Best Director

I personally feel Paul Greengrass was snubbed for “Captain Phillips”, but it wouldn’t have mattered much, because it is pretty much a lock that Alfonso Cuarón will win for “Gravity”. If you watch any of the behind the scenes for the film, he had so much to do with creating the most visually stunning film ever (Avatar be darned). Steve McQueen could win for “12 Years a Slave” because of the emotional toll of that film, but honestly this would be an upset if anyone other than Cuarón wins.

By David Palmer
SUNY

There were plenty of good films in 2013, and a few great ones. Here are my top 10 films of 2013. If you disagree with my rankings, or even hate one of the movies on here, then too bad, they’re my opinions. Welcome to the internet, my friend.

Honorable mention goes to “Gravity”, which was number 11 on my list and was one of the most visually stunning films in the history of cinema.


10. Saving Mr. Banks

The movie about how Mary Poppins got made into a movie turned out to be as entertaining as it was emotional. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson both nail it as Walt Disney and P.L. Travers respectively, and the songs were infectious.

9. This Is the End

A very fun time at the movies. Huge credit to Seth Rogen who not only gave a funny performance, but wrote a hilarious script and gave a solid directorial debut alongside Evan Goldberg.

8. The World’s End 

In a year filled with apocalypse films, this British comedy from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost was as entertaining as a sci-fi as it was as a comedy. Edgar Wright’s direction was quick paced and electric and it had some great social satire.

7. Monsters University

Disney-Pixar nailed it again with this prequel, and while it may not be as memorable as the Toy Story sequels or even the first Monsters Inc., “University” had some great laughs for both kids and adults and was gorgeous to look at.

6. Iron Man 3

Immensely entertaining and featuring a very witty script from Shane Black (who also did a great job directing), this third Iron Man may not have been as good as the first film but it was pretty darn close, and was by and far better than this year’s other Avengers film, Thor 2.

5. 12 Years a Slave

Great performances highlight this brutal look into American history. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender knock their performances out of the park and while this film is by no means entertaining, it is very good and the ending will leave not a dry eye in the house.

4. Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto carry this movie to the heights it reaches as AIDS victims who open a pharmacy full of unsanctioned drugs. Both of these men transcend acting and become their characters, and the film was as fun as it was honest.

3. Prisoners

Unbelievably intense, this film had great performances from its star cast, including Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. It had several twists and turns and the ending had me on the edge of my seat and my eyes locked on the screen. I don’t think my heart has ever pounded so hard in my chest while watching a movie.

2. The Wolf of Wall Street

Just a great film. Leonardo DiCaprio was nothing short of brilliant in his role, and the fact that this movie is based on a true story just makes it even better. Some of the best writing I have ever seen in a film. It is just an all-around crazy ride that you need to see to believe.

1. Captain Phillips

The moment the credits began to roll after this movie I knew I had just watched the top film of 2013. Tom Hanks killed it in the title role, including some of the best acting I have ever seen in the film’s climax. Meanwhile newcomer Barkhad Abdi was menacing as the pirate leader and Paul Greengrass’ direction was incredibly intense. The final ten minutes left me in shock and I couldn’t shake the movie off.

By Eli Solidum

1. Blurred Lines- Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell and T.I.


I know most countdowns usually don't start at number one, but absolutely everyone knew this song would be on top of this list. Anyone who was alive in this past year knew that. There was literally no point in trying to build up the suspense. This song was catchy, I'll admit, but boy it got old quick. It got even older once we saw our beloved Miley Cyrus shake her nonexistent donk all over Robin Thicke, who claims he was just a victim. A "twerkee," in his terms.


2. Get Lucky- Daft Punk ft. Pharrell


Pharrell came back in full force this summer. Last I heard of him, he was writing the soundtrack for Despicable Me, a far fall from someone who used to be on every rap song ever. Unfortunately, Pharrell makes an appearance on the top two songs of our list. This Daft Punk song just happened to annoy everyone after hearing it everywhere they went. In the club? Oh okay that's fine. In the car to work at 8 in the morning? ehh sure. A church pastor using it as one of the hymns for the day? It's probably happened.


3. We Can't Stop- Miley Cyrus


This was the moment that Miley Cyrus completely separated herself from Hannah Montana. The hair was gone, the innocence was gone, and Billy Ray Cyrus' fatherly pride was gone. With such grammatically correct lines such as "we run things, things don't run we" and not-so-subtle drug references from the former role model of millions of young girls worldwide, it's no surprise that parents no longer want their kids to look up to, let alone look at, the former child star. Miley's gone wild, and we are reminded of that every time we hear this song, which is pretty much every few minutes.

4. Cups- Anna Kendrick


Oh this song… No one is going to miss it when it's gone. This song was what I had in mind when I made this list. If I could include Pitch Perfect as a whole on here, I would. The movie somehow became everyone's favorite movie for a brief moment and it convinced enough people to actually like the music, especially this song. White girls across the country grabbed their iPhones, chugged down their Starbucks and sat in furious concentration for several hours until the insanely simple rhythm was mastered. They proceeded to vine, instagram, and Facebook their own rendition of the song, which exponentially increases the severity of how overplayed this song was.


5. Don't Drop That Thun Thun- Finatticz


This song captivated audiences with its awe-inspiring beat and mysterious lyrics that made millions reconsider the meanings of their lives. What is a "thun thun thun?" What if I have dropped that "thun thun thun" without knowing it? Well apparently the Thun Thun Thun is slang for ecstasy, which really made all those girls twerking on vine seem really stupid. Either way, I could've gone without hearing this song more than once, but nope, I heard it approximately once for every vine i watched.


6. Thrift Shop- Macklemore


Me: Hey Macklemore
Macklemore: What What? What? What? What What? What? What? What What? What? What?
Me: Never mind
I love Macklemore. I loved him before he blew up on this song and became the star that I hoped he would be. Then I hated him. Well not him, but how massively overplayed this and every other Macklemore song was. What disappointed me when this song first blew up was that he wrote such meaningful music, and blew up on a song about buying cheap clothes that smell like R. Kelly's sheets. Artistry. Pure artistry.


7. Come and Get It- Selena Gomez


This song was just annoying. I have heard it nearly a hundred times and as far as I know, the entire song is "When you're ready come and get it, nanananananananana" or whatever. I lose track of the nanananas. Oh well. This song is still not nearly as annoying as Selena's brilliant performance in Spring Breakers.


8. Harlem Shake- Baauer


Yes, this song was relevant for about 2 days. And those were some painful days. The song blew up on YouTube and all of a sudden everyone was looking for their 15 minutes of YouTube fame. In this case it was more like a few seconds of YouTube fame since a new "Best Harlem Shake Ever" was pumped out approximately 600,000 times a day. And it sucked because the original, clever and thought out ones actually took time to plan, organize and edit. And by the time those were actually put on YouTube, no one gave a shit. I uploaded mine 2 months after all the buzz died down and I'm at a respectable 100 views, 100 of which were probably me.


9. I Knew You Were Trouble- Taylor Swift


Taylor Swift is my guilty pleasure. She really is. I actually paid $270 to go to her concert, and I don't regret it in the slightest. This song started out alright, beat heavy, and very different from the typical depressing and moany T-Swift. Then… the chorus came. Big vocal changes.. and then.. dub step? What? The only redeeming feature of this song was the video that replaced Taylor's OOHOHHHH UHHH OHHH with the goat screaming. Hilarious. Then everyone tried making their own version and failed miserably, furthering the overplayedness of this song. Yeah, that deserved a new, made up word.


10. Live It Up- Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull


To be honest, I've never actually heard this song, but any song that has Pitbull on it is overplayed, and the fact that J-Lo is also on it exponentially increases that fact. Two old people still whining their way through a music industry circling around youth and YOLOing. The fact that this song was even recorded makes it overplayed.