The Best of 2013: The Best New Movies I Saw

Amidst congregating all these Best of 2013 lists--and if you happened to just stumble across this one, take a look at my past 4 posts--it's easy for me to forget that January was just as much a part of this year as is December.

And as I blathered on about in creating my Best Movies of 2012 list, without being anyone officious who gets to see every movie within the year of its official--I guess for Oscar purposes--release, I am stuck with tricky situations such as this. Two of my favorite movies of 2013--Zero Dark Thirty and Amour--were technically 2012 releases (as were perhaps some other foreign films I saw and liked this year).

But neither ZD30 nor Amour were released in Chicago until January 2013. Hence they didn't make my Best of 2012 list, but they also are far too good to ignore. (Interestingly, at least to me, the film I picked as Best of 2012--A Separation--was considered as a 2011 film by most list makers, but didn't open in Chicago until 2012; the same director's (Asghar Farhadi) new movie, The Past, is in a similar situation this year. Though it's had a limited U.S. release, it's yet to open in Chicago, and I don't know exactly when it will.)

So in titling this list the Best New Movies I Saw in 2013, I am essentially counting as eligible any film I watched over the past 12 months that I didn't have a reasonable chance to see previously. 

The 20 or so people who may care about this list should understand this conundrum, so I won't prattle on about rules and disclaimers. And if you don't feel like Zero Dark Thirty or Amour deserve to be included for chronological reasons, feel free to ignore them.

With that said, these are the Best New Movies I Saw in 2013:

(12) = Technically a 2012 release; (F) = Foreign Film; (D) = Documentary

1. Zero Dark Thirty (12)

2. 12 Years a Slave

3. Blancanieves (F)

4. Fruitvale Station

5. Gravity

6. Mud

7. The Hunt (F)

8. Amour (F, 12)

9. Dallas Buyers Club

10. Nebraska

11. Blue Jasmine

12. American Hustle

13. Philomena

14. The Gatekeepers (D, F)

15. War Witch (F)

16. The Place Beyond the Pines

17. Inside Llewyn Davis

18. Saving Mr. Banks

19. Prisoners

20. Her

Honorable Mention
Side Effects
The Wolf of Wall St.

Before Midnight

Sound City (D)

Star Trek: Into Darkness

At Any Price

Frances Ha

Fill the Void (F)

The World's End
42

Other Films Seen: The Spectacular Now, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, This is the End, The Bling Ring, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Springsteen & I, Escape From Tomorrow, A Good Day to Die Hard

Notable Films Not Seen: Rush, Captain Phillips, In a World..., Stories We Tell, 2 Guns, Blue is the Warmest Color (F), The Attack (F), 20 Feet From Stardom (D), Muscle Shoals (D), All is Lost, Spring Breakers, The Act of Killing (D), The Butler, The Past (F)

My Friend Dave's Top 13 of 2013

1) Blue Jasmine
2) Nebraska
3) American Hustle
4) Gravity
5) Neighboring Sounds
6) Zero Dark Thirty
7) The Silence
8) Fruitvale Station
9) Philomena
10) Before Midnight
11) Like Someone in Love
12) Amour
13) You're Next

The Best of 2013: The Best Musicals I Saw on Stage

With a relative scarcity of new musicals making big Broadway splashes—only Kinky Boots, Matilda and Motown the Musical seem to be successes worth noting—and the relative mediocrity of Big Fish, which was Chicago's big world premiere production before heading to a disappointing run on Broadway, 2013 doesn't instantly strike me as a great year for musical theater.

Yet even without a trip to New York this year—seemingly theatrically unnecessary due to having seen Kinky Boots in its 2012 pre-Broadway Chicago run, catching Matilda while in London this summer and already having tickets to Motown next year as part of my Broadway in Chicago subscription—I wound up enjoying a good number of musicals I saw on stage over the past 12 months.

From the Lyric Opera's glorious staging of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma to a terrific touring production of Anything Goes to a resplendent, full-octane Les Miserables in London's West End, plus satisfying takes on Cabaret and Evita, I was reminded how mirthful "classic" musicals can be. Not too surprisingly, I was also fully satisfied with another viewing of The Book of Mormon before it left Chicago, and of Wicked in its return.

Oklahoma - Lyric Opera of Chicago

In terms of anything new, I largely loved Mary Zimmerman's lush staging of The Jungle Book at the Goodman Theatre (likely to wind up on Broadway), tremendously enjoyed the laudably rocking and rebellious Matilda and liked the recent Tony-winning Once, though wished I could have seen it in a more intimate setting than the cavernous Oriental Theatre.

Big Fish had much to appreciate--including Norbert Leo Butz in the lead role and inventive staging by Susan Stroman--but the songs were largely forgettable, an issue that also relegated Catch Me If You Can to just "so-so."

Once Upon a Dream starring the Rascals wasn't much of a "musical," but enjoyable nonetheless, as were Hank Williams: Lost Highway and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.

The Jungle Book - Goodman Theatre

I appreciated getting to see Barnum for the first time ever, in a strong Mercury Theatre production, and enjoyed the stage musical of Elf despite never seeing the movie.

All in all, out of 27 musicals seen on stage this year, from London's West End to Skokie's Devonshire Playhouse for community theater, there was really only one I didn't much like: Flashdance the Musical, and even that had its moments.

But after having cited virtually everything on it, here is my list of...

The Best Musicals I Saw On Stage in 2013:

(Note: My rankings are based on my enjoyment of the particular productions, but blend in the quality of the source material as well. I included a couple shows that were staged as operas.)

Matilda

1. Oklahoma - Lyric Opera of Chicago (my review)

2. Les Misérables - Queen's Theatre, London 

3. Wicked - Oriental Theatre (my review)

4. The Book of Mormon - Bank of America Theater (Broadway in Chicago) 

5. Matilda - Cambridge Theatre, London

Once

6. Anything Goes - Cadillac Palace (Broadway in Chicago) (my review)

7. The Jungle Book - Goodman Theatre (my review)

8. Next to Normal - Drury Lane Oakbrook (my review)

9. The Grapes of Wrath - Northwestern University Opera Theater (my review)

10. Once - Oriental Theatre (my review)

Honorable Mention (in order of preference)

Barnum - Mercury Theatre (my review)

Barnum - Mercury Theatre

Buddy - Cadillac Palace (Broadway in Chicago) (my review)

Evita - Oriental Theatre (Broadway in Chicago) (my review)

Mary Poppins - Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire (my review)

Hank Williams: Lost Highway - Greenhouse Theater (American Blues Theater) (my review)

Opera in Focus

Now & Forever: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber - Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire (my review)

Jekyll & Hyde - Cadillac Palace (Broadway in Chicago) (my review)


Special Mention  

Opera in Focus (Puppet Opera) - June production featuring opera & musical selections (my review)

The Best of 2013: The Best Concerts I Attended

Yes, this list is something of a farce. 

No, that doesn't mean it represents anything other than my honest appraisal of the rock concerts I most enjoyed in 2013.

But while I saw, and loved, several of the greatest artists in rock 'n roll history, including classic rock icons like Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Leonard Cohen, Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Rush, The Rascals and Cheap Trick, as well alternative rock heroes such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Green Day, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Garbage, Pixies and a reunited-for-3-shows-only Replacements, none of these really had much of a chance to claim the top berth. 

So be it that Bruce Springsteen—my all-time favorite musician and, with the E Street Band, the best live performer in rock 'n roll history, IMHO—didn't play any shows on North American soil in 2013. And so what if I had already seen him 42 times, and in 11 of the prior 14 years?

Having never seen him in Europe—where he has arguably been bigger in recent years than anywhere in America beyond the New Jersey vicinity—in December 2012 I bought a ticket for his show with the E Street Band at London's Wembley Stadium on June 15, 2013. I didn't actually book my trip, using American Airlines' miles, until May, and in addition to London (where I'd been multiple times), I went to Krakow, Vienna, Budapest and Paris (see photos here).

While the trip and almost everything I saw and did was awesome, there was considerable time, effort and expense expended in going to Europe, and even just in getting to the venerable grounds of Wembley—the historic stadium itself was fairly recently rebuilt.

Plus there was the sacrifice of missing the entire final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in which my hometown Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in 6 games.

But even with rather lofty expectations, per usual, the Boss didn't disappoint.

Except for a bit of an echo bouncing around the cavernous stadium, the concert was every bit as good as I could have hoped, with "Rosalita" being played earlier in the set than it ever has been, relative rarities like "Jackson Cage" and "Lost in the Flood," the Darkness on the Edge of Town album being performed in full and Bruce playing "Thunder Road" all by himself to close out the 3+ hour concert.

Thus, even in a year with an absolutely sensational Stones show, Sir Paul please pleasing me on a sweltering night in Milwaukee, Pearl Jam playing until 2am at Wrigley Field (following a lengthy rain delay), my first live exposure to the legendary Leonard Cohen, the reunited Replacements—long a favorite—being perfectly outstanding, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were virtually promised to land atop this list before 2013 even began.

And having thunderously fulfilled that promise, this "farce" of an open competition essentially begins with second place

Nonetheless, entirely filled with shows that I rated either @@@@@ or @@@@1/2—even those in  Honorable Mention—here's my forthright ranking of the Best Concerts I Attended in 2013:

(Note: I will cite opening acts in cases where I enjoyed them in their own right, but my rankings are based solely on the performance of the headliner. All venues are in Chicago area except as noted.)

1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - June 15 - Wembley Stadium, London (my review)
(Full concert audio on YouTube) 

2. The Rolling Stones - May 31 - United Center (my review)

3. Paul McCartney - July 16 - Miller Park, Milwaukee (my review)

4. The Replacements - September 15 - Riot Fest, Chicago (my review)
(YouTube playlist of most of the show)

5. Pearl Jam - July 19 - Wrigley Field (my review)

6. Soundgarden - January 29 - Riviera Theatre (my review)

7. Willie Nile - October 18 - SPACE Evanston (my review)

8. Leonard Cohen - March 13 - Chicago Theatre (my review)

9. Depeche Mode - August 24 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheater (my review)

10. Elton John - November 30 - Allstate Arena (my review)

Honorable Mention (in order of preference)

Green Day - March 28 - Allstate Arena (my review)
Opening act: Best Coast

Ash - March 17 - Lincoln Hall (my review)

Brian Wilson - July 26 - Ravinia (my review)

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - April 6 - United Center (my review)
Opening act: Joe Walsh

Fleetwood Mac - April 13 - United Center (my review)

Heart w/ Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience - July 29 - Ravinia (my review)

The Best of 2013: The Best Plays I Saw

I have to assume that in any given year, I see more non-musical plays in Chicago (and its vicinity) than I would if I lived in New York, London or anywhere else on Earth. 

As has been the case as a tourist, in those theatrical meccas I would likely focus mostly on the big budget Broadway and West End musicals, with perhaps only a handful of dramas piquing my interest.

I prefer musicals and see more of them in Chicago as well, but I also have a subscription to the Goodman Theatre—which mostly stages non-musicals—and enjoy dramatic works at other first-rate “in-house production troupe” theaters such as Steppenwolf, TimeLine, Court and Northlight, the latter being just minutes from my Skokie home.

And then there are Chicago's true storefront theaters—something for which I believe there is little equivalent, at least in terms of breadth, in NYC, London, Toronto, L.A., etc.—including Profiles, Gift, Strawdog, Steep, Redtwist and many others regularly doing stellar work in venues seating as few as 30 patrons.

In 2013, I attended 18 plays—again, not including musicals—with 17 of them being at 10 different theaters in and around Chicago; I also caught an all-female production of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre in London.

Blending together the play itself and the quality of the production in a completely non-scientific manner, here's my ranking of the Best Plays I Saw in 2013:

(Note: all are in the Chicago area unless noted; new or recent plays are denoted with an *)

1. Proof - Court Theatre (my review)
written by David Auburn; directed by Charles Newell

2. A Raisin in the Sun - TimeLine Theatre (my review)
written by Lorraine Hansberry; directed by Ron OJ Parson

3. Other Desert Cities* - Goodman Theatre (my review)
written by Jon Robin Baitz; directed by Henry Wishcamper

4. Measure for Measure - Goodman Theatre (my review)
written by William Shakespeare; directed by Robert Falls

5. The Birthday Party - Steppenwolf Theatre (my review)
written by Harold Pinter; directed by Austin Pendleton

6. Simpatico - A Red Orchid Theatre (my review)
written by Sam Shepard; directed by Dado

7. Stella & Lou* - Northlight Theatre (my review)
written by Bruce Graham ; directed by B.J. Jones

8. The Whipping Man* - Northlight Theatre (my review)
written by Matthew Lopez; directed by Kimberly Senior

9. Julius Caesar - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (my review)
written by William Shakespeare; directed by Jonathan Munby

10. The Motherf**ker with the Hat* - Steppenwolf Theatre (my review)
written by Stephen Adly Guirgis; directed by Anna D. Shapiro

Honorable Mention (in order of preference)

Detroit '67* - Northlight Theatre (my review)
written by Dominique Morrisseau; directed by Ron OJ Parson

Big Love - Strawdog Theatre (my review)
written by Charles L. Mee; directed by Matt Hawkins

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark* - Goodman Theatre (my review)
written by Lynn Nottage; directed by Chuck Smith

To Master the Art - Broadway Playhouse / TimeLine Theatre (my review)
written by William Brown and Doug Frew; directed by William Brown

The Taming of the Shrew - Globe Theatre, London (traveling troupe)
written by William Shakespeare; directed by ??

The Best of 2013: My Favorite Rock Albums

And on the 8th day...of 2013...the Thin White Duke reappeared.

Kind of.

Ten years after his last studio album and about six since he made any type of public appearance or granted an interview (to my awareness)—prompting speculation about his well-being—David Bowie surprised just about everyone.

On the night of January 7, I went to bed planning on posting a classic Bowie song to Facebook the next morning in honor of his 66th birthday, while wondering if he would ever re-emerge.

The next day I awoke to find that—sans any social media rumors or hints that his silence might be broken—Bowie released a brand new single/video, “Where Are We Now,” and announced a forthcoming album, appropriately titled The Next Day.

Especially as it was preceded by seemingly universal praise, and another fine single/video, “The Stars (Are Out Tonight),” I could hardly wait for The Next Day to be released on March 12. Though it doesn't quite match any of Bowie's many 1970s masterpieces—Honky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Aladdin Sane, Station to Station, Low, Lodger or Heroes, which the new album cover riffs on—it is a rather exemplary work, particularly given the circumstances.

And at a time when rock 'n roll is in a slumber in terms of no more than a handful of great new acts or recordings, The Next Day served to remind that—and why—David Bowie is truly an “Artist,” something that was further enunciated by the David Bowie Is exhibition I saw in London and which is coming to Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art in Fall 2014.

Although throughout the year I purchased some album downloads and listened to a number more on Spotify—which enabled me to hear several others over the last few weeks with an eye toward compiling this list—The Next Day was one of only four albums I cared enough about to buy on CD (something I still do for any artist I truly relish).

The other three CDs I bought were Paul McCartney's New, Pearl Jam's Lightning Bolt and Arcade Fire's Reflektor, all released in October.

But with the aid of Best Albums of 2013 lists from several other sources, as well as suggestions from friends, I did a deep dive recently—and some albums I hadn't heard or even heard of have wound up rather high on my list. Which, as my post title denotes, covers albums in the key of rock, although I use the term rather loosely.

My tastes start with electric guitar driven hard rock, but extend well-beyond, yet while I in no way mean to disparage the artistry many others have praised, my list won't include Kanye West, Daft Punk or Beyonce. In other words, these are simply the albums of 2013 that I liked best.

I can't provide any greater criteria, except to suggest that—as with the Bowie album—I like albums that seem to be substantive, not just in the present, but that I'll look forward to hearing years down the road.

A number of albums I checked out sounded alright, but just felt slight, or nothing likely to seem special in retrospect. Hopefully, some of those I deemed worthy enough to make this list, will not only merit your discovery, but stand the test of time.

And with that preamble, here are My Favorite Rock Albums of 2013:

1. David Bowie - The Next Day (Spotify link)
2. Johnny Marr - The Messenger (Spotify link)
3. Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse (Spotify link)
4. The National - Trouble Will Find Me (Spotify link)
5. Arcade Fire - Reflektor (Spotify link)
6. Paul McCartney - NEW (Spotify link)
7. Hey! Hello! - self-titled (Spotify link)
8. Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (Spotify link)
9. Matthew Sweet and Susannah Hoffs - Under the Covers, Vol. 3 (Spotify link)
10. Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt (Spotify link)

Honorable Mention (in preference order)

Dawes - Stories Don't End (Spotify link)
The So So Glos - Blowout (Spotify link)
Elton John - The Diving Board (Spotify link)
Lee Ranaldo and the Dust - Last Night on Earth (Spotify link)
Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (Spotify link)
Willie Nile - American Ride (Spotify link)
Cage the Elephant - Melophobia (Spotify link)
CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe (Spotify link)
Haim - Days Are Gone (Spotify link)
Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork (Spotify link)