Top Films by Year
Top Films of 2020
Top Films of 2017
Top Films of 2015
No – 7.8
An interestingly ambiguous movie about the power of a superficial ad campaign to bring down a dictator. You have to root for Gael Garcia Bernal – one of cinema’s more appealing actors – but are we sure that “Don-worry-be-happy” is the level of discourse we want in our political campaigns? And in another twist, the […]
The Gatekeepers – 8
I don’t know which was more remarkable: the footage of Israeli security forces battling Palestinians or the unanimity of opinion among the former Shin Bet chiefs who were interviewed. Together they produced stunning confirmation, if any was needed, of the shortsightedness of Israel’s own Middle East policy. As usual, it was the politicians who were […]
Amour – 7.7
An unflinching look at old age in almost documentary mode. The performances are impeccable, and I was even more impressed by Jean-Louis Trintignant than the Oscar-nominated Emmanuele Riva. With scarcely a plot, this is more a portrait, sad or heartwarming depending on your viewpoint. For those of us with aging parents, it is certainly as […]
The Impossible – 8
I was expecting a mawkish story of a family reuniting after being tossed asunder by the 2005 Asian tsunami, but I got so much more. Yes, the “Bennett” family story was there, but it shared the screen with a more macro vision, of the loss and human tragedy suffered by thousands of others. In a […]
Top Ten 2012
1. A Separation and Amour. Every year, it seems, there is a critical favorite that avoids the smaller cities until the deadline for my list has passed. Last year it was A Separation, which opened in 2011 but was far and away the best film I saw in 2012.