The Obsessive Viewer

2013 Stats

• Total Viewings – 325

• Total Movies – 296

• First Viewings – 153

• Theater Viewings – 33

I am really proud of these stats. When it comes to “total viewings” for the year, I shattered my records. I’ve been tracking my viewing habits since 2007, but I haven’t kept strict statistics since 2010. My lowest number of “total viewings” was actually in 2012 with a paltry 183 viewings of 155 movies, 59 of which being first viewings. Back in 2010 I had 237 total viewings, nearly half of which (105) were first viewings.

But the biggest year I had previous to 2013 was 2011. 261 total viewings of 222 movies. While only 88 of those movies were first viewings, I managed to watch an impressive 13 commentary tracks. I chalk that up to discovering Rifftrax, for the most part.

2013 was also a banner year for theater viewings. I managed 11 trips to the theater in 2010 & 2011 and then beefed it up in 2012 with an admirable 21 theater viewings.

So 2013 was a big year all around. I credit the blog and podcast for keeping in front of screens all year. So without further adieu, here are some end-of-year lists and designations for you reading pleasure.

The Best and Worst of 2013

At the start (err, sometimes middle) of each month in 2013, I posted my “Month in Movies” roundup. In those posts, I did something I had never done previously in my 6 years of movie tracking. I designated monthly award for what I watched. Now that the year is over with, I’ve picked my top choices for the year in those categories.

2013’s Best First Viewing: Gravity (2013) 

• Podcast: OV25 – Space Movies Part I – Gravity, Armageddon and The Right Stuff

I’ve praised this movie all over the internet. I watched it 3 times in the theater and feel like I could watch it again in the theater if the opportunity presented itself. I loved the terror I felt for the characters in this movie and how jaw-dropping the visuals of space were. The themes were a bit too on the nose and dare I say, simplistic. But the suspense and performances drew me in and never let me go.

Honorable Mention: The Way Way Back (2013)

• The Month in Movies: December 2013

This movie really spoke to my inner socially awkward teenager. I loved Liam James’ portrayal of Duncan. But it was really Sam Rockwell who, for the millionth time in his career, stole the show. He brought his best to the role of mentor and, ultimately, defender of Duncan. There are some great moments where you can see that Rockwell’s character has scars in his past and may be working to make amends for his former self. It’s kind of subtle, but it’s what I took away from the movie.

2013’s Worst First Viewing: Piranha Part 2: The Spawning (1981) 

• The James Cameron Reassessment Part I: 1981-1989

I sought this movie out as a means to kick-start my retrospective on James Cameron’s career. He’s a filmmaker I’ve felt has always been extraordinarily overrated. If memory serves, despite my disclaimer that Piranha Part 2 isn’t technically a Cameron movie (check out the post for the story, it’s interesting), I still caught some flack for including it. I feel like that says quite a bit about the stubbornness of the filmmaker’s rabid, misguided fanbase.

Nevertheless, the movie is a piece of absolute garbage and unworthy of any further discussion on ObsessiveViewer.com.

Dishonorable Mention: The Parking Lot Movie (2010)

Here are my brief thoughts on this douche-filled documentary previously published in March’s “Month in Movies” post:

“Ugh. I spent the entire 70 minute runtime of this parking lot attendant documentary wondering if it was a mockumentary or if I was expected to take these ultra douchey displays of unwarranted superiority complexes seriously. 

According to Google, it was a straightforward documentary. According to me, it was a waste of the bandwidth used to stream it on Netflix.”

I was not a fan.

2013’s Biggest Surprise: Movie 43 (2013)

• The Month in Movies: July 2013

I’m still astonished that I enjoyed this movie so much. It’s stupid and filled with dirty, cheap jokes. But they played really well with me and held up upon repeat viewings. Judging it in the parameters of quality filmmaking would be an error in judgment. Checking your brain at the door and enjoying the things high caliber actors are willing to do for comedy is the best way to watch this hilarious movie.

2013’s Biggest Letdown: Man of Steel (2013)

• Man of Steel Review: Not So “Super”

In addition to the review I wrote for Man of Steel, it’s also covered at length on episode 7 of the podcast.

If you don’t like clicking things, I will just say that I went into Man of Steel expecting a marriage of Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan’s best filmmaking traits. Instead, I received a movie that desperately wanted to be Batman Begins.  It failed with a laundry list of problems beginning with an overlong and unnecessarily nonlinear exposition and nowhere near ending with “destruction porn” laden, run of the mill, climax.

The movie was an absolute mess and not at all worth waiting two months to see in IMAX.

Returning Favorites

In addition to the above categories, every month I would pick a movie for my distinguished “Returning Favorite” category. These are the movies I watched out of sheer love for them. Here now are my returning favorites for the year ranked according to my love of them.

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2. The Shining (1980)

3. The Godfather (1972)

4. Alien (1979)

5. Apollo 13 (1995)

6. Sunshine (2007)

7. The Avengers (2012)

8. Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

9. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

10. The Breakfast Club (1985)

11.  (500) Days of Summer (2009)

12. Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Top Ten Favorite Movies of 2013 (of the 40 I watched in 2013)

Finally, we have come to the top 10 list of my favorite movies of 2013. I watched 40 movies that were released in 2013 and of those 40 I’ve whittled them to the cream of the crop.

Some of these rankings are based on many factors, including how I felt about the experience of seeing them in general. Therefore certain rankings (I’m looking at you, Elysium) are pending a rewatch. But here and now, I stand by these rankings.

As I stated before, look for tomorrow’s ep of The Obsessive Viewer Podcast for an in-depth discussion of these movies and listen to the latest episode of The Nerds You’re Looking For in which I was a guest!

1. Gravity

2. The Way Way Back

3. Star Trek Into Darkness

4. This is the End

5. Out of the Furnace

6. Trance

7. The World’s End

8. Elysium

9. Iron Man 3

10. Coffee Town

Well, that does it for my off the cuff breakdown of my movie watching habits of 2013. A little later today Tiny and Mike will have write ups of their 2013 in movies. As always you can follow me around the internet with the links below.