2013 In Movies

As I've read through blogs this week, it has become clear that 2013 was not a banner year for many of us.  It was a tough year for a lot of people for a lot of different reasons.  My hope is that 2014 is better all around for all of us.

My motto is "When the going gets tough, go to the movies."  This year was slim on my kind of movies at the theater, though I saw a few good ones.  A valid substitute in my house is Netflix.  This year my list includes more inspired-by-real-life movies and documentaries than usual.  I am serious about picking only the best of the best, so this year I have only nine movies that I highly recommend over all others.

In January I rented The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel because I wanted to see it again [I will own this movie someday].  This movie speaks to me about growing older and not settling for the way life has always been just because that might be easier than making a change.  This movie gives me hope that there's still a lot of living left to do.  Judi Dench is wonderful.

In April I watched The Intouchables on DVD.  I found it hard to understand the premise of the movie when I saw it previewed in theaters, so I passed it by.  By the time it was on DVD I had read positive press that sparked my interest.  It required a commitment of my total attention because it has subtitles, which was not an issue when I finally sat down to watch it.  Totally worth every minute, this is a unique story based on the actual life of a man confined to a wheelchair who hires an unlikely companion.  Their story is inspiring.  I immediately recommended the movie to a friend who swaps Netflix recommendations with me, and she loved it, too.

In July I saw The Way Way Back at the theater.  I have already raved about this movie here.

For our anniversary in September Ken and I saw Still Mine with a friend at an independent theater in Damariscotta, Maine.  I had seen previews of this film, which stars James Cromwell and Genevieve Bujold, about an elderly couple who fight authorities so they can build a more manageable home in their town in rural New Brunswick.  The story is true; the grit and determination are to be admired.

From the first preview I knew I wanted to see James Gandolfini's last performance in Enough Said.  His co-star is Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and the story is about first impressions, misconceptions, miscommunication, and how hard it can be to make things right.  I liked this movie a lot.

Stories We Tell is a documentary written and directed by Sarah Polley, who interviewed family and family friends to gain a deeper understanding of the life of her mother, who died when Sarah was eleven years old.  The story that unfolds on film is pieced together from a variety of perspectives because no one has the complete picture.  This is a mystery that is solved right in front of us...

As is the story titled Searching for Sugar Man.  I thought I knew what this documentary was all about and started watching it while I was sewing.  Halfway through the story took a turn I didn't expect.  Now I was paying attention!  I enjoyed the music so much that I'd like to have the soundtrack, and I was so interested in the details that I watched the DVD again with Ken.

Over Thanksgiving weekend my daughter and I watched Much Ado About Nothing - the black and white production by Joss Whedon released here in 2013.  It's the modern telling of a classic Shakespearean romance.  We give this movie two thumbs up.

I will finish my recommendations for the year as I started, with a movie starring Judi Dench.  The difference is that Philomena is a true story about a woman and the journalist who helped her search for the son who was taken from her when he was three years old.  Yet it's so much more than that.  This is a movie about faith and forgiveness and not giving up.  It's about searching for the truth, whatever that may be.  Have tissues handy.  I was the last one out of the theater because I had something in my eye....