The Big Picture: MovieBob's Best of 2013

[Moeez]

The World's End was the best comedy AND action movie this year. It doesn't hurt that a Jackie Chan movie choreographer was on board, and there's a specific Drunken Master 2 reference.

Smart, emotional, poignant, and still has that trademark Edgar Wright snappy dialogue/transitions. All the pub names are allusions to what's happening in the story. Plus, it has tons of commentaries on the blu ray, so you'll want to keep this. One cool insight that might have been missed is things like Gary King's tape being stuck in the car for so many years is pretty much like his life being stuck in the past.

Just fucking get to it, if you somehow still haven't seen it.

 

[MovieBob]

Did Bob review Elysium? I forgot.
Yup http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/7899-Elysium
And he liked it.
Funny about that. As he said this is his list it stands now. Maybe it didn't age well for him.

Apparently so, but it's weird, I thought this would be one of the few to survive the test of time, funny how thing goes.

 

[Moeez]

Europa Report > Gravity

Especially if you're into space, the wonder of science, and hard sci fi. No compromises unlike what Cuaron clearly admitted to because apparently any researched science is antithetical to moviemaking where shit needs to go dramatic every 5 min and characters need to act really fucking dumb to move the plot forward. Oh boy.

 

[Moeez]

Actually there's quite a few critics that hated it (it has a metacritic score of 39), some even went as far as asking if the director's previous effort, Drive, was a fluke. And no drive wasn't a fluke it was just a continuation of a pattern for the director of good movie, bad movie, good movie, bad movie. Nicolas Winding Refn made Bronson which was good, then he made Valhalla Rising, which was an inexcusably tediously boring movie that had no right to be boring. I mean it was a movie about Vikings fighting Indians for fucks sake, but the director managed to make something only slightly more interesting than paint drying. Then came Drive which was good, then he made Only God Forgives, which was an inexcusably tediously boring movie that had no right to be boring. I mean it was a movie about a psychotic druglord mother who was trying to get unjustified revenge for the murder of her psychotic rapist son, who she was fucking, but the director managed to make something only slightly more interesting than watching grass grow. So yeah his next movie should be really good. Sorry for the rabbit trail.

lol Valhalla Rising was not about that...at all.

It was about Odin/One Eye leading the Christians to not the Promised Land but to hell/the new world and to see them completely lose their minds. Kinda like Aguirre, that Herzog movie. How religious fundamentalism can be your destroyer. And the true sacrifice a hero must make. I would liken the mood to a psychedelic horror, which you don't get often. The scene where they trip out is awesome.



It's a great audiovisual experience. One of my favourite movies, and actually got me into Refn.

Also, some of the most brutal violence I've seen like the fight and the disembowelling scene.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Bob, this is easily the greatest video you have ever released on the Escapist.

For one, I agree with you for the most part. That alone doesn't happen very often. I'm probably going to disagree with large sections of your Worst Of 2013 list, but for now, good movies, hell yeah.

And the second reason is the sheer amount of mad your #1 is causing in these comments right now.

The only thing better than a fantastic movie that you love is the idea that really really silly people are upset about it.

Icing on the giant robot cake.

 

[chiggerwood]

Actually there's quite a few critics that hated it (it has a metacritic score of 39), some even went as far as asking if the director's previous effort, Drive, was a fluke. And no drive wasn't a fluke it was just a continuation of a pattern for the director of good movie, bad movie, good movie, bad movie. Nicolas Winding Refn made Bronson which was good, then he made Valhalla Rising, which was an inexcusably tediously boring movie that had no right to be boring. I mean it was a movie about Vikings fighting Indians for fucks sake, but the director managed to make something only slightly more interesting than paint drying. Then came Drive which was good, then he made Only God Forgives, which was an inexcusably tediously boring movie that had no right to be boring. I mean it was a movie about a psychotic druglord mother who was trying to get unjustified revenge for the murder of her psychotic rapist son, who she was fucking, but the director managed to make something only slightly more interesting than watching grass grow. So yeah his next movie should be really good. Sorry for the rabbit trail.

lol Valhalla Rising was not about that...at all.

It was about Odin/One Eye leading the Christians to not the Promised Land but to hell/the new world and to see them completely lose their minds. Kinda like Aguirre, that Herzog movie. How religious fundamentalism can be your destroyer. And the true sacrifice a hero must make. I would liken the mood to a psychedelic horror, which you don't get often. The scene where they trip out is awesome.



It's a great audiovisual experience. One of my favourite movies, and actually got me into Refn.

Also, some of the most brutal violence I've seen like the fight and the disembowelling scene.

Actually(taken from IMDB) "The genesis of the film comes from the discovery of a mysterious pile of runes near Delaware. There was been much speculation as to how they got there so far inland so the film seeks to provide an answer of some sort to that." And there might be that subtext, but I'm not going to care and I am going to continue holding onto the literal story due to the fact that the movie is such a boring as hell slog that it quite frankly doesn't deserve any deeper reading. Yeah it is a visual treat, and there are a couple of good and interesting scenes, but they can be counted on one hand. visual panache and style is not a substitute for an actual substantial movie. If you can do both that's great, but if you only have the visual panache then you are going to look pretentious. And if you are right about the subtext, which yeah I can see it, then that makes it even worse, because that means Nicolas Refn made a movie about a Norse god leading people to hell and it was, still. Fucking. Boring.

 

[b3nn3tt]

Obviously this is MovieBob's subjective favourites of the year, and I am definitely not saying that he's 'wrong' about any of these films.

However, in my opinion, some of the films chosen were terrible. To start with, I did not care for Pain & Gain. I went in with reasonably high hopes, at the least expecting it to be an enjoyable bit of nonsense. I just found it really difficult to get into though. I can maybe see how people could enjoy it for what it was, but I wasn't one of them.

The other film that would definitely not be making it anywhere near my personal Top Films of the Year list is Spring Breakers. I went in with pretty high expectations actually; I'd heard good things about it and really wanted to see it for myself. I hated it. I get what it was trying to do, but it just did absolutely nothing for me. Maybe it didn't help that I'm not American, so I don't really get the concept of Spring Break, but I just could not get into it. To me, it feels like one of those films where it's whole selling point is the subversive element, but if that doesn't hook you then the film doesn't really have anything going for it.

Other than that, I definitely want to see Frozen and The Wolf of Wall Street at some point.

 

[Mr. Happy Face]

Alright, MovieBob. I'll cut to the chase. This Is The End. Enormously funny movie. The funniest I have seen all year, in fact. You yourself really liked it! And yet you did not even give it an honorable mention. Please explain, if you would be so kind.

 

[Uhura]

Oh wow, some of these responses are hilarious. People seriously get upset when Bob's favorite movies aren't the same as theirs. And there are still people who ask for "objective" best-of lists? Yeesh.

OT: Yeah, a pretty interesting list there, Bob. I was positively surprised by the Pacific Rim and at the moment it would probably get on my top 10 list as well. Hopefully I manage to convince my friend to go watch Frozen with me after the holidays.

 

[Strain42]

I'm honestly surprised by the huge backlash to Pacific Rim here. Not because I'm some blinded fanboy who can't fathom that people might not have liked the movie (Yes, I'll be honest, it's my favorite film of the year, but I'm well aware of the flaws it has and of course I understand why other people might not be so fond of it)

But the things people need to remember are

A. This is a subjective list, put together by a single person who simply felt that Pacific Rim was the movie he most personally enjoyed this year, and

B. He even flat out says in the video that he doesn't think Pacific Rim is objectively the best film of the year. It was just his personal favorite. He pretty much says flat out that The Wolf of Wall Street is a better movie.

So seriously, to all those who are mad about Pacific Rim being number 1...take a chill pill.

 

[j1015]

I really can't see why people liked Spring Breakers. It was pretty good but not overwhelming up to the completely unrealistic ending. I'm sure the ending is a closet and not so closet fantasy for some racists but it was so stupid, it wasn't even ironically comical and I hate Gucci Mane. Only saw this on Bob's recommendation and was really disappointed.

Little surprised Blue Jasmine wasn't on here. Really surprised 12 Years A Slave was only a runner up and and Dallas Buyer Club wasn't on the list.

Frozen however, was not a good choice, but an EXCELLENT one!!! To each their own, Robert.

 

[Metalrocks]

damn. some of these movies i havent see or heart of. but i will watch them eventually when i see them available on dvd and the price is alright.

 

[Moeez]

Actually there's quite a few critics that hated it (it has a metacritic score of 39), some even went as far as asking if the director's previous effort, Drive, was a fluke. And no drive wasn't a fluke it was just a continuation of a pattern for the director of good movie, bad movie, good movie, bad movie. Nicolas Winding Refn made Bronson which was good, then he made Valhalla Rising, which was an inexcusably tediously boring movie that had no right to be boring. I mean it was a movie about Vikings fighting Indians for fucks sake, but the director managed to make something only slightly more interesting than paint drying. Then came Drive which was good, then he made Only God Forgives, which was an inexcusably tediously boring movie that had no right to be boring. I mean it was a movie about a psychotic druglord mother who was trying to get unjustified revenge for the murder of her psychotic rapist son, who she was fucking, but the director managed to make something only slightly more interesting than watching grass grow. So yeah his next movie should be really good. Sorry for the rabbit trail.

lol Valhalla Rising was not about that...at all.

It was about Odin/One Eye leading the Christians to not the Promised Land but to hell/the new world and to see them completely lose their minds. Kinda like Aguirre, that Herzog movie. How religious fundamentalism can be your destroyer. And the true sacrifice a hero must make. I would liken the mood to a psychedelic horror, which you don't get often. The scene where they trip out is awesome.



It's a great audiovisual experience. One of my favourite movies, and actually got me into Refn.

Also, some of the most brutal violence I've seen like the fight and the disembowelling scene.

Actually(taken from IMDB) "The genesis of the film comes from the discovery of a mysterious pile of runes near Delaware. There was been much speculation as to how they got there so far inland so the film seeks to provide an answer of some sort to that." And there might be that subtext, but I'm not going to care and I am going to continue holding onto the literal story due to the fact that the movie is such a boring as hell slog that it quite frankly doesn't deserve any deeper reading. Yeah it is a visual treat, and there are a couple of good and interesting scenes, but they can be counted on one hand. visual panache and style is not a substitute for an actual substantial movie. If you can do both that's great, but if you only have the visual panache then you are going to look pretentious. And if you are right about the subtext, which yeah I can see it, then that makes it even worse, because that means Nicolas Refn made a movie about a Norse god leading people to hell and it was, still. Fucking. Boring.

What's boring to you is engaging to me, what's visual panache to you is substance and symbolism for me and I got meaning out of it. No point in arguing with you since you've already made up your mind

 

[Moeez]

I really can't see why people liked Spring Breakers. It was pretty good but not overwhelming up to the completely unrealistic ending. I'm sure the ending is a closet and not so closet fantasy for some racists but it was so stupid, it wasn't even ironically comical and I hate Gucci Mane. Only saw this on Bob's recommendation and was really disappointed.

You were expecting realism from Spring Breakers when the whole thing has a neo-noir, dreamy vibe with unreliable narrators? The whole point of the movie and the ending is this is an amoral take on kids being criminals. They get away and return back to the real world, with no witnesses and now living the life with all that moolah.

Racist closet fantasy?! YOu're like the first person to ever think that

 

[Childe]

I can't get behind pacific rim as being the best movie of the year. Is it a good action film? sure. However I i don't believe that a movie can be the number one film of the year just by having one good thing. So it goes on top of the action list for me, just not my total year one

 

[Childe]

Actually there's quite a few critics that hated it (it has a metacritic score of 39), some even went as far as asking if the director's previous effort, Drive, was a fluke. And no drive wasn't a fluke it was just a continuation of a pattern for the director of good movie, bad movie, good movie, bad movie. Nicolas Winding Refn made Bronson which was good, then he made Valhalla Rising, which was an inexcusably tediously boring movie that had no right to be boring. I mean it was a movie about Vikings fighting Indians for fucks sake, but the director managed to make something only slightly more interesting than paint drying. Then came Drive which was good, then he made Only God Forgives, which was an inexcusably tediously boring movie that had no right to be boring. I mean it was a movie about a psychotic druglord mother who was trying to get unjustified revenge for the murder of her psychotic rapist son, who she was fucking, but the director managed to make something only slightly more interesting than watching grass grow. So yeah his next movie should be really good. Sorry for the rabbit trail.

lol Valhalla Rising was not about that...at all.

It was about Odin/One Eye leading the Christians to not the Promised Land but to hell/the new world and to see them completely lose their minds. Kinda like Aguirre, that Herzog movie. How religious fundamentalism can be your destroyer. And the true sacrifice a hero must make. I would liken the mood to a psychedelic horror, which you don't get often. The scene where they trip out is awesome.



It's a great audiovisual experience. One of my favourite movies, and actually got me into Refn.

Also, some of the most brutal violence I've seen like the fight and the disembowelling scene.

Actually(taken from IMDB) "The genesis of the film comes from the discovery of a mysterious pile of runes near Delaware. There was been much speculation as to how they got there so far inland so the film seeks to provide an answer of some sort to that." And there might be that subtext, but I'm not going to care and I am going to continue holding onto the literal story due to the fact that the movie is such a boring as hell slog that it quite frankly doesn't deserve any deeper reading. Yeah it is a visual treat, and there are a couple of good and interesting scenes, but they can be counted on one hand. visual panache and style is not a substitute for an actual substantial movie. If you can do both that's great, but if you only have the visual panache then you are going to look pretentious. And if you are right about the subtext, which yeah I can see it, then that makes it even worse, because that means Nicolas Refn made a movie about a Norse god leading people to hell and it was, still. Fucking. Boring.

What's boring to you is engaging to me, what's visual panache to you is substance and symbolism for me and I got meaning out of it. No point in arguing with you since you've already made up your mind

A) double post sorry.

B) i loved vahalla rising. The silence throughout most of the film leading to everything being told through scenery and action was well done, the action was great. Didn't pick up on the dude being odin tho.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Wolf of Wall Street is probably my favorite movie this year. Nice of Scorsese to return to what he does best - sweeping epics about outsiders making their way all the way up and then all the way down within some sort of "over-the-rules" urban clan. It used to be the mafia. Now it's stockbrokers.

 

[Mosesj]

Except for pain and gain (which I DESPISED) the movies Bob showed are really good

I loved pacific rim, it was awesome.


I don't know why about pain and gain, but it was a first. It was unenjoyable, horrible, felt like there was no point to watch the movie. Hell, halfway through the movie, I realized I was only waiting for it to end so I can go home.

 

[Amaror]

Oh god, Springbreakers.
It sounded like something i would hate, so i watched it and totally hated it.
Why is this movie getting so much praise?
Yeah it's a satire of a soulleblublublu...
I didn't see the satire. At all. Unless you count doing something stupid totally straight as satire, but i don't do that.
I think people liked the ending a lot and i think it looked liked that would be good for a quarter of a second and then they ruined it.

Spoiler

When Franco got shot i thought it would be good and they would reveal how much of an illusion these girls had going all this time.
But then they just switch to fantasy again and the girls continue to kill all the guards and the big bad dude.
That's just retarded.

I cannot see how anyone should be going out of this movie, to quote moviebob, "mindblown".