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| Man of Steel is the best film of 2013 |
Every film gives
moral instruction, even a cartoonish monster fest like Pacific Rim (courage,
political unity, risk taking, self-sacrifice, among others). Not every story
will have a happy ending, but it must be morally conclusive to be convincing. A Tale of Two Cities is nowhere near cheerful,
but it gives Sydney Carton a chance for redemption. What makes a film truly
great is that it contributes to the continuing evangelization of the gospel in
the model of Jesus who told parables to help people understand the Kingdom of God
A film does not
have to be explicitly Catholic to do this; Fiddler
on the Roof does a far better job explaining the spiritual state of man
than many films that simply contain priests or nuns. Jesus said that “whoever
is not against us is for us.” Catholicism is not just a religious institution;
it is the truth of reality. Thus, Catholics should not be surprised when
non-Catholics create art that evokes God’s glory. Truth can come from unlikely
places.
The following is
a list of the ten best films of 2013 using the previous criteria. It is by no
means a perfect list because 1) it is impossible to see every film released, 2)
this list only includes things that had a fairly wide American release, and 3)
most of the year’s great films are released in November and December as a
cluster, making many good movies difficult to catch. Like the Talmud, this list
encourages discussion, commentary, disagreement, and more listing making.
Enjoy!
1. Man of Steel – Krypton’s
Kal-El saves Earth from a truly disturbing villain who has an all too familiar
agenda in Zack Synder’s reboot of the Superman franchise, which is everything a
superhero movie should be – fun, dramatic, and deeply Christological. A Five Reel Film
2. Gravity –
Alfonso Cuarón’s soaring cinematic experience follows an astronaut stranded in
space as she tries to find her way home, inspiring awe in God’s creation and
trust in the Communion of saints. A Five
Reel Film
3. Frozen – With
catchy songs, beautiful cinematography, and a fantastic script, Disney’s latest
masterpiece demonstrates the transformative power of love to melt any frozen
heart. A Five Reel Film
4. Captain Phillips
– Paul Greengrass’s docudrama is a taut thriller about the real hijacking of
the MV Maersk Alabama
5. 12 Years a Slave
– Steve McQueen’s harrowing adaptation of Solomon Northup’s kidnapping and
decade in slavery highlights the inherit dignity of every human being and the
triumph of goodness over evil.
6. Prisoners – Two
fathers have their daughters abducted during Thanksgiving resulting in a dark
and disturbing meditation on reality of sin and importance of God’s providence.
7. Warm Bodies – Romeo and Juliet meets The Walking Dead in this funny, strange,
and oddly touching story of a teenage romance between a zombie and his food
living girlfriend.
8. Philomena – A
sad but sweet story of a women looking for the son she was forced to give up
for adoption 50 years earlier and the faith that supports her but the
journalist telling her story finds impossible to accept.
9. Monsters University
10. Despicable Me 2
– This sequel finds Gru, now retired from the bad guy business and embracing
the job of full time dad, recruited to find and stop a supervillian while
learning the value of the nuclear family including a mother for his three
daughters.
Honorable Mention: Blackfish,
The Butler ,
The Conjuring, Elysium, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, and Pacific Rim
This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on January 3rd, 2014.
http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/2822/my_choices_for_ten_best_films_of_2013.aspx#.UunM-D1dWSo
http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/2822/my_choices_for_ten_best_films_of_2013.aspx#.UunM-D1dWSo
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