Page 6 of 8 FirstFirst ... 45678 LastLast
Results 76 to 90 of 113

Thread: BEST MOVIES OF 2010 -- so far

  1. #76
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840

    ANIMAL KINGDOM (David Michôd 2010)

    (August 21, 2010.)

    Strong new addition to my year's best list: the Australian David Michôd's ANIMAL KINGDOM. This directorial debut is the story of a brutal coming of age amid a criminal family's meltdown. It also turned out to be much more subtle, contemporary, and suspenseful than the trailer suggested. Tense from the first few minutes and extremely well acted. A review will follow shortly but you can see in general the response is good -- Metacritic 83.

  2. #77
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    4,843
    It is interesting that you list five French films among your favorites and none of them is one of my three favorites: Wild Grass, Let it Rain, and Lourdes. I post because I don't think you intended to leave out Let it Rain.

  3. #78
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840
    Of course anything really good has to be listed among the "Best of 2010," but I think I'm looking for exciting new work. THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN is a great film by a fine, very young director Mia Hansen-Love (29). Honoré (39) and Audiard (57) for me are two of the best "younger" French directors, who keep getting better, as does Hansen-Love. I'll think about LET IT RAIN. However, for me it's old news in two ways. The Bakri-Jaoui genre is charming but very familiar, plus this is something I reviewed in 2008. Since I may already have plenty of French entries on my 2010 best lists, I don't have to include LET IT RAIN. I will keep it in mind, though. I'm sure I will delete some of my current items. But not the French ones.

  4. #79
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840

    Solondz's LIFE DURING WARTIME must be included

    Seem to have forgotten to add Solondz's LIFE DURING WARTIME, seen and reviewed by me originally as part of the 2009 New York Film Festival, to my Best Movies of 2010 -- so far list. It opened in theaters and got reviews July 23. Here are a couple of critics' comments culled from Metacritic:

    Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
    83

    In a staring contest with his audience, Solondz never blinks. He picks and picks at the themes that consume him, and he doesn't care who stays and who leaves. Me, I'm rapt.

    Todd McCarthy Variety
    80


    In revisiting his darkly comic 1998 ensembler "Happiness," Todd Solondz may have made his best film with Life During Wartime.
    Anthony Lane The New Yorker

    For anyone who finds the films of Todd Solondz, like “Happiness” and “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” too acidic on the tongue, his new work, “Life During Wartime,” is to be recommended. Not that it’s an antidote; Solondz will never be meek and mild, and there are spasms of shame and awkwardness here that will make even devoted viewers wince as sharply as ever. But the movie, his best to date. . .

    Read more http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critic...#ixzz0xpuyEdx6
    Watch for the DVD.
    Last edited by Chris Knipp; 08-27-2010 at 02:32 PM.

  5. #80
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840
    I'm updating my list and enthusiastically adding THE SOCIAL NETWORK to my Best English Language list and I've separated for English language films from ones in other languages released in the US this year. This is fro the NYFF; of course I'll be making up my Best of the NYFF in a couple weeks when I've seen them all, by Oct 8th.

    MY LIST OF BEST FILMS OF 2010 -- SO FAR, Sept. 24, 2010

    FOREIGN FILMS
    -Ajami (Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani 2009) DVD
    -Alamar (Pedro Gonzalez Rubio 2010) DVD
    -Eyes Wide Open (Haim Tabakman 2009) First Run Features reportedly will release a DVD
    -Father of My Children, The (Le père de mes enfants, Mia Hansen-Løve 2009) DVD
    -I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino 2009) finishing in theaters
    -Mademoiselle Chambon (Stéphane Brizé 2009)
    -Making Plans for Léna (Non, ma fille, tu n'iras pas danser, Christophe Honoré 2009)
    -Prophet, A (Un prophète, Jacques Audiard 2009) DVD
    -Terribly Happy (Henrik Ruben Genz 2010) DVD
    -Welcome (Philippe Lioret 2009) DVD

    FILMS IN ENGLISH
    -Animal Kingdom (David Michôd 2010), in theaters Aug. 14, 21 ff.
    -Anton Chekhov's The Duel (Dover Kosashvili 2009) in theaters
    -Daddy Longlegs (Josh and Benny Safdie 2009) VOD
    -Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy 2010) in theaters
    -Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (Michèle Hozner, Peter Raymont 2010) in theaters
    -Ghost Writer, The (Roman Polanski 2010) DVD release August 3, 2010
    -Greenberg (Noah Baumbach 2010) DVD release July 13, 2010
    -Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (Tamra Davis 2010) in theaters August 2010
    -Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold 2009) DVD coming
    -Life During Wartime (Todd Solondz 2010) in theaters, DVD coming
    -Social Network, The (David Fincher 2010) release coming Oct. 1, 2020
    -Solitary Man (Brian Koppelman, David Levien 2010) DVD
    -Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich 2010) DVD
    -Winter's Bone (Debra Granik 2010) in theaters

  6. #81
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840
    The hot end-of-year American releases are upon us and I've recently seen

    The King's Speech
    Black Swan
    Blue Valentine
    The Company Men

    Coming: Joel and Ethan Coen's True Grit, Russell's The Fighter, and more

    Here's my original list entered Sept. 19:

    -Ajami (Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani 2009) DVD
    -Alamar (Pedro Gonzalez Rubio 2010) DVD, some theaters*
    -Animal Kingdom (David Michôd 2010), in theaters Aug. 14, 21 ff.
    -Anton Chekhov's The Duel (Dover Kosashvili 2009) in theaters
    -Daddy Longlegs (Josh and Benny Safdie 2009) VOD
    -Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy 2010) in theaters
    -Eyes Wide Open (Haim Tabakman 2009) First Run Features reportedly will release a DVD
    -Father of My Children, The (Le père de mes enfants, Mia Hansen-Løve 2009) DVD
    -Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold 2009) DVD coming
    -Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (Michèle Hozner, Peter Raymont 2010) in theaters
    -Ghost Writer, The (Roman Polanski 2010) DVD release August 3, 2010
    -Greenberg (Noah Baumbach 2010) DVD release July 13, 2010
    -I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino 2009) finishing in theaters
    -Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (Tamra Davis 2010) in theaters August 2010
    -Life During Wartime (Todd Solondz 2010) DVD coming
    -Mademoiselle Chambon (Stéphane Brizé 2009)
    -Making Plans for Léna (Non, ma fille, tu n'iras pas danser, Christophe Honoré 2009)
    -Prophet, A (Un prophète, Jacques Audiard 2009) DVD
    -Social Network, The (David Fincher 2010) release coming Oct. 1, 2020
    -Solitary Man (Brian Koppelman, David Levien 2010) DVD release September 7, 2010
    -Terribly Happy (Henrik Ruben Genz 2010) DVD release July 13, 2010
    -Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich 2010) in theaters
    -Welcome (Philippe Lioret 2009) DVD release August 1, 2010
    -Winter's Bone (Debra Granik 2010) in theaters

    Here are some titles coming up on year-end lists that won't go in my top lists:

    Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky 2010)
    Inception (Christopher Nolan 2010)
    Kids Are Alright, The (Lisa Cholodenko 2010)
    Lourdes (Jessica Hausner 2009)
    Marwencol (Jeff Malmberg 2010)
    Please Give (Nicole Holofcener 2010)
    Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Edgar Wright 2010)
    Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese 2010)
    Wild Grass (Alain Resnais 20

    I see Bruno Dumont's Hadewijch and Benjamin Heisenberg's The Robber listed. If that means they are considered 2010 US releases, I might add them because I like both.

    No top tens till I've seen all I can of the 2010 US releases.
    Last edited by Chris Knipp; 12-17-2010 at 07:27 PM.

  7. #82
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840
    The hot end-of-year American releases are upon us and I've recently seen

    The King's Speech
    Black Swan
    Blue Valentine
    Rabbit Hole
    The Company Men


    Coming: Joel and Ethan Coen's True Grit, Russell's The Fighter, and more

    Here's my original list entered Sept. 19:

    -Ajami (Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani 2009) DVD
    -Alamar (Pedro Gonzalez Rubio 2010) DVD, some theaters*
    -Animal Kingdom (David Michôd 2010), in theaters Aug. 14, 21 ff.
    -Anton Chekhov's The Duel (Dover Kosashvili 2009) in theaters
    -Daddy Longlegs (Josh and Benny Safdie 2009) VOD
    -Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy 2010) in theaters
    -Eyes Wide Open (Haim Tabakman 2009) First Run Features reportedly will release a DVD
    -Father of My Children, The (Le père de mes enfants, Mia Hansen-Løve 2009) DVD
    -Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold 2009) DVD coming
    -Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (Michèle Hozner, Peter Raymont 2010) in theaters
    -Ghost Writer, The (Roman Polanski 2010) DVD release August 3, 2010
    -Greenberg (Noah Baumbach 2010) DVD release July 13, 2010
    -I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino 2009) finishing in theaters
    -Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (Tamra Davis 2010) in theaters August 2010
    -Life During Wartime (Todd Solondz 2010) DVD coming
    -Mademoiselle Chambon (Stéphane Brizé 2009)
    -Making Plans for Léna (Non, ma fille, tu n'iras pas danser, Christophe Honoré 2009)
    -Prophet, A (Un prophète, Jacques Audiard 2009) DVD
    -Social Network, The (David Fincher 2010) release coming Oct. 1, 2020
    -Solitary Man (Brian Koppelman, David Levien 2010) DVD release September 7, 2010
    -Terribly Happy (Henrik Ruben Genz 2010) DVD release July 13, 2010
    -Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich 2010) in theaters
    -Welcome (Philippe Lioret 2009) DVD release August 1, 2010
    -Winter's Bone (Debra Granik 2010) in theaters

    Here are some titles coming up on year-end lists that won't go in my top lists:

    Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky 2010)
    Inception (Christopher Nolan 2010)
    Kids Are Alright, The (Lisa Cholodenko 2010)
    Lourdes (Jessica Hausner 2009)
    Marwencol (Jeff Malmberg 2010)
    Please Give (Nicole Holofcener 2010)
    Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese 2010)
    Wild Grass (Alain Resnais 20

    I see Bruno Dumont's Hadewijch and Benjamin Heisenberg's The Robber listed. If that means they are considered 2010 US releases, I might add them because I like both.

    No top tens till I've seen all I can of the 2010 US releases.
    Last edited by Chris Knipp; 12-17-2010 at 07:30 PM.

  8. #83
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840

    FILM COMMENT 2010 best lists

    FILM COMMENT ANNOUNCES ITS BEST LISTS FOR 2010

    Here come the Film Comment lists from the Film Society of Lincoln Center where I report on the NYFF, the Rendez-Vous, and New Directors/New Films. They were announced today (Dec. 17, 2010). It's a compilation of votes from the magazine's staff and contributors and various others adding up to a total of 100, of whom only a dozen or so were named. Most of the unreleased films are NYFF selections this year and the top released choices had Film Comment articles and features. In other words, no surprises, though I find many of the rankings very surprising. Not the top ones, though I still do not think White Material is Claire Denis' best work, though I love her films, in general. Given the source, I've seen most of the films listed, for once. There are only half a dozen I have not seen, not counting a couple new or coming releases I'm about to see (True Grit, I Love You Philip Morris), and these titles bring back a lot of good 2010 movie-viewing memories.

    This list announcement on the FSLC website is here.

    I notice a movie listed in the top ten by some, Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, isn't mentioned. I might comment more on these lists later when I make my lists or see other lists.

    THE COMPLETE FILM COMMENT 2010 BEST-OF FILMS LISTS

    RELEASED 2010 [in the US]

    1. Carlos Director: Olivier Assayas
    2. The Social Network Director: David Fincher
    3. White Material Director: Claire Denis
    4. The Ghost Writer Director: Roman Polanski
    5. A Prophet Director: Jacques Audiard
    6. Winter's Bone Director: Debra Granik
    7. Inside Job Director: Charles Ferguson
    8. Wild Grass Director: Alain Resnais
    9. Everyone Else Director: Maren Ade
    10. Greenberg Director: Noah Baumbach

    Rankings #11 - #20
    11. Mother Director: Bong Joon-ho
    12. Toy Story 3 Director: Lee Unkrich
    13. Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl Director: Manoel de Oliveira
    14. Another Year Director: Mike Leigh
    15. The Strange Case of Angelica Director: Manoel de Oliveira
    16. The Kids Are All Right Director: Lisa Cholodenko
    17. Shutter Island Director: Martin Scorsese
    18. Around a Small Mountain Director: Jacques Rivette
    19. Our Beloved Month of August Director: Miguel Gomes
    20. Ne change rien Director: Pedro Costa

    Rankings #21 - #30
    21. Dogtooth Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
    22. I Am Love Director: Luca Guadagnino
    23. Sweetgrass Director: Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Ilisa Barbash
    24. Black Swan Director: Darren Aronofsky
    25. The Father of My Children Director: Mia Hansen-Løve
    26. Boxing Gym Director: Frederick Wiseman
    27. Secret Sunshine Director: Lee Chang-dong
    28. Bluebeard Director: Catherine Breillat
    29. Enter the Void Director: Gaspar Noé
    30. Inception Director: Christopher Nolan

    Rankings #31 - #40
    31. Alamar Director: Pedro González-Rubio
    32. The Oath Director: Laura Poitras
    33. Exit Through the Gift Shop Director: Banksy
    34. World on a Wire Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    35. Animal Kingdom Director: David Michôd
    36. Vincere Director: Marco Bellocchio
    37. Daddy Longlegs Directors: Ben & Joshua Safdie
    38. Lourdes Director: Jessica Hausner
    39. Life During Wartime Director: Todd Solondz
    40. Fish Tank Director: Andrea Arnold

    Rankings #41 - #50
    41. Please Give Director: Nicole Holofcener
    42. True Grit Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen
    43. Lebanon Director: Samuel Maoz
    44. The King's Speech Director: Tom Hooper
    45. I Love You Phillip Morris Directors: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
    46. Last Train Home Director: Lixin Fan
    47. Blue Valentine Director: Derek Cianfrance
    48. Hadewijch Director: Bruno Dumont
    49. The Anchorage Directors: Anders Edström & C.W. Winter
    50. Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno Directors: Serge Bromberg & Ruxandra Medrea


    UNRELEASED 2010

    1. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
    2. Film Socialisme Director:Jean-Luc Godard
    3. Poetry Director:Lee Chang-dong
    4. Meek's Cutoff Director:Kelly Reichardt
    5. Aurora Director:Cristi Puiu
    6. Mysteries of Lisbon Director: Raúl Ruiz
    7. The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu Director: Andrei Ujica
    8. The Four Times Director: Michelangelo Frammartino
    9. Certified Copy Director: Abbas Kiarostami
    10. Tuesday, After Christmas Director: Radu Muntean
    11. Oki's Movie Director: Hong Sang-soo
    12. Ruhr Director: James Benning
    13. I Wish I Knew Director: Jia Zhangke
    14. My Joy Director: Sergei Loznitsa
    15. Nostalgia for the Light Director: Patricio Guzmán,
    16. Robinson in Ruins Director: Patrick Keiller
    17. Black Venus Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
    18. Of Gods and Men Director: Xavier Beauvois
    19. Tabloid Director: Errol Morris
    20. The Robber Director: Benjamin Heisenberg
    Last edited by Chris Knipp; 12-18-2010 at 02:44 PM.

  9. #84
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840
    DECEMBER 2010 U.S. MOVIE RELEASES:

    As always, some of the best of the year here. Ones I've already reviewed are starred, ones I think I probably must see are in red.

    Friday, December 3
    The Warrior's Way 1,622 theaters
    * All Good Things ( Andrew Jarecki) Limited
    *Black Swan (Darren Arronofsky) 18 theaters
    *I Love You Phillip Morris 6 theaters
    *Night Catches Us (Tanya Hamilton)
    Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Limited
    The Assistants 1 theater

    Friday, December 10
    The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 3,555 theaters
    * The Tourist (von Donnersmarck) 2,756 theaters
    And Everything Is Going Fine (Steven Soderbergh) 1 theater --now seen
    Hemingway's Garden of Eden 14 theaters
    *The Fighter (David O. Russell) 4 theaters
    *The Tempest 5 theaters

    Friday, December 17
    And Soon the Darkness Limited
    *Casino Jack (George Hickenlooper) NY/LA
    How Do You Know 2,483 theaters
    Tron: Legacy (Joseph Kosinski) 3,451 theaters --now seen
    Yogi Bear 3,515 theaters
    *Rabbit Hole (John Cameron Mitchell) 5 theaters

    Wednesday, December 22
    Little Fockers 3,450 theaters
    True Grit (Coen brothers) 3,000 theaters -- now seen and reviewed
    Country Strong 2 theaters
    Somewhere (Sofia Coppola) 7 theaters -- now seen and reviewed
    Tees Maar Khan Limited

    Friday, December 24
    *Hadewijch (Bruno Dument)
    * Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong)

    Saturday, December 25
    Gulliver's Travels 2,400 theaters
    The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet) Limited -- now seen and reviewed
    The Rebound Limited
    *The Company Men (John Wells)

    Wednesday, December 29
    *Another Year (Mike Leigh) Limited
    Biutiful (Gonzales Iñáritu) Limited (LA/NY) -- now seen and reviewed

    Saturday, December 31
    Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance) -- seen, holding review for release date (now released)

    Some of the foreign ones I reviewed quite a while ago as part of a festival. And Everything Is Going Fine is a documentary about the late monologist Spaulding Gray. I didn't know about it till I came back to NYC. The Illusionist by the animation maker of The Triplets of Belleville, I also didn't know about. It concerns Jacques Tati. Javier Bardem's performance in Iñáritu's Biutiful has been described as the best of the year by anyone. My review of Blue Valentine is written but I'm holding it for opening day. I'm not happy with the film, but the performances by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling are amazing. Why see Tron? To see what millions of people are sitting through at the movies right now. These are all I'm aware of. There are probably some more I don't know about yet. And some of these dates may be wrong. The Company Men was originally listed for January 2011. I hope people get to watch Hadewijch, Secret Sunshine, and Another Year. They're great.
    Last edited by Chris Knipp; 01-03-2011 at 04:39 PM.

  10. #85
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840

    Recommendations available on DVD now

    I've updated the recommended list for DVD availability and added a couple titles.

    -Ajami (Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani 2009) DVD
    -Alamar (Pedro Gonzalez Rubio 2010) DVD
    -American, The (Anton Corbijn 2010) DVD
    -Animal Kingdom (David Michôd 2010) DVD
    -Anton Chekhov's The Duel (Dover Kosashvili 2009) No DVD yet
    -Daddy Longlegs (Josh and Benny Safdie 2009) DVD 2011?
    -Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy 2010) DVD
    -Eyes Wide Open (Haim Tabakman 2009) DVD
    -Father of My Children, The (Le père de mes enfants, Mia Hansen-Løve 2009) DVD
    -Fighter, The (David O. Russell 2010) in theaters Dec. 2010
    -Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (Michèle Hozner, Peter Raymont 2010) DVD in 2011
    -Ghost Writer, The (Roman Polanski 2010) DVD
    -Greenberg (Noah Baumbach 2010) DVD
    -Mademoiselle Chambon (Stéphane Brizé 2009) DVD
    -Making Plans for Léna (Non, ma fille, tu n'iras pas danser, Christophe Honoré 2009) no DVD yet
    -Prophet, A (Un prophète, Jacques Audiard 2009) DVD
    -Social Network, The (David Fincher 2020) DVD
    -Solitary Man (Brian Koppelman, David Levien 2010) DVD
    -Somewhere (Sofia Coppola 2010) in theaters Dec. 2010
    -Terribly Happy (Henrik Ruben Genz 2010) DVD
    -Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich 2010) DVD
    -Welcome (Philippe Lioret 2009) DVD
    -Winter's Bone (Debra Granik 2010) DVD

  11. #86
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840

    'CARLOS' scores with the NYTIMES

    The NY Times's three film main film critics published their 2010 Best Lists today, Jan. 2, 2011.

    Ten Best Movies, in order:

    A.O. Scott
    • 127 Hours
    • Black Swan
    Carlos
    • The Fighter
    • Greenberg
    • The Kids Are All Right
    • Somewhere
    • Toy Story 3
    • Vincere
    • Winter's Bone

    Manohla Dargis
    • Black Swan
    • Boxing Gym
    Carlos
    • The Ghost Writer
    • Inception
    • A Prophet
    • The Social Network
    • Sweetgrass
    • True Grit
    • Wild Grass

    Stephen Holden
    • Another Year
    Carlos
    • Inception
    • Inside Job
    • The Kids Are All Right
    • The King's Speech
    • My Dog Tulip
    • The Social Network
    • Toy Story 3
    • Winter's Bone

    I don't know why Scott went ape over 127 HOURS, but I like Boyle and Franco so I'm fine with it. I don't go along with the enthusiasm for BOXING GYM; Wiseman has his passionate advocates. MY DOG TULIP is a bit out of left field; maybe Holden's a canine fanatic, and loves hand-drawn animation. Otherwise these are very mainstream lists, though they include some items that the mainstream US audience has no chance to see, such as VINCERE, SWEERT GRASS, and CARLOS, which were all in the New York Film Festival in 2009 (the first two) and 2010 (CARLOS), as was ANOTHER YEAR. Mike Leigh's film has had a last-minute US theatrical release in NY and several Calif. locations. It will be rolling out to other parts of the country in Jan. and Feb. 2011. Mike Leigh is at the top of his game; I understand his inclusion here with this warm, humane, specific film. But I've explained my reservations about a certain patness in the construction of his films, particularly this one. CARLOS is the only movie all three critics list. Dargis was quite critical of it earlier but seem to have come around. A bit odd, calling a French TV miniseries a "best movie," but it will be something good to watch on your TV monitor when its US DVD edition comes out. IFC's theatrical releases in 3 and 5 1/2 hour forms has been limited. You can still see it in NYC.

    For actors, the three gave their lists of five they think should be the Oscar nominees.

    Best Actor: The three pundits choose 5 names, but all include Jesse Eisenberg Edgar Ramirez and James Franco.

    Who the heck is Edgar Ramirez? Well, you'll have to see CARLOS and they you'll know, and you'll know why he's on the short list.

    Best Actress? Natalie Portman, 3 mentions. Two mentions: Annette Benning & Isabelle Huppert.

    Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, 3 mentions. Two mentions: Matt Damon and John Hawkes.

    Best Supporting Actress: No consensus. Two mentions of Greta Gerwig (of GREENBERG), no other names repeated.



    NOTE:

    Some recent NYC releases (Dec. 2010-Jan. 2011):

    Minoru Hoseda's Summer Wars (Sâma wôzu 2010)
    Lee Chang-dong's Secret Sunshine (2007; NYFF 2007)
    Manoel de Oliveira's The Strange Case of Angelica (2010; NYFF 2010)
    Mike Leigh's Another Year (2010; NYFF 2010)
    Claire Denis' White Material (2009; NYFF 2010)
    Last edited by Chris Knipp; 01-05-2011 at 07:24 PM.

  12. #87
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840
    Quote Originally Posted by oscar jubis View Post
    *I haven't seen any of the four movies you listed, Chris. There are so many movies being released on a very limited basis. It's impossible to watch everything that seems worth watching. I hope to eventually watch Inception, Despicable Me, Toy Story 3, The Kids are Alright and a few others. It's expensive also. I cannot always afford to go. I have seen some pretty good movies that I don't think you have seen. It's only natural under this distribution system. Jeunet's Micmacs, for instance, is quite charming and richly imagined. Cell 211, which won 8 Spanish Academy awards, is about as good as prison flicks get. Sometimes I miss out on the wide release films because I don't want to miss films like these which stay in theaters very briefly.

    *Stray Dog is very good. You are right to take note of the cinematography.

    *Print critics, especially youngish ones who write for daily newspapers, often don't have passion for cinema or knowledge of the history of the art form.They may have more of an interest in the stars than the actual movies. They are hired based on writing skills rather than expertise (which the ones doing the hiring don't know how to assess) or passion. On-line critics are enthusiastic film buffs who often have mediocre writing skills.Of course I am generalizing.
    I finally did see MICMACS but don't find it memorable. I'm not a Jeunet fan; that kind of elaborate mise-en-scène puts me off. I will grant you that it's richly imagined. I haven't seen CELL 211, and as you suggested a number of the limited-release films you got to see in Florida I was unable to see.

  13. #88
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    4,843
    Well, it's near impossible to see everything that gets released. And I wonder how many of these critics try to see as many films as you do. I think it is also important to keep in mind that the nature of a film's release (how, when, where and how frequently it is shown) depends on estimated profit potential not perceived artistic value. And that the nature of a film's release affects its ranking in best-of-the-year polls or lists. The main value of polls to me is simply as a guide to which films I should seek out.

    What about films that don't get released (in other words, films deemed by the powers that be to have minimal profit potential)? In 2009, I decided not to make a best-of list that excludes them or lists them separately. To do so strikes me as acquiescing to an artificial division based purely on capitalist interests.

    Keeping that in mind, I find it interesting to ponder what these polls might say about what the participants value in film. It seems to me, for instance, that the extremely high regard for The Social Network is largely based on the belief that the film reflects "the mood of the age", that it has something profound to say about our culture or society. Otherwise, is it really a better picture than Film Comment #44 The King's Speech? If in fact voters consider a film's contemporaneous social relevance as a variable to consider when assessing a film's artistic value, then I am encouraged by its coronation by polls conducted by Film Comment and IndieWire. However, my experience was that other films, such as Exit Through the Gift Shop, had more to say to me about the current historical moment in our culture than Fincher's fine film.

  14. #89
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840
    I think the big film reviewers almost certainly see more of the regular release films than I do because they get invited to more screenings but I don't know -- yet. If I get to talk to one of the big NY film critics, which could happen at Lincoln Center screenings, I'll ask him or her. As for the issues of releases and distribution you bring up, which have been often discussed by Rosenbaum, they are certainly valid. "Best" lists are I agree useful as checklists of what people will want to try to watch later. A critic who doesn't go to festivals may see fewer of the other films. But a number of the big critics do go to festivals, if not all. Of course in NYC all the big critics see all the NYFF films.

    I do not agree that THE KING'S SPEECH is just as good as THE SOCIAL NETWORK. I think the latter has a definite edge because in my view THE SOCIAL NETWORK is more original, THE KING'S SPEECH a grand, beautifully done film, but of a more old-fashioned style. Of course the relevance to today is important; a king's speech defect is hardly a burning issue. But both have universarl relevance -- the scramble to make it big; overcoming personal obstacles -- in both cases or they wouldn't be worth watching. We could argue with the rankings in the FILM COMMENT list. THE KING'S SPEECH might deserve to be higher than #44.

    Why do you think EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP is more relevant to today than THE SOCIAL NETWORK?

  15. #90
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    15,840
    I'll post my 2010 MOVIE BEST LISTS shortly.

    I have to take some time yet to write a general comment as a preface.
    Last edited by Chris Knipp; 01-09-2011 at 11:29 AM.

Page 6 of 8 FirstFirst ... 45678 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •