Saturday movie review: Top 10 DVDs of 2013

Instead of reviewing one movie for you today, I'm going to give you ten — the top 10 DVDs Jim and I watched in 2013. If it's on this list, consider it a movie I recommend, a movie I want to share with you before moving on to reviewing newer flicks of 2014.

This is not a definitive list of what I consider the top movies released on DVD last year, as my husband and I do see a lot of movies in the theater, many of which are now out on DVD. These are just our favorites of those we saw last year for the first time on DVD — not in the theater — listed in the order we viewed them, ending with the most recent. (Note: None of these are for kids under the age of 13; most are not for kids at all.)

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (PG13), starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson. Coming-of-age stories are a favorite genre of mine. The acting is stellar, the story sweet.

 

 

DJANGO UNCHAINED (R), starring Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz. Yes, directed by Quentin Tarantino, but this features a more touching story than most Tarantino films. And less violence than most of his films.

 

 

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS (R), starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken. Ah, the dark humor of this, the suprises throughout. So funny.

 

 

MUD (PG13), starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon. Yes, McConaughey takes off his shirt, naturally. Despite that (just avert your eyes if you're as sick of that schtick as I), this is an exceptionally moving coming-of-age story of another sort.

 

 

STUCK IN LOVE (R), starring Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly. Kids, even once adults, often just don't get the dynamics of the long-time marriage between Mom and Dad. Sad and sweet — with a little <cuss> of a daughter thrown in for bone-cutting realism.

 

 

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (R), starring Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. This one was so not what I expected. It's long — and some moviegoers hated that — but it's worth the time invested. Unforgettable moments here.

 

 

THE WAY WAY BACK (PG13), starring Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell. Another coming-of-age story. Carell's a jerk (really, a royal jerk!) and Rockwell is a savior. Oh, and Allison Janney will have you in stitches. This movie made me love Sam Rockwell more than I already did.

 

 

2 GUNS (R), starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. Good guys, bad guys, and you never know which is which. A storyline you simply cannot predict — which is always a good thing, in my book.

 

 

PARKLAND (PG13), starring Paul Giamatti and Marcia Gay Harden. With so many books and stories and such on the JFK assassination, it amazes me there's been so little on the hospital where JFK was rushed just after the shooting and the impact the filming had on Zapruder. An interesting movie, and believable as it's based on a book of the same name by Vincent Bugliosi.

 

 

JAYNE MANSFIELD'S CAR (R), starring Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton, Kevin Bacon and John Hurt. Say what you will about Thornton; I think he's a fantastic screenwriter, storyteller, director. This time he focuses his efforts on the ravages of war, family dynamics, father and son relationships. Beautifully — and humorously — done.

 

 

If you're looking for a good movie to rent for the weekend — or any time — I hope you'll find a gem here that you possibly hadn't previously considered.

Pass the popcorn! Enjoy!

Today's question:

Which of the above have you seen (and what did you think)? What other movies on DVD did you love in 2013?