Year-End Lists

A.A. Dowd: The Best Films of 2013, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014]

1. Her
   Spike Jonze
2. Before Midnight
   Richard Linklater
3. Leviathan
   Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
4. Frances Ha
   Noah Baumbach
5. Upstream Color
   Shane Carruth
6. 12 Years a Slave
   Steve McQueen
7. The Act of Killing
   Joshua Oppenheimer
8. Room 237
   Rodney Ascher
9. Beyond the Hills
   Cristian Mungiu
10. American Hustle
    David O. Russell
11. Fill the Void
    Rama Burshtein
12. The World’s End
    Edgar Wright
13. Stories We Tell
    Sarah Polley
14. Blue is the Warmest Color
    Abdellatif Kechiche
15. I Used To Be Darker
    Matthew Porterfield

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: 20 Best Films of 2013

Village Voice Film Poll: Best Films of 2013 as published by The Village Voice, compiled from the votes of 96 critics

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Inside Llewyn Davis
   Joel & Ethan Coen
2. Her
   Spike Jonze
3. 12 Years a Slave
   Steve McQueen
4. Before Midnight
   Richard Linklater
5. The Act of Killing
   Joshua Oppenheimer
6. Leviathan
   Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
7. Upstream Color
   Shane Carruth
8. Gravity
   Alfonso Cuaron
9. Frances Ha
   Noah Baumbach
10. Blue is the Warmest Color
    Abdellatif Kechiche

Michael Phillips: Best Movies of 2013, as posted by The Chicago Tribune

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

• Her
  Spike Jonze
• 12 Years a Slave
  Steve McQueen
• Consuming Spirits
  Chris Sullivan
• Stories We Tell
  Sarah Polley
• Fruitvale Station
  Ryan Coogler
• American Hustle
  David O. Russell
• Post Tenebras Lux
  Carlos Reygadas
• Inside Llewyn Davis
  Joel & Ethan Coen
• Let the Fire Burn
  Jason Osder
• The Gatekeepers
  Dror Moreh
• Beyond the Hills
  Cristian Mungiu
• Blue is the Warmest Color
  Abdellatif Kechiche
• Computer Chess
  Andrew Bujalski
• The Conjuring
  James Wan
• Frances Ha
  Noah Baumbach
• Gimme the Loot
  Adam Leon
• Gravity
  Alfonso Cuaron
• The Great Beauty
  Paolo Sorrentino
• In a World…
  Lake Bell
• Like Someone in Love
  Abbas Kiarostami
• Much Ado About Nothing
  Joss Whedon
• Mud
  Jeff Nichols
• Museum Hours
  Jem Cohen
• No
  Pablo Larraín
• The Place Beyond The Pines
  Derek Cianfrance
• This Is Martin Bonner
  Chad Hartigan
• This Is the End
  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
• A Touch of Sin
  Jia Zhang-ke
• 20 Feet From Stardom
  Morgan Neville
• The World’s End
  Edgar Wright

Jonathan Rosenbaum: Top 10 Films of 2013, as submitted to the IndieWire Poll, presented alphabetically

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2012 • 2011]

• Fruitvale Station
  Ryan Coogler
• Gloria
  Sebastián Lelio
• Hannah Arendt
  Margarethe von Trotta
• Kill Your Darlings
  John Krokidas
• The Last of the Unjust
  Claude Lanzmann
• Museum Hours
  Jem Cohen
• Night Across the Street
  Raoul Ruiz
• Stories We Tell
  Sarah Polley
• The Unspeakable Act
  Dan Sallitt
• You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
  Alain Resnais

Film Comment: 50 Best Movies of 2013, a poll of "over 100 North American colleagues"

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Inside Llewyn Davis
   Joel & Ethan Coen
2. 12 Years a Slave
   Steve McQueen
3. Before Midnight
   Richard Linklater
4. The Act of Killing
   Joshua Oppenheimer
5. A Touch of Sin
   Jia Zhang-ke
6. Leviathan
   Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
7. Gravity
   Alfonso Cuaron
8. Computer Chess
   Andrew Bujalski
9. Frances Ha
   Noah Baumbach
10. Upstream Color
    Shane Carruth
11. Museum Hours
    Jem Cohen
12. Blue is the Warmest Color
    Abdellatif Kechiche
13. Bastards
    Claire Denis
14. Spring Breakers
    Harmony Korine
15. Like Someone in Love
    Abbas Kiarostami
16. Stories We Tell
    Sarah Polley
17. Her
    Spike Jonze
18. Nebraska
    Alexander Payne
19. American Hustle
    David O. Russell
20. The Grandmaster
    Wong Kar-Wai
21. At Berkeley
    Frederick Wiseman
22. Beyond the Hills
    Cristian Mungiu
23. No
    Pablo Larraín
24. The Great Beauty
    Paolo Sorrentino
25. Blue Jasmine
    Woody Allen
26. All Is Lost
    J.C. Chandor
27. Post Tenebras Lux
    Carlos Reygadas
28. Something in the Air
    Olivier Assayas
29. Viola
    Matías Piñeiro
30. Fruitvale Station
    Ryan Coogler
31. To The Wonder
    Terrence Malick
32. Night Across the Street
    Raoul Ruiz
33. Room 237
    Rodney Ascher
34. Faust
    Aleksandr Sokurov
35. Let the Fire Burn
    Jason Osder
36. Le Pont du Nord
    Jacques Rivette
37. The Wolf of Wall Street
    Martin Scorsese
38. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
    Alain Resnais
39. The Last Time I Saw Macao
    João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata
40. The Past
    Asghar Farhadi
41. The Square
    Jehane Noujaim
42. The Wind Rises
    Hayao Miyazaki
43. Drug War
    Johnnie To
44. Cousin Jules
    Dominique Benicheti
45. Much Ado About Nothing
    Joss Whedon
46. Passion
    Brian De Palma
47. Short Term 12
    Destin Cretton
48. Dallas Buyers Club
    Jean-Marc Vallée
49. Berberian Sound Studio
    Peter Strickland
50. Captain Phillips
    Paul Greengrass

David Edelstein: Top Ten Movies of 2013, as published by New York Magazine

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Her
   Spike Jonze
2. American Hustle
   David O. Russell
3. The Act of Killing
   Joshua Oppenheimer
4. Much Ado About Nothing
   Joss Whedon
5. Short Term 12
   Destin Cretton
6. 20 Feet From Stardom
   Morgan Neville
7. All Is Lost
   J.C. Chandor
8. Caesar Must Die
   Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
9. Blue is the Warmest Color
   Abdellatif Kechiche
10. The Wind Rises
    Hayao Miyazaki

Three More of the Best Docs of 2013

• Let the Fire Burn
  Jason Osder
• Blackfish
  Gabriela Cowperthwaite
• We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
  Alex Gibney

And don’t forget

• The World’s End
  Edgar Wright
• Fruitvale Station
  Ryan Coogler
• Nebraska
  Alexander Payne
• A Touch of Sin
  Jia Zhang-ke

Slant Magazine: 25 Best Films of 2013

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Her
   Spike Jonze
2. Inside Llewyn Davis
   Joel & Ethan Coen
3. Leviathan
   Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
4. Museum Hours
   Jem Cohen
5. Like Someone in Love
   Abbas Kiarostami
6. Computer Chess
   Andrew Bujalski
7. Bastards
   Claire Denis
8. Before Midnight
   Richard Linklater
9. At Berkeley
   Frederick Wiseman
10. A Touch of Sin
    Jia Zhang-ke
11. Laurence Anyways
    Xavier Dolan
12. Drug War
    Johnnie To
13. Spring Breakers
    Harmony Korine
14. The Act of Killing
    Joshua Oppenheimer
15. Viola
    Matías Piñeiro
16. The World’s End
    Edgar Wright
17. Frances Ha
    Noah Baumbach
18. 12 Years a Slave
    Steve McQueen
19. Stories We Tell
    Sarah Polley
20. Room 237
    Rodney Ascher
21. The Grandmaster
    Wong Kar-Wai
22. To The Wonder
    Terrence Malick
23. The We and the I
    Michel Gondry
24. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
    Alain Resnais
25. Gravity
    Alfonso Cuaron

Glenn Kenny: 30 Top Films of 2013

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2012]

1. Inside Llewyn Davis
   Joel & Ethan Coen
2. Something in the Air
   Olivier Assayas
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
   Martin Scorsese
4. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
   Alain Resnais
5. Upstream Color
   Shane Carruth
6. Nebraska
   Alexander Payne
7. The World’s End
   Edgar Wright
8. 12 Years a Slave
   Steve McQueen
9. Post Tenebras Lux
   Carlos Reygadas
10. Like Someone in Love
    Abbas Kiarostami
11. Beyond the Hills
    Cristian Mungiu
12. Before Midnight
    Richard Linklater
13. Gravity
    Alfonso Cuaron
14. The Bling Ring
    Sofia Coppola
15. To The Wonder
    Terrence Malick
16. Greetings From Tim Buckley
    Daniel Algrant
17. Spring Breakers
    Harmony Korine
18. Her
    Spike Jonze
19. Bastards
    Claire Denis
20. Prince Avalanche
    David Gordon Green
21. Short Term 12
    Destin Cretton
22. The Grandmaster (U.S. cut)
    Wong Kar-Wai
23. Pain & Gain
    Michael Bay
24. Frances Ha
    Noah Baumbach
25. Pacific Rim
    Guillermo del Toro
26. Blue is the Warmest Color
    Abdellatif Kechiche
27. Room 237
    Rodney Ascher
28. Fruitvale Station
    Ryan Coogler
29. The Purge
    James DeMonaco
30. Rush
    Ron Howard

A.O. Scott: 35 Favorite Films of 2013, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Inside Llewyn Davis
   Joel & Ethan Coen
2. 12 Years a Slave
   Steve McQueen
3. Blue is the Warmest Color
   Abdellatif Kechiche
4. Enough Said
   Nicole Holofcener
5. A Touch of Sin
   Jia Zhang-ke
6. All Is Lost
   J.C. Chandor
7. Frances Ha
   Noah Baumbach
8. Hannah Arendt
   Margarethe von Trotta
9. Lee Daniels’ The Butler
   Lee Daniels
10. The Great Gatsby
    Baz Luhrmann
10. The Wolf of Wall Street
    Martin Scorsese
10. The Bling Ring
    Sofia Coppola
10. Spring Breakers
    Harmony Korine
10. Pain & Gain
    Michael Bay
10. American Hustle
    David O. Russell

And, Alphabetically

• Before Midnight
  Richard Linklater
• Beyond the Hills
  Cristian Mungiu
• Caesar Must Die
  Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
• Computer Chess
  Andrew Bujalski
• Fill the Void
  Rama Burshtein
• Fruitvale Station
  Ryan Coogler
• The Great Beauty
  Paolo Sorrentino
• Her
  Spike Jonze
• In a World…
  Lake Bell
• Much Ado About Nothing
  Joss Whedon
• Museum Hours
  Jem Cohen
• Nebraska
  Alexander Payne
• An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
  Terence Nance
• Viola
  Matías Piñeiro
• You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
  Alain Resnais

Documentaries

1. The Act of Killing
   Joshua Oppenheimer
2. Stories We Tell
   Sarah Polley
3. The Square
   Jehane Noujaim
4. Let the Fire Burn
   Jason Osder
5. Cutie and the Boxer
   Zachary Heinzerling

Manohla Dargis: Top 39 Movies of 2013, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

Top 16, Alphabetically

• 12 Years a Slave
  Steve McQueen
• American Hustle
  David O. Russell
• Before Midnight
  Richard Linklater
• Behind the Candelabra
  Steven Soderbergh
• Captain Phillips
  Paul Greengrass
• The Counselor
  Ridley Scott
• The Grandmaster
  Wong Kar-Wai
• The Great Beauty
  Paolo Sorrentino
• Her
  Spike Jonze
• Inside Llewyn Davis
  Joel & Ethan Coen
• MANAKAMANA
  Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez
• Redemption
  Steven Knight
• Rush
  Ron Howard
• Spring Breakers
  Harmony Korine
• The Square
  Jehane Noujaim
• A Touch of Sin
  Jia Zhang-ke

Honor Roll, Alphabetically

• All Is Lost
  J.C. Chandor
• Bastards
  Claire Denis
• Blue Caprice
  Alexandre Moors
• Blue Jasmine
  Woody Allen
• Computer Chess
  Andrew Bujalski
• Crystal Fairy
  Sebastián Silva
• Enough Said
  Nicole Holofcener
• Faust
  Aleksandr Sokurov
• Gimme the Loot
  Adam Leon
• In the Fog
  Sergei Loznitsa
• The Invisible Woman
  Ralph Fiennes
• Kill Your Darlings
  John Krokidas
• Mother of George
  Andrew Dosunmu
• Nebraska
  Alexander Payne
• Our Children
  Joachim Lafosse
• Post Tenebras Lux
  Carlos Reygadas
• Reality
  Matteo Garrone
• Room 237
  Rodney Ascher
• Something in the Air
  Olivier Assayas
• Stories We Tell
  Sarah Polley
• This Is the End
  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
• This Is Martin Bonner
  Chad Hartigan
• Viola
  Matías Piñeiro