Each year I make an effort to see nearly every film that appears on Film Comment’s top fifty as determined by a poll of critics. Given the vagaries of DVD release, it takes me more than half a year to close the book on the previous tally, and sort them into my own ranking, which I divide into categories based on my level of recommendation. So here’s my best of the year before, with critics’ composite for comparison:
Exhortations (which I urge you to see): I’m not far from the consensus in seeing The Tree of Life (#1) and A Separation (#4) as the best films of last year. What draws together 1950s Texas and contemporary Tehran is an intense focus on families under stress, man, woman, and child. Both hold up on re-viewing.
Recommendations (which I advise you to see): I’ll need a second look to move Margaret (#20) up into that first tier, but it certainly leads off the rest of my top ten, which includes new work by esteemed directors – Kiarostami’s Certified Copy (#7), Scorsese’s Hugo (#9), and Winterbottom’s The Trip (#37)—as well as surprises from Korea and Romania – Poetry (#10) and Tuesday, After Christmas (#28). In the tradition of quality cinema, two deliver – Of Gods and Men (#34) from France, and Jane Eyre (#49) given a new lease on life by Cary Fukunaga.
Appreciations (which are worth seeing): I pretty much follow in line with critical opinion on A Dangerous Method (#5) Mysteries of Lisbon (#6) Meek’s Cutoff ((#8) Le Havre (#12), Le Quattro volte (#14) Shame (#21), Contagion (#33), Moneyball (#38) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (#46). Somewhat less so with The Descendents (#15), Take Shelter (#19), Drive (#22), The Artist (#27), and Martha Marcy May Marlene (#35), all of which had good points but did not win me over to the level of their ranking. One I’d rank higher is Incendies (#41), and one I’d add is Beginners (NR), also the tv-movie Margin Call.
Equivocations (you’re on your own): Uncle Boonmee (#2) and Melancholia (#3) represent tastes I do not share. Midnight in Paris (#18) did not surmount my weariness with Woody Allen, and The Skin I Live In (#31) broke a skein of Almodovar films I’ve liked. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (#24) was too complicated for me, and Bridesmaids (#36) too stupid. Weekend (#30) left me cold. I found both Film Socialisme (#11) and Aurora (#29) utterly unwatchable. A few others on the list I missed by chance or on purpose.
Documendations (docs that rock!): Film Comment does not ghettoize documentary features, so I am pleased to agree with their inclusion of Nostalgia for the Light (#16), Cave of Forgotten Dreams (#23), The Interrupters (#26), The Arbor (#39), and Tabloid (#45). I might sort them differently, but recommend them all, and also Project Nim.
All these films are available by DVD or streaming from Netflix. More info and reviews can be found at Metacritic. And my own mini-reviews can be found by using the “Search” box at the top of the page.
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