Films 2013

         There were a lot of great films in 2013, but there were also a lot of poor ones. If you missed any then I would suggest keeping clear from The Internship - where Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson rattle off their usual characters in a very average comedy. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunter - a very poor spin on the fairytale, which has Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton performing well below par.and Hangover: Part III - the worst of an average trilogy. They should have kept it at one film, but they got all excited with how well it did and had to kill it. The awful Fast and Furious 6 - There's been about 6 films too many in this series. Last of all, Pacific Rim - this is probably my worst film of 2013. Yes it was quite exciting watching Godzilla fight the Transformers, but the acting was atrocious and even the awesome Idris Elba couldn't save this abomination.

          There were also quite a few disappointments...A Good Day To Die Hard - I was so looking forward to the next instalment, especially after how great Die Hard 4 was. I loved the trailer and that got me really excited, but the film was painfully average. Anchorman 2 - suffered from similar problems. The trailer was very funny, but it was a timid shadow in comparison to the original. Many of the jokes fell flat and some scenes were just too silly. The Wolverine was another failure, but then again the first Wolverine wasn't that great either. I was also not that impressed with The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug - I accept that there will be a lot of softness, as Percy Jackson loves a bit of corniness and wetness, but I actually thought in this 2nd Hobbit instalment that some of the characters were going to break out into song. Hopefully the final film will restore my faith in this rather unnecessary trilogy.

         Anyway, enough of the crap from last year and now to the good shit...Some of the enjoyable films of 2013 were World War Z - Brad Pitt does his usual top notch job in a very exciting and action packed spin on a "zombie flick". Special mention has to go to Chris Hemsworth for his two brilliant performances in two of the top films of last year, in Rush and Thor: The Dark World. I didn't think that Thor was going to be any good, but it was one of the happy surprises of 2013. Hemsworth was awesome, as was the very talented Idris Elba as Heimdall and Tom Hiddleston as Loki. What really made this a good film was the amount of humour that actually worked! Hemsworth also did a very good job in Rush, as the legendary Formula 1 driver, James Hunt.
I enjoyed Ironman 3, even though not many other people seemed to. It was the least best out of the 3 but it still had all the characteristics to be a very good blockbuster. The lovely Robot & Frank should also get a mention. This is a great film to watch if you want to see a strong performance from Frank Langella who plays an ageing man in the near future and becomes friends with a robot who you cannot help but like. Alan Partridge 'Alpha Papa' is funny and adapts well to the big screen, as Steve Coogan reprises the role of the hilarious Alan Partridge who gets caught up in a siege in his own radio station.

         Now for my top 5 films of 2013


5. Mud
Matthew McConaughey proves once again how good an actor he can be in a very tense and well made thriller. Good acting by the children also has to be mentioned, as so many films can fall short when it comes to the kids needing to act.

4. Lincoln
This epic feature by Steven Spielberg had to be up there. Daniel Day Lewis deserved his awards for portraying Abraham Lincoln so well. Even though the film was almost flawless it doesn't make my top 3 because it just needed that extra 'something' which the top 3 films in my opinion had.

3. Star Trek: Into Darkness
I loved the first Star Trek back in 2009 and as ever I am always wary of sequels to great films. Because as shown with Anchorman it's not that easy to recreate a good thing. However, Star Trek: Into Darkness managed it. Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock made a fine pairing once again. Also Benedict Cumberbatch was superb as ever, as the villain Khan.

2. Captain Philips
I always look forward to any film that has Tom Hanks in and I certainly wasn't disappointed with another master class performance. This was a very well written and edge of the seat thriller, based on the true story of a Captain Philips who had his ship taken over by Somali pirates.

1. Django Unchained
My best film of 2013 has to go to one of the first films I saw in 2013 and that is Quentin Tarantino's awesome Django Unchained. Jamie Foxx put in his best ever performance by far and the wonderful Christopher Waltz was at the top of his game. Leonardo Dicaprio and Samuel L. Jackson are brilliant and very likeable bad guys in this wild west epic with a classic Tarantino spin. I would also have to say that Django has to be one of Tarantino's best films, maybe just behind Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.

Films of February - Part 2

Wreck It Ralph ****

   Although Wreck It Ralph is only Disney and not Pixar, this animated movie is original and enjoyable from the off. I loved the idea that the characters in the arcade games are real and once the arcade closed then their work shift was over they could head to 'Game Central Station' which meant catching a train through the electricity wires into the plug socket.
   I actually didn't know what was going to happen as the film built up to it's finale. This is an animated film for the kids and the grown ups and is well worth going to see.


A Good Day To Die Hard ***

   When I saw the trailer for the first time I was desperate to see the film. I thought Die Hard 4.0 was awesome and expected the same with the fifth installment, but after seeing A Good Day To Die Hard I felt strangely deflated. Bruce Willis is his usual super cool, but he is almost playing 2nd fiddle to his son Jack, played by Jai Courtney. This is bad in itself as Bruce Willis is John McClane and John McClane is Die Hard.
   The action scenes are exciting and varied. There are Die Hard style bad guys, but they are nothing compared to the baddies of the previous films. By the end of it I just felt that it was all a bit too easy. Willis didn't seem like he cared, he almost appeared tired with his role....maybe he too realised that this fifth installation in the Die Hard franchise simply wasn't up to scratch.


This is 40 ****

   Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprise their roles from the painfully unfunny Knocked Up, in this comedy about a couple who reach 40. I found that This is 40 was an excellent film. Paul Rudd played the exact same character that he always plays, but fortunately I like him. Not only is it incredibly funny through out, with many laugh out loud moments, but it is very real and is a very important story about ageing and growing up. I'm sure most people who see this film will be able to relate some part of it to their own life.

   The running joke of the oldest daughter, Sadie, watching Lost was especially funny. This is not just a film for women or couples, anyone can go and see it and find it funny and enjoyable.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunter **

   Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton star in this 3D action packed fantasy based on a well known children's story. I had my hopes up that this was going to be a good film, but sadly that isn't the case. There is never any worry that something will happen to Hansel & Gretel, or that the Grand dark witch played by Famke Jansen was going to succeed in her evil plans. However, if you are looking to see a film jammed packed with action and gore then this is for you, but there is little else there for anyone else.