Film Feature: 13 Films That Define 2013

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Instructions Not Included

10. “Instructions Not Included”

America showed its melting pot colors with the box office numbers of “Instructions Not Included” a Spanish-language film starring famous Mexican comedian Eugenio Derbez, who also directed. The comedy about fatherhood topped “Pan’s Labyrinth” to be the fourth biggest foreign language film ever in the United States, and also boasts being the best-ever domestic debut (on Labor Day weekend) for a Spanish language film.

The success of “Instructions Not Included” is exciting about the audience potential for wide-released films that are not made specifically for or about white American men. Similarly, it shows that movies of seemingly specific backgrounds can appeal to a broader range of demographics. And not for nothing, it further demystifies the belief that American audiences are biased against subtitles.

Gravity

11. “Gravity”

While 2013 was a strong year for unmistakably cinematic films (from “The Place Beyond the Pines” to “12 Years A Slave”), no film was more necessary for genuine in-theater viewing than Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity,” which self-proclaimed “King of the World” James Cameron declared to be the best film made about space. Mixing the luminosity of Hollywood’s shiniest stars (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) with immaculate CG artistry, “Gravity” gave moviegoers a unique movie experience that provided excitement to the classic phrase “only in theaters,” especially with the boosting of genuine 3D imagery that felt like it further completed the visuals. A step forward for both CG animation and original blockbuster storytelling, “Gravity” gave viewers a strong sense of the current blockbuster’s potential, while also reminding them that there are still new frontiers to be traversed in a century-old art form.

12 Years a Slave

12. “12 Years a Slave”

2013 restored voices to significant civilians in history with at least three different films - that of Oscar Grant (played by Michael B. Jordan) in “Fruitvale Station,” White House servant Eugene Allen (an inspiration for Cecil Gaines, as played by Forest Whitaker in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”), and most remarkably, Solomon Northup, brought to life with a magnificent performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave.” Based on Northup’s writings from his experience as a freed man kidnapped back into slavery, “12 Years a Slave” provided something that which text cannot, a palpable sense of atmosphere, in which the reality of its events could never be confused for anything else. Director Steve McQueen’s film earns historical merit itself for such a successful attitude, which famously places mainstream audiences back into this disturbing chapter of American history without the ability to be distracted by a softer touch, or even worse, gratuitous revenge.

The Wolf of Wall Street

13. “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Opening on the last major day of release in 2013, Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” provided a conclusion to year of previously-released films about recent American excess, from the 1990s steroid-blinded American dream in “Pain & Gain” to the late 2000’s celebrity invading shenanigans of “The Bling Ring,” to even the post-bailout psychological trauma of Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.” Along with providing the perspective of someone actually toiling in Wall Street, (instead of only influenced by such ideology), Scorsese’s punk rock-filled story raises a crucial question (still being debated on Twitter at this very moment) about how we should be presenting these characters and their stories, if justice itself rarely accurately responds to these figures in real life. Especially for a filmmaker who can be expected to provide some Catholic comeuppance, “The Wolf of Wall Street” jars viewers by allowing its title character Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) to control the attitude of the narrative, which essentially prevents the natural winds of film justice from intervening. As the final shot of the film shows, it is up to our own culture to control the cultivation of wolves like him.

By Nick Allen
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com

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