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I copy edited this story by Delaney Reyburn and had to correct and clarify the timeline, add the films into the story, clarify where information was from, correct titles and rephrase sentences. It originally ran in the University Daily Kansan Oct. 28, 2014.

¡Vamos! Film Festival brings Spanish culture to Oldfather Studios

¡Vamos! Spanish Language Film Festival is the first festival of its kind to be held at the University. The festival is showing a series of four different films in hopes of starting a new tradition of Spanish film festivals. Margaret Jamieson, one of the organizers of ¡Vamos!, hopes with the success of this festival, it will be the first of many.

“The University of Kansas has an incredible wealth of language programs, and people that I met early on here at KU really pointed out to me what a unique thing it is in Kansas, or in the Midwest really, that there are so many languages,” Jamieson said.

Jamieson, who moved to Lawrence from the Bay Area a year ago, is a lecturer in film and media studies at the University and a large contributor to the festival, which began Oct. 15 and runs through Nov. 14. The festival celebrates the film cultures of Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil and Spain.

With Jamieson’s Hispanic background, she has always been interested in the Spanish language and culture and how it can be found in all different places.

The festival is halfway through its series of four screenings. The next film, “El regreso,” (“The Return”) will screen Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in room 100 of Oldfather Studios. The final screening, “Xingu,” will be in the auditorium of the Spencer Museum Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. All the screenings are open to the public. Jamieson said the last two showings contained a mix of people, from faculty and students to community members.

Jamieson said the films in the festival may never have the chance to be distributed through the United States, so festivals such as ¡Vamos! make it possible to bring these different cultures to the U.S.

“Some of the films are a little bit challenging,” Jamieson said. “Some of these films you have maybe seen at a film festival in New York or in California but some not even that, you have to find really specific film festivals to view these films.”

Jamieson said many departments and organizations were involved in the contributions that have made ¡Vamos! possible. It was also funded in part with a grant from PRAGDA, a New York-based distribution company of Spanish and Latin American films.

Having previously known about PRAGDA, Jamieson and her team decided to apply for the grant. This led to her working with the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, as well as a couple people from international programs such as international and interdisciplinary studies at the University.

Jamieson said aside from the help of PRAGDA, EGARC (Ermal Garinger Academic Resource Center) was the festival’s largest financial supporter, and it made a commitment to purchase the films and make them available through the University’s library. EGARC is an academic unit within the Humanities division of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Being fairly new at the University, Jamieson said it was very pleasing to be able to successfully pull this festival off.

“What’s been really exciting to me as a new person here at KU is being able to work with all these different groups: the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, graduate students, EGARC, the anthropology department and global and international studies,” Jamieson said. “It’s just this fantastic group of people, I can’t say enough about how all of these groups helped us.”

Jamieson said graduate students from the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese helped select the film for the final ¡Vamos! screening. Since the business school is having its Brazilian festival the same night, they decided to combine the two events to avoid splitting the audience.

Graduate student of film and media studies, Stephanie Wille from Lawrence, said the festival has been really exciting for her.

“I love seeing culture and film being brought together,” she said. “It really shows how expansive the film industry is becoming.”

Jamieson said the motivation for the festival does not stem from anything specific going on in Latin American cinema currently, but rather comes from issues about nationality and immigration that affect us all, and the directors of these films are working with that.

“They’re making really innovative, expansive work which still expands many of the Hollywood traditions,” Jamieson said.

Although ¡Vamos! hasn’t been a tradition at Kansas, film festivals in general are routinely held by the Center for Global and International Studies.

“It’s just really the multitude of groups and departments of people who want to be able to present these films and discuss them that allowed all of this to come together,” Jamieson said.

The Films:

“También la lluvia” (“Even the Rain”) was shown on Oct. 15 as the opening film of the festival. Viewers were able to watch this film about exploration in South America while eating homemade tamales cooked by a local Mexican chef.

“La muerte de Pinochet” (“The Death of Pinochet”) explores Chilean history. It was followed by a Q&A with the film’s director, Ivan Osnovikoff. This documentary, screened Oct. 20, is a very challenging film, Jamieson said.

“It’s a really interesting film but it does not hold your hand, if you don’t know Chilean history, you don’t know who Pinochet was, it doesn’t really baby you along,” Jamieson said.

The upcoming third film, “El regreso” (“The Return”), will be shown Wednesday night at 6:30 in room 100 of Oldfather Studios. It tells the story of a New York immigrant’s trip home to Costa Rica.

The final screening, “Xingu,” will take place on Nov. 5 at the Spencer Museum of Art Auditorium. This film is based on a true story about the exploration of Brazil in 1943. A discussion with professor of Spanish and Portuguese, Luciano Tosta, will follow the film.

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I edited this story written by Miranda Davis, restructuring it, identifying the year and hometown of the sources and fixing other errors or rewording phrases. Originally published in the Aug. 25, 2014 University Daily Kansan.

Student Senate results overriden, re-election required

The Student Senate executive staff – Morgan Said, a senior from Kansas City, Mo., Miranda Wagner, a senior from Shawnee, and their hired officers – has been removed from office.

Emma Halling, a senior from Elkhart, Ind. and former student body vice president, is acting as interim student body president until new leadership is determined with a re-election.

In a decision released Friday, the University Judicial Board Appeals Panel overrode the results of the current Student Senate election and required a re-election of Student Senate positions, including President Said and Vice President Wagner, in the coming weeks.

The Panel met Wednesday to hear an appeal that argued that the results were distorted because all votes for Jayhawkers, whose members were disqualified in April, were not counted. The Panel agreed in its decision and determined the Elections Commission should hold a re-election.

“We conclude that the only reasonable reading of the Election Code is that, first, the election results were ‘materially altered by a violation of the Code,’ and, second, a new election is required,” the Panel said in its decision, signed by chair Thomas Stacy and Panel members Michelle Ginavan Hayes and Lisa Wolf-Wendel.

The decision says the Commission has flexibility in determining the rules of the new election:

“We stress that although the Code plainly requires a new election in cases such as this, it does not specify rules for the conduct of such an election. This means that the Commission necessarily has a large range of discretion in adapting and interpreting the Code for this purpose. It also means that many challenges to the Commission’s conduct of the new election must surmount of the very high bar of showing that Commission has abused its discretion.”

The Panel also mentions on page four and five of the decision that “the only reasonable means of eliminating . . . irrelevant guesswork, given that approximately 60% of the voters cast votes for the Jayhawkers candidates, is to ask those voters which eligible candidate they prefer. And the only feasible mechanism for doing this is to hold a new election.”

The appeal heard on Aug. 21 was brought to the Panel by Eli Hymson, a sophomore from Parkland, Fla. It was denied by the Student Senate Court of Appeals on May 2, the 2,662 votes for Jayhawkers were nullified, and Student Senate executive staffmembers took office in May.

The disqualification of Jayhawkers stems from a violation brought to the Commission by Grow KU about an incomplete financial report after a member of the coalition allegedly purchased Chipotle for other members on March 30.

On April 8, the Elections Commission disqualified the entire Jayhawkers coalition. Because this happened the night before the election, Jake Rapp, a graduate student from Lawrence and then-chair of the Commission, said he kept the Jayhawkers on the ballot because they had the right to appeal within 48 hours of the decision, which they filed April 9.

The Student Senate Court of Appeals announced April 10 it would not hear the appeal as there was a potential conflict of interest. It deferred the appeal to the University Judicial Board Appeals Panel, which upheld the decision to disqualify Jayhawkers on April 24.

The Commission released the unofficial results, which did not include Jayhawkers candidates, on April 27. It certified the election and released the full results, with Jayhawkers included, on April 29.

The full results showed that MacKenzie Oatman, a senior from Wichita, and Mitchell Cota, a senior from Overland Park, presidential and vice presidential candidates for the disqualified Jayhawkers coalition, received 61.4 percent of the vote, Said and Wagner of Grow KU received 31.6 percent, and Kevin Hundelt, a senior from St. Louis, Mo., and Sara Anees, a senior from Wichita, of Crimson & True received 6.9 percent.

Moving forward, the Elections Commission will meet this week to set parameters for the upcoming Student Senate re-election, according to Mark Pacey, a graduate student from Manhattan and the acting chair of the Elections Commission. They will have to decide who is allowed to participate in the re-election. He said he hopes to hold the re-election as soon as possible.

Pacey said he thinks the election will only be between candidates that participated in last year’s election and were not disqualified — meaning only members of Crimson and True and Grow KU — as the decision to disqualify members of Jayhawkers was upheld by the Panel in April. He said at this time, no new coalitions can be formed.

Oatman said she does not believe this is the correct understanding of the Appeals Panel’s decision and would like to see an entirely new election.

“What needs to happen is a new election needs to be held where new candidates can come, new coalitions can form and it doesn’t have to be just the people who were on the ballot. That’s how I read ‘new election,’” Oatman said.

Halling said she plans to meet with Tyler Childress, a law student from Coffeyville and last year’s chief of staff, and Reuben Perez, director of Student Involvement Leadership Center, to clarify the exact course of action based on Student Senate Rules and Regulations.

She said Marcus Tetwiler, a graduate from Paola and last year’s student body president, left in May and for that reason she has stepped into his role. For the same reason, Childress will resume his position as chief of staff.

Said said she is confident in Halling’s ability to lead the student body until a new president is elected.

“I will say that we are complying with what’s been mandated and will continue to have the student body’s interests in mind,” Said said.

‘Gone Girl’ critiques marriage through its shocking mystery

This was originally published in the University Daily Kansan on Oct. 6, 2014.

On the surface, “Gone Girl” is a mystery thriller about the search for Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) after she disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary. The case brings a firestorm of media attention, especially once her husband Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is suspected of killing her.

But the movie’s really about what’s hidden underneath the surface — the ugliness of people’s true selves, and the show they put on to convince everyone else they’re living normal and happy existences. This is specifically applied to marriage.

Amy’s journal entries give us insight into her relationship with Nick and her side of the story. We see a blissful courtship and the first several years of marriage in New York City, but that marriage evolves into an increasingly toxic beast, following economic troubles and their move to Nick’s small Missouri hometown. These scenes feel distinctly like memories instead of objective flashbacks. They are straight to the point, inherently emotional and enhanced through Amy’s narration of her effectively written prose.

They come piece by piece, interspersed between the deepening search for Amy. The search includes community efforts, the investigation of the detective (Kim Dickens) and the police officer (Patrick Fugit) heading the case. Nick tries to figure everything out with his only confidante, his twin sister (Carrie Coon).

Then, about an hour in, the first layer of “Gone Girl” peels back in a jaw-dropping twist that changes the direction of the film’s gears from an enthralling mystery to a rivetingly, ingeniously plotted thriller. By the chilling end, it has changed into a satire about the politics of marriage and relationships — one guaranteed to spark conversation.

Kansas City, Mo., native and Kansas alumna Gillian Flynn adapted her best seller into the brilliantly paced screenplay, which retains the sprawling feel of a lengthy and extensively detailed novel, packed with frequent surprises and well-developed characters even on the supporting level. Her commentary about marriages prickles with raw honesty and cuts deep with razor wire sharpness, while also eliciting thorny laughs. Flynn’s take on Fox News-type analysts eating the characters alive in a case like this is cleverly funny too, while showing how easily the public opinion can be swayed.

Audience perceptions of Nick and Amy constantly shift, the way the public’s perceptions of famous figures or those under national scrutiny change when a shocking scandal comes to light or when they say something inspiring or offensive. Both of them have secrets we discover, and Nick particularly has trouble balancing his offhand charm against smarm, not acting how the media expects an innocent man with a missing wife to act.

Affleck has never fit a role so well. Nick’s situation recalls the early years of Affleck’s career, when he showed some initial promise but then slid into dramatic dullness and relied on his sweet-talking allure to sustain him. Affleck nails the put-upon incredulity and emotional distance, while still remaining likable as we learn he’s not such a good guy.

Even more surprising is Pike, a revelation here that should make her a star. She’s so sweet and smart, and once her hidden side is dug up, she embodies that difference so deeply she puts viewers in an entrancing state of astonishment. The whole film hinges on completely believing her performance, and she pulls viewers to the edge of their seats.

And yet, masterful director David Fincher is the one perfecting every little detail that ultimately makes “Gone Girl” the kind of movie that leaves a deep, deep impact on the psyche and enraptures as an enormously entertaining experience. Every shot draws the viewer in closer to the story, the nuance is always felt, the visual storytelling and editing captivate with gripping control and when something crazy happens, it’s felt viscerally.

The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross adds to that power, playing calm and ambiently most of the time with an undercurrent of something upsetting, rising to strength to capture the mood in important moments. It doesn’t stand out as much as their work on Fincher’s previous two films, but it fits just right with this story.

“Gone Girl” shocks with its twists and thrills, with its stylish and engaging storytelling, but what it really has to say will get under viewers’ skin and keep them talking — especially couples — long after they’re gone from the theater.

Four out of Four Stars

Yugoslav Cinema Symposium

The roundtable discussion of the Yugoslav cinema symposium.

Professor Misha Nedeljkovich studied and worked as a director for many years in the Serbian capital of Belgrade (formerly part of Yugoslavia), where he saw the wars in Yugoslavia erupt right in front of him.

While he now teaches Balkan cinema at the University of Oklahoma, he said it took 10-15 years of distancing himself from the heartbreaking events in his homeland before he could actually study and enjoy films from the Balkans. He said he tries to show his students how elements of filmmaking reflect social, cultural, historical and geographical context of an area.

Nedeljkovich was part of the Yugoslav cinema symposium on April 25 in the Spencer Art Museum Auditorium. Three Yugoslavian short films and one feature were screened, followed by a roundtable discussion from Nedeljkovich and other experts on the region.

The main theme of the event focused on how Yugoslavia’s history influenced its cinema, as Yugoslavia evolved throughout the 20th century from a kingdom to a republic to a post-socialist republic and more. Eventually civil war broke it up into different countries in the early 1990s.

“Yugoslav film history has not often been encountered by Western scholars,” said moderator Greg DeCuir, who’s on the KU faculty of dramatic arts with a focus on Belgrade. “The reason is that these films quite often have not been subtitled, translated, and have not travelled out of the region very much.”

DeCuir said it’s a challenge to speak about a country that no longer exists and its forgotten national cinema, which he said has not been celebrated as it should.

The feature shown, “Last Waltz in Sarajevo,” details the birth of cinema and radical activism in the Balkans in the early 20th century. The film shows the area shortly before it became a country, and since it was produced during the Yugoslav wars of secession in 1990, coincidentally it became the final movie made in Yugoslavia. All of its elements were not recovered and completed until 2007.

“This film can be read as a love letter to a homeland that has forever been changed, and as an interesting rumination on war,” DeCuir said. “It’s meta-filmic life speaks so strongly to what war does, not just in terms of art but in terms of life.”

Since so many ethnic groups in the Balkans have been displaced and forced to live alongside ethnic groups they oppose, this political tension and inner suffering is a common theme in the region’s movies. Nedeljkovich said self-mutilation is commonly depicted in Balkan cinema to represent this.

“These characters struggle, and those people from the Balkans know it is because of his emotional pain, his unhappy life, political constraints and psychological ‘whatever,’” Nedeljkovich said. “The emotional pain is so incredibly strong, that the physical pain no longer exists. So this self-mutilation shows his pain is on the inside.”

Nedeljkovich said a misconception viewers may have about films from this region is classifying ethnically different actors based on their own prejudices.

“Try not to be judgmental in the beginning,” Nedeljkovich said. “Do not say: the Serbs are right here but wrong here…We have to disregard this. It’s a horribly difficult task. This is not a Hollywood story. It is not cowboy in white hat good, black hat cowboy bad, easy to follow.”

“There’s such a big mixture of ethnicities within the Balkan area,” said Vitaly Chernetsky, a Ukrainian professor in KU’s department of Slavic languages and literatures. “There is so so much diversity that it not only makes this region unique, but also difficult to fully understand and explore. The region has faced so much adversity, so much conflict, many ethnic rivalries and bigotry. These are all things depicted and illustrated in [its] cinema.”

The biggest hit in post-Yugoslav space in 2011 not only confronted this ethnic conflict but also brought together all the region’s national film industries to participate in producing it. The absurdist tragicomedy “The Parade” follows a group of gay activists in Belgrade trying to organize a pride parade, recruiting former warlords, gangsters and criminals of different Yugoslavian backgrounds to protect them from the attacks of right-wing skinheads.

“This film is a fascinating testimony to how these competing identities of division but old signification, how they work and also how they change,” Chernetsky said. “This is one of the potential hopeful signs of how you bring about a serious thinking about the cinematic narratives and national narratives of history as articulated through cinema, where you reveal and basically make the audience confront all this tense and explosive history.”

Croatian professor Aida Vidan from Harvard University responds to the question of defining Yugoslav cinema.

Vidan: “How can we say what is Croatian, what is Serbian, what is Bosnian cinema? I’d like to refer you to quite a famous article by Andrew Higson, “The Concept of National Cinema,” in which he says that it’s impossible actually to define any cinema in national terms. And I think that Yugoslav, or post-Yugoslav space is a perfect case, both in artistic terms but also in economic terms, in terms of the industry.”

Ukrainian KU professor Vitaly Chernetsky has a different perspective.

Chernetsky: “What unites the possible national cinema is actually the audience experience. So it’s not the production side, but it’s the consumption, the reception side that is hugely important in this respect. One of the ways – and I’m not trying to wiggle my way out of answering it – is actually to propose that what audiences, both domestically in the countries of former Yugoslavia and internationally, view as cinema that unites and is specific to this region, that perhaps would be considered Yugoslav cinema.”

Planet Comicon 2014

Kansas City’s annual comic convention Planet Comicon drew record numbers of pop culture enthusiasts to Bartle Hall this year, featuring costumed attendees, interesting panels, comic creators and artists.

Kansas City’s annual pop culture haven Planet Comicon took place March 14-16, attracting a larger crowd in its second outing at Bartle Hall.

“As a cultural event, it’s changed quite a bit over the years,” “Dream Thief” writer and KU professor Jai Nitz said. “They expanded the convention in a way that brought in outside people. It’s basically like San Diego Comic-Con-lite, and that’s what’s coming to Kansas City now, and people respond to it immediately, they love it.

“As a creator I get a chance to meet fans directly. Now, a lot of the times it’s just here at my table, where I meet somebody and I’m selling them a book, myself to them. At an event this large there’s panels and speeches, and I participate in those because then I’m reaching people who don’t normally read my comic books,” Nitz said.

“It’s freakin’ huge, I can’t believe it’s in Bartle Hall,” Cortana cosplayer Rose Watkins said. “Otherwise, it’s kinda just more of the same awesome stuff, just a bunch of really cool people getting together and doing really cool stuff.”

“A lot of nerds,” fellow cosplayer Steven McClain laughed.

Many attendees spend lots of time and effort building their own costumes for the event.

“This one probably took over 300 hours,” McClain said, describing his “Halo” Spartan outfit.

“Mine took all day today to do, so approximately six hours,” Watkins said of her Cortana body paint.

The event also introduces new readers to comic books.

“Well, it’s all become regular people now, it’s not just comic people,” Elite Comics owner William Bindera said. “It’s just a common everyday hobby, but for a lot of people it’s their, like all my people who come into the shop, it’s their weekly religion.”

“It’s an event now,” Bindera said. “Trying to give people an experience.”

For Kansas City Film, this is Alex Lamb.

The Best Films of 2013

This article originally appeared on kansan.com on Jan. 20, 2014.

1. “Her”Joaquin Phoenix in “Her.” Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Spike Jonze’s vision of the near future speaks volumes about how our society feels more connected through technology as we grow further apart from each other, but that’s not even the most profound aspect of his romantic dramedy “Her.” The insight into relationships, mainly between Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) would strike a chord in any film. Since this is about a mild-mannered man and his new operating system with its own consciousness falling in love, it becomes a much more thought-provoking meditation in love and the human experience. This concept feels brilliantly, fully realized and isn’t judgemental of Theodore, giving it a touching sense of wonder.

2. “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

At 71, who would’ve thought Martin Scorsese had such an insane dark comedy in him? “The Wolf of Wall Street” follows the real-life exploits of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) in his rise as a notorious stockbroker who brings debauchery to a new level. The amount of sex, drugs and money in this film has to be seen to be believed, and that it stays consistently funny for two-and-a-half hours before Belfort’s fall in the last 30 minutes is a resounding accomplishment. The quaaludes overdose scene alone between DiCaprio and Jonah Hill ensures this satire of wealth, greed and excess will become a comedy classic.

3. “Only God Forgives”

Ryan Gosling in “Only God Forgives.” Photo courtesy of Wild Bunch.

Many people hated Nicolas Winding Refn’s follow-up to “Drive,” and I can understand why. It’s a thematically existential, luridly violent movie about despicable people in the neon-drenched underworld of Bangkok, Thailand, told with far more focus on visual style than depth in characterization. However, it’s packed with symbolism and deeper meaning, most strikingly with the sword-wielding police lieutenant who acts as the vengeful god of Bangkok. “Only God Forgives” looks like neo-Kubrick and unfolds with the detached perspective and intensive power of a surreal dream. For those attuned to its pulpy, arthouse wavelength, it makes for a mesmerizing experience.

4. “The Act of Killing”

Anwar Congo filming a scene in “The Act of Killing.” Photo courtesy of Drafthouse Films.

How does committing mass murder affect a man when he is celebrated for it? One-of-a-kind documentary “The Act of Killing” explores this topic with former death squad leaders of the Indonesian killings of 1965-66. Because their side took power in the country, they were never charged for their crimes, and are instead revered as heroes. The main subject, Anwar Congo, arguably the most interesting character of the year, killed about 1,000 people and yet is a funny, smart, lively old guy – a normal human being, not a monster. He and his friends re-enact and direct surreal scenes of their killings in the vein of their favorite movie genres, giving this documentary a strange, transcendentally reflective power.

5. “The Spectacular Now”

Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller in “The Spectacular Now.” Photo courtesy of A24.

“The Spectacular Now” feels decidedly more adult than most films centered on a teenage couple. When a lazy party boy (Miles Teller) and a wounded dove nice girl (Shailene Woodley) find each other, the cutesy behavior, brazen partying and realizations of true love found usually found in teenage film romance are replaced with themes of alcoholism, absentee parents and moving on to the next stage of life. Yet the detailed authenticity of lackadaisical high school lifestyle, acute struggles and subdued emotion are precisely what make it hit with such resonating effect. It’s also funny, charming, painfully honest, deeply relatable and Woodley’s tender performance will break your heart.

6. “Gravity”

Sandra Bullock in “Gravity.” Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

“Gravity” reminded viewers of cinema’s capacity for pure visceral power. It made for a technically brilliant, unprecedented experience that’s extremely simple from a storytelling standpoint, yet creates a fast-paced fight for survival which imparts some of the most effective intensity to ever hit the big screen. Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) faces one obstacle after another in the deep abyss of space, as director Alfonso Cuarón crafts gripping tension around her journey. In the vein of Cuarón’s “Children of Men,” the film uses extraordinarily long single-shot sequences that give an unflinching perspective to the action. The reverberating score captures the vast emptiness of the environment and the mainly computer-generated visuals look so real that you feel lost in space yourself.

7. “12 Years a Slave”

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender in “12 Years a Slave.” Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight.

What “Schindler’s List” did in its depiction of the Jewish Holocaust – translating the terrible reality of that tragic situation into a raw experience that makes viewers confront it as real, not just part of history – “12 Years a Slave” does in its accurate portrayal of slavery in America, but through the eyes of a victim. Free man Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is drugged and sold into slavery in antebellum Louisiana, where he lives in bondage for 12 years. It’s grueling, brutal and depressing to sit through, especially as his terrifying master (Michael Fassbender) personifies man’s remarkable cruelty. Ultimately, it stands as an artfully made testament to the human spirit and is required viewing for understanding the horrors of slavery.

8. “Star Trek Into Darkness”

Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and Zachary Quinto in “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

The 2009 “Star Trek” reboot is one of the most enjoyable and rewatchable adventures of recent years, and its sequel proves just as entertaining and exciting. Even better, it takes on a darker tone, raises the stakes with a much more cool villain (Benedict Cumberbatch) and actually elicits a few tears at its emotional climax. J.J. Abrams is a god of geekdom, appealing to both Trekkies and mainstream audiences, and he directs this spectacular blockbuster with visual panache, snappy and smart character interaction and a wild sense of fun. More than all the titles from 2013, I’ll be rewatching this one over and over.

9. “Inside Llewyn Davis”

Oscar Isaac in “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Photo courtesy of CBS Films.

The Coen brothers’ latest is more subtle and soulful than their usual work, a dramedy about a folk singer (Oscar Isaac) navigating the music scene of Greenwich Village over a troubled week in 1961. Llewyn has no home of his own, has constant money problems and is kind of a jerk. Yet it’s hard not to feel for the poor guy as, like many Coen characters, he is punished with one repercussion, hardship or disappointment after another. The Coens achieve a wonderful balance with their wry, ironic humor and oddball side characters alongside a sense of melancholy that comforts through its relatability and beautiful soundtrack.

10. “Upstream Color”

Shane Carruth and Amy Seimetz in “Upstream Color.” Photo courtesy of erbp.

Shane Carruth’s 2004 debut “Primer” still stands in a class of cerebral, hard sci-fi all its own. His long-awaited sophomore feature “Upstream Color” proves he has one of the most unique, complex voices in indie film. The film’s story has too many moving parts to explain, but it’s essentially a romance rooted in low-key but fascinating science fiction elements. These elements work like pieces in a puzzle, where the big picture is easy to see but putting it together requires strict attention to detail. Carruth doesn’t work on the regular level of movie narrative, instead using visual storytelling and montage editing, resulting in highly involved viewing.

Honorable Mentions, in order:

Post Tenebras Lux – An art film of high order that uses perspective to great effect, producing entrancing visuals and emotional realism.

American Hustle – Basically Scorsese-lite, a terrifically fun, fast and loose story of sexy people conning each other in decadent ‘70s style.

On the Road – A successful adaptation that translates the dizzying energy of Kerouac’s classic with rebellious spirit and a stellar cast.

Room 237 – A mesmerizing and frequently funny exploration of obsession where five people explain their conspiracy theories about “The Shining.”

Narco Cultura – Death is an everyday part of life in this shocking documentary about Mexico’s cartel murders and the music scene it has inspired.

Prince Avalanche – A captivating dramedy with organic humor where Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch bicker, fight and bond in a deserted landscape.

The Hunt – This intense and emotionally draining Danish drama shows how a child’s lie tears apart the life of an innocent man.

August: Osage County – Meryl Streep is wickedly hilarious and the whole ensemble top-notch in this crowd-pleasing dramedy of family dysfunction.

Blue Is the Warmest Color – A three hour, French lesbian romance may sound pretentious, yet it’s a beautifully rendered portrait that breathes raw emotion.

The Great Beauty – A lively Italian rumination on art, life and religion that intoxicates with its gorgeous style and rambling wisdom.