The last two years have been pretty great for film, especially once you get into the fall. And while 2013’s summer was perhaps not quite as good in terms of blockbuster’s, there were a few that lit up the summer that made it a lot of fun still. And let’s not forget about the indies, which absolutely shined in 2013, making it one amazing year in film. So as we start to transition into 2014, let’s hope that this year will be as good as what we’ve seen lately.

And when you browse through the films coming out this year, it looks like it’s going to be a fantastic year in film. Which movies will come out of nowhere? Which movies’s will surprise us? It’s always fun to look at the year in anticipation to see how we think the year will play out. And it’s fun because at the end of the year, we’ll look back and wonder what we were thinking, right? Either way let’s dive into the catalog, swim through all the chaos and find which films are the one’s to look out for in 2014.

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

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RELATED: Scott Pollard’s Top 10 Movies of 2013

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JD Top 10 Movies To Look Forward To in 2014

10) How to Train Your Dragon 2
One of the best animated films we’ve seen in recent memory was definitely How to Train Your Dragon. The film was fun, heartwarming and created a world that you could just stay in for a long time. How to Train Your Dragon 2 is easily one of the biggest animated film of 2014 an possibly could end up being the best when it’s all said and done. If you haven’t seen the first one, you’ll want to make sure you do that this year, and then you’ll want to get out the pocket book and go see this when it comes to theater. The film will star Cate Blanchett, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Gerard Butler, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill and Kristen Wiig, which is one heck of a voice cast for this world. Super excited.

9) Godzilla
Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla looks to be one of 2014’s best blockbusters from the first images and trailer. The monster looks pretty great and the action looks sure to not disappoint. It looks less cartoonish than the ’98 version and seems to be brining a high intensity. The films stars Bryan Cranston (yes, that one) alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche and Sally Hawkins. The biggest knock on Godzilla, is that Pacific Rim has ruined the ending to this film. Planes, tanks and bombs will have nothing on Jaegers, so while we really anticipate this film, the ending won’t live up to the awesome world of Pacific Rim. Still, it’ll be fun.

8) Everything Marvel
Marvel looks to be having one heck of a 2014, and while this is sort of a cheat, we couldn’t help but put them into one category to save room for other awesomeness. This year, the journey continues with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the highly-buzzed The Guardians of the Galaxy. The new Cap looks fantastic from the trailer and the Guardians sound like they will be a ton of fun. One, not as known, film that you’ll want to look out for is Marvel and Disney’s animated film Big Hero 6. Disney’s animated films lately are top notch, while Marvel has been gold over the last 5 years. This one could come more out of left field than the other, but could have a descent impact.

7) Boyhood
Richard Linklater has become on of our favorite filmmakers over the years with some really great films including the amazing Before Trilogy. In 2014 however, he has a new film called Boyhood starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. What makes this film unique is that they started shooting the film in 2002 and over the years have shot more and more scenes to get a literal look at childhood and the effects that family plays into it. It’s an interesting project that sounds like a lot of fun and we can only imagine that Linklater will bring the same magic we’ve seen over and over form him.

6) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a pretty good surprise a few years ago and the sequel has been something we’ve anticipated for awhile now. The trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was perfect in defining teaser and only made me want to see more. Andy Serkis really needs to be recognized for his work and his role of Caesar was fantastic. Everything we’ve read online only makes us excited and can’t wait for the full trailer to get here. Although James Franco isn’t back, the likes of Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke and Keri Russell are more than enough replacements. This looks to be really fun.

5) Transcendence
This movie is exciting enough in the sense that we get to see Johnny Depp without make-up on. I almost forgot what he looked like. The second thing with that, is that Depp is a good actor when he doesn’t do the same nonsense over and over again. And by the looks of it, we may get that here. This is also directed by first-timer Wally Pfister, who has been Christopher Nolan’s long time cinematographer, which is another thing that makes this project exciting on it’s own merit. There’s nothing guaranteed about this project, but everything screams anticipation for us and hopefully it lives up to it.

4) Noah
While early screenings haven’t done very well, it’s hard not to be excited about this project. Darren Aronofsky has some great indie projects and while some of his work hasn’t done as well, The Wrestler and Black Swan were much better projects for Aronofsky. This is a pretty big project that looks more like a Ridley Scott film than Aronofsky, but the trailer and marketing pieces out there look really great. From several accounts, Russell Crowe seems to be on his “A” game here, along with Emma Watson and others. Regardless of your religious beliefs, this could still be a pretty good biblical epic. Here’s to hoping anyway!

3) The Grand Budapest Hotel
I haven’t seen a more fun trailer so far than The Grand Budapest Hotel. Nothing screams more Wes Anderson, than the first looks of the film we’ve seen so far. Everything from the style, to the jokes, to all the acting dynamics, this film looks like a ton of fun. Sure, Anderson isn’t for everyone but I love it. His style is definitely unique but all his quirkiness works for what he’s trying to do. Anderson also has his main group of guys back including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton and a thousand others as well. The story looks to have some heart behind all the humor, which is something we’ve seen from Anderson before. This is easily one of the most exciting films to see in 2014.

2) Interstellar
Waiting until November is for Interstellar is going to feel light years aways. It’s easy to be excited for this one alone on the fact that it’s Christopher Nolan. The other thing to consider is that this film stars Matthew McConaughey, who has turned his career around unlike anything we’ve seen before. Regardless of director, I’m excited to see anything this guy does now-a-days. We’re also dealing with space and time travel, which should be pretty fun. We don’t know much else besides that, but for us, that’s really all we need anyway. This should be a really good one.

1) X-Men: Days of Future Past
The X-Men franchise has been good overall but it hasn’t necessarily been a favorite. Not to mention, you can argue that the Wolverine character (I love Hugh Jackman) has been played to death at this point. However, while First Class and The Wolverine have been step ups, nothing has excited me like X-Men: Days of Future Past. This cast is absurd. When you combine the amazing actors of the first three X-Men films and the cast of the surprising but fantastic X-Men: First Class, this has been set up to be one hell of a superhero movie. The story looks great, the action looks epic and to see both story lines weaved together like this, just looks like a ton of summer fun. Perhaps I’m setting myself up to be disappointed but the trailer looked amazing and everything seems to be coming together well. Despite some re-shoots, there’s only excitement to be had with this project.

I’ll call this 1B) Transformers: Age of Extinction
I know, I know, I know. Most everyone by this point hates Michael Bay, despises this franchise and hopes that it burns to the ground. I get it. But for me personally, I love it. It was my favorite cartoon growing up and I couldn’t get enough of it. While Bay’s Transformers aren’t the best in terms of film, I love the action and seeing all the robots transform do their thing. Sure some of the stories haven’t been the best, the acting has been cheesy and Bay contrives a lot of scenes. Yeah, I know and I don’t care. Everyone has films in their catalog that are bad but movies they can’t help but love. For me, it’s these. Steve Jablonsky’s score is also my favorite of all-time and all three have been phenomenal. Trust me, I understand your criticisms and I agree with most of them. But I love it and I can’t wait.

As for honorable mentions, there are some good ones to mention for sure. One highly talked about film in last year’s festival circuit was Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin starring Scarlett Johansson. Johansson plays a beautiful alien who preys on Scottish hitchhikers. The film seems to be either in the vein of loving it or hating it, given it’s crazy story and direction. However, given how amazing Johansson has been lately with Her and Don Jon, this is one we are looking forward to. Gone Girl starring Ben Affleck came very close to making this list and is one to look out for. Despite what you think of Affleck, it’s directed by David Fincher and he’s a director worth paying attention to. The Raid is one of best action films we’ve seen in recent history so be sure to get your popcorn out for The Raid 2 later this year. Speaking of, make sure you do the same for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. And you may need a lot of snacks because that film could be pretty bad. In fact it probably will be, but it’s worth mentioning.

Another film that came very close to making this list was The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. The Hunger Games films are one’s we’ve really enjoyed and Catching Fire only amped up that series. Definitely be on the lookout for this in November. Be sure to put Magic in the Moonlight on the list as well. This will be Woody Allen’s next film starring Emma Stone. We don’t know much about the film, but it’s Allen and it stars Stone. Enough said. Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice should be a good one as well. Joaquin Phoenix reunites again with Anderson, which make me excited on that alone. Channing Tatum, Ice Cube and Jonah Hill are back in 22 Jump Street, which could end up being the year’s best true comedy of the year when it’s all over. The Lego Movie, The Expendables 3 and Tom Cruises’ Edge of Tomorrow are a few others as well to keep an eye on.

We’ll discuss this on an upcoming podcast, but what are some films you’re looking forward to in 2014? Which one’s did we miss?

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.