Quentin Tarantino's Top 10 Movies of 2013 Has Some Curious Picks

Every year it's become something of an event when Quentin Tarantino reveals his ten favorite movies, mainly because his choices often run counter to consensus picks. But that's what also makes them so interesting. Who else had Paul W.S. Anderson's critically-panned The Three Musketeers on their list a couple of years ago? He took off from it last year because he was neck deep in Django Unchained, but now the Quentin Tarantino Archives have convinced him to reveal his top choices for the year so far, and again he makes some wild selections. Here's the list....

1. Afternoon Delight (Jill Soloway)
2. Before Midnight (Richard Linklater)
3. Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen)
4. The Conjuring (James Wan)
5. Drinking Buddies (Joe Swanberg)
6. Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach)
7. Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón)
8. Kick Ass 2 (Jeff Wadlow)
9. The Lone Ranger (Gore Verbinski)
10. This Is The End (Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg)

These are in alphabetical order rather than ranked, which works out in the favor of the genuinely charming Afternoon Delight, a small-scale dramedy that most everyone seems to love. It leads a list that includes mostly indie films, such as Richard Linklater's Before Midnight, Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha, and the critically-acclaimed Drinking Buddies. We shouldn't be surprised that someone like Tarantino would split from the critics by praising the disappointing Kick-Ass 2 and The Lone Ranger. He falls back in line by giving some more shine to Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity.

Hopefully he'll drop a fuller list at the end of the year once all of the Oscar contenders have been released.

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Tops at the Box Office: 'Fast & Furious 6' busts Memorial Day record, clobbers 'The Hangover Part III'

1. Fast & Furious 6- $98.5M
The Fast and the Furious franchise really is something remarkable to behold. Beginning back in 2001 as just some street racing film with little in the way of future prospects, it has evolved into one of the most successful homegrown franchises of all-time. Other than the radar blip that was 'Tokyo Drift' (blame Bow-Wow), each installment has grown in box office and stature, with Fast Five upping the ante to ridiculous levels. But it's now been surpassed by Fast & Furious 6, which has just raced into history with the largest Memorial Day weekend in history. Not a small feat considering it faced competition from The Hangover Part III, which was expected to hang close if not pull equal business.  Instead the Wolfpack were sent scurrying off with their tails between their legs as Vin Diesel and his crew more than doubled their tally. The four-day total is expected to clear $122M. It comes at a time when the 'Furious' series is entering a time of transition, with franchise director Justin Lin leaving and James Wan coming aboard for next year's film. With the promise of another huge star joining for the seventh installment, one that could have a similar impact as Dwayne Johnson's debut in Fast Five, we could be looking at an unprecedented string of record-breaking hits for such a long-lived tentpole. Smartly weaving in an internationally flavored cast over the years, the film has already racked up nearly $180M overseas, for a worldwide total of $275M. Audiences loved it, granting it an 'A' Cinemascore.

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New clips from 'Before Midnight', 'Frances Ha', and 'Only Lovers Left Alive'

One is the continuation of a 20-year cinematic romance; the other is the jubilant story of a flighty 20-something New Yorker; and the other follows the romantic entanglements of a pair of vampires. Suffice it to say, fans of independent cinema are going to have a lot of options to choose from over the next few weeks, and now clips have been released for Before Midnight, Frances Ha, and Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive to provide a hint of what's to come.

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11 Indie Films to Watch this Summer

A true cinephile cannot live on blockbusters alone. With the summer season already under way, there will be plenty of Iron Man 3's and Man of Steels to go around, and they will undoubtedly do the job fulfilling a certain need for bigger than life action. But for those who are perhaps craving something more, the summer has proven to be fertile ground for small-budgeted movies that are no less exciting, and perhaps may turn out to be more meaningful. It's always a great feeling to experience a film that may not be on everyone's radar, and feeling as if you've just seen something truly special; or feeling as if you've just witnessed the breakthrough performance by an undiscovered talent. This summer there are plenty of options to choose from at your local art house theater, and here are just a few you should be tracking down.

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The Must-See Movies of May

May 2nd

Iron Man 3
Director: Shane Black
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall

How successful have Marvel's first two Iron Man movies been? The first two didn't just combine for over $1.1B at the box office, they led to one of the most successful films of all-time in The Avengers, and helped usher in Marvel's dominant movie machine. So what's next? Iron Man 3 kicks off Phase Two, and it finds Tony Stark affected by the tragic destruction of New York after the Avengers' battle with Loki. His vaunted intellect will be put to the test by the Mandarin, a global terrorist utilizing a powerful nano-virus more advanced than anything Stark has ever seen. Expect the usual round of Marvel Easter Eggs and cameos, including a possible appearance from the Guardians of the Galaxy, as the march begins towards The Avengers 2.

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New posters for 'Star Trek Into Darkness', 'The Way Way Back', 'The East', 'Pacific Rim', and more

Star Trek Into Darkness isn't all about the beef between Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the mysterious John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), although Paramount has certainly made it seem that way by their marketing approach. There are a number of great characters who have largely been ignored, but now they're getting some love thanks to a cool series of character posters. Sulu (John Cho), Bones (Karl Urban), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Scotty (Simon Pegg), and new addition Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) are all in their element in these new one sheets. Am I the only one who has some serious questions about Carol Marcus and her true allegiances? Star Trek Into Darkness opens on May 17th.

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New posters for 'Iron Man 3', 'Pain & Gain', 'World War Z', and more

Ready for yet another Iron Man 3 poster? Marvel doesn't really care if you are or not, so they've crammed together a few of the previous one-sheets to make up this new international one, featuring Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts cradling Iron Man's helmet like a baby. Probably the most interesting thing we've learned about the film of late is that there will be two different versions, one for us and another exclusively for China. The Chinese one will include an appearance by Fan Bingbing, one of their most popular actresses. For a deeper look at Iron Man 3 before it opens on May 3rd, check out the Marvel Phase Two preview here.

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Release dates for 'Before Midnight', 'I'm So Excited', and Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine'

Grab your smartphone and fire up the calendar app, because Sony Pictures Classics has nailed down some release dates for three of this year's most anticipated films.

First up, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke's Before Midnight is set to arrive in New York and Los Angeles on May 24th. The film continues the nearly two decade-long romance of Jesse and Celine. You can check out my spoiler-free review of it here.

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Sundance Review: 'Before Midnight' starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

You can't get the majority of people to agree on much of anything, but nearly everyone has some sort of passionate reaction to Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Many, and this includes me, consider those pair of indie romances the standard by which all films on passionate love are measured. Rich, vital, funny, and superbly written, the ongoing saga of would-be lovers Jesse(Ethan Hawke) and Celine(Julie Delpy) have kept us enthralled for nearly twenty years. But with the third installment, Before Midnight, shot on the sly last summer, the duo and Richard Linklater are faced with new challenges brought on by time, technology, and incredibly high expectations.

If you've bothered to read this far, then it's probably safe to say you have some investment in Jesse and Celine's fate, so only proceed if it's ok to have 2004's cliffhanger conclusion spoiled.

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Ethan Hawke says 'Before Midnight' may be "the end of the story"

I think for a lot of people out there who have fallen in love with Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy's Before Sunrise/Before Sunset movies there's only one way the series should end, and that's with Jesse and Celine expressing their total commitment to one another at the top of the Eiffel Tower or something. But hey, I'm a romantic at heart, and the trio probably have something totally different in mind.

It's been amazing to see how these films have become more than just art house favorites, but something of a cultural touchstone, and perhaps the definitive romance movies of our generation. I don't think anybody expected it to go beyond Before Sunrise, but here we are eighteen years later with the third installment Before Midnight, which was filmed in secret over the summer. While many may hope the film ends on a cliffhanger like the last film, so that we may get another sequel nine years from now, Ethan Hawke seems to have a pretty good idea of where things are headed....

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What!?! 'Before Midnight' with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke is completed!

Liars! Or at least we should call Ethan Hawke a casual fibber at the very least. Over the last week or so, we've been following the rumors regarding Before Midnight, a sequel to the beloved Before Sunrise/Before Sunset indie romances from Hawke, Julie Delpy, and director Richard Linklater. After the two dudes were spotted in Greece, with rumors of Delpy being in the area as well, the suspicion naturally was that they were making the film totally unannounced. A few days later, Hawke revealed that they were simply working on the script, which made sense because Delpy had recently stated they were at least a year away from production.

Turns out it was all a clever ruse, as Deadline reports that Before Midnight(now the confirmed title) was filming in Greece all along, and principle photography has now been completed. It'll likely be offered up to buyers at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival, where I'm sure studios will be quick to snap it up.  As if to rub it all in our faces a little bit, the filmmakers released a statement....

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