The Best to Worst of 2013: A Compilation of Every Movie I've Seen From 2013

"The Hunt:" the ultimate showcase for relativity of foreign cinema, and the need for studios outside of Hollywood. It's a masterpiece of cinematography, acting, direction, dialogue and emotion. It's story is intriguing; bringing to light the wickedness of human nature, and ultimately, the insincerity of society.

"Blue is the Warmest Color" is an emotional powerhouse, with two of the greatest performances of all time on screen. Its message is powerful, and thanks to spectacular performances, and extremely well thought out cinematography choices, this film's quality exceeds the quality of any other film I've seen this year.

It's rare to see such a dialogue driven film nowadays, and like its two predecessors, "Before Midnight" features award worthy performances from both Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke.

The nightmarish atmosphere, much resembling that of a David Lynch film, sets this film out from many others of the year. Featuring a strong central performance from Oscar Isaac, who shines in his first major role, and a more than sufficient soundtrack, the Coen Brother's "Inside Llewyn Davis" is surely one of their best efforts, and one of the best films of the year.

Bold, satirical and showcasing Leonardo DiCaprio at his finest, "The Wolf of Wall Street" unofficially closes the trilogy of "Goodfellas" and "Casino" and with a hilarious screenplay, and an impressively done narration by DiCaprio himself, this film is fantastic Scorsese; something we've never seen from him before.

"Dallas Buyers Club" stars Matthew Mcconaughey in a career defining performance as Ron Woodroof, alongside a stellar Jared Leto, a fantastically absorbing story, and sensitive direction from Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée.

More than just your average coming of age tale, "The Spectacular Now" is 3 parts delightful, and 1 part dark, completely immersing audiences in a story so wild, and fantastic that viewers can't help but watch over and over again.

Greta Gerwig gives an honest and sincere performance as Frances Ha. Really, the film is a love letter to the city of New York, and the importance of self discovery, and self revelation.

One of the greatest ensemble casts of any film this year, "12 Years A Slave" is a raw, off the chains portrayal of American slavery, and with magnificent direction form Steven McQueen, and beautiful cinematography choices, the film is among one of the best this year.

What could've turned out to be a studio's love letter to itself, "Saving Mr. Banks" is a thoroughly enjoyable account of the honest events that took place in the making of Walt Disney's masterpiece "Mary Poppins," and the real story behind the history, and intentions of the story itself.

It's beautifully filmed, perhaps the best I've seen all year, "Night Across the Street" is shot on an insanely low budget, yet boasts magnificent cinematography. The performances are great all around, and though its hard to pick up with only one viewing, upon multiple, the films message of accepting death, and ultimately yourself is both literally and figuratively beautiful and fascinating to watch.

An extraordinarily unique documentary, "Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?" is a sincere and honest study of the human psyche, and a fine, and classic example of what a documentary should be.

Featuring James Gandolfini in his final role, "Enough Said" boasts an obviously intelligently written screenplay along with two of the strongest performances shown in a romantic comedy, which ultimately sets it aside from other films of the genre.

A fair, and honest study of Philomena Lee herself, "Philomena" is a graceful, informative, and highly engaging look into a controversial case that had greatly diminished in popularity.

The only way to see this film, if seen in theatres, is in IMAX 3D. "Gravity" is a work of genius; an absorbing 90 minutes of pure cinematic mastery, thanks to beautiful cinematography and a strong central performance from veteran actress Sandra Bullock.

A wholehearted look behind the true events of this absurd events, "Fruitvale Station" is completely honest about its re-accountings, and portrayal of its characters, giving the subjects in the case the full justification they deserve, making viewers worldwide aware of this extraordinary case.

With a strong performance from Cate Blanchett, and a classic Woody Allen screenplay, "Blue Jasmine" is an example of why Woody Allen is such a respected director.

Derek Cinafrance, who proved himself with one of the best films of the decade, "Blue Valentine," once again validates himself as one of the best directors of our time. Featuring a magnificently beautiful score, and an amazing performance from Ryan Gosling, the three part anthology is exquisite, and altogether an elegant piece of art.

Yet another Matthew McConaughey film, "Mud" not only boasts the talent of its all-star actor, it introduces stellar performances from two of the best child actors to ever be brought to the screen since "Stand By Me." A magnificently unique story, and a smart screenplay help to propel "Mud" from many other films this year.

Ultimately, "About Time" boils down to a feel-good type of film, yet turns out to be so much more than your classic romantic comedy formula. Though it dwells into the world of romantic relationships, it ultimately analyzes the difficulties of family life, and the utopic, and sacred father-son relationship.

"All is Lost" is one of the better films of the year, successfully depicting the desperation, and emotion of its main subject. Relying on the performance of Robert Redford, who is dynamite in this role, dialogue is minimal, and as a result,audiences are allowed to just watch the beautiful images, and raw emotion on screen.

A nostalgic reminder to Disney fans of what DIsney is ultimately all about, "Frozen" brings to life some of the best animated characters since The Golden Age of American Animation, showcasing beautiful animation and witty dialogue amongst some of the most fascinating characters and a Classic Disney-esque soundtrack.

A brilliant depiction of the horrors of war, lead by a stellar cast which includes veterans Ben Foster and Mark Wahlberg,"Lone Survivor" is the glorification of fighting, and dying for the American dream. It's amazingly entertaining, yet is still a powerful, human drama about the psychological, ethical and physical struggles of individuals in the war.

It's a real movie about ordinary people. Doesn't sound interesting, right ? But time and time again, movies like this one, "Enough Said," "Celeste and Jesse Forever" never seem to disappoint, as "Drinking Buddies" is a clever, funny look into the relationship between these two seemingly ordinary individuals.

Thanks to an impressive performance from Daniel Bruhl, and a surprisingly stellar performance from the Thor-known actor Christ Hemsworth, "Rush" catches director Ron Howard at the best of his game, reminding us that ultimately, a good director can get audiences interested in any subject; even if you go in not knowing even the slightest bit about it.

Although slow at times, "The Past" has its lead actress, Berenice Bejo's award worthy and powerhouse performance to thank for its critical success. From the director of the critically acclaimed "A Separation," this film follows much of his style; a slow moving, narrative driven analysis of married life.

A vast improvement upon its predecessor, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" turns out to be a 3 hour thrill ride, featuring the best special effects seen all year, along with stellar performances from the lead cast, and a surprisingly amazing Smaug, who is antagonizing as any great villain of modern day cinema.

Insanely entertaining and off the hooks, "This Is The End" features a cast that doesn't have a problem with mocking themselves, which provides for a satirical atmosphere which drives the success of this extremely fun movie.

"The Act of Killing" hits hard at the heart, constantly, and relentlessly pressing at the horrors of the events that took place in the film. It's an important issue to learn about, and its definitely not an easy one to watch. Of the year, it probably deals with the most pressing issue, and one that most people aren't knowledgeable about, which certainly sets it aside from other documentaries (i.e. Justin Bieber's Believe, One Direction: This Is Us).

Following a feel-good formula of most coming of age tales, "The Way Way Back" again reassures viewers the relevancy of child actors, and the versatility of both Steve Carrell and Sam Rockwell, who give dynamite performances in roles they've never really tackle before.

Part biographical retelling of a fascinating story and part empathetic inquiry of racism, "42" is a satisfying, and well acted drama about one of the more interesting figures of American history.

Though sometimes aggravatingly slow, and unsuccessfully Scorsese-esque, "American Hustle" still provides enough from its magnificent ensemble cast, and a magnificent second half to be hailed as an elaborate period piece, which heavily relies on the improvisation of its actors, and the engagement of its audience in the dialogue for its success.