Ranking the Films of Terrence Malick
It took me a long time and a lot of viewings to appreciate the Terrence Malick films the way I do today. The first film of his I experienced (and make no mistake, each and every Terrence Malick film is an experience) was The New World, not long after its release on DVD. I shut […]
Ranking the Films of Stanley Kubrick
I’m not sure anything I write about Stanley Kubrick is going to do justice to either his brilliant oeuvre or the thousands upon thousands of scholarly words written about him. All I’ll say is that it’s been a joy to watch (rewatch, for the most part, actually) his films and learn more about his directorial […]
Top 10: Tribeca World Premieres
In just 12 years, the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City has carved quite an interesting and influential niche for itself in the independent film world. Though it’s wedged somewhat unceremoniously between Sundance/Berlinale and Cannes, the festival has become THE destination for New York premieres, as well as plenty of North American premieres and […]
Projecting the Cannes 2013 Lineup
Now that the 66th annual Cannes International Film Festival (May 15-May 26, 2013) has its jury president (Lincoln director Steven Spielberg), speculation over what films will compete for the 2013 Palme d’Or has intensified. I’ve identified 30 titles that seem like plausible Cannes selections. It’s impossible to say whether any or all will be ready […]
Ranking the 2013 Oscar Nominees
It’s become an annual tradition for me to rip off In Contention’s annual tradition of ranking the Oscar nominees from best to worst. I did it in 2011. I did it in 2012. See my 2013 rankings below. But first, a list of the films I regrettably haven’t caught up with yet: Mirror Mirror, Chasing […]
The Ten Commandments of Oscar Watching
The Joker asked, “Why so serious?” Today, I ask, “Why so sour?” Seriously, was Tom Hooper’s stewardship over Les Miserables so objectionable? Is a nomination from the Directors Guild of America—which, today, named Hooper one of the five Best Directors of 2012, alongside Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow, Ang Lee, and Steven Spielberg—that big a deal? […]
13 Films for 2013
Oh, to be where we were a year ago. Surveying the upcoming movie calendar on January 1, 2012 was like a second Christmas. Tarantino, PT Anderson, Wes Anderson, Spielberg (with Day-Lewis), Affleck, Soderbergh (times two), The Hobbit, Nolan’s follow-up to The Dark Knight, The Avengers, and the most loaded Cannes lineup in years. Sure, not […]
The Ten Best Films of 2012
2012 was a really interesting year in film. Many are singing its praises. “2012 is the new 1999,” they say. I’m not going that far. In fact, I’m reserving judgment for a few months more. Too much still needs to be taken in. Too many need a second look. Here’s what I will say: This […]
2012 Fall Movie Preview
When I finally got around to updating the old Oscar predictions, I sort of bemoaned the coming of the fall movie season and all the chaos associated with it. That was perhaps a little facetious because I love this time of year so much. Not just for movie reasons, I should say. With the changing […]
The Ten Best Films of 2012 So Far
It’s been a pretty good year so far at the movies. Yes, disappointments have littered cineplexes, but dig a little deeper, and the first two-thirds of 2012 have brought us some real gems. It always seems more appropriate for an August mid-year check-in, rather than a June one, because films are starting to hit DVD […]
FILMOGRAPHY: 2011
I’m finally done. Had to wait until at least July, when I got my hands on Margaret, but I decided the end of summer might be an appropriate time for a post like this. As 2012 gets ready to kick it into high gear, I can officially say goodbye to 2011. It was a solid […]
TOP 10: Classics-on-the-Big-Screen Wish List
I live in an eastern Pennsylvania suburb—not far from Philadelphia or New York, but not close enough that I can jaunt to either city on a whim to check out one of the awesome-sounding events I’m occasionally invited to. It typically doesn’t bother me much. There are two exceptional independent theaters within ten miles, so […]
Ranking Christopher Nolan Films
His first movie came out in 1998. Since then, Christopher Nolan has done and accomplished a lot. He has three Oscar nominations under his belt (none for directing, but two for Original Screenplay [Inception and Memento] and one for Best Picture [Inception]). DGA and Golden Globe nominations, BAFTA awards, Independent Spirit Awards, and much more—not […]
Ranking the James Bond Movies
I’ve gone through all 22 James Bond films pretty thoroughly over the past month, and with the release of Skyfall, it’s time to see where they stack up against one another. There might not be many surprises found here, but I hope you enjoy and appreciate my rankings. Feel free to comment and share yours! […]
Ranking the 2012 Oscar Nominees
Just a quick hit today. I took this idea from In Contention, and last year, I put forth a ranked list of that year’s nominees. Below are the films I haven’t seen, followed by my rankings of all those I have seen. Films I haven’t seen: My Week with Marilyn, A Cat in Paris, Chico […]
2011 Fall Movie Preview
To be honest, I really wasn’t all that excited for this fall’s crop of movies—at least not as excited as I usually feel around this time. I’m not sure if it was this year’s spring and summer malaise carrying over, or if I just hadn’t been keeping up with things as closely as I usually […]
