2013: a year in film.

top US theatrical (narrative) film releases that I saw in 2013

Her (Spike Jonze | USA | Warner Bros.)

Berberian Sound Studio (Peter Strickland, 2012 | UK | IFC Midnight)

Museum Hours (Jem Cohen, 2012 | Austria/USA | The Cinema Guild)

Upstream Color (Shane Carruth; USA | erbp)

A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke; China | Kino Lorber)

Before Midnight (Richard Linklater | USA | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Post Tenebras Lux (Carlos Reygadas, 2012 | Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany | Strand Releasing)

Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine, 2012 | USA | Lionsgate Home Entertainment)

Bastards [Les salauds] (Claire Denis | France/Germany | Sundance Selects)

The Past [Le passé] (Asghar Farhadi | France/Italy | Sony Pictures Classics)

HMs: Nebraska (Alexander Payne | USA | Paramount Vantage)

Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski | USA | Kino Lorber)

Blue Is the Warmest Color [La vie d'Adèle – Chapitres 1 & 2] (Abdellatif Kechiche | France/Belgium/Spain | Sundance Selects)

Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler | USA | Anchor Bay Entertainment)

The Bling Ring (Sofia Coppola | USA/UK/France/Germany/Japan | A24)

top US theatrical (documentary) film releases that I saw in 2013

Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley, 2012 | Canada | Roadside Attractions)

Cutie and the Boxer (Zachary Heinzerling | USA | RADiUS-TWC)

American Promise (Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson | USA | P.O.V.)

The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn, and Anonymous, 2012 | Denmark/Norway/UK/Finland | Drafthouse Films)

Best Director

Spike Jonze, Her
Claire Denis, Bastards
Jia Zhangke, A Touch of Sin
Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
Harmony Korine, Spring Breakers

HMs: Carlos Reygadas, Post Tenebras Lux
Asghar Farhadi, The Past

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Joaquin Phoenix, Her*
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetal Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station
Vincent London, Bastards

HMs: Robert Redford, All Is Lost
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight
Brady Corbet, Simon Killer
Toby Jones, Berberian Sound Studio

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue Is the Warmest Color*
Amy Seimetz, Upstream Color*
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmin
Bérénice Bejo, The Past
Judi Dench, Philomena

HM: Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha

Best Actor in a Supporting Role


Wu Jiang, A Touch of Sin
James Franco, Spring Breakers
Ali Mosaffa, The Past
Dane DeHaan, Kill Your Darlings
James Gandolfini, Enough Said

HM: Will Forte, Nebraska
Michel Subor, Bastards

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

June Squibb, Nebraska*
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave*
Pauline Burlet, The Past
Zhao Tao, A Touch of Sin
Amy Adams, Her

HM: Chiara Mastroianni, Bastards

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay

Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix, Blue Is the Warmest Color
Sofia Coppola, The Bling Ring
John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, Philomena
Terence Winter, The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Writing - Original Screenplay

Spike Jonze, Her
Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight
Asghar Farhadi, The Past
Jia Zhangke, A Touch of Sin

Best Cinematography

Hoyte Van Hoytema, Her
Nicholas D. Knowland, Berberian Sound Studio
Jem Cohen and Peter Roehsler, Museum Hours
Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity
Alexis Zabe, Post Tenebras Lux
Benoît Debie, Spring Breakers
Agnès Godard, Bastards
Phedon Papamichael, Nebraska
Christopher Blauvelt and Harris Savides, The Bling Ring
Roger A. Deakins, Prisoners
Philippe Le Sourd, The Grandmaster

Best Original Score

Tindersticks, Bastards
Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
Broadcast, Berberian Sound Studio
Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett, Her
Mark Orton, Nebraska

HMs: Cliff Martinez and Skrillex, Spring Breakers
Alexander Ebert, All Is Lost
Daniel Lopatin and Brian Reitzell, The Bling Ring
Graham Reynolds, Before Midnight
Giong Lim, A Touch of Sin