Film Comment’s Top 10 Films Released in 2013
1. Joel & Ethan Coen’s INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
2. Steve McQueen’s 12 YEARS A SLAVE
3. Richard Linklater’s BEFORE MIDNIGHT
4. Joshua Oppenheimer’s THE ACT OF KILLING
5. Jia Zhang-ke’s A TOUCH OF SIN
6. Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Véréna Paravel’s LEVIATHAN
7. Alfonso Cuarón’s GRAVITY
8. Andrew Bujalski’s COMPUTER CHESS
9. Noah Baumbach’s FRANCES HA
10. Shane Carruth’s UPSTREAM COLOR.
Rankings #11 – #20
11. Museum Hours, Director: Jem Cohen
12. Blue Is the Warmest Color, Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
13. Bastards, Director: Claire Denis
14. Spring Breakers, Director: Harmony Korine
15. Like Someone in Love, Director: Abbas Kiarostami
16. Stories We Tell, Director: Sarah Polley
17. Her, Director: Spike Jonze
18. Nebraska, Director: Alexander Payne
19. American Hustle, Director: David O. Russell
20. The Grandmaster, Director: Wong Kar Wai
Rankings #21 – #30
21. At Berkeley, Director: Frederick Wiseman
22. Beyond the Hills, Director: Cristian Mungiu
23. No, Director: Pablo Larraín
24. The Great Beauty, Director: Paolo Sorrentino
25. Blue Jasmine, Director: Woody Allen
26. All Is Lost, Director: J.C. Chandor
27. Post Tenebras Lux, Director: Carlos Reygadas
28. Something in the Air, Director: Olivier Assayas
29. Viola, Director: Matías Piñeiro
30. Fruitvale Station, Director: Ryan Coogler
Rankings #31 – #40
31. To the Wonder, Director: Terrence Malick
32. Night Across the Street, Director: Raúl Ruiz
33. Room 237, Director: Rodney Ascher
34. Faust, Director: Aleksandr Sokurov
35. Let the Fire Burn, Director: Jason Osder
36. Le Pont du Nord, Director: Jacques Rivette
37. The Wolf of Wall Street, Director: Martin Scorsese
38. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet, Director: Alain Resnais
39. The Last Time I Saw Macao, Director: João Pedro Rodrigues
40. The Past, Director: Asghar Farhadi
Rankings #41 – #50
41. The Square, Director: Jehane Noujaim
42. The Wind Rises, Director: Hayao Miyazaki
43. Drug War, Director: Johnnie To
44. Cousin Jules, Director: Dominique Benicheti
45. Much Ado About Nothing, Director: Joss Whedon
46. Passion, Director: Brian De Palma
47. Short Term 12, Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
48. Dallas Buyers Club, Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
49. Berberian Sound Studio, Director: Peter Strickland
50. Captain Phillips, Director: Paul Greengrass
FILMS WITHOUT DISTRIBUTION 2013
1. Jealousy, Director: Philippe Garrel
2. Stray Dogs, Director: Tsai Ming-liang
3. What Now? Remind Me, Director: Joaquim Pinto
4. Nobody’s Daughter Haewon, Director: Hong Sang-soo
5. Abuse of Weakness, Director: Catherine Breillat
6. Our Sunhi, Director: Hong Sang-soo
7. The Strange Little Cat, Director: Ramon Zürcher
8. A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness, Directors: Ben Rivers & Ben Russell
9. Story of My Death, Director: Albert Serra
10. Club Sandwich, Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Rankings #11 – #20
11. Closed Curtain, Director: Jafar Panahi
12. Til Madness Do Us Part, Director: Wang Bing
13. Three Interpretation Exercises, Director: Cristi Puiu
14. Stemple Pass, Director: James Benning
15. People’s Park, Directors: Libbie D. Cohn & J. P. Sniadecki
16. The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears, Directors: Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
17. La Ultima Película, Directors: Raya Martin & Mark Peranson
18. Butter on the Latch, Director: Josephine Decker
19. Blind Detective, Director: Johnnie To
20. Coast of Death, Director: Lois Patiño
Offering the most comprehensive assessment of the year in film, Film Comment received responses from more than 120 participants including (in alphabetical order): David Ansen (LAFF Artistic Director), Richard Brody (The New Yorker), Scott Foundas (Variety), Susan Gerhard (Editor, Fandor), Haden Guest (Director, Harvard Film Archive), Eugene Hernandez (Director of Digital Strategy, Film Society of Lincoln Center), J. Hoberman (The New York Times), Ann Hornaday (Washington Post), Kent Jones (Programming Director of NYFF), Daniel Kasman (MUBI), Eric Kohn (IndieWire), Dennis Lim (FSLC Director of Cinematheque Programming), Scott Macaulay (Filmmaker Magazine), Leonard Maltin (Entertainment Tonight), Todd McCarthy (Hollywood Reporter), Andréa Picard (Programmer, Toronto Film Festival’s “Wavelengths” Curator), Amy Taubin (Film Comment Contributing Editor and NYFF Selection
Great list. 3 of my top 10 are in their top 10 (Upstream Color, A Touch of Sin, and 12 Years a Slave), and another 2 (Spring Breakers and Nebraska) make their top 20. And I really, really want to see Computer Chess.
I like this list. The Act of Killing at #4. It’s my #1.
But why am I the only one who thinks “All Is Lost” is a masterpiece? I felt this way after I saw movies like “Adaptation,” “Children of Men,” “Where the Wild Things Are,” and “War Horse”–movies that I put at #1 or #2 for the year but got minimal attention for BP from either the Oscars or the blogging communities. Since then, some of these movies have risen in stature–“Adaptation” is at last taken seriously in academic-literary communities, and I hope people are increasingly recognizing the profundity and prophetic nature of “Children of Men,” which better than any film I’ve seen depicts the 21st century global community in crisis. “War Horse” at least got a BP nom because it was Spielberg, but nobody actually took it seriously as a self-conscious artwork, except a handful of critics. “All Is Lost” should be taken seriously!
In ten years, people will be saying, J.C. Chandor is overdue, look at the great films he’s created, like “Margin Call,” and “All Is Lost”! Why didn’t we recognize him then, now we have to give him overdue compensation! Well… recognize the film now!
Chris thanks for the perspective, now I know not to take this list serious. Bye.
A Touch of Sin is an interesting one. I hated it, but wouldn’t mind seeing it again, just to see if it really doesn’t have a heart. You must care a little bit, unless you don’t and then…I still hate it.
Prince Avalanche seems to be missing from this group’s list. I like to think of it as a prequal to Into the Wild.
American Hustle, while critic proof to an extent and will probably win BP when all is said and done, but…it is nothing more than 15 or so music videos strung together. Most scenes were directed to the music rather than a story.
Bryce, if you found those movies baffling, check out Post Tenebras Lux for an undiluted shot of WTF.
I’m thrilled to see Frances Ha in the top 10. That movie have me the warm and fuzzies. And I’m delighted by their top 3!
What do you get when you mix a French and a Norwegian?
-Brie Larson lol
American Hussell by David O. Rustle lol
More lol?
-Answer: #23
PS: I will never get the love for Spring Breakers or its supporting actor. Never.
PPS: I’m drinking beer. Good night.
No “The World’s End”, GTFO.
No “The Spectacular Now”, GTFO.
No “Mud”, on a list of 50???? Really GTFO.
Her is too low on the list, as is American Hustle. Agree with Bryce that Gravity is low as well.
yeah david, and they said Brie Larson was the worst actress ever. 😉
The Wolf of Wall Street at #37??
Wait. PASSION counts for this year? D: I didn’t know that.
Short term 12 at # 47!!!! That’s bs
So whatever travesties I’m sure will undoubtedly happen on Oscar night, we have a March 2014 to look forward to wash down the vomit aftertaste:
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL and NOAH in theaters! Home video release of CATCHING FIRE, and HD upgrades of BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA, THE VISITOR, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS, and PERSONA !!!
Don’t despair.
They always have the best year end lists.
Great to see Sarah Polley’s Stories we tell up so high. I would be thrilled for her to receive an Oscar nod this year.
Smiling at last – don’t know why.
Always look forward to their list. They can be rough, but fair.
They have the best covers. GRAVITY too low. I think SPRING BREAKERS is a little low at #14 too. Great list overall! I do not understand LEVIATHAN and UPSTREAM COLOR I feel stupid, what are they about?!