Happy New Year, Dear Readers!
Award season is upon us and that’s great news for movie lovers. We’ve spent the last month in movie overload, cramming as many films into our viewing schedules before voting for the Southeast Film Critic Association’s 2013 ballot.
We were particularly impressed by the performances worthy of consideration and note this year. We’ve included both our Critical Top Ten lists for 2013 and our favorite films of the year (for the two don’t always coincide).
We didn’t have enough time or space to review everything we’d have liked to for you this month, but of what we have included – American Hustle, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, Philomena, Saving Mr. Banks and The Wolf of Wall Street – all are worthy of your time, though you may feel like disinfecting after watching Scorsese’s bacchanalian.
Just as we were going to press, we learned that the beautiful Joan Fontaine and the legendary and inimitable Peter O’Toole had passed. We pay tribute to them in our DVD picks this month. The Hendersonville Film Society also honors them with showings of Rebecca and The Lion in Winter.
Next month will be the big Oscar issue. We’ll include nominations, a ballot, our picks and the Best of 2013 list from the Southeast Film Critic’s Association as a well as our usual reviews.
In the meanwhile get yourself to a local theatre and take in some of the best films of 2013.
~ Until next time, Chip and Michelle
Chip’s heart and on his 10 best lists.
Our Favorite Films of 2013
The following films, presented in alphabetical order, are our lists for our personal favorites from 2013.
They are not all critically acclaimed and some are not even well known, but they are all movies that we thoroughly enjoyed, reminded of us of why we go to the movies, and that we would not hesitate to see again and again.
It was difficult to keep our lists to just ten.
Chip’s 10 Favorite Films
* The Book Thief
* The Grandmaster
* Great Expectations
* Her
* Java Heat
* The Lone Ranger
* Nebraska
* Saving Mr. Banks
* Stoker
* Unfinished Song
Michelle’s 10 Favorite Films
* About Time
* American Hustle
* The Butler
* Great Expectations
* Enough
* Mud
* Philomena
* Saving Mr. Banks
* The Way Way Back
* The World’s End
Runners Up – Captain Phillips, Fruitvale Station, In a World, The Lone Ranger, Mandela, Stoker, Unfinished Song.