The State of the Art: Movies 2013

Statistics! Everyone loves statistics, right? Why don't we start by comparing the pure numbers between 2012 and 2013? Last year, I saw 54 movies, 21 of which were 2012 releases (~39%). This year, I've seen 59 movies, 20 of which were 2013 releases (~34%). Clearly, Netflix has been getting more of a work out than the theaters. In looking at the list of movies I saw these last twelve months, I should reiterate something I mentioned in passing last time: This is not a list of the best movies of the year.

In comparing my differing grades, I noticed that were I to match individual movies against each other, the results might well be different. Was Room 237 really a better movie than Nebraska? Hell, no. But as you know, grades are a combination of a movie's technical quality, my individual tastes, and how well I think the movie stacked up to expectations. And let's face it, just plain mood factors in as well. I try to be as objective as I can, but who knows? Maybe Identity Thief could have climbed to a C- if my date had gone better. And naturally, I can't count anything I haven't seen yet. So, here they are. Not the five best movies, but my Top Five Favorites of 2013:

#1: Gravity

What I Said: Maybe I wouldn't have been as swept up in the visual beauty [if I had seen it in a less spectacular format], but no matter what screen it's on, this was still a tight, tense, hopeful movie with zero filler scenes. It's a really stunning film that everyone should make an effort to see.

#2: 56 Up

What I Said: Suzy, in particular, keeps agreeing to come back, not because she wants to, but out of a deep-seated loyalty to Apted and the experiment. And all we can do is thank her for it. Both the participants and Apted himself are starting to get up there, so any of these movies may be the last. And that thought makes me misty all over again.

#3: Blue Jasmine

What I Said: Whenever I sit down to write a blurb about a movie I've just seen, I try and stack up the things I really liked about it against any big problems or little nitpicks that may count against it. When one of the biggest issues I can come up with is that I wish filmmakers would freaking put liquid in the clearly-empty coffee cups that characters carry around, you know you've got a good movie on your hands.

#4: Frozen

What I Said: The animation and 3D are top-notch; at one point I actually though water was leaking from the theater ceiling for a moment. The songs are fun and catchy. Olaf has a hilarious ditty about his looking forward to summer, and Elsa's powerful number about her acceptance of the ice magic in her veins reminded my friend and me of Wicked (and not just because she's voiced by Idina Menzel). This is also another much-needed film where the women are strong characters with actual agency.

#5: Much Ado About Nothing

What I Said: The staging within the house of an obviously wealthy but not ostentatious family worked perfectly for this play (HGTV fans, there is some serious real estate porn going on here). Far from ruining the movie, its setting in modern times allowed for some pretty clever adaptation changes.

All five are heartily recommended. As for how the movies of 2013 stack up as a whole, let's go to the full list!

2013 Movies

Gravity (A)
56 Up (A)
Blue Jasmine (A-)
Frozen (A-)
Much Ado About Nothing (A-)
Behind the Candleabra (B+)
Room 237 (B+)
Nebraska (B)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (B)
Frances Ha (B)
Pacific Rim (B)
Star Trek Into Darkness (B)
The Spectacular Now (B-)
This is the End (B-)
In a World... (B-)
20 Feet From Stardom (B-)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (C+)
Rush (C)
Man of Steel (C)
Identity Thief (D+)

It looks like my filter hasn't gotten much better OR much worse. In both 2012 and 2013, about the same percentage of the movies I saw fell below the "good" line of a B-. Am I doomed to dislike a quarter of the movies I see? I guess that's not too bad a ratio, all things considered. So how do the movies released in 2013 fit in with my entire movie year? Only one way to find out! Here's the full ranking:

Gravity (A)
56 Up (A)
Blue Jasmine (A-)
Frozen (A-)
Margin Call (2011) (A-)
Much Ado About Nothing (A-)

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) (B+)
Behind the Candleabra (B+)
Paranorman (2012) (B+)
The Queen of Versailles (2012) (B+)
Room 237 (B+)
Pina (2011) (B+)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) (B+)
A Cat in Paris (2010) (B+)
The Princess and the Frog (2009) (B+)

Nebraska (B)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) (B)
Young Adult (2011) (B)
Premium Rush (2012) (B)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (B)
The Secret World of Arietty (2010) (B)
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) (B)
Sound of Noise (2010) (B)
Frances Ha (B)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) (B)
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) (B)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) (B)
The Pirates! - Band of Misfits (2012) (B)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) (B)
Pacific Rim (B)
Star Trek Into Darkness (B)

Holy Motors (2012) (B-)
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) (B-)
The Spectacular Now (B-)
This is the End (B-)
In a World... (B-)
Ruby Sparks (2012) (B-)
20 Feet From Stardom (B-)
Despicable Me (2010) (B-)
Idiocracy (2006) (B-)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) (B-)
Kinky Boots (2006) (B-)

The Impostors (1998) (C+)
Toys in the Attic (2012) (C+)
First Position (2011) (C+)
My Dog Skip (2000) (C+)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (C+)
1776 (1972) (C+)

No Country for Old Men (2007) (C)
Arbitrage (2012) (C)
Rush (C)
Man of Steel (C)
Sleepwalk With Me (2012) (C)
21 Jump Street (2012) (C)
American Harmony (2009) (C)

Twister (1996) (C-)
Mirror, Mirror (2012) (C-)
Identity Thief (D+)
Bachelorette (2012) (D-)