People often ask me how they can become a film critic. I (somewhat flippantly) tell them to watch a movie, express an opinion on it and, voila, they can declare themselves a film critic. But it's true! Of course, getting someone to pay you as a film critic or to even just give you an opportunity for no pay in print, broadcast, or online is a horse of a completely different color. That's a mystery to all of us, and surely luck is a key factor. But a good start might be to listen to all the buzz that comes out of the Telluride, Toronto, and New York film festivals in September and October, and declare those movies your favorites of the year. Don't worry if you haven't seen them. That's a minor detail. (And I suspect some awards voters who voted for them haven't either.) It doesn't matter! People will think you're a real film critic because your taste just happens to exactly coincide with the general film critic consensus of which films best look the part to bestow their honors upon. To get real street cred this year it seems that all you need to say is that the best movies of the year are '12 Years a Slave', 'Gravity', 'Inside Llewyn Davis', 'Her', 'Nebraska', 'American Hustle', 'The Wolf of Wall Street', 'Saving Mr, Banks', 'Captain Phillips', and then throw in one more that's slightly less expected to show that you have your own mind. There, now you know how to be a proper film critic and you don't even have to see any movies!
I, however, take a slightly different and somewhat radical approach to all of this. I express what I truly believe in my heart of hearts to be the best movies of the year, even if they are met by a smirk from my esteemed colleagues and fellow film buffs. What can I say? I'm a renegade. And offering my honest opinions may in fact limit my career growth as a film critic.
Below are my personal favorites of 2013. I don't know how any film critic limits their list to 10. I saw 303 releases in 2013. If I only loved 10 of them, I wouldn't really be much of a movie fan, now would I? I gave 66 of them an A- or above, so those are what I show below. If this seems overwhelming to you then you should probably refer to my Best Films of 2013 by Genre post to help you zone in on what you will probably like most. Or, if you want to see where everything else landed, check out my Rank of all Films Reviewed in 2013 list.
Undoubtedly this list will be quite different than anyone else's. But these are the films that moved me, made me think, made me feel, and resonated with me the most. These are the films that made me the most grateful to get to impersonate a film critic on Good Day Orlando every week, and to get to see every film before it comes out so that I can form my own opinions before the consensus drills them into my head. These are the films I add to my personal DVD library. And I hope you enjoy them every bit as much as I did.
- About Time Grade: A+
- Prisoners Grade: A+
- World War Z Grade: A+
- Philomena Grade: A+
- The Short Game Grade: A+
- Before Midnight Grade: A+
- The East Grade: A
- Star Trek Into Darkness Grade: A
- Hunger Games: Catching Fire Grade: A
- Lee Daniels' The Butler Grade: A
- Blood Grade: A
- August: Osage County Grade: A
- Pain & Gain Grade: A
- Trance Grade: A
- Dallas Buyers Club Grade: A
- Captain Phillips Grade: A
- The Call Grade: A
- Side Effects Grade: A
- Enough Said Grade: A
- Broken Grade: A
- Short Term 12 Grade: A
- The Wolf of Wall Street Grade: A
- Disconnect Grade: A
- American Hustle Grade: A
- The Spectacular Now Grade: A
- 12 Years a Slave Grade: A
- Blue Jasmine Grade: A
- Broken City Grade: A
- Some Velvet Morning Grade: A
- The Sweeney Grade: A
- Kick-Ass 2 Grade: A
- Simon Killer Grade: A
- 20 Feet from Stardom Grade: A
- 56 Up Grade: A
- In a World ... Grade: A
- Jobs Grade: A
- Still Mine Grade: A
- Don Jon Grade: A
- Some Girl(s) Grade: A
- This is the End Grade: A-
- Blackfish Grade: A-
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Grade: A-
- The To Do List Grade: A-
- A Single Shot Grade: A-
- The World's End Grade: A-
- Mud Grade: A-
- Saving Mr. Banks Grade: A-
- Rush Grade: A-
- Prince Avalanche Grade: A-
- Koch Grade: A-
- Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay Grade: A-
- Let the Fire Burn Grade: A-
- Seduced and Abandoned Grade: A-
- The Brass Teapot Grade: A-
- The Hangover Part III Grade: A-
- Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey Grade: A-
- The Silence Grade: A-
- Blue is the Warmest Color Grade: A-
- The Hunt Grade: A-
- It's a Disaster Grade: A-
- A Case of You Grade: A-
- Life According to Sam Grade: A-
- Broken Circle Breakdown Grade: A-
- Pacific Rim Grade: A-
- The Family Grade: A-
- Frances Ha Grade: A-
I think your viewpoint as a critic is consistent and therefore helpful as a general guide. I like reading your reviews whether I agree with them or not.
ReplyDeleteOh and you forgot one other type of critic - the critic who will put a positive spin on any piece of crap in order to get their name on the advertising for said film.
Thanks John! And you're right! I forgot about the sell-outs like Peter Travers!
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