At the top of these ‘Best of’ lists you usually get a blanket statement telling the reader that this year’s films/books/sneezes have been particularly good or bad.
Of course that’s a pretty lazy conclusion to draw in the case of the global film industry: over any twelve month period, or six in this case, everything pretty much evens itself out. So here’s my top five films to look out for in 2013.
A Field in England
Permission granted to hold your breath in anticipation of Ben Wheatley’s new film, as it hits UK cinemas on July 6th. Frankly, as much as I’m reticent to rank things (irony noted), I just don’t see how A Field in England won’t end up being my favourite film of the year. ‘Twisted’ gets used a bit lazily in film journalism as a shortcut word for ‘when someone does something bad but it’s funny’ but you know you’re in sufficiently dark and bizarre hands if Ben Wheatley, a band of civil war deserters, and some funny mushrooms are involved.
Don Jon
I say I’m looking forward to the release of this film but, in truth, I think it might be the day I pack it all in. Joseph-Gordon Levitt has already been in a Batman film, kissed Zoey Deschanel and has totally nailed the ‘thin-Geeky chic/hipster’ look; and now he’s directing a film? Well here’s hoping he has a very tiny willy. Don Jon has a terrific cast, an interesting premise, and is due to hit UK cinemas in mid November.
Alan Partridge – Alpha Papa
‘I am siege face’ will probably feature on a slew of unbearable merchandise this summer, but that’s a small price to pay if it means that Alan Partridge is coming to the big screen. Boasting perhaps the greatest title in cinema history and the writing genius of Peter Baynham and Armando Iannucci, all the ingredients are still there to ensure that the Partridge pic’ lives up to expectation. And, since his return to the Internet in 2010, Alan Partridge now comes with added Tim Key: wahey!
Pacific Rim
There are alien dinosaurs, giant robots, Guillermo del Toro is directing it, and Idris Elba says, “Today we are cancelling the apocalypse!” in the trailer. I’m already there and I say that with no shame. In all seriousness, sometimes you see the name of a director that you love appear in a trailer and all you can think is,“Oh God, I hope he comes through that with his reputation intact.” In Guillermo del Toro we trust.
Old Boy
Despite having quite an eclectic backlog of films, the media only really pays attention to Spike Lee when there’s a supposedly ‘black issue’ that it can’t deal with, usually involving something awful that Quentin Tarantino has said. Hopefully Lee’s attempt to remake Park Chan-wook’s 2003 film of the same name will at least see him add ‘Asian’ to the list of races that the media consider him a spokesperson for. I love it when a bona fide artist takes on a remake (obviously not including Gus Van Sant’s Psycho) and I’m eating a live octopus as I type, in barely contained anticipation of this film.