With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
The 10 Best Movies Of The Year
With another great year for film in the books, that means it's time to slap a list together in anticipation of the grotesque pageantry of the award ceremonies and the dead zone of theatrical releases that is January, allowing us to catch up on what we've missed. Here's a list of the best movies that came out 2013, roughly in descending order of quality and with the director(s) mentioned in the brackets. Share your favorites in the comments.
Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach)
The latest collaboration from Baumbach and his muse Greta Gerwig is about as restless as movies come these days. Frances Ha channels the nervous energy of being someone who has not quite gotten to the self-anointed point of becoming a Capital-A Adult ("I'm so embarrassed—I'm not a real person yet.") into a brutally honest and downbeat work that is also hilarious and lighthearted. Frances Ha breezes by with deft yet clumsy footwork like that of Greta Gerwig prancing through NYC's Chinatown to David Bowie; it is an absolute joy to watch.
Leviathan (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Véréna Paravel)
Support for LAist comes from
Forget Gravity, this is the most immersive and visceral cinematic experience of 2013. Using dozens of strategically located GoPro cameras, the filmmakers at Harvard University's Sensory Ethnography Lab depict the dangerous occupation of commercial fishing as it is: nauseating, vicious, and violent. In a movie year that saw filmmakers push the boundaries of the documentary genre, Leviathan led the way.
No (Pablo Larraín) / Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski)
How strange it is, in a transitional era for cinema from film to digital, that two of the best films of the year were shot on video! No, the Oscar-nominated Chilean film about the last days of Pinochet, used the format to seamlessly blend personal lives with history. Computer Chess, the latest from mumblecore auteur Andrew Bujalski, worked within the limitations of the format to create a bizarre and psychedelic world that exists outside of history.
The Act Of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn & Annonymous)
The most disturbing film of the year became the sleeper hit of the year, bringing audiences face-to-face with two real-life monsters: a mass murderer and our collective fascination with violence.
A Touch Of Sin (Jia Zhangke)
Since his earlier days of working outside of the auspices of the state-controlled movie industry in China, Jia Zhangke has been one of the most important voices in contemporary cinema. Long giving the nearly one-billion voices of the Chinese an outlet for their discontent, in A Touch Of Sin they are mad as hell.
Support for LAist comes from
Pain & Gain (Michael Bay)
In The Year of American Capitalistic Decadence, only one of those films stood out for this viewer. Spring Breakers was OK, The Bling Ring was a little flat, and The Wolf Of Wall Street had its problems. But none was as concise and daring as Michael Bay's most realized and purest work. Oh, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson gives the performance of the year.
Wadjda (Haifaa al-Mansour)
The first film directed by a Saudi woman and shot entirely within Saudi Arabia, Wadjda is remarkable for reasons aside from these milestones. A simple story of an 11-year old girl in who wants to buy a bicycle, it is comprised solely of the smallest of gestures. The power of the film lies in its context, where in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia an act as defiant as wearing Chuck Taylors under a hijab is still punk as fuck.
At Berkeley (Frederick Wiseman)
In a great year for documentaries by young up-and-coming filmmakers, Frederick Wiseman reasserted himself as one of the most important in the craft. Taking a break from depicting bodies in motion, he uses almost four hours of voyeuristic footage from UC Berkeley to illustrate the real-life heartbreaking story of the struggle between the dream of public education and the realities of bureaucracy.
Bastards (Claire Denis)
Support for LAist comes from
Another stunning work that solidifies Claire Denis as one of the best filmmakers alive. Less a narrative and more a gloomy cloud of moral corruption and the decay of the family unit, Bastards is the Bummer of the Year. But where its subject seems abjectly unpalatable, Denis creates an atmosphere so enveloping and alluring it is impossible to not get sucked in by her craft.
Ten More:
Drug War (Johnnie To), You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet (Alain Resnais), The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki), 12 Years A Slave (Steve McQueen), The Past (Asghar Farhadi), The Selfish Giant (Clio Barnard), Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel & Ethan Coen), Museum Hours (Jem Cohen), Nebraska (Alexander Payne), The Counselor (Ridley Scott)
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol. -
Kevin Lee's Tokyo Noir has become one of the top spots for craft-inspired cocktails. -
A tort claim obtained by LAist via a public records request alleges the Anaheim procurement department lacks basic contracting procedures and oversight. -
Flauta, taquito, tacos dorados? Whatever they’re called, they’re golden, crispy and delicious. -
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent.
Best of LAist