The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - ★★★★½

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Terence Winter (screenplay), Jordan Belfort (book)
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Rob Reiner, Kyle Chandler, Joanna Lumley, Jean Dujardin, Jon Bernthal

The Wolf of Wall Street is easily one of the best films of 2013. Scorsese's newest flick is a breath of fresh air! It's an electric, roaringly fun movie that manages to make its 3 hour running time just fly by. It's nice to see DiCaprio shake a leg and play an eccentric, despicable man. What was even better for me was seeing Jonah Hill flex his acting chops and establish himself as a big player in the world of supporting actors. I'm not gonna lie, movies like this usually aren't my sort of thing. I go for substance, character development, and true portrayals of the human condition. Here we mostly see Scorsese's signature flare for the dramatic and a penchant for over-the-top entertainment. Wolf of Wall Street one-ups American Hustle by paying equal attention to its story and characters, making it a consistently brilliant work of cinema.

The Spectacular Now (2013) - ★★★★½

Director: James Ponsoldt
Writers: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber (screenplay) Tim Sharp (novel)
Stars: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Masam Holden, Kyle Chandler, Nicci Faires

The Spectacular Now came out of nowhere to become one of my favourite films of 2013, and one of the all-time greatest teenage coming-of-age stories. While similar films fail to show their characters are more than skin deep, The Spectacular Now is such a breath of fresh air. It gives us a look at two very interesting teenagers, and shows their insecurities, thoughts and feelings in great depth. The reason it works as a stand-out film of its genre is due to the outstanding performances of Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller, whose chemistry is something you don't find even with the most seasoned of actors. It left me with a feeling of pure elation, which is something not many films have done this year.