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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Invisible cinema

It is so common to hear complaints that a given cinema year is dull. Yet, a person lazily applies the dull tag by only looking at a handful of movies playing in a cinema near them. If a person is not lucky enough to live in New York, Toronto (to some extent) or a select city, then chances are they will only have access to Hollywood films in their local cinema. Last year, I went to Cardiff and naively hoped that I would get a chance to see some British or European films in local theaters. Yet, every single theater was playing the same Hollywood movie hogging the theaters back home in Canada. In brief travels around the world in the last few years, I have found the same Hollywood films playing in Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, London, Delhi, Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok at the same time. There was a slight difference in Paris & Spain in that a given Hollywood film was dubbed in French and Spanish respectively but the same product existed in all these places. The pattern seems to be that as more multiplexes are built around the world, only Hollywood films can provide enough prints to book up all the screens. Some countries such as India, South Korea, Brazil, France and Japan are able to hold their own against Hollywood but even in these countries, it is the commercial titles that occupy the multiplex screen. In Delhi and Mumbai, Bollywood rules the multiplex while an Independent Indian film (yes, shockingly there is such a thing) struggles to get screen time. Same goes in America where indie cinema has a tough job edging out the muscular Hollywood machine.

There is clearly a horrible imbalance in the ratio of Hollywood vs indie films on theater screens not only across North America but around the world. Yet with the exception of a few film blogs, one rarely finds mention of this imbalance. So A.O. Scott’s new article is more than welcome:

And the Oscars reinforce this, frequently ignoring accessible and entertaining movies from other countries and settling on a frequently random-seeming list of finalists.

Scott tackles this variance by using the foreign film category in the Oscars as an example. The foreign film category begs to be expanded as many great films from around the world need more attention. Also, he questions the one film rule per country which really needs to be removed in this day and age of co-productions:

For some reason, the Academy insists on a one-film-per-country rule, which places a large part of the decision-making process in the hands of film industries at least as corrupt and agenda-driven as our own. Why should “Of Gods and Men” have been France’s only shot? And what determines the nationality of a film in any case? Why is Rachid Bouchareb’s “Outside the Law” an Algerian rather than a French film, given that its director is a French citizen and that it was made with mostly French financing and therefore within that country’s extensive legal statutes governing cinematic production? And what makes "Biutiful," shot in Barcelona with a Spanish cast, a Mexican film?

Another example that comes to mind is who between Germany and Austria can claim the brilliant film The Robber as their own? There is clearly a lot of lobbying and discussion that goes on in each nation as to which film should be submitted as a sole representative. For example, every year the question in India does not seem to be which is the best film of the year but rather which film has the best shot to get nominated for an Oscar. This question has certainly gained prominence in the last decade ever since Lagaan got a surprize nomination.

While there is a shortage of foreign/indie films at local theaters, it is not all doom and gloom. Thankfully, some of this great world cinema can be found via film festivals, DVDs and online. Scott highlights this as well:

Their work is almost invisible here, though it commands a fair amount of attention in the flourishing and contentious cinephile wing of the blogosphere. But it is nonetheless available to anyone with the curiosity and patience to navigate the new, fast-evolving cosmos of V.O.D. and streaming Web video.

I like to believe that theater owners will book a non Hollywood film if the movie will make them money. An award and a nomination for a foreign film will certainly go a long way in helping theater owners make that decision, as will a film’s success at various international film festivals. Also, if a foreign film is a box-office hit in its native country, then that will also increase the film’s chances of getting some screens in a North American multiplex. Yet, such awards and box-office success only greets just a few out of the thousands of foreign films that get made every year.

We are supposed to be living in an open world of limited boundaries yet theaters in North America appear to be firmly closed to the world. There is a line in Saul Bellow’s novel The Dean’s December along the lines of "For God’s Sake, open the universe a little more!". So taking that line as an inspiration:

For God’s Sake, open your theater doors a little more and let in the world.

and...a nudge towards film programmers:

If you book it, people will come.

They may not come in droves at first but a few will appear to see what this Carlos movie is all about. Then slowly others will follow. But the average person has much better taste than what film producers and distributors like to think.

Monday, January 17, 2011

2010 Foreign Language Film Oscar Candidates

I have seen 9 of the 65 candidates in the foreign film category for the 83rd Academy Awards. That is a decent number considering that only Peepli Live received a proper theatrical release and the remaining 8 just had a single screening on the film festival circuit:

Canada, Incendies, Denis Villeneuve;
Colombia, Crab Trap, Oscar Ruiz Navia;
Finland, Steam of Life, Joonas Berghall and Mika Hotakainen;
Germany, When We Leave, Feo Aladag;
Greece, Dogtooth, Yorgos Lanthimos;
India, Peepli [Live], Anusha Rizvi;
Kyrgyzstan, The Light Thief, Aktan Arym Kubat;
Thailand, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Apichatpong Weerasethakul;
Uruguay, La Vida Util, Federico Veiroj;

A handful of the 56 remaining films will get Canadian theatrical/DVD distribution but most likely a majority of the films will disappear if they do not get a nomination.

Here are some of the titles that I am most interested in and hopefully they will see the light of day in Canada later this year, be it in a theater or on DVD. Biutiful is already slated for a February Canadian theatrical release and after last night's win at the Golden Globes, In a Better World will likely get a theatrical run. I missed seeing The Temptation of St. Tony and Street Days at Rotterdam last year but both titles look very promising.

Argentina, Carancho, Pablo Trapero;
China, Aftershock, Feng Xiaogang;
Denmark, In a Better World, Susanne Bier;
Estonia, The Temptation of St. Tony, Veiko Ounpuu;
France, Of Gods and Men, Xavier Beauvois;
Georgia, Street Days, Levan Koguashvili;
Mexico, Biutiful, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu;
Peru, Undertow (Contracorriente), Javier Fuentes-Leon;
Portugal, To Die Like a Man, Joao Pedro Rodrigues;
Romania, If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle, Florin Serban;
Russia, The Edge, Alexey Uchitel;
Turkey, Bal (Honey), Semih Kaplanoglu;

note: Undertow is already available in the UK on DVD.

[Update, Jan 20 2011]

9 films have been shortlisted and it is not surprizing to see Incendies, In a Better World and Biutiful in that list. However, Dogtooth stands out as the most radical choice.

Algeria -- Outside the Law
Canada -- Incendies
Denmark -- In a Better World
Greece -- Dogtooth
Japan -- Confessions
Mexico -- Biutiful
South Africa -- Life Above All
Spain -- Even the Rain
Sweden -- Simple Simon

Film Log: 2011

Total number of features (fiction and docs) & TV series collections seen: 381

This total includes 8 DVD season collections of the following TV series:

Mad Men, Seasons 1-4
Breaking Bad, Season 1
An Idiot Abroad, Season 1
The IT Crowd, Season 2
Tinker, Tailor, Traitor, Spy, the complete BBC Series

Film (Year, Country, Director): [optional rating out of 10]

Soul Kitchen (2009, Germany, Fatih Akin)
The Wind Journeys (2009, Colombia co-production, Ciro Guerra)
Aladdin (1992, USA, Ron Clements/John Musker)
I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009, USA, Chris Columbus)
Madeinusa (2006, Peru/Spain, Claudia Llosa)
Rakht Charitra, part 2 (2010, India, Ram Gopal Varma): 6
Tequila Nights (2010, India, Pankaj Saraswat)
Do Dooni Chaar (2010, India, Habib Faisal): 10
A Call Girl (2009, Slovenia co-production, Damjan Kozole)
The Great Match (2006, Spain/Germany, Gerardo Olivares)
Black God White Devil (1964, Brazil, Glauber Rocha)
Away with Words (1999, Hong Kong co-production, Christopher Doyle)
Happy Together (1997, Hong Kong, Wong Kar Wai)
Please Give (2010, USA, Nicole Holofcener)
El Don (2006, Venezuela, José Ramón Novoa)
It is Fine. Everything is Fine! (2007, USA, Crispin Glover/David Brothers)
Flipped (2010, USA, Rob Reiner)
Crane World (2003, Argentina, Pablo Trapero)
The White Countess (2005, UK co-production, James Ivory)
Duck Season (2004, Mexico, Fernando Eimbcke)
Lion's Den (2008, Argentina co-production, Pablo Trapero)
Enter the Void (2009, France co-production, Gaspar Noé): 8
Les Biches (1968, France, Claude Chabrol)
The King’s Speech (2010, UK/Australia/USA, Tom Hooper): 8
Casino Jack (2010, Canada, George Hickenlooper)
The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009, Sweden co-production, Daniel Alfredson)
Cocalero (2007, Bolivia/Argentina, Alejandro Landes)
Dhobi Ghat (2010, India, Kiran Rao): 10
Blue Valentine (2010, USA, Derek Cianfrance): 9
Araya (1959, Venezuela/France, Margot Benacerraf)
Animal Kingdom (2010, Australia, David Michôd): 7.5
Catfish (2010, USA,Ariel Schulman/Henry Joost)
Wild Things (1998, USA, John McNaughton)
Tangled (2010, USA, Nathan Greno/Byron Howard)
A Town Called Panic (2009, Belgium co-production, Stéphane Aubier/Vincent Patar): 8.5

London River (2009, UK/France/Algeria, Rachid Bouchareb)
Birdwatchers (2008, Italy/Brazil, Marco Bechis)
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008, Germany co-production, Uli Edel)
Looking for Eric (2009, UK co-production, Ken Loach)
The Mechanic (2011, USA, Simon West)
The Company Men (2010, UK/USA, John Wells): 6
Somewhere (2010, USA, Sofia Coppola): 6.5
Ondine (2009, Ireland/USA, Neil Jordan)
Los Bastardos (2008, Mexico/France/USA, Amat Escalante)
Micmacs (2009, France, Jean-Pierre Juenet)
Another Year (2010, UK, Mike Leigh): 10
No One Killed Jessica (2011, India, Raj Kumar Gupta): 8
Red Riding 1974 (2009, UK, Julian Jarrold): 9
Red Riding 1980 (2009, UK, James Marsh): 9
Red Riding 1983 (2009, UK, Anand Tucker): 9
I Wish I Knew (2010, China, Jia Zhang-Ke)
Lebanon (2010, co-production, Samuel Maoz)
Ip Man (2008, Hong Kong, Wilson Yip)
Substitute (2006, France, Vikash Dhorasoo/Fred Poulet)
Lourdes (2009, Austria/France/Germany, Jessica Hausner): 9
Cronicas (2004, Ecuador/Mexico, Sebastián Cordero)
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002, Australia co-production, Phillip Noyce)
Le Femme Infidel (1969, France, Claude Chabrol)
Nada (1974, France, Claude Chabrol)
I am Love (2009, Italy, Luca Guadagnino)
Que la bête meure (1969, France, Claude Chabrol)
Alamar (2009, Mexico, Pedro González-Rubio)
The Butcher (1971, France, Claude Chabrol)
Juste avant la nuit (1971, France, Claude Chabrol)
Punishment Park (1971, USA, Peter Watkins)
Agrarian Utopia (2009, Thailand, Uruphong Raksasad)
Les noces rouges (1973, France, Claude Chabrol)
Cuadacuc, Vampir (1970, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Nocturne 29 (1968, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Umbracle (1972, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Things Overtaken by Silence (2009, Mexico, Nicolas Perada)
The Adjustment Bureau (2011, USA, George Nolfi): 5
Gasland (2010, USA, Josh Fox)
Kings of Pastry (2009, co-production, Chris Hegedus/D.A. Pennebaker)
The Silence Before Bach (2007, Spain, Pere Portabella)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2009, Sweden co-production, Daniel Alfredson)
Last Train Home (2009, Canada/China/UK, Lixin Fan): 9
Warsaw Bridge (1990, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Tamara Drewe (2010, UK, Stephen Frears)
Tere Bin Laden (2010, India, Abhishek Sharma)
Les herbes folles (2009, France/Italy, Alain Resnais)
Tees Maar Khan (2010, India, Farah Khan): 0
Informe General (1977, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Never Let Me Go (2010, UK/USA, Mark Romanek): 6
Carcasses (2009, Canada, Denis Côté)
Limitless (2011, USA, Neil Burger)
The Next Three Days (2010, USA/Canada, Paul Haggis): 7
Client 9 (2010, USA, Alex Gibney)
West is West (2010, UK, Andy DeEmmony)
Songs from the Second Floor (2003, Sweden, Roy Andersson)
You, the Living (2009, Sweden, Roy Andersson)
Pour la suite du monde (1963, Canada, Michel Brault)
Munyurangabo (2007, Rwanda/USA, Lee Isaac Chung)
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010, UK/USA, Woody Allen)
In a Better World (2010, Denmark/Sweden, Susanne Bier): 7.5
Of Gods and Men (2010, France, Xavier Beauvois): 8.5
At Midnight I Will Steal Your Soul (1964, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures (1975, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
Enter le mer et l’eau douce (1965, Canada, Michel Brault)
The American (2010, USA, Anton Corbijn)

La Nostra Vita (2010, France/Italy, Daniele Luchetti)
Love and Other Drugs (2010, USA, Edward Zwick)
Due Date (2010, USA, Todd Phillips)
Not One Less (1999, China, Zhang Yimou)
Soundtracker (2010, USA, Nick Sherman)
Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010, Canada, Eli Craig)
I Stand Alone (1998, France, Gaspar Noé): 9
24 City (2008, China/Hong Kong/Japan, Jia Zhang-ke)
Ice Age (2002, USA, Chris Wedge/Carlos Saldanha)
Death at a Funeral (2007, UK co-production, Frank Oz)
L’Acadie l’Acadie?!? (1971, Canada, Michel Brault)
High-Rise (2009, Brazil, Gabriel Mascaro)
Hobo with a Shotgun (2011, Canada/USA, Jason Eisener)
You Are Here (2010, Canada, Daniel Cockburn): 7
Morning Glory (2010, USA, Roger Michell)
The Trotsky (2009, Canada, Jacob Tierney)
IT Crowd: Season 2 (2007, UK, Graham Linehan)
Attenberg (2010, Greece, Athina Rachel Tsangari): 9
Tron (1982, USA, Steven Lisberger)
The Brown Bunny (2003, USA/Japan/France, Vincent Gallo): 7.5
Tanu Weds Manu (2011, India, Aanand Rai)
Band Baaja Baaraat (2010, India, Maneesh Sharma)
The Beautiful Washing Machine (2004, Malaysia, James Lee)
Thank You (2011, India, Anees Bazmee): 0
I Walked with a Zombie (1943, USA, Jacques Tourneur)
Chaotic Ana (2007, Spain, Julio Medem)
Africa United (2005, Iceland, Olaf de Fleur Johannesson)
Star Spangled to Death (2004, USA, Ken Jacobs)
Embodiment of Evil (2009, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse (1967, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
The Strange World of José Mojica Marins (2001, Brazil, André Barcinski/Ivan Finotti)
Awakening of the Beast (1970, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
Les Ordres (1974, Canada, Michel Brault): 10
demonLover (2002, France, Olivier Assayas)
Zidane (2006, France/Iceland, Douglas Gordon/Philippe Parreno): museum installation
End of Man (1971, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)

How Do You Know (2010, USA, James L. Brooks): 7.5
Ratas, ratones, rateros (1999, Ecuador, Sebastián Cordero)
Nightmare Alley (1947, USA, Edmund Goulding)
Burlesque (2010, USA, Steve Antin)
The Way Back (2010, USA, Peter Weir)
The Holy Girl (2004, Argentina co-production, Lucrecia Martel)
Thirst (2009, South Korea, Chan-wook Park): 7
Warrendale (1968, Canada, Allan King)
Come on Children (1972, Canada, Allan King)
Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company (2005, Canada, Allan King)
Dying at Grace (2003, Canada, Allan King)
Game (2011, India, Abhinay Deo): 4
Shor in the City (2011, India, Krishna D.K, Raj Nidimoru): 8.5
The Naked Kiss (1964, USA, Samuel Fuller)
Hereafter (2010, USA, Clint Eastwood)
Summer Wars (2009, Japan, Mamoru Hosoda): 8
A Serbian Film (2010, Serbia, Srdjan Spasojevic)
Chalo Dilli (2011, India, Shashant Shah): 8.5
White Dog (1982, USA, Samuel Fuller): 8
Bee Movie (2007, USA, Steve Hickner/Simon J. Smith)
The Colors of the Mountain (2010, Colombia/Panama, Carlos César Arbeláez): 7
Thieves’ Highway (1949, USA, Jules Dassin)
Dum Maro Dum (2011, India, Rohan Sippy): 6
Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010, USA, James Nguyen): 2
Taxidermia (2006, Hungary co-production, György Pálfi): 6
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009, USA, Phil Lord/Chris Miller)
House (1977, Japan, Nobuhiko Ôbayashi)
Iron Island (2005, Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof): 9
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011, USA, Jennifer Yuh): 4.5
Days of Heaven (1978, USA, Terrence Malick): 9
A Ilha da Morte (2006, Brazil/Cuba/Spain, Wolney Oliveira)
The Case of the Grinning Cat (2004, France, Chris Marker)
Buried (2010, Spain/USA/France, Rodrigo Cortés): 9
Monsters (2010, UK, Gareth Edwards): 8
The Red and the White (1968, Hungary/USSR, Miklós Jancsó)
Evangelion: 1.1 (2007, Japan, Masayuki/Kazuya Tsurumaki/Hideaki Anno)
The Tourist (2010, USA/France, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)
The Thin Red Line (1998, USA, Terrence Malick): 7.5
The New World (2005, USA, Terrence Malick): 9
Elite Squad (2007, Brazil co-production, José Padilha): 6.5
7 Khoon Maaf (2011, India, Vishal Bhardwaj)
Margarette’s Feast (2003, Brazil/USA, Renato Falcão): 7
The Incredibles (2004, USA, Brad Bird)
I Am (2010, India/Japan, Onir)
Once Upon a Time in Rio (2008, Brazil, Breno Silveira)
Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Chile co-production, Patricio Guzmán): 9
Marigold (2007, USA/India/UK, Willard Carroll)
Extract (2009, USA, Mike Judge)
Biutiful (2010, Mexico/Spain, Alejandro González Iñárritu): 6
Barney’s Version (2010, Canada/Italy, Richard J. Lewis): 7.5
Carancho (2010, Argentina co-production, Pablo Trapero): 8.5
Shaitan (2011, India, Bejoy Nambiar): 7
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971, USA, Monte Hellman): 9
Mademoiselle Chambon (2009, France, Stéphane Brizé): 8
Film socialisme (2010, Switzerland/France, Jean-Luc Godard): 5.33
Spite Marriage (1929, USA, Buster Keaton/Edward Sedgwick)
Horny House of Horror (2010, Japan, Jun Tsugita)
Meek’s Cutoff (2010, USA, Kelly Reichardt): 9
The Tree of Life (2011, USA, Terrence Malick): 9
Gerry (2002, USA, Gus Van Sant)
Cedar Rapids (2011, USA, Miguel Arteta): 7.5
Tokyo Sonata (2008, Japan co-production, Kiyoshi Kurosawa): 9
Marwencol (2010, USA, Jeff Malmberg)
Conviction (2010, USA, Tony Goldwyn)
Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap (2011, India, Puri Jagannath): 1
Zindegi Na Milegi Dobara (2011, India, Zoya Akhtar): 7
Blackthorn (2011, Spain/USA/Bolivia/France, Mateo Gil): 5.5
Beyond the Black Rainbow (2011, Canada, Panos Cosmatos): 6.5
Gantz (2010, Japan, Shinsuke Sato): 7.5
Gantz: Perfect Answer (2011, Japan, Shinsuke Sato): 6.5
Article 12 (2010, UK/Argentina, Juan Manuel Biaiñ): 5
Dharma Guns (2010, France/Portugal, F.J. Ossang): 6
Morituris (2011, Italy, Raffaele Picchio): 2
Redline (2009, Japan, Takeshi Koike): 7.5

Beau Travail (1999, France, Claire Denis): 9
Friday Night (2002, France, Claire Denis): 7
Delhi Belly (2011, India, Abhinay Deo): 4
Bheja Fry 2 (2011, India, Sagar Ballary): 1
Nénette et Boni (1996, France, Claire Denis): 8
I Saw the Devil (2010, South Korea, Jee-woon Kim): 6.5
Friends with Benefits (2011, USA, Will Gluck): 5
Singham (2011, India, Rohit Shetty): 3
The Night Watchman (2011, Mexico/USA, Natalia Almada)
Source Code (2011, USA/France, Duncan Jones): 6
13 Assassins (2010, Japan/UK, Takashi Miike): 7
New York, I Love You (2009, USA, multiple): 6
White Material (2009, France/Cameroon, Claire Denis): 9
Sucker Punch (2011, USA, Zack Synder): 5
My Dog Tulip (2009, USA, Paul Fierlinger / Sandra Fierlinger)
Miral (2010, France co-production, Julian Schnabel): 5
Double Indemnity (1944, USA, Billy Wilder)
L’Intrus (2004, France, Claire Denis): 10
VIPs (2010, Brazil, Toniko Melo)
Stake Land (2010, USA, Jim Mickle): 4
Road to Nowhere (2011, USA, Monte Hellman): 7.5
Zookeeper (2011, USA, Frank Coraci): 5
Undertow (2009, Peru co-production, Javier Fuentes-León): 9
Trollhunter (2010, Norway, André Øvredal): 6.5

The Wind Will Carry Us (1999, Iran, Abbas Kiarostami): 10
Aarakshan (2011, India, Prakash Jha): 5.5
Bhindi Baazaar (2011, India, Ankush Bhatt): 3
Rango (2011, USA, Gore Verbinski): 6
Tickets (2005, Italy/UK, Abbas Kiarostami/Ken Loach/Ermanno Olmi): 6
Badlands (1973, USA, Terrence Malick): 7.5
Taste of Cherry (1997, Iran, Abbas Kiarostami): 10
99.9 FM (2005, India, Sanjay Bhatia)
Ten (2002, Iran, Abbas Kiarostami): 8
Raat Gayi, Baat Gayi? (2009, India, Saurabh Shukla)
Insignificance (1985, UK, Nicolas Roeg)
Night and Day (2008, South Korea, Hong Sang-soo): 8
Paul (2011, USA/UK, Greg Mottola): 6
The Desert of Forbidden Art (2010, Russia/USA/Uzbekistan, Tchavdar Georgiev/Amanda Pope): 9
Drive (2011, USA, Nicolas Winding Refn): 9
The Mist (2007, USA, Frank Darabont)
Guilt (2011, Canada, Marc Bisaillon)
Maria, my Love (2011, USA, Jasmine McGlade Chazelle)
Heat Wave (2011, France, Jean-Jacques Jauffret)
The Sacrament of Life (2008, USA, Joseph Sorrentino)
Kill List (2011, UK, Ben Wheatley)
Flowers of Evil (2010, France, David Dusa)
Radio Free Albemuth (2010, USA, John Alan Simon)
Old Goats (2010, USA, Taylor Guterson)
Alps (2011, Greece, Giorgos Lanthimos)
The Whisperer in the Darkness (2011, USA, Sean Branney)
Sunflower Hour (2011, Canada, Aaron Houston)
Journey of a Dream (2011, Canada co-production, Shenpenn Khymsar)
George the Hedgehog (2011, Poland, Wojtek Wawszczyk, Jakub Tarkowski, Tomasz Leśniak)
Target (2011, Russia, Alexander Zeldovich)
In Heaven, Underground (2011, Germany, Britta Wauer)
Cold Fish (2010, Japan, Sion Sono)
Le Quattro Volte (2010, Italy co-production, Michelangelo Frammartino): 10
Black Bread (2010, Spain/France, Agustí Villaronga)
Bon appétit (2010, Switzerland co-production, David Pinillos)
Kopfkino (2011, Germany, Serdar Dogan)
Stuff (2010, USA, Lawrence Johnson)
Of Games and Escapes (2010, Canada, Bevan Klassen)
Melancholia (2011, Denmark co-production, Lars von Trier): 9
Senna (2010, UK, Asif Kapadia): 8.5
Page One: Inside the New York Times (2011, USA, Andrew Rossi): 6.5

Win/Win (2011, USA, Thomas McCarthy)
Tere Mere Phere (2011, India, Deepa Sahi): 7
Saheb Biwi aur Gangster (2011, India, Tigmanshu Dhulia): 8
Midnight in Paris (2011, Spain/USA, Woody Allen): 8
Last Night (2010, USA/France, Massy Tadjedin): 6
Fast Five (2011, USA, Justin Lin): 5
Thor (2011, USA, Kenneth Branagh): 6
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop (2011, USA, Rodman Flender)
Super (2010, USA, James Gunn): 4
Hanna (2011, USA/UK/Germany, Joe Wright): 6
The Beaver (2011, USA/UAE, Jodie Foster): 5.5
The Two Escobars (2010, Colombia/USA, Jeff Zimbalist/Michael Zimbalist)
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011, India, Ali Abbas Zafar): 4
Killers (2010, USA, Robert Luketic)
Step Up 3 (2010, USA, Jon M. Chu): 5
Too Big To Fail (2011, USA, Curtis Hanson): 7
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010, France, Luc Besson): 6
Margin Call (2011, USA, J.C Chandor): 8
War, Love, God and Madness (2008, UK/Iraq, Mohamed Al Daradji)
Horrible Bosses (2011, USA, Seth Gordon): 8
Sleeping Beauty (2011, Australia, Julie Leigh): 5
Bridesmaids (2011, USA, Paul Feig): 6.5
Mad Men, Season One (2007, USA, multiple): 9
Breaking Bad, Season One (2008, USA, multiple)
Cold Weather (2010, USA, Aaron Katz): 8
Thief (1981, USA, Michael Mann)
That Girl in Yellow Boots (2010, India, Anurag Kashyap): 6
The Turin Horse (2011, Hungary co-production, Béla Tarr/Ágnes Hranitzky): 9

The Kid With a Bike (2011, Belgium co-production, Jean-Pierre Dardenne/Luc Dardenne): 9
Contagion (2011, USA/UAE, Steven Soderbergh): 7.5
Bad Teacher (2011, USA, Jake Kasdan): 5
Mr. Freedom (1969, France, William Klein)
Army of Crime (2009, France, Robert Guédiguian)
Brighton Rock (2010, UK, Rowan Joffe): 6
Aurora (2010, Romania co-production, Cristi Puiu): 9
Mad Men, Season Two (2008, USA, multiple): 8
Mad Men, Season Three (2009, USA, multiple): 7.5
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011, USA, Morgan Spurlock): 6
The Ides of March (2011, USA, George Clooney): 8.5
Surveillance (2008, USA/Germany/Canada, Jennifer Lynch): 5.5
Jaan-E-Mann (2006, India, Shirish Kunder): 3
Cars 2 (2011, USA, John Lasseter/Brad Lewis): 6.5
Bal/Honey (2010, Turkey co-production, Semih Kaplanoglu): 8
City of Life and Death (2009, China/Hong Kong, Chuan Lu)
Moneyball (2011, USA, Bennett Miller): 8
Tuesday, After Christmas (2010, Romania, Radu Muntean): 8
A Separation (2011, Iran, Asghar Farhadi): 9.5
The Delicate Art of Parking (2003, Canada, Trent Carlson)
The Housemaid (2010, South Korea, Sang-soo Im)
The Red Chapel (2009, Denmark, Mads Brügger)
Hugo (2011, USA, Martin Scorsese): 8
Man Men Season 4 (2010, USA, multiple): 9.5
Son of Babylon (2009, Iraq co-production, Mohamed Al-Daradji): 8
The Arbor (2010, UK, Clio Barnard): 8

The Bothersome Man (2006, Norway/Iceland, Jens Lien): 6.5
Last Days (2005, USA, Gus Van Sant)
Last Stop 174 (2008, Brazil/France, Bruno Barreto): 5
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011, USA, Glenn Ficarra/John Requa): 8
Pina (2011, Germany/France/UK, Wim Wenders)
The Dirty Picture (2011, India, Milan Luthria): 7
Red State (2011, USA, Kevin Smith): 5
The Skin I Live In (2011, Spain, Pedro Almodóvar): 7
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011, UK/USA, Lynne Ramsay): 8.5
Tyrannosaur (2011, UK, Paddy Considine): 7.5
Another Earth (2011, USA, Mike Cahill): 4
Love Crime (2010, France, Alain Corneau): 8
Caliber 9 (1972, Italy, Fernando Di Leo)
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010, co-production, Werner Herzog)
The Artist (2011, France/Belgium, Michel Hazanavicius): 7.5
Wrecked (2010, Canada/USA, Michael Greenspan): 6.5
Clueless (1995, USA, Amy Heckerling)
Tinker, Tailor, Traitor, Spy: BBC Series (1979, UK, John Irvin)
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011, Sweden, Göran Olsson)
Even the Rain (2010, Mexico co-production, Icíar Bollaín)
Arthur Christmas (2011, UK/USA, Sarah Smith/Barry Cook): 5.5
Terri (2011, USA, Azazel Jacobs): 7
Miss Bala (2011, Mexico, Gerardo Naranjo)
Carnage (2011, France co-production, Roman Polanski)
BellFlower (2011, USA, Evan Glodell): 5
Trust (2010, USA, David Schwimmer): 7.5
An Idiot Abroad: Season 1 (2010, UK, multiple)
Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011, India, Maneesh Sharma): 8
Desi Boyz (2011, India, Rohit Dhawan): 0
Gandhi to Hitler (2011, India, Rakesh Ranjan Kumar)
Rio Sex Comedy (2010, France/Brazil, Jonathan Nossiter): 6.5
Buck (2011, USA, Cindy Meehl)
The Battle of Chile (1978, Chile, Patricio Guzmán)
O’Horten (2006, Norway co-production, Bent Hamer): 7.5
The Italian Connection (1972, Italy/West Germany, Fernando Di Leo)
Poetry (2010, South Korea, Lee Chang-dong)
The Boss (1973, Italy, Fernando di Leo)
Yeh Saali Zindigi (2011, India, Sudhir Mishra): 7
Rulers of the City (1976, Italy/West Germany, Fernando di Leo)
The Descendants (2011, USA, Alexander Payne): 7.5
Weekend (2010, UK, Andrew Haigh): 8
Tomboy (2011, France, Céline Sciamma): 7
Kidnapped (2010, Spain/France, Miguel Ángel Vivas): 0
Rapt (2009, France/Belgium, Lucas Belvaux)
Attack the Block (2011, UK/France, Joe Cornish): 7