Best of 2013: Best and Worst Movies

Here's my picks for the 10 best movies I saw in 2013 (that were 2013 releases) and the five worst. As always, some releases that are award nominees haven't been released, or I haven't gotten to see them...

Best Movies — In ascending order:

10. World War Z — Heading into the summer, this was one of the big movies that I thought would be a bust. Nothing about it really seemed to be working, and there were tales of major problems during production. But the final product of this film was one of the best summer movies. It was a fascinating take on the zombie genre, and it felt like a very solid film that went in a completely unexpected direction. I liked it, and I could see it setting the stage for a sequel.

9. The Millers — Every year there is a wild comedy released during the summer that just works. This year it's "The Millers," a late summer release that had little buzz prior to coming out. It got lost in the summer shuffle during previews, but this was a consistently wild and funny film. Jason Sudekis and Jennifer Aniston are great in leading this cast, but there were a lot of great performances and sequences.

8. Star Trek Into Darkness — I've seen the criticism. I understand this movie treads closely to the plot of "Star Trek II," but I think it is it's own film. I like what J.J. Abrams did, I like this cast, and I was totally hooked by the plot. I appreciated the emotional resonance of the final act, and I thought Benedict Cumberbatch was a great villain. This was, for me, easily the best movie of the summer.

7. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire — I LOVED the first "Hunger Games" film. I thought the performances were great and the story was fascinating. With this sequel, I thought the filmmakers did a great job of expanding on the characters and upping the stakes. This is a darker, more emotional film and it works. The best sequels take the story to a darker place — that's what works best for "Empire Strikes Back." "Catching Fire" does that for the "Hunger Games" story, and this sequel worked really well for me. It was one of the most enjoyable moviegoing experiences of the year.

6. Rush — Ron Howard delivered the best sports movie of the year, and one of his best movies period, with "Rush." It tells the story of a pair of Formula One drivers and the rivalry that fueled and incredible season of racing. Chris Hemsworth delivers a great performance, as does Daniel Bruhl. This was one of the best films of the year.

5. Fruitvale Station — This was a little film that came and went during the heat of summer. It featured a great performance from Michael B. Jordan, and it was a beautiful depiction of the final day in the life of Oscar Grant III, who was tragically killed by police at Fruitvale Station. This felt like a poignant and important look at this event, and it was one of the most emotionally powerful films of the year.

4. Captain Phillips — At this point we've seen Tom Hanks in a lot of roles, but he turns in one of his best performances in this film. Paul Greengrass delivers a moving and compelling take on this true story of piracy on the high seas and the captain that was the victim of it. Hanks does a great job in this movie and, in the final sequences, delivers some of the finest acting work of his career. It was incredibly moving and a great cap to a great film.

3. Gravity — This was a fascinating and original film. Director Alfonso Cuaron delivers a beautiful, moving, and unique vision in this film. Sandra Bullock is incredible, and I think she's among the favorites to earn this year's Academy Award. It is perhaps the best performance of her career because she's stripped bear of co-stars and big speeches. It's a simple, subtle, and beautiful performance. In addition, the visuals of this film are out of this world.

2. American Hustle — David O. Russell is having a great run. With "The Fighter," "Silver Linings Playbook," and now "American Hustle," Russell should have his third Best Picture nominee. This is an incredible character study, using a real period in history as a plot device. This isn't about the Abscam scandal, it's about these characters and how they hustle to survive. Great performances from Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and especially Jennifer Lawrence make this one of the best films of the year.

1. 12 Years A Slave — There are films that are clearly not only well made but incredibly important. "12 Years A Slave" is one of those films with its emotional, haunting, and powerful look at the shame of slavery in America. It's not an easy film to watch, nor a film you want to watch time and again, but it is beautifully made and chock full of rich performances. Chiwetel Ejiofor is incredible in the lead role, and director Steve McQueen offers an unflinching look at its subject matter in delivering the most moving and incredible film of the year.


Worst Movies — In Ascending Order:

5. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters — This came on the tale end of the Hollywood fascination with making live action fairy tale films. None of them were great, and few of them were even good. Still, this was one of the worst. It took the classic tale and tried to turn it into a superhero/action film. It didn't work at all. It was a complete waste of time that took itself WAY TOO SERIOUSLY.

4. Pain and Gain — I love Michael Bay. I am one of his biggest apologists and own all of his movies. Or at least I did until this film. On paper it seemed like it could be a fun comedy action film with The Rock and Mark Wahlberg. In practice it was a dark comedy at best, and a mean spirited film at that. This is based on a true story, and it felt like a Coen Brothers caper film gone wrong. It wasn't funny and it left me feeling icky.

3. Riddick — Vin Diesel decided to revive another of his characters, but this film was painful to watch. The first half felt like a misguided take on "Cast Away," while the second half was a poor action movie. I looked at my watch every five minutes. This film made time stand still...

2. The Counselor — I loved "No Country For Old Men," and I love Cormac McCarthy as a writer. But this film was a complete, mysterious failure. It has a great cast and it's put together like it should be a film that has something important to say, but no one can figure out what that it. This movie was a waste of two hours and a waste of its talented cast.

1. This Is The End — No movie was a greater disappointment, or more offensive to me, in 2013 than "This Is The End." I expected a great comedy experience, but I walked away disgusted by what I saw. I know what they were going for, but for me it really didn't work. There were some talented people involved in this film, and some people really loved it, but I hated it. This is a great example of the subjective nature of comedy, but for me "This Is The End" was the worst movie-going experience I had in 2013.