LA Film Critics and the American Film Institute reveal their best films of the year

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Both the American Film Institute and the LA Film Critics Association have unveiled their best films of the year, another indicator of what is to come from the Academy Awards in February. Unlike the Oscars, the AFI makes an unranked selection of the best films of the year while the LA Critics couldn’t choose just one film.

First up, the LA Film Critics had a tie in naming the best film of the year. The honors come down to Alfonso Cuaron’s GRAVITY and Spike Jonze’s HER. The two men also vied for directing honors with Cuaron getting the nod over Jonze. This marks another unique selection from a critics group as GRAVITY has yet to get a top honor from one of them so far. HER was previously honored The National Board of Review as best film.

The AFI named their top ten in both film and television with the usual suspects being selected in both. In regards to the AFI top ten, I wouldn’t be surprised if this same group ended up being the Academy Award nominations for Best Picture to the letter. While 2013 may have disappointed in big budget popcorn movies, the quality flicks definitely lived up to the hype.

Here is the AFI lists for both film and television.

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR

12 YEARS A SLAVE
AMERICAN HUSTLE
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
FRUITVALE STATION
GRAVITY
HER
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
NEBRASKA
SAVING MR. BANKS
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

 

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR

THE AMERICANS
BREAKING BAD
GAME OF THRONES
THE GOOD WIFE
HOUSE OF CARDS
MAD MEN
MASTERS OF SEX
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
SCANDAL
VEEP

We are still over a month away from finding out who will duke it out for Oscars in February and some of these movies are opening over the next couple of weeks.  It remains to be seen if GRAVITY will pull a TITANIC and be both a critical darling and a box office smash.  Hopefully Alfonso Cuaron gets the recognition he deserves.

Check out the full list of LA Film Critics Association winners below.

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: Blue Is the Warmest Color
Runner-up: The Great Beauty

BEST PICTURE (tie): Gravity and Her

BEST ACTRESS (tie): Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine and Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue Is the Warmest Color

BEST SCREENPLAY: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight
Runner-up: Spike Jonze, Her

BEST ACTOR: Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Runner-up: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Runner-up: Spike Jonze, Her

BEST DOCUMENTARY, Stories We Tell
Runner-up: The Act of Killing

Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video Award: Cabinets Of Wonder: Films and a Performance by Charlotte Pryce

BEST MUSIC SCORE, T Bone Burnett, Inside Llewyn Davis
Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett, Her

BEST ANIMATION, Ernest & Celestine
Runner-up: The Wind Rises

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, Winner (tie): James Franco, Spring Breakers, and Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity
Runner-up, Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis

BEST EDITING: Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger, Gravity
Runner-up: Shane Carruth and David Lowery, Upstream Color

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Runner-up: June Squibb, Nebraska

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: K.K. Barrett, HER
Runner-up: Jess Gonchor, Inside Llewyn Davis

NEW GENERATION Prize: Megan Ellison

LEGACY OF CINEMA: The Criterion Collection

SPECIAL CITATION: 12 Years a Slave