There will be no sandbox Detrius 2011 thread.

My feeling regarding TTSS is that Alfredson gives you roughly the minimum visual information needed to piece together the plot specifics, but not much more. I appreciate that very much,

re: Kill List; it basically winds up as a 21st. cent. Wicker Man rehash, but that's still one more idea than most movies of its ilk, and I found the climax well-rendered.

TTSS felt like it was throwing information (exposition, maybe) at you early on, but it all came together really clearly for me. I love that the moment at the end with Strong and Firth had a lot of heft to it because of seeing a polaroid earlier.

Heh, Shame in stark contrast to TTSS in that nothing is left unclear at all. What a rotten movie. One and a half pretty great performances totally wasted.

And bear in mind, I hate sex a whole lot.

A Separation was pretty tremendous. I guess that disqualifies it from winning the Oscar then.

And now I've just realized that it was Ebert's #1 movie of the year, so it'll probably be roundly despised around here.

More ire will and should be directed at his #2.

I was planning to see it tomorrow, though I'm not looking forward to it.

fuck this TTSS, and Alfredson come to think of it. He's been both outremade and pulled off a superfluous rehash.

some people seem to think A Separation is the first really good Iranian film ever (ie, troglodyte blogger Jeff Wells).

yeah, i'm happy enough to see it as a safe, memorable, efficient & worthy #1 for this year, to see it praised, &c; but it doesn't actually stand out for me as a new or unusual film, against the backdrop of other social iranian drama - i think to some degree i'm reminded of panahi just bc it's iran, the urban scenes, &c, but it's v much in that tradition i think, getting under the surface of things in this roaming, weary loop. it is an excellent film & so masterfully woven & paced - like i think someone mentioned hitchcock - but so are a bunch of things, going back ten years

Its probably my favourite foreign nu-release since 4 weeks, 3 months... and a really great melodrama (they don't come round often so treasure them).

Wd be weird for anyone to say its the first great Iranian film since there's one or two of them knocking about every year; and then there are guys like Kiarostami around.

i sorta assume it's people assuming it's the first great iranian film from a position of ignorance, i can't imagine anyone repping for it over the canon. i think about 4 months sometimes, i guess i will get back around to catching some of the new czech/related stuff this year - aurora, if it ever opens, & once upon a time in antolia - but it did seem like a really balanced wave. 4 months got the aesthetics of depicting a place without veering into pure appealing optics totally right - a v beautiful looking film but very restrained, in the right register.

I prefer all the Panahi I've seen to A Separation. By a fair amount.

I think its one of the best Iranian films I've seen, then again I can't say I've seen more than 20. What would the canon be? xp = interesting, love to see more by him.

Austin Film Critics Association:

Best Film:
Hugo
Best Director:
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Best Actor:
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter
Best Actress:
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Supporting Actor:
Albert Brooks, Drive
Best Supporting Actress:
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
Best Original Screenplay:
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Drive, Hossein Amini
Best Cinematography:
The Tree of Life, Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Original Score:
Attack the Block, Steven Price
Best Foreign Language Film:
I Saw the Devil, South Korea [dir: Jee-woon Kim]
Best Documentary:
Senna [dir: Asif Kapadia]
Best Animated Feature:
Rango [dir: Gore Verbinski]
Robert R. "Bobby" McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award:
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter/The Tree of Life/The Help/The Debt/Coriolanus/Texas Killing Fields
Best First Film:
Attack the Block [dir: Joe Cornish]
Austin Film Award:
Take Shelter [dir: Jeff Nichols]

Top 10 Films:
1. Hugo
2. Drive
3. Take Shelter
4. Midnight in Paris
5. Attack the Block
6. The Artist
7. Martha Marcy May Marlene
8. I Saw the Devil
9. 13 Assassins
10. Melancholia

Best Original Screenplay:
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen

Best Original Screenplay:
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen

Best Original Screenplay:
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen

Best Original Screenplay:
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen

ugh that top ten.

at least #8-10 can be defended

picking Rango over Tintin = trying too hard

A couple dozen folks give their best moments of '11:

http://www.movingimagesource.us/articles/moments-of-2011-part-1-20111230

http://www.movingimagesource.us/articles/moments-of-2011-part-2-20111230

I would co-endorse The Trip DVD as having the best deleted scenes of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGqj3WbHDvA&feature=player_embedded

You should watch the tv version. Three hours worth

I believe all the footage excised for the theater version is on the DVD extras.

I watched Weekend: was disappointed by the poignant ending and a couple of the conversational riffs but otherwise a terrific film, precise in depicting the ways in which gays feel most uncomfortable when our straight friends are being most accommodating, and photographing these men in their flats in twilight.