The Reader: Year-End Wrapup

It's that time of year: top tens. Some of my favorites are from Film Crit Hulk, Steve Erickson, Slant Magazine, the AV Club, and of course the staff at New Zealand's own Lumiere Reader. I'm sure I'm missing plenty, so add your favorites (or your own!) to the comments section below. Myself, I'm hanging out in snowy Detroit, waiting to see if I can sneak in a screening of DJANGO UNCHAINED before New Year's Day before I finalize my list.

Meanwhile, it's just as interesting to find what people have found in the closet, and Alamo Drafthouse programmer Lars Nilsen has churned up a tantalizing stack of rarities.

One of the most striking films I saw this year was BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO, and this interview with director Peter Strickland by Jason Anderson at Cinema Scope made me appreciate it even more.

Another film I fell for hard is TABU, and every interview with director Miguel Gomes I read makes me more and more desperate for a re-watch. Zachary Wigon interviews Gomes for Filmmaker Magazine, and Giovanni Marchini for Bomb.

And while I was more conflicted about MARGARET, Jaime Christley's excellent interview with writer/director Kenneth Lonergan for Slant makes me want to give it another look.

If you're not sure what films to be excited for next year, Neil Young (no, not that one) has 50 films on his list.

I've linked to Roger Deakins' forum before, but this post at theBLACKandBLUE distills his writing there to 25 tips.

And if you've ever wanted to see a Gangham Style parody that references THE TURIN HORSE, thanks to Kevin Lee, you're in luck.