My Top Ten Films of 2013 [pelham123]

1. Mud
2. Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
3. Gravity
4. Blue Jasmine
5. Zero Charisma
6. A Field in England
7. Captain Phillips
8. Escape from Tomorrow
9. The Bling Ring
10. The World's End       

Everybody Street [2013] // Dir: Cheryl Dunn

It's a documentary about street photography. 
It's a documentary that features a lot of shots and snaps of New York City.
It has a pretty cool soundtrack and some great contributors.
It's very good and I recommend it if you're interested in the subject matter.
Boom.

Life (2009 TV Series) (reviewed by Jason Presents)

Another great series from the BBC. In America it's narrated by Oprah Winfrey, is David Attenborough not good enough for them?! Incredible imagery as always, conveyed through 10 episodes. 

My Top Ten Films of 2013

1.     Gravity
2.     Only God Forgives
3.     The Act of Killing
4.     The Place Beyond the Pines
5.     Captain Phillips
6.     Before Midnight
7.     Blue Jasmine
8.     Stories We Tell
9.     Cutie and the Boxer
10.  Blue Caprice

Honorable Mentions
 
Blackfish
Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
One Wall: Kings of Coney Island
Mud

Yet to see but very much looking forward to... 
 
The Wolf of Wall Street
Inside Llewyn Davis
Her
Nebraska
American Hustle
The Wind Rises
12 Years a Slave (future Best Picture winner)
All is Lost
Blue is the Warmest Colour (leaked online already but with timecode burnt in)

Cutie and the Boxer [2013] // Dir: Zachary Heinzerling

A really great documentary, deservedly featuring in a lot of end of year top ten lists. Recommended. 

Fruitvale Station [2013] // Dir: Ryan Coogler

Based on a true story, this won the top prize at the Sundance film festival last January. It was decent, very well received by critics upon its theatrical release, but not one of the stand out films of the year in my view. The lead performance from Michael B. Jordan is excellent and everyone else is pretty good as well.

Spring Breakers [2013] // Dir: Harmony Korine

I only watched this because it featured on some end of year best of lists. It has some nice cinematography, a fine looking cast and pretty much nothing else. It's very cringe worthy in places as well. I still found it kind of passable though. A generous...

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug [2013] // Dir: Peter Jackson

It's better than the first one but it's still nowhere near the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I don't want to discuss too much of it because of spoilers (a lot has changed from the book) but there are a lot of problems with this film. 

It's shorter than the first part but it feels much longer (especially towards the end which just drags on and on). Some of the sequences feature ridiculous feats of physicality by certain characters which completely takes you out of the film. Some of the changes from the book are totally unnecessary as well.

Other than that... visuals look great for the most part and.... that's about it really.

Interstellar - Teaser // Dir: Christopher Nolan

Family Plot (1976) Alfred Hitchcock (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074512/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Hitchcock's last movie and although it's not exactly spectacular it's at least a bit better than the slew of cold war movies he was churning out towards the end of his career. The overall tone is more lighthearted and the characters are more likable overall, the story is still only average at best though. That's enough Hitchcock for a while anyways...

Topaz (1969) Alfred Hitchcock (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065112/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Another boring cold war espionage movie although slightly better than 'Torn Curtain'. I'm starting to see Alfred Hitchcock as the Stephen King of movie making; when you throw that much shit at the wall some of it is bound to stick...

Torn Curtain (1966) Alfred Hitchcock (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061107/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Another lackluster cold war spy espionage movie. The plot is dull, the characters are dull, and the entire concept behind the movie is dull. It's not a particularly badly made movie, just very non-engaging and unsatisfactory overall. 

   

Cavalcade (1933) Frank Lloyd (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023876/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Bleugh! Best left in the history vaults. Attempts to tie major events between 1899 and 1933 to the stories of two families, one upper class one lower; a sort of Forest Gump of its day if you will. The acting is shite, the stories dull, you may as well just leaf through a history book to find out the major events that happened during that time period (Boers War, Titanic, WWI etc..). I'm honestly struggling to remember the characters names...

Marnie (1964) Alfred Hitchcock (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058329/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Meh, this seems to split Hitchcock fans, the only thing it did to me was give me a splitting headache. I will admit it is something different from Hitchcock but different doesn't necessarily mean good. He attempts to dabble in Freudian ideas but the plot is weak and unbelievable overall.  

The House I Live In (2012) Eugene Jarecki (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2125653/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Great documentary about the 'war on drugs' in America exploring every facet from both sides and going into the origins of the war on drugs which of course have absolutely nothing to do with the drugs themselves. Also has some great interviews with the creator of 'The Wire'. Recommended. 

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Brian Henson (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104940/?ref_=nv_sr_2

I'll admit I'm a little late to the Xmas party here as I never actually seen this before. However I found it very funny and enjoyable, and although many people my age will get a warm nostalgic Christmas feeling when watching this, I think the movie stands up by itself without having to rely on sentiment.

west of memphis

The most recent installment in the ongoing saga that is the Memphis three case.First of all as a film this is not a patch on the original "paradise lost" documentary.What it is,is comprehensive overview of the case to date.There are excellent interview's  with character's who at the time where unable or unwilling to talk openly about the case,the film brings the audience up to date on the event's and even posits a possible answer to some unanswered question's .excellent doc,but for me its just a companion to the epic genius that is paradise lost,still very relevant 7/10

alan partridge:alpha papa

Not much to say if your a fan or even remember the original series,you'll enjoy this.pretty straight forward plot,hostage situation,local radio.
not bad,not brilliant 6/10.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) Alfred Hitchcock (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049470/?ref_=nv_sr_1

I thought this was good but not spectacular. It uses Hitchcock's tried and tested people in the wrong place wrong time murder mystery formula, but somehow doesn't have the flair of his classics. The plot is extremely basic and is really carried by Jimmy and Doris, a credit to the two leads as I feel it could have otherwise been a dull affair! Good, but not essential...

king of the ants

A mash of horror theme's,presented as a low key crime flick.Directed by stuart re-animator gordon.
It all just kind of works,the character's are simple but interesting,story is by no means original,but its there and kinda works.
there are some great moments of dark humour which elevates the material,also as usual gordon bring's some brilliantly twisted make up work to the piece.

The Trouble With Harry (1955) Alfred Hitchcock (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048750/?ref_=nv_sr_2

The whole movie is whimsical, bat shit crazy and unlike anything I've seen from Hitchcock, but at the same time it was very enjoyable with some really funny moments and likable characters throughout. Definitely worth a watch, for it's uniqueness alone anyways... 

What Maisie Knew (2012) Scott Mc Gehee, David Siegal (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1932767/?ref_=nv_sr_1

A modern day Kramer Vs. Kramer if you will. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. You will do well to hate two parents more in another movie, but that's a tribute to how well acted it was by Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan; however both of these are overshadowed by one of the best child performances I've ever seen from Onata Aprile. I thought it was beautifully shot and edited, and the disparity between bright colors and off key soundtrack stylistically complements the confusion the child finds herself in.  Aindriu and Mary both gave this 7, a perfectly acceptable score, Gerard 4.5 and Ross 5, two terribly unjustified scores if you ask me, mine may be a little high but I'll go with it nonetheless...

JFK: 3 Shots That Changed America [2009] Dir: Nicole Rittenmeyer

I had never heard of this two part documentary until a couple of days ago. It's composed entirely of old archive and news footage, as well as some pieces of audio. It's brilliant, and completely fascinating from start to finish. 

There's a lot of footage I had never seen before; some great stuff from New York City on the day of the assassination, a piece with Abraham Zapruder on television and also some stuff with Oswald in prison and Lyndon Johnson on the phone to J. Edgar Hoover. 

It doesn't take any sides in the story, it just presents it as it was filmed or captured originally and is edited together perfectly. It's almost three hours long, spanning from 1963 to modern day, but is a must watch if you're interested in the subject matter.

Rope (1948) Alfred Hitchcock (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040746/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Definitely one of Hitchcock's better movies and  very well adapted from the stage. You can see the post World War II thinking shine throughout as the world was still struggling to come to terms with the ideals of Nazi Germany. Rather than a battle between nations the battle is one of warped idealism fought out in an everyday setting. Recommended. 

Easy Rider: The Ride Back (Trailer)

Jaysus...

Clear History (TV Movie 2013) Greg Mottola (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2279864/?ref_=nv_sr_1

I love Curb Your Enthusiasm and this movie is definitely the same type of humor but never really reaches the great heights of Curb, there are some very funny moments in it but a very large proportion of the plot is preposterous. Everyone is willing to accept a handful of unreality within the comedy genre but there was just a little bit too much to stomach here unfortunately. It's not a terrible movie, just not as great as it could have been...

Scryed (TV Series 2001) Goro Tanaguchi (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307427/?ref_=tt_ov_inf

A really great 26 episode anime. Starts off mundane enough but really picks up the pace, fleshing out all the characters but not so much the world they inhabit. By episode 20 it reaches 'Full Metal' proportions of epicness but the problem is there is only 26 episodes whereas FMB has 64; in saying that though the end to the series is pretty much perfect. Recommended for anime fans.  

Shadow Of A Doubt (1943) Alfred Hitchcock (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036342/

What an absolute pile of shite, how it's rated so highly is beyond me, it was actually worse than 'Saboteur'! Horrible whiny kids, horrible 40's acting, terrible editing and a boring predictable plot. What the fuck Hitchcock? 

Noah (Trailer)

Darren Aronofsky. I really like/love all of his films (including The Fountain) but this looks a bit meh...

Berberian Sound Studio (2012) (reviewed by Jason Presents)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1833844/

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I felt it was well accomplished in uniqueness but at the same time did a wonderful job of paying homage to classic Italian horror cinema while at the same time incorporating elements of David Lynch. The sound and cinematography are superb and yet at the same time pay great homage to the style of the genre. I will state however that if you are not familiar with Italian horror cinema or the art of ADR in cinema you may not get as much out of this movie as you could. Recommended.

GRAVITY(SPOILER'S)

A visual feast,beautifully shot and the best use of 3D,i can imagine.The film Has that wow factor,i caught
myself wondering how they accomplished some of those awe inspiring shots which  flow together so perfectly.But their are some fundamental flaw's with the film,firstly the story is none existent,space ship breaks character's go to A to B to C to EARTH.
Secondly the character's are trite clichés,George clooney as an impossibly optimistic and irritating space cowboy,Guiding the unrelentingly whiny and dull sandra bullock through space.which leads to my  next point,the film veer's wildly in tone the first twenty minutes seem grounded in reality at least in my understanding of space,once the set pieces start we're trust into a micheal bay style over the top reality.character's zip around using a fire extinguisher,catching each other and bouncing off satellites,this took me out of the movie.finally the metaphor's are almost unbelievable heavy handed(the best example is probably the fetal shot or the zero G tear's),which is a good example of what is wrong overall, the film was made to appeal to the broadest possible audience,In my mind this does not work.
                                                                           6/10

The Irish Pub [2013] Dir: Alex Fegan

I watched this last night after missing it in the Eye a few weeks ago. It's a decent documentary, not sure if it was cinema worthy though. 

Filmed in an observational style, it takes a look at the goings on in various pubs around the country, featuring interviews with the landlords and some of their frequent customers. It's very funny at times with some good stories and quotes thrown in by the contributors. Worth a look.