10. Bad Grandpa
While Johnny Knoxville ditched most of his Jackass friends, it arguably makes Bad Grandpa a better movie. While there are still fecal jokes, and just general disturbing moments for the unsuspecting public -- it has a great plot throughout of a "Grandpa" and his Grandson bonding. While it's not a perfect movie, it does weave together great gags and a nice simple story.
9. Man of Steel While I had problems with some parts of Man of Steel's plot, I generally found myself enjoying the visual aspects of the movie. This is a conflicted movie for me. On one hand, I liked what they did with Superman making him as interesting a character as they can. On the other hand, there are the many issues most of all have in general. Ultimately, I'd say that I enjoyed the ride and enjoyed Man of Steel as a visual spectacle and action movie.
8. This Is The End Nothing beats a good comedy and you really can't go wrong with This is the End. A comedy that breaks the fourth wall and stars a bevy of comedy actors as themselves in a post-apocalyptic scenario. There were many great cameos (Channing Tatum ftw) and generally while there were some cool sci-fi elements; it's the chemistry between the actors that makes things interesting and hilarious throughout.
7. Machete Kills Cheesy, over-the-top, and just generally stupid; Machete Kills makes no sense and that's alright. I found myself laughing at a lot of the gags and found Machete's quips to be clever (if obviously written by someone much brighter). It's more over the top gore and action; with very little plot to even remember. It did feature the goddess known as Amber Heard.
6. Evil Dead While remakes generally follow the rule-of-thumb of removing the soul of the original and offering only visual nods to the original; the Evil Dead remake went so much further. It delivered dark comedy, intense violence and gore, and a great twist. Evil Dead delivered in the areas it needed to and proved the series relevant in a new decade.
5. The Conjuring While Evil Dead went the intense gore and violence route; The Conjuring did something different. It went for practical effects and a simple story. While I doubt the story is true, I thought that the film kept a brisk pace and slowly elevated things to an enjoyable climax. While Director James Wan has directed some misfires in my eyes, he did really well with toning things down and keeping the film grounded.
4. The Wolverine The Wolverine delivered the Wolverine we needed, and deserved. This Wolverine has lost everything he longs for in this world and was bitter, cynical, and hateful of a world that teased him with so much only to take it away. While the film stumbled in some parts, the whole experience of the movie left me satisfied and wanting more.
3. Iron Man 3 I've talked at length about how I thought Iron Man 3 was crap at first. It took a couple times of re-watching it to realize just how great it really is. The action, the plot, and yes, even 'The Mandarin' are all pretty great. It showed that Marvel can keep things interesting post-Avengers and that these characters can be interesting on their own.
2. Blue Is The Warmest Color What pulls me out of any movie is emotional insincerity. A movie that fakes it's every move. I can spot movies that are sincere a mile away, and my last two picks are clear indicators that movies still can pull from a sincere emotional base. Blue Is The Warmest Color tells an earnest and sincere love story; and while people get caught in the hoopla and the conversations about all the sex scenes -- it's ultimately a sincere love story. The ending, while sad, was rooted in it's characters actions. Unlike a movie like Man of Steel, I completely understood why Adele and Emma broke up, because it had been laid out in the run time of the movie. It's something about movies we don't see often, and as I said: it's a treasured trait.
1. Out Of The Furnace While many of us go to the movies to escape reality, there's also something to be said for the artistic merit of seeing the real world on-screen. Director Scott Cooper's sophomore outing is a true and sincere look at the hardship of the world we live in, and the sincerity of those trying to survive in it. It's a depressing tale, but it's also true and unflinching; in many moments it should hold back, but it doesn't. Woody Harrelson in particular shows no restraint, and pushes the film to some of its darkest places. While some don't like this kind of movie, I respect the story it's trying to tell and that respect is why it's my top pick for 2013.