, dancing cockroaches.It's a fun film... It's somewhat like Alvin and the Chipmunk for a older audience i.e. young teens...
Watch it with my younger brother, there were some funny moments in but it is MTV so a lot of stuff was bad in it. I did think some of the stuff they did regarding cinematography was great though, a lot more creative then the stuff they do now! I'd watch it over any of there modern-day stuff but I don't know if I'd watch it again...
6/10 - DirectorKaare AndrewsAngela BettisHélène CattetStarsIngrid Bolsø BerdalIván GonzálezKyra ZagorskyA 26-chapter anthology that showcases death in all its vicious wonder and brutal beauty.A great concept for an anthology film. Directors from around the world making a short film about death (Usually horror) based around a Letter in the alphabet that they had i.e. A for Apocolypse, B for Bigfoot.
It was kinda fun to watch and try and guess what the topic was because it brang it up on the end. The film was very up and down, which is expected. Some things appealed to me more then others.
D was probably the best shot and I found Q as probably my favorite, probably because I like that type of humor. T was also awesome.
There were some really weird films and the film included a nazi stripper cat seducing a dog, a lesbian who has a fart fetish for her teacher and Z I had to fast forward through because that was a little too weird. L is pretty distasteful as well but then again pretty much all of them were...
All in all it had some nice segments and there's something for everyone I think. If every movie was consistent in quality then it would be the best anthology I've seen but it wasn't.
5/10 - DirectorJohn Stalberg Jr.StarsMatt BushSean MarquetteAdrien BrodyA high school valedictorian who gets baked with the local stoner finds himself the subject of a drug test. The situation causes him to concoct an ambitious plan to get his entire graduating class to face the same fate, and fail.Not a bad stoner film actually. Usually they are unwatchable and cliched and whilst this one had cliches it was still fun and had some original things I hadn't seen done before. The plot is great and actually funny, the acting is also pretty good (for a stoner film) which it's usually non-existent for a film like that, Adrian Brody playing the psycho stoner guy who they steal from. No I wasn't in stitches the whole way through but i laughed quite a bit throughout... What?
A nice film to waste 100 mins with nothing really amazing.
7/10 - DirectorRich MooreStarsJohn C. ReillyJack McBrayerJane LynchA video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.Awesome kids film ha. Well not even kids film it's very much a gamers film with a lot of game references that would go straight over kids heads such as leroy jenkins and all your base are belong to us.
Even if you're not a gamer not a gamer it's enjoyable. The basic story of the guy that people don't like wants to be accepted is done a lot in animated kids movies now but I've never seen it done like this... Enjoyable disney film and hopefully not the last one this year!
8/10 - DirectorJulian GilbeyStarsAlec NewmanEd SpeleersMelissa GeorgeA group of mountaineers in the Scottish Highlands discover a kidnapped girl and are pursued by her captors.At the start of the movie I wasn't that involved in it, it wasn't great to begin with. This changes however as it leads into the second half of the film and you start seeing the bigger picture. It has some interesting elements and I think it stays away from common cliches, or at least tries. The writing wasn't great and sometimes the acting was off (especially in the first half) but as it reaches the climax it all comes together. Nice little british horror and would be a really good british horror if the first half was as strong as the latter.
6.5/10 - DirectorMarcus DunstanStarsJosh StewartAndrea RothJuan FernándezDesperate to repay his debt to his ex-wife, an ex-con plots a heist at his new employer's country home, unaware that a second criminal has also targeted the property, and rigged it with a series of deadly traps.Really liked this! When the movie started kicking in the atmosphere was constantly scary and it didn't have to rely on constant jump scares, what horrors nowadays are pretty much made of. Yes, they're a few but it's not dependent on it. Josh Stewart is one of my favorite actors, after seeing him as one of the strongest actors in "no ordinary family" as a same sort of Bad/Good guy as here. He plays it well and he's actually likable and that's what you need in horror movies to make them effective! (Not jump scares!). There was plenty of gore and whilst a lot wasn't needed, it may put people off but I didn't think it effected it much!
8/10