Tarantino on his favourite movies of 2013 (so far)

The Hollywood craftsmanship of Quentin Tarantino needs very little introduction other than he is a full time director, writer and most times, a very in-depth movie critic with rival projects in the past finding that out the hard way. Tarantino is never shy of controversial opinion; while those who once pointed the finger at Quentin's work have in most cases felt the force of powerful and very constructive words from a man who's argumentative persona is felt like a hot knife through butter. Nevertheless, Tarantino is an all round child like movie buff. His work is hailed to be contently successful due to the desire of creating a film that he, as an adolescent, would have liked to pay in to see. 

As you may or may not know, one of Tarantino's favourite movies of all time is Battle Royale (2000). While we would love nothing more than an extended list of enjoyable and somewhat personal list of classic movies from the man who knows best, we are giving his top ten favourite movies of 2013 instead. 

Afternoon Delight

Director/Writer: Jim Soloway

Starring: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple and Josh Radnor 

Synopsis: Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) is frustrated at the lack of romantic spark that once embraced the home she shares with lover boy Jeff (Radnor). Desperate to dabble in new experiences, the "stay at home mom" visits a strip club in which she meets McKenna (Temple); a struggling teenager caught up in a life that needs rescuing. Rachel does just that, in granting McKenna the new life of being a nanny to her kids, Rachel believes this is a deed worth pushing. However her selfishness creates tension within the household of others, with husband Jeff finding it difficult to cope around a situation that becomes all too peculiar and unsatisfying as far as his relationship goes with Rachel. 

Before Midnight

Director: Richard Linklater

Starring: Ethan Hawke and Julie Deply 

Synopsis: Jesse (Hawke) and Celine's romance is celebrated over two decades from when they first met. Both are on holiday in Greece, courtesy of an invitation from a former colleague and friend of Jesse's. As the trip comes to an end, Jesse finds himself in limbo, with a once dedication toward Celine hanging in the balance as a relationship that has lasted a lifetime begins to slope. However the surviving friendship and lustful chemistry between both, shows that neither is willing to give up on what they both discovered on a Paris train a lifetime ago. 

Blue Jasmine

Directed: Woody Allen

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin and Sally Hawkins

Synopsis: New York based socialite Jasmine (Blanchett) is deceived into false love and ultimately left with nothing other than her sister Ginger. While they say family should become first, the depressed mindset of Jasmine quickly becomes a burden to the household of Ginger and her husband Augie (Andrew Dice Clay). 

The Conjuring

Directed: James Wan

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga and Ron Livingston

Synopsis: Based on the real life work of paranormal investigators Ed (Wilson) and Lorraine (Farmiga), their duty calls on what seems a routine house of haunted ghouls; with the outcome, in most cases, appearing false. However, the experience of both Ed and Lorraine is tested as a family is terrorised in a dilapidated farm house in Rhode Island.

Drinking Buddies

Directed: Joe Swanberg

Starring: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick

Synopsis: Luke and Kate spend their days in the Chicago Brewery sober - to a certain extent. But their typical mundane shift can only last so long before they make a routine session of beer drinking. But considering both Luke and Kate are in "not so" convincing relationships, the romantic premise of Drinking Buddies kicks as they are both convinced of their lustful suitability, they know it can never be, or can it? 

Frances Ha

Directed: Noah Baumbach

Starring: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner and Adam Driver

Synopsis: The life of Frances Haliday (Gerwig) is full of wonderful hopes and dreams with optimism in abundance. Frances lives in New York without an actual apartment, and while the only way is up in the eyes of Frances, her friend Sophie is bemused to where exactly she sees her friend going and creates a fallout in friendship. However while Frances continues to live her life with sheer enjoyment, her sudden dawn on reality seems almost inevitable.

Gravity

Directed: Alfonso Cuaron

Starring: George Clooney and Sandra Bullock

Synopsis: Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is in the company of astronaut Matt (Clooney) who are both exploring the wonders of space on its first shuttle mission. Things take a turn for the worse when the shuttle is destroyed, leaving Dr. Ryan and Matt fighting against the daring possibility of being sucked into the abyss forever. 

Kick-Ass 2

Directed: Jeff Wadlow

Starring: Aaron Taylor Johnson, Chloe Grace-Moretz and Jim Carrey

Synopsis: Kick-Ass (Johnson) joins up with a group of self inspired crime fighters in order to maintain the peace. On the other hand, Hit-Girl (Moretz) struggles to come to terms with modern day high school, with her personality outside the costume becoming harder to control. 

The Loan Ranger

Directed: Gore Verbinski

Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer and William Fichtner

Synopsis: The Loan Ranger, aka the tale of John Reid is told to a young boy in way of enlightening the 1930s. Told through the eyes of a late Tonto (Depp), the movie retraces the origin of John Reid in a spaghetti Western parody that leads both Tonto and Reid through explosive territories and blockbuster adventures; a surviving outcome that grants Reid the title of "The Loan Ranger".

This is the End

Directed: Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen.

Starring: Seth Rogan, James Franco, Jay Baruchek and Craig Robinson.

Synopsis: A gathering of "stoners" and every Seth Rogen cohort you can think of, turn up for James Franco's house warming. Sounds like a lot of fun, especially if you are actually friends with these guys. But unfortunately, a seat in a dark room with a big ass screen is as close as we are going to get to witnessing the adventure of six of the funniest guys in Hollywood (at the moment); Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride and Jay Baruchel (Read my full review here).

That's all folks. Thanks for reading. 

2 Guns

Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Starring: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton & Bill Paxton.
Running: 109 Mins

Buddy cop movies signified 1980/90 action flicks with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte's 48hrs, Tango and Cash and Beverly Hills Cop to name a few. While modern Hollywood tends to be more ambitious with dramatic tales featuring pretentious dialogue, a movie such as 2 Guns could be potentially overlooked by so-called movie connoisseurs as Ryan Gosling parades the fans with his good looks and facial expressions in Only God Forgives, and Johnny Depp and Tim Burton try to squeeze endless money from the passive. If you look hard enough, Denzel Washington and Mark Whalberg can be seen in the background advertising a simple movie that is well shot, ambitious and truthfully funny; it goes down as one of the most surprisingly entertaining flicks of the summer. 

2 Guns is an explosive tale of two ambitious individuals who believe they are working for the right cause only to discover loose ends that could spell the end of their careers. It was important to pair the right actors to create the necessary chemistry and that is well advertised in the opening scene as Robert "Bobby" (Denzel Washington) and Michael "Stig" (Mark Wahlberg) are in a restaurant which conveniently sits next to a bank. The story flashes back to show us the initial plan, played out by Stig. What they both know is their friendship is fake as both Bobby and Stig are working to rob the bank for different associates; Bobby is an undercover DEA agent and Stig is a Naval intelligence officer. It's the vanity in both characters that gets them into trouble following the robbery as Bobby's alliance as well as Stigs', betray the supposed plan leaving both men blackmailed and head hunted by Earl (Bill Paxton) who is determined to retrieve his money in the bloodiest and funniest ways possible.

The result of the bank robbery sees Stig sitting on 43 million with nobody to turn to. Bobby is also left out in the dirt as he is destined to investigate the motive behind his agencies portrayal; all while dodging bullets from the Mexican Cartel, the Navy and of course, Earl and his cohorts.

If 2 Guns sounds messy, it is, but all in good fashion as it supplies an endless amount of funny characters and die hard murderers. The movie focuses on two concepts; a survival premise as 2 Guns is blended with numerous "bad guys". On the other hand, its a fantastic reference to 80s and 90s "Buddy" action flicks, as Bobby and Stig come to realise the daunting task of having to work together in order to survive this mess and that's where director Baltasar Kormakur introduces a comedic ingredient that advertises great chemistry and wit about each of our protagonists.

2 Guns is the first movie to showcase Denzel Washington's humorous side. Okay, he has a certain amount of "swag" in almost all of his movies that can make him funny anyway, but he is full on this time around and bounces off Mark Walhberg's character so smoothly, you would think these two were raised in the same home!

This movie isn't trying to be perfect, with the introduction of Bill Paxton transforming it into a right cheese-fest at times, but that premise is recognisable from the off. Bill Paxton's Earl is a vicious character, playing a villainous Governor of California (Terminator free) to the extreme. While 2 Guns is explosive and funny, a movie like this can't fulfil it's buddy cop premise without an exotic female intervention that uses the clichéd fall out of two apparent friends and Paula Patton as Deb does just that.

Overall, director Baltasar Kormakur did a great job in constructing some great action scenes with dialogue of serious and humorous. While we know of Mark Walhberg's comedic side from Seth McFarlen's "Ted", nobody could have predicted the chemistry between Mark and Denzel would work so well.

7.8/10