Culled from nearly 300 responses via Twitter and Facebook: the best films of the 2010s.
By January 8, 2015
‘Nostalgia for the Light’
Update (1/8): I wrote some further reflections on the poll results over on Slate.
Passing time on Twitter over the holidays, I asked an offhand question: now that we are midway through the 2010s, what are the best films of the decade so far? The response to this question was well beyond what I anticipated: nearly 300 people tweeted their choices, or posted them on Facebook. Holiday downtime be damned, I couldn’t help but compile the results to see which films would come out on top. I also made the following video, which counts down the top twenty-six films. Finding ways to connect them in one sequence led to some interesting tie-ins and overlaps; hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did putting it together:
Before we get to the full results, permit me to share my own top ten:
Certified Copy (2010, Abbas Kiarostami)
Frankly I’m stunned that this film placed so highly in the poll. In an online cinephile age that’s practically drowning in purple prose (and video) poems to the visual stylings of Malick, Scorsese and Anderson (both of them), here is a film whose beauty can’t be distilled into an eye candy compilation for easy consumption. Want proof? Look at thetrailer, which must rank as one of the most misguided and misleading attempts to package a masterpiece. Kiarostami doesn’t rely on elaborate flashbacks or fancy camerawork to dress up his romantic playacting mystery tour between two would be/could’ve been lovers. He simply relies on everyday surfaces—words, gestures, moments—and digs at them from within, leaving us with a bewildering look at how human relationships create their own virtual reality without even relying on technology. The film has a staggering effect that’s hard to distill into words, much less a viral video, but apparently quite a few have felt its force. It’s a kind of cinema that transcends convenience.
Frankly I’m stunned that this film placed so highly in the poll. In an online cinephile age that’s practically drowning in purple prose (and video) poems to the visual stylings of Malick, Scorsese and Anderson (both of them), here is a film whose beauty can’t be distilled into an eye candy compilation for easy consumption. Want proof? Look at thetrailer, which must rank as one of the most misguided and misleading attempts to package a masterpiece. Kiarostami doesn’t rely on elaborate flashbacks or fancy camerawork to dress up his romantic playacting mystery tour between two would be/could’ve been lovers. He simply relies on everyday surfaces—words, gestures, moments—and digs at them from within, leaving us with a bewildering look at how human relationships create their own virtual reality without even relying on technology. The film has a staggering effect that’s hard to distill into words, much less a viral video, but apparently quite a few have felt its force. It’s a kind of cinema that transcends convenience.
‘Consuming Spirits’
Consuming Spirits (2012, Chris Sullivan)
Another delightful poll result was the turnout for Don Hertzfeldt’s DIY animated feature It’s Such a Beautiful Day, a film that had next to no theatrical life, but has gained a cult following on VOD, and ranked second in the poll only to Hayao Miyazaki‘s The Wind Risesamong animated films. As great as that film is, I’m still haunted by Sullivan’s handmade vision of Appalachia, which applies an eclectic array of animation techniques to portray a wholly original gothic universe. It plays like a moonlit trek through an overgrown thicket of crudely exquisite images, flowery linguistic turns and stunning personal traumas, lovely, dark and deep.
Another delightful poll result was the turnout for Don Hertzfeldt’s DIY animated feature It’s Such a Beautiful Day, a film that had next to no theatrical life, but has gained a cult following on VOD, and ranked second in the poll only to Hayao Miyazaki‘s The Wind Risesamong animated films. As great as that film is, I’m still haunted by Sullivan’s handmade vision of Appalachia, which applies an eclectic array of animation techniques to portray a wholly original gothic universe. It plays like a moonlit trek through an overgrown thicket of crudely exquisite images, flowery linguistic turns and stunning personal traumas, lovely, dark and deep.
Goodbye to Language (2014, Jean-Luc Godard)
Covered previously here, this is your reigning National Society of Film Critics champion, Oscar-mongering be damned.
Covered previously here, this is your reigning National Society of Film Critics champion, Oscar-mongering be damned.
Horse Money (2014, Pedro Costa)
Due for release later this year, Costa’s follow up to his celebrated Fontainhas trilogy bears many years of toil and bitterness. The Fontainhas slums that he lovingly filmed no longer exist, and so this film makes its way through a world of shadows and ruin, rooted mostly in memory. Costa’s lead Ventura returns, visibly broken and functioning as both the conjurer and the victim of a host of traumas and ghostly figures who pass the screen. They are rendered in Costa’s trademark use of standard definition digital video, creating dark and sensuous textures, renouncing HD hyperclarity for a more subtle, contemplative beauty rooted in reflection upon a lifetime of national and personal pain.
Due for release later this year, Costa’s follow up to his celebrated Fontainhas trilogy bears many years of toil and bitterness. The Fontainhas slums that he lovingly filmed no longer exist, and so this film makes its way through a world of shadows and ruin, rooted mostly in memory. Costa’s lead Ventura returns, visibly broken and functioning as both the conjurer and the victim of a host of traumas and ghostly figures who pass the screen. They are rendered in Costa’s trademark use of standard definition digital video, creating dark and sensuous textures, renouncing HD hyperclarity for a more subtle, contemplative beauty rooted in reflection upon a lifetime of national and personal pain.
Neighboring Sounds (2012, Kleber Mendonça Filho)
and
Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Patricio Guzmán)
I’ve long expected Asia to take on increasing prominence in world cinema as this century continues, but these days I am more intrigued by films emerging from South America, which consistently find their way in my end-of-year lists. Encountering Filho’s debut feature at the 2012 Rotterdam Film Festival was revelatory, with the film richly working the dimensions of sound as well as image to explore the spaces of a sprawling apartment complex in Brazil. Its dense multi-character narrative gradually unspools to uncover a historical trauma to devastating effect. In contrast to the newcomer Filho, Guzman has been making films for over five decades, and Nostalgia for the Light plays like a career summation, encompassing both his childhood dreams of astrology and his adult tribulations as a political activist and prisoner in Chile. The connections he draws between these two selves are unexpected and heartbreaking, as they speak for the hopes and tragedies of an entire nation.
and
Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Patricio Guzmán)
I’ve long expected Asia to take on increasing prominence in world cinema as this century continues, but these days I am more intrigued by films emerging from South America, which consistently find their way in my end-of-year lists. Encountering Filho’s debut feature at the 2012 Rotterdam Film Festival was revelatory, with the film richly working the dimensions of sound as well as image to explore the spaces of a sprawling apartment complex in Brazil. Its dense multi-character narrative gradually unspools to uncover a historical trauma to devastating effect. In contrast to the newcomer Filho, Guzman has been making films for over five decades, and Nostalgia for the Light plays like a career summation, encompassing both his childhood dreams of astrology and his adult tribulations as a political activist and prisoner in Chile. The connections he draws between these two selves are unexpected and heartbreaking, as they speak for the hopes and tragedies of an entire nation.
‘Neighboring Sounds’
The Silver Linings Playbook (2012, David O. Russell)
I’ve made video essays on all three films Russell directed this decade, something I can’t say I’ve done for any other filmmaker. This would suggest that he is my American auteur of choice, though it wasn’t something I actively sought. I found The Fighter to be grating and hokey, but in The Silver Linings Playbook Russell’s cartoonish mania becomes revelatory. Centered on a borderline likable performer playing a borderline personality, there’s an unease in the middle of this film that ripples out into the entire social landscape it depicts: practically everyone in the film is self-medicating, either riding out the storm inside themselves or waiting for the next one to hit. But throughout this moody film’s peaks and valleys there is a constant surge forward, a search for vindication, a belief that everyone and everything will ultimately lock into place. And of course that happens, this being a Hollywood movie, but there’s joy in marveling at the verve and aplomb with which Russell & Co. deliver the goods. It also pulls off an actorly trifecta: establishing Bradley Cooper as a legitimate talent possessing genuine comedic/dramatic pathos; breathing new life into Robert DeNiro’s carcass; and giving Jennifer Lawrence carte blanche to push her strangely beguiling combo of sagacity and nuttiness to both extremes.
I’ve made video essays on all three films Russell directed this decade, something I can’t say I’ve done for any other filmmaker. This would suggest that he is my American auteur of choice, though it wasn’t something I actively sought. I found The Fighter to be grating and hokey, but in The Silver Linings Playbook Russell’s cartoonish mania becomes revelatory. Centered on a borderline likable performer playing a borderline personality, there’s an unease in the middle of this film that ripples out into the entire social landscape it depicts: practically everyone in the film is self-medicating, either riding out the storm inside themselves or waiting for the next one to hit. But throughout this moody film’s peaks and valleys there is a constant surge forward, a search for vindication, a belief that everyone and everything will ultimately lock into place. And of course that happens, this being a Hollywood movie, but there’s joy in marveling at the verve and aplomb with which Russell & Co. deliver the goods. It also pulls off an actorly trifecta: establishing Bradley Cooper as a legitimate talent possessing genuine comedic/dramatic pathos; breathing new life into Robert DeNiro’s carcass; and giving Jennifer Lawrence carte blanche to push her strangely beguiling combo of sagacity and nuttiness to both extremes.
Stories We Tell (2012, Sarah Polley)
and
Tape (2010, Li Ning)
As personal media-making becomes more ubiquitous, the personal documentary must ask more critical questions about just how to apply all this unprecedented capacity to capture one’s life. Polley’s deep dive into her family’s closet of skeletons works towards a big reveal that would satisfy an above-average TV expose; but with each successive viewing it reveals more of its captivating layers and self-conscious contentions over filmmaking as a tool for fact-finding and interpersonal mediation. These objectives similarly drove China’s DIY documentary scene ever since video cameras became readily accessible there over a decade ago, leading to some of the most groundbreaking recent work in nonfiction cinema. The indie doc scene has lately been stifled under increased pressure from the government, which prompts me to mark Li Ning’s documentary Tape as a high-water mark for personal documentary taken to its limits in China. Li filmed himself obsessively over five years, letting his camera mediate his personal and professional life while also exposing not a few of his weaknesses, pushing the boundary between self-critical honesty and narcissism. Swinging from exultant interludes of guerrilla street performance art to the mundane pressures of life as a husband, father and teacher, this film is an irrepressible landmark of personal cinema.
and
Tape (2010, Li Ning)
As personal media-making becomes more ubiquitous, the personal documentary must ask more critical questions about just how to apply all this unprecedented capacity to capture one’s life. Polley’s deep dive into her family’s closet of skeletons works towards a big reveal that would satisfy an above-average TV expose; but with each successive viewing it reveals more of its captivating layers and self-conscious contentions over filmmaking as a tool for fact-finding and interpersonal mediation. These objectives similarly drove China’s DIY documentary scene ever since video cameras became readily accessible there over a decade ago, leading to some of the most groundbreaking recent work in nonfiction cinema. The indie doc scene has lately been stifled under increased pressure from the government, which prompts me to mark Li Ning’s documentary Tape as a high-water mark for personal documentary taken to its limits in China. Li filmed himself obsessively over five years, letting his camera mediate his personal and professional life while also exposing not a few of his weaknesses, pushing the boundary between self-critical honesty and narcissism. Swinging from exultant interludes of guerrilla street performance art to the mundane pressures of life as a husband, father and teacher, this film is an irrepressible landmark of personal cinema.
‘This Is Not a Film’
This Is Not a Film (2012, Jafar Panahi)
When numerous critics, including me, placed this film at the top of their top ten lists in 2012, Jonathan Rosenbaum, one of the most ardent longstanding supporters of Panahi’s films, complained that people were jumping on a political bandwagon after paying little attention to Panahi’s earlier films. Rosenbaum considers those works to be cinematically superior to This Is Not a Film, Panahi’s desperate attempt to continue his filmmaking practice while under house arrest in Iran by using mini digital camcorders and an iPhone. I’ve watched and admired Panahi’s films for over a decade as exemplary works of arthouse festival cinema, but there was something radically thrilling about watching an auteur attempting to create cinema out of practically nothing, using devices commonly employed by the rest of us. Whether it can be considered a failed exercise in self-consolation or a brilliantly realized artistic self-evaluation, This Is Not a Film has the honesty to confront the prospects of cinema in a world without cinema, which in many respects may be a world towards which we may be lurching, unknowingly yet inexorably. A world where movies exist everywhere and nowhere at once, and where their infinite accessibility, replicability and malleability may lead to their dilution… and reconstitution into who knows what else next.
When numerous critics, including me, placed this film at the top of their top ten lists in 2012, Jonathan Rosenbaum, one of the most ardent longstanding supporters of Panahi’s films, complained that people were jumping on a political bandwagon after paying little attention to Panahi’s earlier films. Rosenbaum considers those works to be cinematically superior to This Is Not a Film, Panahi’s desperate attempt to continue his filmmaking practice while under house arrest in Iran by using mini digital camcorders and an iPhone. I’ve watched and admired Panahi’s films for over a decade as exemplary works of arthouse festival cinema, but there was something radically thrilling about watching an auteur attempting to create cinema out of practically nothing, using devices commonly employed by the rest of us. Whether it can be considered a failed exercise in self-consolation or a brilliantly realized artistic self-evaluation, This Is Not a Film has the honesty to confront the prospects of cinema in a world without cinema, which in many respects may be a world towards which we may be lurching, unknowingly yet inexorably. A world where movies exist everywhere and nowhere at once, and where their infinite accessibility, replicability and malleability may lead to their dilution… and reconstitution into who knows what else next.
Ten more films that could easily have earned a paragraph: The Day He Arrives; Drug War; Holy Motors; Let the Bullets Fly; Leviathan; Margaret; Meek’s Cutoff; The Strange Little Cat; Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives; and Upstream Color
And here is the full list of all 491 films that received a vote, sorted by the number of votes each received. Special thanks to all who took part in the poll.
‘Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives’
1. The Tree of Life (103 votes)
2. Certified Copy (91 votes)
3. The Master (76 votes)
4. Margaret (68 votes)
5. Holy Motors (66 votes)
6. A Separation (64 votes)
7. Under the Skin (61 votes)
8. Inside Llewyn Davis (59 votes)
9. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (45 votes)
10. Boyhood (44 votes)
11. Goodbye to Language (41 votes)
12. The Social Network (40 votes)
13. Moonrise Kingdom (36 votes)
14. Her (33 votes)
(tie) Leviathan (2012)
16. Mysteries of Lisbon (32 votes)
17. The Act of Killing (28 votes)
(tie) The Turin Horse
19. Before Midnight (27 votes)
(tie) Melancholia
(tie) Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
22. Frances Ha (25 votes)
(tie) The Wolf of Wall Street
24. The Immigrant (24 votes)
(tie) Spring Breakers
Tabu
2. Certified Copy (91 votes)
3. The Master (76 votes)
4. Margaret (68 votes)
5. Holy Motors (66 votes)
6. A Separation (64 votes)
7. Under the Skin (61 votes)
8. Inside Llewyn Davis (59 votes)
9. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (45 votes)
10. Boyhood (44 votes)
11. Goodbye to Language (41 votes)
12. The Social Network (40 votes)
13. Moonrise Kingdom (36 votes)
14. Her (33 votes)
(tie) Leviathan (2012)
16. Mysteries of Lisbon (32 votes)
17. The Act of Killing (28 votes)
(tie) The Turin Horse
19. Before Midnight (27 votes)
(tie) Melancholia
(tie) Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
22. Frances Ha (25 votes)
(tie) The Wolf of Wall Street
24. The Immigrant (24 votes)
(tie) Spring Breakers
Tabu
27. (23 votes)
Amour
House of Pleasures/Tolerance
Amour
House of Pleasures/Tolerance
29. (21 votes)
Grand Budapest Hotel
Like Someone in Love
This Is Not a Film
Grand Budapest Hotel
Like Someone in Love
This Is Not a Film
32. (20 votes)
Upstream Color
Upstream Color
33. (19 votes)
Stray Dogs
Stray Dogs
‘Leviathan’
34. (18 votes)
Drive
Oslo August 31
Drive
Oslo August 31
39. (15 votes)
The Day He Arrives
Film Socialisme
You Ain’t Seen Nothin Yet
12 Years a Slave
Meek’s Cutoff
The Day He Arrives
Film Socialisme
You Ain’t Seen Nothin Yet
12 Years a Slave
Meek’s Cutoff
‘Poetry’
49. (13 votes)
Carlos
Horse Money
It’s Such a Beautiful Day
Stories We Tell
Carlos
Horse Money
It’s Such a Beautiful Day
Stories We Tell
53. (12 votes)
Hard to Be a God
Inception
To the Wonder
Hard to Be a God
Inception
To the Wonder
56. (11 votes)
Blue Is the Warmest Color
Drug War
Nostalgia for the Light
Blue Is the Warmest Color
Drug War
Nostalgia for the Light
59. (10 votes)
Black Swan
Listen Up Philip
Neighboring Sounds
Shutter Island
Toy Story 3
Black Swan
Listen Up Philip
Neighboring Sounds
Shutter Island
Toy Story 3
‘The Deep Blue Sea’
69. (8 votes)
Gravity
The Great Beauty
Inherent Vice
Loneliest Planet
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Museum Hours
Skin I Live In
The Strange Case of Angelica
Take Shelter
Two Days One Night
Gravity
The Great Beauty
Inherent Vice
Loneliest Planet
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Museum Hours
Skin I Live In
The Strange Case of Angelica
Take Shelter
Two Days One Night
79. (7 votes)
The Autobiography of Nicolae Caucescu
Citizenfour
The Grandmaster
The Kid with a Bike
Manakamana
The Only Lovers Left Alive
Stranger By the Lake
Winter’s Bone
The Autobiography of Nicolae Caucescu
Citizenfour
The Grandmaster
The Kid with a Bike
Manakamana
The Only Lovers Left Alive
Stranger By the Lake
Winter’s Bone
‘Museum Hours’
87. (6 votes)
Actress
Bernie
Hereafter
Journey to the West
Laurence Anyways
Nebraska
Romancing in Thin Air
Somewhere
The Strange Little Cat
Tale of Princess Kaguya
We Need To Talk about Kevin
Actress
Bernie
Hereafter
Journey to the West
Laurence Anyways
Nebraska
Romancing in Thin Air
Somewhere
The Strange Little Cat
Tale of Princess Kaguya
We Need To Talk about Kevin
98. (5 votes)
Another Year
The Arbor
Blue Valentine
Closed Curtain
Cloud Atlas
The Duke of Burgundy
In the Family
Jauja
Looper
Norte, The End of History
Of Gods and Men
Oki’s Movie
Post Tenebras Lux
The Silver Linings Playbook
A Touch of Sin
Another Year
The Arbor
Blue Valentine
Closed Curtain
Cloud Atlas
The Duke of Burgundy
In the Family
Jauja
Looper
Norte, The End of History
Of Gods and Men
Oki’s Movie
Post Tenebras Lux
The Silver Linings Playbook
A Touch of Sin
‘Manakamana’
113. (4 votes)
Extravagant Shadows
Almayer’s Folly
Attack the Block
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Beginners
Cabin in the Woods
The Color Wheel
Elena
Exit Through the Giftshop
Future, The
Girl Walk//All Day
The Hunt
Incendies
Le Quattro Volte
Life of Pi
Life without Principle
Lincoln
Molussia
My Joy
Night Across the Street
Nymphomaniac
Perks of Being a Wallflower
A Prophet
Shame
This Is Martin Bonner
Top of the Lake
True Grit
Viola
Extravagant Shadows
Almayer’s Folly
Attack the Block
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Beginners
Cabin in the Woods
The Color Wheel
Elena
Exit Through the Giftshop
Future, The
Girl Walk//All Day
The Hunt
Incendies
Le Quattro Volte
Life of Pi
Life without Principle
Lincoln
Molussia
My Joy
Night Across the Street
Nymphomaniac
Perks of Being a Wallflower
A Prophet
Shame
This Is Martin Bonner
Top of the Lake
True Grit
Viola
141. (3 votes)
Archipelago
Barbara
Beyond the Hills
Blind Detective
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
The Comedy
A Dangerous Method
Dark Knight Rises
Detention
Dusty Stacks of Mom
Faust
A Field in England
Ghost Writer
Girl with a Dragon Tattoo
Gone Girl
Greenberg
In Another Country
Jealousy
Leones
Low Life
Magic Mike
Maidan
Mommy
A Month in Thailand
Ne Me Quitte Pas
Never Let Me Go
Nightcrawler
No
Phoenix
Pompeii
Senna
Snowpiercer
Stoker
Til Madness Do Us Part
Whiplash
Whores’ Glory
Wolf Children
The World’s End
Archipelago
Barbara
Beyond the Hills
Blind Detective
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
The Comedy
A Dangerous Method
Dark Knight Rises
Detention
Dusty Stacks of Mom
Faust
A Field in England
Ghost Writer
Girl with a Dragon Tattoo
Gone Girl
Greenberg
In Another Country
Jealousy
Leones
Low Life
Magic Mike
Maidan
Mommy
A Month in Thailand
Ne Me Quitte Pas
Never Let Me Go
Nightcrawler
No
Phoenix
Pompeii
Senna
Snowpiercer
Stoker
Til Madness Do Us Part
Whiplash
Whores’ Glory
Wolf Children
The World’s End
‘Whores’ Glory’
179. (2 votes)
American Hustle
And Everything Is Going Fine
Animal Kingdom
The Artist
At Berkeley
Bestiaire
Broken Circle Breakdown
Child’s Pose
City of Life and Death
Cold Weather
Consuming Spirits
Contagion
The Counselor
Dialogue of Shadows
The Fighter
Force Majeure
Four Lions
Get Out of the Car
Ha Ha Ha
Heli
Himizu
I Am Love
I’m Still Here
The Illusionist
The Imposter
Interrupters
Interstellar
J. Edgar
Kill List
Killer Joe
Last of the Unjust
The Last Time I Saw Macao
Le Havre
Li’l Quinquin
Like Father Like Son
Lords of Salem
Midnight in Paris
Mildred Pierce
Moneyball
Nobody’s Daughter Haewon
Only God Forgives
Only the Young
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Passion
Petitfogger
Road to Nowhere
Rust and Bone
Seeking the Monkey King
Short Term 12
Skyfall
Sleeping Beauty (Leigh)
Sleepless Nights
Small Roads
Something in the Air
Stemple Pass
The Story of Film
Sun Don’t Shine
A Thousand Suns
Tomboy
Tuesday, After Christmas
Twixt
Two Years at Sea
Ultima Pelicula
Uncle Kent
The Unspeakable Act
Welcome to New York
What Now Remind Me
Wild
Winter Sleep
American Hustle
And Everything Is Going Fine
Animal Kingdom
The Artist
At Berkeley
Bestiaire
Broken Circle Breakdown
Child’s Pose
City of Life and Death
Cold Weather
Consuming Spirits
Contagion
The Counselor
Dialogue of Shadows
The Fighter
Force Majeure
Four Lions
Get Out of the Car
Ha Ha Ha
Heli
Himizu
I Am Love
I’m Still Here
The Illusionist
The Imposter
Interrupters
Interstellar
J. Edgar
Kill List
Killer Joe
Last of the Unjust
The Last Time I Saw Macao
Le Havre
Li’l Quinquin
Like Father Like Son
Lords of Salem
Midnight in Paris
Mildred Pierce
Moneyball
Nobody’s Daughter Haewon
Only God Forgives
Only the Young
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Passion
Petitfogger
Road to Nowhere
Rust and Bone
Seeking the Monkey King
Short Term 12
Skyfall
Sleeping Beauty (Leigh)
Sleepless Nights
Small Roads
Something in the Air
Stemple Pass
The Story of Film
Sun Don’t Shine
A Thousand Suns
Tomboy
Tuesday, After Christmas
Twixt
Two Years at Sea
Ultima Pelicula
Uncle Kent
The Unspeakable Act
Welcome to New York
What Now Remind Me
Wild
Winter Sleep
‘Alps’
248. (1 vote)
13 Assassins
Aita
All Is Lost
All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace
Alms for a Blind Horse
Alps
Amateur
The American
The Americans
Amour fou
Anna Karenina
Argentinian Lesson
Ars Colonia
Attenberg
August and After
Babadook
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
Bellflower
Beloved
Berberian Sound Studio
Biancanieves
Big Charity
Birdman
Biutiful
The Black Balloon
Bleak Night
Bnsf
Buenas noches, Espana
Buzzard
Byzantium
Calvary
Can
case no. 323: Once Upon a Time In the West
Caterpillar
Catfish
Celestial Wives
Century of Brithing
Chicken with Plums
Christening
The Clock
The Conjuring
Crazy Horse
Damsels in Distress
Deaf Jam
Dirty Wars
Doggie Woggiez Poochie Woochiez
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
Dormant Beauty
Double Tide
Dragon Is In the Frame
Dreileben: Beats Being Dead
Easy A
Enemy
Entrance
Escape From Tomorrow
Even the Rain
Family Instinct
Family Nightmare/ Person to Person
Fast Five
Fill the Void
Film for Invisible Ink
Final Cut: Ladies & Gentleman
Fish Talk
Friends with Benefits
From Gulf to Gulf to Gulf
Fruitvale Station
Furious Six
Gangs of Wasseypur
The Gatekeepers
Gebo and the Shadow
Generation
Gimme the Loot
Gold
Goodbye First Love
Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then
The Great Cinema Party
The Grey
Grisgris
Hail
Hanna
Hannah Arendt
Harmony Lessons
Heartbeats
Heaven Knows What
Heaven’s Story
The Help
House with a Turret
How to Survive a Plague
I Killed My Mother
Impolex
In Stone House
In the Shadows
Innocent Saturday
Inside Eternity
The Invisible World
The Iron Ministry
It Follows
Jackass 3-D
Keep the Lights On
Keyhole
Kick-Ass
Killing Them Softly
The King’s Speech
Kotoko
Kreuzweg
Kuichisan
Last Circus
Let Your Light Shine
Life in a Day
Locke
Look of Silence
Lord’s Ride
Lourdes
Love Is Strange
Love Like Poison
Madonna’s W.E.
Margin Call
Marwencol
Maya Deren’s Sink
Me Too
Memory Lane
The Mend
Mes seances de lutte
Messenger
Michael
Midnight After
Miss Bala
Missing Picture
Monument Film
National Gallery
Nightfall
Not Fade Away
Old Dog
On the Edge of the World
Pain & Gain
Party Girl
Philomena
Pieta
Pina
Pirates! In Adventure with Scientists, The
Pitch Perfect
Police, Adjective
Policeman
Polytechnique
Pounding Heart
Pride
Prince Avalanche
Project Nim
Project X
Putty Hill
Qu’ils Reposent en Revolte
The Raid
Red Hook Summer
Red Riding Trilogy
Redemption
Redland
Resident Evil: Retribution
Restrepo
River Rites
River Used to Be a Man
Robinson in Ruins
Runaway
Saint Laurent
The Salesman
Samsara
Saudade
Sauerbruch Hutton Architects
Savages
Searching for Sugar Man
Seduced and Abandoned
See You Next Tuesday
The Selfish Giant
Semi-Auto Colors
Sentimental Education
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
Silence
Silent Souls
Silver Bullets
Simon Killer
A Simple Life
Skydiver
The Sleeping Beauty (Breillat)
Soft in the Head
Something, Anything
The Spectacular Now
A Spell to Ward off the Darkness
Spring
The Square
Stone
Story of Children and Film
Story of My Death
Submarino
Sweet Exorcist
Take This Waltz
Tales of the Grim Sleeper
Tape
These Hammers Don’t Hurt Us
This Is 40
This Is The End
Thou Wast Mild and Lovely
Three Musketeers
Three Sisters
Three Stooges
Tiger Tail in Blue
Tina Delivers a Goat
Tip Top
Tom at the Farm
Tonnerre
Tower
Traveling Light
The Tribe
Tron Legacy
Trypps #7
Un Lac
Undertone Overture
Undisputed III
Universal Soldier: Dor
Unstoppable
A Useful Life
V/H/S 2
Vamps
Venus in Fur
Wadjda
Walker
The Ward
Warrior
We Are the Best!
We Have a PopeWe Have an Anchor
What We Don’t Talk About When we Talk About Love
When Night Falls
White Material
White Shadow
Winnie the Pooh
Woman’s Revenge, A
Wuthering Heights
X-Men: Days of Future Past
You Are All Captains
Zero Theorem
On Spec
Clouds of Sils Maria
God Help the Girl
Portuguese Nun
Vengeance
13 Assassins
Aita
All Is Lost
All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace
Alms for a Blind Horse
Alps
Amateur
The American
The Americans
Amour fou
Anna Karenina
Argentinian Lesson
Ars Colonia
Attenberg
August and After
Babadook
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
Bellflower
Beloved
Berberian Sound Studio
Biancanieves
Big Charity
Birdman
Biutiful
The Black Balloon
Bleak Night
Bnsf
Buenas noches, Espana
Buzzard
Byzantium
Calvary
Can
case no. 323: Once Upon a Time In the West
Caterpillar
Catfish
Celestial Wives
Century of Brithing
Chicken with Plums
Christening
The Clock
The Conjuring
Crazy Horse
Damsels in Distress
Deaf Jam
Dirty Wars
Doggie Woggiez Poochie Woochiez
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
Dormant Beauty
Double Tide
Dragon Is In the Frame
Dreileben: Beats Being Dead
Easy A
Enemy
Entrance
Escape From Tomorrow
Even the Rain
Family Instinct
Family Nightmare/ Person to Person
Fast Five
Fill the Void
Film for Invisible Ink
Final Cut: Ladies & Gentleman
Fish Talk
Friends with Benefits
From Gulf to Gulf to Gulf
Fruitvale Station
Furious Six
Gangs of Wasseypur
The Gatekeepers
Gebo and the Shadow
Generation
Gimme the Loot
Gold
Goodbye First Love
Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then
The Great Cinema Party
The Grey
Grisgris
Hail
Hanna
Hannah Arendt
Harmony Lessons
Heartbeats
Heaven Knows What
Heaven’s Story
The Help
House with a Turret
How to Survive a Plague
I Killed My Mother
Impolex
In Stone House
In the Shadows
Innocent Saturday
Inside Eternity
The Invisible World
The Iron Ministry
It Follows
Jackass 3-D
Keep the Lights On
Keyhole
Kick-Ass
Killing Them Softly
The King’s Speech
Kotoko
Kreuzweg
Kuichisan
Last Circus
Let Your Light Shine
Life in a Day
Locke
Look of Silence
Lord’s Ride
Lourdes
Love Is Strange
Love Like Poison
Madonna’s W.E.
Margin Call
Marwencol
Maya Deren’s Sink
Me Too
Memory Lane
The Mend
Mes seances de lutte
Messenger
Michael
Midnight After
Miss Bala
Missing Picture
Monument Film
National Gallery
Nightfall
Not Fade Away
Old Dog
On the Edge of the World
Pain & Gain
Party Girl
Philomena
Pieta
Pina
Pirates! In Adventure with Scientists, The
Pitch Perfect
Police, Adjective
Policeman
Polytechnique
Pounding Heart
Pride
Prince Avalanche
Project Nim
Project X
Putty Hill
Qu’ils Reposent en Revolte
The Raid
Red Hook Summer
Red Riding Trilogy
Redemption
Redland
Resident Evil: Retribution
Restrepo
River Rites
River Used to Be a Man
Robinson in Ruins
Runaway
Saint Laurent
The Salesman
Samsara
Saudade
Sauerbruch Hutton Architects
Savages
Searching for Sugar Man
Seduced and Abandoned
See You Next Tuesday
The Selfish Giant
Semi-Auto Colors
Sentimental Education
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
Silence
Silent Souls
Silver Bullets
Simon Killer
A Simple Life
Skydiver
The Sleeping Beauty (Breillat)
Soft in the Head
Something, Anything
The Spectacular Now
A Spell to Ward off the Darkness
Spring
The Square
Stone
Story of Children and Film
Story of My Death
Submarino
Sweet Exorcist
Take This Waltz
Tales of the Grim Sleeper
Tape
These Hammers Don’t Hurt Us
This Is 40
This Is The End
Thou Wast Mild and Lovely
Three Musketeers
Three Sisters
Three Stooges
Tiger Tail in Blue
Tina Delivers a Goat
Tip Top
Tom at the Farm
Tonnerre
Tower
Traveling Light
The Tribe
Tron Legacy
Trypps #7
Un Lac
Undertone Overture
Undisputed III
Universal Soldier: Dor
Unstoppable
A Useful Life
V/H/S 2
Vamps
Venus in Fur
Wadjda
Walker
The Ward
Warrior
We Are the Best!
We Have a PopeWe Have an Anchor
What We Don’t Talk About When we Talk About Love
When Night Falls
White Material
White Shadow
Winnie the Pooh
Woman’s Revenge, A
Wuthering Heights
X-Men: Days of Future Past
You Are All Captains
Zero Theorem
On Spec
Clouds of Sils Maria
God Help the Girl
Portuguese Nun
Vengeance
Poll participants on Twitter: @MatheusMassias @rhumanick @juvie_cinephile @brendanowicz @kmsoehnlein @jaimegrijalba @antonioguzman @willow_catelyn @Phil_on_Film @Camera_Angel @AdamCook @EricNBarroso @Carman Tse @NHObis @zacharyzahos @radiocures_11 @vjmfilms @jhansenout1 @skeltonia @labuzamovies @RadBrian @JMOursler @GregCwik1 @LMagFilm @tnyfrontrow @TimGrierson @Aaron_Hammond88 @dallasshaldune @JBontatibus @GoldsmithLeo @dankois @NigelBahadur @DSimolke @FernandoFCroce @notjustmovies @tangoldman @Robxisabeast @whitecitycinema @projectionbooth @Fcardamenis @LucasHolloway @MikeKowzun @Honors_Zombie @ropimenta @brofromanother @DelRaz09 @Nicholas_Olson @anythingplusmor @faraox @videodromology @HANH_9000 @filipefurtado @jlichman @waterwasntbuilt @Amiresque @spinenumber408 @salesonfilm @ta2surya @JordanCronk @zeewillew @davidehrlich @TheEndofCinema @adam_the_k @Eric_Cinematic @JigsawLounge @brendanowicz @erinprovolone @filmi_story @bearclawlewis @hammertonail @E_Film_Blog @cruyffbedroom @FilmatUWG @sallitt @CriticsRoundUp @gemko @msicism @douglenox @tatuurana @railoftomorrow @larryagross @stephendcone @BryanParrill @sbprime @rgodfrey @inessentials @trionout @gorillabear55 @filmvisuality @asherford @JeffMcMahon @HellOnFriscoBay @vrizov @aliarikan @wscoffey @Leigh_Singer @fjafilms @cmasonwells @nictate @m_pattinson @cj_prin @jopleuven @jpraup @marriedtoafly @jackboymilmil @d_arkin @HFXBen @randomfurlong @armenioja @yumyumicecream @astoehr @alexenquist @doctor_morbius @frndbg @bodie32 @Superfluously @JakeDornan1 @TTafelski @DonathanJiaczun @jake_pitre @michaelagrammar @jvorndam @eyeshakingking @Astrostic @mousterpiece @rickcurnutte @mimbale @flmfrkcentral @jjperkins7661 @calvinm @1sttimewatchers @ch_williamson @slowbeard @PhilColdiron @cobblehillis @FilmEssaying @tbelrod @PaulBoyne @SeanBatton @LostInthe Movies @BarnesOnFilm @saywhatagain @QuakeCulture @sarahsalovaara @helioflores @kevinely @PatrickBrianS @kylepuetz bnowalk @digifreak642 @pigsbattleships @bybowes @MatchCuts @GemOfAmara @bucketreviews @EtanHeytan @vonlicorice @vt27 @dollarama3k @flipyourface @armoscientist @mcastimovies @lund_carson @KHAN2705 @grabbin_grain @mdbento @fishingwithnate @markpfeiffer @iatethetv @bronco7732 @salobonavia @micahgottlieb @kdringg @FilmmakerMag @Greg447 @WiltedYouth @MarkRGarrett @BillCurranBC @CorningJames @billreviews @parksidefilms @tnixonTMS @AnayDalal @Kurt__Walker @marshlands @Tghuang @toro913 @ianbarr @bwestcineaste @longpauses @colonelmortimer @BilgeEbiri @faithx5 @charmingmanatee @BWDR @tapestore @DenverCinephile @Brian_Tallerico @conanriquelme @charles_lyons @MasterPrudent @JackKyser @celluloidtweets @GoresEatsFilm @panosanton1 @_SeenThatMovie @arthurtuoto @elidaughdrill @Tativille_MJA @jmslaymaker @OfficialJoeShow @Prewarcinema @filmactually @souzav @aadowd @WineAndPop @RickAtTheMovies @danielhumphrey @Jamie_Goncalves @TyleKurner @Tommy_Prieto @CelluloidAngel @DavidrqLiu @williamstowne @discoshark @IbuHatela @SamFragoso @otiewheeler @unknowcinephile @cinebeats @grahamcarter @tobiasximenez @timhorsburgh @drew_hunt @kelldorain @newdawnfades @JoeCaou @vermanboule @crey014 @makotoyogi @UlrichDerechef @AWHofbauer @VIFFSTER @redroomrantings @calummarsh @tinahassania @harrisonjbender @jhoffman @timothyeraw @cinemablogrpher @gaafgaaf @ForThe Plasma @donhammurabi @pleung2046 Charles Mosner @J_A_F_B @erikgregersen @ShoumikHassin @alsolikelife Nelson Kim @dashielldavies @TwinCinema @daveyjenkins @86Mookie
Poll participants on Facebook: John Olivio, Paul Mollica, Eric Henderson, Zhang Ling, Devon Narine-Singh, Zain Jamshaid, Jeff Zeeman, Marc Ichabod Basque, Marcelo Janot, Jonathan Miller, Chris Luscri, Pawel Wieszczecinski, Sean D Young, Bart Verbanck, David Clapp, Zetes Johnson, Addison de Witt, Dan Kocher, Derek Vincent, Jesse Ataide, Alex Jackson, Michaela Taschek, Allifileti Tupasi Toki, Johannes Duncker, Edo Choi, Kian Bergstrom, Nelson Kim.
Kevin B. Lee is a filmmaker, critic, video essayist and founding editor of Keyframe. His video essay Transformers: The Premake will screen at the 2015 International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Berlinale International Film Festival Critics’ Week Program. He tweets at @alsolikelife.
