My Top Ten Movies of 2013 Part 2

Pacific Rim

If you twisted my arm, I might whisper that *this* was my favourite movie of the year.  A shallow reading of the movie would reveal that it is about giant robots fighting giant monsters and destroying cities in the process- which are ALL of my least favourite things combined into one movie.  But this movie is so much more than that.  This movie belongs to MAKO MORI who is the bee’s knees.  She is a female character who wants to avenge her family’s death and who manages to do so.  She has a love story arc that is played out so sweetly AND THEY DON’T EVEN KISS AT THE END!  THEY REST THEIR FOREHEADS TOGETHER WHICH IS INFINITELY BETTER!  Her love interest thinks she is the coolest person on the planet (which she is) and you’re supposed to think the movie is about him, but even HE doesn't;t think the story is about him.  He’s all like “Yo!  You should be watching Mako Mori instead because she is rad!”.  Then there’s Idris Elba playing s stern authoritative figure in uniform.  And well, I could watch Elba read the phonebook so to get to watch him make a “We are cancelling the apocalypse” speech is even better.  And there are kooky science guys.  And terrible Australian accents that made the audience in my (Australian) cinema start laughing- both times I saw the movie.  AND WORLD BUILDING!!  Such good world building, you guys.  SUCH WORLD BUILDING!!!!!!!!!!!

About Time

I feel like nobody else saw this movie.  Except my dad who pestered me about twice a week for a month until I saw the movie.  I’m not a Rachel McAdams fan but because I adore Richard Curtis (the writer), I was willing to give it a try.  This movie tricks you into thinking that it’s going to be about romantic love but it is ALL about family love.  I dare you to watch this movie’s final scenes without a huge fat lump in your throat.  Just try.

Thor 2: The Dark World

THIS MOVIE!  Ok, so, I’m actually not that big a fan of the first movie.  I’ve only seen it once.  It didn’t grab me.  But I think this movie took all the things I liked from the first movie (parental angst! Darcy! Idris Elba!) and gave me more of that.  I still feel like Jane Foster is more a plot device than a love interest in the Thor world and I would be much happier if she went off and did rad sciencey things without Thor.  But I digress.  This movie belongs to Tom Hiddleston who again, I would watch read the phone book.  Loki is such an amazing character that it bums me out that this is a Thor franchise and not a Thor and Loki franchise.  The movie passed by in a blur of enjoyment.  And the end scene credits where *SPOILER* the big monster thing that has been left on earth is prancing after birds like a giant big cat, is 10/10.

Doctor Who: The Day of The Doctor

Oh hey.  Just casually sneaking this in.  Thought you might not notice that I’m putting a TV special into my ‘Top Movies’ list.  Well I did see this at the cinema and I have the ticket stub to prove it.  I hadn’t realised just how much I missed Tennant’s Doctor and watching him and Smith go head to head was everything I didn’t know that I wanted.  The cinema was full with fellow Whovians and I dressed up as the TARDIS and it was just fun. 

 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I saw this two days ago and I’m still reeling from it.  It was everything I wanted the first installation to be.  It trickled merrily from scene to scene, plot point to plot point.  Nothing felt like it could have been cut out, whereas I think in the first movies there’s quite a bit you could cut and still have a great movie.  The star of the show was undoubtedly Smaug.  I have a major dragon love and it’s so easy to do crappy dragons, even if you have lots of money so I was very eager to see Smaug.  And he was everything a dragon should be: beautiful and terrifying, charming and absolutely cold blooded.  And of course it helps immensely that he is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.  I can’t imagine anyone else doing justice to that dragon. 

And I just have a lot of feelings about the dwarves and that little hobbit and the events that will unfold.  And there were things in this movie that made my little heart twinge as I thought about what will happen later on down the road.  But yes.  Smaug forever.  I can’t wait to see the movie again!