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There are loads of trivial variations from list to list, which makes the annual glut increasingly harder to mull over. But I remain, among many other critics and cinephiles, compelled (and required) to contribute. So here they are, my 10 favorite films that had a week-long commercial release in either New York or LA:
2013 was a surprisingly strong year for independent American filmmaking: Matt Porterfield and Andrew Bujalski, two of the most exciting young directors we have in this country, took major steps forward, as did the not-so-young Dan Sallitt, who directed one of the most complex and mesmerizing character studies of the year. Elsewhere, Tim Sutton, with his debut film, presented a tender and poetic account of adolescence that avoids the condescension and histrionics of typical coming-of-age films, and Rob Zombie, who was last seen spinning his wheels with a Halloween franchise maligned by studio interference, went rogue with his latest work, by far the most audacious avant-garde genre film I saw all year.
