National Board of Review: Best of 2009

[oscar jubis]

The National Board of Review has just released the results of its poll which, curiously, has a special category for independent films, separate from the "best film" category.

Best Film: "Up in the Air"

Best Director: Clint Eastwood, "Invictus"

Actor: George Clooney, "Up in the Air"
Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"

Actress: Carey Mulligan, "An Education"

Supporting Actor: Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"

Supporting Actress: Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"

Best Foreign Language Film: "A Prophet"

Documentary:"The Cove"

Animated Feature: "Up"

Ensemble Cast: "It's Complicated"

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut: Duncan Jones, "Moon"
Oren Moverman, "The Messenger"
Marc Webb, "(500) Days Of Summer"

Original Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man

Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Wes Anderson, the Fantastic Mr. Fox

William K. Everson Film History Award:Jean Picker Firstenberg

NBR Freedom Of Expression: "Burma Vj: Reporting From A Closed Country"
"Invictus"
"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellseberg and the Pentagon Papers"

Ten Best Films (in alphabetical order)

* "An Education"
* "(500) Days Of Summer"
* "The Hurt Locker"
* "Inglourious Basterds"
* "Invictus"
* "The Messenger"
* "A Serious Man"
* "Star Trek"
* "Up"
* "Where the Wild Things Are"

Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order)

* "The Maid"
* "Revanche"
* "Song Of Sparrows"
* "Three Monkeys"
* "The White Ribbon"

Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order)

* "Burma VJ: Reporting From A Closed Country"
* "Crude"
* "Food, Inc."
* "Good Hair"
* "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"

Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order)

* "Amreeka"
* "District 9"
* "Goodbye Solo"
* "Humpday"
* "In the Loop"
* "Julia"
* "Me and Orson Welles"
* "Moon"
* "Sugar"
* "Two Lovers"

[Chris Knipp]

Had forgotten Humpday; that is a good indie film.* There are some I haven't seen yet of the main ones, Invictus, Up in the Air, Me and Orson Welles, and Where the Wild Things Are. I'm glad to see some of my faves here, but there are a couple I would probably disagree with as top choices. I think An Education is being overrated for some reason and (500) Days of Summer definitely is being well promoted; it's not that great. Once the hype starts flying there's no turning it back. I'm questioning Harrelson for The Messenger; probably just the earnest kind of film and role such juries think deserve admiration. But I prefer to focus on the film and assume that a good movie has great acting in it, or at least the acting had to work well in a great movie. To say "Best Actor" is to isolate the acting as a shtick. Better if you don't even think about it. Then it's really good acting just as the really well-dressed man is someone whose clothes you don't notice.

*There is a Mumblecore movie this year, said to be very good, that I missed, Bujalski's Beeswax.

I think there were actually SIX foreign films in the Board of Review's awards list:

The Maid
A Prophet
Revanche
Song Of Sparrows
Three Monkeys
The White Ribbon

A Prophet was omitted above. My source for this: IndieWire. (http://www.indiewire.com/article/2009_national_board_of_review_winners)

[oscar jubis]

I will watch HUMPDAY as soon as I graduate from UM (in a week or so). I defended my thesis successfully already but I need to write one final paper on Lou Ye's SUZHOU RIVER and a submission for a call for papers for a book to be titled: "Directory of World Cinema: France".

The last thing I read about HUMPDAY is that the cover of the DVD has been "de-gay-ed". There is now a young female appearing in between the two guys from the original poster for the movie.

[Chris Knipp]

Well isn't that dumb. But you've gotta sell DVD's and anyway gay hasn't anything much to do with HUMPDAY. As I said I need to see BEESWAX, which might be the superior mumblecore of the year.

[cinemabon]

Should we soon address you as Dr. Jubis?

[Chris Knipp]

I think it's a masters.

[oscar jubis]

Chris is right. I am graduating with a Masters in Film Studies. The School has a Ph.D. program. I have applied. Because the program is entirely subsidized (and includes a $15,000 yearly stipend) and given the current economic climate, only one person was admitted this year and only one will be admitted in 2010. Because I still have kids to raise, I did not apply to programs outside Miami. The fact that I am 48 years old is a strike against me. But several professors have told me that I am a strong candidate. I will not know until April.
I have also applied for a fellowship from the Ford Foundation. It would allow me to travel to film festivals and conferences, and to stop working outside academia. Again, my chances are slim but I remain hopeful.

[oscar jubis]

PICTURE: "The Hurt Locker"
Runner-up: "Up in the Air"

DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"
Runner-up: Michael Haneke, "The White Ribbon"

ACTOR: Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
Runner-up: Colin Firth, "A Single Man"

ACTRESS: Yolande Moreau, "Séraphine"
Runner-up: Carey Mulligan, "An Education"

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"
Runner-up: Peter Capaldi, "In the Loop"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, "Precious"
Runner-up: Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"

SCREENPLAY: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air"
Runner-up: Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche, "In the Loop"

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Christian Berger, "The White Ribbon"
Runner-up: Barry Ackroyd, "The Hurt Locker"

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Philip Ivey, "District 9"
Runner-up: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg, "Avatar"

BEST MUSIC SCORE: T-Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton, "Crazy Heart"
Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: "Summer Hours"
Runner-up: "The White Ribbon"

DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM: "The Beaches of Agnès" and "The Cove" (tie)

ANIMATION: "Fantastic Mr. Fox"
Runner-up: "Up"

[Chris Knipp]

Any comments? I thought SUMMER HOURS was last year. http://www.cinescene.com/knipp/summerhours.htm. You must find the follow-the-lead-dog admiration of THE HURT LOCKER annoying; I will find the admiration of UP IN THE AIR disappointing, because the picture disappointed me.

Have not seen CRAZY HEART or AVATAR.

[oscar jubis]

US release date for Summer Hours was May 15th, 2009. Good movie, very good movie. Yet not in my top 10 foreign for 2009.

It will annoy me to see The Hurt Locker re-released when it wins a Golden Globe or an Oscar. Generally, I have gotten disensitized by the fact that pictures I love don't win awards and ones I don't love do win them. I just get happily surprised when I see something I love, like THE BEACHES OF AGNES, receive accolades.

This year I am very interested in Best of the Decade lists because those who vote have had ample chance to re-watch and reconsider their votes. Film Comment, Cineaste, and other such magazines/Journals always have a section dedicated to the decade. I am very curious. I already have compiled a list of 50 Fave directors based on their 2000s releases. I will post it in early January whereas, as usual, I will post my 2009 list in late February (The White Ribbon, for instance, probably won't open here until Feb.)

[Chris Knipp]

Despite the thread tittle, might as well stick all this stuff in here. This reminds me of KATALIN VARGA, which I saw (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=23137) (as briefly noted) in London. Should I list it somewhere? This is quite a break for Tahar Rahim, and it is, indeed, quite a performance he gives in A PROPHET. He has said (http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm-110268/interviews/?cmedia=18915286) making the film was as much a formation and baptism of fire for him as life in prison was for his character. Nice to see Huppert and Loach recognized. The mention of Winslet reminds us that The Reader went into general release in January of this year. We had a lively discussion (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=2430) of it that drifted into February but then drifte onto other topics too.

European Film Academy
European Film Awards (http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/the-european-film-awards/the-winners/)
(Click on that name for their website)

EUROPEAN FILM 2009
DAS WEISSE BAND (The White Ribbon), Germany/Austria/France/Italy
written and directed by Michael Haneke
produced by Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, Michael Katz, Margaret Menegoz
& Andrea Occhipinti

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2009
Michael Haneke for DAS WEISSE BAND (The White Ribbon)

EUROPEAN ACTOR 2009
Tahar Rahim in UN PROPHETE (A Prophet)

EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2009
Kate Winslet in THE READER (Der Vorleser)

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2009
Michael Haneke for DAS WEISSE BAND (The White Ribbon)

CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2009
Anthony Dod Mantle for ANTICHRIST & SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY PRIX D’EXCELLENCE 2009
Brigitte Taillandier, Francis Wargnier, Jean-Paul Hurier & Marc Doisne for
the Sound Design, UN PROPHETE (A Prophet)

EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2009
Alberto Iglesias for LOS ABRAZOS ROTOS (Broken Embraces)

EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2009
KATALIN VARGA, Romania/UK/Hungary
written & directed by Peter Strickland
produced by Tudor Giurgiu, Oana Giurgiu & Peter Strickland

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2009
MIA ET LE MIGOU (Mia and the Migoo), France/Italy
directed by Jacques-Rémy Girerd

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILM 2009
POSTE RESTANTE by Marcel Lozinski

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Ken Loach

EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA
Isabelle Huppert

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY 2009 – Prix ARTE
THE SOUND OF INSECTS - Record of a Mummy, Switzerland
by Peter Liechti

EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD – Prix EURIMAGES
Diana Elbaum and Jani Thiltges

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY CRITICS AWARD 2009 – Prix FIPRESCI
Andrzej Wajda for TATARAK (Sweet Rush)

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD for Best European Film
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, UK
directed by Danny Boyle
written by Simon Beaufoy
produced by Christian Colson

[oscar jubis]

FILM: "The Hurt Locker"

DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker"

SCREENPLAY: "In The Loop"

ACTRESS: Meryl Streep for "Julie & Julia"

ACTOR: George Clooney for "Up In The Air" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique for "Precious"

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Christian Berger for "The White Ribbon"

ANIMATED FILM: "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

NON-FICTION FILM: "Of Time And The City"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "Summer Hours"

FIRST FEATURE: "Hunger," director Steve McQueen

[oscar jubis]

The welcome surprise for me is the recognition given by these critics groups to outstanding non-fiction films from abroad. This time, the NYC critics have singled out Terence Davies' wonderful OF TIME AND THE CITY.

I am also surprised and not pleasantly by the choice of Fantastic Mr. Fox over Pixar's Up in the animation category.

I wonder how many of these critics saw European Film Academy winner The White Ribbon (Opens Dec 30 in the US hence a 2009 release). I wonder how many critics who saw Haneke's film at the AFI or the NYFF realize that it qualifies as a 2009 release. I liked Summer Hours, which won the foreign language slot, and I did not expect any of my very favorites to win. But The White Ribbon seems to me (without having seen it) like a better choice based on reviews I have read.

[Chris Knipp]

This omits one NYFCC award:

Special
Andrew Sarris

Indeed THE WHITE RIBBON is a more considerable film than SUMMER HOURS, if it qualifies as a US 2009 release, and apparently it does hit a few theaters officially December 30th. This reminds me of Davies' OF TIME AND THE CITY, but I don't think it's all that wonderful; rather a long slog. I don't agree on FANTASTIC MR. FOX vs. Up. I consider Wes Anderson's film adult and sophisticated and beautiful, and a fresh use of stop motion, and prefer it by far to the corny sentimentality of Up and the canned, plastic-y look of Pixar animation, which I've had more than enough of. I am not surprised by this choice. UP got a higher critical rating in the US than MR. FOX according to Metacritic, but maybe they've changed their mind. The NY Film Critics choices are for the most part very predictable. It's true, they're going overboard on THE HURT LOCKER. It's remarkable filmmaking, but has that major flaw of lacking a larger context; it's a bit myopic. But this wave of admiration was clear from the beginning. I forgot about HUNGER I like it very much, but don't think about it because I saw it and reviewed (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20763#post20763) it as part of the NYFF 2008; but it is a 2009 US release. I guess they're dazzled by the verbosity of IN THE LOOP. Some of it doubtless actually much enhanced by Peter Capaldi's improvisations? But I still prefer the original six-part TV version, and think the addition of a Stateside segment feels pushed.

I'd like to know what the NY FCC best picture nominations were but can't find this list.

[Chris Knipp]

The New York Film Critics Circle Online awards.

Published: December 14,2009

New York Film Critics Online Awards for 2009

Inglourious Basterds took the lion's share of awards while Avatar was named best picture by the prestigious New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) at its tenth annual meeting.

Jeff Bridges was named Best Actor for his role in Crazy Heart while Meryl Streep received Best Actress honors for her performance in Julie & Julia.

Best Director honors went to Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker. Christoph Waltz was named Best Supporting Actor for Inglourious Basterds and Mo'Nique was selected as Best Supporting Actress for Precious.

The White Ribbon was NYFCO's choice for Best Foreign film, while Best Documentary honors went to The Cove.The Complete List

BEST PICTURE
Avatar (20th Century Fox)

DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)

ACTOR
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)

ACTRESS
Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique (Precious)

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Inglourious Basterds - Robert Richardson

SCREENPLAY
Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
The White Ribbon (Sony Classics)

DOCUMENTARY
The Cove (Roadside Attractions)

ANIMATED FEATURE
Up (Disney/Pixar)

FILM MUSIC OR SCORE
Crazy Heart - Steve Bruton & T. Bone Burnett, music supervisor, Jeffrey Pollack

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

DEBUT AS DIRECTOR
Marc Webb [(500) Days of Summer]

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
In the Loop (IFC Films)

BEST 11 PICTURES (Alphabetical)
Adventureland (Miramax Films)
Avatar (20th Century Fox)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Fox Searchlight)
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)
Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company)
The Messenger (Oscilloscope)
Precious (Lionsgate)
A Serious Man (Focus Features)
Two Lovers (Magnolia)
Up (Disney/Pixar)
Up in the Air (Paramount)

http://www.altfg.com/blog/awards/new-york-film-critics-online-awards-2009-494/

[oscar jubis]

I simply cannot wait to see AVATAR. I knew how you felt about UP, THE HURT LOCKER and IN THE LOOP but did not know you found OF TIME AND THE CITY "rather a long slog". My friend Kal who moved to Oklahoma to go to film school there gave it to me on DVD as a sort of parting gift so I can see it as often as I want. It is the kind of personal non-fiction film that I treasure and the b&w cinematography is glorious.
I am most interested in the Best of the 2000s lists that will soon begin to appear. This year IndieWire, Village Voice, and Film Comment will include Best of Decade lists. I am curious.
If anyone is interested...I could post have my list of 50 Fave directors of the decade based, of course, only on films released since 2000. Meaning for example, that Scorsese is not included. He made several films I loved during the 1990s and none in the current decade that I wanted to watch more than once. The case of Spielberg is more complicated. He deserves roughly half the credit for one of my favorite films of the decade (A.I.). However, I didn't really like anything else he did during the 2000s.

[Chris Knipp]

I don't know why one should be excited about AVATAR (except that I love Sigourney Weaver) and am interested to see what the fuss is about. Motion-capture as far as I can see just makes live people look like video game figures; makes them look dead -- or like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who I noticed today now looks like a motion-capture figure in real life.

I'm not saying that OF TIME AND THE CITY is crap, and it does strive for political and historical perspective, but I just didn't find it exciting as you did. Same with SUGAR. And SIN NOMBRE. But no two people's best lists are ever the same.

The decade-best listing is a time to go over our own lists and pare them down, see what still seems worth keeping from each year.

Scorsese's latest THE SHUTTERS looks like complete crap to me; I guess I just don't get it. Sort of like CAPE FEAR, a reminder that some of what he did in the Nineties wasn't too hot either. One thing he did recently that was good was NO DIRECTION HOME. And as a champion of anthologizing and preserving film and educating the public about it he remains invaluable.

[oscar jubis]

I like Scorsese's fiction films of the 2000s substantially less than Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993) and Kundun (1997). I like what you say about his Dylan documentary and his anthologizing and preserving film and educating the public. For instance, he produced the doc about Val Lewton that Kent Jones directed and produced the series "The Blues" (he also directed its first episode).
I understand you don't think Of Time and the City is "crap". No problem. Loved Sugar, liked Sin Nombre. Don't know anything about The Shutters. What I like about Decade lists is that they give one a chance to put one's objects of love through the final test: repeat viewing over the course of years.

[Chris Knipp]

Yes. We agree, or agree to disagree.

Sorry, the title of the new Scorsese movie is SHUTTER ISLAND, not THE SHUTTERS. There have been multiple trailers, three anyway, and all this is due to delays in release. I've seen one at least three or four times. DiCaprio puts on a Boston accent, perhaps left over from The Departed.

Here's one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdumGs1qoXM

[Chris Knipp]

CINEMABON posted this today (Dec. 16, 2009):


In addition to being nominated for Best Picture (Golden Globe), in poll at Rottentomatoes.com, most readers nominated "The Hurt Locker" to win by landside.

[link] (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/news/1860545/awards_tour_2009_golden_globe_noms_here)

__________________
Colige suspectos semper habitos

Last edited by cinemabon on 12-16-2009 at 04:45 PM

[Chris Knipp]

So here are the Golden Globes nominations (http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/), omitting those for music and TV -- stars show the rottentomatoes poll winners Cinemabon refers to. Of course these are not the actual Golden Globes winners, though.

MOTION PICTURE

1.BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
AVATAR
*THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
UP IN THE AIR

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
EMILY BLUNT - THE YOUNG VICTORIA
SANDRA BULLOCK - THE BLIND SIDE
HELEN MIRREN - THE LAST STATION
*CAREY MULLIGAN - AN EDUCATION
GABOUREY SIDIBE - PRECIOUS

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
*JEFF BRIDGES - CRAZY HEART
GEORGE CLOONEY - UP IN THE AIR
COLIN FIRTH - A SINGLE MAN
MORGAN FREEMAN - INVICTUS
TOBEY MAGUIRE - BROTHERS

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
*(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE HANGOVER
IT'S COMPLICATED
JULIE & JULIA
NINE

5. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MP - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
SANDRA BULLOCK - THE PROPOSAL
MARION COTILLARD - NINE
JULIA ROBERTS - DUPLICITY
MERYL STREEP - IT'S COMPLICATED
*MERYL STREEP - JULIE & JULIA

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
MATT DAMON - THE INFORMANT!
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS - NINE
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. - SHERLOCK HOLMES
*JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT - (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
*MICHAEL STUHLBARG - A SERIOUS MAN
[tied]

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
CORALINE
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
*UP

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BAARIA (ITALY)
BROKEN EMBRACES (SPAIN)
*THE MAID (CHILE) (LA NANA)
A PROPHET (FRANCE)
THE WHITE RIBBON (GERMANY) (DAS WEISSE BAND)
[Probably the participants hadn't even seen the other films in this list]

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MP
PENELOPE CRUZ - NINE
VERA FARMIGA - UP IN THE AIR
ANNA KENDRICK - UP IN THE AIR
*MO'NIQUE - PRECIOUS
JULIANNE MOORE - A SINGLE MAN

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MP
MATT DAMON - INVICTUS
*WOODY HARRELSON - THE MESSENGER
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - THE LAST STATION
STANLEY TUCCI - THE LOVELY BONES
CHRISTOPH WALTZ - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

11. BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE
*KATHRYN BIGELOW - THE HURT LOCKER
JAMES CAMERON - AVATAR
CLINT EASTWOOD - INVICTUS
JASON REITMAN - UP IN THE AIR
QUENTIN TARANTINO - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

12. BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE
NEILL BLOMKAMP & TERRI TATCHELL, DISTRICT 9
*MARK BOAL - THE HURT LOCKER
NANCY MEYERS - IT'S COMPLICATED
JASON REITMAN & SHELDON TURNER - UP IN THE AIR
QUENTIN TARANTINO - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

[Chris Knipp]

Comment today (Dec. 16, '09) on Cinembon's entry about the Golden Globe Best Motion Picture readers poll etc."

The other candidates there are UP IN THE AIR, PRECIOUS, AVATAR, and INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS.

Still most of us haven't seen AVATAR but that will change in a couple days. I'd say THE HURT LOCKER is more impressive filmmaking than UP IN THE AIR or PRECIOUS, for sure. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is pretty impressive, but we'll see about AVATAR. One thing is sure, the latter cost the most to make.

Looks like maybe that Mulligan girl and definitely Meryl are going to do well, and Jeff Bridges looks like a shoo-in. He deserves it; a very fine movie actor, forever called "underappreciated," 4 Oscar noms ('71, '74, '84, '00), never a win.

I don't much agree on (500) DAYS OF SUMMER. NINE is an amazing musical from the staging point of view, hard to get involved in as a story. Lumping comedy and musical together doesn't quite work, if you ask me.

Sometimes a win depends on how many polled have actually seen the films; I doubt the rottentomaties poll participants had actually seen all the foreign language films, or THE MAIND might not have won over THE WHITE RIBBON and A PROPHET.
__________________

[Johann]

You watched Charlie Rose last night, didn't you, Chris?
So did I.

Jeff Bridges is definitely underappreciated.
Loved hearing him talk last night.
I even learned how to direct a scene! with one line!
From Robert Duvall!
Huzzah!

And Maggie Gyllenhall (sp?) is so beautiful...
I'd marry her in a heartbeat.
She's got eyes that you can drown in and a smile to faint for.

[Chris Knipp]

Absolutely. And he said the character he's closest to is The Dude! How he's so good remains a mystery, but probably some of the secrets are there if you listen carefully. Not that you could ever learn to be as good as Jeff Bridges or Maggie Gyllenhaal, that's a show worth re-watching.

[Johann]

Yes it certainly is.
I wished I taped it. I was flipping through channels and caught it just before Charlie brought out the director and Maggie.
I loved his comments on the Dude. Although I don't really see how he's most like him...but he did say those were HIS clothes in the movie.

Maggie mentioned how good directors are brave enough to let things happen, not to be so concentrated and rigid on exactly what they want from a scene. And Robert Duvall's advice was awesome: Start at zero and end at zero.
I will never forget that.
That is just awesome advice.
I loved how Jeff *kind of* explained how to act, like you're a kid, pretending to be a cowboy or an indian, only it's heightened.
And how FEAR keeps you grounded.
Simply awesome TV program.
All hail Charlie Rose!

[Chris Knipp]

"Avanced pretend."

Start at zero and end at zero. Also referred to successive takes.

The Charlie Rose interview with Jeff Bridges is already available on Charlie's website:

http://www.charlierose.com/

Have to see CRAZY HEART. I like that dialogue, "Where did all those songs come from?"
"Life, unfortuantely."

This is the second Jeff Bridges movie with HEART in it: the other one was AMERICAN HEART, which I highly recommend. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103670/ Directed by Martin Bell, the husband of Mary Ellen Mark, who did STREET WISE. http://www.maryellenmark.com/frames/stwise.html All from the same source, following Seattle street kids.

Jeff Bridges in bios is said to be a friend of the Weed. That is a major link to The Dude.

[Chris Knipp]

A. O. (or "Tony") Scott is the main Times critic. Dargis was brought in to replace Elvis Mitchell a few years ago; the old timer is Stephen Holden -- and his list strikes me as the most old fashioned; as in the old days, he lists only ten movies in order of merit.

They seem to have agreed not to list INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, a glaring omission, I think.

Apparently Scott thinks WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is absolutely the year's best film.

These lists are worth noting not because I think any of these three is among the best film writers in America but because they are prominent and influential and because their positions and NYC residence allow them access to all the important movies in theaters -- unlike some poll participants, who may not even have seen them on DVD.

A.O. SCOTT

1. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE "The film's technical brilliance is almost casual, -- quietly seductive rather than dazzling," he comments -- perhaps thinking of the contrast to AVATAR?
2. THE HURT LOCKER/IN THE LOOP
3. SUMMER HOURS/OF TIME AND THE CITY
4. UP IN THE AIR/ FUNNY PEOPLE .
5. BRIGHT STAR/MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY
6. PRECIOUS/CORALINE
7. AVATAR/DISTRICT 9
8. A SERIOUS MAN/ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL
9. GOODBYE, SOLO/SUGAR
10. GOMORRAH/THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX .
"Runners up": LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET; 24 CITY; INVICTUS; EXTRACT; TYSON; THE BEACHES OF AGNES; CRAZY HEART; STILL WALKING; BROKEN EMBRACES.

MANOHLA DARGIS

(listed in order of US release)
GOMORRAH
TULPAN
SUMMER HOURS
THE HURT LOCKER
THE BEACHES OF AGNES
PUBLIC ENEMIES
BEESWAX
PONYO
THE INFORMANT!
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
THE SUN
AVATAR

"Other favorites": OF TIME AND THE CITY; FRONTIER OF DAWN; TOKYO SONATA, SUGAR, LEON MORIN: PRIEST, JULIA (the Erick Zonca with Tilda Swinton); STAR TREK, ANAGLYPH TOM; SERAPHINE; THE ENGLISH SURGEON, YOU, THE LIVING; IN THE LOOP; IMPORT, EXPORT; LORNA'S SILENCE; A PERFECT GETAWAY; THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX; BIG FAN; UNMADE BEDS; CRUDE; A SERIOUS MAN; PRECIOUS; THE MESSENGER; BIG RIVER MAN; 35 HOTS OF RUM; UP IN THE AIR; A SINGLE MAN; INVICTUS; POLICE, ADJECTIVE.


STEPHEN HOLDEN

1. UP IN THE AIR
2. THE WHITE RIBBON
3. STILL WALKING
4. THE MESSENGER
5. 35 SHOTS OF RUM
6. THE HURT LOCKER
7. THE HEADLESS WOMAN
8. AN EDUCATION
9. SUMMER HOURS
10. DISGRACE

[Chris Knipp]

Comments on the NYTimes critics lists and accompanying texts.

Scott uses the method of double-entries, like Oscar, one I've never quite seen the point of. In his case there is a certain logic in the pairings, which he explains. For instance BRIGHT STAR and MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY are both romances, and ANVIL and A SERIOUS MAN are both about problems of suburban Jews, THE HURT LOCKER and IN THE LOOP both have to do with the Iraq war. DISTRICT9 and AVATAR are both about men who "realize their humanity by becoming something other than human." Pointless ingenuity? Perhaps. Anyway, I'm only giving the titles here and was interested that two out of three did list AVATAR, though they did not put it in an exulted position. Manohla Dargis talks about the distribution and funding situations; the great recession obviously has ravaged both, and she notes the ugly growing gap between the money-making sludge and the good stuff. but she concludes on several hopeful notes. "Despite the shake-ups and bad economic times there are now more choices for dedicated movie lovers than at any time in history, though only if you live in a major film market like New York, have access to a cable outfit like the Independent Film Channel, which shows some of the best movies around, or own a region-free DVD player on which you can play international discs."

Access is important in making an informed annual list or lists.

Full articles are here:

A.O. Scott: "Homes Are Where You Find Them." (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/movies/20scott.html)

Manohla Dargis: "Amid Studio Product, Independents' Resilience." (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/movies/20dargis.html)

Stephen Holden: "Long Shadows of a Recession and a War." (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/movies/20holden.html)

[oscar jubis]

What I do with lists is different. I make a list of films in English and another list of films that require English subtitles. The main reason is to list twice as many films since I find so many films worth mentioning at the end of the year. Thanks for posting these lists and links. I am curious about Hoberman's and Dave Kehr's and a few others.

[Chris Knipp]

I've been making multiple lists for years myself:

1. English language.
2. Subtitles.
3. Documentaries.
4. Shortlisted i.e, runners-up
5. Most overrated

The "overrated' category people misunderstand and find mean-spirited, but is only meant to point out how many writers spend too much time seeing which way the wind blows. At the same time, I pay attention when something comes up on many lists that Ii may have not included, and wonder if I'm making a mistake. Am I being independent, or just being stubborn and blind?

I'm curious about Hoberman's and Kehr's too.

I should add that although the well-salaried NYTimes trio get to see a maximum number of US releases in theaters, it's still highly unlikely that they all see the exact same list of films. A few of the more obscure titles on Scott's or Dargis' list may not have been seen by Holden. And so on.

This is the fundamental reason why there are no two lists that are the same -- that whether people see a few films or many, they see different ones.

.

[Chris Knipp]

The page has links to other ancillary material in the Voice: http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-12-22/film/critics-poll-top-10-films-of-2009/

This goes back to Dec. 22 but I don't think it has been posted or discussed here. I didn't notice it. It is always an interesting list because the top ten are ranked and a lot of critics are polled. I'd say that #'s 6,7, and 10 are a tad overrated but the rest are faves of mine too. Go to the Voice other pages for Hoberman's comments, etc. on how the choices are influenced by the New York Film Festival, hence the inclusion of Trash Humpers and To Die Like a Man, seen there. I can vouch for the Best Actor choices except for the guy in Bronson, which I haven't seen. I am sorry not yet to have seen Big Fan; a good performance reportedly in that; DVD not yet out. It's funny to see the harrowing performances by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Tilda Swinton vying with Meryl Streep's romp as Julia Child. I don't quite get why the universal acclaim for Anvil! The Story of Anvil; there must be something irresistible about struggling rockers. There would seem to me to have been other more significant documentaries from this year.

10th Annual Film Critics' Poll: The Abridged Results
94 critics voted. The results are in.
Tuesday, December 22nd 2009 at 4:56pm

10th ANNUAL FILM CRITICS' POLL

Best Films of 2009

1.The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow
(356 points, 54 mentions)
Bigelow's you-are-there Iraq War drama immerses the viewer in the front-line existence of a U.S. bomb squad in Baghdad. It's an experiential war movie—and a full-throttle body-shock, too.

2. Summer Hours
Olivier Assayas
(239 points, 40 mentions)
Old money meets a new world as bourgeois siblings struggle to divide their mother's estate and Assayas ponders the value of family and France in the age of relentless globalization.

3. A Serious Man
Joel and Ethan Coen
(229 points, 34 mentions)
Larry Gopnik, schlub extraordinaire, absorbs humiliations of all kind—financial, professional, personal, rabbinical—to learn that life is really about . . . just kidding! Life isn't about anything, God sucks, and the Coens are brutal in this blackest of black comedies.

4. Inglourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino
(214 points, 36 mentions)
All hail Quentin Tarantino's smashingly entertaining World War II romp about a dirty half-dozen American grunts trying to bring an end to the Third Reich. Jews and Nazis may battle it out to a fiery finish, but it is cinema that emerges triumphant.

5. 35 Shots of Rum
Claire Denis
(189 points, 32 mentions)
Denis's quiet, poignant father-daughter drama shows the beauty and strength of familial bonds, and the equally strong force of personal, individual desire.

6. The Headless Woman
Lucrecia Martel
(183 points, 28 mentions)
Though structured around Vero, a middle-aged peroxide blond who hits something (a dog?) with her car, Martel's willfully disorienting head-scratcher's true subject is the self-satisfied stagnation of the privileged elite, whom the film eviscerates without mercy.

7. Police, Adjective
Corneliu Porumboiu
(171 points, 28 mentions)
A slow-burn absurdist triumph, Police begins as a police procedural but winds up an exhilarating verbal ping-pong match about conscience, personal morality, and the true meanings of words.

8. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderson
(163 points, 29 mentions)
Asking existential questions through the whisker'd mouth of a reckless, self-absorbed, corduroy-clad fox (George Clooney), Wes Anderson's stop-motion animation wonder is, in the end, deeply human.

9. Two Lovers
James Gray
(137 points, 20 mentions)
An explosion of emotions, Gray's Brighton Beach–set melodrama gives Joaquin Phoenix every Jewish boy's impossible situation: marry the parents-approved, nice Jewish girl (Vinessa Shaw) or shtup the crazy shiksa next door (Gwyneth Paltrow).

10. Up
Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
(120 points, 21 mentions)
The latest Pixar insta-classic, Up takes off as widower Carl turns his home into a high-flying house-balloon and floats up, up, and away to see the world. Turns out, he is not alone—and his journey for personal wish fulfillment becomes something even more essential.

BEST ACTOR

Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
(60 points, 27 mentions)
Beneath his blustery macho surface, Renner's Staff Sergeant William James may be the movie's most intricately wired explosive device. Bomb-detonator wins the war for best actor, at least.

Runners-up:
Nicolas Cage, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (33 points, 19 mentions)
Colin Firth, A Single Man (32 points, 13 mentions)
Joaquin Phoenix, Two Lovers (29 points, 12 mentions)
Tom Hardy, Bronson (28 points, 12 mentions)

BEST ACTRESS

Tilda Swinton, Julia
(66 points, 25 mentions)
As the titular desperate woman—a leggy, vodka-guzzling tart in false eyelashes and cheap sequined gowns—Swinton devours her role, then spits it back up, dances giddily upon it, and twirls it in the air.

Runners-up

Charlotte Gainsbourg, Antichrist (57 points, 25 mentions)
Carey Mulligan, An Education (42 points, 23 mentions)
Catalina Saavedra, The Maid (41 points, 19 mentions)
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia (32 points, 18 mentions)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
(92 points, 35 mentions)
As the loquacious Nazi Hans Landa, Waltz is not only the movie's villain, but also its master of revels. A cheerfully sadistic SS Colonel you can root for!

Runners-up:

Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles (34 points, 17 mentions)
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger (30 points, 15 mentions)
Paul Schneider, Bright Star (23 points, 12 mentions)
Vlad Ivanov, Police, Adjective (22 points, 9 mentions)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Mo'Nique, Precious
(69 points, 29 mentions)
A force of nature, Mo'Nique transforms an ostensibly one-note monster—Precious's welfare mom—into a complex portrait of a psychologically damaged woman.

Runners-up:

Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air (45 points, 20 mentions)
Mélanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds (32 points, 14 mentions)
Samantha Morton, The Messenger (31 points, 17 mentions)
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air (26 points, 14 mentions)

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Anvil! The Story of Anvil
(12 points)
Sacha Gervasi's phenomenal rockumentary follows the now-fiftysomething "demigods of Canadian metal" through a disastrous European tour and the recording of their 13th album—and waning shot at fame.

Runners-up:

Of Time and the City (10 points)
The Beaches of Agnès (9 points)
The Cove (8 points)
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet;
Tyson (7 points)

BEST FIRST FEATURE

The Messenger
(8 points)
The directorial debut of Oren Moverman (who wrote Todd Haynes's I'm Not There) is a moving and nuanced drama about a pair of casualty notification officers, bearing awful news while coping with their own traumas.

Runners-up:

Afterschool (7 points)
In the Loop; A Single Man; Tulpan (6 points)

BEST UNDISTRIBUTED FILM

To Die Like a Man
(24 points, 11 mentions)

A fabulously sad fable about a Fado-singing, pooch-pampering trannie growing old, Portuguese filmmaker João Pedro Rodrigues's To Die Like a Man, which premiered at this past Cannes and then came stateside to the New York Film Festival, is also a piece of lyrical, playful, unpredictable filmmaking.

Runners-up:

Trash Humpers (16 points, 7 mentions)
Enter the Void (12 points, 7 mentions)

[Chris Knipp]

On his Film Journal (which received 92 million hits last year) on December 30, 2009 Roger Ebert published his best films of the decade list. The bare list is below but on the blog there is a detailed discussion of each film with links to his original reviews: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/12/the_best_films_of_the_decade.html#more

1. Synechdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman)
2. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow 2009)
3. Monster (Patty Jenkins 2004)
4. Juno (Jason Reitman 2007)
5. Me and You and Everyone You Know (Miranda July 2005)
6. Chop Shop (Ramin Bahrani 2006)
7. The Son/Le Fils (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne 2002)
8. The Twenty-Fifth Hour (Spoke Lee 2003)
9. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe 2000)
10. My Winnepeg (Guy Madden 2008)

[Chris Knipp]

.

Another set of individual 2009 best-of lists: Metacritic has posted (http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2009/toptens.shtml) "ten best" lists of 70 film critics, all lined up in rows.

This seems a somewhat more mainstream top ten list than the VOICE'S even though the latter is a larger poll--maybe Metacritics's has more mainstream (Midwest, West Coast, Canada) writers?

In the 70 lists here is how often certain titles are named beginning with the top ten:

THE HURT LOCKER 58
UP 41
UP IN THE AIR 39
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS 31
A SERIOUS MAN 27
IN THE LOOP 27
AVATAR 25
FANTASTIC MR. FOX 25
STAR TREK 23
BRIGHT STAR 22
_______________

SUMMER HOURS 21
PRECIOUS 21
AN EDUCATION 19
THE BEACHES OF AGNES 18
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE 16
THE WHITE RIBBON 14
MOON 14
ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL 10
A SINGLE MAN 9
ANTICHRIST 8
35 SHOTS OF RUM
PUBLIC ENEMIES 7
FUNNY PEOPLE 7
GOODBYE SOLO 6
THE MESSENGER 6
EVERLASTING MOMENTS 6
STILL WALKING 6
THE HEADLESS WOMAN 5
TULPAN 5
TWO LOVERS 5
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX 4
BAD LIEUTENANT 4
THE LAST STATION 4
SIN NOMBRE 4
CRAZY HEART 4
ADVENTURELAND 1
THE LIMITS OF CONTROL 0

It's obvious that THE HURT LOCKER leads the pack, with UP and UP IN THE AIR less unanimous but very highly regarded. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, A SERIOUS MAN, IN HE LOOP, AVATAR, AND FANTASTIC MR. FOX are all pretty close to each other. The next seven also are strong contenders. It's somewhat surprising to see MOON up there with them, a little picture that gathered an audience following. As we go lower, location early in the year or lack of availability are factors. I'm convinced that few even saw THE LIMITS OF CONTROL. I don't know if some mainstream-America orientation is evidenced by the fact that in the top ten there is no foreign film. To me it's an injustice that THE WHITE RIBBON isn't on more lists or higher ranked, but I suppose many had not yet seen it. In my opinion TWO LOVERS should have ranked higher; maybe not everyone saw that?

David Denby raved over AVATAR both on Charlie Rose and in his column. Then when list-making time came, he abandoned it but included FUNNY PEOPLE.

(This is not a scientific analysis. I may have left off some titles that should be here. Of course there are others mentioned in the lists; the seldom-mentioned ones are just a sampling.)

[oscar jubis]

*I am trying to make sense of the almost universal acclaim for ANVIL and the fact that there are a group of reviewers who really think it is one of the best 10 movies they watched in 2009. There is clearly nothing special or unique about the structure of the film or the way it is told. It has to be the content. There must be a large group of reviewers who identify with a duo of middle-aged underdogs who think they deserve to be famous because they operate under the narcissistic delusion that they have talent.
*I also cannot fail to take note of the number of mentions IN THE LOOP got because it is likely that more critics polled did not see it than any of the first ten movies listed. Not that I think it's all that.
*I normally would be disgusted at reviewers fawning over another Coen Bros.' exercise in character humiliating and ridiculing but, like in Fargo and Lebowski, they feel some affection for the protagonist. Not that I think A Serious Man is all that.

[Chris Knipp]

I quite agree on Anvil! The Story of Annvil. There must be a nostalgia or identification factor. There are so many -- even rock -- docs that are as good.

I don't know if what you say about In the Loop is true or not You could be right -- that it won over a majority of critics who saw it, and if they'd all seen it, it would be the movie of the year -- but I doubt it. Isn't this a pretty high rating anyway? I still hold to my opinion that the source miniseries is better and that, as Anthony Lane (an Englishman) wrote, (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2009/07/27/090727crci_cinema_lane?currentPage=2) "'In the Loop' began as a BBC drama series.. and, as tends to happen when the small screen is stretched to the big, there are problems with elastication. The itchy camerawork, poking around in cramped rooms, left television viewers with a reliable dose of claustrophobia, but over the longer haul that may thicken into a migraine; by the end of the film, you just want to get away from these people." In several ways it's pushed; watch "The Thinck of It," and you'll see how it was meant to be.

Did not know reviewers were guilty of "fawning over" Coen brothers films, but in any case each Coen brothers film, though they look superficially alike perhaps must be judged differently and on its own merits. One should take into consideration the autobiographical element in this one. The Coens are wry humorists and sometimes they go too far, but to brand them as continually cruel and dismissive is itself cruel and dismissive.

[oscar jubis]

Maybe not "movie of the year". We know which one that is . It is what it is. A subject for a social psychology essay I am not equipped to write. But yes, IN THE LOOP would be up there with the two "Ups" if evrybody polled had seen it (that's my theory anyway). Re:Serious Man. I thought I was grouping it with Fargo and Lebowski as stand-outs because the Coens feel some affection for the protagonists and that acts as an antidote against their usual shenanigans.

[Chris Knipp]

No, I don't know what that is! I know what you mean about the Coens film. There are many other things that could be discussed and there aren't any clear answers.