2013 The Best Films Of The Year… So Far

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Published on Tuesday, 20 August 2013 09:00

Last Updated on 17 September 2013

Monica Costa

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Feeling beaten down and obliterated by the blitzkrieg of summer movies? Well, just remember it’s just a couple of months left and we’re back to movies that don’t involve toys, brands and franchises. And one you should definitely put on your radar is Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Wadjda.

Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Wadjda (out in cinema from 19 July 2013)

In a country where rights for women are still staggeringly archaic, it’s the first feature film made by a female filmmaker, and of course it had to be shot on the sly. But perhaps most of all, trivia aside, it’s just a damn good movie already landing on our 2013 The Best Films Of The Year…So Far list. Well, here’s a peek at what it’s all about.

Monsters University (out in cinema from 12 July 2013)

This year Pixar release Monsters University, the prequel to hilarious hit Monsters Inc which was released in 2001. It’s taken 12 years of work for the films prequel to make an appearance on our screens, but does this film live up to its beloved counterpart? Read London Mums’ review here.

Planes (out in cinema from 16 August 2013)

I was not surprised at the brilliance of Disney Planes, which is in my view the best Disney movie after the release of Cars in 2006. Read London Mums’ full review and watch our exclusive interviews with the Hollywood stars behind this movie here.

THE YEAR DOLLY PARTON WAS MY MUM

This movie was released on DVD on 27 May 2013 via Peccadillo Pictures/Saffron Hill Films. It has a retro feel about it and it’s entertaining and very educational at the same time. Who says that blockbusters and expensive movies are the best? This movie is an example of great storytelling on the big screen made on a small budget. Brilliant! We loved it and we highly recommend it. The soundtrack is great too. The story explores the problematic of teenagers, puberty in the Seventies. You will enjoy the retro haircuts, the furniture and fashion. The set-ups reminds me of Mad-Man.

It’s 1976 and Elizabeth is just your average
suburban 11-year-old praying for adolescence to
arrive when she discovers her whole life has been
a lie after the revelation that she is adopted. With
only her imagination to guide her, Elizabeth runs
away in search of her true identity, after convincing
herself that country music superstar Dolly Parton is
her real mum. This leads to a cathartic crosscountry
trek by a mother searching for a daughter
who’s searching for a mother – both of them really
searching for themselves…. The Year Dolly Parton
Was My Mum is a poignant, funny, very female,
coming of age story that explores the tension
between creating identity and finding it within.

RRP: £15.99 / Cert: PG / Canada / 2011 / 95 mins

This film is linked to a charitable campaign: Country music legend Dolly Parton has singlehandedly declared war on illiteracy, introducing the UK’s Imagination Library. She organizes community action whereby kids are put on her library list and from the time that child is born to the time he or she is 5 years old, they receive an age-appropriate book once a month – 60 free books per kid! She supplies the books (via the profits from Dollywood and other money making ventures) and the communities organize the logistics of it all.