Best Picture: “Her”

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"Her" was the best movie of 2013, and high-waisted pants aside, it was also the most relevant. The adorably quirky tale of a lost soul and his operating system imagines a fully realized future for our digitized world, finding a slightly more cuddly side of Joaquin Phoenix in the process. But unlike so many near-future flicks, "Her" isn't a sermon. It's a story of life, love, and connection that bursts out of the sci-fi genre and rips at your heart. In a year full of important films, "Her" deserves the gold because it's just as timeless as it is timely. —Tree A. Palmedo

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Wolf of Wall Street”)

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On paper, Jordan Belfort is a boring person. Though his debaucherous antics are certainly juicy, they’re also somewhat predictable; nearly everything he does can be explained by his hedonism. It is very easy to lose interest in a character that always does the wrong thing, and yet “Wolf” is electrifying. The reason? Leonardo DiCaprio, who takes every ounce of star power and channels it into a performance that simply reeks of charisma. His great coup is not so much making a monster likeable as it is making a deeply shallow man compelling. That simple task—finding the interest in the monotonous or mundane—is the definition of good acting. This year, it also stands as the best acting. —Petey E. Menz

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett ("Blue Jasmine")

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The high-society protagonist of "Blue Jasmine" is her own worst enemy, and the character’s internal struggles are captured perfectly by Cate Blanchett in the year’s best female performance. The riches-to-rags tale finds Jasmine trying to work a receptionist’s desk while deeply self-conscious, to lie her way to marrying a State Department official, to veneer her unraveling psyche in New York cool—it requires every bit of intensity and nuance Blanchett brings. It’s a stressful performance, and it’s made more impressive by the Australian actress’s seamless accent and affectations. It outdoes the category’s other contenders—Meryl Streep’s work in "August: Osage County" most notably, and Woody Allen’s best film in years would not succeed without it. —Austin Siegemund-Broka