“Mud,” “Elysium,” “Iron Man 3” – some of the best innovations Hollywood has produced in 2013. Over decades, the film industry has undergone major reconstruction with the ever- changing advancements in the world of technology. It has also seen the debuts of thousands of inspiring actors and actresses, who have waited years to obtain this notable prize, contend with novices who are just beginning. A member of the latter, “Silver Linings Playbook” co-star Jennifer Lawrence was a winner of an Oscar for best actress, while legendary actor Daniel Day-Lewis clinched the title for best actor as the lead role in Steven Spielberg’s bio-pic “Lincoln.” However, after these films received much success, the Hollywood buzz began to fade.
In the early months of the year, business was booming in theaters. Early 2013 saw the releases of Academy- award nominee “Zero Dark Thirty,” the action-packed crime-drama “Gangster Squad,” and the suspenseful political-thriller “Broken City.” Hollywood’s producers were off to a fabulous start, even though these films did not receive great tribunes from the critics. These exceptional flicks captivated audiences with juicy plots and superb acting, setting expectations at paramount heights.
By summer, movie-buffs were craving for more but were a bit let down by rehashed versions of outdated films such as “The Lone Ranger” and“Man of Steel.”The former had been doomed from the beginning due to its inconsistent tone, while “Man of Steel” had potential until it crash-landed into theaters.
“Man of Steel” had slightly better ratings than “The Lone Ranger”. It was more of an audience-pleaser for sure. Nevertheless, this action- adventure was still a rehash of an unoriginal fable. In the movie, Clark Kent, better known as Superman, must conceal his true extraterrestrial identity among Earth’s population.
But as the human race is threatened by the malicious Kryptonian General Zod, Superman is forced to engage in a war that will decide the fate of the human race.
As the holidays approached, excitement for big franchise releases “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,”“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,” reached a fever pitch. With nearly back- to-back releases, these three films battled it out for box office domination for a period of many weeks. The first two will have sequels released in 2014, so we can expect to see this situation played out again this time next year.
The jury is still out on recent releases like “The Wolf of Wall Street,”“American Hustle,” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”There is a lot of buzz surrounding these films at the moment, but time will tell if these films become remembered as the standout releases of the year.
In the end, 2013 was a mixed bag of Hollywood’s productions. “Elysium,” for example, was an astounding sci-fi thriller that told the story of a band of illegals desperately trying to escape their poor life on Earth and obtain a better one on the man-made Nirvana called Elysium. “Broken City,” a crime- drama about an ex-cop seeking revenge after being double- crossed by a bent city mayor, fell into the shadows of more elaborate films such as “Iron Man 3,”“The Wolverine,”and “The Great Gatsby.” Just because a movie has a well-known title does not mean it is well-done. Let us hope that the New Year will continue to bring top tier films for eager audiences.
