Aira's Movie Diary of 2013: a Cinematic Journey
Movies I watched for the first time in 2013 (with my somewhat-serious notes)
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- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.
► JANUARY - DirectorAlexander PayneStarsGeorge ClooneyShailene WoodleyAmara MillerA land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsPaul NewmanJoanne WoodwardAnthony FranciosaAccused barn burner and conman Ben Quick arrives in a small Mississippi town and quickly ingratiates himself with its richest family, the Varners.
- DirectorRichard CurtisStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanBill NighyNick FrostA band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that wanted classical music, and nothing else, on the airwaves.
- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsColin FarrellWoody HarrelsonSam RockwellA struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.
- DirectorAnn HuiStarsAndy LauDeannie IpHailu QinAfter suffering a stroke, an altruistic maid announces that she wants to quit her job and move into an old people's home.
- DirectorTom TykwerLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsTom HanksHalle BerryHugh GrantAn exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.
- DirectorPaul WeitzStarsPaul DanoRobert De NiroJulianne MooreWorking in a Boston homeless shelter, Nick Flynn re-encounters his father, a con man and self-proclaimed poet. Sensing trouble in his own life, Nick wrestles with the notion of reaching out yet again to his dad.
- DirectorJamie BradshawAleksandr DuleraynStarsEd StoppardLeelee SobieskiJeffrey TamborIn future Moscow, where corporate brands have created a disillusioned population, one man's effort to unlock the truth behind the conspiracy will lead to an epic battle with hidden forces that control the world.The storyline must certainly have been amazing, it starts from the conjecture that it’s all Lenin’s fault, because Lenin was the one who invented marketing. The results are that all brands together form a new kind of totalitarianism that govern our whole life. One man, kissed by fate – or better, literally thunderstruck by fate, because as a child he was struck by a lightning – finds out how marketing can change the world and how his extraordinary marketing talent only brings misery to other people. After a long exile as far as he can’t find any advertise, the woman he loves bring him back to an unrecognizable Moscow, a branded new world governed by fast foods, where fat is cool and to consume is the only way to happiness. But as I said, he’s special: a voice he hears in a dream describes the ritual that will make him pure, after that he become able to see frightening creatures trying to drag people to shops and fast foods. He understands that his talent may be useful to fight against these forces.
That’s the plot, a little bit too fanciful but since it’s a sci-fi, a dystopia, the bare story was still interesting and the project promising. Maybe when it comes the time to talk about marketing I’m rather biased, I remember when I had to study it I was disgusted by guerilla marketing and all those theories of manipulating people feelings to make them buy. Anyway, I was very intrigued by this movie but the good plot they had become a quite mediocre film in the hands and the eyes of the directors, with some unnecessary exaggerations, nauseating creatures biting each other to death, and an annoying voice-over telling the story like it was a kind of fable. A half-wasted chance. - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJamie FoxxChristoph WaltzLeonardo DiCaprioWith the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsCharlton HestonOrson WellesJanet LeighA stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping and police corruption in a Mexican border town.
► FEBRUARY - DirectorRoger MichellStarsBill MurrayLaura LinneyOlivia WilliamsThe story of the love affair between FDR and his distant cousin Margaret "Daisy" Suckley, centered around the weekend in 1939 when the King and Queen of the United Kingdom visited upstate New York.
- DirectorMatt PiedmontStarsWill FerrellGael García BernalDiego LunaScheming to save their father's ranch, the Alvarez brothers find themselves in a war with Mexico's most feared drug lord.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsRobert PattinsonJuliette BinocheSarah GadonRiding across Manhattan in a stretch limo in order to get a haircut, a 28-year-old billionaire asset manager's day devolves into an odyssey with a cast of characters that start to tear his world apart.
- DirectorShona AuerbachStarsEmily MortimerJack McElhoneGerard ButlerAfter having responded to her son's numerous letters in the guise of his father, a woman hires a stranger to pose as his dad when meeting him.
► MARCH - DirectorNuri Bilge CeylanStarsMuhammet UzunerYilmaz ErdoganTaner BirselA group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes.
- DirectorAnnalisa PirasStarsBill EmmottBenedict CumberbatchGiuliano AmatoRenowned British journalist examines Italy's moral, political and economic crisis, looking for clues to its possible salvation--and that of the West as a whole.
- DirectorDonatas UlvydasStarsMantas JankaviciusAgnia DitkovskyteTatyana LyutaevaA romance blooms between a noblewoman and a common man amid a peasant revolt against the brutal Russian army
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsWinona RyderCatherine O'HaraMartin ShortWhen a boy's beloved dog passes away suddenly, he attempts to bring the animal back to life through a powerful science experiment.
- DirectorRuben FleischerStarsSean PennRyan GoslingEmma StoneIt's 1949 Los Angeles, the city is run by gangsters and a malicious mobster, Mickey Cohen. Determined to end the corruption, John O'Mara assembles a team of cops, ready to take down the ruthless leader and restore peace to the city.
- DirectorPeter HedgesStarsJennifer GarnerJoel EdgertonCJ AdamsA childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.
- DirectorJamie BlanksStarsJim CaviezelClaudia KarvanStarA vacationing couple in the wilderness learns what happens when they disrespect nature.
- DirectorRichard EyreStarsLiam NeesonAntonio BanderasLaura LinneyThe story of a husband who suspects his wife of adultery, and sets out to track down the other man in her life.
- DirectorAriel VromenStarsMarisa TomeiHannah MarksGuy CamilleriDanika's fears for her children are manifested in premonitions of death and disaster.
- DirectorRoger YoungStarsBilly ZaneCristiana CapotondiFilippo NigroBilly Zane stars as Barabbas--the man whose life was spared because of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Based on the Nobel Prize in Literature winning novel by Par Lagerkvist, Barabbas is a story rooted in the Bible which will come to life on REELZ as a four-hour miniseries and tells the ultimate story of redemption. Barabbas was shot on location in Tunisia and is directed by Emmy Award winner Roger Young.
► APRIL - DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodPatrick McGoohanRoberts BlossomAlcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men make a possibly successful attempt at escaping from one of the most infamous prisons in the world.
- DirectorNiall JohnsonStarsRowan AtkinsonKristin Scott ThomasMaggie SmithA pastor preoccupied with writing the perfect sermon fails to realize that his wife is having an affair, and his children are up to no good.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsMartin FreemanIan McKellenRichard ArmitageA reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.
- DirectorTimur BekmambetovStarsAngelina JolieJames McAvoyMorgan FreemanA frustrated office worker discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin, and that he shares his father's superhuman killing abilities.
- DirectorDerick MartiniStarsChloë Grace MoretzBlake LivelyRory CulkinA Nebraska teen gets more than she bargained for when she sets out for the bright lights of Las Vegas.
- DirectorJuan Carlos MedinaStarsAlex BrendemühlTómas LemarquisIlias StothartIn the 1930s, a group of children are born with a rare condition: they feel no pain. After being locked away for life for their own safety, the children are subjected to rehabilitation away from society.
- DirectorPaul HaggisStarsRussell CroweElizabeth BanksLiam NeesonA married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.
- DirectorCrispian MillsChris HopewellStarsSimon PeggPaul FreemanAmara KaranA crime novelist whose research on Victorian serial killers has turned him into a paranoid wreck must confront his worst fears when a film executive takes a sudden interest in his movie script.
- DirectorBenh ZeitlinStarsQuvenzhané WallisDwight HenryLevy EasterlyFaced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.
- DirectorDon ScardinoStarsSteve CarellLuke VanekSteve BuscemiA veteran Vegas magician tries to revive his career after his longtime partner quits, he gets fired from his casino act, and an edgy new "street magician" steals his thunder.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJohn GetzFrances McDormandDan HedayaThe owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies, and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckRebecca HallJon HammA proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold an assistant manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.
- DirectorMatthew VaughnStarsCharlie CoxClaire DanesSienna MillerIn a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.
- DirectorStefan RuzowitzkyStarsEric BanaOlivia WildeCharlie HunnamTwo siblings decide to fend for themselves in the wake of a botched casino heist and their unlikely reunion during another family's Thanksgiving celebration.
► MAY - DirectorPablo LarraínStarsGael García BernalAlfredo CastroAntonia ZegersAn advertising executive comes up with a campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in Chile's 1988 referendum.
- DirectorJake ScottStarsRobert CarlyleJonny Lee MillerIain RobertsonTwo robbers are persecuted by the law, whose servants are not much better and even worse.
- DirectorRZAStarsRussell CroweCung LeLucy LiuOn the hunt for a fabled treasure of gold, a band of warriors, assassins, and a rogue British soldier descend upon a village in feudal China, where a humble blacksmith looks to defend himself and his fellow villagers.
- DirectorMartin VilleneuveStarsJacques LanguirandCaroline DhavernasPaul AhmaraniBased on an acclaimed graphic novel, Mars & Avril is set in Montreal of the future, at the dawn of the first human landing on Mars, and tells the story of a musician who becomes obsessed with his muse.
- DirectorDominic AncianoRay BurdisStarsSadie FrostJonny Lee MillerJude LawA north London postman gets involved with a gang of criminals.
- DirectorElizabeth BanksSteven BrillSteve CarrStarsEmma StoneStephen MerchantRichard GereA series of interconnected short films follows a washed-up producer as he pitches insane story lines featuring some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.The first story (with Kate Winslet and Hugh Jackman) ain't that bad, but the rest of the movie has the worst comic sense I've ever seen
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsRooney MaraChanning TatumJude LawA young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppMartin LandauSarah Jessica ParkerAmbitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsJodie FosterTerrence HowardNaveen AndrewsStruggling to recover emotionally from a brutal assault that killed her fiancé and left her in a coma, a radio personality begins a quest for vengeance against the perpetrators that leaves a bloody trail across New York City.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsWill FerrellVinessa ShawChiwetel EjioforTwo alternating stories, one comedy and the other tragedy, about Melinda's attempts to straighten out her life.
► JUNE - DirectorNiels Arden OplevStarsColin FarrellNoomi RapaceDominic CooperIn New York City, a crime lord's right-hand man is helped by a woman seeking retribution.
- DirectorGeorge C. WolfeStarsS. Epatha MerkersonMarcus Carl FranklinYasiin BeyIn a story fueled by rhythm and blues, a young boy's life is shaped by love and the stories of a cast of characters in the boarding house where he lives in 1960s Lackawanna, New York.
- DirectorGregory HoblitStarsDenzel WashingtonJohn GoodmanDonald SutherlandHomicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution, the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsHenry CavillAmy AdamsMichael ShannonAn alien child is evacuated from his dying world and sent to Earth to live among humans. His peace is threatened when other survivors of his home planet invade Earth.
- DirectorNick MurphyStarsPaul BettanyStephen GrahamBrian CoxThriller charting the moral collapse of a police family. Two cop brothers, smothered by the shadow of their former police chief father, must investigate a crime they themselves have committed.
► JULY - DirectorPaul McGuiganStarsJosh HartnettBen KingsleyMorgan FreemanA case of mistaken identity lands Slevin into the middle of a war being plotted by two of the city's most rival crime bosses. Under constant surveillance by Detective Brikowski and assassin Goodkat, he must get them before they get him.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsMia WasikowskaNicole KidmanMatthew GoodeAfter India's father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.
- DirectorPupi AvatiStarsAntonio AlbaneseNeri MarcorèKatia RicciarelliWhen his widowed sister-in-law and her son come to live with him after World War II, a simple farmer finds his life thrown into turmoil.
- DirectorJonathan ZarantonelloStarsBarbara SteeleRay WiseErica LeerhsenA reclusive and butterfly-obsessed elderly lady suffering from bipolar disorder develops a disturbing relationship with a mysterious but seemingly innocent youngster.
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsAlice LoweKenneth HadleySteve OramChris wants to show girlfriend Tina his world, but events soon conspire against the couple and their dream caravan holiday takes a very wrong turn.
- DirectorEran CreevyStarsJames McAvoyMark StrongAndrea RiseboroughWhen a notorious criminal is forced to return to London, it gives a detective one last chance to take down the man he's always been after.
- DirectorPatrick LussierStarsGerard ButlerJustine WaddellJonny Lee MillerA group of thieves breaks into a chamber expecting to find paintings, but instead they release the count himself, who travels to New Orleans to find his nemesis' daughter, Mary Van Helsing.
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsBill MurrayScarlett JohanssonGiovanni RibisiA faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
- DirectorJames DeMonacoStarsEthan HawkeLena HeadeyMax BurkholderA wealthy family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legal.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsBradley CooperZach GalifianakisEd HelmsWhen one of their own is kidnapped by an angry gangster, the Wolf Pack must track down Mr. Chow, who has escaped from prison and is on the run.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
- DirectorLee DanielsStarsMatthew McConaugheyNicole KidmanJohn CusackA reporter returns to his Florida hometown to investigate a case involving a death row inmate.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsJames McAvoyRosario DawsonVincent CasselAn art auctioneer mixed up with a group of criminals partners with a hypnotherapist in order to recover a lost painting.
- DirectorLaurent CantetBenicio Del ToroJulio MedemStarsJosh HutchersonVladimir CruzMagali WilsonA lesbian, an aspiring actor, an aspiring singer, a low-class marriage, a neighborhood community and 2 renowned directors have memorable less-than-24-hour-long experiences while living in/visiting the capital of Cuba.
- DirectorShinsuke SatoStarsKazunari NinomiyaKen'ichi MatsuyamaYuriko YoshitakaKato's (Ken'ichi Matsuyama) death changes Kurono's (Kazunari Ninomiya) view of life completely. He decides to keep fighting until he earns 100 points so that he can bring back Kato. GANTZ calls back several other unwilling participants that were allowed to leave after scoring 100 points. Before Kurono succeeds in resurrecting Kato, he unexpectedly comes back. GANTZ and the fighters take on another enemy worse than ever before. To make matters worse, GANTZ starts acting up. GANTZ chooses the next target... this time it's not an alien but a human girl. Each unwilling participant in GANTZ's twisted game has a different motive for fighting, whether to protect a loved one or to do what they think is right.
- DirectorCraig ViveirosStarsTim RothJack O'ConnellPeter MullanWhen 19-year-old Adam agrees to do a day's driving for his mum's gangster boyfriend Peter, it takes him on a 24-hour journey into a nightmarish world of murder, sex trafficking and revenge, in the company of aging hit man Roy.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsClive OwenAndrea RiseboroughGillian AndersonSet in 1990s Belfast, an active member of the IRA becomes an informant for MI5 in order to protect her son's welfare.
- DirectorDustin HoffmanStarsMaggie SmithMichael GambonBilly ConnollyAt a home for retired musicians, the annual concert to celebrate Composer Giuseppe Verdi's birthday is disrupted by the arrival of Jean (Dame Maggie Smith), an eternal diva and the former wife of one of the residents.
- DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsJustin TimberlakeAmanda SeyfriedCillian MurphyIn a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Will Salas is accused of murder and on the run with a hostage.
- DirectorRufus NorrisStarsCharlie BootyLily JamesTim RothThree suburban English families' lives intertwine with tragic consequences.
- DirectorPrachya PinkaewStarsDjimon HounsouKevin BaconVithaya PansringarmAn assassin is hired by a businessman to avenge the murder of his daughter by white slave traders in Thailand.
- DirectorJoseph KosinskiStarsTom CruiseMorgan FreemanAndrea RiseboroughA veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.
► AUGUST - DirectorGabriele SalvatoresStarsArnas FedaraviciusVilius TumalaviciusEleanor TomlinsonIn a ghetto run by a clan of outlaw gangs, the head preaches an "education" of mastering the illegal arts such as theft and banditry; while keeping a stringent code of honor that is considered ethical and moral and must never be broken.
- StarsPierce BrosnanMelissa GeorgeAnnabeth GishAfter his wife's sudden death, a bestselling author returns to his cabin retreat, where he receives paranormal visitations and becomes involved in a custody battle.The only scary thing is what they made with such a good novel. I'm sure the King of horror was horrified
- DirectorJames WanStarsPatrick WilsonVera FarmigaRon LivingstonParanormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsMichael DouglasMatt DamonScott BakulaA chronicle of the tempestuous six-year romance between megastar singer Liberace and his young lover Scott Thorson.
- DirectorBaz LuhrmannStarsLeonardo DiCaprioCarey MulliganJoel EdgertonA writer and wall street trader, Nick Carraway, finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his mysterious millionaire neighbor, Jay Gatsby, amid the riotous parties of the Jazz Age.
- DirectorRichard LoncraineStarsKirsten DunstPaul BettanyJon FavreauA pro tennis player has lost his ambition and has fallen in rank to 119. Fortunately for him, he meets a young player on the women's circuit who helps him recapture his focus for Wimbledon.
- DirectorWilliam EubankStarsGunner WrightCorey RichardsonBradley HorneA man spends years alone on a space station orbiting Earth after losing communication with Houston/Earth. He spends time on maintenance, exercise, watching old messages, and reading a journal by a soldier in the American Civil War.
- DirectorJim Field SmithStarsJennifer GarnerYara ShahidiTy BurrellIn Iowa, a girl in foster care discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their town's annual contest.
- DirectorJohn MooreStarsLiev SchreiberJulia StilesSeamus Davey-FitzpatrickAn American official realizes that his young son may literally be the Devil incarnate.
- DirectorPatricia RozemaStarsFrances O'ConnorJonny Lee MillerAlessandro NivolaFanny, born into a poor family, is sent away to live with wealthy uncle Sir Thomas, his wife and their four children, where she'll be brought up for a proper introduction to society.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsSaoirse RonanGemma ArtertonSam RileyResidents of a coastal town learn, with deathly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought shelter at a rundown hotel.
- DirectorGerald McMorrowStarsEva GreenRyan PhillippeSam RileyA portrait of the broken lives of four people (a vigilante detective, a worried parent, an awkward man looking for love and a suicidal artist) as they all struggle to cope in their religiously-dystopian city.
- DirectorTom Van AvermaetStarsMatthias SchoenaertsLaura VerlindenPeter Van den EedeThe shadow of a deceased World War I soldier is captured by a collector, who offers him the chance to live again if he captures the shadows of 10,000 people, leading to a quest driven by love and jealousy.
- DirectorHideki TakeuchiStarsHiroshi AbeAya UetoKazuki KitamuraLucius, a Roman architect, is transported through time to modern-day Japan, where he learns about Japanese bathhouses and uses this to his gain back home.
- DirectorSebastian GutierrezStarsGil BellowsXander BerkeleyAlexis BledelA sharp-witted comedy that follows a group of apparent strangers in interlocking stories taking place in ten different bars during the course of one evening throughout Los Angeles.
- DirectorStéphane RobelinStarsGuy BedosDaniel BrühlGeraldine ChaplinFive old friends decide to move in together as an alternate to living in a retirement home; joining them is an ethnology student whose thesis is on the aging population.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsRachel McAdamsNoomi RapaceKaroline HerfurthThe rivalry between the manipulative boss of an advertising agency and her talented protégée escalates from stealing credit to public humiliation to murder.
- DirectorRawson Marshall ThurberStarsJason SudeikisJennifer AnistonEmma RobertsA veteran pot dealer creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico.
- DirectorGina Prince-BythewoodStarsDakota FanningJennifer HudsonQueen LatifahIn 1964, a teenage girl in search of the truth about her mother runs away to a small town in South Carolina and finds a family of independent women who can connect her to her past.
► SEPTEMBER - DirectorJens LienStarsTrond FausaPetronella BarkerPer SchaanningIn a strange city where every person seems content beyond reason a new man arrives in town and stirs up trouble by asking too many questions.
- DirectorScott DerricksonStarsEthan HawkeJuliet RylanceJames RansoneA controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.
- DirectorSacha GervasiStarsAnthony HopkinsHelen MirrenScarlett JohanssonThe relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma Reville during the filming of Psycho (1960) in 1959 is explored.
- DirectorBen HowlingYolanda RamkeStarsAndy RodoredaAlison GallagherRuth VennStranded in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, a man sets in motion an unlikely plan to protect his infant daughter.
- DirectorBrian KlugmanLee SternthalStarsBradley CooperDennis QuaidOlivia WildeA writer at the peak of his literary success discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man's work.