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.*

Special Mentions

• Captain Phillips
• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
• The Spectacular Now
• This is the End
• Spring Breakers (The most underrated movie of the year)

10. Blue Jasmine (Dir. Woody Allen)

Honestly, I don't know how he does it. Somehow, Woody Allen manages to make some of the best films about women and Blue Jasmine is another gem. The true marvel of the film is Cate Blanchett. She is absolutely mesmerizing as Jasmine, a woman who is on the brink of a meltdown even worse than the financial crisis that destroyed her life. The end alone solidifies her as one of the best actresses in cinema. She is rounded out by an excellent supporting cast including Sally Hawkins, Bobby Cannavale, Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard, Louis C.K., Michael Stuhlbarg and Andrew Dice Clay, who was a real surprise. 

Woody Allen understands the white collar socialites and the blue collar workers and it shines through his dialogue. Neither side is perfect, but both are mysteriously charming and wildly insane. It's been compared to Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, which doesn't hurt in the least.

9. Inside Llewyn Davis (Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen)

When we are introduced to Llewyn Davis, we see him singing in a Manhattan club to a small audience. He, along with his guitar and a cat, takes us on a journey through the 1960's folk movement. Brilliantly written by Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis provokes the very fears within every upcoming artist. That you might not have "it".

Oscar Isac gives one the year's finest performances as Llewyn Davis, a quite unlikable fellow who dreams of making big. He's to proud to sell out, but struggles to find a place to sleep. He's a loner with no one taking him in. The reality of not being accepted is such a poignant, raw feeling that strikes close to home. Although he his a self righteous jerk, it's the road to success that's even more unsettling. Along with the best soundtrack of the year, the Coen's have crafted a beautiful story full of sadness, passion and music. 

8. Mud (Dir. Jeff Nichols)

Mud is a prime example of perfect story telling. This exquisite film was written by Jeff Nichols, who made one of my favorite films of 2011 Take Shelter. He really is one of my favorite up and coming filmmakers.

It stars Tye Sheridan, in one the best breakthrough performances of the year, who tries to aid a mysterious man who lives in a boat in a tree. His name is Mud. Matthew McCoughanhey plays the titular role, and along with his work in Dallas Buyers Club and The Wolf of Wall Street, is emerging as one of Hollywood's best character actors. Mud is filled with so much intrigue that its absolutely spellbinding.

7. Nebraska (Dir. Alexander Payne)

You have Bruce Dern. Will Forte. A great script from first time writer Bob Nelson. And a million dollars. They all get mixed together in the world of Alexander Payne's Nebraska, a wonderful slice of Americana.

Woodrow T. Grant (Dern) wins a prize of a million dollars. All he has to do is go to Nebraska to claim it. Photographed in glorious black and white, Nebraska is like a photo album of one's past. We, along with his son (Forte) accompany “Woody” as he meets some of the most original characters of the year, most notably his wife played by the charming June Squibb. The film never shies away from the harsh realities of Woody's world. The people who took advantage of him. "The one that got away".  Is this the life that Woody wanted? With a simple shot of Woody's face or a desolate road that seems like its going nowhere, the film reaches to our very psychosis.

After I saw this film on a cold autumn’s night, I walked around the small town in which it was playing and looked through the windows of the old shops. A burst of nostalgia and memory came across me as I saw places from the past. Nebraska captures the loves and the losses of life.

6. Rush (Dir. Ron Howard)

Now I'm not a car person at all, let a alone racing fan. I respect and admire the daredevils that are apart of the the sport. When I heard Ron Howard was making a racing movie, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I can strongly say it might be his best movie since Apollo 13.

Back in the 1970's, James Hunt and Niki Luada were the talk of Formula One racing. Liam Hemsworth plays Hunt as a partying, womanizing, driver who relies on instinct and guts to get to the finish line. Then you have Niki Luada who is played by Daniel Bruel in the supporting performance of the year. He is the complete opposite of Hunt. Both are extremely cocky and have so much hubris that its' creates on of the best screen rivalries in recent cinema. It's an absolute thrill of two men trying to reach the same goal. Being the best. 

Ron Howard has dazzled moviegoers from Cinderella Man, Frost/Nixon, and Ransom, but Rush is where I see many of his creative bounds. The film itself is like a Formula One car. Perfectly constructed from the performances, a screenplay by Peter Morgan, the sound design and cinematography which all are important parts that move the film along. In the driver's seat is Howard who guides the film with such excitement and fun direction. Rush is a breath of fresh air for Howard and it is certainly a step forward from his first racing film Grand Theft Auto (1977).

5. Fruitvale Station (Dir. Ryan Coogler)

Ryan Coogler makes the most impressive debut with Fruitvale Station, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. I was completely blown away with how intimate we get with the character of Oscar Grant and the true events that happened on the last day of his life. I can't help but be reminded of It's a Wonderful Life and the undeniable effect it had on me. I can say it's the best movie about New Year's Eve I've ever seen.

Michael B. Jordan gives the best performance of the year as Grant, a man in his twenties that has been made his fair share of mistakes in his life. He has been to prison, got fired from his job, and is not around his daughter as much as he'd like. But he is not a bad person, in fact he is quite the opposite. He has a great relationship with his mother played by the excellent Octavia Spencer and also a beautiful relationship with his girlfriend and mother of his daughter who is portrayed by Melanie Diaz. The film has so much affection for these characters that it never idolizes or demonizes them. They are real people. They inspire Oscar to be a better man and what we witness over the course of a day is his road to redemption and forgiveness. It all takes place on New Year's Eve 2008 and Coogler creates an excellent sense of time and place and he is a filmmaker I will be closely watching. It's electrifying filmmaking.

Yes what happens to Oscar Grant on that night is beyond tragic. But what the movie encapsulates is the love we have for each other and the spirit of the human experience. I can't recall where or when I was during the events nor can I imagine how the family felt during those final hours. But I will always remember when I saw Fruitvale Station.

4. Before Midnight (Dir. Richard Linklater)

Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy give one last go with Jesse and Celine, a pair we met back in 1995 in Before Sunrise and then again in Before Sunset in 2004. I love these characters so much that it was a real pleasure to see them again.

We find our characters in Greece on vacation. This time they have two daughters and we also meet Jesse's son from his first marriage. From there we get picturesque moments of Greece as Jeese and Celine do what they do best. Talk. And that is the real spirit and heart of these films. It celebrates the spoken word in ways that most films don't even bother doing. These once lovers are now married and they have just as much to say as they did in their younger years. The spark that started their relationship is dimming. Love is not how they imagined it to be. But the film questions love and the nature in which it works. Is there such thing as eternal love? Do we have expectations of true love or romantic love? What are those expectations?

Hawke and Delpy are these characters. Their chemistry is undeniable. The final scene is the true essence of their relationship. It's one of the great romances in film. It saddens me that I won't see these characters in future installments, but every great story comes to an end at one point and Before Midnight concludes what I think is the best film trilogy of all time.

3. Gravity (Dir. Alfonzo Cuaron)

Gravity was an experience I will never forget. I had to see it in IMAX 3D and it's a decision that I will never regret. The size of the film is so large and packs such a punch in its' ninety minute run time. It's technical marvel that surpass movies like Avatar. From the breathtaking cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, to the score of Steven Price, space has never looked so beautifully horrifying. It hits on all cylinders.

Sandra Bullock the best performance of her career as the lone astronaut that encounters one unfortunate event after another. I'm not a particular fan of her body of work, but seeing her here proves she can be a great actress. But the real stand out here is director Alfonso Cuaron. The man knows how to thrill an audience from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban to Children of Men, and with Gravity, he created his very best film to date. I can easily say he is similar to Peter Jackson or Robert Zemeckis in regards to using special effects to their fullest potential.

A film that was pushed back a year, I was uneasy as to what the final product would be. But when the lights in the theaters dimmed and the beginning of a marvelous 12 minute opening shot, a huge grim came across my face. I felt the magic of the movies cast its' spell on me.  

2. Her (Dir. Spike Jonze)

I love Spike Jonze. He has yet to hit a false note. His films have so much whimsy, but in its' whimsical nature there is commentary about the human mind and soul that I think only the finest of filmmakers can truly achieve. Her is his finest effort, which is saying a lot.

An idea of a man in love with his Operating System sounds ludicrous, but Jonze's superb screenplays walks a tightrope of comedy, romance, and some of the best social commentary I've seen in any film. As soon as the first frame was shown I was completely taken by it. Joaquin Phoenix, gives another great performance as Theodore Thumbly, a man who rights letters for other couples. He purchases an OS, with whom she calls herself Samantha. They become acquainted, they grow a friendship, they fall in love. But what is love? Can love survive in the future?

Jonze creates a distant future that is plausible but very sad. Humans don't seem like humans. The roles of have switched in a strange way. It's something that concerns me. The world is slowly losing touch with each other that technology seems to have more personality. There is one moment, which needs to be seen to be believed. I gasped out loud. It's the first time I've ever done that. I really don't want to go into any more detail about because I will ruin the whole movie for all you. 

After I saw the film on Christmas night, I posted that everyone needs to see it. Yes, it's weird. And yes, you may be disturbed. But isn't that what love is all about?

*(This song needs to win the Oscar!)*

1. 12 Years a Slave (Dir. Steve McQueen)

What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said it. From every critic group, institute and guild has bestowed it's honor as the best film of the year. I can whole heartily agree. It was very, very difficult to choice between this and Her, but in the end, 12 Years a Slave is the best movie of the year.

It has been a long while since I saw a film that seem to work so well on every single level. I felt like I wasn't watching a movie anymore and that I was transported to a world of pure inhumanity. The story is of Solomon Northrup, who was kidnapped as a free man and was sold into slavery. From then on, we follow Solomon as he is herded from one owner to the next. Each one showing a side of human nature that we never wanted to see, but had to see. 

Chiwetel Ejiofor has been around in movies for quite some time and has supported many of our finest actors from Denzel Washington to Don Cheadle. Here he is in complete control of a character who has lost all his liberties. A man of dignity and passion. A family man with a talent for playing the violin. Solomon plays the violin with such confidence, that every note is another part of his soul. It's a star making performance that will go down as one of the finest screen performances of recent years.

Steve McQueen has given us two films about human struggle, Hunger and his masterpiece Shame. His world is never sugar coated, it's a world where people fight to survive. People long for a better world, without sin, without judgment. It's our world. His collaboration with cinematographer Sean Bobbit is amazing. Known for his long shots, McQueen allows his actors truly live within in the moment and he captures so many of them. From a shot of Solomon hanging from a tree, to the most brutal whipping scene I've ever seen. 

There is such much more that I can talk about from the Hans Zimmer score to the rest of the ensemble cast. Michael Fassbender is one of the best actors in recent memory as a dastardly slave owner. Lupita Nyong'o is a name that everyone should remember as the heart that has been beaten one too many times. I congratulate everyone who has worked on this film. You have my highest praise.

I loved this movie that it's hard for me to say that one viewing is all I need. The film has implanting so many images, sounds, and voices that I will carry with me forever. 12 Years a Slave is a perfect movie.

The Worst Film of the Year: Oz: Great and Powerful

The reason why I pick this as the worst movie is that it represents the trend of the unnecessary Hollywood reboot. In recent years, there has been a boat load of remakes of classic films. The idea to remake is one, but it's another thing when a film pats itself on the shoulder for including references from the prior source material. Oz: The Great and Powerful lures you with iconic imagery from the classic film and manipulates moviegoers to buy tickets. What we get is a bland film that floods the screen with CGI sequences and a lack luster story about how the wizard became the man of Oz.

Throughout the viewing, I kept asking myself, why did this need to be made? What is the purpose? Why can't the original be enough? It doesn't offer much as a film or as an expansion of the Oz universe. Although I do like one particular sequence which is how he becomes the man behind the curtain. I won't spoil, but it's clever. Otherwise it's nothing we haven't seen before. But to be quite frank, it exists solely to make money.

Of course film is a business, I can understand that, but after seeing so many beautiful, rich, original films this year, movies like Oz standout like a sore thumb. I'm not going to lie when I say that this is not the worst film I've seen. Actually it's far from it. But my experience and how I felt after I saw it left me so hollow, so uninspired. I got duped.

Final Thought(s)

I wish I could tie my top two films. I really really do. Both are excellent in their own special way. To say which one is better is a question I cannot answer. To be honest, my top five are equal in their own rights. It's hard to rank films. It's something I like to do, but at the same time it's apples and oranges. All I can do is passionately give my opinion. Film, movies, cinema, whatever you want to call is something that is so special to me and that seeing a great film is truly a great pleasure in life. To have a year like this is a dream for any movie lover. 

I hope you enjoyed this list. I highly recommend all of them and I will definitely see these films again and again. Let's hope 2014 is just as good as 2013. 

What are your favorites of the year?

*The following films were not seen when compiling this list: Frances Ha, Stories We Tell, The Act of Killing, The Great Beauty, The Hunt, Wadja, The Rocket, Dallas Buyers Club, Short Term 12, Blue is the Warmest Color.*