We’re sure the water cooler is buzzing over at the New York Times today as both of the paper’s major film critics have released their assessment of this year’s best movies. We’ve already seen what Manohla Dargis had to say, and now it’s time for A.O. Scott to pour one out for 2013.
And while his list is a bit more “conventional,” there are some things worth taking note of. For instance, Nicole Holofcener‘s “Enough Said” gets some major props that go beyond James Gandolfini‘s already celebrated performance, with Scott calling it an “insightful examination of the peculiarities and contradictions of courtship and parenthood in 21st century America.” Meanwhile, arthouse fave “Hannah Arendt” also gets a shout-out on the list. But perhaps most surprising is the number ten slot.
Scott puts “The Great Gatsby,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “The Bling Ring,” “Spring Breakers,” “Pain and Gain” and “American Hustle” in a six-way tie in films that he says are “six variations on the big theme of our times: ‘Just look at all my stuff!’ It’s capitalism, baby! Grab what (and who) you can, and do whatever feels good. We’re all going to hell (or jail, or Florida) anyway.”
See Scott’s full comments for each entry right here, and share your thoughts below.
The New York Times’ A.O. Scott Top 10 Of 2013
1. ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’
2. ‘12 Years a Slave’
3. ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’
4. ‘Enough Said’
5. ‘A Touch of Sin’
6. ‘All Is Lost’
7. ‘Frances Ha’
8. ‘Hannah Arendt’
9. ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’
10. ‘The Great Gatsby’/‘The Wolf of Wall Street’/‘The Bling Ring’/‘Spring Breakers’/‘Pain and Gain’/‘American Hustle’
Documentaries
1. ‘The Act of Killing’
2. ‘Stories We Tell’
3. ‘The Square’
4. ‘Let the Fire Burn’
5. ‘Cutie and the Boxer’
AO Scott is a NYTimes hack
The excess of the American dream is definitely a common thread among 2013 releases, as is survivalism (12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, Gravity, and All Is Lost). I feel it takes away from each individual films strengths (or lack thereof, depending on your viewpoint) to lump them all together.
Scott gave a mixed review to "Pain & Gain" and a slightly positive one to "The Great Gatsby." Granted, this isn't to say that someone isn't allowed to change their mind (I dispised "Man of Steel" the first time I saw it, and while I didn't quite come around, I found more to admire in the second viewing), but six seems like overkill. Pick the best one (or maybe two).
"Pain & Gain" = lulz.