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Best of 2013: Pictures, Directors & Screenplays

By Jameson Brown · January 2, 2014

2013 has actually not flown by at all. Contrary to the overused statement of “wow, this year has just flown by,” 2013 was a long one, but a good one. We’ve seen a lot of talented storytellers blossom this year, while also seeing the storytellers we know do good work, and terrible work for that matter. From script to screen, find below Part I of The Script Lab’s Best of 2013.

Best Pictures

Gravity – Top-notch cinematography and perfectly executed special effects make this a gut-wrenching exercise in science-fiction filmmaking.

Short Term 12 – Thanks to Brie Larson’s talent and a script that doesn’t succumb to mental ward movie clichés, we get a raw movie that gives genuine meaning to the term “guidance.”

12 Years A Slave – Hard-hitting to say the least, but a story that inspires once seen through the darkness of its supporting characters.

Captain Phillips – Paul Greengrass breaks out as a director here, along with Tom Hanks hitting the nail on the head with each and every scene.

Mud – Jeff Nichols continues to stick to his fable style storytelling. Mud is a strong story with great acting all around, especially Tye Sheridan.

The Way, Way Back – One of my favorites of the year, The Way, Way Back revives the coming-of-age story and delivers it with precision acting from a talented cast. Sam Rockwell’s performance alone is enough to merit this as almost being in the same lane as Stand By Me.

The Spectacular Now – An Athens, Georgia (my hometown) based film that has raw indie power.

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints – A Malickian style script that honestly is better than anything Mr. Malick has put out recently. This, paired with a great cast of Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara and Ben Foster, make for a great, pastorally filmed movie.

The World’s End – Funny, sensitive and the final installment of the Cornetto trilogy. And…go. 

Nebraska – Alexander Payne does it again. That is all.

Inside Llewyn Davis – The Coen Brothers show off their passion for not just good [folk] music, but the lifestyle of musicians, their struggle and what it means to genuinely love writing music.

American Hustle – This movie glistens its entire runtime. It’s flashy and backed back stellar performances. But what makes it work on an elite level is how well its screenplay is put together. Well done David O’Russell and Eric Singer.

Her – Spike Jonze’s best film thus far that touches on the topic of connection with a well-balanced writing hand.

The Wolf of Wall Street – Loud, fast and unapologetic. Be wary, this is a disguised NC-17 film, but damn is it worth it! With beautifully paced writing and directing, TWOWS blows through its three-hour feature time with more cocaine, nudity and fast cars than you can handle.

Drinking Buddies – A subtly great movie that taps into relationships with honesty and a heavy dose of realism.

The Place Beyond the Pines – One of the better-written films of the year (that could have used some better editing) that everyone has seemed to forget about. A solid performance from Ryan Gosling makes this film capitalize on its gritty theme of “life is cyclical, and actions will come back to haunt you.”

Ginger & Rosa – Easy. Elle Fanning is slowly morphing into an Audrey Hepburn-esque actress. Go see this film to watch her performance.

Spring Breakers – Yes, this made the list. Bound for either glory or the gutter, Spring Breakers, whether you recognize it or not, provides narrative and imagery that forces us to think about current day teenage confusion and hatred. Over exaggerated for effect? Yes, duh. That’s the point. But with a chilling performance from James Franco, we get a story that is a car crash we just can turn our heads from.

Best Directors

James Ponsoldt – The Spectacular Now

An Athens, Georgia native who has put together a film that is not phenomenal, but very well acted.

Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity

Helming the best-shot film of the year, Cuaron has tossed his creative vision into the ring of the best sci-fi directors around – Kubrick, Scott, etc.

Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave

McQueen has been a bold director for a while, but 12 Years A Slave is what will make this known on a mainstream level.

Spike Jonze – Her

Spike Jonze is like the nerd in class who is actually really cool and knows more about everything than anyone in the room, including the teacher.

 Alexander Payne – Nebraska

Consistent in his directorial tone, AP’s writing hand will forever be thematically steady.

Jeff Nichols – Mud

One of the best, most unrecognized directors to date; Nichols is the best Southern Gothic director since Billy Bob Thornton.

Paul Greengrass – Captain Phillips

Greengrass has officially moved from pure action/thriller to action/thriller with a heartbeat. Not to say his previous work has not been good, but Captain Phillips is his first entry that shows his talent as a director who can combine great emotion and action.

Martin Scorsese – The Wolf of Wall Street

The most controversial director currently, Scorsese put together a three-hour (last minute) cut of TWOWS that did not care for its audience one bit – which is great.

Best Screenplays (Original and Adapted)

American Hustle: Complex story structure that was brought out by on-point acting makes this script one of, if not the best screenplays of the year.

12 Years A Slave: Brutal in its actions and characters, this script adapts its source content well and with a sense of historical education. Well done.

Her: Spike Jonze shows off a unique genre of film here with a borderline science fiction environment mixed with a contemporary character who represents, sadly, a lot of who we are today – those looking for genuine connection, be it with humans or technology.

The Place Beyond the Pines: A screenplay that goes against a lot of structural basics, but that is not always a bad thing. With a start and stop midpoint, APBTP shows that screenwriting does not always have to be done Save the Cat! style.

Before Midnight:  With the combined forces of Linklater and cast, this script is a third installment that I was very nervous about (due to the multiple writers and being the infamous “third movie”), but thoroughly enjoyed. It is definitely the most mature of the three films.

The Wolf of Wall Street: What else is there to say that you have not already read about? It’s fast, loud, foul, douchey, but damn glorious.

Nebraska: Light in tone, and straight forward in delivery, Nebraska is your typical Alexander Payne script. Oh snap! It was written by Bob Nelson? Go Bob Nelson with you Payne self.