Top 10 of Jan-June 2013

Film Blerg is very excited to present our inaugural Top 10 Films of Jan-June for 2013. In addition to this, we will run a July-Dec 2013 list as well as our annual Top 10 Films list published in January of each year.

But why you may ask? Well, we feel that we should be providing more of a comprehensive review of released films, that’s why!

The Australian box office suffers an annoying delay of high-calibre films with a US release slated around Oscar ballot deadlines each December. Unfortunately for us, these aforementioned releases often hit Australian cinemas from January to March (e.g. Life of Pi, Django Unchained and Lincoln).

As a result, making a Top 10 list is not the easiest of tasks. Which films should be included? Should films be eligible by Australian release date or US release date?

Basically, Australian Top 10 lists are at a distinct disadvantage. Sure, you could disregard the calendar year and include what you want, but not all films would have been released at the Australian box office yet. Or you could wait until they have been released, but then risk publishing a list in March when no one gives a rats!

In the past, Film Blerg has compiled a list based on Jan-Dec releases at the Australian box office. We will stay with this structure, adding in the new two half-yearly lists. Hopefully this can shed some light on those films we may forget towards the end of the year.

So without further adieu, here is the collective Top 10 Films released in Australia from January-June 2013, as voted by Film Blerg contributors:

1. Django Unchained (24 Jan)
2. Silver Linings Playbook (31 Jan)
3. Amour (21 Feb)
4. Zero Dark Thirty (31 Jan)
5. Cloud Atlas (28 Feb)
6. Spring Breakers (9 May)
7. Lincoln (7 Feb)
8. Silence in the House of God: Mea Maxima Culpa (21 March)
9. Life of Pi (1 Jan)
10. Rust and Bone (28 March)

Some quick tid bits / statistics on this half-year’s list:

• 55 films were shortlisted
• Of the Top 10, there are 2 films are in a Foreign Language, 1 documentary, and 6 Oscar winners

You can also peruse the individual selections of Film Blerg contributors below.

James Madden – Editor

1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. West of Memphis
3. Django Unchained
4. Cloud Atlas
5. Silence in the House of God
6. The Paperboy
7. Silver Linings Playbook
8. Rust and Bone
9. Monsters University
10. Performance (aka A Late Quartet)

Angus Tonkin

1. Silver Linings Playbook
2. Cloud Atlas
3. War Witch
4. Lincoln
5. Jurassic Park 3D
6. Django Unchained
7. World War Z
8. Paranorman
9. Great Expectations
10. Compliance

Chloe Sesta Jacobs

1. Amour
2. Broken
3. Zero Dark Thirty
4. Django Unchained
5. The Impossible
6. Silver Linings Playbook
7. Barbara
8. West Of Memphis
9. Lincoln
10. The Imposter

Chris Smith

1. You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
2. Life Of Pi
3. Cloud Atlas
4. Lincoln
5. Silver Linings Playbook
6. Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai
7. Satellite Boy
8. The Company You Keep
9. Like Someone In Love
10. In The House

Dan Santos

1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Amour
3. Django Unchained
4. Silver Linings Playbook
5. The Impossible
6. Spring Breakers
7. Life of Pi
8. The Reluctant Fundamentalist
9. World War Z
10. The Place Beyond the Pines

Jack Crane

1. Amour
2. Django Unchained
3. Rust and Bone
4. Silver Linings Playbook
5. Kon-Tiki
6. Barbara
7. This is 40
8. Lincoln
9. War Witch
10. The Call

James Zarucky

1. Amour
2. The Hunt
3. Place Beyond The Pines
4. Zero Dark Thirty
5. Django Unchained
6. Spring Breakers
7. The Imposter
8. No
9. Barbara
10. Trance

Jemima Bucknell

1. Spring Breakers
2. No
3. Side Effects
4. This is 40
5. Life of Pi
6. Django Unchained
7. The Great Gatsby
8. Anna Karenina
9. Silver Linings Playbook
10. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Kendal Coombs

1. The Great Gatsby
2. Gangster Squad
3. Django Unchained
4. Happiness Never Comes Alone
5. Star Trek 2
6. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
7. Warm Bodies
8. Silver Linings Playbook
9. Monsters University
10. Hitchcock

Kevin Hawkins

1. The Imposter
2. Mud
3. Silver Linings Playbook
4. The Other Son
5. Despicable Me 2

Mark Hewitt

1. Silence in the House of God
2. Le Skylab
3. Sleepwalk with Me
4. First Position
5. Django Unchained
6. Therese D
7. Rust and Bone
8. Side Effects
9. Broken
10. Farewell My Queen