Over 100 critics submitted their picks for the best movies of 2013 so far to Criticwire’s mid-year critics’ poll, and our own Steve Greene has the rundown of the full results over at Indiewire proper. Topping the list of the Best Films of the Year to date was Richard Linklater’s “Before Midnight,” the third film in his “Before” trilogy featuring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as star-crossed lovers. Linklater’s well-reviewed film, which holds an impressive A average on the Criticwire Network, received 128 more points than its closest competitor.
That closest competitor was “Upstream Color,” Shane Carruth’s long-awaited follow-up to his cult sci-fi film “Primer.” After a somewhat muted reception at the Sundance Film Festival, “Upstream Color” has picked up significant critical acclaim as it’s headed, uh, downstream, I guess, through a theatrical release, VOD, and now Netflix Instant streaming — its Criticwire average is currently an A- and it received 44 votes in our poll to “Before Midnight”‘s 58. The rest of the top 5 was rounded out by Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers,” Noah Baumbach’s “Frances Ha,” and Sarah Polley’s “Stories We Tell.”
The entire top ten was dominated by independents (hey, the site’s called Indiewire for a reason). The best mainstream Hollywood movie of 2013 to date according our critics is Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s apocalyptic comedy “This Is the End,” which came in 15th place — two spots ahead of Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain” in 17th place.
Here’s the full top ten list:
The Criticwire Network’s Top 10 Movies of 2013 (So Far)
1. “Before Midnight“
2. “Upstream Color“
3. “Spring Breakers“
4. “Frances Ha“
5. “Stories We Tell“
6. “Mud“
7. “Leviathan“
8. “The Place Beyond the Pines“
9. “Side Effects“
10. “Like Someone in Love“
I wasn’t able to contribute to the poll, so you’ll be able to find my own picks for the best of 2013 so far later this week here on Criticwire. For the rest of the poll results, click the link below.
Read the full results of Criticwire’s Best of 2013 So Far Critics Poll.
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
