65 replies to this topic

[Darrel Manson]

Russ, on 20 October 2009 - 02:29 PM, said:

Yeah, Darrel, it played in Toronto last month. I hope you like it. Are you seeing it in connection with the AFI fest? If yes, maybe you'll run into Doug.

Saw it at a press screening. It and Fish Tank will be having a press day in a couple weeks (I suspect along with AFI fest)so I'll be in on interviews with Corneliu Porumboiu and Dragos Bucur. Michael Fassbender will be doing interviews for Fish Tank.

[Ryan H.]

I don't usually weigh short films alongside feature films, but if I was compiling a list of 2009's top short films, "The Cat Piano" would almost certainly be on it.

[M. Leary]

As far as length of format is concerned, I just roll with it. If I find myself thinking about an 11 minute short (such as Landreth's The Spine) alongside a full length Petzold or Alonso feature, it probably deserves to be on some kind of list. Same thing with Duffy's The Most Beautiful Man in The World. 5 minutes long, but every bit as good as say... Morvern Callar.

[Josh Hurst]

Right now my top ten would look something like this:

1. Brothers Bloom
2. Up
3. Where the Wild Things Are
4. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
5. The Informant!
6. Coraline
7. Summer Hours
8. The Class
9. Adventureland
10. The Hurt Locker

[Christian]

Darrel Manson, on 20 October 2009 - 06:31 PM, said:

Russ, on 20 October 2009 - 02:29 PM, said:

Yeah, Darrel, it played in Toronto last month. I hope you like it. Are you seeing it in connection with the AFI fest? If yes, maybe you'll run into Doug.

Saw it at a press screening. It and Fish Tank will be having a press day in a couple weeks (I suspect along with AFI fest)so I'll be in on interviews with Corneliu Porumboiu and Dragos Bucur. Michael Fassbender will be doing interviews for Fish Tank.

Have either of you written on Police Adjective? I watched the first 40 minutes of the film last night and sense that I'm going to need some elaboration on this film, either before I finish it (might need a little push to get me to the finish line) or afterward.

[Darrel Manson]

well, yes and no. I've written my review, but it's on hold until the film actually opens. I also had an interview with the director, but I haven't got it transcribed yet.

The first 40 minutes is pretty much the second 40 minutes. The last 15 are what make the movie.

Edited by Darrel Manson, 25 November 2009 - 11:01 AM.

[Overstreet]

I've taken my first stab at a top ten list, but I'm going to keep it offline until January 1. Then, after reading nothing bu raves, I went out to Up in the Air last night, ready to come home and update my list. Saw the movie. Came home. Had no cause to update the list.

[Darrel Manson]

One of my criteria is staying power, so anything that I see from here on isn't even considered. Maybe I'll remember to look back in a few years to see if there are 2009 movies that should go on the list. So far the only 2009 movie I'd consider for the list is Departures.

[Christian]

Darrel Manson, on 25 November 2009 - 10:59 AM, said:

well, yes and no. I've written my review, but it's on hold until the film actually opens. I also had an interview with the director, but I haven't got it transcribed yet.

The first 40 minutes is pretty much the second 40 minutes. The last 15 are what make the movie.

I'll pick it up where I left off but am not sure that's going to happen tonight, and with a Thanksgiving trip planned, I might not finish the film until next week.

[Darrel Manson]

My update. Getting a bit more firm on some. I find it interesting that Christian's DC Critics group had not late Dec. films in their nominations for best picture. Maybe I won't have to rethink everything 2 weeks into the year.

If I were doing my Dozen today:
Departures
The Last Station
(500) Days of Summer
The Class
Phoebe in Wonderland
Away We Go
Up in the Air
An Education
No Impact Man
Police, Adjective
The Messenger
A Serious Man

Edited by Darrel Manson, 28 December 2009 - 10:46 PM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Darrel Manson wrote:
: I find it interesting that Christian's DC Critics group had not late Dec. films in their nominations for best picture.

Have the DC critics actually SEEN everything? I don't believe there have been any screenings of Avatar yet, for example (except maybe for the foreign-press junket). And then there is Sherlock Holmes, which I saw this morning, and which Jeff posted some reviews of in the thread for that movie just now -- had anyone in DC actually seen that film before their nominations deadline?

[Christian]

Peter T Chattaway, on 09 December 2009 - 07:50 PM, said:

Darrel Manson wrote:
: I find it interesting that Christian's DC Critics group had not late Dec. films in their nominations for best picture.

Have the DC critics actually SEEN everything? I don't believe there have been any screenings of Avatar yet, for example (except maybe for the foreign-press junket). And then there is Sherlock Holmes, which I saw this morning, and which Jeff posted some reviews of in the thread for that movie just now -- had anyone in DC actually seen that film before their nominations deadline?

Avatar was the looming, unseen giant. We voted before that one screened. (I don't set the voting dates.) Sherlock Holmes screened before the voting deadline. I wasn't able to go -- it was a daytime screening -- but will see it Dec. 21. Not that such a date will influence my voting.

The studios were very accommodating of our group, setting up several screenings ahead of our deadline. However, many of those screening are daytime only, which was problematic for me. I'm grateful for the studios that sent screeners. I thought the Weistein Co. would be hurt by not sending any screeners, but Nine received Best Ensemble (it screened twice before the vote, including the night before, which was when I saw it), Inglourious Basterds (which I saw during its theatrical run) got Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, and A Single Man and The Road received a few nominations between them. I'd seen an early screening of The Road, but couldn't make last Monday's Single Man screening, about which I heard good things from colleagues (many of them seem to have made the screening).

I'd heard, but haven't confirmed with WAFCA leaders, that our group wanted to get out of the gate early last year with our announced winners, so as to garner more media attention than in previous years. We're a young group, only been around 5 or 6 years, and I've been a member only for the past 3 years. I think that strategy proved successful last year and was repeated this year, although it's perfectly legit to criticize a group that hasn't screened all eligible films. I, for one, fully expect Avatar might overtake some of the films/performances I voted for this year. But I should add that our voting categories include no technical categories except Best Art Direction. I haven't figured out why we bother with just that one category, but think it may have something to do with following another group's lead on which categories get voted on by regional groups, and which don't.

Edited by Christian, 09 December 2009 - 08:46 PM.

[Darren H]

So, like last year, I'm doing a Best of '09 list and a Favorite New Films I Saw in '09 list. The former follows whatever rules IndieWire uses to determine eligibility (a theatrical run in NYC, I think), and I'm finding it incredibly difficult to compare an old-ish film I only saw yesterday because I had to wait for the DVD (The Limits of Control), a brand new film I saw three months ago at a fest (Police, Adjective), a film I saw more than four years ago (The Sun), and several more that fall somewhere in between. Weird. As it stands right now, only two of these feel like 2009 films to me:

• 35 Shots of Rum
  
• Revanche
  
• Liverpool
  
• Munyurangabo
  
• Summer Hours
  
• Police, Adjective
  
• The Beaches of Agnes
  
• Duplicity
  
• Birdsong
  
• Hunger

Subject to change.

EDIT: The Headless Woman is definitely going on her somewhere.

Edited by Darren H, 17 December 2009 - 10:46 PM.

[M. Leary]

I just had to submit a top five list, which still feels pretty early for me (haven't caught Still Walking, Birdsong, Limits of Control, and a few others yet). So the first five probably won't change, but the last five may get wiggly.

A Serious Man
Summer Hours
Hunger
Munyurangabo
Revanche
Lake Tahoe
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Liverpool
The Sun
35 Shots of Rum

And Then:
The Spine
Lorna's Silence
You, The Living
Bad Lieutenant
Jerichow
Headless Woman
Il Divo
Where the Wild Things Are

Edited by MLeary, 20 January 2010 - 12:43 PM.

[Christian]

I'm ready to do this. A couple of these films were released last year but weren't seen by me until 2009. I didn't put them on my 2008 list, so they're going on this one.

1. Summer Hours
2. Lorna’s Silence
3. A Serious Man
4. Hunger
5. Passing Strange
6. Three Monkeys
7. The Messenger
8. The Informant!
9. A Christmas Carol
10. Goodbye Solo

[Josh Hurst]

I just blogged my list.

1. A Serious Man
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox
3. Up
4. Summer Hours
5. The Hurt Locker
6. Brothers Bloom
7. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
8. The Class
9. Adventureland
10. The Princess and the Frog

[Crow]

I saw a lot of great films this past year, which means I've had a hard time deciding on a top 10 list. And I haven't seen one single film that I can say is a clear #1, but a number of films that are right near the top. And I still need to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnissus. But, here goes nothing:

1. Sugar
2. District 9
3. The Brothers Bloom
4. Up
5. Summer Hours
6. In the Loop
7. The Class
8. (500) Days of Summer
9. World's Greatest Dad
10. Goodbye Solo

Edited by Crow, 30 December 2009 - 04:16 PM.

[Ryan H.]

I won't do a full top ten, because that would force me to start ranking films that didn't particularly compel me. So instead, I have a top 5, the films of '09 that stuck with me:

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
A SERIOUS MAN
TETRO
THIRST

I still have plenty from '09 to catch up on, though, from A SINGLE MAN to THE SUN to LORNA'S SILENCE to SERAPHINE. Given the praise, I may check out SUMMER HOURS, but I have to say that the trailer makes it seem very, very dull.

Edited by Ryan H., 31 December 2009 - 01:02 AM.

[Nathaniel]

Bright Star
A Serious Man
Lorna's Silence
The Limits of Control
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Summer Hours
Up
Ponyo
Of Time and the City
12

Honor roll: Adoration, A Christmas Carol, The Class, La Danse, Fados, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Gentlemen Broncos, Inglourious Basterds, The International, Me and Orson Welles.

Tonight I'm seeing The White Ribbon, which may very well disturb the list. Or it may just disturb.

Edited by Nathaniel, 31 December 2009 - 01:13 PM.

[Nathaniel]

Well, I'm back, and while it certainly did impress, I doubt it will penetrate my current Top Ten. While it strikes me as a beautiful piece of filmmaking, I believe it lacks profundity as a vision of evil. Even so, I'll be thinking about it for a while. Some of those images are hard to shake.

Next stop: The Last Station.