2) Kill Your Darlings
I’ve said it once but I’ll say it again – Kill Your Darlings makes me want to be a better writer. The mentality of these wacko beat poets helped define a generation of free thinkers, big dreamers, and creativity pushers, which helps bolster the vibrant life of John Krokidas’s first feature film. It’s a film about intellectual anarchy, going against the ways set in stone by stoic rule-followers who need a box to think inside of. Oh yeah, it’s also about the murder that brought such names as Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston), and William Burroughs (Ben Foster) together, and without them, we wouldn’t have had the “New Vision!”
For my money, I saw some of the best acting of 2013 in Kill Your Darlings. Jack Huston, Ben Foster, Michael C. Hall – all of these men filled the shoes of their characters with passion and intensity. Dane DeHaan and Daniel Radcliffe – these men went above and beyond the call of duty, creating characters that popped off the screen. In every scene these two were acting their hearts out, and each scene was more powerful than the last. Kill Your Darlings is the moment Daniel Radcliffe proved he wasn’t stuck being Harry Potter his whole life, and where Dane DeHaan proved he was ready to be a top-tier talent – mark my words.
I feel bad for John Krokidas because he had my top pick until only a few days ago, when a little film came along and just, JUST edged him out. Still, I’m sure being the second best movie of 2013 is a pretty nice achievement.
Kill Your Darlings is currently not in theaters. Read my full review of the film here and be sure to check out our exclusive video interview with the cast below.