Gallery: The 13 Best Movies You Didn't See in 2013
01the act of killing
Look. Not every movie can be *The Hunger Games*. As Katniss & Co. continue to gleefully slaughter both each other and the worldwide box office, 2013’s other films are already sliding down the memory hole. Unlike *12 Years a Slave*, *Gravity*, *Blue Jasmine*, or *Nebraska*, the films above aren’t necessarily going to win awards. And thanks to any number of factors, from limited distribution to crappy trailers, none are going to make *Catching Fire*-levels of money. You might not have heard of these movies, or you might’ve written them off, but either way, here are the movies from 2013 that deserved more eyeballs. LIKE YOURS. The Act of Killing ------------------ Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary tracks down the leaders of the Indonesian death squads that brutally killed anyone opposing Indonesia’s 1965 military coup. And then? *Oppenheimer has them re-enact their crimes for the camera*. Using gangster movies and musicals for inspiration, the killers are happy to do so. ("We have to re-enact this properly," one of them says, casually demonstrating how he choked dissidents to death.) The killers also play golf, go bowling, and drink—and, in the film’s most jarring moments, admit how they feel. "War crimes are defined by the winners," one says. "I’m a winner. So I can make my own definition." Terrifying and unexpectedly touching, this is a film everyone should see. (Blu-ray and DVD on January 14)
02pain & gain
Pain & Gain ----------- Upon release, Michael Bay’s true-crime caper flick was met with shrugs. That -- stick with me here -- is a minor tragedy. *Transformers* auteur Bay traded in explosions and LaBeoufs for a much smaller, much more gruesome tale of three dumbass bodybuilders (Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, and Anthony Mackie) who plan a crime -- and end up screaming and covered in blood. Lurid, funny, and skeevy, *Pain & Gain* is a reminder that Bay can make a solid movie -- so long as he isn’t worrying about how robot testicles will fit into his mis-en-scène. (Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video)
03safe-image.jpeg
A Band Called Death ------------------- In the early ’70s, in a bedroom in Detroit, three black brothers invented punk. Calling themselves Death, they were forgotten when bands like the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and Bad Brains took center stage. Decades later, Death’s recordings were found by crate-digging music dweebs, showing everyone that punk isn’t just "white boy music." Part family portrait and part detective story, *A Band Called Death* is about brotherhood and history -- and music so raw, so loud, and so new that it sent people running for shelter, hands over their ears. (Netflix, Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, drafthousefilms.com)
04dirty wars
Dirty Wars ---------- Just in case Edward Snowden’s files didn’t totally destroy your faith in America, this should do the trick! *Dirty Wars* tracks *The Nation* reporter Jeremy Scahill from Afghanistan to Yemen to Washington DC as he uncovers the secret American strike forces that carry out targeted killings—assassinating not only suspected terrorists, but also women, children, and whoever else is nearby. Sometimes the kill lists given to these teams contain the names of American citizens; sometimes the lists are vague, to give those doing the shooting carte blanche. If *The Act of Killing* is a movie everyone should see, *Dirty Wars* is a movie every American should see. (DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video)
05sightseers
Sightseers ---------- Friendly reminder: *Grown Ups 2* made $130 million, which means at least some of you reading this paid money to see it. Lessen your shame by watching Ben Wheatley’s *Sightseers*, a comedy that’s actually comedic. Awkward couple Tina and Chris (co-writers Alice Lowe and Steve Oram) set off on a romantic trip through Northern England—only to end up causing death and destruction. Possibly accidentally? Or totally on purpose? Produced by Edgar Wright (who directed *The World’s End*, another of 2013’s comedy highlights), the brilliant, pitch-black *Sightseers* isn’t for everybody. But hell, that’s a lot better than a movie that isn’t for anybody. Like *Grown Ups 2*. (Blu-ray and DVD on December 10)
06upstream color
Upstream Color -------------- WIRED readers might already be familiar with *Primer* director [Shane Carruth](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2013/03/primer-shane-carruth/all/), but if you showed *Upstream Color* to the average person on the street, their brain would start leaking out of their ears. Like *Primer*, *Upstream Color* is bizarre and strange and powerful; as odd of a film as it is (pigs infused with human consciousnesses play a major role! okay!), you can’t shake the feeling that Carruth knows exactly what he’s doing... and that if you just watch his movie a few more times, you’ll crack his code. Just writing this is making me want to watch *Upstream* again. This time I’m going to cram some cotton balls in my ears. No more brain leakage! (Netflix, Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, upstreamcolor.com)
07stories we tell
Stories We Tell --------------- Sarah Polley’s documentary about her family is told in a variety of ways: there are reenactments, there’s a memoir, there are interviews with siblings who support and contradict each other. It’s a mystery box, and as Polley opens it, she makes a film about how memory sustains and betrays us. If it sounds like I’m being obnoxiously vague, that’s because I am: *Stories We Tell* is better the less you know about it. The only thing you need to know is that you should see it, and that it totally didn’t make me cry, no matter what anyone says. (DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video)
08behind the candelabra
Behind the Candelabra --------------------- One of the best filmmakers of the past few decades, this year Steven Soderbergh told everyone that he was QUITTING! FILMMAKING! FOREVER! But before he did, he put out one last movie. In America, the subject matter of *Behind the Candelabra* meant it didn’t get theatrical distribution, but track it down: The true story of the sweet, creepy romance between Liberace (Michael Douglas) and his boytoy Scott Thorson (Matt Damon), *Candelabra* is a sweet, creepy story of love (and sequins) gone wrong. (Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video)
09spring breakers
Spring Breakers --------------- I don’t know if *Spring Breakers*, Harmony Korine’s fever-dream of a spring break movie, is a thriller or a comedy or a drama or horror movie or softcore porn or what, but I do know one thing: That goddamn Britney Spears scene is the most amazing five minutes of film all year. Possibly ever? Depends on how you feel about Britney. And James Franco’s dreadlocks. (Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video)
10enough said
Enough Said ----------- Even a genre as cynical and bankrupt as the romantic comedy has the occasional exceptional film—like Nicole Holofcener’s romantic and funny *Enough Said*. The always excellent Julia Louis-Dreyfuss plays Eva, who gets a crush on Albert (James Gandolfini), then starts hearing terrible things about him from her pal (Catherine Keener), who happens to be Albert’s ex. Holofcener’s film is clever, good-hearted, and hilarious -- not to mention a fitting send-off to Gandolfini, who, in one of his final performances, is fantastic. (Blu-ray, DVD, and Amazon Instant Video on January 14)
Photo credit: David Appleby11Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters ------------------------------ Okay, you’re forgiven for skipping this one. When a movie has a gimmicky title, it’s a good sign it doesn’t have much else to offer. (Everybody tweets [about *Sharknado*](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/business/2013/07/asylum-business-boom/); no one remembers *Sharknado*.) But every once in a while, there’s a B-movie -- like, say, *Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters* -- that lives up its title. Tommy Wirkola’s action flick is crammed with viscera and wit (Hansel has adult-onset diabetes due to eating all that candy as a kid), and it boasts a charming turn from a blood-splattered Gemma Arterton, not to mention useful advice for everyday living ("If you’re gonna kill a witch, set her ass on fire"). To behold *Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters* is to behold cinema in all of its insane beauty. (Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video)
12prince avalanche
Prince Avalanche ---------------- For the past few years, David Gordon Green’s been directing comedies like *Pineapple Express*, *Your Highness*, and *Eastbound & Down*. With the little-seen *Prince Avalanche*, he returned to his low-fi indie roots, bringing along Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsh. Rudd and Hirsh play two men repairing roads in an isolated California forest; as with any two dudes stuck in the middle of nowhere, it isn’t long until they’re at each other’s throats. Rudd and Hirsh are both great, and Green knows how to deliver off-putting humor and well-earned sentiment. (Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video)
13frances ha
Frances Ha ---------- I overheard *Frances Ha* described as "a movie about the kind of people I hate," which... fine. That’s fair. Focusing on young, self-involved Frances (co-writer Greta Gerwig), Noah Baumbach’s film starts off being about... well, the kind of people you hate. But give it a few minutes: With humor and insight, Gerwig and Baumbach tell a subtle, smart story about characters who you first think are stupid and annoying, but then you start to care about. Hey, just like real life! (Netflix, Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, [SundanceNow](http://www.sundancenow.com/film/frances-ha/1241))
