My Favorite Movies of 2013: An Announcement

SPOILER: This is going to be one of them.

After a somewhat disappointing summer (that still had some great films), the fall has been absolutely wonderful for films. In addition to seeing many in the theaters, I've become acquainted with several great films via streaming, several of which never made it anywhere near the giant multiplexes of the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago*.

Because this had been a good year for movies, and a pretty good year for me, I will be giving a top 25 list, and not just a top 10 list. Numbers 11-25 will share a post, like the list in previous years. However, because I love so many of the films that will be in the top 10, each one will be getting their own post. Some I've written about already for "Dispatches from the Popcorn Stadium", but others haven't been mentioned at all. 

The rules, as always: 

1. The film has to be considered officially released in 2013. This includes films like Frances Ha, which was shown at a festival in 2012, but didn't get an official release until this year. This includes limited releases, such as Her, which will not open wide until after the new year.
2. Because some of these movies might take a little while to get to my theater, I'm leaving the list open until Sunday, January 12, 2014, for me to see a film. I'm hoping that will give me enough time to see all of the big ones left that I want to see**. 
3. This is not meant to be some quantification of the "best" films of the year. I don't feel I am qualified to give you a definitive list of the best films, some of which I probably have not seen. However, this is the list of the 20 movies that I most enjoyed. 

I will start with a post for movies #11-25 sometime the week after January 12, and will do one movie a day in the top ten countdown after that. In addition, I will be doing a post where I'll discuss favorite scene, favorite actor and actress, and other things about the films of 2013.

*The multiplexes up here near Schaumburg are still pretty good to see these films, as many great ones have shown up, including some, like Nebraska, Blue is the Warmest Color, and Much Ado About Nothing, that you wouldn't necessarily expect to watch in a big multiplex. Only a handful of films that I want to see/did see never showed up at a theater I could easily access.

** I'm looking at you, Her.