My Top 10 Films of 2013

This is the first time I have ever done a top 10 films of the year review, probably because this year I've seen more than 10 films in a cinema that I liked. This is films released in UK cinemas in 2013, but doesn't include those released during "award season" at the beginning of the year, such as Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained (both of which I did like).

Honourable mentions - Prisoners, Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Thor: The Dark World (ta-da)

10. Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
“The biggest thing to come out of Norwich since Lord Nelson or Trisha.”
North Norfolk Digital has been taken over and the new owners are looking to see which members of staff to get rid of. However, one such member takes everybody hostage. There is only person he is willing to speak to - Alan Partridge.
I wasn't that much of an Alan Partridge fan before I saw the film. I did go into the cinema with an open mind, not knowing what to expect. Quite simply it passes the 5-laugh test easily and very early on as well. It is very quotable and has set the mark for future British TV comedies that want to become films. It stays true to its roots, something that most others haven't, which makes it work well. Well doneespecially to Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci.

9. A Field in England
From director Ben Wheatley (Kill List and Sightseers), A Field in England is a monochromatic drama set during the English Civil War. A group of escaping soldiers are taken hostage by a madman who forces them to search for buried treasure in a field. Instead they find psychedelic mushrooms.
This film made the news due to the fact it was being released simultaneously in art-house cinemas, on DVD, online and uninterrupted on Film 4. It certainly caught my attention in that respect. Simultaneous release is the future of cinema hopefully. This is very original, compelling piece of filmmaking, even if it out-paces it audience.
However, the slow motion shot of Reece Shearsmith walking out of a tent with a rope around his neck is one of the creepiest and strangest scenes I saw on screen this year.

8. Filth
This was the second film I saw James McAvoy in a leading role this year (the other I will mention later); his performance in this is amazing. He makes the character of Bruce Robertson so unlikable, yet you want to spend more time with him. You want to see him bring himself down and his addiction get the better of him. He is on screen in pretty much every shot of the film. Unfortunately, he won't get a nod from the Academy Awards, but surely the BAFTAs are more likely to recognize his performance.
This is the best adaptation of an Irvine Welch novel since Trainspotting, which is high praise considering he is not the most cinematic of writers. This is a bold attempt to adapt this novel. Some say it is a hard film to like, especially that it is such a black comedy and there is not the same affection for the character as there was in Trainspotting. Still, there is much to admire. Plus, there is a David Soul cameo and a brilliant cover of Radiohead's "Creep" on the soundtrack.
I wrote a review of this for Seren, Bangor University's student newspaper. Click here to view it.

7. Captain Phillips
As I'm sure you know, this is based on the true story of the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates. However, it has recently come to light that the real-life Captain Richard Phillips was responsible for the ship being in dangerous waters, yet director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum and United 93) stands by its authenticity.
Never mind that. What this demonstrates is how great Tom Hanks is at documenting real-life events on film. Surely an Oscar nod for Best Actor for perhaps his best performance in years. The actors playing the pirates are brilliant as well, especially Barkhad Abdi. The suspense of it is made even more effective by the fact it is directed by Greengrass, who kept the crew and pirates apart until filming the hijack scene. It is nailbiting throughout, especially as I was unaware of the true story. It is a film that shows piracy for what it truly is, rather than the Jack Sparrow-ideology.

6. Gravity
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Gravity stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock play two astronauts who survive an accident and are left adrift in space. With their oxygen running low, they need to find a way to get back home.
Visually, it is stunning, as shown in the opening shot. The quietness of space is somewhat eery. All you can here sometimes is panic and the soundtrack, rather than an explosion.You also hear the gasps from the audience. It is very much like the scene where the guy is thrown into space by HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is also a great performance by Sandra Bullock. I had thoughts originally that it was going to be the same as Meg Ryan as a helicopter pilot, but it wasn't. Hard to believe that it is only 90 minutes; if it was a James Cameron film, it would be going on and on forever.
Finally, this film is worth seeing in 3D. I never thought I would say that.

5. The World's End
I admit that I had high hopes and expectations for this film, considering that it is the final part in the Cornetto Trilogy and Shaun of the Dead is one of my favourite films ever.
20 years before, a group of friends attempt to complete the ultimate pub crawl. Now, they are back to finish what they started, but they quickly discover that things are not what they seem and not only have they changed but the town has changed.
It doesn't disappoint. It follows the same formula as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. There is also a soundtrack very reminiscent of the early 90s, featuring Primal Scream and Inspiral Carpets. It is funny all the way through, even during some scenes where the tones of it is trying to be serious. Pegg and Forst are a great comedy duo and there are superb supporting performances from the likes of Eddie Marsan and Paddy Considine.
As Total Film put it: "Like that nugget of pure chocolate you get at the bottom of the cornet, this is a fittingly satisfying end to the Cornetto trilogy."

4. Good Vibrations
This is a heart-warming film about Terri Hooley and the Belfast punk-rock scene in the late 70s and early 80s. He discovered many local bands including Rudi and the Outcasts. However, the biggest impact he had on music in general was recording "Teenage Kicks" with The Undertones. That's why my favourite moment of the whole film is when the legendary John Peel plays the song twice on the air and you see Terri's reaction. You have to love Terri's lack of care or understanding when it comes to money. He does everything with a wing and a prayer. It is a great performance from Richard Dormer, who you will recognise from Game of Thrones, with enough charm and witt to it.
There will be some who say that this was a 2012 film. That year it premiered at the Belfast Film Festival, but was released in cinemas in March 2013.

3. Trance
OK, you've made several classic British films; you've won an Oscar for Best Director and you've coordinated the opening ceremony of the Olympics. You're allowed to do whatever you want now.
Danny Boyle's new film features all the dark stuff he wanted to include in the opening ceremony but couldn't. James McAvoy is the inside-man for the heist of a painting. However, the painting goes missing so Vincent Cassel hires a hypnotherapist played by Rosario Dawson to help McAvoy's character remember what he did to the painting by going into his mind.
Dawson's performance was the best of the three protagonists. It is a very underrated performance. This begins as a heist movie, before descending into psychological thriller. It is somewhat like Inception or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Trainspotting, with a little bit of the mistrust that was in Shallow Grave. Not the best film of Danny Boyle's, but an enjoyable and thoughtful piece from on of Britain's best directors.

2. The Place Beyond The Pines
From Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance, there are three main stories to this film. The first is Ryan Gosling trying to make enough money for his former lover and their newborn son by robbing banks. The second is when his path crosses with a police officer played by Bradley Cooper, who himself discovers corruption within the department. The final part bring all the events together with a meeting between their two sons.
Gosling and Cooper are both fantastic in this film. I can finally take Bradley Cooper seriously and forgive him for The Hangover trilogy. Dane DeHaan is a very promising actor, who has a bright future ahead of him. It is a tale of sins of the fathers being passed onto their sons, that is almost realistic. It is a beautiful and bold piece of filmmaking.

1. Rush
As was the case with Senna, Rush shows that you do not have to be a fan of Formula 1 to appreciate a film that in reality has at its centre a battle between two mere mortals giving everything for victory. You have that here with the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, which culminates halfway through the 1976 season with Lauda's horrific crash at the Nürbergring.
It is a return to form for director Ron Howard, who makes this spectacular both visually and audio; the on-board race sequences are amazing and the noise is almost biblical. You also have a great screenplay by Peter Morgan, someone who is great at bringing two opposing forces together, as he also did with Frost/Nixon. There are two brilliant performances from Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, his best since Good Bye, Lenin!. The look of it, its fashion and soundtrack are the epitomy of the 1970s.

Worst film of the year - honestly I try to avoid all bad films. Therefore, I'm not a good critic or judge of films. I did see The Great Gatsby and was a bit underwhelmed, maybe because I hadn't read the book. It was very loud, flash and shouty. It was not terrible though. However, if you want a worst film of the year, from what I've heard said about it, I'm pretty glad I didn't see Kick-Ass 2, considering that I really enjoyed the first film. It sounds like it's been a disappointment. Also, Movie 43, why does it exist?