The Most Underrated Movies of 2013

Critics shunned them, moviegoers ignored them, and award shows laughed at them. Still, despite all the negative press, some of the “worst” films of 2013 may actually be worth your time. Here’s a short list of “bad” movies that you should judge for yourself. 

Movie Review: All is Lost (2013)

I’m known for liking experimental films that sacrifice entertainment value in order to explore something interesting. I knew what I was getting into when I sat down to watch All is Lost, a film featuring Robert Redford trapped on a sinking boat. I expected to see largely only Redford on screen for the entire film, and I even expected some stretches to be uneventful. But what I didn’t expect was that I would be bored to death for the entire duration, only to have the film conclude itself in the worst way imaginable.

Movie Review: American Hustle (2013)

There’s something glorious about the chaos of American Hustle, a comedy-crime drama that’s both hard to watch and unbelievably compelling at the same time. Director David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter) has crafted one of the most fiercely entertaining films of the year; it’s both intense and downright hilarious from beginning to end, taking pride in its ability to create memorable moments, scene after scene. 

The energy level that Russell is able to maintain on screen is astonishing. American Hustle takes you on a ride and doesn’t let go, keeping you drawn in through all its insane twists and turns. I was never sure how I should react to what I was seeing, but I think that’s the point. The movie teases the audience, compelling you to laugh or empathize with its characters, only to tear away your fleeting reaction in the next frame. It’s as if Russell is scolding us for attempting to feel anything deeper than what’s presented. Every serious moment is followed with something comical; every moment of humor is wrapped in a layer of depression, and that’s just how it’s supposed to be. This is a film that lives in the moment. 

Movie Review: Shadow People (2013)

 

I’ve experienced night terrors, episodes of sleep paralysis, and other sleep disturbances for most of my life. As I’ve gotten older, I don’t worry about them too much; however, the science behind dreams still fascinates me. It’s the types of nightmares I would sometimes experience -- images of shadowy figures that enter my room at night -- that are the subject of Shadow People, a low-budget horror film that delivers more confusion than scares. A great effort was made by the marketing team to make you think this movie is real, but without an effective payoff, the docu-fiction approach of the film fails to hit the mark – in fact, it comes nowhere close.

Movie Review: The Lone Ranger (2013)

Director Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean breathed unexpected new life into swashbucklers with its modern action and compelling adventure narrative. With Lone Ranger, Verbinski tries to set a new standard for westerns in much the same way -- and if not for a weak script, he may have succeeded. 

To date, critics worldwide have panned The Lone Ranger for its generic plot and overdose of an unnecessarily wacky Tonto (Johnny Depp). I completely understand a lot of the criticism, yet I still find myself very attracted to the film all the same. In terms of photography, score, visual effects, and art direction, Lone Ranger is one of the best films of 2013. It invigorates the stale western genre by infusing modern style, all the while not sacrificing the props, costumes, and real set pieces that make the old westerns great.

Movie Review: Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Felonious Gru (Steve Carell) has given up on his career as a super villain, and now enjoys a quiet life as father who makes less-than-delicious fruit jellies in his basement.  But when a new bad guy threatens the world with a powerful mutagen, Gru joins the Anti-Villain League, lead by the all-too-British Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan), in hopes of thwarting any nefarious plans. And since he wasn’t so keen on living a life as a jam chef, a return to the crime business is exactly what Gru has been longing for – even if he’s now on the other side.

Despicable Me 2 isn’t as fresh and fun as the first, but it is a crowd-pleasing animated spectacle sure to make kids smile -- and maybe a few parents. The same wit and clever writing that made the first film stand out is still here, but it’s hampered now by an excess of minions. Lots of minions. Too many minions. The cute little guys overtake the film, forcing the smarter moments to sit in the backseat, which is a real shame. Because I’ve got to tell you, they’re kind of a one joke act — all they do is screw things up and hurt themselves over and over again.

Movie Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

 

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) sported a mohawk as a young boy, skateboarded with his friends, and had an idealistic, punk rock image of how he would live his life. But along the way, reality trapped him. The monotony of daily life took over his identity, and Walter found himself working as a Negative Asset Manager -- or a photo archivist -- for Life magazine, living an adventurous life vicariously through the images of photographer Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn).

Walter “zones out” constantly and day dreams that he’s another man, one less suppressed by the world and more in control of his own destiny. Sometimes his dreams mold perfectly into reality, culminating in a beautiful, surreal amalgam of wish fulfillment. Other times they are less enchanting, becoming manic special-effects-ridden spectacles that don’t fit well with the tone of the film – in fact, they sometimes detract from it.  While the fantasies work to add to the depth of the themes and characters, toning them down wouldn’t hurt at all.

Much like its protagonist, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty suffers from an identity crisis, unsure if it wants to be a wacky family comedy or a quieter, sweeter film about a man who is inspired to live a fulfilling life. It’s the latter that works far more, and it’s the former I could do without completely. I found myself wishing Walter’s fantasies were more grounded, giving me more insight into what goes on in his head.

The strange thing is that, while I know this movie is flawed (and makes a much better trailer than it does a two hour film), it still moved me on a level that few other works have accomplished. If you can get past its zany shortcomings, this really is one of the better movies of the year — when the tone and images on screen fall into sync, the result is truly spectacular.

Movie Review: Gravity (2013)

A visceral film that feels like a lucid dream.

I once had a film professor who told me that movies should overwhelm you, fully absorb you into them, and truly become larger than reality. For this reason, he opposed watching a movie on small media devices, feeling as though the experience is damaged in the process. I always agreed with him. But I never agreed with him so firmly until I saw Gravity, the epic by visionary director Alfonso Cuarón, who very well may have just crafted his masterpiece. Watching Gravity on anything other than a high quality, large screen would be a sin from which there is no penance, dooming you to lose the full effect of one of the most moving works to ever grace cinema.

Rarely is every aspect of a film -- from the acting, direction, photography, and beyond -- in such perfect sync, uniting harmoniously to craft something that will undoubtedly become timeless. Gravity is one of the most awesome things I have ever witnessed. It’s a visceral film that feels more like a lucid dream, and it’ll stand as a compelling example of purely visual storytelling.

The story is, at least on the surface, a simple one, taking place in near real-time, while avoiding the gimmicky feel that usually accompanies the idea. On a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are caught in a cascade of debris caused by a missile strike, which is systematically wiping out everything in low-Earth orbit. As time goes on, these characters attempt to survive one terrible event after the other, culminating in one of the most intense films I have ever seen.

Movie Review: Don Jon (2013)

Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) basically has his pick of an array of hotties on the New Jersey bar scene, never scoring below an eight, even if he’s had a few too many drinks. Jon has a natural way with women; shoot them once glance and it’s a near guarantee he’ll be taking them back to his place before the night’s out. But this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise; after all, his friends do call him “Don Jon”.

So, if Jon is such a master of finding women to slam, why does he spend most nights alone at his computer, masturbating compulsively, even after he’s just had sex with a dime? Jon explains to us – in the graphic detail you’d expect from a Jersey-Italian stereotype — that he simply doesn’t get off to women like he does porn. Women in porn will do anything to please a guy and, let’s face it, real women rarely have perfect porno bodies. To Jon, the real thing is boring by comparison. When it comes to the ladies, Jon seems to be more into the game of womanizing than he is the actual sex – or hell, the women themselves.

Movie Review: Enough Said (2013)

"Enough Said” displays the late James Gandolfini in an unusually sweet, quiet role about a simple middle-aged man who is looking for companionship and comfort. It’s a side of Gandolfini we didn’t get to see enough of and, after you see “Enough Said”, you’ll understand just how sad that really is.

Gandolfini plays Albert, an overweight divorced father who works as a TV historian and seems to really enjoy the simple life. He meets Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) at a party, and the two bond over being divorced parents whose only children are about to go off to college.

Coincidently, Eva also unknowingly meets Albert’s ex-wife, Marianne (Catherine Keener), at the same party. A poet whose hobbies include trashing on her ex-husband endlessly, Marianne slowly poisons Eva’s perception of Albert, whose quirks quickly go from endearing to unbearable. At first Eva doesn’t make the connection, but once she puts the pieces together, she continues her relationship with both of them, for reasons even she can’t articulate.

Movie Review: Riddick (2013)

Five years have passed for Riddick (Vin Diesel), who has grown uneasy in his role as Lord Marshall of the Necromonger empire. He fears assassination everywhere, going so far as to deny the hottest of ladies sexual satisfaction, knowing that they could kill him while he’s most vulnerable.  He needs a way out. But typically there’s only one way people can leave the throne – death.

After striking a deal with Commander Vaako (Karl Urban), Riddick has agreed to hand over his position as Lord Marshall in exchange for a ticket back to his home planet of Furya. Riddick is finally going home -- or so he believes.  Betrayed by Vaako, Riddick finds himself left for dead on a barren planet, full of dangerous creatures that lie dormant, waiting for the next wet season to set them free. A storm is coming. If Riddick wants to survive, he has to get off this planet. Luckily, he has a plan.

In a way, Riddick is a homage to first film in the series, Pitch Black, which pitted badass vs. monster in a film designed purely to provide bloody entertainment. Riddick embraces this simplistic approach, giving the audience all the dark humor, brutal kills, and testosterone they could possibly handle, without the excessiveness of the last sequel. To put it another way, Riddick is both unreasonably ridiculous and absolutely awesome. If you’re looking for an escape from reality, this movie is definitely for you.

Movie Review: Zombie Warz: Falls the Shadow (2011)

Zombie Warz: Falls the Shadow is an extremely low-budget independent film, one that has much less to do with zombies than it does its cast of characters. I have to imagine that the “Zombie Warz” title was added just to sell DVDs to the crowd that loves awesomely bad B-movies. However, people expecting some cheap-looking zombie guts are going to be disappointed. While Falls the Shadow is definitely a film made on a micro budget, it’s a beautifully photographed, well-directed little gem, that accomplishes more than most student films of its ilk could ever dream of.

The film opens with the execution of a young black woman by a gang of southern neo-nazis, led by the appropriately named Reverend Phelps (Phil Perry), who seems hell-bent on rebuilding a post-apocalyptic America in the image of some violent right-wing God. His organization exemplifies the negative side of how humanity may act in a world where all organized governments are gone; his band of raiders use fear and violence to get what they want, including sex.

s their counterpart we meet a cast of compassionate characters, all of whom begin with their own separate stories. Eventually their lives intertwine, thanks to an invariable link to the band of neo-confederates, who are expanding their reach by raping, murdering, and robbing anyone they come into contact with.

Movie Review: Elysium (2013)

Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) spends his days working in a factory, building the militarized droids that abuse him and never let him forget about his past life, employed as a car thief. In the sky you can see Elysium, a floating world that houses the rich and powerful, while the impoverished workers like Max are left to toil on a polluted Earth, fighting for basic necessities.

Max promised his childhood friend Frey (Alicia Braga) that, one day, he would take her to Elysium. Today he will make good on that promise. Frey’s daughter is dying of cancer, and only the medical technology on Elysium can save her. Max, too, is dying from radiation poisoning, relying on a power suit to function
normally.

As you may have expected from Neill Blomkamp, the talented director behind District 9, Elysium delivers in terms of visuals and style. However, where District 9 was strikingly original, Elysium falls heavily into convention, delivering a steady stream of movie cliches, and unfolding almost exactly as you would expect. That being said, it’s still an entertaining summer blockbuster that delivers the thrills, despite a painfully uneven script.

Movie Review: The Wolverine (2013)

When we first find Logan (Hugh Jackman) he is alone in the Canadian wilderness, living in a cave with only the bare bone necessities needed for survival. He’s still haunted by his past; a vision of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), the woman he was forced to kill in X-Men: The Last Stand, visits him in his dreams, asking the former Wolverine to join her in death. But Logan can’t join her in death. He may never be able to die, thanks to a healing factor that feels more like a curse than a blessing at this stage in his life.

The Wolverine is a personal journey for Logan, who struggles to reconcile the pain he’s caused with the fact that he’ll never answer for it. In this unexpectedly deep character study, Logan will face his past head on, dealing with not only the memories of his tortured life, but the demons he created from the people he chose to save.

Logan finds a bear in the woods that is slowly dying from a poison. Little does he know that the fate of this one animal will soon parallel his own life.  After heading to Japan to meet a man he saved during the bombing of Nagasaki (Hiroyuki Sanada), Logan is given a proposition: transfer his healing factor to the man, allowing Logan to live the normal life he’s always longed for.

Movie Review: The Conjuring (2013)

 

I’m an atheist, a skeptic, and a rational human being. I don’t believe in gods, psychics, demons, ghosts, or other spooky things. That being said, I’m a huge fan of The Exorcist, and I am perfectly capable of employing the suspension of disbelief necessary to thoroughly enjoy a film about demon possession.  I went into The Conjuring with an open mind, expecting to enjoy some classic horror thrills. But what I saw instead was a movie that seemed obsessed with falling into the realm of the completely absurd, destined to just be another forgotten mainstream horror film.

The Exorcist was tempered in its execution, relying on traditional scares, clever lighting, and superb sound design to sell you on its premise, and that’s why it was so effective. The Conjuring starts out following this time-tested formula, but soon devolves into nonsensical crap, stabbing your suspension of disbelief to death with one of the silliest exorcisms ever to haunt a horror movie, floating shotguns and biting demons included.

Movie Review: Pacific Rim (2013)

 

The world we know is being attacked by giant sea monsters called Kaiju, which enter Earth through a portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. After seeing cities destroyed by these massive dinosaur-ish fish creatures, governments have united to come up with a solution: giant robots. These walking tanks, called Jaegers, are piloted by two people who are bound through a Vulcan-mind-meld-ish process called “Drifiting”. After all, commanding something that big has to be too powerful for any one mind to master, right?

Yes, all of this is really farfetched and kind of asinine. But just go with it. Pacific Rim is one of those movies that requires your suspension of disbelief to be pushed to its limits; however, if you can manage to turn off your critical eye long enough to finish the movie, you’re probably going to find the idea of massive monsters fighting mega robots to be more fun than expected. In the same way that Godzilla trilled me as a child, it’s fun for the adult me to watch the Kaiju destroy a city.

These Kaiju come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and power levels, and they just seem to be getting stronger.  Their attacks are becoming more vicious and more prevalent with each passing day, and humanity is on the verge of being completely overwhelmed. The Jaegers are no longer the saviors of the world they used to be, barely able to keep up with the repairs in time for the next beast to emerge from the sea.

Movie Review: Monster's University (2013)

The short film that preceded Monsters University, The Blue Umbrella, is a beautiful work of visual poetry, using music and rhythm to progress the narrative, with absolutely no dialogue whatsoever. It’s a story about – as you may have guessed – a blue umbrella that develops an attraction to a red umbrella, which happens to be the only other color that stands out amongst the sea of traditional black (there’s some symbolism in there somewhere).

When the blue umbrella finds itself blown away during a rain storm, a world of inanimate objects comes alive, working together to save the helpless little guy from all sorts of peril, all to reunite him with his bright red crush. The animation is absolutely fantastic; perfect rain effects and dark lighting dominate the environment, creating detailed shadows and reflections everywhere. Pixar is a studio that once combined incredible technical polish with a unique approach to storytelling. Their true power is shown during this wonderful little short.

Then The Blue Umbrella ended and Monsters University began. From there on out things seemed fairly run-of-the-mill -- a very sad thing to have to say about any Pixar production. After all, this is the studio that gave the world masterpieces like Ratatouille (2007) and Toy Story (1995).

Movie Review: Stories We Tell (2013)

Stories We Tell is an extremely personal documentary, directed by the very talented Sarah Polley (Away From Her, Take this Waltz). Featuring interviews from her real-life family, friends, and acquaintances, the movie begins by telling the story of Polley’s mother, Diane, who died of Cancer in 1990. But the story doesn’t stop there; Polley goes on to examine the unique circumstances surrounding her birth, as well as the complex relationship of her eccentric parents.

In a way, watching makes you feel as though you’re invading the privacy of this family, especially since the film seems to focus on a lot of intimate, embarrassing moments in their lives. Yet, the approach feels inviting; every member of the family appears happy to share what they remember and be a part of the film, which helps keep the tone feeling consistently positive throughout.

If you’re someone who can’t open your mind to documentaries, the idea of seeing a film centered around a family you’ve never heard of may seem especially off-putting. However, you’ll be glad to know that Stories We Tell has a nontraditional approach, adding in actors to give life to the narration, which is written and recited by Michael Polley, Sarah Polley’s father.

Movie Review: Man of Steel (2013)

If you have severe ADD and don’t like to be bothered by silly things like blinking, then Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel is for you. But be warned: anyone with even a modest attention span is going to find their eyes glazing over during this action spectacle, which will stand as an example of special effects ruining what could have otherwise been a solid movie.

After an opening segment that shows more of the world of Krypton than was necessary, we finally find Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) as a grown man on Earth, jumping from job to job, obsessively helping those in need. This is actually a very interesting, human approach to the character, one that we haven’t seen in previous Superman films. Clark is a recluse who sees nothing but the darkest sides of humanity everywhere he goes, but still feels compelled to help because of some larger, yet unknown purpose.

 

Xbox 360 Review: Fast & Furious: Showdown

Fast and Furious: Showdown begins with you driving a car through a lifeless city, smashing into every other vehicle you see without any repercussions whatsoever. When the cops show up, you begin flipping them with your … car-flipper device, all the while continuing to race through city streets that feel increasingly confining. At some arbitrary point, the screen will display the phrase “Busted,” meaning you have failed your mission. Now confusion sets in. What the hell did you do wrong?

I was able to complete the mission on my second try (without making any changes), and then I was rewarded with some horrendous cinematics featuring talent-less D-list actors, all doing their best to mimic the character’s from the movie, with absolutely no success. It is then that things just continued to spiral downhill without ever letting up, and I began to realize that playing this game was a terrible mistake.