Top 10 Films of 2013

Earlier this month, I posted my list of all the films I saw in 2013 from worst to best. That list captured every single film that I had the pleasure or displeasure of seeing, but it didn't go really go into detail about my thoughts on the individual films. I wanted to further elaborate on my 10 favorite films of the year, especially since I've had the pleasure of seeing a couple of brilliant ones in the past few weeks since I initially posted my list. Here are my picks for the 10 best films of 2013.

Disclaimer: I still haven't seen the following films that could potentially impact this list in the future:
John Dies at the End

Dead Man Down

The Iceman

A Hijacking

Blackfish

A Band Called Death

Blue Jasmine

Cockneys Vs. Zombies

Grandmasters

In A World...

Hell Baby

The Family

Gravity

Runner Runner

Escape Plan

Carrie

Bad Grandpa

12 Years a Slave

Last Vegas

Homefront

Delivery Man

Nebraska 

Oldboy

Philomena

Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom 
Out of the Furnace

Grudge Match

Her

10.Inside Llewyn Davis

The Cohen Brothers latest film is a haunting character study centering on Llewyn Davis (Oscar Issac), a struggling folk musician in New York's Greenwich Village in 1961. Llewyn has the talent to make it, but karma grounds his dreams as he treats everyone around him like dirt. The film is beautiful in its simplicity yet still packs a huge emotional punch thanks to the strength of the script and Issac's performance.

9.The Last Stand

 After his two-term stint as governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to his acting roots with a bang in “The Last Stand”. “The Last Stand” brings back fond memories of Schwarzenegger’s B-movie glory days of the 1980’s with cheap gore, laughs and demented thrills galore. Even at 66, Schwarzenegger is still the undisputed king of cheesy awesome action films.

8.Fast and Furious 6 

The “Fast and Furious” franchise has really defied the odds of film franchises by improving with each sequel. “Fast and Furious 6” is the work of action film experts. The story is engaging, the actors have a great dynamic and the stunts are wildly impressive. It’s far from high art, but the sheer entertainment value of “Fast and Furious 6” is enough to place it amongst my favorite films of 2013.

7.The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is a monumental upgrade from its predecessor thanks to a denser and more gripping storyline outside of the titular battle royale and adding the likes of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Jena Malone to its already sensational cast. The final two films are going to have to try very hard to outmatch the strength of “Catching Fire”.

6.Iron Man 3

In a year where most superhero films fell far short of expectations, “Iron Man 3” delivered the goods. Robert Downey Jr. is as funny and energized as ever as Tony Stark and the film's take on well-known villain The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) was refreshingly original for the superhero genre.

5.Pain & Gain

Director Michael Bay strays from his trademark explosion-heavy blockbusters for a character-driven film about three bodybuilders (Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie) who kidnap a pompous businessman (Tony Shaloub) and extort him for millions of dollars. Behind a sharp script that skewers the ever-elusive idea of the American Dream and brilliant performances from Wahlberg, Johnson and Mackie, Bay successfully leaves his comfort zone and shows some real directing chops in the process. “Pain & Gain” is deadpan satire at its finest.

4.The Spectacular Now

“The Spectacular Now's” story of two high school seniors from different cliques falling in love isn't overly original, but it's told in such an authentic and heartfelt way that it becomes special. Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley deliver two of the most striking performances of 2013 and have a natural chemistry that lights up the screen every time they appear together. “The Spectacular Now” is a modern teen movie classic that would make John Hughes proud.

3.American Hustle

Director David O. Russell follows “The Fighter” and “Silver Linings Playbook” with his third consecutive masterpiece in “American Hustle”. “American Hustle” is not your average crime drama and it's better for it. The film relies on fascinating characters and sharp dialogue, not violence, to entertain and make a statement. The film's relentlessly clever script is bolstered by top-notch performances from everyone involved (Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner being the standouts amongst a cast full of standouts.) Here's hoping that Russell's current hot streak doesn't end anytime soon.

2.This is the End

Seth Rogen and co. made the apocalypse look like so much freaking fun in “This is the End”. Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill and numerous other Hollywood stars play whacked-out versions of themselves and the laughs are pretty much non-stop. With this much comedy talent sharing the screen, I didn't want “This is the End” to end.

1.Fruitvale Station

“Fruitvale Station” brings the story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year old African-American male who was wrongfully killed by Oakland transit cops in early 2009 to the screen with hefty emotional force. Writer/director Ryan Coggler doesn't portray Grant in a strictly positive or negative light, he simply weaves a tale of a young father who made some mistakes in his past, but was trying to turn his around to support his daughter. Michael B. Jordan doesn't just portray Grant, he embodies him and Coggler makes the events of the film seem like they're unfolding in real time. This type of attachment to Grant the film makes makes the film's conclusion that much more devastating. “Fruitvale Station” is a striking and unsettling piece of cinema about how racism still haunts the United States in the modern day.