Best of 2013

Happy 2014 Everybody! Having seen 520 films last year, and finished up with the Film Registry lists, it’s time for my 2013 movie awards!
BEST PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM, RUNNER UP – This is Cinerama – Gorgeous cinematography surpasses the Cinerama gimmick.
BEST PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM – 3:10 to Yuma – This 1957 Glenn Ford/Van Heflin western is twisty, suspenseful fun.
BEST NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM SEEN IN 2013, RUNNER UP – Pulp Fiction – Still fresh even after spawning so many inferior imitators.
BEST NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM SEEN IN 2013 – Schindler’s List – Twenty years later, Spielberg’s powerful masterpiece still enthralls.
BEST NON-NFR VINTAGE FILM SEEN IN 2013, RUNNER UP – Barton Fink – The Coen Brothers finest film…and that’s saying quite a bit!
BEST NON-NFR VINTAGE FILM SEEN IN 2013 – Sátántangó – This eight-hour black-and-white Hungarian epic is purely awe-inspiring.
BEST UNRELEASED FILM SEEN IN 2013, RUNNER UP – Like Father, Like Son – This Japanese switched-at-birth drama doesn’t pull any punches.
BEST UNRELEASED FILM SEEN IN 2013 – Belle – A gorgeous and delightful film which deftly remixes the Jane Austenesque period drama.
MOST OVERLOOKED 2013 FILM, RUNNER UP – Side Effects – This twisty and fun thriller dumped at the beginning of the year deserves a 2nd look.
MOST OVERLOOKED 2013 FILM – I Declare War – A tiny, yet amazing, film which depicts the twists and turns of children playing at war.
MOST DISAPPOINTING 2013 FILM, RUNNER UP – Captain Philips – Decentish, but not even the best captured-by-Somalian-pirates movie this year.
MOST DISAPPOINTING 2013 FILM – World War Z – A masterpiece of a book. A truly mediocre movie. Shoulda been an epic miniseries instead.
WORST 2013 FILM, RUNNER UP – GI Joe Retaliation – A pure muddled mess…and that was with pretty low expectations going in.
WORST 2013 FILM – The Internship – The most annoying movie-length piece of product-placement since Mac And Me.
BEST 2013 MOVIE TRAILER, RUNNER UP – Man of Steel – Mythic, powerful, beautiful. Captured the essence of a down-to-earth Superman.
BEST 2013 MOVIE TRAILER – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – Amazing and inspiring. If only the movie were as half as good.
BEST 2013 HORROR FILM, RUNNER UP – You’re Next – A fun twist on the home-invasion horror genre.
BEST 2013 HORROR FILM – Sightseers – A witty, darkly comic romp through the English countryside with a pair of unlikely murderers.
BEST 2013 ACTION FILM, RUNNER UP – Iron Man Three – Writer/Director Shane Black is still a master at crafting a superb action film.
BEST 2013 ACTION FILM – Gravity – An absolute thrill ride. Easily the most edge-of-your-seat excitement of the year, if not decade.
BEST 2013 COMEDY, RUNNER UP – The Heat – Sandra Bullock goes 2-0 this year, and Melissa McCarthy…well, let’s just forget Identity Thief.
BEST 2013 COMEDY – Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – Surpasses the original in nearly every way; funnier than a film has any right to be.
BEST 2013 ANIMATED FILM, RUNNER UP – Despicable Me 2 – In a weak year for animation, the Evil Minions helped this sequel stand apart.
BEST 2013 ANIMATED FILM – Frozen – A dazzling return to the classic Disney fairytale musical, with a surprisingly intricate plot.
BEST 2013 FOREIGN FILM, RUNNER UP – No – A Chilean drama about a political ad campaign? Can it be any good? Yes.
BEST 2013 FOREIGN FILM – A Hijacking – Now this is the way to have a captured-by-Somali-pirates movie. Take that, Captain Philips!
BEST 2013 SCENE, RUNNER UP – The hanging, 12 Years a Slave – You can’t tear your eyes away from the screen during this long, painful take.
BEST 2013 SCENE – The debris field hits, Gravity – Cuaron ups the ante on his single-take sequences in Children of Men, and succeeds.
BEST 2013 SCREENPLAY, RUNNER UP – American Hustle – I told you not to put the metal in the science oven!!!
BEST 2013 SCREENPLAY – Before Midnight – Linklater, Hawke and Delpy manage to surpass themselves in the highlight of their trilogy.
BEST 2013 DOG ON FILM, RUNNER UP – Baxter, Anchorman 2 – Alas, Doby is ineligible for this award. Surely Baxter would have beat him anyway!
BEST 2013 DOG ON FILM – Poppy/Banjo, Sightseers – Watch out for those knitting needles!
BEST 2013 ACTRESS, RUNNER UP – Amy Adams – American Hustle – An incredible layered performance that elevates Adams way out of her box.
BEST 2013 ACTRESS – Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave – A stellar and heartbreaking performance by this relative newcomer.
BEST 2013 ACTOR, RUNNER UP – Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave – A compelling and nuanced portrayal at the center of this strong film.
BEST 2013 ACTOR – Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club – Leto returns to acting with a terrifically stunning, transformative role.
BEST 2013 FILM, RUNNER UP – 12 Years a Slave – A hard film to watch, but an incredibly powerful and rewarding one when you do.
BEST 2013 FILM – Gravity – By all means, see this on the biggest screen available; this is the stuff for which movies exist. Wow!