1. "12 Years a Slave"(2013)
I've always said that if a movie doesn't entertain me in the traditional sense, than it had better be teaching me something I didn't already know. I'd better feel like a better person for having watched it. Director Steve McQueen's momentous drama does just that. Of course, I KNEW about slavery, but all of the pain, all of the horror and all of the tragic injustice of this dark chapter in human history is conveyed in starkly realistic terms that invites comparisons to "Schindler's List". Chiwetel Ejiofor is excellent as our eloquent protagonist Solomon Northup, while Michael Fassbender and Best Supporting Actress winner Lupita Nyong'o offer searing characterizations that stay with viewers long after the end credits. This extraordinary film may be the most towering cinematic work of the 2010s. This is mandatory viewing.
2. "The Wolf of Wall Street"(2013)
The energy and electricity coursing through all three hours of Martin Scorsese's insanely entertaining epic had me thinking that the fabled director was back on coke(he wasn't). His subject, immoral 1990s stockbroker Jordan Belfort was, however, and DiCaprio's dynamite turn firmly places him at the forefront of early 21st Century screen talent. This is Leo's "Scarface", and his office speeches(and Quaalude-fueled car ride) are already the stuff of legend. Jonah Hill is a depraved delight as his deranged right-hand man, while the ravishing Margot Robbie makes an instant impression as the ultimate trophy wife. "Wolf" is the "Goodfellas" of white-collar crime, and there's simply no greater compliment than that.
3. "American Hustle"(2013)
Speaking of Scorsese, "Silver Linings Playbook" director David O. Russell was surely channeling the master when he started work on this stylish, star-studded true crime caper. Christian Bale heads up a hearty ensemble as a brazen '70s con man caught between the FBI and the New Jersey mob in an elaborate sting operation. Amy Adams was never better(or hotter) as his amorous accomplice, and Russell regulars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are robust and colorful in supporting roles. The aforementioned quartet are SO good that we need to be reminded of Jeremy Renner's presence, while Robert De Niro turns back the clock in a crackling extended cameo. "Hustle" received ten Oscar nominations, and won none. That doesn't change the fact that's it's easily one of the year's best films.
4. "Dallas Buyers Club"(2013)
Matthew McConaughey erased his lost decade of loathsome rom-coms with a Best Actor Oscar win as a 1980s Texas playboy battling the AIDS virus in this absorbing fact-based indie drama. Ron Woodroof became an unlikely activist while smuggling unapproved pharmaceutical drugs into his home state, and this is nothing less than an acting rebirth for it's sensational star(he dropped fifty pounds for the role of his life). Jared Leto experienced a similar artistic reawakening as his transgender sidekick, picking up the Best Supporting Actor statue en route to becoming the actor he should have always been. Director Jean Marc-Vallee infuses this moving true story with compassion, hope, and sensitivity.
5. "Gravity"(2013)
The finest FX movie of the year came from an unexpected source. The film industry has been especially enamored with outer space in recent years, and adventurous viewers willing to go into orbit have been the beneficiaries. Alfonso Cuaron created one of the most tense, thrilling cinematic space voyages on record, no small feat in a world where "The Right Stuff" and "Apollo 13" already exist. Sandra Bullock may have bettered her work in "The Blind Side" as our astronaut heroine, while George Clooney suits up in zero gravity to insure maximum critical acclaim. In addition to three Academy Award wins(Cuaron collected Best Director), "Gravity" was also a big fall box office hit.
6. "Captain Philips"(2013)
Tom Hanks reminds us why he's in the 'greatest actor ever' debate in this gripping true story, skillfully rendered by "Bourne" director Paul Greengrass. Somalian pirates hijacked an American container ship for three days in April 2009, the first such incident to take place in this country in nearly 200 years. Captain Richard Philips kept his crew safe until the Navy came to the rescue(according to Hollywood, anyway), and Hanks should have seen his sixth nomination for making me believe that's exactly how it all went down. The scary Barkhad Abdi deserves some of the praise("I'm the captain".). I'm staying on dry land.
7. "All Is Lost"(2013)
Robert Redford made his film debut in 1960. That's called longevity, folks. The Sundance Kid has remarkably managed to stay relevant, critically AND commercially, through fifty years and ten Presidents, and his largely wordless portrayal of an aging, anonymous septuagenarian stranded at sea was one of the year's most pleasant surprises. Director J.C. Chandor works wonders with one man and one(admittedly vast) location. Redford commands the screen in a classy epilogue to his storied cinematic career. All is NOT lost for this 76 year old icon, "Lost" just may be his best performance.
8. "Before Midnight"(2013)
The greatest trilogy that never gets talked about doesn't have any explosions, gunfights or car chases. There aren't any superheroes or supervillains or shared universes. Richard Linklater's "Before" series has something much more exciting- the most honest(and well-earned) coupling in film history. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's verbose lovebirds are now middle-aged and married and experiencing serious doubts about their future together. Will their eighteen-year romantic odyssey end on the Greek peninsula? "Midnight" is another thoroughly engaging dissection of modern relationships that richly rewards those lucky viewers that have stuck with this talented trio since 1995. I'd love to see(and hear) from them again in 2022.
9. "Blue Jasmine"(2013)
Woody Allen has a habit of enhancing the career of every actress that appears in one of his annual productions, and Cate Blanchett is certainly no exception. A topical plot finds her rich NYC socialite forced to accept a much simpler existence after falling on hard times, and the Best Actress Oscar went to it's rightful owner as Blanchett humorously navigates her new surroundings. Alec Baldwin(as her duplicitous hubby) heads up an ace supporting cast that includes Sally Hawkins, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew 'Dice' Clay(?). I wish Woody could write for every woman in Hollywood for another forty years.
10. "Fruitvale Station"(2013)
Ryan Cooglar announced his arrival as one of the best young directing talents of the decade in this film festival favorite. Oscar Grant III(Michael B. Jordan) was an Oakland, California resident that was shot and killed by an overzealous police officer at a train station on New Year's Day in 2009. The ensuing controversy called national attention to police brutality and race relations, two issues that haven't quieted one iota in the years since. Rather than make an overt political statement, Cooglar's heartbreaking reenactment focuses on the human toll, with an intimate story of a 22 year old man that lost his life way too soon.
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