This last weekend, Jon joined us on our podcast, as we held our first ever InSession Film Awards. During the show, we also handed out our Top 10 Movies of 2013, which was a blast. It was a solid year for film, for both indies and bigger budget movies. It may not have been the most epic in terms of summer movies, but it was still satisfying. And the indie films of 2013 were absolutely incredible. Jon, from Second Rate Report, was a guest on the show and helped us break down the best of 2013 in grand fashion. He was absolutely terrific and it was an honor to have him on the show. So what did Jon have in his list? See the video above to hear him break it all down and see the list below. Do you agree or disagree with Jon?

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RELATED: Top 5 Movie Surprises of 2013!

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Second Rate Report’s Top 10 Movies of 2013:

10) Don Jon
Don Jon speaks to relationships in a new way that most films like to stay away from. It features some great performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, do also directed it, and Scarlett Johansson. The story was funny but real in taking this topic head on. Click here to read our full review.

9) American Hustle
American Hustle features what is arguably the best ensemble cast in 2013 with the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams and Christian Bale. The script was clever and knew the kind of direction it wanted to take. Great film. Click here to read our full review.

8) Star Trek: Into Darkness
Perhaps this film works best for fans who are new to the franchise, but Star Trek: Into Darkness was a fun thrill ride that took our beloved characters to new and exciting places. Again, maybe this is only for new fans, but Benedict Cumberbatch was great as the villain and made this world fun to be in. Click here to read our full review.

7) The Wolf of Wall Street
This is American greed and excess in one of the best ways we’ve seen yet. Martin Scorsese takes us on a drug-induced high where money can buy anything and parties are even in the office. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill are at their absolute best and the scene with Matthew McConaughey is one of the years best as well. Click here to read our full review.

6) The Conjuring
The Conjuring is arguably the year’s best horror film and, for guys like Jon and I, that’s saying something. Not that horror movies can’t be good, it’s just we care easily. James Wan is incredible here as he uses anticipation to scare instead of cheap jump scares. It’s a great story and well acted. Click here to read our full review.

5) This is the End
This is the End is Jon’s best comedy of the year and it’s hard to argue against that. Seth Rogen and company bring one of the most entertaining films in recent memory. The comedic take on themselves within this world is to die for (see what I did there?). The film is funny on all kinds of levels and the scene between Danny McBride and James Franco is one you’ll never forget. Click here to read our full review.

4) The Place Beyond the Pines
The Place Beyond the Pines features an incredible story with some really well written characters. Ryan Gosling is at his best and the first act of this film is one of the best of 2013. The camera work is beautiful and a nice score also adds to the overall amazing aesthetic this film has. Click here to read our full review.

3) Captain Phillips
Captain Phillips sees Tom Hanks give his best performance in a decade. We also see first-time actor Barkhad Abdi give one of the year’s best supporting performances as well, which is incredible. The incredible “I am the captain now” line stands out as one of the year’s most quotable scenes and one that people will remember. Click here to read our full review.

2) Gravity
If you saw Gravity in 3-D, then you arguably saw the best 3-D movie ever made. In fact, to us, it is the best. What Alfonso Cauron was able to do in this film is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. You get to float around in space for two hours and see the best performance we’ve ever seen from Sandra Bullock. Incredible film. Incredible experience. Click here to read our full review.

1) The Spectacular Now
The Spectacular Now is one of the best “coming of age” movies of 2013 and one of the best in recent memory. You will fall in love with Shailene Woodley, who is adorable in this film and gives an amazing performance. However, it’s Miles Teller who is stellar and surprising as he gives a performance we almost didn’t know he had in him. It’s an incredible story that was some deep layers that is explored really well. Click here to read our full review.

While Jon wasn’t on our podcast for the review, you can hear Scott and I discuss The Spectacular Now on our Extra Film segment here.

To round out the rest of Jon’s best movies of 2013, here are his honorable mentions:
The Kings of Summer
Frozen
About Time
Prisoners
Fruitvale Station
The Way, Way Back
Oblivion
Warm Bodies

Let us know what you think. Do you agree or disagree with Jon? We’d like to know why. Leave a comment in the comment section below or tweet us @InSessionFilm. Also, be sure to subscribe to Second Rate Report on YouTube!

To hear us discuss our InSession Film Awards and our Top 10 Best Movies of 2013, subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher or you can listen on Souncloud below.

This last weekend, we finally got a chance to record and release Episode 46 of our InSession Film Podcast, where we discussed our Top 10 Movies of 2013 as well as our first ever InSession Film Awards. It was a great time and the top ten lists we gave were reflected the great year 2013 really was.

As for Scott, his list was really good and one that I really respect. It’s a little bittersweet since Episode 46 was Scott’s last show (spoiler, we discuss it at the end though), but man, did he go out with a bang. He will surly be missed. He really knows movies well and is someone to pay attention to if you love film.

Well, that being said (after the jump), let’s get into it and go over Scott’s Top 10 Best Movies of 2013.

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RELATED: Top 5 Movie Scores of 2013!

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Scott Pollard’s Top 10 Movies of 2013:

10) Don Jon
Don Jon is a wonderful indie that was written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The great thing about this film is that it speaks about relationships in a realistic manner that most Hollywood films are afraid to touch. Porn is a big industry and to see it featured the way it does here doesn’t glorify it, but rather show the consequences it can have on someone. The side effects it can have, can be devastating for relationships and the portrayal of it here feels real. It’s also funny and has some clever moments as well. Great directorial debut by Gordon-Levitt. Click here to read our full review.

9) Short Term 12
Short Term 12 features one of the best performances we’ve ever seen from Brie Larson and the dynamics she has with John Gallagher Jr. is incredible. The film explores an incredible emotional range that is very difficult to do but Destin Cretton does it flawlessly. The story is really powerful and goes a long way to showcase the sacrifice and difficulties that dealing foster kids can be. Everything is handled well and it’s a gripping story that you’ll for sure love. Click here to read our full review.

8) The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf of Wall Street is Leonardo DiCaprio at his best as well as Jonah Hill. Martin Scorsese does an amazing job of taking us on this journey of lust, drug-induced hangovers, and money that is like accessible like water. Some of this stuff is controversial but many of the scenes are really funny, well shot and really engaging. If you like a story about excess, then you will absolutely love this one. While some of it may have been a bit too much, you’ll still be entertained and engaged with this story that is well written. Click here to read our full review.

7) Like Someone in Love
Like Someone in Love is a very simple story that is really more of an amazing character pieces. Rin Takanashi is really great and captivates you as this prostitute who is just spending time with an older gentleman who’s not really looking for anything sexually. Abbas Kiarostami shoots this well and let’s the performances drive this story, that is engaging and ends in an appropriate way for the tone of the film. The narrative here is simple, but effective. It showcases relational dynamics that is real, raw and how emotions sometimes drives us. Unfortunately, we have no review for this one.

6) This is the End
This is the End is the best comedy of the year and is really funny on all kinds of levels. The obvious satire on “end of the world” movies as well as their comedic take on themselves was executed perfectly. The dynamics and jokes they play off of that premise is too funny and you absolutely fall in love with this disaster world they created. The CGI was great for kind of film, and especially for Seth Rogen and company, who haven’t really dealt much with it. Click here to read our full review.

5) Her
Spike Jonze brings us an incredible world in Her and showcases the overuse of technology in one of the more incredible ways you’ll ever see. The performances from Scarlett Johansson and Joaquin Phoenix are incredible and the dynamics between them are gorgeous. The film speaks to relationships in an important way and it’s something we haven’t seen before in film. At the end of the film, it’s a world that you wish you could visit and be a part of on some level. Click here to read our full review.

4) Before Midnight
Before Midnight is the third film in the Before Trilogy and it is arguably the best of them. The story takes us into places we haven’t been before with Celine and Jessie, which only makes this character study even more realistic. The aesthetic is beautiful and we actually have more than just our two characters, which is a first in the trilogy as well. It’s a beautiful film that so many layers that just enhances this story further. Click here to read our full review.

3) 12 Years A Slave
12 Years A Slave is arguably Steve McQeen’s best film yet and showcases a story that is hard to believe that it’s not it textbooks. It’s easily one of the year’s best and features some outstanding performances from Chewitel Ejifor and Lupita Nyong’o. Micheal Fassbender is also good in a supporting role and explores some really rough areas that is arduous to watch in many scenes. In fact, the whole film is hard to watch, but so well worth it. Click here to read our full review.

2) Blue is the Warmest Color
Blue is the Warmest Color took forever to get to us, but was it so well worth the wait. The performances from Edele Exarchopoulus and Lea Seydoux were extraordinary and incredibly captivating. While Seydoux was great, Exarchopoulus did something that was truly special and is easily one of the year’s best performances. The story is raw, real, heartbreaking and something we can all relate to. The dynamics are threaded together flawlessly and you can’t help but be drawn toward these characters. It’s one incredible film. Click here to read our full review.

1) Spring Breakers
Spring Breakers is Scott’s number one and for many good reasons. James Franco is Scott’s favorite performance of the year and is without a doubt one of the best characters. Characters like Alien don’t come around that often and Franco absolutely brought this character to life. Harmony Korine does an amazing job of using purposeful repetition to drive home the satire as well as showcase the over indulgence that comes with Spring Break. Scott also had Cliff Martinez and Skrillex’s score as his number one as well, which is definitely one of the better scores of the year for sure. Click here to read our full review.

While Scott wasn’t on our podcast back then, you can hear Nate and I discuss Spring Breakers on our Extra Film segment here.

To round out the rest of Scott’s Top 20, here is the rest of his list:
11) Pacific Rim
12) Enough Said
13) Philomena
14) Mud
15) Gravity
16) The Great Gatsby
17) The Conjuring
18) The Spectacular Now
19) Upstream Color
20) All is Lost

Let us know what you think. Do you agree or disagree with Scott? We’d like to know why. Leave a comment in the comment section below or tweet us @InSessionFilm.

To hear us discuss our InSession Film Awards and our Top 10 Best Movies of 2013, subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher or you can listen on Souncloud below.

This weekend on the InSession Film Podcast, we will be reviewing Lone Survivor, which is an incredible film based on a failed U.S. Navy mission in Afghanistan back in 2006. And while we can’t wait to review that film, we thought in the meantime it’d be appropriate to see what other U.S. based war films you like. So for this week’s poll question, we want to know what’s your favorite U.S war movie?

There are a lot of great films that fit this genre and while some may feel it’s propaganda, we tend to lean more toward awesome action movies or dramas. And because war itself is awful and devastating, it leads to some spectacular stories that is worthy of a film, which has been the case over the years. The courage and heart it takes to go through it, is something that most people will never know. It’s that kind of thinking that matters with these films, not what you think the politics may be.

So that being said, what’s your favorite U.S. war movie?

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This is one of my favorite parts of film and for a lot of films, it’s an essential piece as well. The score in some instances can almost work as another character if done well. For many films this year, the score added important layers, fun beats or just needed to enhance some good ole action sequences. The scores are also a defining piece to film. When it comes on, you don’t need but two seconds to recognize the themes of Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Transformers and many other scores. They’re fun and who doesn’t like good music in a film?

So far we’ve discussed our Top 5 Movie Surprises, our Top 5 Movie Disappointments, and the Top 5 Worst of 2013. Trying to condense this list down for our Top 5 Movie Scores of 2013 was a bit of nightmare. There were so many great scores to consider that made this list difficult to choose. However, these scores are more than worthy of making this list and deserve to be here.

That being said, let’s get into our Top 5 Movie Scores of 2013.

5) Only God Forgives – Cliff Martinez
As much of a disappointment as Only God Forgives was, the score was incredible. In fact, it was one of the few things we liked about the film, and since it saved the film from being a complete disaster, it makes this list. It serves the somber mood and adds some really nice energy in the second and third acts. The kind of layers Martinez was able to add was really ambient and added to the style Nicholas Winding Refn was going for. While most of the film is arduous and unlikable, the score doesn’t really reflect that. It’s energetic and fun to listen to. Click here to read our full review.

4) Nebraska – Mark Orton
Mark Orton’s score for Nebraska is absolutely gorgeous and beautiful. The main themes while Woody and David Grant were on their little road trip was fun and nostalgic all at the same time. Mostly driven by a violin and an acoustic guitar, this score was absolutely perfect for this film. It has a mid-western country feel that was also appropriate. Even if you haven’t seen this small indie flick, the soundtrack is available online and worth getting. Click here to read our full review.

3) Gravity – Steven Price
Steven Price’s Gravity score was not only good, but it was absolutely crucial to the film. In a film that takes place where there is no sound, the score is the only audio we hear besides a few voices now and then. The score is so gigantic and loud, that it becomes another character in the film. It’s relevant on every level and in every moment of the film. Price uses a really nice orchestra with some amazing main themes that separates this movie from many this year. In a film where visuals and Sandra Bullock’s performance can be the biggest takeaway, the score here is just as crucial to this film’s success. Click here to read our full review.

2) All is Lost – Alex Ebert
Much like Gravity, Alex Ebert’s score is crucial here. All is Lost has very little dialogue and relies on the performance of Robert Redford to carry the film (which he does well by the way). Since that’s the case, the score is big component here and Ebert delivers on some really high levels. The score brings the storm, calms the waves and offers the despair that carried the tone to the movie. And while it’s soft, Ebert delivers it with grace and diligence. This is a wonderful score that really takes this film to much higher places, even with Redford’s performance. Click here to read our full review.

1) Rush – Hans Zimmer
Let’s be honest, Hans Zimmer’s had one heck of a year and just about all of his films could be here. His score for Rush however added an element that is just absolutely unbelievable. His theme for this film is one of the best I’ve ever heard and adds so much energy to the film and the story. We’re dealing with two Formula-1 racers who live dangerously at high speeds and the score needed to reflect that. The score is easy and laid back at times but when the race is on, so is the score. Zimmer uses a lot of heavy drums to carry the beat alongside the strings that bring the theme to life. Ron Howard uses it fantastically too, especially in the opening and closing scenes, which take that main theme to the forefront. Click here to read our full review.

The track Lost But Won is one of the best of the year and if you’d like to listen to it, click here. The whole score is amazing though and it’s one of the best and most surprising works we’ve ever seen.

There are about a million honorable mentions that could be listed here. Zimmer’s work on Man of Steel, 12 Years A Slave and the Lone Ranger were also great. The Finale (Willem Tell Overture) track absolutely made the last 20 minutes of the Lone Ranger some of the best fun we saw all year in film. Cliff Martinez and Skrillex’s score for Spring Breakers came very, very close to making this list. You may as well make it #6 to be honest. Their collaboration for that film was perfect and another layer that was needed for that film to work. M83 may have had frustrations with his work for Oblivion but it still stands as one of the year’s best. The score is very unique to his sounds and is fun to listen to outside the film. Explosions in the Sky’s score for Prince Avalanche was also very good and is executed only in the way they know how to. Craig Armstrong’s music for The Great Gatsby alongside Lana Del Ray singing through a lot of it was also very close to making this list. How can you not love that score? And of course, I can’t go without mentioning my boy, Steve Jablonsky, who had some incredible scores for Pain & Gain and Ender’s Game.

Let me know what you think. Do you agree or disagree? What scores did I miss? Leave a comment in the comment section below or tweet me @InSessionFilm.

We are continuing our Top 5 lists of the year, as we look into our Top 5 Worst Movies of 2013. So far, we’ve already looked into our Top 5 Movie Surprises and our Top 5 Movie Disappointments, but this one probably won’t be as fun. It’s never a good night when you walk out of the theater knowing that you probably wasted two hours of your life that you’ll never get back.

Disappointments differ in the sense, that they aren’t necesarrily bad movies, but films that didn’t live up to hype or expectations. These movies, however, are just bad, regardless of expectations. Maybe you had some expectations for these films, but we didn’t really have any. These films were just poorly executed and left a bad taste in your mouth afterwards. Overall, while 2013 had it’s fair share of disappointments, this year didn’t have nearly as many really bad films. The “good” list far outweighs the “bad”, but there were some that just left you shaking your head and we have them listed below.

That being said, let’s get into it and go over our Top 5 Worst Movies of 2013.

5) Riddick
Riddick was hard to get through. While some of the action sequences were descent, the visuals weren’t that great and some of the acting was pretty cheesy. Most of the characters are unlikable and the story isn’t that engaging. And the one part that was, they destroyed it. The graphic violence seemed unnecessary and forced. Overall, there’s just not much joy here outside a few small things. If you’re a big Riddick fan, then you may like this, but if not, this is a hard film to watch. Click here to read our full review

4) The Counselor
The Counselor also fits under our “disappointments” category, given the cast and director we have here. However, this film is more appropriate here. While there was some well shot scenes and the score is absolutely gorgeous, overall this film is ridiculously arduous and way too melodramatic. The story is confusing, unfocused and an absolute mess. Cameron Diaz is miscast and doesn’t quite have the chops to pull of the character she’s given. And the dialogue is written for a presidential speech, not normal life speech. This movie feels like it was thrown together in two hours and only wanted to draw emotion for no reason. Click here to read our full review.

3) A Good Day to Die Hard
The fifth film in the franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard may have been a good day to stay home and not waste your money. This film takes Die Hard to a ridiculous level. This time in Russia (because why not?), John McClain somehow finds a way to get into more trouble and has to find a way to take down the bad guys. Is this overplayed yet? The story in third act becomes so over-the-top that it’s one of the worst things we’ve seen all year. In fact, the film is only at #3, because the last two films somehow (have no idea how) find a way to top it, but it’s arguably at the top as well. Easily, the worst in this franchise. Click here to read our full review.

2) Olympus Has Fallen
Olympus Has Fallen insulted my intelligence on a level I’ve never experienced before. This is a crazy premise to begin with, we know, but to execute it the way they did, was absolutely absurd. The film is basically the script of Die Hard, has the theme of Modern Warfare 2, and tries to have the feel of Pearl Harbor. However, it fails miserably at all three. The visuals are some of the worst you’ll ever seen in modern cinema and looked like something out of 1994. Gerard Butler is the only thing that saves this film from being completely unwatchable. And that’s pushing it. The way this movie tries to be something it’s not, while pretending you’re an idiot, makes this movie the worst experience we had in theaters this year. Click here to read our full review.

1) Movie 43
Okay, this really shouldn’t even count. While it’s really just a bunch of movie shorts that is edited together for a feature length film, it still technically counts. Most of the material is far from funny, it crosses the line many times and has zero taste. How they got all these great actors to participate, is beyond me. We have no idea what they were thinking with this or what the purpose was, but it’s an absolute disaster. Movie 43 did have a few things that worked and the basketball short was actually really funny. Outside of that though, the rest of this is crude, offensive and unwatchable. In fact, it was so bad, we actually didn’t even write a review because we didn’t want to waste our time. That, and it was released before our website officially launched in January. If you haven’t seen, please don’t waste your time (other than the basketball short, that one is worth seeking out). If you have seen it, I’m sorry.

While we never discussed Movie 43 on our podcast, we did discuss all of these other films. You can listen to all of them by clicking here and browsing the episodes to find where we discussed them.

While all of these films are bad, 2013 was more enjoyable than bad, meaning we don’t have many honorable mentions. White House Down can almost make this list too but it’s premise is much more plausible than Olympus Has Fallen and the dynamics between Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum were a lot more fun than anything in OHF too. Oldboy is also a good honorable mention. The film really lacked the focus and heart of Chan-woo Park’s original. After Earth is an honorable mention as well, although it’s miles above the rest on this list though. It still lacked many things and only shows how much Will Smith and director M. Night Shyamalan has fallen from grace. And the last honorable mention is the first two hours of The Lone Ranger. The last 20 minutes should be it’s own short film as it’s a completely different movie than the first two hours. The first two hours is awful, unnecessary and an absolute borefest. Movie 43 and Olympus Has Fallen easily takes home the bacon for this list though for all the reasons we mentioned. Hopefully you’re experiences with them were better than ours, but for us, these two films are easily the worst we’ve seen in 2013.

Let me know what you think. Do you agree or disagree? I’d like to know why. Leave a comment in the comment section below or tweet me @InSessionFilm.

Well our Top 5 Lists for 2013 have begun and first we discussed our Top 5 Movie Surprises of 2013, which had a solid field of contestants. Now, we are going to look at the other side of the spectrum and look into our Top 5 Movie Disappointments of 2013, which unfortunately, also had it’s fair share of solid contestants.

Disappointments, much like surprises, really just come down to expectations, which isn’t always the filmmaker’s fault. It doesn’t always mean the films are bad, but just that it didn’t live up to the hype you had for the film. However, there are times that it is bad and this list will feature a good combination of both. Sometimes good marketing can make a film look better than it actually is or maybe it’s just the source material that we draw toward. Either way, every year there are films that we always look forward to and not all of them will be able to live up to the bill. As we discussed with movie surprises, sometimes it’s the opposite and we walk out having a tremendous experience we didn’t expect, but for these films, that wasn’t the case. But this is also what makes movies fun and why I like to think back and do these lists at the end of the year.

That being said, let’s get into it and go over our Top 5 Movie Disappointments of 2013.

5) Elysium
Elysium fits under the bill of disappointing but not the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Given how great District 9 was, there were big things expected from Neil Blomkamp’s sophomore effort. And while the visuals were outstanding, the story lacked focus and missed opportunities to explore a world we’ve never seen before. Elysium also features some of the worst performances of the year and, unfortunately, from actors I respect. Click here to read our full review.

4) To the Wonder
To the Wonder is the next film given to us by Terrence Malick and was one of my most anticipated films of the year. And while the cinematography was absolutely gorgeous, per usual Malick, the story had few things going for it. The performances were good but the characters are dry and un-inspired leaving for a lackluster script. The story is also arduous and hard to get behind which was disappointing, despite good visuals. Click here to read our full review.

3) Only God Forgives
Originally, Only God Forgives was on the Worst of 2013 list but after some thought, it definitely is much more appropriate here. Drive is a big favorite with InSession Film so a reconnecting of director Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling made us really excited. Refn once again brings us a beautiful visual aesthetic but the narrative was arduous and unwatchable. None of the characters were likable, although Kristin Scott Thomas was funny at times. Outside the score, there’s not much to like. Click here to read our full review.

2) Iron Man 3
Iron Man is also a film that fits under the “not worst of” category, although highly disappointing. The Mandarin was set up to be one of the best movie villains ever, especially in the superhero genre. While the twist worked for some, and it took courage, it took us right out of the movie. The third act was uninteresting, mundane and left a bad taste afterwards. There were some fun things about Iron Man 3 that worked and Robert Downey Jr. was fantastic once again. Overall though, the misuse of a great character simply ruined the film. Click here to read our full review.

1) Man of Steel
Man of Steel had arguably the best marketing of the year. The trailer were absolutely superb loaded with ambiguous shots and Hans Zimmer’s score that was through the roof. However, Zack Snyder’s Superman movie was anything but what I expected. The film started off great but as the second act started to come around, it started to lose focus and took characters to some uninteresting places. While the Kevin Coster scenes were great, it ended up in a terrible place that’s almost laughable. The third act was ridiculously repetitive with destruction that doesn’t quite add up and a resolution that only left me steaming. All in all, it just wasn’t fun. It was dark, overplayed it’s themes and didn’t bring joy. There are things to appreciate here, but overall Man of Steel didn’t even come close to living up to expectations and hopes we had for the movie. Click to ready our full review.

If you would like to hear more about Man of Steel and what we thought, be sure to check out Episode 17 of the InSession Film Podcast, where Nate and I have a pretty healthy debate about the film. If you would like to hear us discuss the spoilers, be sure hear our Premium Podcast on Man of Steel here.

Some honorable mentions would be The Counselor, The Fifth Estate, Lee Daniels’ The Butler and 42. The Counselor had a great cast and while Ridley Scott has had his fair share of bad films, I’ve liked him overall, which made me exited for it. Well, I’ll just say, that film will end up making a Top 5 that we’ll post soon. The Fifth Estate featured some great performances and was a topic that’s intriguing but overall didn’t quite live up. Lee Daniels’ The Butler was really going for some Oscar buzz, and again, featured some good performances but the script kind of dragged and could of been tightened, leaving the film overall pretty average. 42 didn’t quite have the punch the film needed to deliver. Outside of a few scenes, we didn’t get the real intense pressure Jackie Robinson would of (probably) seen. Still, all films that disappointed based on expectations. Man of Steel takes the prize though because of the major, major excitement we had and the tremendous marketing it displayed.

Let me know what you think. Do you agree or disagree? I’d like to know why. Leave a comment in the comment section below or tweet me @InSessionFilm.

It’s that time of the year again where we start to reflect on what the year brought us and what stands out as the best of the best. Earlier this year, we reflected on the best summer movies of 2013, which was a lot of fun, even though the summer wasn’t the best one we’ve ever seen. We also looked at some of the year’s biggest surprises back in September as well, which up to that point had quite a few already. Well now that the year is almost over with and only a few films left to go, it’s time to break down what the year had to offer.

We will eventually take a look at our Top 5 Disappointments for the year, our Top 5 Worst Movies of 2013 as well as our complete Top 10 Movies for the year as well. We’ll also have more on our InSession Film Awards podcast which will be released on January 6, 2014. However, to kick things off for us here at InSession Film, we are going to look at the Top 5 Movie Surprises of 2013. There were some good contenders for this list and if you’re familiar with our podcast, some of these will not be a surprise for you to see on this list (ironically). Movie surprises are some of the best films of the year and films I love to champion since I just didn’t expect to like these movies. And that’s ultimately what these movies do. They exceed your expectations for the film, whether you had negative thoughts about the movie or maybe just none at all. Either way, these movies went above and beyond anything I thought they would.

It’s also important to note, that these films and lists reflect me (JD) and not Scott, Nate or anyone else who’s been on the show.

So that being said, let’s get started with our Top 5 Movie Surprises of 2013.

5) About Time
About Time was a huge surprise this year for a couple of different reasons. One, it was unknown to me going into the year, so it was nice to have had the experience, not knowing I would get to. Secondly, the second half of the film completely threw me off of what I was seeing and what I had expected. Instead of it being this rom-com all the way through, it flipped in the third act to a story about a father and a son. And wow, did it destroy me. Absolutely devastated me in all the best ways possible. Click here to read our full review.

4) Spring Breakers
This isn’t only one of the best surprises of the year, but one of my favorites as well. Spring Breakers takes you into a land of satire on spring break and the consequences that can come with it. James Franco delivers one heck of a performance as Alien. If you don’t have fun with that, then I’m really sorry for you. The beautiful cinematography and repetition Harmony Korine uses is brilliant and adds an element that is a lot of fun to watch. The girl’s performances may not blow you away, but this film overall will. Click here to read our full review.

3) The Act of Killing/Blackfish
The Act of Killing and Blackfish are two incredible surprise documentaries for 2013. The big reason they make this list, is the shear fact of the unknown. We simply didn’t know about them and they turned out to be an amazing gift we just did not expect coming into 2013. It’s the type of movie you never see coming, but when you watch it, it changes you. Both The Act of Killing and Blackfish are important for their cultural objectives and are films everyone needs to see. Click here to read our full review of Blackfish and The Act of Killing.

2) Turbo
Surprises come about because of expectations, whether you have none or bad expectations. With Turbo, I had the worst of expectations. The marketing was atrocious and the premise looked way too over-the-top for it to be plausible on any level. To this day, I’m not sure why I went to see it, but I’m glad I did. Turbo was A TON of fun. Not only did it know the crazy world it was in, it went all the way with it. The music was out of this world good. And the story explores family relationships, perseverance and and teamwork as well as I’ve ever seen in a kids animated film. For a film to give such bad expectations, but leave me with one of the funnest experiences I had overall in 2013, it deserves to be at #2. Click here to read our full review.

1) Rush
For those of you who live under a rock in the U.S., Formula 1 racing is not that big of a sport. I personally, at least until I met some friends overseas this year, knew nobody that like or knew anything about the sport. I like Ron Howard, but Rush was a film barely on our radar. In fact, we debated whether to even review it or not before finally succumbing to the idea we probably should. This film was not only a big surprise, but it’s bordering my Top 10 for the entire year. The cinematography is some of the best of the year along with some incredible performances by Daniel Bruhl and Chris Hemsworth. The film was nominated for a Best Picture – Drama by the Golden Globes and Bruhl was also nominated, deservingly so, for Best Supporting Actor. The score by Hans Zimmer is my personal favorite of the year as well. To say I was impressed is understating it. Click here to ready our full review.

If you would like to hear more of our thoughts on Rush and why we loved it so much, and of course surprised, go listen to Episode 32 of our InSession Film Podcast. We discuss the movie much more intensely and give more of an explanation of why you should see the film if you haven’t seen it.

Some honorable mentions would be The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Now You See Me, Stoker, Warm Bodies and The Heat. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty had some awful reviews early one and the chatter on Twitter really lowered the bar for that film. However, I ended up really liking the film, especially for the motivations it had. Melissa McCarthy showed some better comedic chops in The Heat and Stoker was one of my favorite movies early on in the year. Warm Bodies easily went above any expectations as well. Ultimately, Rush made the #1 slot because of the overall package. I didn’t have necessarily the negative expectations as with Turbo, but they weren’t great. Some may argue that The Act of Killing and Blackfish are better films but for me, the unknown isn’t quite as high on my list as the expectations I had for Rush and Turbo. All of these films are great though and were films that I would highly recommend seeking all of them out.

Let me know what you think. Do you agree or disagree? I’d like to know why. Leave a comment in the comment section below or tweet me @InSessionFilm.