New on DVD & Blu-Ray: Lee Daniels' 'The Butler', 'Riddick', 'Enough Said'

Lee Daniels' The Butler - Cecil Gaines served eight presidents in his lifetime as the one of the butlers in the White House. He sees the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and other major American historical events through the inside of the president's walls. The film stars Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding, Jr., David Oyelowo, and also includes cameos by Alan Rickman, Liev Shrieber, James Marsden, John Cusack, and Robin Williams. 

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Riddick - Left for dead again on a sun-scorched planet, only this time he's up against a creepy predator, Riddick has to try to find a way out. An emergency beacon brings two ships, mercenaries out to kill him, and a man that knows about Riddick and his past. The film stars Vin Diesel, Jordi Molla, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, and Dave Bautista, with a cameo by Karl Urban.

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Enough Said - Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the late James Gandolfini are a great pair in this very intriguing tale about a masseuse who meets and begins to fall in love with a fellow divorcee only to discover that one of her clients is his ex-wife. Slowly, but surely, the information the ex tells Dreyfus about Gandolfini starts to taint her relationship with him. The film also stars Catherine Keener and Toni Collette. 

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Short Term 12 - This was probably one of the best, if not the best, film of 2013. It's understated and really powerful. Brie Larson plays a young woman who works at a foster care center where all the kids come from mostly bad families. She takes care of them and helps ease their hurt all while being forced to confront her own issues when she finds out a teenage girl is dealing with the same things she went through. The film also stars John Gallagher, Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Keith Stanfield, Rami Malek, and Frantz Turner. 

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Fruitvale Station - Michael B. Jordan stars as Oscar Grant as we are taken through the journey that ends up being the last day of his life on December 31, 2008. It's based on the true story of Grant, who was shot and killed by a San Francisco transportation security officer in a confrontation that got out of hand very fast. The film also stars Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ariana Neal, and Chad Michael Murray. 

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The Spectacular Now - Sutter lives life in the moment. With alcohol always there to get him through everything and makes life easier, his views on things change when he meets Aimee. Aimee has dreams for the future and a kind disposition while Sutter is a wrecking ball waiting to explode as he covers up his very low opinion of himself and finally meets the father who left him and sees what he might become. The film stars Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, and Kyle Chandler. 

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Carrie - This remake of the classic 1976 horror movie stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore follows the same story with a modern take on the original. Carrie is shy and extremely sheltered by her overly religious mother and unleashes her telekinetic powers on everyone when she's finally pushed too far.  

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You're Next - The Davison family is reuniting to celebrate their parents' anniversary. But things don't go as planned when a bunch of weapon-wielding masked intruders invade the house and start killing everyone off one by one. The film stars Sharni Vinson, Nicolas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, and AJ Bowen. 

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PDC Staff Picks: The Top 5 Movies of 2013

In the immortal words of Porky the Pig, ble, ble, ble, that's all folks! It is the final day of 2013, a year that brought us all of the fun that a year with a Syrian civil war, a bombing at a beloved Boston tradition, and a government shutdown can bring. Years like this are the reason that cinema's ability to provide an escape will never die. So we now happily bring you the climactic ending to all of our "End of 2013" lists, the PDC staff picks for the top 5 movies of 2013!

Mae, Rocky, Julian and John (Travis previously published his picks for the top 15 movies of 2013, which you can find here) each went back and painstakingly narrowed down their picks to the 5 movies from 2013 that were their overall favorites.

So without further adieu, here's Mae to start us off!

Mae's Picks

5. THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
I wasn't a big fan of the first film, though I'm a huge fan of the books. So when Gary Ross bowed out as director, I didn't shed a tear and was more than excited when director Francis Lawrence jumped on-board. And when the film was finally released, there was really no doubt that Lawrence had just delivered a great movie that exceeded all expectations. Jennifer Lawrence and everyone else involved are at the top of their game. The film is intense, action-packed, and makes right everything that was wrong with the first film. What's not to love about that?

4. PRISONERS
What makes Prisoners such an outstanding film is its ability to portray great drama all while exploring the gray area of a person's morals when pushed to the brink. Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Paul Dano are exceptional in their roles. It's not a film you can watch more than once, because it's so emotionally exhausting, but it's intense and gripping and the end might piss you off just a little just because it ends on a cliff-hanger.

3. THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN 
There hasn't been a film in recent memory that encompasses the trials of love and the pain of loss the way this film does. It uses bluegrass music as a backdrop for its story and isn't told in the traditional chronological way, which is part of what makes it unique. It captures a love story and then sends that love story through the wringer and asks the characters (and us) to survive it. The way the movie is told is mesmerizing, the music moving, and the performances so strong that you might need a tissue or two... or three by the end of the film.    

2. 12 YEARS A SLAVE
You've probably heard me praise this film on the PDC podcast over and over, and even after watching the movie a second time, it's still deserving of praise. Steve McQueen gives a straightforward film that's full of powerful and oftentimes hard-to-watch moments of intensity. McQueen doesn't sugarcoat anything, bringing us the realities of slavery in a no- nonsense manner, and isn't scared to do so. The long takes, the emotion, and the realistic nature of the whole film leaves a huge impact and asks us to revisit one of the darkest parts of America's history with our eyes wide open.

1. SHORT TERM 12
If this film doesn't make it to the Oscar ballot, it would truly be a damn shame. Like my #2 pick, Short Term 12 deals with pretty serious topics and does it with absolute grace and dignity. The film explores the emotional impact foster care and abusive families can have on kids and teenagers. There are issues of trust, rape, neglect, physical and verbal abuse, and skeletons in the closet that the cast deal with. Brie Larson's performance is one layered with maturity and John Gallagher, Jr. is an outstanding pillar of support. The entire cast clicks so well together and bring warmth to an otherwise dramatic and emotionally-heavy film. Intense and strong story-telling at its best.

Rocky's Picks

5. PACIFIC RIM
I’ve loved Guillermo del Toro for a long time, but my affection practically doubled with Pacific Rim, his big-budget would-be blockbuster this summer. As I’ve already griped in my Best/Worst Trailers of 2013 list, too few of my American countrymen saw this movie, and I still can’t figure out why. You guys realize this wasn’t Transformers, right? And yet chances are when the next Michael Bay dreckfest hits theaters, you’ll be lining up to see that. Sigh. But I loved everything del Toro brought to Pacific Rim: his eye for detail in the design of the kaiju; an international mentality and cast; strong female and minority characters in Mako Mori (Ranko Kikuchi) and Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba); and, finally, a story that didn’t rely on egregious violence or the objectification of women to get its point across. Thanks for that, Guillermo.

4. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES
“I’m still his father; I can give him stuff.” Possibly the most underrated movie of the year was Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines, which had a fantastic ensemble in Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, and Dane DeHaan but got almost zero attention when it was released this past spring. Ugh, but it was such an affecting, powerful movie, with a story spanning generations and hitting on various issues about patriarchy, masculinity, and family. Don’t forget that Cianfrance did the same thing with his previous movie starring Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine, but I think The Place Beyond the Pines is the better film. That final scene with DeHaan? I’m getting teary just thinking about it.

3. SPRING BREAKERS
“This is the fucking American Dream. This is my fucking dream, y’all!” Oh, James Franco! He was a revelation in Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, but so was the film’s main foursome: Korine’s wife, Rachel; ABC Family star Ashley Benson; and former Disney princesses Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens. Together, they presented a range of teenage girl debauchery, from the naïve, idealistic one (Gomez as Faith) to the lascivious, bored one (Hudgens as Candy), and the film revolved around their simultaneously competitive-yet-loyal friendship. Bound to be a cult classic, Spring Breakers holds up to repeat viewings like few other films this year—and who could ever tire of Franco’s faux-gangster drawl? Certainly not me.

2. THE PAST/THE GREAT GATSBY
Is having a tie cheating? Because if so, I’m cheating. But oof, both of these movies hit me hard this year, in ways that I can’t imagine myself forgetting. The Past, the latest film from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi—who won the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar last year for the very deserving A Separation—is a slowly unfurling, character-driven drama, the kind of movie that parcels out information methodically and entrancingly. Much like A Separation, this isn’t a movie with good guys or bad guys—just people struggling to make a life for themselves, to protect their families, to find some semblance of happiness. Bérénice Bejo and Ali Mosaffa are unforgettable; the final scene with Tahar Rahim will break your heart. The Past will haunt you.

And The Great Gatsby will, too, even though it’s so opulent, so bombastic, so soaked in glitter and booze and couture. As I noted in my piece about the Best and Worst Onscreen Kisses of 2012, there’s something “rotten and lustful and idealistic” in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original novel, and director Baz Luhrmann gets that right. He keeps a shocking amount of Fitzgerald’s original dialogue and text; presents Gatsby (a fantastic Leonardo DiCaprio) as the right kind of half-dangerous, half-pathetic bastard who can’t let the past go; and although his framing device of Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) telling the story to a psychiatrist isn’t the best, it’s ambitious. The Great Gatsby might have been one of the most unabashed films of the year, wearing all of its emotions on its sleeve. I respected it so much for that.

1. 12 YEARS A SLAVE
But I didn’t respect anything this year as much as 12 Years a Slave, the Steve McQueen-directed film that swept our Washington DC Area Film Critics Association awards this year. No, it’s not an easy film to watch. But it shouldn’t be, should it? You should watch it for the overwhelmingly great performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, and even Brad Pitt, in his limited screentime; you should watch it for McQueen’s exceptionally long takes, how he lets his actors display their resolve and pain and determination on their faces; you should watch it for the sense that film can stand for something and mean something and do something. If 12 Years a Slave doesn’t make a strong showing at the Oscars this year, we riot. Or at least I do.

John's Picks

5. GI JOE: RETALIATION
Now hold on before you start throwing rotten fruit. First of all this isn’t medieval Europe so you need to update your methods of taunting. Secondly, when I say top 5 it doesn't mean best 5 it means the 5 I enjoyed the most so, no, I’m not saying Snake Eyes should be up for a best actor Oscar (what a wonderful world that would be)

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra was a pleasant surprise, there’s no doubt there, but it definitely left Joe fans wondering why there was no visual acuity with the cartoon…I mean, that was one of the coolest things about the cartoon, the way everything looked. Jon Chu said he was one of those fans and he certainly proved it with GI Joe: Retaliation. It certainly had some problems, like killing off the entire original cast except for Snake Eyes (Snake Eyes is to GI Joe what Daryl Dixon is to The Walking Dead) but this misstep was more than made up for. Bringing Dwayne Johnson on board as Roadblock and filing out the other two main spots with fan favorites Lady Jaye (Adrienne Palicki) and Flint (D.J. Cotrona) was the first show of good faith, but the reason it’s on my list can be narrowed down to two things, design and ninjas. Cobra Commander is back to the silver faced mastermind we know and love, the vehicles and weapons are completely outrageous and awesome, and best of all Cobra Commander’s evil plan is actually quite genius. I’m not going to try and explain the ninja aspect since there’s no way I’ll do it justice but if you watched any of the trailers you know that this all boils down to half of the movie being about Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow complete with some more history and possibly the most epic mountaintop ninja fight ever filmed.

4. EVIL DEAD
If history has shown us anything it’s that remaking a beloved 80’s horror property does not end well. Needless to say remaking Sam Rami’s ultra low budget horror classic, possibly the most beloved cult horror film of the time, had to be a bad idea. What we get is a movie that (aside from the lack of Bruce Campbell) completely honors and improves on the original. Though most will give The Conjuring top honors for scariest movie of the year I have to go with Evil Dead, it’s terrifying, satisfying, and most importantly a hell of a lot of fun.

3. FAST & FURIOUS 6
This really seems alien to me, I mean is there any other franchise that started getting better after it’s fourth installment? Finally someone in Hollywood figured out how to take what made something popular and adapt it properly to grow the story in a believable way. Now, of course I don’t mean that the events in the movie are believable, just that outlaw street racers would, conceivably, use their skills for bigger and better scores. Part 6, another movie on my top 5 with Dwayne Johnson, sees the gang finally on the edge of gaining their way back into the states with a clean slate but at the cost of going up against their most deadly opponent yet. The plot really doesn’t matter though as long as it’s somewhat fresh and includes the two most important things to the franchise; fast cars and the best action ensemble in decades (which makes the passing of co-lead Paul Walker all the more saddening).

2. THE GREAT GATSBY
If I had done a prediction list at the beginning of the year I most definitely would not have thought this would have made it. Decadent, superbly acted, and awesomely fun…the kind of movie that will make you want to put throwing a party like Gatsby on your bucket list. Honestly, I’m kind of amazed there wasn't a trend of Gatsby parties across college campuses after the movie came out. A soundtrack of hip-hop mixed with the flapper style of the roaring 20’s hits all of the right notes (pun intended) in a surprisingly compatible way. Then, on top of the sheer exhilaration of watching the party scenes , you have a perfectly filmed adaptation of the classic novel’s real story, the star-crossed relationship of Gatsby and Daisy. It will reinvigorate your love of reading the book in high school, or, in my case, make you regret opting for the Cliff’s notes.

1.  MAN OF STEEL
If Julian reads this list, he may never talk to me again, but Man of Steel is one of those goose-bump inducing films that remind you of why you started loving movies as a kid. I know that people had problems with the movie but, in my opinion, there was literally nothing I could gripe about afterwards. Superman Returns showed us that the candy coated boy scout from Krypton defined by Christopher Reeve was no longer something with broad appeal. Zack Snyder gave Superman what he needed a (slight) edge. He needs to remain the moral compass for not just the Justice League but for mankind, so Batman dark was never an option nor should it have been. Oh, and the whole killing Zod thing. Here are two perfect reasons that doing so was the right choice. First, this is Superman’s first week on the job against what will be one of his toughest enemies, showing him do things out of character and/or make mistakes stands only to humanize him…something he sorely needed. Second, it serves as the moment when Superman definitively chooses Earth as his true home, saving a random family by killing the only remaining person from your planet in existence is a pretty bold statement of allegiance I would say. All of the magical, inspiring and visually astounding hallmarks of the original Superhero but with some new, fresh twists that work on every level…yup, that sounds exactly like the way to successfully reboot a classic film.

Final Note: The most confusing complaint that was popular among MoS detractors was the damage done to Metropolis and Superman’s apparent indifference to bystanders. First, it’s four people that are basically Gods fighting to the death in the middle of a crowded city…this is that realism that you've been asking for. Also, Superman wasn’t indifferent to bystanders, like I said earlier this was his first real week on the job and he had his hands extremely full. If anything I think it’s a great jumping point to explain a bit more about why he is so unwaveringly good other than hometown words of wisdom from Jonathan Kent.

Julian's Picks

Note: My list is the basically the dark side of the American Dream list. Since I haven’t seen all of the films I wanted to see this year, I decided to focus most of my list on the theme. There are no numbers here, just hits, like it's Bad Boy records in 1995.

AMERICAN HUSTLE
I think I was into this film from the title alone. If America is about anything it’s about the hustle. That’s how you win, those are the some of the main beliefs taught in this country and this film loosely based on the Abscam scandal in the late '70s is a thesis on that. The highlight for this whole film is the many fantastic performances like the lauded one from JLaw, Amy Adams and Bale but also from the other ones like Renner and Louis C.K. This whole movie is such a complete piece of work; David O. Russell and his team deserve all the accolades for the choice of music, costuming, cinematography and even the hair/makeup. This is a highly re-watchable film; I wanted to make like 80 gifs from it while I was in the theater.

THE GREAT GATSBY
Balling. Pure and simple. It’s very rare that I read a fiction prose book before seeing a film but this one I decide to take that plunge and did so. Man I really loved this film. I thought it totally captured the book and that feeling of what we think about the '20s. The costuming in this is crazy and so is the use of music and 3D. I think that Gatsby might not get a lot of awards since it was released in the summer but I think its impact will be very great, more so than any other adaptation of the work. Heck I think you can see it now, it’s the reason we got Jay Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail. Leo is about to be the next Scarface folks. Also, all the best film gifs of 2013 came from the trailer for this film.

ONLY GOD FORGIVES 
Now I didn’t see this film in theaters, I went ahead and gave Amazon some money for that rental and man I don’t regret it one bit. I don’t know if I should’ve seen it in the theater by how much this film got me hype. This film is far from standard, not really linear and is more than most films out this year about a feeling and a look more than anything else. Only God Forgives was like looking at a video mood board with all original content. This weird journey of Baby Goose’s Julian and his quite crazy mother and their eventual run in with the Angel of Vengeance is like somehow watching Nicolas Winding Refn’s dreams. It’s not a film for everyone, it’s very violent and indulgent, but not many films got me as excited and inspired like this film.

SPRING BREAKERS 
Look at my Shiiiiiiit! James Franco y’all. This movie. This movie folks. The tumblr pic king of 2013 films. Spring Breakers is very much the Kids of right now. Frightening for those with children and at a certain age, about right for those younger and for those in the age of the characters, I don’t know, because they are out there doing this craziness. Early on I called this film like a Southern rap song as a film (specifically screwed and chopped) and it very much is as it’s a mix of the good times of parties while also the dark times of the trap life. It’s interesting to see these people go down this hole, all for the pursuit of a never-ending good time.

THE GRANDMASTER 
This doesn’t fit the dark American Dream theme I said in my prologue but this film hit so many notes for me. It’s a martial art film that feels like an old kung fu classic film telling a story of famous people of the past that became myth, but it’s just set in a closer place in time. For me it perfectly meshes Wong Kar Wai’s usual style of story with very well done fight sequences and choreography. It’s beautiful and has a good sense of the actual philosophy on how each Grandmaster sees their art and the world. Zhang Ziyi has one of the best performances of the year; in the end you’ll be sitting there on YouTube watching 64 hands demos all day.

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Travis Hopson's 15 Best Movies of 2013

When it comes to ranking the best or worst of anything, I'm a total obsessive about it. The process begins with day one of the new year and runs all the way through to the end. That doesn't make it any easier, mind you, in fact it makes sorting through the many movies I see each year (nearing 230 at the time of this post) all the more difficult. And 2013 has been especially tough because this has been one of the most stacked movie years I can remember, and it has nothing to do with the summer blockbuster season, which in general was a massive disappointment. By contrast the typically dreadful winter season was full of high-quality gems which sadly will be overlooked come Oscar time (but not by me!), and because of that there are more brilliant movies than ever to choose from. Which is just one reason why I've expanded my Top 10 to 15...that and to cut down on the usual flood of emails asking "How could you leave (insert movie here) off your list?!?!” Hey, if my list isn't good enough then maybe you'll be more interested in our Best Overlooked Films, Best (and Worst) Onscreen Kisses, and Hottest Leading Ladies as we tie a neat little bow on 2013.

Enough rambling, let's just jump right in.

15. The Place Beyond the Pines
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Dane DeHaan, Ray Liotta

How is it that everybody has forgotten Derek Cianfrance's sprawling The Place Beyond the Pines? Never mind that it features the only good performance by Ryan Gosling this year, overshadowing Bradley Cooper just as he was overshadowed by other superior talents in American Hustle, but the film is a truly ambitious look at the legacy of violence wrapped in complicated narrative structure few directors would even dare.

14. The Act of Killing
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer

Like horror movies? Great, then you need to check out Joshua Oppenheimer's chilling documentary The Act of Killing.  You won't see Hollywood celebrating this "movie about movies", which offers probably the clearest look at the impact of our violent movie culture. Oppenheimer, who had gone to Indonesia for totally different reasons, ended up meeting Anwar Congo and a number of other movie-loving gangsters who had committed wholesale genocide of Communists and other enemies of state back in the 1960s, and have been living for decades as heroes, unabashedly boastful of their murderous actions. Convincing them to reenact the slaughter in the style of their favorite movies, the film becomes a deeply disturbing, darkly comic (which is even more unsettling) film about redemption and the power of cinema.

13. The Wind Rises
Director: Hayao Miyazaki

If The Wind Rises truly is Hayao Miyazaki's final movie, the legendary Studio Ghibli founder has gone out on top.  Setting aside his impressive resume of fantasy classics, Miyazaki has been living in the real world more often of late, co-writing the post-WWII drama From Up on Poppy Hill and now with The Wind Rises he explores a similar time in Japan's difficult history. As complete and fully-realized as any biopic that emerged this year, the film tells the story of engineer Jiro Hirokoshi, a dreamer who would ultimately design the Zero Fighter plane used during the war. The aeronautical details are fascinating in and of themselves, but so is Hirokoshi's personal story as an obsessive artist in love with his craft and the one woman who accepted him for who he was. There's been a lot of controversy over what the film doesn't say, but none of that matters in the long run. All I know is when the movie was over I spent the next couple of hours online reading literally everything I could find on Hirohoshi. That never happens.

12. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone

Comparisons to The Empire Strikes Back have been flying around pretty easily, but for once they actually make a bit of sense. Catching Fire isn't just a better movie than The Hunger Games, it's bigger, handles the social and political themes with more nuance and raises the stakes in a way that changes the tenor of the franchise. And of course right at the center of it is the quietly confident Jennifer Lawrence (so different than her chaotic role in American Hustle), aided by great supporting cast that only got better with the additions of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, and the ferocious Jena Malone.

11. Fast & Furious 6
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Luke Evans, Jordana Brewster

Okay, let's be honest: these movies are dumb as bricks, but nothing else can be counted on to deliver bigger bang for the buck and more "holy shit!" moments than Fast & Furious. The latest is a cornucopia of improbable car chases, crashes, and mid-air battles, led by an ethnically-diverse superstar cast that we've come to look at as family. As silly as they may be on screen, the genius of these movies is that they treat their audience with respect and give them exactly what they want year in and year out.

10. The Kings of Summer
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Cast: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman

Jordan Vogt-Robert's impressive directorial debut The Kings of Summermay take some of its cues from 1980s childhood classics The Goonies and Stand By Me, but it quickly becomes apparent this quirky, funny little gem is doing its own thing. This timeless and slightly surreal comedy stars a handful of unknowns in Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, and the goofy Moises Arias, as friends eager to get out from under their parents' shadows (including the gruff and hilarious Nick Offerman) by building their own home in the woods and living off the land. Subverting the genre and shattering preconceived notions all the way, the adults and kids are given equal consideration without a hint of irony, taking us on a journey that is both funny and poignant. But more than that, it's refreshing to see a comedy that doesn't take the cinematography for granted, and The Kings of Summer is a genuinely beautiful movie with big, sweeping sun-kissed images that will burn into your memory.

9. Trance
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel

When Danny Boyle wasn't busy plotting the most recent Olympics, he was figuring out way to make mincemeat out of our brains with Trance. While it seems to have been overlooked since it came out early this year, there were few experiences I had more fulfilling than Boyle's delirious, pulsing heist thriller, with all its twists, turns, and palpable sexual energy. James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, and that darn smirking Vincent Cassel have never been better in their careers in ever-shifting roles that constantly reframe who we think is worth trusting. The simple answer is "nobody".

8. Before Midnight
Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Before Ethan Hawke embarrassed himself later in the year with Getaway, he would find much greater success in the continued 20-year collaboration with Richard Linklater and Julie Delpy in Before Midnight. The third film in the dialogue heavy series gives fans everything they think they've wanted for so long, finding Jesse and Celine married with kids, and as argumentative as ever. For two breathtakingly gorgeous hours walking with them through the Greek Isle, they discuss love, sex, family, and more in a way that feels remarkably natural. But true to this series' nature, their conversations don't go where we expect them to, veering down a dark path that forces us to question whether they were truly meant to live happily ever after.

7. Spring Breakers
Director: Harmony Korine
Cast: Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens, James Franco, Rachel Korine

James Franco gives head to a gun at one point in Harmony Korine's wild, neon spectacle Spring Breakers. Reason enough for me to put it in my Top 10, along with Franco's unforgettable drawl "Spring break forever, ya'll!" that is unquestionably the quote of the year. Some have been quick to write off the film as just another look at teen rebellion and excess, and while those are indeed factors there's a lot more going on beneath the surface. Looking like it was set on fire by candles made of Starbursts, the film and its army of half-naked starlets tosses aside any notions of normalcy and rips away at the facade of American culture. There's nowhere safe from the corrupting influence of sex, drugs, and violence; and while these are familiar ideas for Korine we've never seen them presented quite like this.

6. Gravity
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Full disclosure: Gravity had been sitting in my top 3 until only recently, which just goes to show how strong the last few weeks of movies have been. That's not taking anything away from what Alfonso Cuaron accomplished with Gravity, a film that endured a troubling production process to become one of the year's biggest hits, and an experience I think defines what going to the movies is all about. If movies are designed to take us into a world we can never hope to experience ourselves, then Gravity is the closest any of us will ever get to being in space. Cuaron captures the terrifying beauty of space in all its glory, fully immersing us into the impossible journey home of two stranded astronauts, played Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. What Cuaron accomplishes is so far-reaching that it's easy to overlook the contributions the actors make, but Clooney's reservoir of charm is the perfect balance to Bullock's desperation.

5. The Wolf of Wall Street
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Margot Robbie, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal

My first thought after the credits rolled on Martin Scorsese's 3-hour symphony of greed and depravity was, "How in the hell did this not get an NC-17 rating"??? Seriously, there are so many heinous acts committed in this constantly hilarious film, by none other than Hollywood golden boy Leonardo DiCaprio, that you need to see it multiples times just to properly sort them all out. When midget tossing is on the low rung of the immoral totem pole then that's really saying something, but let's just say cocaine gets snorted out of more orifices than I think it was ever meant to. While Goodfellas is clearly the model here in just about every respect, the film treads its own path in the story of Wall Street whiz kid Jordan Belfort, who starts from nothing before becoming top don at the craziest brokerage firm in the world. Besides DiCaprio, the film is bolstered by great supporting turns by Jonah Hill, Rob Reiner, and a chest-thumping Matthew McConaughey.

4. American Hustle
Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner

Another film taking its cues from Goodfellas, David O. Russell's American Hustle is the most fun you'll have being conned all year. Very loosely based on the political Abscam scandal of the late '70s, which Russell knows you don't really give a fig about, this glitzy messy crime caper is a whirl of double-crosses and broken hearts, told through the questionable lens of a con-couple played by Christian Bale and Amy Adams. Throw in Jennifer Lawrence as Bale's chaotic wife, Bradley Cooper (and his curly 'do) as a scheming FBI agent, not to mention a game Jeremy Renner and you have the recipe for a film that is so dynamic it's easy to look over the plot's significant flaws.

3. 12 Years a Slave
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch

One does not really enjoy a movie like 12 Years A Slave. You endure it. You experience it, and Steve McQueen's harrowing drama is the most unflinching look at the slavery era we've ever seen captured on film, TV, anywhere.  McQueen brings his aloof approach to the unbelievable true story of Solomon Northrup (Ejiofor), a free black man kidnapped and forced into brutal slavery under the whip of masters ranging from coldly dismissive to sadistic. If Alfonso Cuaron's cast us adrift in the darkness of space, McQueen entraps us into the horrors of the antebellum South and never lets us escape its grip even for a moment.

2. The Spectacular Now
Director: James Ponsoldt
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

When I get asked why I make it a point to attend the Sundance Film Festival every year, the answer is because of movies like The Spectacular Now. One of the very first things I saw way back in January, after my glowing review I remarked that it was almost a certainty to be at or near the top of my 'Best Of..." list, regardless of how many great movies may follow it. And that has held true, obviously. Good to know I'm a man of word in this case. What struck me right off the bat was how far it sets itself apart from other teen romances. The teens all look and sound like normal everyday people, not the easily recognizable stereotypes we see perpetuated constantly in any number of similar movies. Showing the emotional range he displayed opposite Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole, Miles Teller plays life-of-the-party high school senior Sutter Keely, with Shailene Woodley as the shy and disarmingly beautiful Aimee Finicky. We're treated to their courtship, which evolves naturally from mentorship, to friendship, to eventual romance, but from there it goes into unexpected territory as Sutter's personal demons threaten to engulf them both. Directed with an observant eye by James Ponsolt, it's probably the closest any film has come to matching the sincere tone of those great John Hughes movies we all love. The Spectacular Now deserves to be in the same conversation with all of them.

1. Short Term 12
Director: Destin Cretton
Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Keith Stanfield, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever

The top two picks on this list are pretty much interchangeable for me, and if asked what my favorite movie of the year is tomorrow I may have the positions swapped. But right this very second Destin Cretton's masterful Short Term 12 sits at the top. It's a small film with big hopes, big ambitions, and big emotional stakes as we follow the mentors and charges at a foster care facility for at-risk teens. At the center of it is Grace, played with vulnerability and passion by one of my favorite actresses, Brie Larson. Her perfectly nuanced performance ranks as one of the year's finest, even if I think the Academy will ultimately overlook her. The script by emerging star Destin Cretton is a thing of beauty, hitting on all of the right emotional beats as it skillfully studies the devastating effects of abuse on its survivors. And while sometimes that exploration can get pretty bleak, Cretton never lets us totally give up hope, imbuing the film with an everlasting humanist spirit.

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'Inside Llewyn Davis', 'Fruitvale Station' Win Big at Gotham Awards; Brie Larson Takes Top Acting Prize

Our own WAFCA Awards will be handed out next week, but the awards race really kicked off in earnest tonight as the Gotham Awards announced their big winners. Taking the top prize of Best Feature was the Coen Brothers' folk music film Inside Llewyn Davis, beating out expected Oscar-winner 12 Years A Slave. Early year favorite Fruitvale Station won both categories it was nominated in with director Ryan Coogler winning for Breakthrough Director and star Michael B. Jordan taking home Breakthrough Actor. In a bit of a happy surprise, Brie Larson won Best Actress for the acclaimed indie drama Short Term 12, while Matthew McConaughey won Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club.

So how does all of this change the Oscar race? Some will say this gives the Coens' film some heavy momentum but in truth this won't mean much unless Inside Llewyn Davis continues to rack up wins. However this could be a significant boost for Larson, who was recently nominated for an Indie Spirit Award, while McConaughey has long been considered a top contender.

Check out the full list of winners below....

Best Feature: "Inside Llewyn Davis"

Best Documentary: "The Act of Killing"

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award: Ryan Coogler, "Fruitvale Station"
 
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Actress: Brie Larson, "Short Term 12"

Breakthrough Actor: Michael B. Jordan, "Fruitvale Station"

Film Audience Award: "Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings," Tadashi Nakamura

Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant: Gita Pullapilly, director, "Beneath the Harvest Sky"

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Cinema Royale #31- Special Guest: Eric Bana; The Grandmaster, Short Term 12

On a very special Cinema Royale, Munich and Troy star Eric Bana calls in to talk about his terrorism thriller, Closed Circuit!

Plus, +Julian Lytle  joins me to reviewWong Kar Wai's anticipated martial arts epic, The Grandmaster, and Lauren Bradshaw calls in to look at Short Term 12!

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, Libsyn, and Podomatic. Listen to this week's episode below...

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New Clip from SXSW Hit 'Short Term 12' Starring Brie Larson

Unless you're a member of Brie Larson's fan club (*raises hand*) there's a pretty good chance that Short Term 12 has slipped under your radar. The indie drama has been knocking 'em dead on the festival circuit for months, taking home Grand Jury and Audience awards at SXSW, with many proclaiming this to be Larson's breakout performance. Word on the film may be quiet for now, but as it begins to roll into theaters in just a few days, expect the buzz on it to swell as audiences take in a truly mesmerizing story.

After debuting the trailer recently, a new clip has now been released courtesy of Indiewire, and it's a scene that plays best in full context, but still goes a long way in showing how professional and personal lines can be crossed so easily. Larson plays a Grace, a worker at a short term foster care facility who takes a vested interest in all of her charges, while also dealing with some serious challenges in her own life. John Gallagher Jr. (The Newsroom) is her colleague and boyfriend, while Rami Malek (The Master) is a new employee trying to learn the ropes and finding it isn't easy.

What makes this film work are the smaller human moments that bind these characters together; the laughter, the pain, the fear of what the future holds. But it's also a very tough film that doesn't pull any punches or look for easy solutions. A couple of words of advice? Bring plenty of Kleenex. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Short Term 12 opens on August 23rd.

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