Films I Saw in January

Robert Ryan in The Set-Up (1949).

The Best:

1. The Set-Up - ****
2. After Hours - ****
3. Gun Crazy - ****
4. Separate Tables (x2) - ****
5. Amour
6. Murder, My Sweet - ****
7. Brighton Rock (1947) - ****
8. The Asphalt Jungle - ****
9. Brief Encounter - ****
10. A Woman Under the Influence - ****

More after the cut.

The Rest:
Beloved (2012) - ***
Black Widow - ***
Broken City - **1/2
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - ****
Compliance - ****
Dark Horse - **1/2
The Day I Saw Your Heart - ***1/2
Dredd - ***1/2
Excision - **
Farewell, My Queen - ***1/2
Gangster Squad - ***
Greenberg (x2) - ***1/2
Hobson's Choice - ****
The Impossible - ****
The Innkeepers - ***
The Last Airbender - **
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - ****
M*A*S*H - ****
Michael (2012) - ***1/2
Movie 43 - 1/2
Not Fade Away - ***1/2
ParaNorman - **1/2
Passage to Marseille - ***
Polisse - ***1/2
Prince of the City - ****
Promised Land - ***
The Raven - **1/2
Rust and Bone - ***1/2
The Sea Inside - ***
Slums of Beverly Hills - ****
Wendy and Lucy - ****
Zero Dark Thirty - ****

Rewatched:
The Big Sleep - ****
Django Unchained (x2) - ****
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - ***1/2
Les Misérables (2012) (x2) - ****
Moonrise Kingdom - ****
Out of the Past - ****
Sleepless Night - ****
The Turin Horse - ****
21 Jump Street - ***
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - ****

52 Films Watched - 42 New, 10 Rewatched

Films I Saw in December

Holy Motors (dir. Leos Carax)

The Best:
Alps (x2) - ****
Django Unchained - ****
Headhunters - ****
Holy Motors - ****
The Kid with a Bike - ****
Killing Them Softly - ***1/2
Les Misérables (x2) - ****
Shoeshine - ****
The Son - ****
The Turin Horse - ****

More after the cut.

The Rest:
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - **
Albatross - **
Anna Karenina - ***
Attenberg - ***1/2
Detachment - ***1/2
The Devil's Double - ***
Elena - **1/2
The Fitzgerald Family Christmas - ***1/2
The Forgivenesss of Blood - **1/2
4:44 Last Day on Earth - *
Goodbye First Love - ***
Hitchcock - **
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - ***
Killer Joe - ***
Lay the Favorite - **1/2
A Little Bit of Heaven - 1/2
The Loneliest Planet - ***
A Propos de Nice - ***1/2
The Queen of Versailles - **1/2
The Raid: Redemption - ***1/2
Silver Linings Playbook - ***1/2
Sleepwalk With Me - ***
Trishna - **
The Vow - **
Wanderlust - **1/2
The Woman in the Fifth - **

Rewatched:
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - ****
A Christmas Story - **1/2
Christmas Vacation - ***
The Dark Knight Rises (x2) - ****
Declaration of War - ***1/2
The Deep Blue Sea - ***1/2
Elf - **1/2
The Grey - ***1/2
It's a Wonderful Life - ****
Love Actually - ****
Oslo, August 31st - ****
Pitch Perfect - ****
Skyfall - ****
White Christmas - ****

50 Films Watched - 36 New, 14 Rewatched

Note: Holy Motors is the best film I saw in December, but as most films in my top ten are from 2012, I listed them alphabetically for this month. This way, I don't give away the order of some films that will appear on my year-end list.

Films I Saw in November

One of my new favorite Bergman films.

The Best:
1. The Passion of Anna (x2) - ****
2. Autumn Sonata - ****
3. Witness for the Prosecution - ****
4. Skyfall (x2) - ****
5. Face to Face - ****
6. Norwegian Wood - ****
7. Heartbeats - ****
8. Twelve O'Clock High - ****
9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - ****
10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - ****

More after the cut.

The Rest:
Angel Heart - ***1/2
Beasts of the Southern Wild - ***1/2
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - **1/2
Butter - **1/2
Cheerful Weather for the Wedding - **
Damsels in Distress - **1/2
Darling Companion - **
Declaration of War - ***1/2
The Five-Year Engagement - **
Flight - ***
Hick - 1/2
The Invisible War - ***
Life of Pi - ***1/2
Lincoln - ***
The Man with the Iron Fists - ***
Newlyweds - ***1/2
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia - ***1/2
Perfect Blue - ***
Perfect Sense - ***1/2
The Portrait of a Lady - ***
Practical Magic - **1/2
Return - ***
Ruby Sparks - ***1/2
Safety Not Guaranteed - ***
The Sessions - ***
Sound of My Voice -  ***1/2
The Spy Who Loved Me - ***
Take This Waltz - ***
360 - **
Thunderball - ***
Wreck-It Ralph - ***
Your Sister's Sister - ***

Rewatched:
Casino Royale (2006) - ****
Cloud Atlas - ****
Cries and Whispers - ****
Die Another Day - ***
The Great Escape (theater) - ****
Home Alone - ***
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - ***1/2
Quantum of Solace - ***1/2
The Sound of Music - ****

51 Films Watched - 42 New, 9 Rewatched

Films I Saw in October

This month's best has a little something for everyone...or not.

The Best:
1. Cloud Atlas - ****
2. Pitch Perfect (x2) - ****
3. Oslo, August 31st - ****
4. Heartbeats - ****
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - ****
6. Bride of Frankenstein (theaters) - ****
7. Argo (x2) - ****
8. Sleepless Night - ****
9. Six Shooter - ****
10. Frankenstein (1931) (theaters) - ****

More after the cut.

The Rest:
Arbitrage - ***
Bachelorette - ***
Bernie - ***
The Cabin in the Woods (x2) - ***1/2
Cosmopolis - ***
Delicatessen - ***
Detour - ***
Family Plot - **
Frankenweenie (2012) - *1/2
Fright Night (2011) - ***
Hysteria - **1/2
The Living Daylights - ***1/2
Lola Versus - *1/2
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) - ***
New Nightmare - **1/2
Nobody Walks - **1/2
The Pirates! Band of Misfits - **
The Secret World of Arrietty - ***
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - **1/2
Seven Psychopaths - ***1/2
She's the One - ***1/2
The Snowtown Murders - **1/2
Taken 2 - **1/2
Topaz - **
Under Capricorn - ***
Virginia - ***
Won't Back Down - **1/2

Rewatched:
The Birds - ****
City Lights - ****
Dial M for Murder - ****
The Double Life of Veronique - ****
Eyes Wide Shut - ****
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - ***
Halloween (1978) - ****
Hugo - ****
Lawrence of Arabia (theaters) - ****
Licence to Kill - ***
The Lovers on the Bridge - ****
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - ****
Prometheus - ***1/2
Psycho (1960) - ****
The Silence of the Lambs - ****

52 Films Watched - 37 New, 15 Rewatched

Films I Saw in September

A fascinating little western.

The Best:
1. The Ox-Bow Incident - ****
2. Jackie Brown (x2) - ****
3. Blind Chance - ****
4. Pierrot le Fou - ****
5. Love in the Afternoon (1957) - ****
6. Frenzy - ****
7. Man with a Movie Camera - ****
8. A Separation - ****
9. Tape - ****
10. The Trouble with Harry - ****

More after the cut.

The Rest:
Being Flynn - ***
Blood of the Beasts - ****
Blossoms in the Dust - ***
The City of Lost Children - ***
Conan the Barbarian (1982) - ***
Conan the Destroyer - ***
Cover Girl - **1/2
Elles - **
End of Watch - **1/2
Girl with a Pearl Earring - ***
The Goodbye Girl (1977) - ***1/2
Heckler - **
How to Marry a Millionaire - ***
London River - ***1/2
Looper- ***
The Master - ***1/2
Mysteries of Lisbon - ***
Pal Joey - ****
Salt - ***
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap - **1/2
Thief - ****
Tonight You're Mine - ***
Torn Curtain - ****
A Touch of Class - ***
Trouble with the Curve - **1/2
Weekend - ***

Rewatched:
American Graffiti - ****
The Birds (theaters) - ****
The Deer Hunter - ****
Doctor Zhivago (theaters) - ****
The Exorcist - ****
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - ****
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - ****
The Lost Weekend - ***1/2
Raiders of the Lost Ark - ****
25th Hour - ****
Warrior - ***1/2

47 Films Watched - 36 New, 11 Rewatched

Special TV Mention:

Sherlock: Seasons 1 and 2

One of my new favorites.

Films I Saw in August

Monroe is adorable in The Seven Year Itch.

I had an extremely good month of films, tying last month's tally.

The Best:
1. The Seven Year Itch - ****
2. Ghost World - ****
3. The Thing (1982) - ****
4. No End - ****
5. Werckmeister Harmonies - ****
6. Snatch - ****
7. La Promesse - ****
8. White Heat - ****
9. Manic - ***1/2
10. They Drive by Night - ***1/2

More after the cut.

The Rest:
Across the Pacific - **1/2
Action in the North Atlantic - **
Angels with Dirty Faces - ***
The Astronaut's Wife - **1/2
Boogie Nights - ***1/2
The Bourne Legacy - ***
Deja Vu - ***1/2
The Deep Blue Sea - **1/2
Escape from New York - ***1/2
Europa - ***
Hope Springs (2012) - *
House of Games - ***
Hud - ***
The Hunger - ***
Kiss of the Spider Woman - ***
L.I.E. - ***
Lawless - ***
Little Voice - ***
Man on Fire - ***
The Misfits - ***
Morvern Callar - ***
Nothing But the Truth - ***1/2
A Patch of Blue - ***
Premium Rush - **
The Prince of Tides - **1/2
River of No Return - ***1/2
The Room - 1/2
The Scar - ***
Smart Money - **
Total Recall (2012) - 1/2
2 Days in New York - ***
The Watch - **
Who's That Knocking at My Door - **1/2
Written on the Wind - ***

Rewatched:
American Psycho - ***1/2
The Awful Truth - ****
Black Swan - ****
Boyz N the Hood - ***1/2
The Dark Knight Rises - ****
In Bruges - ****
In the Valley of Elah - ***1/2
Modern Times - ****
Rio Bravo (x2) - ****
Se7en (x2) - ****
True Romance - ****

55 Films Watched - 44 New, 11 Rewatched

Films I Saw in July

My favorite superhero movie ever.

Like Stevee at Cinematic Paradox, I think this is the most films I've ever seen in one month.

The Best:

1. The Dark Knight Rises - ****
2. A Short Film About Love - ****
3. New York, New York - ****
4. A Short Film About Killing - ****
5. Aguirre: The Wrath of God - ****
6. Saraband - ****
7. Margaret (both versions) - ****
8. Carrie (1976) - ****
9. We Need to Talk About Kevin - ***1/2
10. Camera Buff - ***1/2

More after the cut.


The Rest:
The Accidental Tourist - ***
Albert Nobbs - **
Alien: Resurrection - *1/2
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse - ***
The Amazing Spider-Man - **
Butterfield 8 - **1/2
The Flowers of War - **1/2
Heaven Can Wait (1978) - ***
The Last Temptation of Christ - ***1/2
Moonrise Kingdom - ***1/2
New York Stories - ***
Pieces of April - ***
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - **1/2
Salvador - ***
Savages - ***
Serpico - ***1/2
Ted - *1/2
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? - ***1/2
To Die For - ***1/2
To Rome with Love - **1/2
21 Jump Street - ***
W.E. - *

Rewatched:
All the President's Men - ****
Apocalypse Now - ****
The Artist - **** (This might just be my new favorite film of 2011.)
Batman Begins - ***1/2
Casino - **** (This is now in my top ten of all-time.)
The Dark Knight - ***1/2
The Dark Knight Rises (2 rewatches) - ****
Following - ****
Insomnia - ****
M - ****
Mirror Mirror - ***
Mogambo - ***
The Night of the Hunter - ****
Oliver! (in theaters) - ****
The Prestige - ****
Rocky - ****
Shame (2011) - ***1/2
Singin' in the Rain (in theaters) - ****
The Tree of Life - ****

Special Mention:

Earrings

Rather than rank this film by my blogger friend Alex Withrow (And So It Begins…), I thought I'd reiterate my brief thoughts on it. This wonderful film "succeeds on so many levels. The visuals are inspired, the performances natural, the music haunting, and the mood wonderfully restrained." Watch this gem here or here if you haven't already.

52 Films Watched - 33 New, 19 Rewatched

8/2 UPDATE: I checked my Letterboxd diary, and I actually saw 55 films (36 New, 19 Rewatched). I forgot to add After the Wedding (****), Akira (***), and Reality Bites (**1/2).

Films I Saw in June

Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves (1996)

The Best:

1. Breaking the Waves - ****
2. The Roaring Twenties - ****
3. The Last of the Mohicans (1992) - ****
4. Summer with Monika - ****
5. Poetry - ****
6. Rampart - ****
7. Wuthering Heights (1939) - ****
8. Shane - ****
9. Remember the Night - ****
10. Prometheus - ***1/2

More after the cut.

The Rest:
Alice Adams - ***1/2
Alien 3 - ***
Brave - ***
The Fly - ***
Jezebel - ***
Leave Her to Heaven - ***1/2
Les Miserables (1998) - ***
Libeled Lady - ***
Magic Mike - ***
My Summer of Love - **1/2
Natural Born Killers - ***1/2
New Year's Eve - **
Night Flight - **1/2
Rock of Ages - ***
Snow White and the Huntsman - **
This Means War - **

Rewatched:
The Artist - ****
Certified Copy - ****
Code Unknown - ****
The Departed - ****
Dial M for Murder - ****
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - ****
The French Connection (2x) - ****
The Philadelphia Story - ****
Pride and Prejudice (2005) - ****
A Raisin in the Sun (1961) - ***1/2
Rear Window (1954) - ****
The Silence - ****
The Thin Red Line (1998) - ****
Through a Glass Darkly - ****
Two Lovers - ****
We Own the Night - ****
Winter Light - ****

43 Films Watched - 26 New, 17 Rewatched