A Year in Film

Given that I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year I didn't really do too badly to stop biting my nails and to dramatically increase the number of times I went to the cinema compared to 2007. In total, I saw 67 movies, although this includes those I watched on DVD, on the TV or on planes. It was tough to pick my top five of the year, mainly because so many on the list weren't actually released for the first time this year and so didn't count. The following made the final cut, although apart from #5, I'm not really sure I can place them in order of preference, so they are listed chronologically:

1. Lust, Caution (among the first films of the year; not much lust or caution but plenty of tension, sexual and otherwise, plenty of violence and plenty of treachery--of course I liked it)

2. Juno (token comedy; superb soundtrack and hilarious script) 

3. The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly (based on a supposedly unfilmable book, beautifully, stylishly shot, warm, poignant and surprisingly funny)

4. The Dark Knight (in the absence of any films with Clive this year, Christian has to make up the phwoar quotient)

5. Un Secret (I'd better not tell Monsieur E there were two French films on the list)

As for my Sisyphean task to watch all of the films in IMDb's top 250, I've now reached 101, at the last count, although as movies leave and enter the chart so frequently, it's hard to keep up. Here is my complete list of films I have seen this year (not including those I've seen before and remember well enough for them to count):

Les Chansons d'Amour

Lust, Caution

Paranoid Park

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days

Juno

The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly

There Will Be Blood

Patriot Games--TV

A Clear and Present Danger--TV

Breaking and Entering--DVD

My Blueberry Nights

Belle de Jour

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Apartment--DVD

Some Like It Hot

Paris, Texas

Terminator 2--TV

The Orphanage

Street Kings

Best in Show--DVD

LOTR: ROTK--DVD

Funny Games U.S.

The Prestige--DVD

Michael Clayton--DVD

No Country for Old Men--Plane

Sex, Lies and Videotape--DVD

Raiders of the Lost Ark--DVD

All About Eve--DVD

Un Secret

Alfie--DVD

Double Indemnity--DVD

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

High Fidelity--DVD

The Visitor

Female Agents

Casablanca--DVD

Silent Running--DVD

The Dark Knight

WALL-E

Thelma & Louise--DVD

Jules et Jim--DVD

The Bridges of Madison County

The Pianist--DVD

The Duchess

The Edge of Love--Plane

Almost Famous--Plane

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Burn After Reading

W.

Body of Lies

Junebug--DVD

Happy Go-Lucky

Changeling

Zodiac--DVD

The Big Lebowski--DVD

Strangers on a Train--DVD

Out of Africa--DVD

Hamlet--DVD

Easy Virtue

In a Lonely Place

I've Loved You So Long

Kramer vs Kramer--DVD

Kingdom of Heaven--DVD

It's a Wonderful Life

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof--DVD

633 Squadron--TV

Australia