Bell's 156 Most Anticipated Films, 2013

Well, here it is---another year, another hotly anticipated list. Granted, a few of these titles are wishful thinking (the Zulawski title may be a pipedream) and a few may end up being 2014 titles, but I've tried to weed out most of those (so no Grace of Monaco or The Grand Budapest Hotel). Also, the first seven titles are Sigourney Weaver and Isabelle Huppert projects, so the unbiased list starts at #7, with Ulrich Seidl's Paradise: Love gets that slot (see photo). Of these 156 titles (the Ned Benson project, The Disappearance of His/Hers, which stands as two separate films, I have counted as one at #4), 27 of these are female directors (and of these, 13 are from US, 7 from France).

1. It Is What It Is - Dir. Susanna Fogel (US)
2. Happy Holidays, Katherine Sloane - Dir. Daniel Petrie (US)
3. Abuse of Weakness - Dir. Catherine Breillat (France)
4. Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers, The - Dir. Ned Benson (US)
4. Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His, The - Dir. Ned Benson (US)
5. Tip Top - Dir. Serge Bozon (France)
6. Dead Man Down - Dir. Niels Arden Oplev (US)
7. Paradise: Hope - Dir. Ulrich Seidl (Austria)
8. Girls Will Be Girls Sequel - Dir. Richard Day (US)
9. Dark Matter - Dir. Andrzej Zulawski (Poland)
10. Venus In Fur - Dir. Roman Polanski (France)
11. Only God Forgives - Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn (US)
12. Only Lovers Left Alive - Dir. Jim Jarmusch (US)
13. Tom a la Ferme - Dir. Xavier Dolan (France)
14. To The Eyes - Dir. Michel Franco (Mexico)
15. Last Voyage of the Demeter - Dir. Neil Marshall (UK)
16. Colt 45 - Dir. Fabrice Du Welz (France)
17. Among the Living - Dir. Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustillo (France)
18. All Cheerleaders Die - Dir. Lucky McKee (US)
19. Beauty and the Beast - Dir. Christophe Gans (France)
20. Dances of Reality, The - Dir. Alejando Jodorowsky (Mexico)
21. Horns - Dir. Alexandre Aja (US)
22. Memories of Blue Hill Club - Dir. Lee Chang Dong (South Korea)
23. Maps To the Stars - Dir. David Cronenberg (Canada)
24. Nymphomaniac - Dir. Lars Von Trier (Denmark)
25. Panda Eyes - Dir. Isabel Coixet (UK)
26. Snow Piercer - Dir. Bong Joon-ho (South Korea)
27. Space Station 76 - Dir. Jack Plotnick (US)
28. Stoker - Dir. Park Chan Wook (US)
29. Lobster, The - Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos (UK)
30. Spiritismes - Dir. Guy Madden (Canada)
31. Under the Skin - Dir. Jonathan Glazer (US)
32. Two Mothers - Dir. Anne Fontaine (France/Australia)
33. Untitled Nicole Holofcener Project - Dir. Nicole Holofcener (US)
34. Vernon God Little - Dir. Werner Herzog (US)
35. Zero Theorem, The - Dir. Terry Gilliam (US)
36. East, The - Dir. Zal Batmanglij (US)
37. Blue Is a Hot Color - Dir. Abdel Kechiche (France)
38. Cut, The - Dir. Fatih Akin (France/Turkey)
39. Duke of Burgundy, The - Dir. Peter Strickland (UK)
40. Bastards, The - Dir. Claire Denis (France)
41. Happy Sad, The - Dir. Rodney Evans (US)
42. Rest Home - Dir. Michael Rowe (Mexico)
43. Queer - Dir. Steve Buscemi (US)
44. Rover, The - Dir. David Michod (Australia)
45. Mood Indigo - Michel Gondry (France)
46. Jane Got a Gun - Lynne Ramsay (US)
47. Innocence - Dir. Hilary Brougher (US)
48. I'm So Excited - Dir. Pedro Almodovar (Spain)
49. Untitled Asghar Farhadi Project - Dir. Asghar Farhadi (France)
50. Why Don't You Play In Hell? - Dir. Shion Sono (Japan)
51. Woman In the Cage, The - Dir. Mikkel Norgaard (Denmark)
52. Zama - Dir. Lucretia Martel (Argentina)
53. 12 Years a Slave - Dir. Steve McQueen (UK)
54. Butler, The - Dir. Lee Daniels (US)
55. Chinese Puzzle - Dir. Cedric Klapisch (France)
56. Field in England, A - Dir. Ben Wheatley (UK)
57. Mobius - Dir. Eric Rochant (France)
58. Layla Fourie - Dir. Pia Marais (Germany)
59. Never Goodnight, We are the Best! - Dir. Lukas Moodysson (Sweden)
60. Night Train to Lisbon - Dir. Bille August (Germany)
61. Perfect Sisters - Dir. Stanley M. Brooks (US)
62. Side Effect, The - Dir. Ti West (US)
63. White Bird in a Blizzard  - Dir. Gregg Araki (US)
64. Gravity Alfonso Cuaron - Dir. (US)
65. Bolo - Dir. Dee Rees (US)
66. 3096 - Dir. Sherry Horman (Germany)
67. Carrie - Dir. Kimberly Pierce (US)
68. Dallas Buyers Club, The - Dir. Jean-Marc Vallee (US)
69. Dark Touch - Dir. Marina de Van (France)
70. Death's Cold Hand - Dir. Agnieszka Holland (Poland)
71. Enemy, An - Dir. Denis Villeneuve (Canada)
72. Hive, The - Dir. Brad Anderson (US)
73. It Goes (Elle s'en va) - Dir. Emmanuelle Bercot (France)
74. Kiss of the Damned - Dir. Xan Cassavetes (US)
75. Last Days on Mars - Dir. Ruairi Robinson (UK)
76. Mother of George - Dir. Andrew Dosunmu (US)
77. Making Love - Dir. Djinn Carrenard (France)
78. Nightingale - Dir. James Gray (US)
79. Scorpion In Love - Dir. Santiago Zannou (Spain)
80. Skytten - Dir. Annette K. Olesen (Denmark)
81. Untitled Robert Cantarella Project - Dir. Robert Cantarella (US/France
82. Blood Ties - Dir. Guillaume Canet (US)
83. Camille Claudel, 1915 - Dir. Bruno Dumont (France)
84. Carol - Dir. John Crowley (UK)
85. Dau - Dir. Ilya Khrzhanovskiy (Russia)
86. Devil's Knot - Dir. Atom Egoyan (US)
87. Attachment - Dir. Tony Kaye (US)
88. Grand Piano - Dir. Eugenio Mira (Spain)
89. Her - Dir. Spike Jonze (US)
90. Louder Than Bombs - Dir. Joachim Trier (US)
91. Queen of the Desert - Dir. Werner Herzog (Germany)
92. Spies & Gilstrup - Dir. Cristoffer Boe (Denmark)
93. Sunlight Jr. - Dir. Laurie Collyer (US)
94. Untitled Terrence Malick Project - Dir. Terrence Malick (US)
95. Railway Man, The - Dir. Jonathan Teplitzky (Australia/UK)
96. Pacific Rim - Dir. Guillermo Del Toro (US)
97. Back Roads - Dir. Adrian Lyne (US)
98. Bling Ring, The - Dir. Sofia Coppola (US)
99. Canyons, The - Dir. Paul Schrader (US)
100. Corpus Christi - Dir. Richard Kelly (US)
101. Night Moves - Dir. Kelly Reichardt (US)
102. Keep, The - Dir. Peter Weir (UK)
103. Birdman - Dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Spain)
104. Insidious Chapter 2 - Dir. James Wan (US)
105. Gerontophilia - Dir. Bruce la Bruce (Canada/France)
106. Counselor, The - Dir. Ridley Scott (US)
107. Jealousy - Dir. Philippe Garrel (France)
108. Knight of Cups - Dir. Terrence Malick (US)
109. Lumpy - Dir. Ted Koland (US)
110. Magic Magic - Dir. Sebastian Silva (US)
111. Wrong Cops - Dir. Quentin Dupieux (US/France)
112. Double, The - Dir. Richard Ayode (US)
113. Seventh Son, The - Dir. Sergey Bodrov (UK)
114. Nebraska - Dir. Alexander Payne (US)
115. Side Effects - Dir. Steven Soderbergh (US)
116. Untitled Abbas Kiarstami Project - Dir. Abbas Kiarastami (Italy)
117. Wolf of Wall Street, The - Dir. Martin Scorsese (US)
118. Most Wanted Man, A - Dir. Anton Corbijn (US)
119. Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, The - Dir. Fredrik Bond (US)
120. Mojave - Dir. William Monahan (US)
121. Our Kind of Traitor - Dir. Justin Kurzel (UK)
122. Oldboy - Dir. Spike Lee (US)
123. Conjuring, The - Dir. James Wan (US)
124. Calvary - Dir. John Michael McDonaugh (UK)
125. Breaking the Girl - Dir. Jamie Babbit (US)
126. Untitled Woody Allen Project - Woody Allen (US)
127. Diana - Dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel (US)
128. Oz the Great and Powerful - Dir. Sam Raimi (US)
129. Hand In Hand - Dir. Valerie Donzelli (France)
130. Elysium - Dir. Neill Blomkamp (US)
131. Sacrament, The - Dir. Ti West (US)
132. Behind the Candelabra - Dir. Steven Soderbergh (US)
133. Barefoot - Dir. Andrew Fleming (US)
134. Therese - Dir. Charlie Stratton (US)
135. Big Valley, The - Dir. Daniel Adams (US)
136. Wait, The - Dir. M. Blash (US)
137. Nurse 3D - Dir. Doug Aaroniokoski (US)
138. Religious, The  - Dir. Guillaume Nicloux (France)
139. Two Faces of January, The - Dir.  Hossein Amini (UK)
140. All Are Dead - Dir. Beatriz Sanchis (Spain)
141. Some Velvet Morning - Dir. Neil Labute (US)
142. Skinny Dip - Dir. Frankie Latina (US)
143. Very Good Girls - Dir. Naomi Foner (US)
144. Highland Park - Dir. Andrew Meieran (US)
145. Great Gatsby, The - Dir. Baz Luhrman (US)
146. Inside Llewyn Davis - Dir. Coen Bros. (US)
147. While We're Young - Dir. Noah Baumbach (US)
148. Beauty of Sharks, The - Dir. Karim Ainouz (Brazil)
149. May In the Summer - Dir. Cherien Dabis (US)
150. Young and Prodigious Spivet, The - Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (France/Canada)
151. Gold - Dir. Thomas Arslan (Germany)
152. Before Midnight - Dir. Richard Linklater (US)
153. Aferim! - Dir. Radu Jude (Romania)
154. My Sisters - Dir. Lars Kraume (Germany)
155. Star of the Day, The - Dir. Sophie Blondy (France)
156. 13 Days - Dir. Carlos Saura (Spain)

Bell's 50 Favorite Films of 2012

My Top 10 Theatrically Released and Top 10 Unreleased Films of 2012 will be published shortly on IONCINEMA, but here is the rundown of my favorite 50 films from the past year. Out of nearly 450 new releases, these 50 titles are the best and the brightest (plus a handful of honorable mentions). Also, my Top 10 Documentary Releases also follow. A little less than half of these are US features, with the UK and Austria both in second place for representation. Of the top 50, there are only four female directors (DuVernay, Bigelow, Meier, Aselton), with an additonal three in my honorable mentions (Polley, Kim, Maiwenn). LGBT film was a bit light this year, but Sachs, Wang, and a relatively unseen film from Gael Morel (beyond the fest circuit) make the top 50.



1. Holy Motors – Dir. Leos Carax (France)
2. Paradise: Faith – Dir. Ulrich Seidl (Austria)
3. After Lucia – Dir. Michel Franco (Mexico)
4. Django Unchained – Dir. Quentin Tarantino (US)
5. Post Tenebras Lux – Dir. Carlos Reygadas (Mexico)
6. Barbara – Dir. Christian Petzold (Germany)
7. Starlet – Dir. Sean Baker (US)
8. Berberian Sound Studio – Dir. Peter Strickland (UK)
9. Amour – Dir. Michael Haneke (Austria)
10. Compliance – Dir. Craig Zobel (US)
11. Moonrise Kingdom – Dir. Wes Anderson (US)
12. Beyond the Hills – Dir. Cristian Mungiu (Romania)
13. Sound of My Voice – Dir. Zal Batmanglij (US)
14. Middle of Nowhere – Dir. Ava DuVernay (US)
15. Elena - Dir. Andrei Zvyagintsev (Russia)
16. Zero Dark Thirty – Dir. Kathryn Bigelow (US)
17. Keep the Lights On – Dir. Ira Sachs (US)
18. Blood of My Blood – Dir. Joao Canijo (Portugal)
19. Paradise: Love – Dir. Ulrich Seidl (Austria)
20. Everybody In Our Family – Dir. Radu Jude (Romania)
21. In Another Country – Dir. Hong Sang-soo (South Korea)
22. The Paperboy – Dir. Lee Daniels (US)
23. Rust and Bone – Dir. Jacques Audiard (France)
24. The Place Beyond the Pines – Dir. Derek Cianfrance (US)
25. Red Lights – Dir. Rodrigo Cortes (US)
26. Living - Dir. Vasili Sigarev (Russia)
27. Blancanieves – Dir. Pablo Berger (Spain)
28. Looper – Dir. Rian Johnson (US)
29. Our Children – Dir. Joachim Lafosse (Belgium)
30. It’s a Disaster – Dir. Todd Berger (US)
31. Natural Selection – Robbie Pickering (US)
32. Purge – Dir. Antti Jokinen (Finland)
33. Ill Manors – Dir. Ben Drew (UK)
34. Spring Breakers – Dir. Harmony Korine (US)
35. The Wall – Dir. Julian Polsler (Austria)
36. The Hunt – Dir. Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark)
37. Sister – Dir. Ursula Meier (France/Switzerland)
38. The Impossible – Dir. Juan Antonio Bayona (Spain)
39. Black Rock – Dir. Katie Aselton (US)
40. Perfect Sense – Dir. David Mackenzie (UK)
41. Safety Not Guaranteed – Dir. Colin Trevorrow (US)
42. Our Paradise – Dir. Gael Morel (France)
43. Reality – Dir. Matteo Garrone (Italy)
44. Sightseers – Dir. Ben Wheatley (UK)
45. Argo – Dir. Ben Affleck (US)
46. End of Watch – Dir. David Ayer (US)
47. In the Family – Dir. Patrick Wang (US)
48. Excision – Dir. Richard Bates Jr. (US)
49. Simon Killer – Dir. Antonio Campos (US)
50. The Cabin In The Woods – Dir. Drew Goddard (US)

Honorable Mentions:
Celeste and Jesse Forever; Lincoln; A Royal Affair; Take This Waltz; For Ellen; Headhunters; Klown; Monsieur Lazhar; Little White Lies; Delicacy; Farewell, My Queen; Polisse; Beasts of the Southern Wild

Top 10 Documentaries:
1. Room 237 – Dir. Rodney Ascher (US)
2. West of Memphis – Dir. Amy Berg (US)
3. The Imposter – Dir. Bart Layton (US)
4. The Queen of Versailles – Dir. Lauren Greenfield (US)
5. How To Survive a Plague – Dir. David France (US)
6. Kumare – Dir. Vikram Gandhi (US)
7. The Central Park Five – Dir. Ken Burns, Sarah Burns & David McMahon (US)
8. Whores’ Glory – Dir. Michael Glawogger (Austria)
9. The Revisionaries – Dir. Scott Thurman (US)
10. Jiro Dreams of Sushi – Dir. David Gelb (US)

Bell's 20 Worst Films of 2012

As has been often discussed, the 'worst' lists are often flawed designs---few of us, hopefully, are purposefully seeking to experience the most poortly manufactured examples of cinema. And by worst, I mean there aren't any redeeming qualities whatsoever, resulting in nothing if not a complete waste of time (unlike, of course, films so bad they're greatly entertaining). Certain features, like the last Twilight installment, aren't on my Worst 2012 list because I feel that cinema of this sort should be shown for free AND while you're at home doing something more constructive, like engaging in the entrance or exit of sustenance from one's own body.
Of these 20 titles, all but two are American features, and there's only one female in the bunch (Tanya Wexler). I'm well aware that certain demographics thought the exact opposite of some of these titles, as I spoke with many that seemed to love Wexler's Maggie Gyllenhaal headliner, Hysteria. The same can be said for Don Coscarelli's latest offering, John Dies at the End, which I had to sit through at Sundance 2012, and somehow played at several other major film festivals to mostly positive reviews. Both are, I still maintain, utterly execrable. And yes, I realize that Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was just nominated at the Golden Globes (please don't forget that this was the same awards ceremony that somehow nominated The Tourist in 2010), and please believe me, this film (besides wasting Kristin Scott Thomas as the comic relief) is certifiably awful.

I'm saddened to list some of these prestigious names, such as Stephen Frears, Peter Hedges, Marc Webb (even Lasse Hallstrom and Lawrence Kasdan, who've both been pretty stagnant lately). Others, like Peter Berg or Simon West, seem oblivious to their own lack of directorial skill. Without further ado, my least favorite films of 2012 are as follows:

1. Battleship – Dir. Peter Berg (US)
2. Lay the Favorite – Dir. Stephen Frears (US)
3. Jesus Henry Christ – Dir. Dennis Lee (US)
4. John Carter – Dir. Andrew Stanton (US)
5. John Dies At the End – Dir. Don Coscarelli (US)
6. Hysteria – Dir. Tanya Wexler (UK)
7. Salmon Fishing In the Yemen – Dir. Lasse Hallstrom (US)
8. Man on a Ledge – Dir. Asger Leth (US)
9. The Pact – Dir. Nicholas McCarthy (US)
10. The Words – Dir. Brian Klugman & Lee Sternthal (US)
11. Darling Companion – Dir. Lawrence Kasdan (US)
12. Joyful Noise – Dir. Todd Graff (US)
13. Mirror, Mirror – Dir. Tarsem Singh (US)
14. God Loves Caviar – Dir. Yannis Smaragdis (Greece)
15. The Odd Life of Timothy Green – Dir. Peter Hedges (US)
16. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – Dir. Timur Bekmambetov (US)
17. The Amazing Spider Man – Dir. Marc Webb (US)
18. Stolen – Dir. Simon West (US)
19. The Raven – Dir. James McTiegue (US)
20. The Letter – Dir. Jay Anania (US)

Out of the Past: The Month in Film, November 2012

Top 10:


10. Arabian Nights (1974) Dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini – Italy
9. On a Moonlit Night (1989) Dir. Lina Wertmuller – Italy/France
8. The Canterbury Tales (1972) Dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini – Italy
7. Deep End (1970) Dir. Jerzy Skolimowski – UK
6. Time (2006) Dir. Kim Ki-Duk – South Korea 5. Die Niebelungen: Kreimheld’s Revenge (1924) Dir. Fritz Lang – Germany
4. Die Niebelungen: Siegfried (1924) Dir. Fritz Lang – Germany
3. The Death of Maria Malibran (1972) Dir. Werner Schroeter – West Germany
2. In the Realm of the Senses (1976) Dir. Nagisa Oshima – Japan
1. The Rose King (1986) Dir. Werner Schroeter – West Germany

Recommended:

Magic Mike (2012) Dir. Steven Soderbergh – US
The Five-Year Engagement (2012) Dir. Nicholas Stoller – US
Assassination (1964) Dir. Masahiro Shinoda – Japan
Drowning By Numbers (1988) Dir. Peter Greenaway – UK
The House on Telegraph Hill (1951) Dir. Robert Wise – US
Night Full of Rain (1977) Dir. Lina Wertmuller – Italy
Spartacus (1960) Dir. Stanley Kubrick – US
The Decameron (1971) Dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini – Italy
Wuthering Heights (1954) Dir. Luis Bunuel – Mexico


Of Interest:
Mame (1974) Dir. Gene Saks – US
Harakiri (1919) Dir. Fritz Lang – Germany
The Wandering Shadow (1920) Dir. Fritz Lang – Germany
Four Around a Woman (1921) Dir. Fritz Lang – Germany
Half Baked (1998) Dir. Tamra Davis – US
A Day at the Beach (1972) Dir. Simon Hesera – UK


Theatrical Screenings:
In the Family (2011) Dir. Patrick Wang – US 10/10
Lincoln (2012) Dir. Steven Spielberg – US 10/10
The Wall (2012) Dir. Julian Polsler – Austria 10/10
Killing Them Softly (2012) Dir. Andrew Dominic – US 9/10
La Rafle (2010) Dir. Rose Bosche – France 9/10
Skyfall (2012) Dir. Sam Mendes – US 9/10
The Central Park Five (2012) Dir. Ken & Sarah Burns, David McMahon – US 8/10
California Solo (2012) Dir. Marhsall Lewy – US 8/10
Flight (2012) Dir. Robert Zemeckis – US 8/10
A Man Vanishes (1967) Dir. Shohei Imamura – Japan 7/10
Life of Pi (2012) Dir. Ang Lee – US 7/10
Anna Karenina (2012) Dir. Joe Wright – UK 7/10
Hitchcock (2012) Dir. Sacha Gervasi – US 7/10
Cheerful Weather for the Wedding (2012) Dir. Donald Rice – UK 6/10
The Details (2012) Dir. Jacob Aaron Estes – US 6/10
Jack & Diane (2012) Dir. Bradley Rust Gray – US 6/10
Dangerous Liaisons (2012) Dir. Hur Jin-Ho – China/Singapore 5/10
In Their Skin (2012) Dir. Jeremy Regimbal – US 4/10
The Man With the Iron Fists (2012) Dir. Rza – US 2/10


Banal:
Abraham Lincoln (1930) Dir. D.W. Griffith – US
The Birth of a Nation (1915) Dir. D.W. Griffith – US
A Woman At Her Window (1976) Dir. Pierre Granier-Deferre – France
The Guardian (1990) Dir. William Friedkin – US
Normal (2007) Dir. Carl Bessai – Canada
The Monster (1925) Dir. Roland West – US
Calendar (1993) Dir. Atom Egoyan – Canada


Cess Pool Cinema:
The Raven (2012) Dir. James McTiegue – US
The Burning (1981) Dir. Tony Maylam – US
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) Dir. Timur Bekmambetov – US


Rewatched:
Eating Raoul (1982) Dir. Paul Bartel – US
Heartbreakers (2001) Dir. David Mirkin – US
Copycat (1995) Dir. Jon Amiel – US
Leave It on the Floor (2011) Dir. Sheldon Larry – Canada
Mean Girls (2004) Dir. Mark Waters – US