Andrew's Top Five Films of 2013 (So Far)!

Andrew: Hello readers! My apologies that Sarah and I have posted our lists of our favorite movies of the year this late in the game (seeing as it's almost August), but better late than never right? Yesterday Sarah posted her list (which you can check out HERE) and as you can see, she didn't think too highly of this year's crop. I've been a little higher on most films this year so far, but you'll see that overall our lists are quite different!

Again, a reminder that there are a few criteria for our lists: the films included have to be films we’ve actually seen and reviewed, and they had to be films that were released in theatres for public consumption in the United States during the 2013 calendar year. If you don't see a movie on this list, you can check it against our Reviews page and it's possible we just didn't see it, so it didn't qualify for our list.

So without further ado here, in descending order, are my Top Five Films of 2013 (So Far)!


5.) Now You See Me

Kicking things off with a bit of a surprise, I know! But hear me out: when Sarah and I go to the movie theatre, it's to be entertained, plain and simple. Obviously most movie-goers are the same, but with us it's even more so because of this blog. We don't get paid to do this, we don't make any money off of it, we do it for fun. So when we see a film in theatres, we generally want to make sure we'll enjoy it somewhat (hence why we haven't reviewed films like Alex Cross or anything else Tyler Perry's fingerprints are on). 

But back to my point: I had a blast with Now You See Me. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery behind who The Four Horsemen were and what they're motivation was. I enjoyed pretty much the entire cast, particularly Mark Ruffalo and Jesse Eisenberg. And more than anything I liked that it was a heist movie on par with the Ocean's films, one that kept me guessing right up until the very end, and ultimately left me with a smile on my face as we left the theatre. That's really all I can ask out of a movie, and Now You See Me delivered. (This is also a bit of an indictment on the quality of the movies that came out in the first half of 2013.) (Read our review of Now You See Me HERE!)

Think Ocean's Eleven with Magicians, In a Good Way: Our Review of "Now You See Me" (2013)

Directed By: Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans) 

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Melanie Laurent

Rating: PG-13 for language, some action and sexual content

Run Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

Synopsis: FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Ruffalo) teams up with an Interpol agent (Laurent) and a former magician (Freeman) to track down a team of illusionists called "The Four Horsemen," who somehow pull of bank heists during their elaborate performances and give the money to their audience.

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! Last week Sarah and I were able to catch an advance screening of NowYou See Me, the new film directed by Louis Leterrier, who is probably best known for directing The Transporter and The Incredible Hulk. Now You See Me stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco as a quartet of illusionists…

Sarah: Called “The Four Horsemen”…

A: Who make a name for themselves with elaborate stage shows, during which they pull off bank heists and give the money they've stolen to their crowd, which naturally draws the attention of the feds. Mark Ruffalo plays the FBI put in charge of figuring out how they do it, and Melanie Laurent, - best known for playing Shoshanna in Inglourious Basterds - plays an Interpol agent who is assigned to work with Ruffalo.

S: Michael Caine plays the casino owner who pays for the grand shows the Four Horsemen put on, and Morgan Freeman plays an older magician who now gets rich by debunking magic tricks with online videos, essentially breaking the magician’s code.