10. The Past (Le Passe)
Not unlike his Oscar-winner from 2011, the Iranian film "A Separation," Asghar Farhadi's French film is a tale of quiet characters, all loudly angry at one another. Berencie Bejo (whom American audiences might recognize from "A Knight's Tale" and "The Artist"), Tahar Rahim (from "A Prophet") and Ali Mosaffa are all fantastic, as is young actress Pauline Burlet. (Have you ever had to tell your mother that you did something awful and feared the reaction and punishment? That should give you just a slight hint of a critical scene between her and Bejo.) Just like in "A Separation," Farhadi has shown us that he is (and I mean this sincerely) the new master of suspense. The suspense featured in his previous film is even more pronounced and prevalent here. Watch the final scene, where not a single note of music exists, and tell me you weren't (forgive me for using such a hackneyed expression) on the edge of your seat.
9. Nebraska
There are many things I think of when I think about Alexander Payne's "Nebraska." I think of how, while it is not as good as his masterpiece from 2002 ("About Schmidt"), it is even more entertaining than his films in between the two ("Sideways" and "The Descendants"). I think of, in particular, the idiosyncrasies of the American Midwest; those who know them will adore this film even more. Payne somehow perfectly captures the realistic surrealism of it all, and how better to do it than in black and white? It gives it a certain timelessness to it, what several critics have called a new take on American Gothic imagery, much like Peter Bagdonovich's "The Last Picture Show." Bruce Dern is fantastic here, practically helpless, yet often cruel when pressed by his son, played by Will Forte, who only several years ago was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member and who now appears to have successfully shifted to dramas. I think of Bob Odenkirk, who will soon be the star of his own show, "Better Call Saul," a spin-off of "Breaking Bad." I think of June Squibb, the actress who is practically a new hit star despite being 84 years old. I think of what Quentin Tarantino described as "Dernsies," "a reason for an excuse to film the shot in the first place." There are many Dernsies in this fine film.
As I wrote in January, "12 Years a Slave" is a movie that features a "total deficit of empathy and compassion." Like many of the films on this list, it is a critical movie, one that challenges its audience members to reconsider how they might have been (implicitly) told to think of race relations during the Antebellum period. Katie Van Syckle of Rolling Stone magazine wrote it better: There have been a handful of movies about slavery, but "a movie that makes movie-goers look, and look again, and then a little more, at the gruesome realities of plantation life--the alcohol-soaked sweat of lecherous masters, the raw skin of seeping lash wounds, the oppressive, inescapable terror of nameless captivity--feels like a first." She quotes Brad Pitt, a producer and supporting actor in the film, as arguing that "it took a Brit" to ask painful questions that Americans were avoiding.
That Brit is Steve McQueen. He has only directed three full-length films. One of them ("Hunger") was a decent and fairly impressive debut, another ("Shame") was overrated. The third is exceptional. All three starred Michael Fassbender in incredible performances. So far, there has been no bad or even subpar acting from this immensely talented individual. I look forward to seeing more of his work, along with the work of the other newer and/or younger performers in the film, like Paul Dano (who was also quite good in "Prisoners"), Benedict Cumberbatch (who was also in "Star Trek Into Darkness," "The Hobbit" and "August: Osage County") and Lupita Nyong'o, who deserves the Oscar for her performance. But I really look forward to seeing the future projects of McQueen and Fassbender, who are perhaps a modern day Scorsese/De Niro team.
7. American Hustle
"American Hustle" features the best cast of the year and compared to a disturbing "12 Years A Slave" and an intense "Gravity," this is the most fun of the Best Picture nominations. This isn't to say that there aren't any problems with this film. Indeed, there are almost too many. The film's ending is a bit lame, and one scene (I won't say which) is practically ruined with a quick solution that still has left me puzzled. But Russell is one of those rare directors who is able to get perfection from his actors. This is two-in-a-row from Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro; Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner have never been better. Russell's story-telling style and techniques are clearly borrowed from Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, but he still creates a story that is uniquely his own, with an Oscar-nominated screenplay along with Eric Warren Singer.
6. This Is the End
"This Is the End" is by far the funniest film of 2013 (with Scorsese--of all people--giving us the second funniest with "The Wolf of Wall Street"). I think I laughed from start to finish. (With all due respect to our cousins across the Atlantic, see this one instead of the disappointing "The World's End.") The actors, among them Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jonah Hill, and others theorize about the mayhem and apocalypse outside their wealthy home but are interrupted over arguments over who gets the last chocolate bar. The exorcism scene is certainly one of the funniest in recent memory.
You may recall Mads Mikkelsen's awesome performances in "Casino Royale" and NBC's "Hannibal." Here, he returns to his native Denmark in Thomas Vinterberg's "The Hunt" and he's just as good, or perhaps even better, than in the American and British productions. He has been handsomely rewarded, winning the 2012 Cannes Film Award for Best Actor. "The Hunt" is also Denmark's nominee for Best Foreign Film (and for some bizarre reason will likely lose to the Felliniesque-wannabe film "The Great Beauty" from Italy). In "The Hunt," we are witness to a witch hunt started by children--think of the banality of evil but personified by a young girl. Mikkelsen is Lucas, a respected member of a small community and a worker at a local kindergarten. When he is accused of something terrible, the entire town turns against him. The story relies on Lucas trying to prove he's innocent, but what's really unforgettable about the film is Mikkelsen's performance, particularly the scenes near the conclusion, where he's essentially ungeziefer in this Kafkaesque story. You owe it to yourself to see it simply for the performances.
4. Lee Daniels' The Butler
Consider this: If "Lee Daniels' The Butler" had been released in November or December, would it be totally ignored by the Oscars? Hell. No. But the Oscars have a terribly short memory, and they should be scolded for that. Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey were robbed of nominations, to say the least. This is a movie that, along with "12 Years a Slave" and many others on this list, recognizes the important place of criticality in film. It does so softly, walking a fine line between appreciating the civil rights efforts of American presidents but also openly attacking the segregationist and apartheid policies that many of them supported or at least tolerated. But it's not simply a story about presidential and civil rights history. It's about a hardworking man who struggles to relate to his son. It's an incredible movie that deserves more recognition.
3. Fruitvale Station
I'd be willing to bet that this isn't the first review that observed an obvious similarity between Michael B. Jordan and Denzel Washington. Jordan, as Oscar Grant, gives a terrific performance. In one moment, Jordan effortlessly switches between a focused intensity and a persona that begs for sympathy. Grant's story is a true one, adapted for the screen by director Ryan Coogler in his feature-length film debut. It would usually be appropriate to write here a "spoiler alert," but not this time. For one, the film's opening moments show us what happened to Oscar, caught on cellphone camera. Second, the controversy remains today, as the officer convicted in the case received a punishment of less than a year in jail. The point is not what happens at the end, but the journey there.
The journey shows us Oscar Grant the human being. He is a father, son, husband, a man struggling to find employment and take care of his problems. It is virtually impossible not to see the similarities between this story and the George Zimmerman trial, especially considering that the verdict was announced the week of the film's premiere. In this film, Grant is not perfect. The character is a womanizer and has been in prison before and sells drugs. But this reminded me not only of the Trayvon Martin story but Spike Lee's defense of his brilliant 1989 "Do the Right Thing." In response to criticism about the so-called racism of the movie, Lee noted that white audiences usually focus on the destruction of the white character's property, ignoring the fact that in the film's climax, a black character has been shot and killed. I would not be surprised if many audience members of "Fruitvale Station" also focus on the flaws of Oscar Grant and his situation, ignoring the fact that he was murdered. It's a film you owe yourself to see and discuss.
2. Side Effects
First of all, I recognize that I'm certainly in the minority here. Steven Sodenbergh's "Side Effects" was released early in the year and barely got any notice; instead, much of the attention went to Sodenbergh's "Behind the Candelabra," the Liberace biographical film starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Out of about 150 top ten lists, "Side Effects" is only on three. But "Side Effects" is a smart, brave, almost mesmerizing thriller. It's a movie that takes aim at the "doctor-as-god" complex of modern medicine but refuses to be its cheerleader. Sodenbergh knows the audience is too smart to simply accept this as a message movie. It's more. It's a Hitchcockian thriller, scary and fun. More importantly, it is thought-provoking, particularly to those who have suffered from chronic illness and pain.
And the best film of the year is...................
1. Wadjda
(Before I begin, let me first make a point that the Academy should be deeply ashamed of itself for not nominating such an incredible movie.)
"Wadjda," from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of all places, is one of those films that left me excited, even weeks after seeing it. The kind of movie that I want to tell all my family members and friends that they need to see. I truly believe that this movie will be viewed as part of the vehicle that brought change to Saudi Arabia. Having lived here for the past three years, I can tell you that, yes, there is change happening here. It may be painfully slow, and it may be change that happened in Western countries a hundred or more years ago (!), but it is happening. Part of what is most interesting is that part of the change is actually evidenced by the common people, especially women. Consider Manal al-Sherif's forceful call to "rein in the Saudi religious police":
"Last October, a woman in Qassim, considered Saudi Arabia's most conservative region, lashed out at a member of the religious police who demanded that she cover her entire face (she was wearing a veil that left her eyes exposed). "Don't provoke me!" the woman retorted. "Do you think we don't know our own religion? We know our religion, and covered up before you even existed. The veil is not forced upon a woman!" A 42-second video of her response blew up on Saudi social media. Using the hashtag #DontProvoke, people tweeted messages of support, criticizing the officer for berating a modestly dressed woman, and for doing so in front of her children. The public outpouring was a rarity in a country where, when it comes to confrontations between a men and women, it is generally accepted that women are to blame."
Both the director and star of the film are Saudi women (Haifaa al-Mansour and Waad Mohammed respectfully). Mohammed's performance as Wadjda, a young girl who wants to ride a bike in a country that frowns upon it, to say the least, might remind some of the famous Italian neo-realism film "The Bicycle Thieves." But another comparison is to Keisha Castle-Hughes' performance in "Whale Rider" from 2002. Both feature excellent performances from young woman playing characters willing to push the envelope. I loved every bit of it.
Honorable Mentions: August: Osage County, Saving Mr. Banks, Europa Report, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Angel's Share, Blood Brother, Mud
And now, the Oscars...
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