Best Movies 2014

These lists get harder to do each year because I find I have a difficult time make a definitive list; and all too often I'll enjoy a film but then find flaws that keep it from being truly great and making a 'top ten' of the year.

I found 2014 to be a good year but not an exceptional year; even though there certainly were exceptional moments in many films.

Here, then, is a list of films I enjoyed last year.

Tier 1 [meaning I enjoyed these films without many reservations]
Blue Ruin
The Dance of Reality
The Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy
Ida
The Lunchbox
Whiplash

Tier 2 [meaning I enjoyed these films with some reservations]
Begin Again
Bethlehem
Boyhood

Cycling with Moliere
The One I Love
Under the Skin
Le Weekend
Wild Tales

Tier 3 [meaning I enjoyed these films despite reservations].
Goodbye to Language
Locke
A Most Violent Year
Selma
The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears
The Congress
Two Days, One Night

Older Film Discoveries 2014

Every year I stumble upon movies I'd previously not heard of or was only vaguely familiar with. Here are some of the better discoveries I made in 2014

The Agony and the Ecstasy [Carol Reed, 1965] - Charlton Heston as Michelangelo! Even if it is just another one of his many epics it is also a Carol Reed film and worth a look. And, yes, Michelangelo does see 'The Creation of Adam' in the clouds one evening! Perfect schmaltz.

Chair de Poule [Julian Duvivier, 1963]  - A nice slice of French noir by Duvivier that no one has seen.

Club de Femme [Jacques Deval, 1936] - A mixed group of lonely women in a women-only Parisian boarding house try to come to grips with their [mainly sexual] frustrations.

Corridor of Mirrors [Terence Young, 1948] - The influence that Cocteau had on British filmmakers is evident in this rarely seen [not on DVD] film about a woman who falls for a mannequin wax figure from the past.

Il Cristo Proibito [Curzio Malaparte, 1951] - An Italian neo-realist film about a disillusioned man who comes back from WWII to his small Italian village to avenge the death of his brother who was ratted out to the Germans by one of the locals. Excellent film - rarely seen.

The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life [Ettore Scola, 1972]
Wonderfully dark Italian comedy about a man whose car breaks down following a beautiful woman biker who then ends up the dinner guest of a bunch of old judges who, for fun, put him on trial for his life.

London Belongs to Me [Sidney Gilliat, 1948] - My appreciation for Gilliat films continued with this tale of a young man (Richard Attenborough) who commits a crime to get money to impress his girlfriend.

Madeleine [David Lean, 1950] - Based on a famous 1857 trial of a woman who was accused of killing her husband. Is she guilty, not guilty or is it not proven!? Beautiful black and white cinematography.

Murder He Says [George Marshall, 1945] - A crazy, fun comedy about hicks in the sticks and a government census worker (Fred McMurray) who stumbles into their world and can't get out.



Films I finally caught up with:

Big Trouble in Little China  [John Carpenter, 1986] - Classic 80's!

Le Deuxieme Souffle [Jean Pierre Melville, 1966] - The only bad thing about this is that I only have one more Melville film to see before I've seen them all. Darn! I love his films.

Eden and After [Alain Robbe Grillet, 1971] - A sexy, psychedelic, French, acid trip movie by Robbe Grille. This really fits the bill as a"they don't make like this anymore" film.

From Here to Eternity [Fred Zinneman, 1953] - You know that scene on the beach with the lovers kissing as the wave overtake them? Yeah, they fight after they kiss. No one tells you that. Great film.

Phantom of the Paradise [Brian DePalma, 1974] - DePalma knows well how to make a movie that is both a mess and terrifically entertaining. When the phantom takes revenge the film soars into blissful madness.

White Dog [Sam Fuller 1982] - Is racism treatable or incurable? Would this film be made today?

Wild River [Elia Kazan, 1960] - Great script, story, acting... how come it's one of Kazan's least seen?

Films re-watched 2014

Each year is a year of film discoveries; some new, some old. But too each year there are films I re-watch because I enjoy them or because I want to see them again.
Here are some of the films I saw again in 2014.

Downhill Racer - I grew up in Colorado and I love skiing so it fits the bill every time. This is really one of the best sports movies ever made because it cuts through the rah-rah-rah.

The Ruling Class - As wicked and clever as ever. Peter O'Toole is terrific.

Casablanca - I'd forgotten how good this film was. Curtiz is often underrated.

Flirt - A forgotten Hal Hartley, which is saying something. Still, a good film.

Nostalgia -  I hadn't seen this Andrei Tarkovsky film in years; and always on the big screen. The images on the small screen are still powerful and the ending just as harrowing and mysterious.

Badlands - Leaning towards Malick's best because each scene doesn't stay vacant for long.

The Train - Burt Lancaster commandeering a Nazi train full of art. What's not to love?

Hiroshima mon amour - One remembers the beauty of the images rather than the tragedy, which makes it all the more powerful when you see it again.

Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud - Claude Sautet's last film and still a solid, effective love story.

Peking Opera Blues - I watch this Hong Kong classic every few years. It's ridiculous but fun. Or is that ridiculous AND fun?

Pursued - When they made psychological westerns.

Miller's Crossing - Man, I forgot how good this was. I liked it better this time around.

Pascali's Island - No one remembers this film but it's got fine performances by Ben Kingsley and Helen Mirren

The Long Day Closes - Terence Davies' beautiful, personal and nostalgic film is one for the ages.

Life and Nothing But - Bertrand Tavernier's film about World War I and the effect on two people; one an officer and one the wife of a lost soldier - is a film I watch every few years.

Red River - Is this the best Western ever made? Maybe. Still entertaining.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - Has any director ever continually cut as deep and as sharp as Fassbinder did film after film? This film is still so darn good.

Excalibur - I put this in to test my Blu-ray player and decided there was nothing better to watch at that moment. Fun film.

The Yakuza - Robert Mitchum doing his thing; only as an older man in the 1970's. Better than I remembered it. 

3 Women - Robert Altman's Persona made at the height of his artistic powers - when zooming was all the rage and people still ate patty melts.

Older Film Discoveries 2013

I watched more old movies last year than any year since I've been tallying up the movies I watch. Here are a few of the highlights that were discoveries for me.

An Enemy of the People [Satyajit Ray, 1989] - An adaptation of a Henrik Ibsen play about a doctor who believes the holy water at the nearby temple is contaminated. He faces a lot of opposition including from his brother who is determined not to let the news out.

The Earthling [Peter Collinson, 1980] - The dying journey of a dreamer who meets a young boy lost in the wilderness after the death of his parents. A movie that is both tough and touching but without being sappy. [I wrote it about it here].

Hard Times [Walter Hill, 1975] - Charles Bronson plays Cheney a drifter who travels around the south during The Great Depression earning money by prize fighting and beating just about everyone in sight. A streamlined tale directed by Walter Hill [his first] with no frills just solid action.

Heidiko The Bus Conductor [Mikio Naruse, 1941] - My discovery of Naruse continued last year and this fun short film about a young woman who comes up with the idea of a starting a bus travel guide business on in her small town. A delightful comedy romance.

Justin De Marseille [Maurice Tourneur, 1935] - A French gangster film set in Marseille about a suave but likable gangster who attempts to set the black market business right. A film that captures a particular locale with color and mood and characters in ways that are purely French - but not Parisian.

The Last Valley [James Clavell, 1971] - Novelist James Clavell directed this historical drama set in the 17th century that pits a captain who leads his group of rough shod soldiers into a quiet valley where they consider their next move. Surprisingly good considering it's B-movie trapping.

Millions Like Us [Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launde, 1943]  This is one of best British propaganda films made during the war. Tightly scripted, well acted and directed it combines humor, drama, tragedy and the characteristic positive British attitude.

A New Leaf [Elaine May, 1971] - Elaine May's first and possibly best film about a rich man who is soon to lose his fortune and decides to marry a very naive woman whom he plans to kill for the insurance money. A comedy and while not always politically correct or comfortable full of many laughs.

Quatorze Juillet [Rene Clair, 1933] - Clair is best known for Le Million and À nous la liberté but, in fact, this movie is more in the classic tradition of French films of the 1930's. And in my view certainly as good.

A Pig Across Paris [aka Four Bags Full] [Claude Autant-Lara, 1956] - A terrific French comedy set during the Occupation in which Jean Gabin - an erstwhile artist - decides to help [or maybe it's hinder?] his new found friend get pork delivered around Paris. A true classic that deserves to be discovered.
  
Rome Ore 11 [Giuseppe De Santi, 1952] - Italian drama about a group of women searching for a job in a tough market who experience an accident while waiting in line for an interview. A film right on the heels of Italian neorealism but with a romantic twist.




Here were a few I knew about and finally caught up with.

Applause [Rouben Mamoulian, 1929] - Classic early talkie that used sound in novel ways.

The Blue Lamp [Basil Dearden, 1950] - Awesome British crime drama.

Breakfast at Tiffanies - [Blake Edwards, 1961] Yeah, I know, I hadn't seen this until last year.

The Breaking Point - [Michael Curtz, 1950] John Garfield in a noir classic version of Hemingway's To Have and Have Not.

Contraband - [Michael Powell, 1940] World War II drama with Conrad Veidt as a Danish sea captain who uncovers a Nazi spy ring.

The Lady and the Beard [Yasujiro Ozu, 1931] I had a chance to see this twenty years ago at an Ozu retrospective but passed up the chance. Glad I finally saw it.

Witchfinder General [Michael Reeves,1968] - Terrific British horror drama featuring one of Vincent Price's best roles.

Zoo in Budapest [Rowland Young, 1933] - Always loved the title. And Loretta Young just shines.

Best Movies 2013

I watched more movies in 2013 than I have ever watched and I still feel like there are great films I missed. Nonetheless, it's time to make the annual list. Here are the top ten films I saw in 2013.

1) Inside Llewyn Davis - The movie that stayed with me longer than any other this holiday season. Melancholic, melodic and humorous it's a film that shows the Coen Brothers at the top of their game. It's also nice to see one of their characters garner our sympathy a bit. [Some say he is unsympathetic but in my view he simply makes bad choices and knows when he screws up].
2) Gravity - Hollywood - with the talents of Alfonso Cuarón - found how to use IMAX 3D without overdoing the 3D and yet immerse us in an awesome story of survival.
3) Upstream Color - Shane Carruth jumbles his narrative in such a way that is at once perplexing and impressive. At the heart is a movie about doubts and loneliness that just happens to push the narrative envelope a bit so we pay attention.
4) Short Term 12 - If there was justice in the big bad film world then this SWSX winning film by Destin Cretton would be nominated for best picture and Brie Larson would win best actress.
5) Hannah Arendt - This movies dares to tread where few movies do; into the world of intellectual battles. At the heart this movie, by Margarethe von Trotta, is a woman who chose to defend a common
sense idea over common sense.
6) Stories We Tell - Sarah Polley went in search of the mom she
never knew and in the process she found herself.
What else are documentaries supposed to do?
7) All Is Lost - Robert Redford lost at sea for a couple hours, working hard to survive but doomed to sink all without saying anything except 'Fuuuuuuuckkkk!'. What's not to love? J.C. Chandor shows with only two films he has considerable range.
8) Tim's Vermeer - Penn & Teller take on Vermeer. Or more exactly Vermeer art historians in this fascinating, engaging documentary. The theory is certainly debatable but the process of creating a Vermeer is undeniable.
9) The Past - Asghar Farhadi makes films about the complexity of human relations. This is his second film about the effects of divorce and while it may not be as rich as his last film it still offers much more than the average 'divorce picture'.
10) Becoming Traviata - I know what you're saying; What is Becoming Traviata? It's a behind the scenes documentary about a staging of Traviata at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Presented by Philippe Béziat as a fly on the wall approach it avoids all the reality TV b.s and just shows us professional singers and a director doing what they do best. I was riveted.

The next twenty [alphabetical]:
American Hustle
The Attack
Blue Jasmine
The Company You Keep
Computer Chess
Drinking Buddies
Fill the Void
Frances Ha
The Great Beauty
Her
Lore
Mother of George
Museum Hours
Nebraska
Oblivion
Pacific Rim
Rush
Something in the Air
A Touch of Sin
Wadjda
The World's End
              

Older Film Discoveries 2012

Here are a few fine films I finally caught up with or discovered in 2012.

Two by Grémillon - Light yet heavy:
Lumière d’été (1943)
Le ciel est à vous (1944)

Two by Preminger - Well written and great characters:
Daisy Kenyon (1947)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Two by Aldrich - Fun films not message movies:
Emperor of the North (1973)
All The Marbles (1981)

Two by Naruse - Like short novels:
Repast (1951)
Ginza Cosmetics (1951)




Two from the 70's - Full of gritty hope:
Charley Varrick – Don Siegal – 1973
They Might Be Giants - Anthony Harvey - 1971

Two from the 50's - The darker side:
The Music Room – Satyajit Ray - 1958
The Big Heat – Fritz Lang – 1953

Two Silent Flms - When editing was king:
The Last Command - von Sternberg - 1928
Salt for Svanetia – Mikhail Kalatozov - 1930

One Psychedelic 60's film - Rare and rarefied:
La Prisonnière - Henri Clouzot - 1968

Best Movies 2012

Another year has passed and it's time to try and make a best film list. I watched a good many new films in 2012 but still managed to miss many that could make this list. Nonetheless, a list must be made so here it is - in no order.

The Kid With The Bike
Moonrise Kingdom 
This Is Not A Film
Unforgivable
Lincoln
Argo 
Footnote
Rust & Bone
The Turin Horse
Django Unchained
Farewell My Queen 
Searching for Sugar Man

The next twelve:
9.79*
Barbara
Beasts of The Southern Wild
The Hunter [Australian]
The Hunter [Iranian]
In The Family
Intouchables
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Premium Rush [pleasure - no guilt]
Silver Linings Playbook
Starlet
Women on The Sixth Floor

A few that had good moments:
The Avengers
The Deep Blue Sea
Haywire
The Loneliest Planet
Miss Bala
The Master
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Prometheus
The Sister
Wuthering Heights [the first half]
Zero Dark Thirty

As always there are a good many I have yet to see that may make these lists as I catch up with them.^

^Updated 3/14/13

Greatest Movies of all Time?

I haven't said much about the Sight and Sound poll because how can I take a poll of the top 100 films seriously that does not include a film by Luis Buñuel? [The top 100 are at the top of this page.]

I've been aware of the list for years as most critics have and all the films are so familiar at this point that I am not sure they are the greatest so much as a bunch of titles carved in stone. What we call the canon. If anything this list just reaffirms the prevailing critical view. 

I like many of the films on the list but I'd like to know what they mean by greatest. Historically important? Ultimately it's just a game to which most critics choose to play along with by nodding in agreement. I'll be more interested to see the individual critc's lists. [As well as the director's lists. Some are here].

Plenty of people will have an issue with Vertigo being #1. But is there any film that could be in the #1 spot and not cause some criticism? I understand why some of the films make the top ten list but am puzzled by others.

Vertigo, Citizen Kane,Tokyo Story, La Règle du jeu, Sunrise, Man with a Movie Camera - yes

 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Passion of Joan of Arc, 8 1/2 - maybe

The Searchers - no. I've tried to like it three times. It doesn't do it for me and other than a few directors who like it I don't see how it influences anyone. Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are much better in my view.


With regards to the top 50

After that the next 42 films get interesting. There is no way to make the list politically correct or fair but how does Godard get 4 films and Buñuel gets none? Tarkovsky has 3 films thus out-pacing Bergman in the eyes of the critics. Also there are only three films from the 1930's and three from the 1940's and yet also three from the 1990's.

There are 15 films from the 1960's. We're the 1960's the best decade in cinema? No way. A provocative era that, no doubt, has struck the fancy of many critics who were growing up then.

The list is a starting point for those who have yet to delve into the history of cinema. With that in mind it is acceptable. But I really hope no one takes it literally. I'd be more interesting in seeing a top ten personal list of favorite films.

[Here is the Fandor link where there are links to all kinds of discussions]

Best Movies 2011

I watched more movies this year than in any year in the last ten. So, naturally, choosing ten is tough. But due to the fact that my top three were so easy I figured I would go ahead and name my top ten in order. But the next ten after that are in alphabetical order. It was another terrific year in film. [I think they all are]. Here are my favorites.

1. Poetry - devastating
2. A Separation - heartbreaking
3. Melancholia - exhilarating
4. A Dangerous Method - intellectual
5. Win Win - nuanced
6. The Princess of Montpensier - impressive
7. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall... - theological
8. Seena - dynamic
9. Le quattro volte - authentic
10. Sucker Punch - audacious


The next eleven.
Beginners
The Descendents
Drive
Hanna
Le Havre
Margaret
Meek's Cutoff
Midnight in Paris
Pina
Source Code
Tree of Life

A few of others I liked:
Bill Cunningham: New York
Buck
The Conspirators
Martha Marcy Mae Marlene
Mysteries of Lisbon
Nostalgia For The Light
Of Gods and Men
Point Blank
Project Nim
Sarah's Key
Source Code
The Strange Case of Angelica
X-Men First Class
A bunch of movies I have yet to see from 2011...

Updated: 9/21/12

Older Film Discoveries 2011

Here are 10 great films I finally caught up with or discovered in 2011.

Pandora and The Flying Dutchman [Albert Lewin, 1951] - I'd always avoided this film because of the title and because it seemed to have that psychological drama soap thing I dislike about a lot of 50's cinema. But when I realized is was shot by Jack Cardiff I realized it was time to see it. On Blu-ray it looks delicious.

By The Bluest of Seas [Boris Barnet, 1936] & The House of Trubnaya Square [Boris Barnet, 1928 - Soviet films are always so darn serious but Barnet's films are a real treat for film lovers; he makes high art delightful and fun while still maintaining the social themes that were required by the USSR.

Revenge of a Kabuki Actor - aka An Actor's Revenge [Kon Ichikawa, 1963] - Ichikawa is one of the great Japanese filmmakers yet his films remain a tad out of reach [read cold] because his themes and his filmic structures don't try to entertain us. This film is self reflexsive and deep - can I use that word?

The African Queen [John Huston, 1951] - Yes, I know this falls under the 'I can't believe you had never seen' this category. Years ago I was busy cutting my teeth on Fassbinder and Fellini and I passed Huston by. Glad I am finally catching up with his work.

Il momento della verità - aka The Moment of Truth [Francesco Rosi, 1965] - I reviewed this a couple months back. It's one of Rosi's rawest yet truest films. Brutal, beautiful and full of life and death. It is not easily forgotten.

The Man Who Could Work Miracles [Lothar Mendes, 1936] - This [sort of] falls into the quota quickly category for which the Brits excelled in the 1930's. It's solid fun from start to finish as a man finds he has enough power to run the world - until he tries.

The Phantom of Liberty [Luis Buñuel,1974] - Yes, this terrific and crazy Buñuel film still remained on my 'to see' list. I'm like the cat who leaves a little food in the bowl because I don't want there to be a last bite. I can't bear to have no more new Buñuel films to discover.

The Spy in Black [Michael Powell, 1939] - The first of the Powell / Pressburger films is a wonderful picture that had me guessing all the way to the end. Most remarkable, perhaps, is that the lead character is German. This during a time of war.

Love and Pain and The Whole Damn Thing [Alan J Pakula, 1973] - How do you make awkward endearing? This film is full of cringe-worthy scenes and performances but by the end you realize how refreshing it is to see a movie that is a lot closer to who we are rather than who we think we are when we see perfect movie stars in relationships.

IndieWire vs Film Comment polls

It's year-end, which means movie polls!

Here's the Film Comment list of 50 best films of the year. The poll included 120 film journalists and critics.

Here's the IndieWire list of 150 [or so] best films of the year. The poll included 162 film critics.

Here's the Village Voice List polls 95 critics.

Of note:
Drive
#4 on IW
#22 on FC
#9 on VV

Shame
#11 on IW
#21 on FC
#19 on VV

The Artist
#13 on IW
#27 on FC
#17 on VV

Martha Marcy Mae Marlene
#15 on IW
#35 on FC
#13 on VV

A Dangerous Method
#16 on IW
# 5 on FC
#12 on VV

We Need To Talk About Kevin
#18 on IW
NOT ON FC top 50
#32 on VV

Poetry
#21on IW
#10 on FC
#18 on VV

Le Havre
#30 on IW
#12 on FC
#34 on VV

Why the differences?

Best of 1974

A list of some of the best films of 1974 [some of which were not released in the US until later].

Chinatown
We All Loved Each Other So Much [released in the US in 1977]
Going Places [Les valseuses]
Ali Fear Eats the Soul
Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia
The Phantom of Liberty
Celine and Julie Go Boating [released in the US in 1978]
Lancelot of the Lake [released in the US in 1975]
California Split
Lacombe, Lucien
Godfather Part II

Older Film Discoveries 2010

Here are 11 great films I finally caught up with or discovered in 2010.

The Landlord [Hal Ashby, 1971] - Ashby started his career with this terrific social comedy about a rich white kid who takes over a tenement building in NYC housing black tenants who won't pay their rent. Pure seventies cinema.

Humanity and Paper Balloons [Sadao Yamanaka, 1937] - A fine Japanese film about lonely masterless samurai in feudal Japan. Made by a filmmaker of great skill who died too young.

Léon Morin, Priest [Jean-Pierre Melville, 1961] - Melville never disappoints. Here again he has such great style and high quality acting with a good story.

La Chinoise [Jean Luc Godard, 1967] - One of the few Godard films from the 1960's that I had not seen. Revolutionary polemics and cinematic poetry in only the way Godard can do it.

La Femme Publique [Andrzej Zulawski, 1984] - A notorious Polish film that is more an assault on the audience than a quality film but that makes it a rather unforgettable experience.

Wife, Be Like a Rose! [Mikio Naruse, 1935] - This was the year I finally caught up with Mikio Naruse films. I managed to watch five of them [thanks in part to YouTube]. This was possibly the best of the bunch. All were terrific in their own way.

The Night Of The Following Day [Hubert Cornfield, 1968] - I always stayed away from the less-than-classic Brando pictures and after seeing this I wonder why I did. This is an enjoyable, nasty and arty little thriller. I guess it's not mainstream but all the more reason to recommend it.

The Treasure of The Sierra Madre [John Huston, 1948] Yeah so I have to admit I had never seen this. A classic that lives up to the hype.

Los Angeles Plays Itself [Thom Andersen, 2003] - Fascinating critical documentary on many films that have been shot in Los Angeles. Every film buff should see it even if they disagree with some of the points the filmmaker makes.

84 Charing Cross Road [David Hugh Jones, 1987] - A good, literate and engaging film about two people who sort of fall in love through letters. A different era than the one we know today yet not so long ago really.

Le Combat Dans L'ile [Alain Cavalier, 1962] - A forgotten French [New Wave] film about a man caught between his passion for a woman and his passion for a lost political cause. The French do this so well.

Best movies 2010

As is often the case I get to the end of the year and have a tough time compiling a best movies list. Some movies have to sit with me for a while and, of course, I need to catch a good many that I missed throughout the year. This past year was no different and so I find it a bit easier and more entertaining to list the films in categories. The 28 films [!] are listed under each heading by preference. [If I haven't listed a movie that is making a lot of other lists it is probably because I have yet to see it].

What Dreams May Come

-The Social Network
-Inception

Life is Harder Than Death

-Vincere
-Secret Sunshine

Where Art Thou

-The Art of The Steal
-Henri George Clouzot Inferno 
-Exit Through The Gift Shop
-Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

Psycho Trauma

-Black Swan
-Shutter Island
-Mother

The Old New Wave

-Around A Small Mountain
-Inspector Bellamy

Whose Family is This Anyway?

-The Father of My Children
-The Kid's Are All Right

Formula Ones

-The King's Speech
-The Town

Escape is Impossible

-The Ghost Writer
-The Prophet

Terror Error

-Carlos
-Farewell

Picking Up The Pieces

-Soul Kitchen
-Winter's Bone

The West Was Guns

-The Good The Bad The Weird
-True Grit

Cuts You Up

-Salt
-Centurion
-Machete

1999 best

One of the best recent years in film was 1999. Check out a list of over 40 films released in the US that year. [I've only included films I either liked or that were significant in one way or another. I've also only included films that got an official release of a week or more in the US in 1999].

Affliction
All About My Mother
American Beauty
Audition
Autumn Tale
Beau Travail
Being John Malkovich
Besieged
The Blair Witch Project
Boys Don't Cry
Buena Vista Social Club
Dogma
The Dreamlife of Angels
Election
The Emperor and the Assassin
Eyes Wide Shut
Fight Club
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Go
Humanité
Human Resources
The Insider
The Iron Giant
It All Starts Today
Late August Early September
The Limey
Magnolia
The Matrix
My Best Fiend
Not One Less
Princess Mononoke
Ride with the Devil
Rosetta
Run Lola Run
Show Me Love
The Sixth Sense
The Straight Story
Three Kings
Time Regained
Topsy-Turvy
The Wind Will Carry Us

Best directors?

Paste Magazine has a list of the 50 Best living directors.
It's not a bad list but, as with any lists, they are missing a few good directors - while including a few dubious ones.

Here are twenty missing from the list:

Olivier Assayas
Marco Bellochio
Kathryn Bigelow
Claude Chabrol
Jonathan Demme
Atom Egoyan
Todd Haynes
Aki Kaurismäki
Patrice Leconte
Mike Leigh
Sidney Lumet
Tsai Ming-liang
Roger Mitchell
Manuel de Oliveira
Roman Polanski
Hong Sang-soo
Paul Schrader
Alexander Sukorov
Andrzej Wajda
Frederick Wiseman
Zhang Yimou

Best films of the Decade

Best films of the Decade lists:

AV Club
Time Out London
Time Out New York
Glenn Kenney's top 70
TIFF Cinematheque [and here]
Michael Atkinson
Filmmaker Top 25
Reverse Shot Decade list
Flicks top 50
IndieWire Best of the Decade Poll
Sydney Film Happenings
The Guardian 100 best
Cinema Becomes Her
Tim Robey [The Guardian] Top 100
Dusty Somers
Michael Hawley
Jon Bowman Fin de Cinema
Ty Burr's 33 best
Scott Foundas
Mike D'Angelo
Shooting Down Pictures
Radiator Heaven
Wonders in the Dark Top 50
Sight & Sound 30 Key Films
Filmicability 101 Best

This is an ongoing post that I'll add to as more film lists come along.

Older Film Discoveries 2009

Here are eleven great films I finally caught up with in 2009.

Day of the Outlaw [Andre de Toth, 1959] - Good drama and tough as nails characters that reside somewhere between Anthony Mann and Sam Peckinpah.
Mr Thank You [Hiroshi Shimizu, 1936] - A delightful almost plotless Japanese film that captures a moment in pre-war Japan.
The Misfits [John Huston, 1961] - Dated drama but somehow still powerful; especially considering the fate of the three leads.
Odd Man Out [Carol Reed, 1947] - Bleak and beautiful fate of a man no one wants to help - this film is perfect.
Pigs and Battleships [Shohei Imamura, 1961] - The mad post-war world of lowlifes and gangsters in Japan all running around together in a most entertaining film.
The Rabbit is Me [Kurt Maetzig, 1965] - East German film about a young woman who falls in love with a judge who is unwittingly handling her case.

Sopyonje [Kwon-taek Im, 1993] - A man's mad obsession with the purity of art leads to tragedy.
Il Sorpasso [Dino Risi, 1962] - A comedy that somehow manages to transcend humor and hit the viewer in the heart.
Two English Girls [Francois Truffaut, 1971] - Jules and Jim set in the Victorian era with two women and one guy.
Variety Lights [Frederico Fellini & Alberto Lattuada, 1950] - Early Fellini comedy with a cast of crazies - plenty of signs of the wild films to come.
Wichita [Jacques Tourneur, 1955] - Mythical western that unfolds beautifully.

Best Music of the Year

So what about the best music of the year?
Ummm, look, I won't pretend to make a 'best of' music list for 2009. One is because I am not a music critic. Two is because I don't buy near enough music in any given release year to make my opinions on the year worthy. You want that go to music review sites such as Cokemachineglow, Pitchfork or Tiny Mix Tapes.
However, I do buy a good amount of music from previous years to be able to make a list of music I really liked and 'discovered' this year.
So here goes. I'll start with six I liked from 2009. After that each album and artist listed will have the year of release next to it.

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Exploding Boy After Glow - Great Swedish rock album that has yet to get a release in the US. Enjoyable while driving.
Healamonster & Tarsier Cupcake Cave - Catchy electronica pop.
Memory Tapes Seek Magic - More catchy electronica pop.
Odawas The Blue Depths - Quiet and beautiful this album would probably qualify as one of the unsung bands on this list.
White Lies (self titled) -Majestic Brit-rock, at once heady and catchy.
The XX (self titled) - Mummblecore rock at it's best and despite a pretty straight forward style they create a unique sound.


Catherine Ribiero + Alpes Paix [1972] - This one sort of snuck up on me. Ribiero is sort of a French Patti Smith.
ZZ Top Tres Hombres [1973] - Yeah, yeah you've heard them before. But most likely you have only heard their late 80's stuff. This one is their first album and it is great blues-rock.
Thin Lizzy Jail Break [1976] Theatrical heavy metal from the 70's. A band I sort of ignored for years.
The Rosebuds Life Like [2008] This would qualify as the second most unsung band on this list.
Moscow Olympics Cut the World [2008] - Think a Filipino New Order. Beautiful shoegazer sound. Tough to find.
Il Mucchio (self titled) [1970] No list is complete without 70's Italian psyche prog rock. I found a used copy on Amazon.
Tear Gas (self titled) [1971]- Early 70's hard blues rock band that time has forgotten. I found this on a hard rock 70's music blog.

Good unreleased films 2000 to 2009

Here are the some of the better films I saw this decade that did not get regular distribution in the US. By regular distribution I mean films that did not get a week long theatrical play date in New York and/or Los Angeles.
All of these films could have been seen at festivals and some had a two day run at places like the Anthology Film Archive in New York - and most all are available on DVD.

Of course, there are many, many more films that could make this list. But this is a list of what I managed to see [and like] over the last decade.


Battle Royale [2000]
Be With Me [2005]
La Captive [2000]
In The City of Sylvia [2007]
Johanna [2005]
Mysterious Object at Noon [2000]
One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich [2000]
Photos to Send [2002]
Secret Sunshine [2007]
The Silence Before Bach [2007]
Turning Gate [2002]