CliqueClackWhat was 2013 in Movies? It was great and not great.
Jeremy Fogelman’s biased views on movies in 2013. Is he right? He claims “yes, of course!”
Best Appearance of a Firefly Alumnus
Can’t stop the signal, eh? What with the 11th anniversary and all this year , plus the announcements of a new online Firefly game and new Firefly comics (yup, that’s right, a new excuse every year!) let’s consider the alums of the classic Joss Whedon show.
This is a nail biter!
First off, Worst Place goes to Knights of Badassdom for not releasing this year. But at least it’s theoretically planned for later in 2014. Can’t wait!
Runner Up: It’s a tie! Nathan Fillion in the enjoyable but not great Monsters University and Alan Tudyk as a racist ball player in the Jackie Robinson film 42. It’s a thankless role, but he totally pulls it off.
And the winner is … everyone in Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing, specifically Nathan Fillion and Sean Maher. Tough call, but I can’t ignore the vast plethora of Whedon alums here.
You know — movies with a little bit of thought in them. Or that try to do it, anyway.
This is a nail biter!
Worst Place: Trance. This one played with editing and out of order sequencing to attempt a trippy story about hypnosis and memory. It ended up … being forgettable at best and silly at worst.
Runner Up: Now You See Me. Good acting here and a twist that almost makes sense. I mean, it doesn’t, but perhaps the sequel will shed light on it?
And the winner is … Her. Amazing movie that may just expand your mind.
The Emma Stone Award for Most Emma Stone (formerly Most Improved Adorableness)
This is a nail biter!
Worst Place: Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street and This is the End, because he looks awful. This time he’s an utter delight to watch, despite his appearance.
Runner Up: It’s a tie! Amy Adams in Man Of Steel, Her, and American Hustle and Emma Watson in The Bling Ring. Emma Watson is adorable, but Amy Adams is really showing off her versatility as various elfin versions of herself. The next Muppets movie may just solidify this award for her, except of course for…
And the winner is … Emma Stone, for being the only really watchable part of Gangster Squad. Man, what an upset! I mean … she’s BLONDE:
I guess I’ll have to learn to live with it. After all, there’s still the new Spider-man to see this year!
Best Precocious Performance
Kids are hard to cast. They usually aren’t so good. But sometimes …
This is a nail biter!
Worst Place: Camden Gray in Grudge Match. No offense to anyone involved, but this kid was the worst, stilted and strident, especially played against the very good Jon Bernthal.
Runner Up: The Ender’s Game kids. I mean … they’re a bit old for this category, but still.
And the winner is … Joey King from White House Down. Now that’s a little kid performance I can believe in! I totally bought that she was terrified of getting killed by terrorists.
The Honorary Jude Law Award for Multiple Movies
Remember that year that Jude Law was in everything? Yeah, good times.
This is a nail biter!
Worst Place: Everyone in Movie 43. You should all be embarrassed by that trainwreck.
Runner Up: Benedict Cumberbatch. This deep voiced thespian overacted his way through Star Trek Into Darkness, put on a weird character accent in August: Osage County, played a truly conflicted slave owner in 12 Years a Slave, was disappointing in The Fifth Estate, and played two evil monsters in the latest Hobbit movie. Decent range, even if three of those were villains. Five in one year, that’s pretty good, but…
And the winner is … James Franco. This guy was in no less than EIGHT movies in 2013. Hugh Hefner in the porn biopic Lovelace, Oz in Oz the Great and Powerful, an exaggerated version of himself in This is the End, an amazing showcase of a sociopath in Spring Breakers. And then there are a few more too! That’s impressive work, Jude Law would be proud!
Waste of Olivia Wilde
This one’s more a pet peeve of mine. I happen to think Olivia Wilde is a talented actress, but she seems to be in some stinkers lately.
This is a nail biter!
Worst Place goes to Her, which although used her minimally, used her very effectively. Great movie. GREAT movie.
Runner Up: Rush, because she was only wasted a bit, and the movie was not at all terrible.
And the winner is … The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, where she played yet another random wish fulfillment cliche. Bleh.
And now the Best overall sorts of categories …
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