Best and Worst Films of 2013 So Far

We're almost halfway through the year so I thought it would be nice to do a rundown of the best and worst films so far. Of course, I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions too.

Personally, I'm going on the 'film year' so films like Django Unchained, Les Miserables and Lincoln are technically more 2012 considering they all competed at the 2012 awards season. However, you can decide to include them in your own list of you disagree.

Worst:

5. MAN OF STEEL:
Started promisingly with an intriguing premise of the grittier Superman origins. However, the sheer lack of any emotion or heart lost me completely. The only time it was attempted was the corny holding up of the arm part (you'll know what I mean if you've seen it.) Battered with Jesus and religious imagery, it couldn't have been less subtle if it had tried. Russell Crowe's British accent was very patchy, and the way Superman let thousands of people in Metropolis die was extremely lazy and out of character writing. Eventually, the last act became incredibly dull, with around 50 minutes of one continuous 'BANG'.
On the other hand, there were some positives. Kevin Costner was terrific, and gave a great performance despite the fact he was criminally underused. Similarly, it would be wrong to ever doubt Hans Zimmer, his music was perfectly suited to the film, and I left the film humming his infectious score.
Overall, it was more of a disappointment than anything. I fully expect to see a worse film than this in the next six months and it should be edged out of my bottom five fairly soon.

4. JACK THE GIANT SLAYER:
Quite a mess of a film and ultimately rather forgettable. Without browsing through my old cinema tickets, I had forgot that I'd even seen this film. From Bryan Singer's direction and a stellar cast of Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci and Bill Nighy, I definitely hoped for more.

3. FAST AND FURIOUS 6:
Lousy action sequences that had their climaxes completely ruined by the trailer and other promotions, it was the fantasy of a teenage boy leering at cars, explosions and girls which caused the key elements of plot, character and script all to suffer. Unfortunately, it seems that this juggernaut franchise is not putting its foot on the brake anytime soon. (See what I did there )

2. THE BIG WEDDING:
One colossal orgy of sex jokes, and a black hole of wit. Sure, Robin Williams provided a couple of mere chuckles, but it ought to have been much funnier that it was. Diane Keaton seems nowadays to be the reverse of Midas within Hollywood. For me, it jumped the shark when Amanda Seyfried's comically named mother 'Muffin' turned out to be a closet lesbian. How on earth can such a mess of a movie be made with a cast that has 5 Oscars and 17 nominations between them?

1. OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN:
When I first saw this film, it reminded me of a video game. An endless swarm of terrorists and White House officials whose sole purpose was to die in over the top and tongue-in-cheek ways. Perhaps one of the greatest propaganda movies in recent years, its supporting cast of Angela Basset, Melissa Leo and Morgan Freeman were all underused. Entirely predictable and extremely contrived, it's safe to say I wasn't a fan!
Yet, I will give it one thing, I did titter at the line 'How about a game of f*** off; you go first.'

Best

5. BEHIND THE CANDELABRA:
Everything you could want in a movie really. Great script, plot, acting, tone, costumes and makeup, just a shame that it can't be Oscar nominated. Otherwise, Michael Douglas and Matt Damon would be sure locks. It pitched the spot on amount of creepiness against the typical Liberace-esque extravagance.

4. DESPICABLE ME 2:
I only saw this film a matter of hours ago and it's already made such an impression on me. Whilst inevitably and unavoidably not recapturing the originality of the previous film, it is still nonetheless a wonderful and enchanting two hours. I had a huge beam on my face from start to finish. Fantastic voice performances complimented the imaginative set pieces and glorious animation. Even if you have no children to go with, this film is recommended wholeheartedly.

3. STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS:
I've never had any Star Trek experience that hasn't been under the direction of JJ Abrams, yet I was utterly enthralled in the Trek universe. The true strength of the film lies in the Kirk/Spock relationship, which elevates it from a standard sci-fi flick to something quite remarkable . A film with huge heart and warmth, I'm confident that it will be remembered for many years to come.

2. CLOUD ATLAS:
Bare with me here. Half of you will be aghast. The other probably won't have even seen it, but Cloud Atlas wasn't just a three-hour movie, it was a three-hour experience. The vast expanse of the settings and likewise the cast makes it one of the most epic and ambitious films I think I've ever seen. Thankfully, I had read the book beforehand so cannot speak for those who weren't already familiar with David Mitchell (no, not that one)'s existing work. I can't wait to buy it on DVD and watch it again, to see how many nooks and crannies that missed the first time round. Trust me and watch this film.

1: IRON MAN 3:
Any Hollywood blockbuster that manages to incorporate such comedy and satire deserves to be at the top for me. Robert Downey Jnr's performance was complete genius, yet it could be argued that he was overshadowed (yes, RDJ being overshadowed) by Sir Ben Kingsley. A wonderful treat of a movie, the future looks bright for Marvel, especially with such talent involved.

So, that's my list. What's yours?