The past year was a great year in film and 2013 looks to be just as promising. Here are the films most prominent on my radar.

10. Inside Llewyn Davis - The Coen Brothers

The Coen brother’s latest film. Oscar possibilities?

9. To the Wonder/Knight of Cups - Terrence Malick

The two films from Terrence Malick scheduled for a 2013 release. Each of Malick’s five films to this point have been amazing, so I am expecting the same quality from these two.

8. Stoker - Park Chan Wook

The first American production from the legendary Korean auteur. Obviously I am excited.

7. Only God Forgives - Nicholas Winding Refn

The Danish auteur’s follow up to Drive, one of my favorite movies of 2011.

6. The Place Beyond the Pines - Derek Cianfrance

Cianfrance’s last film, Blue Valentine, was great and has me excited to see what he does next.

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The Cinehipster Special - The cinehipster special is a selection that merely mentioning could immediately get me labeled a hipster for liking or anticipating.

Runner up: Top of the Lake - Jane Campion

This is playing at Sundance now. It’s a 5 or 6 hour miniseries. Cinehipster written all over it, so obviously I’m excited

Winner : Don Jon’s Addiction -Joseph Gordon-Levitt

This is also at Sundance now. My hipster idol’s directorial debut. That would be Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I love the guy. I’m excited to see if he can direct. Blatantly Cinehipster.

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Now on to the rest…

5. Prince Avalanche - David Gordon Green

Looks to be David Gordon Green’s return to form.

4. Mud - Jeff Nichols

Nichols has made two features and both have been fantastic. His last film, Take Shelter was one of the best films of 2011.

3. Twelve Years a Slave - Steve McQueen

I’ve watched two of McQueen’s films, Hunger and Shame, and both were fantastic. His latest film stars both Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender.

2. Like Someone in Love - Abbas Kiarostami

After learning of Kiarostami a year or two ago and seeing a couple of his films I will now always be looking forward to his work, as he is a special filmmaker.

1. The Grandmaster - Wong Kar Wai

Wong Kar Wai is the auteur of the best film I’ve ever seen, In the Mood For Love. His latest film is about the martial arts master Ip Man. Combining these two points makes this film easily my most anticipated of 2013.

I have expressed my love of lists in the past. This year is no different. I present what I believe to be the ten best films of 2012, with a few honorable mentions.

First, the notable films that I did not see, in alphabetical order:

Amour
Anna Karenina
Arbitrage
Dredd
Holy Motors
Rust and Bone
Searching for Sugarman
The Sessions
This Is Not a Film
The Turin Horse

Honorable Mentions in alphabetical order:

The Cabin in the Woods
Flight
I Wish
The Kid With a Bike
Killer Joe
Moonrise Kingdom
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Skyfall


10. Prometheus - I’ve heard a lot of “I don’t get this movie” and “There are too many plot holes”. Shut up and enjoy the movie. It’s meant to be interpreted on your own.

9. The Dark Knight Rises - Christopher Nolan doing amazing work again. Can somebody give this guy some serious credit? Also, I like Bane impressions and I will like them forever.

8. Beasts of the Southern Wild - An amazing film that left me feeling hopeful and inspired.

7. Argo - Ben Affleck deserved the Academy Award in Directing for this superb film.

6. Silver Linings Playbook - I did not think Bradley Cooper could act this well. Jennifer Lawrence is great, and the script and the editing are standouts.

5. Django Unchained - Probably the best time I had at the cinema all year. Sometimes I like Tarantino and other times I’m not sure what to think. Django is some of his best work in my eyes.

4. Looper - This was my most anticipated film coming into 2012 and it did not disappoint. I really want to put this number 1 because I love it so much and have immense respect for Rian Johnson, but I suppose I should somewhat corral the fanboy in me and just put it here.

3. Life of Pi - A visual masterpiece. I never imagined a film could look this good.

2. Zero Dark Thirty - The most engaged I have ever been in a film. It had my full attention from the first minute to the closing credits, and that is a testament to the direction, writing, cinematography and editing. Close to being the best of the year had it not been for…

1. The Master - One of the true marks of a great, generation defining film is it’s ambition and scope, and the debates and contrasting viewpoints that follow it. The Master is one of those films. It’s divisive, confusing, and vague, but it is all those things intentionally. Paul Thomas Anderson weaves this web of crazy and beauty and leaves you with a feeling of “What the hell did I just watch?”, and I love it.

I’ve gathered the motivation, interest, and free time to start a new film project. This time around I’m going to watch at least one film per day, and the films will rotate each day between a Criterion release that I own and other films I own or that are available instantly to view. One day I’ll watch a Criterion and it’s supplements, then the next day I’ll watch something else that isn’t Criterion, and then I’ll keep the cycle going. The order of the Criterions I’ll watch will be determined by the year of the films release and I’ll watch the films from the oldest to the most recent.

I own about 60 Criterion DVDs and Blu-rays, so adding in the 60 other films to match gives me 120 films
to watch. That is about 4-5 months of movies. I know there may be days where I watch more than one film, days where I am unable to watch a film, or days where the Criterion supplements cause me to use multiple days for one film. Therefore, it could take anywhere between 4-6 months.

I’ll share my daily film viewing and opinion over on twitter @Ichifox and I’ll try to share a weekly/bi-weekly/monthly opinion here on this page.

With the daily post on twitter @Ichifox I’ll share what film I watched and add a quick review and opinion within the 140 character limit.

First up is “The Phantom Carriage” (1921) and months from now, if I don’t lose motivation, I’ll finish with “Tiny Furniture” (2010).

Check the link. My eBay ID is jsshreve.

criterioncorner:

CRITERION CORNER GIVEAWAY!!! 

The Criterion Prize (all Blu-Rays): 

- WORLD ON A WIRE  

- THE FOUR FEATHERS 

- AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE 

hey there. it’s been a while since i’ve randomly given stuff away, and that doesn’t jive well with my philosophy that love and / or readership should be shamelessly bought. so in honor of some arbitrary milestone or whatever the fact that i can’t be near a computer to post anything today, i thought i’d say thanks for reading by giving away 3 signed, sealed, and delivered new Criterion Collection Blu-Rays! (well, they’re sealed and will be delivered… not “signed,” so much, unless you really want my signature. it has lots of squiggly loops!)

World on a Wire is Fassbinder’s brain-bending sci-fi classic, The Four Feathers is… not my favorite, but it sure does look pretty on your shelf, and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything is Going Fine is a hilariously devastating tribute to the late but emergingly relevant iconoclast Spalding Gray. 

TO ENTER: just “like” and / or Re-blog this post. each note will count as a separate entry, so every fellow Tumblr can therefore submit a maximum total of 2 entries. “liking” the Criterion Corner Facebook page will also earn you another entry, i suppose, but… do people even look at that? i dunno.

giveaway will be closed at 12 A.M. EST on Monday, 7/2/2012. 1 winner will be randomly selected from the notes. so the odds should be okay if not super awesome, but someone’s gonna get something sweet for nothing. also, i’m gonna do this again next week with three other recent Criterion titles, so that’s fun.

good luck, and thanks thanks thanks so much for reading!

*This is an open letter to LeBron James nonbelievers and NBA fans who are younger than I am at 27 years of age

You unappreciative little shits.

In the 24 hours since LeBron secured his first NBA Championship I have heard mostly positive things from sports writers and analysts, but I can’t say the same for a portion of NBA fans. Despite the clear images, facts, and numbers outlining what occurred in the 2012 playoffs and NBA Finals, some fans still seem to not want to give LeBron credit for coming through and leading his team, with the emphasis on team, to victory. Their reasons for lack of credit range from the perception of him learned and adopted from the media, pure nonsensical denial, love of other NBA greats, and personal bias, among other things. In spite of this, we should be able to look past our personal feelings and analyze specific events on their own merit.

How wrapped up in your own bias must you be to deny LeBron credit when it’s due, when you were so quick to grant him the burden of fault in his failure? Get off your high horse of snobbery and acknowledge a great player in what is truly YOUR sports generation. Yes you should always respect and honor those great sports figures of years past, the players that you never really got to see play in the moment and the ones that your memories of are vague, childhood, dreamlike wisps. I am grateful that I have been able to see my generation’s great NBA players grow from young upstarts to young and veteran stars: Duncan, Kobe, Shaq, Wade, Nowitzki, Nash, Howard, Durant, Griffin, and most of all LeBron James. You are younger than me, and just like me, you were never able to watch any of the great players before the early 1990’s, and your memories of the greats of the 1990’s are vague. I was born in 1985. I never saw Russell or Kareem play. I have no memories of Magic and Bird playing, though I am sure I probably watched it as child, simply mesmerized by the moving colors and lights emitting from the television set (my father was a fan of the Celtic teams with Bird, Parish, and McHale)

Of course the one player that the LeBron argument always arrives at is the greatest of them all, Michael Jordan. For some reason you seem to think that he played during your generation, but really, for the bulk of his career, he didn’t. His last of six championships came in 1998. I was thirteen years old when that happened and my memories of that year and the 1997 Finals are very vague. I remember a few specific moments, such as his three at the end of the flu game, but not the whole flu game, and the shot and push on Bryon Russell. My most vivid memories of those two years are Marv Albert’s voice, the sick purple Jazz uniforms, and the retro (ugly) NBA on NBC visual presentation and theme song.  As far as Jordan’s previous four championships (1991,1992,1993, and 1996), I have absolutely zero personal memories in my mind. I was between the ages of six and eleven when they played out. Sure I can watch video of what happened and read stats and articles, but none of those memories are my personal memories.

I consider myself to be a sports fanatic and I have been since about the age of seven or eight, but during my developmental fan years up until about the age fifteen (2000), I was what I consider to be an immature fan.  I watched the events, I looked up to the athletes, but I truly didn’t understand the magnitude of what I was watching. I didn’t fully understand the history of sports and the long lasting emotional impressions that they can have. The way that I have watched sports over the last twelve years is completely different than the previous fifteen.  

My point is that you are just like me.  Your memories of Jordan may be different than mine, but not by much.  Like me, other than the certain moments from the 1997 and 1998 Finals I’m willing to wager that you have no vivid, personal, or emotional memories of Jordan’s career. Everything you know of him is from NBA Finals films and what the older generation tells you. Can you really remember what occurred throughout all of the postseasons in which he won his championships? Do you remember the plays in the 1st quarter of Game 1 just as much as you remember the shot over Bryon Russell in Game 6? During the games were you able to stop and separate yourself from the moment and realize that you were witnessing something truly spectacular that would be unlike any other moment in sports history?  In one simple answer: No. No, you do not. At most you were around ten to twelve years old, and that is at the tail end of his run.  Don’t try to convince me that from age one to ten you were some genius basketball savant who fully understood the history of the game and the ramifications of what was occurring at the time, even if your father, like mine, was telling you over and over just how important it was and that you should take note and remember it.  I dismissed my father because that is what kids that age do.  Now I wish I had matured as a sports fan earlier and listened to him. What can I say, I was young and immature.

Now that I am a more aware sports fan, one thing is for sure.  Over the past two months of playoff basketball, I have savored and appreciated every moment and enjoyed greatness while it was in front of me. I may never see a Finals series fully understood and as enjoyable as the one I just saw, or I could see it all over again next year. You just do not know what will happen.

If you do not step back and appreciate LeBron’s achievement in the 2012 season, postseason, and Finals, then years down the line you will regret it.  As time passes you will realize the fault in denying what was laid out in front of you. Therefore, I implore you to reexamine yourself and your views on the long term impact of this sporting event and don’t take it for granted.

In the distant future when my hypothetical son begins to understand sports, I will be able to tell him that I saw the greatest player of my generation, play a sport that I love, at the highest level, on the highest stage, with the greatest of skill.  How can you, my sports and NBA fan equal, not appreciate that you will be able to do the same?

criterioncorner:

CRITERION CORNER GIVEAWAY!!!

LATE SPRING edition.

hey there. it’s been a while since i’ve randomly given stuff away, and that doesn’t jive well with my philosophy that love and / or readership should be shamelessly bought. so in honor of Criterion’s first Yasujiro Ozu blu-ray (the cover art of which, as with the original DVD, looks sorta like a Tumblr photo post), i thought it might be fun to give everyone out there a chance to take home one of the most beautiful stories about home ever told.

THE PRIZE: 1 Criterion DVD or Blu-ray (your choice, but choose the blu-ray) of Yasujiro Ozu’s LATE SPRING. Depending on the response, i may have more than 1 winner so that the ratio of entrees to prizes isn’t silly.

TO ENTER: just “like” and / or Re-blog this post (or RT on Twitter @Criterioncorner). each note will count as a separate entry, so everyone can theoretically submit a maximum total of 3 entries, if that’s how you roll.

giveaway will be closed at 11:59 P.M. EST on Friday, 4/20/2012. winners will be randomly selected. the odds may not be ever in your favor, but someone (or a few someones) are gonna get something sweet for nothing.

good luck, and thanks for reading!

With the Academy Awards taking place Sunday, marking the end of the 2011 movie year, I thought I would take the time to share my favorites from last year.  I’ve put this off until almost the very last minute, but I am glad because the added time allowed me to watch a few movies for consideration that I otherwise would not have seen by the time I made my list.

*Note: There are two films in particular that I was not able to watch that I believe would have been contenders for my list had I been able to watch them.  This thought is based upon what I have read and heard about them, my particular taste in film, and the previous work of the two directors of the films.  These two films are Take Shelter and Shame. I should be able to view them both in the next couple of months and I am looking forward to that.  Since they are not eligible for my list proper, this recognition will do.

There are many films that I watched in 2011 that I truly loved and enjoyed, but I limited my list to ten.  I’ll acknowledge a few of the others here as honorable mentions and in alphabetical order.  Make sure you check these out.

13 Assassins

Another Earth

The Artist

Attack the Block

Beginners

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Melancholia

Super 8

Terri

Now on to my favorites.


10. Certified Copy - A charming and wonderfully acted film that perfectly captures the relationship between the two main characters, and makes us question and analyze the true nature of that relationship.  This film is joining the Criterion Collection in May.

9. I Saw the Devil - A gruesome and gripping Korean thriller from Kim Jee-Woon.

8. Moneyball - I have loved the sport of baseball all my life, and this is in consideration for my favorite film about it.  I could argue that both Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill would be derserving of Oscars for their roles.

7. The Descendants - This film is a great mixture of comedy and drama, similar to another film that appears higher on my list.  Alexander Payne is a great director and George Clooney’s performance is fantastic.

6.  Hugo - A wonderful film about film

5. Senna - The best documentary I saw all year and one of the best films about sports ever.

4. Midnight in Paris - This film is just a sickeningly charming, fun, and enjoyable experience

3. 50/50 - Similar to The Descendants, this film is a perfect blend of comedy and drama.  It conveys emotions from both ends of the spectrum effectively.

2. The Tree of Life - This film from Terrence Malick encompasses nothing less than the origin of life projected against the dynamics of a Texas family in the 1950’s.  It is possibly the most beautifully shot film I have ever watched and if it does not win the Academy Award for cinematography it should surely be considered a crime against humanity.

1. Drive - This film is well acted, expertly written and directed, and just oozing with style.  It encompasses everything that makes me love movies.  It is just cool and it knows it is.  For 2011, this film’s lack of a Best Picture nomination serves as the best example that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is full of shit.

criterioncorner:

CRITERION CORNER GIVEAWAY!!! 

GODZILLA EDITION

hey there. it’s been a while since i’ve randomly given stuff away, and that doesn’t jive well with my philosophy that love and / or readership should be shamelessly bought. so in honor of the 2012 and the impending doom of our civilization, i thought i’d offer a chance to bring home everyone’s favorite world-destroyer, GODZILLA! MMMRAAAHHHWWWFFFF!! (that’s how Mothra told me to spell Godzilla’s cry, but you can’t ever really trust that guy).

THE PRIZE: 1 Criterion DVD or Blu-ray (your choice) of Ishiro Honda’s GODZILLA. 

TO ENTER: just “like” and / or Re-blog this post. each note will count as a separate entry, so every fellow blogger can therefore submit a maximum total of 2 entries.

giveaway will be closed at 12 P.M. EST on Friday, 2/3/2012. 1 winner will be randomly selected from the notes. so the odds should be okay if not super awesome, but someone’s gonna get something sweet for nothing.

good luck, and thanks for reading!

This is my favorite music from 2011. Keep in mind I listened to a limited number of new albums, so I’m sure there is a lot of great music out there that I just did not hear.  If you music experts have some music that you feel I should hear then suggest it to me and I’ll listen.

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9. Lupe Fiasco - Lasers

This album gets a mention for one song alone. The album is good, but not Lupe’s best. I like a few tracks, and don’t like a few others, but one song stands out as the best socially influenced hip hop song I’ve ever heard.  That song is “Words I Never Said” and I really mean it is the absolute best I’ve heard of what can be classified in the genre of “socially conscious” hip hop. Whether or not that is even a genre recognized or if it’s just made up inside my mind.

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8. Watch the Throne

This is socially aware hip hop, with a “luxury rap” twist, and not the other way around.  Below the surface Jay Z and Kanye speak about various social issues while mixing in the usual “luxury rap”, but in a more clever way.  They are both very clever and smarter with their words than most listeners may think at first. Just listen to “No Church In the Wild” and “Murder to Excellence” for examples.

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7.  Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys

This album is the first time that I have ever really paid attention to Death Cab.  In the years before, I wrote them off as a band that I didn’t really care to hear, but I’m glad I gave them a chance because I love this album. It’s good from beginning to end. Since then I have given some of their earlier work a listen, but I just don’t like it as much, with Ben Gibbard’s stint in/as The Postal Service being the exception.

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6.  Alkaline Trio - Damnesia

This is a collection of past Alkaline Trio favorites, with an acoustic twist. These were all great songs to begin with and some of these acoustic-ish versions may be the best versions of these songs that I have heard.  

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5. Atmosphere - The Family Sign

Within the scope of Atmosphere’s many albums and EP’s, this album is one of my least favorite. With that thought, it may seem odd that it’s one of my favorite albums this year. That’s not a negative evaluation, but simply a testament to just how great their library of work is. I don’t think there is a voice and mind in any genre of hip hop that is better than Slug. There are a few tracks on this album I just can’t get into, but there are also gems like “My Key”, “The Last to Say”, and “Something So”.

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4. Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guilt Pride

It took me a couple of months to really listen to this album because upon the initial listen I didn’t like it much.  After more frequent rotation I began to like it more. It’s catchy, it rocks, and more so than any other band that I have heard in a while, these guys just sound like they know what they are doing and they have a fun time making music.  Great album and a general fun and enjoyable listen.

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3. The Black Keys - El Camino

Just released a little over a month ago, this album has not left my stereo since.  It’s the usual blend of classic, alternative, and southern rock with a blues and soul influence. Funky, smooth, and fun to listen to.

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2. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math

Manchester Orchestra’s 2009 album “Mean Everything to Nothing” is possibly the best indie/alternative rock album I’ve listened to, so I expected a lot from their follow up “Simple Math”.  They didn’t disappoint, as it is great, albeit a little different from their previous work.  The album begins with a quiet and smooth, yet hard hitting emotional opener “Deer”, then charges right into the the hard southern rock sound of “Mighty”.  From there the hard alternative sound continues for the bulk of the album, before lowering back down emotionally for the final few songs.

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1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

The most complete and unique piece of music I heard all year.  From what I’ve noticed, you either love Bon Iver or find it unbearable to listen to, and I’m still not entirely sure how to properly pronounce “Bon Iver” (I tend to lean towards the pronunciation “bone e vair”). This album is melancholy, morose, and pensive with it’s soft sounds and Justin Vernon’s unique falsetto voice.  Despite it’s gloomily beautiful sound I found it gave me a bright feeling when listening to it.  It is an album that is enhanced by listening to it completely from start to finish.  The songs all blend well and it carries a theme and specific emotion through the whole of it. The transition between the last three songs and the closing song, “Beth/Rest”, specifically, is grand and emotionally moving.