A Belated Top 20:

I'll eschew the usual finger wagging that I've indulged in in years past. Rest assured, the state of affairs I bemoan here and here are still in place, despite the growth of VOD and various streaming platforms. The old ways are, if not dying, at least changed irrevocably, and sticking to old paradigms seems increasingly fruitless. To put it bluntly, the general public isn't experiencing cinema the way that critics are, at least not when it comes to non-blockbusters, and chaining year-end accolades to product that can afford to play the game does everyone a disservice. Having said that, I think InRO's aggregate year end list is a pretty decent snapshot of the year in cinema, so maybe I shouldn't grumble so much. I contributed capsules for Upstream Color and Drug War, both masterpieces in my humble opinion (and, as of this writing, both streaming on Netflix. No excuse not to watch people).

For what it's worth, here's what I originally submitted to InRO:

Upstream Color
Before Midnight
Drug War
The Act of Killing
Something in the Air (Apres mai)
Faust
Bastards
A Touch of Sin
Neighboring Sounds
12 Years a Slave
Barbara
All is Lost
The World's End
Leviathan
Pain & Gain
The Lords of Salem
Beyond the Hills
The Unspeakable Act
Like Someone in Love
Fast & Furious 6

Both Neighboring Sounds and Barbara got bumped from the list (replaced by Frances Ha and Pacific Rim, if you're interested) although neither played Chicago until well into 2013. I prefer the list as originally submitted.