And the top ten:
1. 12 Years A Slave
2. Gravity
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
4. Before Midnight
5. Her
6. American Hustle
7. Captain Phillips
8. Nebraska
9. Blue Jasmine
10. Inside Llewyn Davis
Travers list last year (Oscar nominees in bold)
1. The Master
2. Zero Dark Thirty
3. Beasts of the Southern Wild
4. Lincoln
5. Argo
6. Silver Linings Playbook
7. Life of Pi
8. Les Miserables
9. Moonrise Kingdom
10. Django Unchained
Dang– I didn’t realize how spot on his choices last year were with the Academy’s. His ten films represented eight of the BP nominees, eight of the screenplay nominees, and 16 of the acting nominees.
Transposing that to this year (a futile exercise, but what the hell), at least two among Wolf of Wall Street, Before Midnight, Her, Blue Jasmine will be nominated.
Who do you have to blow to break his top five, says David O. Russell.
And the snobby commenters take shots. Seriously, I don’t see what’s wrong with his list. While I would make different choices, I think it’s entirely plausible that those were jhis favorites.
Real nice work there Peter Travers!
I will refrain from posting my own Top Ten until (like many others) I see:
American Hustle
Her
Saving Mr. Banks
Inside Llewelyn Davis
I will see the latter film over this weekend
All is Lost is my surprise pick for a BP nomination. We will wait and see. Sometimes an actor raises a movie with himself. This is Redford.
Her is definitely the film of the year, and deserves not only best director but original screenplay. Noms (with possible wins) for best actor, supporting actress ? for ScarJo, score, cinematography, editing, production design, and song.
It is way better than Wolf of Wall St.
my other favorites from the year (to give u an idea of my wide variety of tastes) Frances Ha, Blue Jasmine, Gravity, Like Father Like Son, Omar, The Wind Rises, Inside Llewyn Davis, Blue is the Warmest Color, Nebraska, Rush, Gloria, Trance, Saving Mr. Banks, The Great Gatsby, Dallas Buyers Club, Spring Breakers, Mama, World War Z, Side Effects, Disconnect, This is The End, The East, Man of Steel, The Bling Ring, The Way Way Back, Pacific Rim, The Conjuring, About Time, Don Jon, Bad Grandpa,
Haven’t seen Lone Survivor, American Hustle, The Past, Before Midnight, Short term 12, Out of the Furnace, August: Osage county, Labor Day, The Hobbit, Anchorman 2 yet
Pepper, The Master was my #1 film of the last FEW years. I guess that means I’ve got temporary, or permanent, insanity as well?
My 2013 top 10 list:
1. American hustle
2. Her
3. Gravity
4. Inside Llewyn Davis
5. 12 years a slave
6. Before midnight
7. Nebraska
8. Captain phillips
9. All is lost
10. Blue jasmine
I don’t understand his list, what is supposed to represent? His predictions? Or what he liked?
Or are the two things same for Travers?
it’s that he managed to select every single other Best Picture oscar nominee plus the two other titles which, at this early stage, looked most likely to receive Best Picture nominations.
Oh, no! God forbid a critic put potential Oscar nominees on his top ten list!
Seriously, what are you people complaining about? Is it not possible that Travers’ just has similar taste to the Academy? It doesn’t make for the most interesting list but if these ten are his true favorites of the year, I see no problem with it.
Yup, Wolf is third because when Travers was putting the list together he thought it would be the main competitor to 12 Years and Gravity. If we were putting the list together today, Hustle would be third.
Travers is the biggest hack among the mainstream film critics. I’m not sure what motivated him to list The Master as #1 last year (temporary insanity?), but practically every other year, the Oscar frontrunner is his top choice. The Artist was #1 in 2011, The Social Network was his #1 in 2010 (this was pre-King’s Speech mania), and his top 3 in 2009 were, in order, The Hurt Locker/Up in the Air/Precious (daring!)
I think that this list is EXCELLENT. It has all the potential BEST Picture Nominees. I might have switched Prisoners for Before Midnight but overall I am very impressed. The Wolf of Wall Street is already third right behind 12 Years a Slave and Gravity – that’s awesome!
I think Travers’ list sucks. So uninspired. No foreign films, only Oscar movies, no up-and-coming filmmakers. See…this is why it’s so hard to make a career in Hollywood these days. The entire system is very against new blood, the critics, the studios, the Academy. I’m very jaded, especially reading that article in the BBC yesterday, how studios essentially buy even the critics awards, make talent available to glad handling the voters. It was hilarious to read how Steve McQueen couldn’t put up with the bullshit; good for him.
I only disagree with Gravity, but this looks like a pretty good list
Tero– That’s unfair. Because Travers didn’t select AMOUR last year he’s trying to predict the Oscars instead of truly choosing his favorites? I watch a slew of foreign-language films each year and AMOUR was nowhere near my top 10 last year.
It’s not that Travers didn’t select Amour last year, it’s that he managed to select every single other Best Picture oscar nominee plus the two other titles which, at this early stage, looked most likely to receive Best Picture nominations. In retrospect, it’s a laughable Top 10.
You can see WOLF is gonna get the “highly coveted” 4-star treatment from Travers
knee play,
+1
it is still safer than 12YRS, right?
No.
There is nothing safer -at this point- than awarding 12 YEARS. Not that it matters to begin with
Bummer I was going to attempt to predict Travers top 10 like a week ago in some thread, but then the thought dissipated. It’s always so easy.
I don’t think anyone has posted Entertainment Weekly’s lists yet:
Owen Gleiberman:
1. 12 Years a Slave
2. American Hustle
3. Before Midnight
4. Fruitvale Station
5. Gravity
6. Blue Jasmine
7. The Past
8. World War Z
9. Prisoners
10. Inside Llewyn Davis
Chris Nashawaty:
1. Before Midnight
2. Gravity
3. 12 Years a Slave
4. Fruitvale Station
5. Captain Phillips
6. Enough Said
7. Decptive Practice
8. Out of the Furnace
9. All is Lost
10. The Conjuring
Safer yes, but I see more people turning out to see 12 Years than Her.
Kane – it is still safer than 12YRS, right?
Sammy, I have to disagree. I’d say Argo is safe but not, I mean compared to others it was safe but it dealt with some politics that still are sensitive today. Her deals with a man falling in love with a machine…that may be enough to turn people off. I would never use the word “safe” with Spike Jonze. Saving Mr. Banks may be the safest of them all. But putting Her next to 12 Years a Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street and Captain Phillips I’m sure it is safer.
That list makes me think the maker of it wants everyone to like them. lol More than thinking it’s an honest top ten, that’s the vibe I got. Let’s hope his #1 and #9 do better than last year’s. :/
“Her” can be the “Argo” of this year. Safe choice – consensus movie. It has all the elements of a best picture and it is easy to swallow, funny – no politics, no slavery etc.
Tero–
That’s unfair. Because Travers didn’t select AMOUR last year he’s trying to predict the Oscars instead of truly choosing his favorites? I watch a slew of foreign-language films each year and AMOUR was nowhere near my top 10 last year. I love Haneke but was not taken with AMOUR (and I nursed a father dying of dementia for 2 years). People are allowed their own Top 10 (or 13 in my case). Period.
It might not matter to some people but I was able to see the runner ups for the NYFCC awards and Her was a runner up for best film and best director. It shows that it is getting some love somehow and it may be a silent sleeper.
No one was expecting Amour last year as a BP nominee. I was predicting a Best Director and a Screenplay nod but BP – no.
Also good to see Her in the fifth spot. I am very curious to know if Jonze will be able to get a Best Director nod.
It is very much like Oscar predicting rather than a real top list. Or he simply does not watch non-English films. Last year’s omission of Amour is a give-away.
PS. You bolded The Master but it was not nominated last year.
Of course.
“This list is dynamite and ignites the Oscar race!” (Peter Travers)
That looks like it could be very close to our best picture nominees at the end of the day. Lose Before Midnight and possibly Blue Jasmine and we’re right there.
The amount of love coming Her’s way since the NYFCC has been beautiful. I hope it moves into the lock position soon.