Col Needham's Best Movies of 2013
I'm the Founder and CEO of IMDb and here are my choices for the best films of 2013. This is drawn from a longer list of all my 9/10 and 10/10 movies from 2013 (choosing just 10 is really difficult and I also have a few hotly tipped 2013 movies left to see).
If your IMDb vote history is up-to-date then you can see your own list via these search results.
If your IMDb vote history is up-to-date then you can see your own list via these search results.
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- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsSandra BullockGeorge ClooneyEd HarrisDr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first time on a space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.Wow. Once every few years a movie comes along which really raises the game in film-making and this was it for 2013. It feels like everything which can be written about this film has been written already so I will look at the four times I have seen it so far ...
I first saw it at a crowded press & industry screening at The Toronto International Film Festival in September and it was one of the best viewing experiences of my life. After the film finished the group I was with left the cinema, barely able to leave our seats; I headed to the nearest coffee shop and literally sat there for 15+ minutes clutching a coffee as I tried to mentally return to earth.
I next saw it in October at The London Film Festival and had the honour of meeting and chatting to the visual effects supervisor, Tim Webber who was full of fascinating stories on the making of the film.
Viewing number three was in IMAX and it was like seeing it for the first time over again -- this movie demands to be seen on the big screen.
Viewing number four was with the IMDb Bristol team as part of our monthly lunchtime team cinema trip (we are hiring). - DirectorDanny BoyleStarsJames McAvoyRosario DawsonVincent CasselAn art auctioneer mixed up with a group of criminals partners with a hypnotherapist in order to recover a lost painting.The ever versatile Danny Boyle does it again in this stylish thriller which appeals to me as a Hitchcock fan and will keep you guessing until the end. Skillfully directed, cleverly written and also an engaging score written by Rick Smith.
First seen at a public screening in Bristol and then seen again in Seattle with the IMDb team for one of our regular team movie nights. - DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsBérénice BejoTahar RahimAli MosaffaAn Iranian man deserts his French wife and her two children to return to his homeland. Meanwhile, his wife starts up a new relationship, a reality her husband confronts upon his wife's request for a divorce.A complex family drama with exceptional writing and performances.
This was my favourite film at this year's Cannes Film Festival where I was able to meet writer-director Asghar Farhadi and thank him after the screening. - DirectorSteve McQueenStarsChiwetel EjioforMichael Kenneth WilliamsMichael FassbenderIn the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.This film is deeply moving and uncompromising in its approach as we have come to expect from the hand of director Steve McQueen. The whole cast is superb and newcomer Lupita Nyong'o whom I met at The Fox Searchlight party the next day is someone to watch.
This was another film from a strong line-up at The Toronto International Film Festival; I attended the world premiere with the cast and crew present and then also saw it for a second time at The London Film Festival. - DirectorEdgar WrightStarsSimon PeggNick FrostMartin FreemanFive friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from twenty years earlier unwittingly become humanity's only hope for survival.Another intriguing blend of genres from writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright.
Since I avoid trailers for films which I know I am going to see, I was able to catch this cold at a public screening on its opening weekend in the UK. This is the best way to see it as not knowing where it is going definitely added to the fun. If you have seen it, then this IMDb trivia is interesting.
My second viewing was for another team movie night in Seattle. I am pleased to see it make other team member Top 10 lists too. - DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHugh JackmanJake GyllenhaalViola DavisWhen Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.Almost as tense as Gravity. Almost. French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve follows his equally enthralling 2010 film, Incendies in this his English language debut.
First seen at a public screening during the closing weekend of The Toronto International Film Festival where you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Watched again at a public screening a few weeks later in the UK where it was equally as tense. - DirectorJoseph KosinskiStarsTom CruiseMorgan FreemanAndrea RiseboroughA veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.This is a thrilling (and surprising) science fiction film from Joseph Kosinski. It grabbed me from the opening sequence and I am always on the look-out for a great movie quote with practical applications. My wife and I must have quoted some variation of this sentence more times than any other in 2013.
Seen on its opening weekend at a public screening in the UK. - DirectorDestin Daniel CrettonStarsBrie LarsonFrantz TurnerJohn Gallagher Jr.A 20-something supervising staff member of a residential treatment facility navigates the troubled waters of that world alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend.This film is a real gem and takes the audience through an emotional ride with fascinating characters. It is good to see Brie Larson receiving recognition on the awards circuit already. Writer-director Destin Cretton expanded this from his 2008 short film of the same name.
The film caught my attention as the Audience Award winner at SXSW even though I was not in attendance this year. I added it to my IMDb Watchlist back in March as a result. The IMDb iPhone app then surfaced it to me when showtimes appeared for our local art house cinema in November. I may otherwise have missed it in the cinema so thank you to the IMDb mobile team! - DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingKristin Scott ThomasVithaya PansringarmJulian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death.Nicolas Winding Refn takes us on another dark journey, but be warned that this is not for the faint hearted. My image of Kristin Scott Thomas will be forever changed.
First seen at a special preview screening in London in May with NWR in attendance for a fascinating Q&A. - DirectorFredrik BondStarsShia LaBeoufEvan Rachel WoodMads MikkelsenWhile travelling abroad, a guy falls for a Romanian beauty whose unreachable heart has its origins in her violent, charismatic ex.Director Fredrik Bond has created a wonderful romantic fantasy thriller from Matt Drake's script. This film is full of surprises, features an excellent cast and has an amazing visual style.
First seen on its premiere at The Sundance Film Festival in January and the impact has stayed with me throughout the year.