Some people construct an annual top ten list in the final hours of December, with an eye on the clock, but others diligently begin the list at the start of the year and let it take shape over the course of twelve months. I love to read the evolving lists — Christmas all year long — but I have to admit that I more often belong in the former group, myself.
However, I've been so quiet on the blog this year that I thought it would be a good idea to fill the second episode of the Errata podcast with a recap of some faves of the year as we pass the mid-point. It's not a top ten in the making, just a few good films that came up in conversation.
And joining me, with some favorites of his own, is J. Robert Parks who also spends a few minutes talking with me about the Toronto International Film Festival.
Mentioned in This Episode
TIFF 2006
• Ten Canoes (Rolf de Heer)• Bamako (Abderrahmane Sissako)
• Still Life (Jia Zhangke)
• Dong (Jia Zhangke)
• Requiem (Hans-Christian Schmid)
• 12:08 East of Bucharest (Corneliu Porumboiu)
Films Released in 2007
• Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright)• Waitress (Adrienne Shelly)
• Once (John Carney)
• Regular Lovers (Philippe Garrel)
• Away From Her (Sarah Polley)
• The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierez (Heidi Specogna)
• The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (Rory Kennedy)
• Darkon (Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel)
• Brand Upon The Brain! (Guy Maddin)
DVD's Released in 2007
• Unknown Chaplin (Kevin Brownlow and David Gill)• Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro)
Films Briefly Mentioned, Some Favorably, Some Not
• The Exorcism of Emiliy Rose (Scott Derrickson)• The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu)
• Year of the Dog (Mike White)
• Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright)
• Bad Boys
• Point Break
• The Dreamers (Bernardo Bertolucci)
• The Road to Guantanamo (Michael Winterbottom)
• Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett)
• Sicko (Michael Moore)
Sites to Visit, Stories to Read
• framingdevice.org• 1stthursday.blogspot.com
• "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" by Alice Munro