SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2014
14. ‘Mud’
Sure, everything that came out of James Franco’s blinged-out mouth in “Spring Breakers” was pure gold, but for some reason, Tye Sheridan’s passionate line-reading from “Mud” stands out. You can hear the pain and betrayal in his teenage voice, as well as the sound of broken promises and unmet expectations. It’s a simple line of dialogue from writer-director Jeff Nichols but it packed one hell of a punch.
15. ‘Blackfish’
It was a pretty good year for villains, with The Animals from “You’re Next” giving Michael Fassbender (“12 Years a Slave”) and Woody Harrelson (“Out of the Furnace”) a run for their money. But for my money, the villain I’d hate to be locked in a dark room with is Tilikum the Whale from the terrifying documentary “Blackfish.” It used to be a dream to go to SeaWorld, but now, it’s a nightmare.
16. ‘Upstream Color’
Even the people who like and defend this movie seem to have no idea what it all means. I don’t need a movie to answer all my questions, or for my cinematic narratives to be tied up with a bow, but this movie doesn’t make a lick of sense and Shane Carruth’s refusal to explain it is that much more frustrating. This self-distributed art house sensation is more “art” than “movie.”
17. ‘World War Z’
Remember when the press wrote off this zombie epic sight unseen, months before its release? Well guess what - it was actually pretty damn good. Definitely one of the better summer blockbusters. Brad Pitt got to flex his movie star muscle and Marc Forster delivered some hair-raising sequences of zombie mayhem. I’m not sure Paramount was always confident, but the studio played its cards right and the film ended up making enough money to merit a sequel.
24. ‘American Hustle’
great about his nearly wordless performance? Stick me on a
I’ll bet most of you didn’t see Melissa Leo’s villainy in boat all alone in the Indian Ocean and I could deliver an
“Prisoners” coming, but the scene that truly “got me” was approximation of Redford’s work here. I was actually surwhen Victor Tellegio’s (Robert De Niro) attorney, Alfonse prised at how calm Redford played it considering his plight Simone (Paul Herman), is revealed to be the cold cuts king of here, and didn’t even buy it when he did let out that single Long Island. Say what? That was some Keyser Soze shit right swear word in frustration. I understand that the Academy
- there!
- may look to reward him for an incredible career that often
went unappreciated by critics, but his performance in “All Is Lost” is not worthy of an Oscar nomination. The competition
25. ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
J.J. Abrams’ mystery box approach has grown stale. is too strong and other contenders merit closer considera-
Instead of playing games with his audience, the director tion. should’ve been upfront regarding his villain’s true identity in the weeks leading up to the release of this sorry sequel. Instructing actors to lie about their roles doesn’t strike me as
18. ‘Phil Spector’
Sure, this is technically cheating since it aired on HBO, but what are you going to do? Shoot me? As much as Christian Bale deserves this for shaving his head and giving a dynamite performance from beneath a horrifying combover in “American Hustle,” Pacino’s hair was off the hook in this movie. It was in the Tyson Zone, where you have no idea what to expect but aren’t surprised either way.
31. ‘A.. Backwards’
Maybe it was the altitude, but I laughed my a.. off at the the best way to build trust with your customers. I don’t Sundance premiere of Chris Nelson’s comedy, which found know a single person on Earth who was surprised by this longtime collaborators June Diane Raphael and Casey reveal, but maybe they were in other galaxies. Who knows Wilson starring in an estrogen-soaked riff on “Dumb and
- (besides everyone)?
- Dumber.” “The Heat” got all the headlines this year but these
two comediennes came damn close to upstaging their A-list counterparts. Give the first two minutes a chance and if they
19. ‘Upstream Color’ and ‘Ain’t Them Bodies Saints’
There’s a quiet beauty to David Lowery’s directorial debut but don’t watch it if you’re remotely tired, because like a good lullaby, it’ll have you drifting off to sleep before you even realize it.
26. ‘Side Effects’
Who is the warmest color? While the trenchcoat crowd make you smile then stick around. If not, then clearly we gathered to witness a gratuitous nine-minute love scene have very difference senses of humor. that garnered reams of ink this year, the sexiest kiss in 2013 belonged to two other women entirely, and we’re not talking about “Passion” stars Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace. No, it was the sight of Rooney Mara smooching old- Cameron Diaz shtupping a car in “The Counselor,” Spike er woman Catherine Zeta-Jones in Steven Soderbergh’s the- Jonze’s love story proved that phone talk is still in vogue in atrical swan song that really got our blood pumping.
32. ‘Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett’
Johansson, “Her” While I missed my chance to see
20. ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’
Rosario Dawson’s plays a legitimate plot point in Danny
Boyle’s “Trance,” but no nudity made us sit up and take notice like the Duchess of Long Island in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Between her gorgeous face, Margot Robbie could launch more ships than Helen of Troy. Robbie made for an absolutely stunning screen siren, and the fact that she could actually hold her own against the great Leonardo DiCaprio indicated that we’ll be seeing her for years to come. the future. Jonze treats the audience to a little foreplay when an uncredited Kristen Wiig asks Joaquin Phoenix to choke her with a cat, but things get much more serious -
27. ‘August: Osage County’
The scene in “The Butler” where Oprah calls David when Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson consummate their
Oyelowo’s new girlfriend a “no-class ho” was close to win- relationship with this romantic scene that plays with the ning this one, but there’s no competition when Meryl Streep sense of sound rather than touch. is firing off barbs against her family. The dysfunction on display here actually made me appreciate my own family more.
33. Mia Wasikowska, ‘Stoker’
The masturbation scene stopped this movie dead in its tracks and elicited laughs from an audience that wasn’t
21. ‘Crystal Fairy’
28. ‘VHS 2’
I couldn’t call this worst love scenes because Gaby
Hoffman is still cool, but I don’t think guys will be wearing out the pause button on this Blu-ray for years to come.
Gareth Evans and Timo Tjahjanto delivered the year’s quite sure what to make of it at Sundance. Sure, female sexmost visceral slice of horror and the only needed twenty- uality often gets the short shrift on the big screen, but this something minutes to do it. An inside look at a crazy cult awkward scene did it no favors. with an incredible ending, this was one nightmare that was
22. ‘Mistaken For Strangers’
unforgettable in all the best ways.
34. ‘The Hangover Part III’
In a surprising upset over the cat from “Inside Llewyn
Davis” and the goldfish Jonah Hill ate in “The Wolf of Wall
Sure, Christian Bale and Casey Affleck were terrific together in “Out of the Furnace,” while the four leads in “Lone Survivor” might as well have been brothers given their unbreakable bond, but seeing The National singer Matt Berninger and his roadie brother Tom was heartbreaking, thought-provoking and ultimately relatable.
29. ‘Gravity’
Alfonso Cuaron’s space opera was a dazzling technical Street,” this magnificent creature’s long neck proved its achievement and an eye-popping thrill ride from start to fin- downfall thanks to Zach Galifianakis’ reckless driving in this ish, but how much credit belongs to Bullock? Granted, the lackluster sequel. The giraffe’s priceless reaction shot was actress is saddled with some truly embarrassing dialogue, used as the kicker in the trailer, which may have foreshadbut she never really sold me on her fear. “Oh God, no. No. owed the trouble to come.
23. ‘Oblivion’
No. God, no.” That was more or less the entirety of her dia-
There’s no denying the power of Lana del Rey’s “Young
and Beautiful” ballad from “The Great Gatsby,” but this majestic track simply soared, even during the closing credits of Tom Cruise’s latest sci-fi spectacle. When paired with Joseph Kosinski’s gorgeous visuals, no song burned as bright in 2013. logue, no? Bullock isn’t bad in “Gravity,” but I preferred her work in “The Heat,” in which she challenged her image as America’s Sweetheart.
35. ‘Gangster Squad’
Penn chewed so much scenery that the production designer nearly quit the film. Between “Elyisum” and “Oldboy,” Sharlto Copley tried his hardest to win this award but alas, his villains were no match for Mickey
30. ‘All Is Lost’
Redford was solid, don’t get me wrong - but what was so Cohen. — Reuters
