I take films seriously. But don’t worry. If we were hanging out, I would not dictate what you should absolutely be watching this second, or engage in a conversation with myself about the significance of montage in Battleship Potemkin. I’m not that kind of guy.
No, when I say that I take films seriously, I’m referring to my relationship with them. When life experiences can’t cut it, cinema often fills in the cracks. In fact, movies that I connected with from 2007–2010 kept me afloat when nothing else would. But life changes. Resilience wins out. Then, you wake up one day and admit that you feel pretty good. And just as suddenly, watching 32 movies in 30 days feels like less of a triumph and more of a restriction.
This year, my relationship with films didn’t change. But where the relationship remained the same, my participation didn’t. I watched less. I lived more. And it worked out really well for everyone involved.
For instance, one of Clementi’s Sonatinas was being played on the piano in my apartment a few minutes ago. You couldn’t hear it. But it sounded amazing. And as I compile this list of the ten most enjoyable films that were viewed for the first time in 2011, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.
Family Business (Tom Cohen, 1978)
Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (Yasuharu Hasebe, 1970)
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Joann Sfar, 2010)
Scorpion: Grudge Song (Yasuharu Hasebe, 1973)
Girl Boss Revenge: Sukeban (Norifumi Suzuki, 1973)
Love Affair, Or The Case Of The Missing Switchboard Operator (Dusan Makavejev, 1967)
Outlaw Motorcycles (Titus Moede, 1966)
Stick It In Your Ear aka Vortex (Charles Morgan, 1970)
Jeu De Massacre aka The Killing Game (Alain Jessua, 1967)
L’Atalante (Jean Vigo, 1934)
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