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10 Great Movies From 2013 That You Probably Missed In Theatres

More than 600 movies received a theatrical release in 2013, which means that if you went to see a new movie every day this year, you still could not cover the whole cinematic spectrum. 2013 was, in this critic’s opinion, one of the best years for film in recent memory. Of the 80 or so films I saw this year, I enjoyed about two thirds of them. The titles that I can recommend heartily range from big-budget extravaganzas (among them, Gravity and Star Trek Into Darkness), as well as modest films that did not last long in theatres. If the diversity of the picks from early awards and critics prizes attest to anything, it is that the variety of quality films was vast this year.

[h2]6) No[/h2]

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Why would anyone want to watch a historical drama from Chile about a political referendum that was held 25 years ago? Well, because No is a bona-fide crowd pleaser, as taut as Argo and as appealing as Game Change.

Pablo Larrain’s Oscar-nominated drama tells the story of a youthful ad man, René (Gael Garcia Bernal), who creates an ad campaign that changes the history of his country. In 1988, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet called a referendum for people to vote on whether they wanted him to stay in power. A ‘Yes’ vote would keep him at the top for eight years. A ‘No’ vote would press him to step down. Like so much of Western political life today, there is much public ambivalence toward the race, but also the chance for a campaign to arrest citizens’ attention and spur change.

This is where René comes in, grabbing the public eyeballs in a cheesy but buoyant set of commercials to let Chileans know the benefits of democracy. The aired footage is pandering but sincere, filled with smiling children, a catchy jingle and a tacky rainbow insignia. It is a shiny, if superficial glimpse at what democracy looks like, and it gets the country talking.

Bernal is excellent as the exuberant lead, a youthful representative who likes to be in control of his destiny. The film is also a stylistic triumph, as cinematographer Sergio Armstrong films it with a grainy video camera. The scenes are low-fi, the drained vibrancy of the images placing the audience back at a time where the media was only starting to become more omnipresent in how we view political life. It is a fascinating and often fun glimpse into one rambunctious referendum, filled with sharp humour and strong performances.