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15 Best Movies of 2013 So Far

15 Best Movies of 2013 So Far

First I have to admit that I am a total beginner who spent not a great deal of my time watching newly coming movies, so until now I haven’t watched a significant amount of movies. I even missed lots of movies in this summer so probably I’m gonna tight up my watching schedule around the end of this year. LOL.

July 19 is perfectly 6 months after January 19, the day I wrote my best of 2012 list. So I think it’s a fair half of 2013, and I feel like I have to share good movies I have watched so far. I was about to list only 10 films, but then I think 15 is nice. Anyway, if you really want to know, you can see the full list of 2013 movies in my Letterboxd account here. Obviously, I have a newly-built movie diary there so when I feel like watching, say, old or classic movies, I always update my Letterboxd. I mean, you know, just in case. Haha.

Here we go.


#15

Spring Breakers

Spring Breakers

Playful but not empty inside. “Spring Breakers” is where the wild imagination of today’s American young people falls on a solid rock of reality. Musical taste, vivid color, and the spirit of youth blend with a mirror-like cultural contemplation from across the globe. [full review]


#14

Evil Dead

Evil Dead

Never seen the prequel, but this remake is just enough to slay and tear down the cowardice in my soul. LOL. I recalled it was a terrific cinematic atmosphere when every single viewer in the theater was mostly terrorized by everything a full-of-blood, sadistic film could do. Fantastic. [full review]


#13

The Master

The Master

Enigmatic and takes second (or third, or more) viewing to dig a series of new values from it, “The Master” is a powerful impersonation of human character evolution. I need to watch it again, and I can’t even write a review that sufficiently covers it together with its multiple layers. [review coming soon]


#12

Pieta

Pieta

Bleak is its another title. I have no imagination that a mother-son relationship could be this depressing. “Pieta” is both Michelangelo’s masterpiece sculpture and Ki Duk’s achieving work of art that describes love in a very twisted and different style. [full review]


#11

Side Effects

Side Effects

“Side Effects” presents an unexpected story (and dilemma) from the medical industry which may just turn into a mainstream thriller without the careful hand of Steven Soderbergh and the powerful acting of the cast. And, sorry, this is not Soderbergh’s very last work! [full review]


#10

Belenggu

Belenggu

“Belenggu” is a gift for Indonesian movie lovers who expect a different package of cinematic entertainment out of cheap dramas, comedies, or horrors we used to see in theater. Not the best, but its breakthrough is worth appreciating. [full review]


#9

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim

I came to the cinema with doubt. Monster vs robot? Seems like it’s not my taste. But who expected that beyond the abundance CGI all around, we also have a pretty sensible plot (and a memorable score)? Guillermo del Toro’s passion makes it happen. [review coming soon]


#8

Flight

Flight

A one-man show by Denzel Washington, “Flight” is basically a confession told by a sinner who used to be a hero. It’s kinda against me, because it taught a different life lesson from I used to have. Thought-provoking and morally intriguing. [full review]


#7

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas

“Cloud Atlas” is complicated and easy-to-understand at the same time. Carefully written, tidily edited, and skillfully acted by the multiple-roled cast (plus the magical “Cloud Atlas Sextet” playing in the background), this is an ambitious work that perfectly makes sense. [full review]


#6

The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines

I have told you that so far, this is one of this year’s must-watch drama. “The Place Beyond the Pines” weakens in its third part, but overall it is a rich-valued film that swipes many dilemmatic situations from many different backgrounds. [full review]


#5

Trance

Trance

I am a thriller lover and my brain has never been satisfyingly manipulated by any of this year’s movies, until I watched “Trance”. It is an exciting story with a relatively hairless—I mean, flawless—twist made just fine by Danny Boyle’s artistic touch. [full review]


#4

Upstream Color

Upstream Color

Watching “Upstream Color” is more like watching a science presentation from an acclaimed professor rather than watching a mere film. It’s incredible how movies like this can transfer a different aim: not only an entertainment, but also an inspiring pseudo-scientific theory. [full review]


#3

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

Gatsby is a man who has literally everything, except the girl who lives across the gulf. “The Great Gatsby” describes his loneliness from the eyes of a best friend, and I think this is one of Leonardo Di Caprio’s most convincing performances. [full review]


#2

Man of Steel

Man of Steel

Sorry, fanboy, but “Man of Steel” got me attached right on my seat. I’m sorry, but from the least experience that I have, this is where the dramatic side of a story and the power of computer graphics meets with a solid legend of a superhero. [full review]


#1

Les Misérables

Les Misérables

Who could expect that this year’s best movie so far came from the films released around the beginning of the year? “Les Misérables” is different and aesthetic, and Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway and all the cast were perfectly into the musical style. Memorable. “I dreamed a dream in time gone by...” [full review]


Recap:
15. Spring Breakers
14. Evil Dead
13. The Master
12. Pieta
11. Side Effects
10. Belenggu
9. Pacific Rim
8. Flight
7. Cloud Atlas
6. The Place Beyond the Pines
5. Trance
4. Upstream Color
3. The Great Gatsby
2. Man of Steel
1. Les Misérables

If you ask me why there is no “Star Trek Into Darkness”, or “Iron Man 3”, it is either I haven’t watched it or it’s just not my taste (but the first answer is the most likely). Well, the year is still a long long way to go. We haven’t seen those latest Oscar contenders that used to release around the end of this year, so this list is gonna be so dynamic. Again, if you’re really interested to see the complete list, follow me on Letterboxd.

Thank you!


Akbar Saputra

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3 comments:

  1. i almost cried in joy seeing Gatsby so high on your list XD yay!
    I have not watch Trance yet and i don;t think i can ever watch Upstream Colors (i've TRIED for 3-4 times and always failed due to the creepy crawlies thingy in it)

    I think there will be more film to look forward to in the 2nd half of 2013 :D can't wait for it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, LOL. Yeah, Gatsby is great and screw the critics! :D
      I think you have to be in a good mood and condition to watch it because it's kinda brainy. Not everyone's cup of tea, for sure.

      Yep, we'll the second half of this year! :D

      Delete
  2. OH MAN! So agree with Les Miserables!

    ReplyDelete