These were my 10 favorite movies of 2013:
1. “The Way Way Back” — The title could refer to filmmakers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash looking back at their childhoods in the 1980s or to the rear-facing station wagon seat where Liam James is relegated on family trips. James breaks out among a talented cast just with a moody look, but if put-upon teens aren’t your cup of tea, check out the always-great Sam Rockwell as the kid’s makeshift father figure during his summer job at a water park. (Full review.)
2. “42” — Chadwick Boseman captures the heroic outer calm and inner turmoil of Jackie Robinson during the fateful summer of 1947, while a gruff Harrison Ford is pitch-perfect as Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey. Sure, there are some crowd-baiting moments, such as the racist Phillies manager, but they are based on true history. All of the baseball stuff is gorgeous, from the old ballparks to broadcaster Red Barber’s colloquialisms. (Full review.)
3. “This Is the End” — It’s hard to imagine that a movie could get more hilariously meta than this star-packed apocalypse comedy, where at one point Jonah Hill (playing “himself,” as the whole cast does) prays to God to let him off the hook because at least he was in “Moneyball.” Hill gets possessed “Exorcist”-style anyway in one of the film’s dozens of funny gags; also look for Danny McBride and “Harry Potter’s” Emma Watson stealing scenes. (Full review.)
4. “The World’s End” — In the opening narration, Simon Pegg espouses the joys of drinking, then the camera pans back and we see he’s in an AA meeting. “The World’s End” had me from that moment and throughout the gang’s pub crawl through their backwater English home town. It’s a funny movie to watch sober, but I suspect it’s even better when watched with your friend “Amber.” (Full review.)
5. “The Spectacular Now” — In an appealingly rough-around-the-edges take on teen drama, Shailene Woodley’s (“The Descendants”) and Miles Teller’s true-to-life problems take center stage, and the romance is all the more touching because it’s on the back burner. Most devastating is when they meet up with Teller’s alcoholic dad, “Friday Night Lights’ “ Kyle Chandler. (Full review.)
6. “Prisoners” — This is just a good old-fashioned thriller with doses of mystery, horror and drama in a small Pennsylvania town. Hugh Jackman, as the dad of a missing girl, and Jake Gyllenhaal, as an investigator treading ground similar to his “Zodiac” role, give the top performances, while the rain and snow lends the film a wonderfully earthy look. (Full review.)
7. “We’re the Millers” — The gleeful absurdities pile up as Jason Sudeikis compiles a makeshift family to disguise a Mexican drug deal he’s forced into by orca-owning kingpin Ed Helms. Jennifer Aniston is the stripper-turned-mom, Emma Roberts is the street-tough-turned-daughter and Will Poulter is the naïve teen who’s even more in over his head than the rest of them. (Full review.)
8. “The To Do List” — Speaking of insane comedies, the early ’90s-set “To Do List” finds “Parks and Recreation’s” Aubrey Plaza checking off sex acts on a list she keeps in her Trapper Keeper. An all-star cast — Rachel Bilson, Scott Porter, Connie Britton, Clark Gregg — revels in the fact that they’re too good for this material, thus making it work. (Full review.)
9. “The Conjuring” — It boasts the standard amusement-park-ride elements of the horror genre, highlighted by a mom and daughter’s game of blindfolded hide-and-seek with a third, unwelcome participant. What makes the 1970s-set “Conjuring” a little different is that it’s based on a true story and it shows how ghosts were hunted in haunted houses in the pre-digital age. (Full review.)
10. “The Wolverine” — While there seem to be some continuity issues between this film and Wolverine’s backstory as described in “X-Men” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” this is still an engrossing portrayal of the most interesting X-Man, played to perfection by Hugh Jackman. The beautifully shot Japanese settings blend with weird future tech to make the film feel like a vintage comic book come to life. (Full review.)
What were your top 10 movies of 2013? Share your list in the comment thread.