Category Archives: Lists

2012 Watchlist: December

Written by . Posted on January 1, 2013. Filed under Lists. No comments.

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

Written by . Posted on December 29, 2012. Filed under Best of the Year, Lists. Tagged . No comments.

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

Cinema, 2012

Written by . Posted on December 24, 2012. Filed under Best of the Year, Lists. No comments.

This year Filmmaker Magazine is hosting my Best of the Year list, complete with annotations, so head over there for my full write-up.

Here are my ten favourite films of the year, as well as some other mentions…

Top Ten Films of 2012—

1. Three Sisters, Dir. Wang Bing, France/Hong Kong

2. Romancing in Thin Air, Dir. Johnnie To, Hong Kong

3. Holy Motors, Dir. Leos Carax, France/Germany

4. The Deep Blue Sea, Dir. Terence Davies, UK/USA

5. Bernie, Dir. Richard Linklater, USA

6. 4:44 Last Day on Earth, Dir. Abel Ferrara, USA/Italy/France

7. Tabu, Dir. Miguel Gomes, Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France

8. Leviathan, Dir. Verena Paravel & Lucien Castaing-Taylor, UK/USA/France

9. Moonrise Kingdom, Dir. Wes Anderson, USA

10. Resident Evil: Retribution, Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson, Germany/Canada

Special Mention—

Late Show (Episodes 10-12 of Louie Season 3), Dir. Louis C.K., USA

Honourable Mentions—

Lincoln, Dir. Steven Spielberg, USA

Magic Mike, Dir. Steven Soderbergh, USA

Flight, Dir. Robert Zemeckis, USA

Ace Attorney, Dir. Takashi Miike, Japan

Into the Abyss & On Death Row, Dir. Werner Herzog, USA/UK/Germany

Performances—

Denis Levant, Holy Motors

Jack Black, Bernie

Milla Jovovich, Resident Evil: Retribution

Isabelle Huppert & Junsang Yu, In Another Country

Matthew McConaughey, Killer Joe, Magic Mike & Bernie

Juno Temple, Killer Joe

Rachel Weisz & Tom Hiddleston, The Deep Blue Sea

Jean-Claude Van Damme & Dolph Lundgren, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning

Lee Kang-sheng, Walker

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

2012 Watchlist: November

Written by . Posted on December 9, 2012. Filed under Lists. No comments.

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)

2012 Watchlist: September & October

Written by . Posted on November 15, 2012. Filed under Lists. No comments.

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

September

Enemy of the State, Dir. Tony Scott, 1998, USA * (H/CF)

Compliance, Dir. Craig Zobel, 2012, USA (C/D)

Man on Fire, Dir. Tony Scott, 2004, UK/USA * (H/CF)

Eat Sleep Die, Dir. Gabriela Pichler, 2012, Sweden (H/CF)

Out in the Dark, Dir. Michael Mayer, 2012, Israel/USA/Palestinian Territory

Resident Evil, Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson, 2002, Germany/France/UK * (H/CF)

The Fog, Dir. John Carpenter, 1980, USA (H/DVD)

Bonnie & Clyde, Dir. Arthur Penn, 1967, USA (S/DVD)

Point Blank, Dir. John Boorman, 1967, USA (H/CF)

Rabbit’s Moon, Dir. Kenneth Anger, 1950, USA (S/DVD)

Blind Husbands, Dir. Erich von Stroheim, 1919, USA (C/F)

Invocation of my Demon Brother, Dir. Kenneth Anger, 1969, USA (S/DVD)

Resident Evil: Afterlife, Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson, 2010, Germany/UK/France * (H/CF)

Resident Evil: Retribution, Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson, 2012, Germany/US (C/D)

Bullitt, Dir. Peter Yates, 1968, USA (H/CF)

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

Duel, Dir. Steven Spielberg, 1971, USA (H/CF)

Jaws, Dir. Steven Spielberg, 1975, USA * (S/DVD)

True Romance, Dir. Tony Scott, 1993, USA * (C/DVD)

High Plains Drifter, Dir. Clint Eastwood, 1973, USA (C/F)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Dir. Jim Sharman & Richard O’Brien, 1973, UK/USA (S/DVD)

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas, Dir. F.W. Murnau, 1931, USA (H/CF)

Tabu, Dir. Miguel Gomes, 2012, Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France (C/D)

10+10, Dir. Various, 2011, Taiwan (C/D)

Cock, Dir. Hwang Hyunjin, 2012, South Korea (C/D)

White Night, Dir. LeeSong Heeil, 2012, South Korea (C/D)

Student, Dir. Darezahn Omirbaev, 2012, Kazalhstan (C/D)

The Delay, Dir. Rodrigo Plá, 2012, Uruguay/Mexico/France (C/F)

Reconversao, Dir. Thom Andersen, 2012, Portugal (C/D)

Nameless Gangster, Dir. Yun Jong-bin, 2012, South Korea (C/D)

You are More than Beautiful, Dir. Kim Tae Yong, 2012, China (C/D)

Walker, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 2012, China/Hong Kong (C/D)

Long Tou, Dir. Gu Changwei, 2012, China (C/D)

My Way, Dir. Ann Hui, 2012, China (C/D)

The Master, Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012, USA (C/D)

The Last Time I Saw Macao, Dir. Joao Pedro Rodrigues & João Rui Guerra da Mata, 2012, Portugal/France/Mexico (C/D)

All Apologies, Dir. Emily Tang, 2012, China (C/D)

The Capsule, Dir. Athina Rachel Tsangari, 2012, Greece (C/D)

Morning of Saint Anthony’s Day, Dir. Joao Pedro Rodrigues, 2012, Portugal/France (C/D)

A Story for the Modlins, Dir. Sergio Oksman, 2012, Spain (C/D)

In Another Country, Dir. Hong Sangsoo, 2012, South Korea/France (C/D)

A Fish, Dir. Park Hong-min, 2011, South Korea (C/D)

A Werewolf Boy, Dir. Jo Sung-hee, 2012, South Korea (C/D)

October

Three Sisters, Dir. Wang Bing, 2012, France/Hong Kong (C/D)

Something in the Air, Dir. Olivier Assayas, 2012, France (C/F)

After the Battle, Dir. Yousry Nasrallah, 2012, Egypt/France (C/D)

Keep the Lights On, Dir. Ira Sachs, 2012, USA (C/D)

Paradise: Love, Dir. Ulrich Seidl, 2012, Austria/Germany/France (C/D)

Like Someone in Love, Dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 2012, France/Japan (C/D)

Night Across the Street, Dir. Raul Ruiz, 2012, Chile (C/D)

When the Bough Breaks, Dir. Ji Dan, 2012, China (C/D)

Amour, Dir. Michael Haneke, 2012, France/Austria/Germany (C/D)

Emperor Visits the Hell, Dir. Li Luo, 2012, China (C/D)

Small Roads, Dir. James Benning, 2012, USA (C/D)

Reality, Dir. Matteo Garrone, 2012, Italy/France (C/D)

Greatest Hits, Dir. Nicolas Pereda, 2012, Mexico/Canada/Netherlands

Beyond the Hills, Dir. Cristian Mungiu, 2012, Romania (C/D)

Outrage Beyond, Dir. Takeshi Kitano, 2012, Japan (C/F)

Ginger and Rosa, Dir. Sally Potter, 2012, UK (C/D)

A Respectable Family, Dir. Massoud Bakhshi, 2012, Iran (C/D)

Everyday, Dir. Michael Winterbottom, 2012, UK (C/D)

Beyond the Hill, Dir. Emin Alper, 2012, Turkey (C/D)

Hidden Beauties, Dir. Nouri Bouzid, 2012, Tunisia/UAE/France (C/D)

Lore, Dir. Cate Shortland, 2012, Australia/Germany/UK (C/D)

Masquerade, Dir. Chang Min-Choo, 2012, South Korea (C/D)

A Hijacking, Dir. Tobias Lindholm, 2012, Denmark (H/D)

When I Saw You, Dir. Annemarie Jacir, 2012, Palestinian Territory/Jordan/Greece (C/D)

The Last Supper, Dir.Lu Chuan, 2012, China (C/D)

I.D., Dir. Kamal K.M., 2012, India (C/D)

Kara: Daughter of the Tree, Dir. Edwin, 2005, Indonesia (H/D)

Hulahoop Soundings, Dir. Edwin, 2008, Indonesia (H/D)

Gebo and the Shadow, Dir. Manoel de Oliveira, 2012, Portugal/France (C/D)

In the House, Dir. Francois Ozon, 2012, France (C/D)

To Rome with Love, Dir. Woody Allen, 2012, USA (H/D)

Alien vs. Predator, Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson, 2004, USA (H/CF)

Seven Psychopaths, Dir. Martin McDonagh, 2012, USA/UK (C/D)

Tetsuo, the Iron Man, Dir. Shin’ya Tsukamoto, 1989, Japan (S/DVD)

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Dir. John Hyams, 2012, USA (H/CF)

Vincent, Dir. Tim Burton, 1982, USA (S/DVD)

V/H/S, Dir. Various, 2012, USA (C/D)

Halloween, Dir. Rob Zombie, 2007, USA * (H/CF)

Halloween II, Dir. Rob Zombie, 2009, USA * (H/BR)