TOP THREE FILMS OF THE FIRST 1/2 OF 2013.

Since June is coming to a close, and that we're halfway through the year, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about my top three films from the first half of this year. I've been to the cinema countless times this year, probably seeing the majority of features released into UK theatres, therefore I am choosing from an extremely wide selection of films. Possibly expect a list of the top films I'm anticipating for the second half of the year in the next few days.

Seeing as I'm from the UK, some of these films could have possibly have been released late 2012 in your country of residence, but not on my small island!
In no particular order:

Stoker, dir. Park Chan-Wook.

I have already done a post on Stoker, which can be found here. I loved this film. The performances by Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode are outstanding, however as with all Park Chan-Wook films, the cinematography is outstanding and is responsible for a lot of the enjoyment I got out of this film. It feels that Chan-Wook is blessed with the ability to make shots so interesting without diverging from the plot and entering experimental cinema. There is a fine line between directors who aim for this and directors who achieve this, and Chan-Wook most definitely falls into the latter category.

Cloud Atlas, dir. Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski & Andy Wachowski.

Again, I've made a post on this film also which can be found here. I cannot express my love for this film. It's a long film, there's no questioning that, however when taken into consideration the amount of stories within the film, the length is broken up and made thoroughly enjoyable (provided that your cinema doesn't have ridiculously uncomfortable seats like mine). With elements of comedy, drama, romance and suspense, the film boasts possible the most diverse range of themes of any film from the year.
The film's highlight for me was definitely not a cinematic feature however, as the film was an adaptation of a novel, it features direct quotes from the book. These quotes are beautifully fitted with the amazing cinematography and outstanding costumes from both past eras and the futuristic ones.
Perhaps save this film for a rainy day as it's one you will get invested into and lose three hours of your day, however don't go on for the rest of the year pushing this film aside, as I know I sometimes do with longer films that I haven't got a direct interest in seeing, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the adventure, or numerous adventures, that this film will take you on.

The Place Beyond the Pines, dir. Derek Cianfrance.

Possibly my favourite film of the year, Derek Cianfrance did amazingly in portraying the lives and connections of a number of different characters. This film presents itself in three sections, with interestingly, everybody I have spoken to about it enjoying a different section the most. I personally enjoyed the first and last segments the most, feeling that Ryan Gosling's performance reigned supreme and Dane DeHaan's running a close second. Without a doubt the films main attraction was Ryan Gosling playing the 'main' role, which would make me a small bit upset seeing as Cianfrance's past work has been outstanding and his films are intriguing, however Gosling earned every audience members ticket money in this performance.
A clever advertising trick was played with the promotion of this movie, with a characters death not being hinted at at all throughout the advertisements, teasing the audience with constant plot twists and turns. A strong favourite of the year, this film is a brilliant crime drama and another outstanding film from Cianfrance.