(Thanks Marshall!)
Best Film
1. Inside Llewyn Davis — points: 347; mentions: 55
2. Her — points: 317; mentions: 46
3. 12 Years a Slave — points: 277; mentions: 44
4. Before Midnight — points: 256; mentions: 38
5. The Act of Killing — points: 189; mentions: 36
6. Leviathan — points: 171; mentions: 25
7. Upstream Color — points: 142; mentions: 24
8. Gravity — points: 139; mentions: 24
9. Frances Ha — points: 135; mentions: 29
10. Blue Is the Warmest Color — points: 132; mentions: 24
Best Director
1. Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave — mentions: 15
2. Spike Jonze, Her — mentions: 12
3. Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity — mentions: 9
4. Shane Carruth, Upstream Color — mentions: 6
5. Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street — mentions: 4
Best Actor
1. Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis — points: 79; mentions: 39
2. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave — points: 77; mentions: 36 3. Joaquin Phoenix, Her — points: 63; mentions: 29
4. Robert Redford, All Is Lost — points: 52; mentions: 25
5. Bruce Dern, Nebraska — points: 24; mentions: 12
Best Actress
1. Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue Is the Warmest Color — points: 81; mentions: 37
2. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine — points: 64; mentions: 28
3. Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha — points: 50; mentions: 25
4. Brie Larson, Short Term 12 — points: 39; mentions: 21
5. Julie Delpy, Before Midnight — points: 38; mentions: 20
Best Supporting Actress
1. Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave — points: 93; mentions: 38
2. Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle — points: 48; mentions: 25
3. Léa Seydoux, Blue Is the Warmest Color — points: 41; mentions: 20
4. Scarlett Johansson, Her — points: 35; mentions: 16
5. June Squibb, Nebraska — points: 33; mentions: 19
Best Supporting Actor
1. James Franco, Spring Breakers — points: 99; mentions: 43
2. Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave — points: 46; mentions: 22
3. James Gandolfini, Enough Said — points: 43; mentions: 19
4. Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club — points: 27; mentions: 12
5. Andrew Dice Clay, Blue Jasmine — points: 17; mentions: 9
Best Documentary
1. The Act of Killing — mentions: 27
2. Stories We Tell — mentions: 16
3. Leviathan — mentions: 14
4. At Berkeley — mentions: 5
5. Let the Fire Burn — mentions: 4
Best First Feature
1. Fruitvale Station — mentions: 19
2. Wadjda — mentions: 8
3. Sun Don’t Shine — mentions: 5
Best Undistributed Film
1. Stray Dogs — points: 28; mentions: 13
2. What Now? Remind Me — points: 15; mentions: 7
3. The Strange Little Cat — points: 11; mentions: 6
Best Animated Feature
1. The Wind Rises — mentions: 29
2. Frozen — mentions: 9
3. Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? — mentions: 8
Best Screenplay
1. Before Midnight — mentions: 21 2. Her — mentions: 13 (tie) Inside Llewyn Davi
Worst Film
1. Only God Forgives — mentions: 6
2. A Good Day to Die Hard — mentions: 5
3. Pain & Gain — mentions: 4
Movie Everyone’s Wrong About
1. American Hustle — mentions: 5 (tie)
12 Years a Slave
Nebraska
This year, 96 critics from across the country voted for their favorite films, performances, and filmmakers in 13 categories. Films were awarded five points each. A film is eligible only in the year that it was first distributed in the U.S.
In 2013 there were a thousand bright lights and no strong center — even with Gravity, which ranked No. 8 on our tally of almost 100 critics’ bests. The results in this year’s Village Voice Film Poll, like the decisions arrived at by critics’ circles around the country, suggest that consensus is the first thing to go when quality films are in such abundance. That is, quality films at the indie and international level. As usual, the top slots go to the best of studios’ parade of holiday hams, especially from old reliables like the Coen brothers (No. 1) and Spike Jonze (No. 2), but I defy you to find many wide releases from the first half of the year on this list — or in your store of pleasurable memories. But the smaller films live on and still surprise — James Franco as best supporting actor? At spring break, anything can happen! And marvel at this: Andrew Dice Clay was in the running, too.
Inside Llewyn Davis, the best film winner, appeared on the ballots of only just over half the critics, and in the directors’ category the Coens didn’t crack the top five. The upshot: With more movies than ever released, and fewer good big movies than ever released, critics in 2013 assembled top 10s that look more like playlists than authoritative declaration of bests.
Love Llewyn Davis, but all of the raves that American Hustle is getting are accurate. Gravity was the greatest cinematic achievement that I saw all year, Inside Llewyn Davis was the most beautiful work of art that I saw all year, and American Hustle was the best piece of pure movie entertainment that I saw all year. People dismiss for not being more subtle or poetic or metaphoric. It’s not meant to be. It is a piece of pure entertainment, fantastically written with an incredible ensemble. It’s hilarious, unpredictable, fun, and compelling. Admire the film for what it is. Don’t just say people are “wrong” for loving it because it’s just different from some of the other well-received films. That’s very naive IMO.
From VV’s website:
Update: A correction — and an upset! We originally listed Oscar Isaac of Inside Llewyn Davis as the winner in our film poll’s best actor category. According to our first round of poll math, he had just barely edged out Chiwetel Ejiofor of 12 Years a Slave. After publishing the results, we discovered that we had missed three misspellings of Ejiofor’s name in critics’ ballots, which meant three Ejiofor votes weren’t added to the actor’s official total.
After a few more rounds of bug-stomping — you wouldn’t believe how many ways critics can spell names like “Scarlett Johansson” or “Adèle Exarchopoulos” — we’re pleased to announce that Ejiofor has edged out Isaac by two votes, proving once again that poor Llewyn Davis just can’t win. Thanks again to everyone who voted. The Voice regrets the error.
A good day to die hard, worst film? LOL. It isn’t great, but it ain’t worst in the series (2 has that “honor”) and was quite entertaining, if brainless fun.
I’ve seen way worse. Even some Oscar winner for Best Picture has been worse.
Man would that Best Actress lineup make for a great Oscar lineup.
Love the Blue Is The Warmest Color love.
Upstream Color for Picture and Director! Franco WINS Supporting Actor!
Love this.
Even the ‘radical VILLAGE VOICE has 12 YEARS A SLAVE in the Top 3, and McQueen as top director to boot!
It is sad that Fruitvale Station, when mentioned, is only in First Film or Breakthrough Performances categories. This film is so underrated. 🙁
Phoenix has become a force in the category because of the strong showing of HER. Redford and Hanks will be out.
James Franco! Best citation here (though also very happy with the Greta Gerwig nod). Interesting to see Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? in the animated section – I mean, it makes perfect sense, I had just always thought of it just as a documentary.
Kind of disappointed in their Worst Films list, though, beyond it just being a negative and mean-spirited exercise. Pain & Gain and Only God Forgives weren’t exellent, no, but they were both films of some merit.
Larson 4th on the best actress list she also won the best actress from Austin film critics she’s pulled off some other victories from other critic groups and just got BFCA nomination starting to think the critics are rallying around her as the indie darling!!!!!
Starting to feel more confident about Gandolfini (wouldn’t know; can’t find the film to see).
Is LEVIATHAN “so unlike anything we’ve seen before”? I only ask because all these critics have anointed it as a “wonder”, and if it is I’ll leave it alone. But is it really? What about it is? Some images from a boat? Some guy taking a shower? Some dead fish? If not what other masterpiece in the history of the cinema is a close cousin? Can someone tell me? I guess I get why anyone would like UPSTREAM COLOR (not really I really don’t), but LEVIATHAN? I’m afraid of AT BERKELEY, I fear It’s LEVIATHAN but replacing the boat is UC Berkley. GRAVITY is suffering critical backlash among the intellectual elites because it’s immensely popular and one of the 2-3 major Oscar players; consequently, critics are slightly veering away from it…just to come back to it the moment the season’s noise ceases.
(my first entry disappeared!)
If there was ever a place where Llewyn would score, it would be here. These people are “no nonsense” and can spot a phony in a New York minute. The only mystery is why the Coens are missing.
The love for McQueen surpasses that for his film. 3rd most mentions, plus actor, plus supporting actress isn’t peanuts, though.
Well, if ever Llewyn was going to score, it would be here, wouldn’t it?
The Coens missing is odd, but the love for McQueen surpasses that for his film.