Bylines

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Cinema Scope:

Notebook (MUBI.com):

Filmmaker Magazine:

Cineaste:

La Furia Umana:

Fandor:

De Filmkrant:

Film Society of Lincoln Center:

Indiewire:

Criticwire:

Images of the Week – Girls: “On All Fours”

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So it took until nine episodes into the season, but Girls is back.

2012 Watchlist: December

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Re-watches are indicated by an * | Masterpieces will be in bold | To make things interesting, my 5 most satisfying viewings (not necessarily the “best” films) of each month will be indicated by red font, my 3 least satisfying by blue font | Venue & format indicated by the following: (C) = cinema viewing, (H) = “home”/TV viewing, (S) = school (F) = film, (D) = digital, (DVD) = DVD, (BR) = Blu-Ray, (CF) = computer file or online

From Up on Poppy Hill, Dir. Goro Miyazaki, 2011, Japan (C/D)

Mars & Avril, Dir. Martin Villeneuve, 2012, Canada (C/D)

Twixt, Dir. Francis Ford Coppola, 2011, USA (H/CF)

Bitter Victory, Dir. Nicholas Ray, 1957, USA/France (H/DVD)

Barbara, Dir. Christian Petzold, 2012, Germany (H/CF)

Blow Out, Dir. Brian De Palma, 1981, USA (H/BR) *

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 1984, Japan (C/F) *

Moonrise Kingdom, Dir. Wes Anderson, 2012, USA (H/CF) *

Kiki’s Delivery Service, Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 1989, Japan (C/F) *

Castle in the Sky, Dir. Hayao Miyzaki, 1986, Japan (C/F) *

Magic Mike, Dir. Steven Soderbergh, 2012, USA (H/CF) *

Postcards from the Zoo, Dir. Edwin, 2012, Indonesia/Germany/Hong Kong/China (H/CF)

Resident Evil: Retribution, Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson, 2012, Germany/Canada (H/CF) *

Vengeance, Dir. Johnnie To, 2009, France/Hong Kong (H/CF)

Brigadoon, Dir. Vincente Minnelli, 1954, USA (H/CF)

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Dir. Johnnie To, 2011, Hong Kong (H/CF)

Ace Attorney, Dir. Takashi Miike, 2012, Japan (H/CF)

Romancing in Thin Air, Dir. Johnnie To, 2012, Hong Kong (H/CF) *

The Ocean Waves, Dir. Tomomi Mochizuki, 1993, Japan (C/D)

My Neighbour Totoro, Dir. Hayao Miyzaki, 1988, Japan (C/F) *

Princess Mononoke, Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 1997, Japan (C/F) *

Crimson Tide, Dir. Tony Scott, 1995, USA (H/BR)

Gremlins, Dir. Joe Dante, 1984, USA (H/CF) *

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dir. David Fincher, 2008, USA (H/BR) *

Small Soldiers, Dir. Joe Dante, 1998, USA (H/CF) *

Howl’s Moving Castle, Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 2004, Japan (C/F) *

Spirited Away, Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 2001, Japan (C/F) *

Die Hard with a Vengeance, Dir. John McTiernan, 1995, USA (H/CF) *

Django Unchained, Dir. Quentin Tarantino, 2012, USA (C/D)

Whisper of the Heart, Dir. Yoshifumo Kondo, 1995, Japan (C/F)

The Cat Returns, Dir. Hiroyuki Morita, 2002, Japan (C/F)

Porco Rosso, Dir. Hayao Miyzaki, 1992, Japan (C/F)

Meet Me in St. Louis, Dir. Vincente Minnelli, 1944, USA (H/CF)

Mission to Mars, Dir. Brian De Palma, 2000, USA (H/DVD) *

Distant Voices, Still Lives, Dir. Terence Davies, UK (H/CF)

Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 1979, Japan (H/DVD) *

Ace Attorney, Dir. Takashi Miike, 2012, Japan (H/CF) *

Half of Gremlins 2: The New Batch before midnight!

Music, 2012

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Top ten albums—

1. Bish Bosch by Scott Walker

2. Kiss by Carly Rae Jepsen

3. R.A.P. Music by Killer Mike

4. Vivaldi – The Four Seasons – Recomposed by Max Richter

5. The Idler Wheel is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple

6. Visions by Grimes

7. Kin by iamamiwhoami

8. Channel Orange by Frank Ocean

9. Locked Down by Dr. John

10. Ten Freedom Summers by Wadada Leo Smith

Honourable mentions—

There’s No Leaving Now by The Tallest Man on Earth

Good Kid, MAAD City by Kendrick Lamar

Attack on Memory by Cloud Nothings

Top twenty songs—

1. Reagan by Killer Mike
2. Tonight I’m Getting Over You by Carly Rae Jepsen
3. Skin by Grimes
4. Wasted Days by Cloud Nothings
5. Bad Religion by Frank Ocean
6. Phone Sex by Blood Diamonds feat. Grimes
7. Hot Knife by Fiona Apple
8. Phrasing by Scott Walker
9. Journeys by John Talabot feat. Ekhi
10. Backstreet Freestyle by Kendrick Lamar
11. The Art of Peer Pressure by Kendrick Lamar
12. Gang Bang by Madonna
13. I’ve Seen Footage by Death Grips
14. Loner by Burial
15. Losing You by Solange
16. Generational by The Invisible
17. Wildest Moments by Jessie Ware
18. Diamonds by Rihanna
19. Request Denied by El-P
20. Pyramids by Frank Ocean

Bonus Tracks: “Epizootics!” by Scott Walker, Vowels = Space and Time by Grimes, Bitch Dant Kill My Vibe by Kendrick Lamar, The rest of Carly Rae Jepsen’s Kiss

2012 Watchlist: November

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Re-watches are indicated by an * | Masterpieces will be in bold | To make things interesting, my 5 most satisfying viewings (not necessarily the “best” films) of each month will be indicated by red font, my 3 least satisfying by blue font | Venue & format indicated by the following: (C) = cinema viewing, (H) = “home”/TV viewing, (S) = school (F) = film, (D) = digital, (DVD) = DVD, (BR) = Blu-Ray, (CF) = computer file or online

E.T., Dir. Steven Spielberg, 1982, USA * (C/F)

Flight, Dir. Robert Zemeckis, 2012, USA (C/D)

Sleepless Night, Dir. Jang Kun-jae, 2012, South Korea (H/CF)

Taken, Dir. Pierre Morel, 2008, France (H/CF)

Mission: Impossible, Dir. Brian De Palma, 1996, USA * (H/CF)

Shopping, Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson, 1994, UK (H/CF)

This is Spinal Tap, Dir. Rob Reiner, 1984, USA (S/DVD)

Eraserhead, Dir. David Lynch, 1976, USA * (S/DVD)

Jurassic Park, Dir. Steven Spielberg, 1993, USA * (S/DVD)

Fear City, Dir. Abel Ferrara, 1984, USA (H/DVD)

House with Laughing Windows, Dir. Pupi Avati, 1976, Italy (H/CF)

Ms. 45, Dir. Abel Ferrara, 1981, USA (H/CF)

Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Dir. Steven Spielberg, 1997, USA (H/CF)

Tricked, Dir. Paul Verhoeven, 2012, Netherlands (H/CF)

Lincoln, Dir. Steven Spielberg, 2012, USA (C/D)

‘R Xmas, Dir. Abel Ferrara, 2001, USA (H/DVD)

Holy Motors, Dir. Leos Carax, 2012, France (C/D)

Mulberry St., Dir. Abel Ferrara, 2010, USA * (H/CF)

Trouble in Mind, Dir. Alan Rudolph, 1985, USA (H/DVD)

Frontier of Dawn, Dir. Philippe Garrel, 2008, France (H/DVD)

Lincoln, Dir. Steven Spielberg, 2012, USA * (C/D)

The Avengers, Dir. Joss Whedon, 2012, USA * (S/DVD)

Rameau’s Nephew by Diderot (Thanx to Dennis Young) by Wilma Schoen, Dir. Michael Snow, 1974, Canada (C/F)

Haxan, Dir. Benjamin Christensen, 1922, Sweden (S/DVD)

One From the Heart, Dir. Francis Ford Coppola, 1982, USA (H/CF)

Still, Dir. Michael McGowan, 2012, Canada (C/D)

American Mary, Dir. Jen and Sylvia Soska, 2012, Canada (C/D)

Celeste and Jesse Forever, Dir. Lee Toland Krieger, 2012, USA (C/D)

All That You Possess, Dir. Bernard Émond, 2012, Canada (C/D)

Between Us, Dir. Dan Mirvish, 2012, USA (C/D)

It’s a Disaster, Dir. Todd Berger, 2012, USA (C/D)

Meet the Fokkens, Dir. Gabrielle Provaas & Rob Schroder, 2011, Netherlands (C/D)

Picture Day, Dir. Kate Miles Melville, 2012, Canada (C/D)

Blood Pressure, Dir. Sean Garrity, 2012, Canada (C/D)