The Book Thief (2013)

IMDb plot summary: While subjected to the horrors of World War II Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. In the basement of her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.
Directed by Brian Percival. Starring Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, and Emily Watson.

Meep. I expected this movie to be kind of cheesy, but this is just straight-up bad. The first half is mind-numbingly boring, with some of the most flat and uninteresting characters I've ever seen on screen, and the second half is ridiculously sentimental and melodramatic. The fact that it's being narrated by Death itself is a lame gimmick that adds absolutely nothing to the plot and, in fact, feels like it comes from a totally different movie, with no connection at all to what's actually happening on the screen. I haven't read the book so I don't know whether this is a pretty faithful adaptation of an equally ridiculous book or whether there was actually something there and the movie just screwed it up. Even good actors like Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson can't save this one.

0.5 stars.

Flickchart: #1815 out of 2085, below Admission and above Thr3e.

American Hustle (2013)

IMDb plot summary: A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive partner Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso, who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia.
Directed by David O. Russell. Starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence.

I have to say, I am a little surprised at all the Oscar attention this got, now that I've seen it. Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty good movie -- solid, funny, clever script, with good acting from the whole cast, extremely atmospheric visuals and a smartly-chosen soundtrack -- but there just doesn't seem to be a lot of Oscar-y substance here. It's a well-done con movie, but that's about it. Unlike David O. Russell's two previous Best Picture nominees, I don't feel like this is trying to say anything as much as it is just trying to be a lot of fun. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. I enjoyed the ride. I just don't see myself remembering much about this movie further down the line. It's flashy and stylish and fun, but not that memorable.

3 stars.

Flickchart: #917 out of 2084, below Revolutionary Road and above Quills.

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Now You See Me (2013)

IMDb plot summary: An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.
Directed by Louis Leterrier. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco.

Like any good heist movie, this is all about style and flair, and it is a LOT of fun. I'm surprised there haven't been more heist movies involving magicians, as those two plot elements fit together kind of perfectly here. I do wish there had been some stronger characterization -- the characters are definitely here to serve the twisting plot, and it seems a shame to waste such a great ensemble on such barely-explored personalities. It may not be a great movie, but it's certainly an enjoyable one, and well worth the ride.

3 stars.

Flickchart: #790 out of 2083, below Clueless and above All That Jazz.

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Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

IMDb plot summary: Author P.L. Travers reflects on her childhood after reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney, who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen.
Directed by John Lee Hancock. Starring Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, and Paul Giamatti.

I'm going to be setting aside the question of what was accurate and what wasn't -- I haven't done much looking into the story and don't feel like I can comment confidently on that. What I will say is that the story they chose to tell absolutely worked for me, on nearly every level by the end.

On the one hand, Mary Poppins is one of my all-time favorite Disney films. It is an incredible story with surprising depth that nearly always brings me to tears when I watch it. It is VERY different from the books, though (I love them as well, just differently). But as I watched, I found myself empathizing very strongly with P. L. Travers, as a writer (and not exactly a social butterfly). She has definite opinions and emotional ties to her work and is terrified at the thought of giving someone else control over it for fear that they will ruin something she holds so dearly. That struggle back and forth to find something that ties together whimsical Disney magic with the no-nonsense Mary Poppins of the books hit home for me, and I found myself fascinated and emotionally engrossed in the story as it unfolded.

(Some fairly vague spoilers ahead about plot points in the second half of the movie.)

For the first half of the movie, I was uncertain about all of Travers' back story, as it wasn't nearly as interesting to me as where she was now, as well as portraying her as too emotionally broken and too easily fixed by the magic of Disneydom... but all that changed in the scene when Disney went to visit Travers in her home in England. Suddenly everything clicked into place for me as it had for Walt at this point in the movie -- the "She came to save their father" line reminded me that, yes, at the heart of the Mary Poppins movie is Mr. Banks himself, not Mary Poppins or the children or Bert.

Though I know Travers' real reaction at the premiere bore very little resemblance to the one in the movie, I loved the way they ended it. Sure, it's Disneyfied and tidied up from reality, but as a story, it *works*.

(/Spoilers)

A quick note on the acting: Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks both do an incredible job. Thompson has an incredible ability to play introspective, seemingly apathetic introverts in a way that really connects with me (see also Remains of the Day and Sense and Sensibility) and Tom Hanks is just delightful as Walt Disney.

All right. To wrap up this tres lengthy review, I'll say this. I fully admit that my response to this movie is about 90% some combination of love for the actual Mary Poppins movie and love for Thompson as Travers, but be that as it may, it really, really worked for me, and it easily enters onto the list of my favorite movies from 2013.

4.5 stars.

Flickchart: #277 out of 2082, below The Sunshine Boys (1975) and above Another Woman.

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Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

IMDb plot summary: A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Tress MacNeille, Phil Hartman, and Matthew Lawrence (in English dubbed version).

(Some spoilers ahead about a third act plot point.)

This one lands somewhere in the middle tier of Miyazaki films. It doesn't have quite the charm of My Neighbor Totoro or the wild imagination of Spirited Away, but it's still a sweet, entertaining kids' movie. Kiki is an easy character to like, and the wise-cracking sidekick that is her cat doesn't get annoying or overused like that arcehtype so often is in American animation.

I suppose my main complaint with this movie is that the story structure is a little odd. There's a sudden turn of events about 2/3 of the way through when Kiki finds she's losing her witch powers. While it seems like that's going to be a major emotional theme in the ending, it ends up getting resolved abruptly without really telling us *why* her powers come back out of nowhere. Did she just wish hard enough? Was it because she had to save someone's life? The movie doesn't really tell us, it just resolves suddenly (VERY suddenly -- like, the climax happens and the movie is immediately over, thriller-style). This left me feeling emotionally unresolved, especially after the sort of leisurely feel of the first hour.

It's not a bad movie, though. It's not Miyazaki's best, but I did find it sweet and enjoyed it.

3 stars.

Flickchart: #866 out of 2081, below Serendipity and above Lord of War.

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Lord of War (2005)

IMDb plot summary: An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an Interpol agent.
Directed by Andrew Niccol. Starring Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Ethan Hawke, and Bridget Moynahan.

(Some nonspecific spoilers ahead about the ending.)

I didn't know much about this movie, except that it was written by Andrew Niccol. I'd been combining it in my mind with most other Nicolas Cage vehicles of the past 10-15 years and thought it was going to be a dumb thriller, but with Niccol at the helm I shouldn't have been surprised that it was much better than that. It's a crime drama that drew me into the story much more than I thought it would, although I suspect a large part of that is due to Jared Leto's compelling performance. The relationship between the two brothers and how it was influenced by Cage's character's job was fascinating to watch, even if it was a background subplot most of the time.

I was also impressed with the ending, which I felt was a consistent way to resolve (or not resolve) the story. Many crime dramas leave me feeling cheated out of a resolution, but here I felt like the way they wrapped it up made sense to me.

Overall, much better than I was anticipating, although certainly not spectacular.

2.5 stars.

Flickchart: #993 out of 2080, below White Nights and above Monsters University.

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Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

IMDb plot summary: Guinevere Pettigrew, a middle-aged London governess, finds herself unfairly dismissed from her job. An attempt to gain new employment catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse.
Directed by Bharat Nalluri. Starring Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, and Lee Pace.

Aw, this is delightful. It resolves maybe a little bit too perfectly in the end, but given the tone and feel of the movie overall, I'd consider it appropriate. Frances McDormand and Amy Adams are both so incredibly likable in their very different roles, and the story moves along at a nice brisk pace that manages to still have room for some decent character development. I don't know that it's going to be a movie I'll remember for years, as it does fall more into the realm of the "sweet and pleasant" than the "extraordinary," but it was definitely an enjoyable watch.

3.5 stars.

Flickchart: #529 out of 2079, below Top Secret! and above Zoolander.

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