Prisoners (2013) - ★★★★½

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writer: Aaron Guzikowski
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Maria Bello, Dylan Minnette

In my personal opinion, Prisoners is a thriller movie. In fact, I truly believe that it is one of the best thrillers made in years. The atmosphere, the story, the suspected kidnappers, and the urgency of it all had way more suspense in it than your average crime-drama. The setting and tone of the film reminded me of Winter’s Bone (2011) and Mystic River (2003), the suspected kidnappers are as creepy and memorable as the stalker from The Bodyguard (1992), but most importantly, it was almost as suspenseful as The Silence of the Lambs (1991). It isn’t filled with dynamics or action, but rather a grim urgency that echoes in every scene. There haven’t been many movies like this in a long time, so I embrace Prisoners with open arms and say, “Thank-you for saving 2013 from being a boring year of cinema.”

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) - ★★★½

Director: Stephen Daldry
Writers: Eric Roth (Screenplay), Jonathan Safran Foer (Novel)
Stars: Thomas Horn, Max Von Sydow, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Caldwell

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close didn't manage to pull at my heartstrings. What it did do however was make me extremely intrigued in the story of an autistic boy on a mission. Everything with Thomas Horn and Max Von Sydow was absolute gold. The chemistry these two had was beyond words. I found myself absolutely enthralled in the adventure of Oscar (Thomas Horn). It seemed like the film was split into two different sections. One was the awesome tale of an autistic kid trying to keep the memory of his father alive, and the other is the sadness of the 9/11 terrorist attack. While the story of this kid's struggle is amazing, the film falls flat whenever they focus on 9/11.