Napoli Predicts the Oscar Nominations

by Michael Napoli

It's almost here. Yes, the nominations for the 86th Academy Awards will be announced tomorrow morning (8:30 am ET/ 5:30 am PT). Some of the big questions of the award seasons will be answered? Which film will receive the most nominations? Will it be 12 Years a Slave or Gravity? Is American Hustle the one to watch? What will be surprising inclusions? What will be snubbed?

Many pundits, experts, and critics will all have their prediction ready on nomination morning. I will also be watching as well and I attempted to predict the nominations in all 24 categories. Let's hope I'm right.

The Best Films of 2013

by Michael Napoli

Let's take a moment and look back to the very beginning of the year. After creating my "best of 2012 list , I started probing the internet to see what 2013 will have in store. After a year like 2012, I thought that the year couldn't hold up. From face value, it seem that way with sequels, reboots, and remakes crowding the calendar. And of course, there were a few films that I heard about that looked promising, but nothing jumped out. I was preparing for a bland year. But oh, I love being wrong.  

What looked like being a very forgettable year, became one the strongest years of film that I've experienced as a movie goer. Heck, it surpasses 2012 in my book. When last year succeeded in  creating great Hollywood film, 2013 added onto that by giving some of the best culturally diverse films both independent and mainstream. American masters like Scorsese, Allen and the Coens are continuing to cement their mark on cinema. But most importantly, a new wave of filmmakers, (Chandor, Coogler, Nichols) are brushing new strokes in the art of filmmaking.

As we close the door on 2013, here are my picks for the very best films of 2013.*

Best Films of 2013 BAYLEY

TOP 10 of 2013 –BAYLEY

In 2013, many critics have come out and said this was one of the strongest years in recent memory for film for a number of reasons. It was not only one of the most lucrative years at the box office, but also one of the toughest years to decipher your favorites from this crop of strong performances and bold/original filmmaking. When a Best Actor race is being decided by strong performances from Ejiofor, Dern, McConaughey, Hanks, Dicaprio, Redford, Whitaker, Phoenix, Isaac, and Bale, while your lead actress contenders consist of great work from Blanchett, Bullock, Thompson, Streep, Dench, Exarchopoulos and Adams, you know it’s a special year.  So without further ado…

Below is the list of my TOP 10 Favorites of 2013.