The whirlwind season of awards, top-10 picks and year-end pontifications on the present state of cinema is upon us again. Below we've reprinted a few lists recently published by established film organisations/magazines.
Holy Motors
We've already seen so many best-of-2012 nominations from the US (and there are more to come), but lists of favourites from other territories deserve exposure, too. So we've included here the year's top films as chosen by Cahiers du Cinema, that French bastion of cinema intellectualism, and Sight & Sound, the British Film Institute's respected periodical.
Our own list of favourites, plus comments, will appear in this space next Friday.
CAHIERS DU CINEMA (Chosen by the magazine's critics)
1. Holy Motors by Leos Carax (this movie about a shape-shifting man was shown here last month at the World Film Festival of Bangkok).
2. Cosmopolis by David Cronenberg (released earlier this year).
3. Twixt by Francis Ford Coppola (Coppola's dark fantasy was panned by most critics, but praised by the French; it's unlikely to be released here).
4. 4:44 Last Day On Earth by Abel Ferrara (came out last year and is unlikely to be released here).
5. In Another Country by Hong Sang-soo (a Korean film starring French actress Isabelle Huppert; unlikely to get a local release).
6. Take Shelter by Jeff Nichols (released here last year!).
7. Go Go Tales by Abel Ferrara (this one is actually three years old).
8. Tabu by Miguel Gomes (a real gem from this Portuguese film-maker; unlikely to be released here).
9. Faust by Alexander Sokurov (came out last year and is unlikely to get a local release).
10. Keep The Lights On by Ira Sachs (a much-admired gay film that's unlikely to get a screening here).
SIGHT & SOUND UK (compiled from the votes of 100 critics around the world, including yours truly)
1. The Master by Paul Thomas Anderson (still playing at Bangkok's Lido cinema).
2. Tabu by Miguel Gomes.
3. Amour by Michael Haneke (this Palme d'Or-winning drama about a French couple during their last days is due to open here next month).
4. Holy Motors by Leos Carax.
5. Beasts Of The Southern Wild by Benh Zeitlin (unlikely to be released here).
= Berberian Sound Studio by Peter Strickland (unlikely to be released here).
7. Moonrise Kingdom by Wes Anderson (released here in June).
8. Beyond The Hills by Christian Mungiu (a Romanian/French/Belgian co-production which is unlikely to be released here).
= Cosmopolis by David Cronenberg.
= Once Upon A Time In Anatolia by Nuri Bilge Ceylan (this Turkish police drama was screened here last year during the World Film Festival).
= This Is Not A Film by Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmaseb (Panahi is currently serving a jail sentence in Iran for "committing propaganda"; this documentary was smuggled out and was first screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival).
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty (deals with the hunt for Osama bin Laden; due to open in Thailand on Jan 31).
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, for Zero Dark Thirty.
Best Screenplay: Tony Kushner, for Lincoln (possibly opening here in February).
Best Actress: Rachel Weisz, in The Deep Blue Sea (look out for a DVD of this searing romantic drama set in post-war London).
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, in Lincoln.
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour.
LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS AWARD
Best Picture: Amour, by Michael Hanake.
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, for The Master.
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, in The Master.
Best Actress: There was a tie between Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook (opening here in February) and Emmanuelle Riva in Amour.Best Foreign Language Film: Holy Motors, by Leos Carax.
