Love him or loathe him, Quentin Tarantino certainly knows how to produce the goods. So it'd be worth taking his opinion into consideration when looking at the best movies of the year thus far.
Among the best movies of 2013, Tarantino reckons Gravity is one of the best that he's seen, which, when you take note of all the praise it's been receiving in the US and at the Venice Film Festival, isn't much of a shocker. And there's been nothing but good things said about Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine too, so no surprises there. However, among the writer/director's favourites, you'll also find The Lone Ranger, which you'd be more likely to find on many a scribe's 'worst of' list.
Unfortunately, Johnny Depp's latest offering failed to impress at the box office and was widely slated by critics, not just in the US but pretty much worldwide. Another movie to surprise us on this list is Kick Ass 2, for its polarising effect on audiences around the globe; some loved it while others found themselves let down by Jim Carrey's performance.
Though we're told that Tarantino's list is only a 'thus far' smattering of favourites, here's what's been impressing the cinematic guru of late:
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)