Top Ten Films of 2017

Goodness! This site still exists!

To be perfectly honest, I had nearly forgotten about this blog. Moving households, pregnancy, birth, postpartum shenanigans, a full-time job, and caring for a preschooler on top of all that will do that to you. However, my love of cinema remains constant, despite my inability to make it to the theater much these days.

The great heartache in posting this list is that the number of films I wanted to see greatly dwarfs the number of films I actually did see. Nevertheless, I am still immensely grateful that I was able to see any films at all. (Thanks, maternity leave, cable movies on demand, and online streaming platforms!) Thus, without much further ado, I give you my Top Ten Films of 2017. Imperfect as it is. (But if there is one thing that motherhood has taught me thus far, it is that nothing is perfect or will ever match up perfectly with your ideal; so embrace what you are capable of. I tried my best.)

1. A Ghost Story, dir. David Lowery

2. Personal Shopper, dir. Olivier Assayas

3. Get Out, dir. Jordan Peele

4. Dunkirk, dir. Christopher Nolan

5. I Am Not Your Negro, dir. Raoul Peck

6. Ladybird, dir. Greta Gerwig

7. Lady Macbeth, dir. William Oldroyd

8. Their Finest, dir. Lone Scherfig

9. The Big Sick, dir. Michael Showalter

10. Mudbound, dir. Dee Rees

Most cinephiles will of course note certain grave omissions (i.e. The Darkest Hour; The Post; Phantom Thread; The Killing of a Sacred Deer; Call Me By Your Name; etc.). Alas, if it wasn't already released on DVD or through an online streaming platform this year, there is little chance that I would have seen it. Such is the plight of a mother of two tiny humans.

And just in case you're curious how my list stacked up against those of a few friends, please head on over to Michael Anderson's site, Ten Best Films.

Top Ten Films of 2015

Since my days are now primarily occupied by chasing after and caring for a toddler, my current moviegoing habits are decidedly less robust than in my pre-parenthood days. That being said, with the help of a very loving and supportive partner, I have somehow managed to see enough films in the past year that choosing only ten favorites proved to be quite a challenge. Thus, I humbly offer below my top ten films of 2015.

1. Carol, dir. Todd Haynes

2. Phoenix, dir. Christian Petzold

3. Mad Max: Fury Road, dir. George Miller

4. Brooklyn, dir. John Crowley

5. Room, dir. Lenny Abrahamson

6. Clouds of Sils Maria, dir. Olivier Assayas

7. The Wolfpack, dir. Crystal Moselle

8. Tangerine, dir. Sean Baker

9. The Big Short, dir. Adam McKay

10. Ex Machina, dir. Alex Garland

A particularly remarkable year for strong female leads, though only one film, Tangerine, featured a (trans) woman of color; and only one, The Wolfpack, a documentary, was directed by a woman.

Honorable Mentions include: Dope, directed by Rick Famuyiwa; Inside Out, directed by Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen; Spotlight, directed by Tom McCarthy; The Duke of Burgundy, directed by Peter Strickland; Slow West, John Maclean; Beasts of No Nation, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga; Iris, directed by Albert Masles; White God, directed by Kornél Mundruczó; Jauja, directed by Lisandro Alonso; and Far from the Madding Crowd, directed by Thomas Vinterberg

For anyone who might be interested in seeing how this list stacked up against those of a few other noted film writers and scholars with whom I am privileged to be friends, please head on over to Michael Anderson's site, Ten Best Films.

Quick Note: Jeremy Strong in The Big Short

Since becoming a mother, I've found it increasingly difficult to work on longer thought/opinion pieces for this blog. (And let's face it, my track record in posting essays pre-motherhood was never great.) Nevertheless, I still often think about film. I even try to watch them every now and again (while the kiddo is napping). So, without the time to actually sit and write these days, but still desperate to somehow memorialize my film-related thoughts, I have often used Twitter to send these thoughts and opinions out into the ether. (Thanks, social media.)

Twitter has been great for me in this regard, but there are still some things that simply cannot be fully expressed in one hundred forty characters or less. So I've decided to use this site to file away some of these lengthier reflections under the label, "Quick Note." Here's my first:

Jeremy Strong in The Big Short. (Photo Source: www.theblackfilm.com)

Every so often, a character actor emerges in a more exposed role in a large motion picture; and it turns out that he/she has been quietly building an impressive filmography all along. It took The Big Short for me to finally notice Jeremy Strong. Everyone in this film is great, but Strong's performance truly stood out-- enough that I found myself Googling and IMDb-ing him in the office this morning. His screen presence is remarkable. There is an understated coolness about him, an ease in his physicality that belies the great control and intensity with which he performs his role. And while, again, he plays a supporting character, Vinnie Daniel, to Steve Carell's lead, Mark Baum, Strong is the even-tempered anchor for the ensemble in which Carell is allowed to bluster about, rant, rave, and ultimately shine. I'll be looking out for (and forward to) Strong in future roles. 

Top Ten Films of 2014

Something kind of funny happens when you have a kid (which I did, last March): you stop caring quite as much about what other people think. Of this. Or that.

However, one thing I still do care very much about is what movies people are seeing and what those people think of those films. Which is to say, despite my new life as a working mom these days, I am still a die-hard cinephile. And somehow, miraculously, I managed to see some goddamned movies in 2014. One of them was even in the theater! (A blissful two hours in a darkened public space, sans baby. I actually cried when the trailers began.)

So, although my top ten lists of years past were much more comprehensively "researched," I am still immensely grateful that I got to see the dozen or so new releases that were up for consideration. Knowing that I would have such limited opportunities to see films in 2014, I also took great pains to be terrifically choosy in my recreational viewing. So hopefully that made a difference. In any case, whoever even reads this blog anymore, I humbly offer up my Top 10 Films of 2014 below. Enjoy!

1. Ida, dir. Pawel Pawlikowski

2. Birdman, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel, dir. Wes Anderson

4. The Lego Movie, dir. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

5. Snowpiercer, dir. Joon-ho Bong

6. We Are the Best!, dir. Lukas Moodysson

7. Ilo Ilo, dir Anthony Chen

8. The Trip to Italy, dir. Michael Winterbottom

9. Breathe In, dir. Drake Doremus

10. Fading Gigolo, dir. John Turturro

Honorable mentions: Filth, directed by Jon S. Baird; The Immigrant, directed by James Gray

Top Films of 2013

Happy new year! And thanks for stopping by. While I certainly don't get to post my thoughts on film and filmmaking in this little corner of the internet very regularly anymore, one thing I do continue to do is watch a ton of movies. And this past year was no exception. 2013 was loaded with a veritable banquet of cinematic delights for the eyes, ears, heart and mind; and I tried my damnedest to take advantage of all the wealth. So, before I launch into it, let me just say that while this list is pretty exhaustive, it still by no means fully encompasses all of the movies I wish I had seen. Nor does this list fully represent all of the films I had seen in 2013 (there were a few real stinkers that do not merit any mention here). Nevertheless, out of all the films that were released in 2013, either in theaters or at festivals in the U.S., these are my Top 50. Hope you enjoy. And more importantly, if you haven't seen any of these films yet, I sincerely hope you get the chance to do so!

TOP 10

1. 12 Years a Slave, dir. Steve McQueen

2. The Hunt, dir. Thomas Vinterberg

3. A Touch of Sin, dir. Zhangke Jia

4. The Selfish Giant, dir. Clio Barnard

5. All Is Lost, dir. J.C. Chandor

6. The Great Beauty, dir. Paolo Sorrentino

7. Her, dir. Spike Jonze

8. Gravity, dir. Alfonso Cuarón

9. Stories We Tell, dir. Sarah Polley

10. The Grandmaster, dir. Wong Kar Wai

TOP 20-50

11. Before Midnight, dir. Richard Linklater
12. Blancanieves, dir. Pablo Berger
13. American Hustle, David O. Russell
14. Blue Is the Warmest Color, dir. Abdellatif Kechiche
15. The Wolf of Wall Street, dir. Martin Scorsese
16. Side Effects, dir. Steven Soderbergh
17. Byzantium, dir. Neil Jordan
18. To the Wonder, dir. Terrence Malick
19. Inside Llewyn Davis, dir. Ethan and Joel Coen
20. Dallas Buyers Club, Jean-Marc Vallée
21. Short Term 12, dir. Destin Cretton
22. Cutie and the Boxer, dir. Zachary Heinzerling
23. This Is the End, dir. Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen
24. The World's End, dir. Edgar Wright
25. Wadjda, dir. Haifaa Al-Monsour
26. The Rocket, dir. Kim Mordaunt
27. Ain't Them Bodies Saints, dir. David Lowery
28. Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, dir. Sam Fleischner
29. The Kill Team, dir. Dan Krauss
30. Frances Ha, dir. Noah Baumbach
31. A Birder's Guide to Everything, dir. Rob Meyer
32. No, dir. Pablo Larraín
33. Beyond the Hills, dir. Cristian Mungiu
34. S#x Acts, dir. Jonathan Gurfinkel
35. The Bling Ring, dir. Sofia Coppola
36. Kon-Tiki, dir. Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg
37. Upstream Color, dir. Shane Carruth
38. Leviathan, dir. Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel
39. Blackfish, dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite
40. Sightseers, dir. Ben Wheatley
41. Haute Cuisine, dir. Christian Vincent
42. The Broken Circle Breakdown, dir. Felix Van Groeningen
43. Just a Sigh, dir. Jérôme Bonnell
44. Don Jon's Addiction, dir. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
45. What Maisie Knew, dir. Scott McGehee and David Siegel
46. At Any Price, dir. Ramin Bahrani
47. Hide Your Smiling Faces, dir. Daniel Patrick Carbone
48. Lily, dir. Matt Creed
49. The Girl, dir. David Riker
50. The Reluctant Fundamentalist, dir. Mira Nair

As in previous years, my top 10 films have also been tallied as part of an annual mini-poll conducted amongst a casual group of film critics and writers, organized and compiled by the indefatigable Michael Anderson. You can find the collective results of the poll at Ten Best Films.

Top Ten Films of 2012

Why, hello. Nice to see you (hypothetical reader) after nearly a year of my absence from this blog!

Though I have heard fellow friends and acquaintances bemoan the "slim pickings" from amongst film choices released in 2012, personally I found no such dearth of absolutely terrific cinema to be found. Below, I am happy to present my list of the top ten films that played at festivals, or in limited and wide release in the year of the supposed Mayan Apocalypse. Please to enjoy. I hope to soon publish several other "Best Of" lists in various film categories in the coming days. In the meantime, if you do plan on screening any of these films in the near future (which I highly encourage), happy watching!

1. 

Amour, dir. Michael Haneke

2. 

Holy Motors, dir. Leos Carax

3. 

Moonrise Kingdom, dir. Wes Anderson

4. 

Life of Pi, dir. Ang Lee

5. 

Once Upon a Time In Anatolia, dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan

6. 

Beasts of the Southern Wild, dir. Benh Zeitlin

7. 

Wuthering Heights, dir. Andrea Arnold

8. 

Killer Joe, dir. William Friedkin

9. 

Breathing, dir. Karl Markovics

10. 

Oslo, August 31st, dir. Joachim Trier

Honorable Mentions In No Particular Order: Keep the Lights On, dir. Ira Sachs; Monsieur Lazhar, dir. Philippe Falardeau; Looper, dir. Rian Johnson; Argo, dir. Ben Affleck; The Loneliest Planet, dir. Julia Loktev; Seven Psychopaths, dir. Martin McDonagh; Red Hook Summer, Spike Lee; Miss Bala, Gerardo Naranjo; The Deep Blue Sea, dir. Terence Davies; Jiro Dreams of Sushi, dir. David Gelb; Goodbye First Love, Mia Hansen-Love; Postcards from the Zoo, dir. Edwin; Una Noche, dir. Lucy Mulloy; Habibi Karbak Rahsan, dir. Susan Youssef; Magic Mike, dir. Steven Soderbergh; Rust and Bone, dir. Jacques Audiard; Beyond the Hills, dir. Cristian Mungiu; Your Sister's Sister, dir. Lynn Shelton; Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, dir. Alison Klayman; The Imposter, dir. Bart Layton; The Queen of Versailles, dir. Lauren Greenfield; Jackpot, dir. Magnus Martens; Lincoln, dir. Steven Spielberg; Zero Dark Thirty, dir. Kathryn Bigelow; Django Unchained, dir. Quentin Tarantino; The Master, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson; Anna Karenina, dir. Joe Wright; Les Miserables, dir. Tom Hooper; Silver Linings Playbook, dir. David O. Russell; Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, dir. Donald Rice