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Steve Reinhardt’s 2014 Movie Web
Page
My Picks for the Academy Awards
Hi everybody,
It’s Oscar time
again. As my tradition continues, I will present my annual movie page with my
Ten Best List and my predictions for the Oscars.
This webpage has grown over the years and I have added some new features each year. In addition to my top ten, I present my friends Jack Kleinman and Jenna Ipcar as contributors. Jack has been here for years and Jenna now adds her essay on the films of 2013
My choice for the
best picture of the year was “her”. Of the films that I
saw, this one seemed to be the most compelling and thought provoking. As an IT person, the idea of an operating
system having a human personality is very intriguing. The film is fresh, funny and thoughtful. I have always liked the work of Mr. Spike
Jonze and this time I feel his film is the best feature of the year.
It was hard to judge between
next top movies. “Nebraska”, “Blue Jasmine” and “Before Midnight” all rank high
for different reasons. The acting and directing
of each one is an achievement. I feel they
all will be well remembered in the future.
By the numbers, I saw
42 movies released in 2013. I managed to see six of the nine Academy Award
“Best Picture” nominated films. but only four of them made it onto my Ten Best
List.
My list is no more
than my own personal accounting of the movie year 2013 and presented as way of recommending
these works to others. In the great
words of the late Andrew Sarris:
“Don’t take any critics word on what is
supposed to be worth seeing. See for
yourself. Be brave,
take chances in the New Year. Find your
own personal classics and defend them against the world. That’s the real fun of moviegoing.”
Here is my Ten Best List for 2013:
1. her
Directed
by Spike Jonze
Special
Link to Trailer Music on
You Tube
2. Nebraska
Directed
by Alexander Payne
3. Blue Jasmine
Directed
by Woody Allen
4. Before Midnight
Directed
by Richard Linklater
5. American Hustle
Directed
by David O. Russell
6. Inside Llewyn
Davis
Directed
by Joel & Ethan Coen
7. Fruitvale Station
Directed
by Ryan Coogler
8. Something In The Air
Directed
by Olivier Assayas
9. The Spectacular Now
Directed
by James Ponsoldt
10. The Wolf of Wall Street
Directed
by Martin Scorsese
Special Documentary Mention:
For the Love of Movies:
The Story of American Film Criticism
(2009)
Featuring Andrew
Sarris
Directed by: Gerald
Peary
Jack Kleinman’s Ten Best for 2013
My good friend Jack Kleinman has sent over his own list. He’s given a short
description of each one, a mini review. Jack
told me he saw over 140 movies this year. I think he has a wide range of quality
films represented in his list. I hope you enjoy his selections as well.
“I liked the idea of
a Top 40, which came up in our conversation the other day. I liked many more
than 10 films last year, so here's an extended list, weighted but not numbered,
since the order is certainly liquid.
My favorites:
Before Midnight
Richard Linklater
5 impeccable scenes
in the ongoing drama.
Beyond the Hills
Christian Mungiu
Another devastating
film from the director of 4 Months, 3 Days...
Something in the Air
Olivier Assayas
Spot on autobiographical
sketch of French teen in 1971. Had me at throwing the I Ching.
Inside Llewyn
Davis
Joel & Ethan Coen
A more difficult film
from the brothers, but with many rewards.
12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen
Excellent
visualization of the narrative. And it is a brutal story.
Nebraska
Alexander Payne
Deadpan look at the
death of rural America, treating it's characters with
humor and dignity.
Museum Hours
Jem
Cohen
Art is all around us
and eternal.
The Wolf of Wall St.
Martin Scorsese
Humor is the only way
to portray this obscene criminal wealth. Couple of instant
classic M.S. scenes.
American Hustle
David O. Russell
Highly entertaining
with the great Russell ensemble.
The Broken Circle Breakdown Felix van Groeningen
Sad, but
exhilarating.
Best use of back and forth in time motif that I can remember.
Short Term 12
Destin Cretton
Troubled kids treated
with compassion with great performances, especially Brie Larson.
Blue is the Warmest Color Abdelatif Kechiche
Yes, the sex scenes
are too long, but pivotal, and Adele Exarchopoulos is
passionate and mesmerizing.
Like Someone in Love
Abbas Kiarostami
The master in Japan
with his offbeat relationship puzzle.
The Spectacular Now
James Ponsoldt
Fresh and believable
with 2 exciting leads.
Ginger & Rosa
Sally Potter
Good sense of period
and Elle Fanning is amazing.
Still Mine
Michael McGowan
James Cromwell's
greatest role in this beautifully simple, true story.
Also liked (among others):
Blancanieves
PabloBerger
Wonderful silent film
based on the Snow White legend.
Lore
Cate Hortland
Perfect match of
style and story.
The Angels' Share
Ken Loach
A lighter Loach film
with a charismatic lead performance.
The Hunt
Thomas Vinterberg
Mads Mikkleson
and an astounding child actress in a disturbing tale.
Crystal Fairy
Sebastian
Silva
Michael Cera looks for psychedelic insight in Chile and gains
surprising perceptions.
Frances Ha
Noah Baumbach
Another beautifully
shot black and white film with Greta Gerwig finding
herself.
Barbara
Christian Petzold
Nina Hoss is a doctor suffocating under East German
surveillance.
The Counselor
Ridley Scott
Over literary and
over violent blast of an amoral reality. Great esoteric genre
film making.
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
David Lowery
Unusual and lyric
story telling technique and a knockout supporting turn by Ben Foster.
The Deep
Baltasar Kormakur
The best of the
recent man against the sea films.
Computer Chess
Andrew Bujalski
Hilarious nerdfest set in early 80's and shot on a vintage
camcorder.
The Grandmaster
Wong Kar
Wai
Even though severely
cut for American release, still the most gorgeous looking film of the year.
What Maisie
Knew
McGehee & Siegel
Enthralling film with
another incredible child actress.
Prisoners
Denis Vilaneuve
Tension packed, with the
best last scene.
Top Documentary Films
The Gatekeepers
Mistakes were made.
Seduced and Abandoned
James Toback & Alec Baldwin journey to Cannes to seek
financing for a remake of Last Tango in Paris.
The Act of Killing
Hard to watch, but a
unique document.
Dirty Wars
Jeremy Scahill is fearless.
Mea Maxima Culpa
Inside a church
scandal.
Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin'
Scuse me while I kiss the
sky.
56 Up
Who will last
longer...the subjects, the director, or the audience?
American Promise
Intensely personal
saga of race and education.
Happy People: a Year in the Taiga
Herzog in Siberia!
And a fond farewell
to Treme,
the truest and most heartfelt series of the last half decade.
Jenna Ipcar Reviews 2013
Jenna is the daughter
of my good friend Jane Landis and a Brooklyn based voice of the next generation
of film criticism. She produces a blog
at Smugfilm.com on films as seen
from her unique viewpoint. I present a
link to her article: Jenna Ipcar’s
2013 in Film.
Keep her on your radar!
People sometimes ask me
for my ten best lists from other years. So I’ve decided to create some links
here to the previous pages that I still have hosted on my website.
Again, I want to
thank Phil McNamara for hosting my site for over 10 years. Phil and his company,
Power Services of New England, have provided me with free web hosting and I
truly appreciate his gift. Phil makes it possible for us all to enjoy these
pages.
The Academy Awards Picks for 2013
Now it’s time for my
picks to win the Academy Awards on March
2, 2014. These picks were made on
February 23, 2014, so I can’t change them at the last minute. I’ve added a
column for those I think Should Win
(not that they ever do) and Did Win
so that you can keep score.
Historically speaking,
I’m only about 50% correct (last year, it was only 43%!). So as I’ve warned in the past, don’t make any
bets based on my predictions. We will be having an Academy Award party on the
24th and I will see if I am the big winner that night. Usually I’m not!
|
Best Motion Picture of the Year |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
American Hustle |
|
|
|
|
Captain Phillips |
|
|
|
|
Dallas Buyers Club |
|
|
|
|
Gravity |
R |
|
|
|
Her |
|
R |
|
|
Nebraska |
|
|
|
|
Philomena |
|
|
|
|
12 Years A Slave |
|
|
|
|
The Wolf Of Wall Street |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Directing |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
AMERICAN HUSTLE |
|
|
|
|
David O. Russell |
|
R |
|
|
GRAVITY |
|
|
|
|
Alfonso Cuarón |
R |
|
|
|
NEBRASKA |
|
|
|
|
Alexander Payne |
|
|
|
|
12 YEARS A SLAVE |
|
|
|
|
Steve McQueen |
|
|
|
|
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET |
|
|
|
|
Martin Scorsese |
|
|
|
|
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
Christian Bale |
|
|
|
|
AMERICAN HUSTLE |
|
|
|
|
Bruce Dern |
|
|
|
|
NEBRASKA |
|
R |
|
|
Leonardo DiCaprio |
|
|
|
|
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET |
|
|
|
|
Chiwetel Ejiofor |
|
|
|
|
12 YEARS A SLAVE |
|
|
|
|
Matthew McConaughey |
|
|
|
|
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB |
R |
|
|
|
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
Barkhad Abdi |
|
|
|
|
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS |
|
|
|
|
Bradley Cooper |
|
|
|
|
AMERICAN HUSTLE |
|
|
|
|
Michael Fassbender |
|
|
|
|
12 YEARS A SLAVE |
|
R |
|
|
Jonah Hill |
|
|
|
|
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET |
|
|
|
|
Jared Leto |
|
|
|
|
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB |
R |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
Amy Adams |
|
|
|
|
AMERICAN HUSTLE |
|
|
|
|
Cate Blanchett |
|
|
|
|
BLUE JASMINE |
R |
R |
|
|
Sandra Bullock |
|
|
|
|
GRAVITY |
|
|
|
|
Judi Dench |
|
|
|
|
PHILOMENA |
|
|
|
|
Meryl Streep |
|
|
|
|
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY |
|
|
|
|
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
Sally Hawkins |
|
|
|
|
BLUE JASMINE |
|
|
|
|
Jennifer Lawrence |
|
|
|
|
AMERICAN HUSTLE |
R |
R |
|
|
Lupita Nyong’o |
|
|
|
|
12 YEARS A SLAVE |
|
|
|
|
Julia Roberts |
|
|
|
|
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY |
|
|
|
|
June Squibb |
|
|
|
|
NEBRASKA |
|
|
|
|
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
THE CROODS |
|
|
|
|
DESPICABLE ME 2 |
|
|
|
|
ERNEST & CELESTINE |
|
|
|
|
FROZEN |
R |
R |
|
|
THE WIND RISES |
|
|
|
|
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN |
|
|
|
|
THE GREAT BEAUTY |
R |
|
|
|
THE HUNT |
|
R |
|
|
THE MISSING PICTURE |
|
|
|
|
OMAR |
|
|
|
|
Adapted Screenplay |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
BEFORE MIDNIGHT |
R |
R |
|
|
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS |
|
|
|
|
PHILOMENA |
|
|
|
|
12 YEARS A SLAVE |
|
|
|
|
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET |
|
|
|
|
Original Screenplay |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
AMERICAN HUSTLE |
R |
|
|
|
BLUE JASMINE |
|
|
|
|
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB |
|
|
|
|
HER |
|
R |
|
|
NEBRASKA |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Cinematography |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
THE GRANDMASTER |
|
|
|
|
GRAVITY |
R |
|
|
|
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS |
|
|
|
|
NEBRASKA |
|
R |
|
|
PRISONERS |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Costume Design |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
AMERICAN HUSTLE |
|
R |
|
|
THE GRANDMASTER |
|
|
|
|
THE GREAT GATSBY |
R |
|
|
|
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN |
|
|
|
|
12 YEARS A SLAVE |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Production Design |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
AMERICAN HUSTLE |
|
|
|
|
GRAVITY |
R |
|
|
|
THE GREAT GATSBY |
|
|
|
|
HER |
|
R |
|
|
12 YEARS A SLAVE |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Film Editing |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
AMERICAN HUSTLE |
|
R |
|
|
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS |
|
|
|
|
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB |
|
|
|
|
GRAVITY |
R |
|
|
|
12 YEARS A SLAVE |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling |
Will Win |
|
Did Win |
|
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB |
R |
|
|
|
JACKASS PRESENTS : BAD GRANDPA |
|
|
|
|
THE LONE RANGER |
|
|
|
|
Best Documentary Feature |
Will Win |
|
Did Win |
|
THE ACT OF KILLING |
|
|
|
|
CUTIE AND THE BOXER |
|
|
|
|
DIRTY WARS |
|
|
|
|
THE SQUARE |
|
|
|
|
20 FEET FROM STARDOM |
R |
|
|
|
Best Documentary Short |
Will Win |
|
Did Win |
|
CAVEDIGGER |
|
|
|
|
FACING FEAR |
|
|
|
|
KARAMA HAS NO WALLS |
|
|
|
|
THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED
MY LIFE |
R |
|
|
|
PRISON TERMINAL: THE LAST DAYS OF
JACK HALL |
|
|
|
|
Best Animated Short Film |
Will Win |
|
Did Win |
|
FERAL |
|
|
|
|
GET A HORSE! |
R |
|
|
|
MR. HUBLOT |
|
|
|
|
POSSESSIONS |
|
|
|
|
ROOM ON THE BROOM |
|
|
|
|
Best Live Action Short Film |
Will Win |
|
Did Win |
|
AQUEL NO ERA YO |
|
|
|
|
(THAT WASN’T ME) |
|
|
|
|
AVANT QUE DE TOUT PERDRE |
|
|
|
|
(JUST BEFORE LOSING EVERYTHING) |
|
|
|
|
HELIUM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PITÄÄKÖ MUN KAIKKI HOITAA? |
|
|
|
|
(DO I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF
EVERYTHING?) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE VOORMAN PROBLEM |
R |
|
|
|
Achievement in Music (Original Score) |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
THE BOOK THIEF |
|
|
|
|
John Williams |
|
|
|
|
GRAVITY |
|
|
|
|
Steven Price |
R |
|
|
|
HER |
|
|
|
|
William Butler and Owen Pallett |
|
R |
|
|
PHILOMENA |
|
|
|
|
Alexandre Desplat |
|
|
|
|
SAVING MR. BANKS |
|
|
|
|
Thomas Newman |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Music (Original Song) |
Will Win |
Should Win |
Did Win |
|
Alone Yet Not Alone |
|
|
|
|
ALONE YET NOT ALONE |
|
|
|
|
Happy |
|
|
|
|
DESPICABLE ME 2 |
|
|
|
|
Let It Go |
|
|
|
|
FROZEN |
R |
|
|
|
The Moon Song |
|
|
|
|
HER |
|
R |
|
|
Ordinary Love |
|
|
|
|
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Sound Editing |
Will Win |
|
Did Win |
|
ALL IS LOST |
|
|
|
|
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS |
|
|
|
|
GRAVITY |
R |
|
|
|
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF
SMAUG |
|
|
|
|
LONE SURVIVOR |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Sound Mixing |
Will Win |
|
Did Win |
|
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS |
|
|
|
|
GRAVITY |
R |
|
|
|
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF
SMAUG |
|
|
|
|
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS |
|
|
|
|
LONE SURVIVOR |
|
|
|
|
Achievement in Visual Effects |
Will Win |
|
Did Win |
|
GRAVITY |
R |
|
|
|
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF
SMAUG |
|
|
|
|
IRON MAN 3 |
|
|
|
|
THE LONE RANGER |
|
|
|
|
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS |
|
|
|
Copyright 2014 Steve
Reinhardt,
Organization
Man.