It feels very, very strange to write this list this year because — for the first time that I can remember — I can barely put together a serious top-ten list. That’s always my target, and I usually have no trouble doing it, but seriously…of the 31 films released this year which we’ve seen, I can only just say ten of them were good enough to be on my ‘best of’ list at year’s end. And frankly, I’m not even sure Pacific Rim is of the same calibre as films I’ve recommended in previous years.

Now, keep in mind that I haven’t yet seen any of Mud (update: amazing), Gravity (update: stunning), 12 Years A Slave (update: good, and important, but not a great film), American Hustle (update: disappointing), The Wolf Of Wall Street (update: disappointing), Dallas Buyer’s Club, Inside Llewyn Davis (update: fantastic), Captain Phillips (update: great), Her, Frances Ha, Blue Jasmine, In A World… (update: loved it), Nebraska, Blue Is The Warmest Color, Stories We Tell, The Act Of Killing, A Hijacking, War Witch, Fruitvale Station (update: incredible), Sound City (update: good), Muscle Shoals (update: excellent), The Square, 20 Feet From Stardom, All Is Lost, Call Me Kuchu, or Room 237. So I might be short-changing 2013.

Here’s what I have as of now:

UPDATE: on second thought, I didn’t like how this was working out. I felt like I had to split it up. There are movies which drew me in and affected me as I watched them (the first list) and others which, while enjoyable, won’t really stick with me (the second list). As we continue to catch up on 2013 I expect both lists to grow. Or not?

The best

• Before Midnight
• Blackfish
• Captain Phillips
• Drinking Buddies
• Fruitvale Station
• Gravity
• In A World…
• Inside Llewyn Davis
• Mud
• Muscle Shoals
• Why Don’t You Play In Hell?

Near misses

• 12 Years A Slave
• Don Jon
• Miss Violence
• Prisoners
• Watermark
• The World’s End

.:.

Photo by Clint McMahon, used under Creative Commons license