(Please note, this list is compiled under the criteria of films released in the UK in 2013 as there are films on this list released in other territories before then.)
I feel an obligation to put Cloud Atlas in this list. Whilst there are many glaring flaws, there are also very positive elements that deserve recognition. Cloud Atlas spans the course of human history from the 18th century to a post-apocalyptic future, with the plots and cast members (most of whom turn up in various roles) intertwine with each other through time, genre and setting.
I've never been a big fan of the Wachowskis. Their breakthrough film, The Matrix (1999), had very advanced special effects but never seemed to boast much beyond the visuals and somewhat ambitious concept whilst their flop adaptation Speed Racer (2009) just fell flat. Here, with assistance of Tom Tykwer of Run Lola, Run (1997) fame, their ambitions are allowed to soar with some gorgeous imagery and an interesting melding of styles. There are plenty of things wrong with the film such as the often unconvincing make-up and strained accents (especially from Tom Hanks) but even if you don't like it you'll still find it fascinating on some level. Worth recommending for the more demanding viewer.
9. Saving Mr. Banks
Y'know something, Mary Poppins (1964) was a great film; it's full of magic, wonder, humour and charm so taking the story from a different perspective (looking at the real-life basis of the original P.L Travers story) and casting Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, two of the finest actors of their generation, was almost certainly going to work wonders.
I mention Hanks and Thomson but the rest of the supporting cast, especially Colin Farrell and Paul Giamatti, deserve applause in this film that documents the difficulties in taking Mary Poppins from the pages of the book, to the big screen courtesy of Walt Disney (Hanks), whilst Thompson plays Travers as a woman exasperated by the attempts to make Mary more twinkly and joyful than her original incarnation.
The film forgoes telling much of the technicalities of movie making and mulls over the origins of Mary Poppins and just what she meant to P.L Travers, which does give ample room for Emma Thompson to work her own magic, whilst the glimpses of the film's production (mostly Travers consulting with the film's songwriters, the Sherman brothers (B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman), make for some of the film's best scenes.
Some have attacked this film for its sentimentality and the belief that it differs from the views of the real P.L Travers (who always viewed the Disney adaptation of Mary Poppins with disdain) but virtually all films based on true stories differ from the reality somewhat and film deftly plays with your heartstrings towards the end. A great film that serves as a tribute to another great film.
8. Blancanieves
I'll admit that I have a soft spot for films that go to places that some might consider weird and that might explain why this little known Spanish film takes the number eight spot.
Blancanieves invites comparisons with The Artist (2011) both with it being a modern use of black-and-white silent cinema as well as its tale of fame and fortune but Blancanieves goes in an altogether more fantastical direction, following a female bullfighter (Maribel Verdú) and her travelling bull fighting circus that also features seven dwarves.
You can see where this is going, can't you?
The film is unmistakably odd, but in its eccentricity and clear love of fairy tales it's also very charming and memorable with some of the most outstanding cinematography and some really intriguing twists and turns that make this much more than just a paint-by-numbers adaptation, though it's certainly influenced by Disney's Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) as well as Freaks (1932).
Easily one of the most original films to be released in the UK in the last twelve months, even with the obvious comparisons to The Artist.
7. Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
There was once a time, the 1970s, when British TV sit-coms would often get the big screen treatment and the results are now looked upon as an embarrassment for the likes of Are You Being Served? and On The Buses. Now it's the time of Norwich's broadcasting legend (in his own mind) Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) to take to the big screen and the results are wall-to-wall, gut-wrenchingly funny.
Alan is a DJ at North Norfolk Digital, which is in the midst of a reshuffling when the it's purchased by a new media company. In an attempt to save his job, Alan throws veteran presenter Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney) in the firing line, only for Pat to suffer a breakdown and hold the station hostage with Alan forced to serve as a mediator.
Alan Partridge is one of the most well-developed and three-dimensional comedy characters and Steve Coogan performs as his long-standing alter ego with a seemingly effortless skill as he whisks from sequence to sequence, each with their own brand of hilarity, bolstered by supporting performances especially from Partridge regulars Felicity Montagu (as Lynne, Alan's long-suffering PA) and Simon Greenall (Michael, Alan's Geordie "friend" who is even more out of touch reality than Alan).
In comparison to the deliberately mundane circumstances of Alan's misadventures on television, Alpha Papa is a different step with its action plot and wider ramifications outside of Alan's little world, but it is still handled skilfully, whilst Alan's opening credits lip-synching to "Cuddly Toy" by Roachford has already become something of a classic moment of modern British comedy.
6. Django Unchained
Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Quentin Tarantino has become one of the most recognisable and emulated directors in modern cinema, after tearing into pop culture with his first two movies Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994); two films he has continually tried to better and failed at doing, but his attempts are at least entertaining and Django Unchained, whilst not his masterpiece is a strong effort from Tarantino.
Taking its cue from the Django series of spaghetti westerns, this time The tale is given a vaguely blaxploitation twist with Django now being a freed slave, played by Jamie Foxx. Teaming up with his liberator, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), the duo become bounty hunters before setting off to free Django's beloved Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from slave owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).
In making Django Unchained, it's clear that Tarantino is living out his wildest cinematic fantasies and the enthusiasm is contagious as the film rollicks, and occasionally blasts, its way along. For all the film's length, gun fights are plentiful and suitably dynamic whilst a vein of dark humour (a mainstay with Tarantino) trickles through. As a team, Foxx and Waltz have their own intriguing chemistry but it is the villainous duo of DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson that really pull out all the stops. DiCaprio is hamtastic as the both buffoonish yet intimidating Candie whilst Jackson brings to life the character of Stephen; a dark twist on the Uncle Tom stereotype that is one of the greatest characters in the whole Tarantino canon.
There has been controversy over the way the film supposedly trivialises slavery, most notably demonstrated by the criticism and boycott of the film by director Spike Lee. However, the film does, albeit briefly, look at the brutality at the life of slavery and more makes mockery of the racists and slave owners of the era and would probably be less contentious than, for example, Blazing Saddles (1972) (a film which, whilst well-intentioned and well made, would almost certainly not get a major studio release in recent times) and whilst it will not be to everyone's taste, especially if you don't like blood, Django Unchained will satisfy anyone who enjoys Tarantino movies, spaghetti westerns or genre-blending experiments.
5. Wreck-It Ralph
Initially released in the US before making its way to the UK, Wreck-It Ralph was preceded by a great deal of commotion and promotion and the film lived up to the hype, even if its biggest strengths are the ones that the marketing didn't capitalise on.
Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the bad guy in the arcade game, Fix-It Felix. Tired of being an outcast because of his job, Ralph decides to find a medal; a prize he believes will make him a hero. Whilst the film is, to a certain extent, a love letter to classic video games and arcades, Wreck-It Ralph reaches a higher level as a film. It looks gorgeous, with the screen bursting with colour and liveliness throughout with an astounding amount of detail.
John C. Reilly makes for a likeable lead with some enjoyable side performances, especially from Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix and Jane Lynch as no-nonsense action-chick, Calhoun. However, it's Sarah Silverman who truly stands out as Vanellope Von Schweetz, Ralph's tiny and spunky sidekick with Silverman giving a performance of sparky energy, humour and emotional resonance; a difficult part to play given that the character is a "glitch" (which metaphorically seems comparable to having a behavioural disability such as autism in human terms).
Whilst Wreck-It Ralph is a feast for the eyes, what it does for the heart is so much more valuable.
4. Bernie
To put Bernie in my Top Ten for 2013 is a bit of a cheat since this got its initial US release back in 2011, but since it fits my criteria (in that has its first theatrical run in the UK in 2013) it takes pride of place at number four.
As a film, Bernie doesn't go out if its way to seem that remarkable. There's no major fanfare or big production values and the humour is more of a lighter touch than an all-out gut-buster; however, that's something of a great achievement. The film takes it story from a genuine murder case and the fact that it's played for laughs and actually is successful in doing so is quite the accomplishment. Jack Black plays Bernie Tiede a mortician in a small Texan town who is popular just because he's so nice, even towards the local crotchety widow played by Shirley MacClaine. It's when he reaches an unexpected breaking point with her when the plot finally unfolds in both an intriguing and amusing manner.
Richard Linklater's skill with comic performances plays nicely here with his reunion with Jack Black (from 2003's School Of Rock) and Matthew McConaughey (from Linklater's breakthrough film from 1993, Dazed And Confused). Whilst Bernie may have flown a little under the mainstream radar, its a kooky and quirky dark comedy that will almost certainly impress.
3. The Act Of Killing
The Act Of Killing is a documentary that provides a fascinating insight into a world that is given little coverage in the media and provides a very strange twist that provides for some very distinctive and often unforgettable images.
For several decades, the government of Indonesia has given the culture a strongly pro-militant and anti-communist agenda, backed by a history of brutal executions of dissidents. The Act Of Killing observes the lives of some of the men who once executed these dissidents and asks them to recreate their executions theatrically, in any way that they desire. This makes for an eccentric experience that worms its way into the lives and mindsets of its subjects.
The film shifts through a variety of moods from horror (a recreation of an attack on a village brings uncomfortable comparisons with the notoriously unsettling horror classic Cannibal Holocaust (1980)) to sinister moments of surreality (an audience for a TV talk show being completely comprised of men in military camouflage) and even bizarre theatricality as we hear of men doing unspeakable things and looking at their actions in a new light. The Act Of Killing is at times confrontational viewing, but it's also immensely rewarding.
2. Les Miserables
Released in the US at the tail end of 2012 before its arrival in the UK at the start of the year, Les Miserables is a film adaptation of the Boublil-Schoenberg musical, itself based on the epic novel by Victor Hugo.
Following the life of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) and his desire to lead a good and simple life away from his criminal past and the pursuit of the dogmatic policeman Javert (Russell Crowe), the film's epic ambitions are met with a truly staggering scale of production. Everything about this film feels grandiose and glorious but the human performances still shine through, aided by the singing being captured on the set (as opposed to dubbing in post-production) and a set of powerful performances, especially from Jackman and Anne Hathaway in a supporting role, who rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream" is a masterful display of acting.
Whilst I'll admit that I thought director Tom Hooper's previous mega-hit, The King's Speech (2010), was a decent drama that didn't quite deserve as much praise as it received, Les Miserables is a staggering spectacle of a musical; a kind that is all too seldom seen and should be cherished.
1. Gravity
The film that James Cameron called the greatest space movie ever made, Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity was a huge hit in theatres on both sides of the Atlantic and wowed audiences with its stunning visuals and sound. Still, Gravity is equally appreciable for its smaller aspects as it is its larger ones.
The film runs for little more than 90 minutes and has all but a mere handful speaking roles, with most of the film concerning rookie astronaut Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) fighting for survival after the structure she's been working on in orbit above the Earth is destroyed. He film is packed to the brim with atmosphere, excitement, heart and technical wizardry and combines the very best of cinema at its biggest and smallest. Whilst Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) was once famously compared to a theme park ride, this is perhaps even more of a fitting description of Gravity. If possible, find the biggest screen you can, sit back and just get engrossed by this dramatic technical marvel.
