The New York Times: Best Films of 2005
I have always tried to distinguish film studies and film criticism to friends and acquaintances. The former is an analytical, deterministic approach to film theory, film history and film as a socio-cultural phenomenon. Film is treated like a text, much as books are treated as the text in literature studies.
The latter is a populistic take on film as an entertainment vehicle, more detached from the extra-cinematic socio-cultural baggage, and more attuned to the craft of filmmaking.
Film studies discusses the importance of a film. Film criticism discusses the importance of the audience's reaction to a film (and often but not always necessarily give away the plot).
Although USC offers a course on writing for film criticism, I never really learnt anything about film reviewing in my cinema school. Nevertheless, I enjoy intelligent film reviews by intelligent film reviewers. Such reviews understand the scope of cinema and the power of film. Through a populist lensing of film appreciation and spectatorship, they sometimes offer momentary glimpses into the larger picture of film - the larger picture that makes a film more importance than its 120 mins.
Some of my favorite reviewers are from the New York Times. In particular A.O. Scott writes about films in his column with such insight, intensity and lyricism, he actually provides me with added satisfaction to my movie-going experience.
Here, I present NYT film critics' Top 10 Films of 2005. (Note that there is no single collated list akin to an awards show, but individual lists that show the personal nature of film reviewing and appreciation.)
A.O. Scott
The Best of Youth (Giordana)
The Aristocrats (Provenza & Jillette)
Darwin's Nightmare (Sauper)
The Holy Girl (Martel)
Match Point (Allen)
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Park)
Mysterious Skin (Araki)
The Squid and the Whale (Baumbach)
Funny Ha Ha (Bujalski)
Munich (Spielberg)
Steven Holden
Brokeback Mountain (Lee)
Cache (Haneke)
Nine Lives (Garcia)
A History of Violence (Cronenberg)
Grizzly Man (Herzog)
Downfall (Hirschbiegel)
Look at Me (Jaoui)
Junebug
Saraband (Bergman)
The Squid and the Whale (Baumbach)
Manohla Dargis (most esoteric, but also most similar to my taste)
A History of Violence
Brokeback Mountain
Cache
Munich
Regular Lovers (Garrell)
The New World (Malick)
Kings and Queens (Desplechin)
2046 (WKW)
Last Days (Van Sant)
Princess Raccoon (Seijun)
The latter is a populistic take on film as an entertainment vehicle, more detached from the extra-cinematic socio-cultural baggage, and more attuned to the craft of filmmaking.
Film studies discusses the importance of a film. Film criticism discusses the importance of the audience's reaction to a film (and often but not always necessarily give away the plot).
Although USC offers a course on writing for film criticism, I never really learnt anything about film reviewing in my cinema school. Nevertheless, I enjoy intelligent film reviews by intelligent film reviewers. Such reviews understand the scope of cinema and the power of film. Through a populist lensing of film appreciation and spectatorship, they sometimes offer momentary glimpses into the larger picture of film - the larger picture that makes a film more importance than its 120 mins.
Some of my favorite reviewers are from the New York Times. In particular A.O. Scott writes about films in his column with such insight, intensity and lyricism, he actually provides me with added satisfaction to my movie-going experience.
Here, I present NYT film critics' Top 10 Films of 2005. (Note that there is no single collated list akin to an awards show, but individual lists that show the personal nature of film reviewing and appreciation.)
A.O. Scott
The Best of Youth (Giordana)
The Aristocrats (Provenza & Jillette)
Darwin's Nightmare (Sauper)
The Holy Girl (Martel)
Match Point (Allen)
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Park)
Mysterious Skin (Araki)
The Squid and the Whale (Baumbach)
Funny Ha Ha (Bujalski)
Munich (Spielberg)
Steven Holden
Brokeback Mountain (Lee)
Cache (Haneke)
Nine Lives (Garcia)
A History of Violence (Cronenberg)
Grizzly Man (Herzog)
Downfall (Hirschbiegel)
Look at Me (Jaoui)
Junebug
Saraband (Bergman)
The Squid and the Whale (Baumbach)
Manohla Dargis (most esoteric, but also most similar to my taste)
A History of Violence
Brokeback Mountain
Cache
Munich
Regular Lovers (Garrell)
The New World (Malick)
Kings and Queens (Desplechin)
2046 (WKW)
Last Days (Van Sant)
Princess Raccoon (Seijun)
posted by moebius @ 2:47 PM
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