Posts Tagged ‘Into the Wild’

127 Hours (Dir. Danny Boyle)

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

127 Hours is, so far, my pick for the most overrated movie of the year.

Don’t get me wrong, 127 Hours is not a bad film, it’s just one that doesn’t really strike me as having a particular point of view or an interest in characterization.  For some folks, that won’t be an issue, they’ll walk into the film wanting to see a man stuck in a perilous situation for an hour and change and then cut his arm off.  For those folks, that will be enough and they’ll walk out satisfied.  But for me, I need arcs, I need characters, I need to walk out of a film knowing more than when I walked into it.

I don’t know Aron Ralston any better now that I’ve seen a movie about him than I did before I walked into it.  Before the film started, I knew him as the guy who cut his arm off because he was trapped in a crevice for five days, his arm pinned by a rock.  Now that I’ve seen the film and had a day to digest it, I will still think of him in the exact same way.  He is still nothing but a fascinating symbol of the human will for survival.

And all of that is fine and dandy, except that a film is an opportunity to shape that symbol into a character and bring him into focus.  Danny Boyle instead eschews traditional narrative tropes that would have worked to the film’s benefit, instead just giving us minute after minute of James Franco screaming and gasping and slowly dying of thirst.  And while I admire Boyle’s courage in trying to make an interesting movie about this struggle, I don’t think he completely hits the mark.

Imagine Into the Wild, except the entire film is set in the “magic bus” at the end of the film.  After all, that part of Chris McCandless’ life is what brought him to our attention to begin with; had he not died in that bus, nobody would have known who he was.  But instead, the film travels back to give us a picture of how this character came to get to that bus, what drove him as a person.  As a result, when McCandless dies, we feel we have known this character and feel the loss of him.  Conversely, in 127 Hours, we don’t feel like we know Aron Ralston at all, so we he finally decides to cut his arm off, I didn’t feel the film earned that moment.  I didn’t understand what that moment meant to Ralston or what it was supposed to mean to us beyond the surface act of actually doing it.

The film gives us snippets of Ralston’s life, of how he doesn’t return his mother’s calls and his fractured relationship with a girlfriend.  But I’m not sure what these snippets signify other than that Ralston had lived a fairly normal life and had fairly ordinary motivations to get out of this situation.  This would have been the film’s opportunity to deepen the characterization of Aron by deepening his relationships with the people around him.  One could say that, “oh, but what if those relationships were boring in real-life?”  Well, this is a fictionalized account of what happened, the film therefore has license to change things around in order to fit the screen in a more interesting way.  That is the difference between feature and documentary filmmaking, the ability to shift the truth (and some would argue that documentary does the same thing).  I guarantee you that there are many elements of 127 Hours that were completely made up, but even if Boyle didn’t want to invent something entirely that would make Aron’s past more interesting, I’m sure there must have been something already there.  Human beings are inherently complicated, I’m sure there was something in Aron’s past that would capture our attention and make us care more about his plight.

Instead the first half of the film is especially trying to watch because it’s, frankly, boring.  After the initial fall in the crevice, all I was thinking was, “how long until he cuts off his damned arm?” because much of the running time is focused on Aron chipping away at the rock with the knife he eventually uses to do the deed.  There are a few good moments where Aron talks to the camcorder he brought with him (the best moment in the film is probably the “talk show scene”), but I didn’t like the fake “escape” sequence.  If you have to pad your running time by including a five minute long scene that didn’t actually happen, then you might want to think about how to better structure your film.

James Franco is good in the role, but I don’t understand the unanimous acclaim for his performance because I don’t know what he does that another (good) actor couldn’t have done.  The role doesn’t demand that much from its actor other than to scream a lot; there are very few choices that an actor could make that would change the complexity of the character.  If you had replaced Franco with, say, Jake Gyllenhaal, would the film/performance be vastly different?  Franco was certainly convincing in the role, probably his best performance to date, but I’m not convinced of its greatness, especially in a year with so many fantastic lead performances.

As for Danny Boyle, I suppose this is the kind of film you’re allowed to make after you win an Oscar, but I was disappointed with a lot of the visual “tricks” he used in order to keep the story entertaining.  A lot of the close-ups of the water being drunk reminded me of Aronofsky’s work in Requiem for a Dream, only not done as effectively.  I always found that Boyle has had a lot of trouble with the endings of his films (besides Shallow Grave and Trainspotting) and at least here, he found one with a ready-made perfect ending.

The scene of the actual arm-cutting itself wasn’t as disgusting as I anticipated it would be.  Blood doesn’t have the same effect it once did, but the moments where he has to break the bone and then cut through nerve endings were powerfully rendered.

But I got the feeling as the film went on, careening towards its inevitable conclusion that I was essentially watching a snuff film minus the death.  There are some that would be excited by that prospect, but I’m not one of them.

Page 27

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
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Scott Renshaw
Charleston City Paper

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Once
3 My Kid Could Paint That
4 Joshua
5 The Host
6 The King of Kong
7 Into the Wild
8 Day Night Day Night
9 Walk Hard
10 There Will Be Blood
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Keith Cohen
Sun Publications

1 Sweeney Todd
2 Hairspray
3 Ratatouille
4 Little Children
5 Enchanted
6 Elizabeth: The Golden Age
7 In the Shadow of the Moon
8 After the Wedding
9 Volver
10 Hurricane on the Bayou
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Cole Dabney
Community Times

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Juno
3 Into the Wild
4 Knocked Up
5 American Gangster
6 Sweeney Todd
7 Ratatouille
8 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
9 No Country for Old Men
10 3:10 to Yuma
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Larry Katz
Community Times

1 American Gangster
2 Away from Her
3 The Great Debaters
4 Hairspray
5 Into the Wild
6 Michael Clayton
7 A Mighty Heart
8 Ratatouille
9 Sicko
10 Sweeney Todd
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Matt Sheehan
Morris Daily Herald

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Juno
3 Gone Baby Gone
4 Hot Fuzz
5 Talk To Me
6 Eastern Promises
7 Rescue Dawn
8 3:10 to Yuma
9 The Mist
10 The Bourne Ultimatum

Keith Cohen | Cole Dabney | Larry Katz | Scott Renshaw | Matt Sheehan

Page 26

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
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Bob Strauss
LA Daily News

1 I’m Not There
2 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
3 Away From Her
4 The Bourne Ultimatum
5 Control
6 Offside
7 Atonement
8 Gone Baby Gone
9 Grindhouse
10 Juno/Lars and the Real Girl
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Glenn Whipp
LA Daily News

1 There Will Be Blood
2 I’m Not There
3 No Country for Old Men
4 Ratatouille
5 The Bourne Ultimatum
6 Knocked Up
7 Assassination of Jesse James
8 Sweeney Todd
9 The Darjeeling Limited
10 Once/Walk Hard
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Germain Lussier
Times Herald-Record

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Sweeney Todd
3 The King of Kong
4 Grindhouse
5 Zodiac
6 Juno
7 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8 Into the Wild
9 Beowulf
10 Atonement
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Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express

1 Away From Her
2 Juno
3 La Vie en Rose
4 Charlie Wilson’s War
5 In the Valley of Elah
6 The Kite Runner
7 No Country for Old Men
8 Beowulf
9 Sweeney Todd
10 The Great Debaters
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Matthew Lucas
The Dispatch

1 Into the Wild
2 The Lives of Others
3 Assassination of Jesse James
4 Sweeney Todd
5 Zodiac
6 No Country for Old Men
7 Ratatouille
8 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
9 Lust, Caution
10 Michael Clayton
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Burl Burlingame
Star Bulletin

1 Michael Clayton
2 Ratatouille
3 The Kite Runner
4 Waitress
5 Assassination of Jesse James
6 Stardust
7 Across the Universe
8 300
9 La Vie en Rose
10 The Mist
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Scott Feinberg
And the Winner Is …

1 Juno
2 Superbad
3 God Grew Tired of Us
4 Gone Baby Gone
5 In the Valley of Elah
6 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
7 Sicko
8 Lars and the Real Girl
9 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
10 The Kite Runner
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Marcy Dermansky
About.com

1 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
2 There Will Be Blood
3 The Darjeeling Limited
4 Atonement
5 Away from Her
6 Persepolis
7 After the Wedding
8 Blame it on Fidel
9 Talk to Me
10 Lust, Caution
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TC Kirkham
Subject: Cinema

1 Across the Universe
2 Air Guitar Nation
3 Beowulf
4 Black Irish
5 Fierce People
6 Hairspray
7 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
8 The King of Kong/Man in the Chair
9 Once/Ratatouille
10 Sweeney Todd/Wristcutters
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Kim Brown
Subject: Cinema

1 3:10 to Yuma
2 Air Guitar Nation
3 Fierce People
4 Hairspray
5 Hot Fuzz
6 I Am Legend
7 The King of Kong
8 Once
9 Sweeney Todd
10 Wristcutters

Kim Brown | Burl Burlingame | Marcy Dermansky | Scott Feinberg | TC Kirkham | Matthew Lucas | Germain Lussier | Larry Ratliff | Bob Strauss | Glenn Whipp

Page 25

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
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Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 Ratatouille
3 There Will Be Blood
4 Atonement
5 Into the Wild
6 Juno
7 Lars and the Real Girl
8 Manufactured Landscapes
9 Once
10 Waitress
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David Poland
Movie City News

1 I’m Not There
2 Lake of Fire
3 Michael Clayton
4 No Country for Old Men
5 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
6 Day Night Day Night
7 Ratatouille
8 Lars and the Real Girl
9 Superbad
10 The Savages
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Aaron Mesh
Willamette Week

1 There Will Be Blood
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Superbad/Knocked Up
4 I’m Not There
5 Margot at the Wedding
6 Offside
7 The Host
8 King Corn
9 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
10 Breach
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Victor Diaz
News 8 Austin

1 Juno
2 Once
3 Lars and the Real Girl
4 Eastern Promises
5 The Bourne Ultimatum
6 No Country for Old Men
7 Gone Baby Gone
8 There Will Be Blood
9 300
10 Talk to me
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Stephen Becker
Dallas Morning News

1 Once
2 Juno
3 Knocked Up
4 American Gangster
5 Atonement
6 Margot at the Wedding
7 Eastern Promises
8 Gone Bably Gone
9 Beowulf
10 No Country for Old Men
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Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News

1 The Savages
2 American Gangster
3 Juno
4 Persepolis
5 The Bourne Ultimatum
6 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
7 There Will Be Blood
8 The King of Kong
9 Talk to Me
10 Assassination of Jesse James
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Pat Graham
Chicago Reader

1 Inland Empire
2 Silent Light
3 Tears of the Black Tiger
4 Margot at the Wedding
5 Los Muertos
6 Colossal Youth
7 The Man From London
8 Flanders
9 The Taste of Tea
10 I’m Not There/Brand Upon the Brain
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Brad Brevet
Rope of Silicon.com

1 The Bourne Ultimatum
2 Atonement
3 Assassination of Jesse James
4 Michael Clayton
5 Once
6 Things We Lost in the Fire
7 Reign Over Me
8 Zodiac
9 Sweeney Todd
10 The Orphanage
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David Hudson
Greencine

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2 Zodiac
3 Assassination of Jesse James
4 Yella
5 Duchess of Langeais
6 Persepolis
7 Ratatouille
8 Madonnas
9 Hannah Takes the Stairs
10 The Bourne Ultimatum
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Noah Forrest
Movie City News

1 The Darjeeling Limited
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Zodiac
4 No Country for Old Men
5 Michael Clayton
6 Margot at the Wedding
7 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
8 Once
9 Into the Wild
10 The Devil Came on Horseback

Stephen Becker | Brad Brevet | Victor Diaz | Noah Forrest | Pat Graham | David Hudson | Aaron Mesh | Joe Morgenstern | David Poland | Chris Vognar

Page 24

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
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The Austin Chronicle

1 No Country for Old Men
2 The Lives of Others
3 There Will Be Blood
4 Persepolis
5 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
6 Juno
7 Atonement
8 3:10 to Yuma
9 The Bourne Ultimatum/Eastern Promises
10 Ratatouille
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Geoffrey Cheshire
Independent Weekly

1 Into the Wild
2 Into Great Silence
3 The Lives of Others
4 Grindhouse
5 No End in Sight
6 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
7 Persepolis
8 Black Snake Moan
9 Sicko
10 Great World of Sound
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Stan Urankar
Cleveland Sun

1 Eastern Promises
2 Enchanted
3 The Hoax
4 300
5 Zodiac
6 No Country for Old Men
7 Talk to Me
8 Hairspray
9 Dan in Real Life
10 A Mighty Heart
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Shawn Edwards
Fox-TV

1 I Am Legend
2 Hairspray
3 Transformers
4 American Gangster
5 Atonement
6 Assassination of Jesse James
7 300
8 Michael Clayton
9 The Great Debaters
10 Enchanted
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John Urbanich
Cleveland Sun

1 Into the Wild
2 Atonement
3 Away From Her
4 Once
5 Juno
6 Stardust
7 Eastern Promises
8 Hairspray
9 Lust, Caution
10 No Country For Old Men / Assassination of Jesse James
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Gerry Shamray
Cleveland Sun

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Juno
3 The King of Kong
4 Sicko
5 The Lives of Others
6 Grindhouse
7 Hairspray
8 Ratatouille
9 The Bourne Ultimatum
10 Hot Fuzz
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Dann Gire
Chicago Daily News

1 Juno
2 Michael Clayton
3 Atonement
4 No Country for Old Men
5 The Orphanage
6 Away From Her
7 Knocked Up
8 Ratatouille
9 Waitress
10 There Will Be Blood
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Mike Scott
New Orleans Times Picayune

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Assassination of Jesse James
3 3:10 to Yuma
4 Gone Baby Gone
5 Sweeney Todd
6 Sicko
7 Zodiac
8 Hairspray
9 Waitress
10 In the Shadow of the Moon
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Devin Faraci
CHUD

1 Once
2 Zodiac
3 No Country for Old Men
4 Into the Wild
5 Assassination of Jesse James
6 There Will Be Blood
7 Hot Fuzz
8 I’m Not There
9 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10 Gone Baby Gone
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Ray Pride
Movie City News

1 There Will Be Blood
1 Once
3 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Ratatouille
5 Zodiac
6 Away From Her
7 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
8 The Savages
9 Assassination of Jesse James
10 Sweeney Todd

Geoffrey Cheshire | Austin Chronicle | Shawn Edwards | Dann Gire | Devin Faraci | Ray Pride | Mike Scott |Gerry Shamray | Stan Urankar | John Urbanich

Page 23

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
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Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Gone Baby Gone
3 Juno
4 Two Days in Paris
5 No End in Sight
6 The King of Kong
7 Ratatouille
8 Across the Universe
9 Assassination of Jesse James
10 Lake of Fire
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Jeremy Smith
CHUD

1 No Country for Old Men
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Assassination of Jesse James
4 Into the Wild
5 Grindhouse
6 Juno
7 Lake of Fire
8 I’m Not There
9 Ratatouille
10 Zodiac
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Al Alexander
The Patriot Ledger

1 No Country for Old men
2 Knocked Up
3 Sweeney Todd
4 Black Box
5 Zodiac
6 I’m Not There
7 The Hoax
8 Hairspray
9 Juno
10 Lars and the Real Girl/Once
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Michael Wilmington

1 No Country for Old Men
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Away From Her
4 Eastern Promises
5 Private Fears in Public Places
6 The Host
7 Rescue Dawn
8 Black Book
9 The Namesake
10 Sweeney Todd
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David Ehrenstein

1 I’m Not There
2 Regular Lovers
3 I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
4 There Will Be Blood
5 La Vie en Rose
6 Sweeney Todd
7 The Man of My Life
8 Away from Her
9 Syndromes and a Century
10 Terror’s Advocate
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Peter DeBruge
Variety

1 Atonement
2 Manufactured Landscapes
3 Romance & Cigarettes
4 There Will Be Blood
5 No Country for Old Men
6 Private Property
7 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
9 Lake of Fire
10 Juno
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Nathan Lee
Village Voice

1 Southland Tales
2 Zodiac
3 Syndromes and a Century
4 I’m Not There
5 Pitcher of Colored Light
6 Regular Lovers
7 Rabbit Hunters/Colossal Youth
8 Black Book
9 Eastern Promises
10 I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
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Larry Gross

1 Syndromes and a Century
2 I’m Not There
3 Zodiac
4 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
5 I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
6 There Will Be Blood
7 Into the Wild
8 No Country for Old Men
9 Southland Tales
10 Youth Without Youth
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Gary Dretzka
Movie City News

1 The Devil Came on Horseback/Darfur Now/Sand and Sorrow/War-Dance
2 Away From Her
3 Ratatouille
4 The Namesake
5 Once
6 Into the Wild
7 Ten Canoes
8 Red Road
9 Zodiac
10 Blame it on Fidel
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Kevin Williamson
Ottawa Sun

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Assassination of Jesse James
3 Atonement
4 Zodiac
5 Ratatouille
6 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
7 The Kite Runner
8 The Bourne Ultimatum
9 Superbad
10 Sweeney Todd

Al Alexander | Matt Brunson | Peter DeBruge | Gary Dretzka | Larry Gross | J. Hoberman | Nathan Lee | Jeremy Smith | Kevin Williamson | Michael Wilmington

Page 22

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
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Tom Charity
CNN

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Into the Wild
3 Zodiac
4 Assassination of Jesse James
5 No Country for Old Men
6 Once
7 Black Book
8 Persepolis
9 Syndromes and a Century
10 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
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Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

1 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
2 Away From Her
3 There Will Be Blood
4 Assassination of Jesse James
5 Persepolis/Meet the Robinsons
6 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
7 Zodiac
8 Paris je t’aime
9 Grindouse
10 Knocked Up
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Armond White
New York Press

1 The Darjeeling Limited
2 Private Fears in Public Places
3 Hot Fuzz / Bubble
4 Lions for Lambs / Diggers
5 I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
6 The Brave One
7 War/Rescue Dawn
8 No Country for Old Men
9 Amazing Grace
10 Romance & Cigarettes
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Scott Weinberg
Cinematical

1 The Orphanage
2 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
3 There Will Be Blood
4 This is England
5 No Country for Old Men
6 Sweeney Todd
7 Hot Fuzz
8 Zodiac
9 The Bourne Ultimatum
10 Juno/Knocked Up/Waitress
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Melissa Anderson
Time Out New York

1 Southland Tales
2 I’m Not There
3 Lady Chatterley
4 Syndromes and a Century
5 There Will Be Blood
6 Bug
7 Regular Lovers
8 Away From Her
9 Zodiac
10 Persepolis
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Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York

1 Zodiac
2 The Bourne Ultimatum
3 Away from Her
4 Lake of Fire
5 I’m Not There
6 Syndromes and a Century
7 Black Book
8 Knocked Up
9 Offside
10 The Mist
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Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out Chicago

1 Zodiac
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Black Book
4 No Country for Old Men
5 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
6 Superbad
7 Southland Tales
8 Lake of Fire
9 Eastern Promises
10 It is Fine! Everything is Fine!
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Hank Sartin
Time Out Chicago

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Zodiac
3 No Country for Old Men
4 Assassination of Jesse James
5 Once
6 Knocked Up
7 I’m Not There
8 Into the Wild
9 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
10 My Kid Could Paint That
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Brent Simon
LA Citybeat

1 Zodiac
2 No Country for Old Men
3 No End in Sight
4 Ratatouille
5 Once
6 Michael Clayton
7 American Gangster
8 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
9 Reign Over Me
10 Eastern Promises
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Kristian Lin
Ft. Worth Weekly

1 Talk to Me
2 Hot Fuzz
3 Juno
4 The Host
5 Paprika
6 The Savages
7 Once
8 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
9 Sweeney Todd
10 Michael Clayton

Melissa Anderson | Tom Charity | Alonso Duralde | Ben Kenigsberg | Kristian Lin | Joshua Rothkopf | Hank Sartin | Brent Simon | Scott Weinberg | Armond White

Page 21

Sunday, January 6th, 2008


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Peter Hartlaub
San Francisco Chronicle

1 The King of Kong
2 Atonement
3 Grindhouse
4 The Savages
5 Knocked Up
6 The Host
7 Juno
8 Ratatouille
9 Michael Clayton
10 No Country for Old Men
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Phil Parker
Albuquerque Tribune

1 American Gangster
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Rescue Dawn
4 Sweeney Todd
5 Eastern Promises
6 Grindhouse
7 The Lookout
8 Stardust
9 Lars and the Real Girl
10 28 Weeks Later
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Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

1 Waitress
2 Atonement
3 Assassination of Jesse James
4 No Country for Old Men
5 Redacted
6 Dan in Real Life
7 Flanders
8 Golden Door
9 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
10 Revolution Summer
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Peter Ranier
Christian Science Monitor

1 Breach
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
4 Hairspray
5 Into Great Silence
6 The Namesake
7 No Country for Old Men
8 No End in Sight
9 Offside
10 Persepolis
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John Lekich
Georgia Straight

1 Across the Universe
2 American Gangster
3 Away from Her
4 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
5 Deep Water
6 Fracture
7 No Country for Old Men
8 Sicko
9 Ratatouille
10 Waitress
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Patty Jones
Georgia Straight

1 Once
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
4 Assassination of Jesse James
5 Ratatouille
6 Charlie Wilson’s War
7 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8 Juno
9 No End in Sight
10 The Lives of Others
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Mark Harris
Georgia Straight

1 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
2 Black Book
3 No Country for Old Men
4 The Wind that Shakes the Barley
5 Elizabeth: The Golden Age
6 Brand Upon the Brain
7 Inland Empire
8 Across the Universe
9 The Host
10 La Vie en Rose
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Ron Yamauchi
Georgia Straight

1 Knocked Up
2 Stardust
3 Sunshine
4 I Am Legend
5 No Country for Old Men
6 Black Book
7 300
8 Death Sentence
9 The Lookout
10 Rescue Dawn
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Ken Eisner
Georgia Straight

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 The Savages
3 Once
4 Across the Universe
5 The Darjeeling Limited
6 Juno
7 No Country for Old Men
8 Avenue Montaigne
9 Lars and the Real Girl
10 Knocked Up/Superbad/Walk Hard
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Janet Smith
Georgia Straight

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 La Vie en Rose
3 No Country for Old men
4 Grindhouse
5 Juno
6 Severance
7 Things we Lost in the Fire
8 The Lives of Others
9 Atonement
10 Assassination of Jesse James

Ken Eisner | Mark Harris | Peter Hartlaub | Patty Jones | John Lekich | Mick LaSalle | Phil Parker | Peter Ranier | Janet Smith | Ron Yamauchi

Page 20

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
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Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star

1 Assassination of Jesse james
2 The Darjeeling Limited
3 Eastern Promises
4 Inland Empire
5 Into the Wild
6 Michael Clayton
7 No Country for Old Men
8 Superbad
9 The Wind that Shakes the Barley
10 Zodiac
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Colin Covert
Minn-St. Paul Star Tribune

1 Atonement
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 Eastern Promises
4 The Host
5 Into the Wild
6 Juno
7 Michael Clayton
8 No Country for Old Men
9 Once/Sweeney Todd
10 Zodiac
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John Serba
Grand Rapids Press

1 Once
2 Juno
3 Ratatouille
4 Into the Wild
5 Lars and the Real Girl
6 There Will be Blood
7 Hot Fuzz
8 The King of Kong
9 Sunshine
10 Lust, Caution
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Nicolas Rapold
New York Sun

1 Day Night Day Night
2 There Will be Blood
3 Ratatouille
4 Syndromes and a Century
5 No Country for Old Men
6 Away from Her
7 Zodiac
8 I’m Not There
9 Hot Fuzz
10 Killer of Sheep
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Andrew O’Hehir
Salon

1 Bamako
2 Joe Strummer
3 Romance and Cigarettes
4 Regular Lovers
5 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
6 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
7 Red Road
8 Forever
9 Zodiac
10 Killer of Sheep
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David Elliott
San Diego Union

1 Atonement
2 Offside
3 In the Valley of Elah
4 The Lives of Others
5 Youth Without Youth
6 Colma: The Musical
7 Talk to me
8 Juno
9 Crazy Love
10 Ratatouille
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Dana Stevens
Slate

1 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
2 Away From Her
3 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 The Host
5 Killer of Sheep
6 No End in Sight
7 Once
8 Persepolis
9 Ratatouille
10 There Will be Blood
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Todd Hill
Staten Island Advance

1 There Will be Blood
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 Zodiac
4 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
5 Michael Clayton
6 Juno
7 Away from Her
8 Into the Wild
9 Superbad
10 The Savages
Link to the List

Jeffrey Ressner
Politico.com

1 No End in Sight
2 The Lives of Others
3 Breach
4 Sicko
5 In the Valley of Elah
6 The Kingdom
7 A Mighty Heart
8 Persepolis
9 Charlie Wilson’s War
10 The Bourne Ultimatum
Link to the List

Mary Pols
San Jose Mercury News

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 There Will Be BLood
4 The Savages
5 Zodiac
6 Superbad
7 Ratatouille
8 Atonement
9 Rescue Dawn
10 In the Valley of Elah

Colin Covert | David Elliott | Todd Hill | Andrew O’Hehir | Geoff Pevere | Mary Pols | Nicolas Rapold | Jeffrey Ressner | John Serba | Dana Stevens

Page 19

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Jim Slotek
Toronto Sun

1 Juno
2 Sweeney Todd
3 Letters from Iwo Jima
4 The Lives of Others
5 The Host
6 Grindhouse
7 Offside
8 Ten Canoes
9 3:10 to Yuma
10 Gone Baby Gone
Link to the List

Liz Braun
Toronto Sun

1 Away from Her
2 No Country for Old Men
3 The Italian
4 After the Wedding
5 Atonement
6 300
7 No End in Sight
8 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
9 I’m Not There
10 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
Link to the List

Gene Seymour
NY Newsday

1 Ratatouille
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Once
4 Eastern Promises
5 Persepolis
6 Juno
7 No End in Sight
8 Syndromes and a Century
9 Superbad
10 The Namesake
Link to the List

Robert Butler
Kansas City Star

1 Sweeney Todd
2 Once
3 Things We Lost in the Fire
4 Into the Wild
5 No Country for Old Men
6 Lars and the Real Girl
7 Juno
8 There Will be Blood
9 Away From Her
10 Michael Clayton
Link to the List

Bob Mondello
NPR

1 Sweeney Todd
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Assassination of Jesse James
4 Charlie Wilson’s War
5 Ratatouille
6 Persepolis
7 The Lives of Others
8 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
9 The Savages
10 Once
Link to the List

Jan Stuart
NY Newsday

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 Eastern Promises
4 Once
5 The Savages
6 Knocked Up
7 Lars and the Real Girl
8 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
9 Live-In Maid
10 Michael Clayton
Link to the List

Michael Drakulich
Southtown Star

1 Atonement
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Sweeney Todd
4 Away From Her
5 Across the Universe
6 La Vie en Rose
7 The Hoax
8 Juno
9 The Italian
10 A Mighty Heart
Link to the List

Patrick Walsh
Cinematical

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Knocked Up
3 Into the Wild
4 Gone Baby Gone
5 Assassination of Jesse James
6 In the Valley of Elah
7 The Lookout
8 The King of Kong
9 The Mist
10 Michael Clayton
Link to the List

Tim Lammers
KNBC 4

1 Enchanted
2 Hairspray
3 Sweeney Todd
4 Grindhouse
5 Dan in Real Life
6 300
7 Transformers
8 Michael Clayton
9 There Will Be Blood
10 Knocked Up
Link to the List

Ethan Alter
Giant Magazine

1 There Will be Blood
2 The Lives of Others
3 Hot Fuzz
4 Lust, Caution
5 No End in Sight
6 After the Wedding
7 I’m Not There
8 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
9 Into the Wild
10 Beowulf

Ethan Alter | Liz Braun | Robert Butler | Michael Drakulich | Tim Lammers | Bob Mondello | Gene Seymour | Jim Slotek | Jan Stuart | Patrick Walsh

Page 18

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Kyle Smith
New York Post

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 Once
3 Knocked Up
4 Into the Wild
5 Superbad
6 Ratatouille
7 No Country for Old Men
8 The Lives of Others
9 Margot at the Wedding
10 Meet the Robinsons
Link to the List

Lou Lumenick
New York Post

1 Atonement
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 No Country for Old Men
4 Juno
5 Ratatouille
6 Zodiac
7 American Gangster
8 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
9 Hairspray
10 There Will Be Blood
Link to the List

Amy Longsdorf
Allentown Morning Call

1 Into the Wild
2 Atonement
3 No Country for Old Men
4 The Savages
5 Zodiac
6 Sweeney Todd
7 Gone Baby Gone
8 Michael Clayton
9 Away From Her
10 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Link to the List

Christopher Borelli
Toronto Blade

1 I’m Not There
2 Superbad
3 Zodiac
4 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
5 No Country for Old Men
6 Live Free or Die Hard
7 There Will Be Blood
8 Summercamp
9 The Savages
10 Once
Link to the List

Clint O’Connor
Cleveland Plain Dealer

1 Juno
2 After the Wedding
3 No Country for Old Men
4 Away from Her
5 Into the Wild
6 Assassination of Jesse James
7 Two Days in Paris
8 Across the Universe
9 3:10 to Yuma
10 Once
Link to the List

Josh Larsen
Southtwon Star

1 Into the Wild
2 The Astronaut Farmer
3 28 Weeks Later
4 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
5 Juno
6 Away from Her
7 Ratatouille
8 No Country for Old Men
9 The Darjeeling Limited
10 The Simpsons Movie
Link to the List

Peter Sobczynski
efilmcritic.com

1 Zodiac
2 There Will Be Blood
3 No Country for Old Men
4 I’m Not There
5 Black Book
6 Grindhouse
7 Redacted
8 Eastern Promises
9 Juno
10 Romance & Cigarettes
Link to the List

Craig D. Lindsey
Raleigh News & Observer

1 Assassination of Jesse James
2 The Bourne Ultimatum
3 The Host
4 Knocked Up
5 Superbad
6 Michael Clayton
7 No Country for Old Men
8 No End in Sight
9 Once
10 Quiet City
Link to the List

VA Musetto
New York Post

1 12:08 East of Bucharest
2 The Host
3 Exiled
4 Away from Her
5 Rescue Dawn
6 Glass Lips
7 Flanders
8 The Band’s Visit
9 The Wayward Cloud
10 The Good Times Kid
Link to the List

Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette Journal

1 Sweeney Todd
2 Zodiac
3 Assassination of Jesse James
4 Into the Wild
5 Charlie Wilson’s War
6 Ratatouille
7 Harry Potter & Order of Phoenix
8 The Bucket List
9 Spider-Man 3
10 Eastern Promises

Chrotopher Borrelli | Forrest Hartman | Josh Larsen | Craig D. Lindsey |Amy Longsdorf | Lou Lumenick | VA Musetto | Clint O’Connor | Kyle Smith | Peter Sobczynski

Page 17

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Ty Burr
Boston Globe

1 I’m Not There
2 No Country for Old Men
3 No End in Sight
4 There Will Be Blood
5 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
6 Ratatouille
7 Michael Clayton
8 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
9 Zodiac
10 Lake of Fire
Link to the List

Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

/ No Country for Old Men
/ Zodiac
/ 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
/ Bamako/Syndromes and a Century
/ I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
/ Golden Door/Day Night Day Night
/ The Host /Ratatouille
/ The Lives of Others/Eastern Promises
/ Killer of Sheep
/ There Will Be Blood/Grindhouse
Link to the List

Jay Stone
Montreal Gazette

1 Atonement
2 No Country for Old Men
3 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
4 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
5 I’m Not There
6 Charlie Wilson’s War
7 The Bourne Ultimatum
8 Gone Baby Gone
9 Ratatouille
10 Juno
Link to the List

Michael Sragow
Baltimore Sun

1 Ratatouille
2 The Lives of Others
3 Killer of Sheep
4 In the Shadow of the Moon
5 Wind that Shakes the Barley
6 No End in Sight
7 Pan’s Labyrinth
8 Starting Out in the Evening
9 No Country for Old Men
10 Atonement
Link to the List

John Beifuss
Memphis Commercial

1 Killer of Sheep
2 Assassination of Jesse James
3 Children of Men
4 Pan’s Labyrinth
5 Zodiac
6 Ratatouille
7 Grindhouse
8 The Host
9 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
10 Waitress/Juno
Link to the List

John Griffin
Montreal Gazette

1 Once
2 Juno
3 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Into the Wild
5 The Lookout
6 Assassination of Jesse James
7 In the Valley of Elah
8 Away From Her /I’m Not There
9 Red Road/Eastern Promises
10 No Country for Old Men/4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
Link to the List

James Verniere
Boston Herald

1 Zodiac
2 Eastern Promises
3 The Bourne Ultimatum
4 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
5 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
6 The Orphanage
7 Ratatouille
8 Things We Lost in the Fire
9 Once
10 There Will Be Blood
Link to the List

Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald

1 Ratatouille
2 Lars and the Real Girl
3 Sicko
4 Once
5 No Country for Old Men
6 Knocked Up
7 Hot Fuzz
8 Rendition
9 Hairspray
10 American Gangster
Link to the List

Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

1 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Paranoid Park
4 The Edge of Heaven
5 Hallam Foe
6 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
7 This is England
8 Ratatouille
9 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10 I’m Not There
Link to the List

Michael Janusonis
Providence Journal

1 Sweeney Todd
2 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
3 Into the Wild
4 Michael Clayton
5 No Country for Old Men
6 Hairspray
7 Enchanted
8 You Must Be This tall
9 Knocked Up
10 Gone Baby Gone

John Beifuss | Ty Burr | Rich Cline | John Griffin | Michael Janusonis | Wesley Morris | Michael Sragow | Jay Stone | James Verniere | Jeffrey Westhoff

Page 16

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Kirk Honeycutt
The Hollywood Reporter

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
3 The Kite Runner
4 Ratatouille
5 Michael Clayton
6 The Bourne Ultimatum
7 The Savages
8 No Country for Old Men
9 Charlie Wilson’s War
10 Eastern Promises
Link to the List

Andy Gray
Tribune Chronicle

1 Zodiac
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Once
4 Juno
5 Ratatouille
6 Charlie Wilson’s War
7 Sweeney Todd
8 American Gangster
9 Gone Baby Gone
10 Away From Her
Link to the List

Ken Chanko
The Stephen Holt Show

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 Into the Wild
3 The Lives of Others
4 No End in Sight
5 Michael Clayton
6 The Savages
7 Juno
8 Eastern Promises
9 No Country for Old Men
10 There Will Be Blood / Youth Without Youth
Link to the List

Chris Hewitt
St Paul Pioneer Press

1 Away From Her
2 Zodiac
3 Michael Clayton
4 The Bourne Ultimatum
5 My Kid Could Paint That
6 Pete Seegar: Power of Song
7 Superbad
8 No Country for Old Men
9 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10 Once
Link to the List

Roger Durling
Santa Barbara Independent

1 Assassination of Jesse James
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 No Country for Old Men
4 Zodiac
5 Ratatouille
6 There Will Be Blood
7 Knocked Up
8 Sweeney Todd
9 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
10 Atonement
Link to the List

George Lang
The Oklahomian

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Zodiac
3 Juno
4 Michael Clayton
5 Grindhouse
6 Atonement
7 Gone Baby Gone
8 American Gangster
9 Knocked Up
10 The Bourne Ultimatum
Link to the List

Gene Triplett
The Oklahomian

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Atonement
3 Eastern Promises
4 The Savages
5 Zodiac
6 There Will Be Blood
7 3:10 to Yuma
8 Martian Child
9 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
10 The Lookout
Link to the List

Katharine Monk
Montreal Gazette

1 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
2 3:10 to Yuma
3 Into the Wild
4 Juno
5 Charlie Wilson’s War
6 There Will Be Blood
7 Away From Her
8 Control
9 Hairspray
10 American Gangster
Link to the List

Prairie Miller
News Blaze

1 Assassination of Jesse james
2 Away From Her
3 The Great Debaters
4 Hairspray
5 Juno
6 The Savages
7 Sicko
8 Talk To Me
9 Superbad
10 There Will Be Blood
Link to the List

Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

1 I’m Not There
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Once
4 Juno
5 Michael Clayton
6 Offside
7 Knocked Up
8 The Host
9 Jindabyne
10 Into the Wild

Ken Chanko | Roger Durling | Andy Gray | Chris Hewitt | Kirk Honeycutt | George Lang | Sean Means | Prairie Miller | Katherine Monk | Gene Triplett

Page 15

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Frank Sheck
The Hollywood Reporter

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 There Will Be Blood
3 No Country for Old Men
4 Sweeney Todd
5 Eastern Promises
6 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
7 Into the Wild
8 The Savages
9 Michael Clayton
10 Sicko
Link to the List

Sheri Linden
The Hollywood Reporter

1 Zodiac
2 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
3 The Savages
4 Deep Water
5 Syndromes and a Century
6 In the Shadow of the Moon
7 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8 Control
9 The Water Horse
10 Wind that Shakes the Barley
Link to the List

Michael Rechtshaffen
The Hollywood Reporter

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Atonement
3 Juno
4 There Will Be Blood
5 Blame it on Fidel
6 Ratatouille
7 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8 No End in Sight
9 Once
10 I Don’t Sleep Alone
Link to the List

Stephen Farber
The Hollywood Reporter

1 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
2 I’m Not There
3 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 The Kite Runner
5 The Lookout
6 Juno
7 Gone Baby Gone
8 Michael Clayton
9 Wind That Shakes the Barley
10 Eastern Promises
Link to the List

Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly

1 I’m Not There
2 No Country for Old Men
3 There Will Be Blood
4 Assassination of Jesse James
5 The Bourne Ultimatum
6 Zodiac
7 Superbad
8 Linda Linda Linda
9 No End in Sight
10 Bug
Link to the List

Ray Bennett
The Hollywood Reporter

1 Assassination of Jesse James
2 The Band’s Visit
3 I Served the King of England
4 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
5 Atonement
6 Michael Clayton
7 The Bourne Ultimatum
8 The Savages
9 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
10 Zodiac
Link to the List

Ella Taylor
L.A. Weekly

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Manufactured Landscapes/The Host
3 Away from Her/The Savages
4 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
5 Lake of Fire
6 Ratatouille
7 Once
8 Persepolis
9 Knocked Up
10 The Band’s Visit
Link to the List

Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Colossal Youth/Regular Lovers
3 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days/Lake of Fire
4 Zodiac
5 Ratatouille
6 No Country for Old Men/Assassination of Jesse James
7 Eastern Promises/Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
8 Margot at the Wedding
9 Knocked Up/Superbad
10 Redacted and No End in Sight and The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Link to the List

Jackie Cooper
41NBC/MGT

1 Atonement
2 Hairspray
3 Breach
4 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
5 Sweeney Todd
6 Into the Wild
7 In the Valley of Elah
8 Michael Clayton
9 August Rush
10 Transformers
Link to the List

Stephen Whitty
The Star-Ledger

1 Assassination of Jesse James
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 Juno
4 The Lives of Others
5 No Country for Old Men
6 The Orphanage
7 Persepolis
8 Reservation Road
9 Sweeney Todd
10 There Will Be Blood

Sean Burns | Ray Bennett | Jackie Cooper | Stephen Farber | Scott Foundas | Sheri Linden | Michael Rechtshaffen | Ella Taylor | Stephen Whitty

Page 14

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Craig Outhier
Orange County Register

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Sweeney Todd
3 Eastern Promises
4 Golden Door
5 The Bourne Ultimatum
6 Into the Wild
7 Once
8 Beowulf/300
9 Superbad/Knocked Up
10 No Country for Old Men
Link to the List

Leonard Klady
Movie City News

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 Assassination of Jesse James
3 Into the Wild
4 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
5 Lake of Fire
6 The Lookout
7 I’m Not There
8 Once
9 La Vie en Rose
10 Away From Her
Link to the List

Sean Elliott
iF Magazine

1 Sweeney Todd
2 Enchanted
3 Elizabeth: The Golden Age
4 The Martian Child
5 Spider-Man 3
6 Pirates of the Caribbean 3
7 Ratatouille
8 300
9 The Host
10 Transformers
Link to the List

Anders Wright
San Diego CityBeat

1 Assassination of Jesse James
2 Atonement
3 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Juno
5 Knocked Up
6 No Country for Old Men
7 Once
8 Ratatouille
9 The Savages
10 There Will Be Blood
Link to the List

Southeastern
Film Critics

1 No Country For Old Men
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Atonement
4 Juno
5 Michael Clayton
6 Zodiac
7 Assassination of Jesse James
8 Gone Baby Gone
9 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10 Into the Wild
Link to the List

Robert Horton
The Herald

1 No Country for Old Men
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Assassination of Jesse James
4 Margot at the Wedding
5 Grindhouse
6 Eastern Promises
7 Lady Chatterley
8 Exiled
9 Black Snake Moan
10 Once
Link to the List

Kent Jones
Film Comment

1 Zodiac
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Black Book
4 Regular Lovers
5 The Darjeeling Limited
6 I’m Not There
7 Private Fears in Public Places
8 Southland Tales
9 The Simpsons Movie
10 Bug
Link to the List

Kristin M. Jones
Film Comment

1 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
2 Southland Tales
3 No Country for Old Men
4 Zodiac
5 Eastern Promises
6 Syndromes and a Century
7 Margot at the Wedding
8 I’m Not There
9 The Savages
10 The Bourne Ultimatum
Link to the List

Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

1 Black Book
2 Bamako
3 Colossal Youth
4 The Silence Before Bach
5 Away from Her
6 My Brother’s Wedding
7 Blade Runner
8 Private Fears in Public Places
9 Honeydripper
10 In the Valley of Elah
Link to the List

Susan Gerhard
SF360

1 Once
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 Pesepolis
4 Into the Wild
5 The Host
6 Sicko
7 The Bourne Ultimatum
8 I’m Not There
9 I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
10 The Golden Compass

Sean Elliott | Susan Gerhard | Robert Horton | Kent Jones | Kristin M. Jones | Leonard Klady | Craig Outhier | Jonathan Rosenbaum | Southeastern Film Critics | Anders Wright

Page 13

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Peter Brunette
Screen International

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Atonement
3 Assassination of Jesse James
4 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
5 4 Weeks, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
6 Gone Baby Gone
7 In the Valley of Elah
8 Michael Clayton
9 Into the Wild
10 Lars and the Real Girl
Link to the List

J.R. Jones
Chicago Reader

1 Atonement
2 Away From Her
3 Gone Baby Gone
4 In the Valley of Elah
5 Into Great Silence
6 Lake of Fire
7 My Kid Could Paint That
8 Reservation Road
9 There Will Be Blood
10 Things We Lost in the Fire
Link to the List

Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune

1 Once
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
4 Ratatouille
5 There Will Be Blood
6 No End in Sight
7 Margot at the Wedding
8 The Bourne Ultimatum
9 Assassination of Jesse James
10 Knocked Up/Juno
Link to the List

Donna Bowma
Nashville Scene

1 Ratatouille
2 Once
3 No Country for Old Men
4 The King of Kong
5 Atonement
6 12:08 East of Bucharest
7 Into the Wild
8 Zodiac
9 Into Great Silence
10 3:10 to Yuma
Link to the List

Tom Tangney
KIRO Radio – Seattle

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Assassination of Jesse James
3 Once
4 No Country for Old Men
5 Sweeney Todd
6 The King of Kong
7 Juno
8 Away From Her
9 A Mighty Heart
10 The Lookout/Zodiac
Link to the List

N.P. Thompson
MoviesIntoFilm.com

1 Wind that Shakes the Barley
2 Killer of Sheep
3 Scott Walker: 30 Century mann
4 Cats of Mirikitani
5 I’m Not There
6 Syndromes and a Century
7 The Violin
8 Delirious
9 Goya’s Ghosts/Belle Toujours
10 Tekkonkinkreet
Link to the List

Stephanie Zacharek
Salon

1 I’m Not There
2 Control
3 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Persepolis
5 Away From Her
6 Ratatouille
7 Grindhouse
8 Once
9 Joe Strummer
10 No End in Sight/Redacted
Link to the List

Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Juno
3 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Eastern Promises
5 Once
6 The Hoax
7 Into the Wild
8 No End in Sight
9 Atonement
10 Gone Baby Gone
Link to the List

Utah Film Critics

1 3:10 to Yuma
2 Assassination of Jesse James
3 No Country for Old Men
4 I’m Not There
5 Into the Wild
6 Juno
7 Knocked Up
8 Michael Clayton
9 Once
10 There Will Be Blood
Link to the List

Kevin LaForest
Montreal Film Journal

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Beowulf
3 Daisy Diamond
4 Death Proof
5 I’m Not There
6 Spider-Man 3
7 Black Snake Moan
8 Hot Fuzz
9 The Darjeeling Limited
10 Eastern Promises

Donna Bowma | Peter Brunette | J.R. Jones | Kevin LaForest | Joe Lozito | Michael Phillips | Tom Tangney | N.P. Thompson | Utah Film Critics | Stephanie Zacharek

Page 12

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Jeffery M. Anderson
Combustable Celluloid

1 Assassination of Jesse James
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
4 Offside
5 Private Fears in Public Places
6 Eastern Promises
7 Bug
8 The Host
9 I’m Not There
10 12:08 East of Bucharest
Link to the List

Josh Tyler
CinemaBlend

1 Sicko
2 The Lookout
3 The Bourne Ultimatum
4 Stephen King’s The Mist
5 The Namesake
6 Knocked Up
7 No Country for Old Men
8 There Will Be Blood
9 Eagle v. Shark
10 I Am Legend
Link to the List

Maitland McDonah
TVGuide.com

1 Antonia
2 Atonement
3 Away from her
4 Black Book
5 Eastern Promises
6 Michael Clayton
7 Persepolis
8 Private Fears in Public Places
9 Shoot ’em Up
10 The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Link to the List

Susan Granger
SSG Syndicate

1 Atonement
1 The Bourne Ultimatum
1 The Darjeeling Express
4 Juno
5 The Kite Runner
6 Michael Clayton
7 No Country for Old Men
8 Sweeney Todd
9 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10 There Will Be Blood
Link to the List

Cynthia Fuchs
Popmatters.com

1 Assassination of Jesse James
2 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
3 The Golden Door
4 The Host
5 Killer of Sheep
6 My Kid Could Paint That
7 Nice Bombs
8 Offside
9 The Prisoner
10 There Will Be Blood/Zodiac
Link to the List

Thelma Adams
US Weekly

1 Atonement
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Eastern Promises
4 Knocked up
5 I’m Not There
6 Sweeney Todd
7 Hairspray
8 Zodiac
9 Juno
10 A Mighty Heart
Link to the List

Edward Douglas
Comingsoon.net

1 Once
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 Vitus
4 The Host
5 Hot Fuzz
6 Superbad
7 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
8 Lars and the Real Girl
9 3:10 to Yuma
10 I’m Not There
Link to the List

James Rocchi
CBS-5 San Francisco

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Persepolis
3 No End in Sight
4 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
5 The Bourne Ultimatum
6 Great World of Sound
7 Assassination of Jesse James
8 I’m Not There
9 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
10 There Will Be Blood
Link to the List

Oklahoma
Film Critics

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Juno
3 Zodiac
4 Atonement
5 Michael Clayton
6 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
7 King of Kong
8 Gone Baby Gone
9 Once
10 Eastern Promises
Link to the List

Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

1 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
2 The Bourne Ultimatum
3 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Eastern Promises
5 I’m Not There
6 Into the Wild
7 Margot at the Wedding
8 Michael Clayton
9 No Country for Old Men
10 La Vie en Rose

Thelma Adams | Jeffrey M. Anderson | Edward Douglas | Cynthia Fuchs | Susan Granger | Maitland McDonagh | Oklahoma Film Critics | Steven Rea | James Rocchi | Josh Tyler

Page 11

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Susan Wloszczyna
USA Today

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Ratatouille
3 Away From Her
4 Atonement
5 Juno
6 Sweeney Todd
7 The Savages
8 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
9 Michael Clayton
10 Enchanted
Link to the List

Kim Voynar
Cinematical.com

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
1 Juno
1 Zodiac
4 No Country for Old Men
5 No End in Sight
6 Persepolis
7 Sweeney Todd
8 Away From Her
9 War/Dance
10 For the Bible Tells Me So
Link to the List

Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

1 Across the Universe
2 American Gangster
3 Away from Her
4 Enchanted
5 The Great Debaters
6 Into the Wild
7 Juno
8 The Namesake
9 No End in Sight
10 The Savages/The Lives of Others
Link to the List

Jennifer Merin
New York Press

1 Away From Her
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 Eastern Promises
4 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
5 The Golden Door
6 Into the Wild
7 Nanking
8 Persepolis
9 Shoot ’em Up
10 Sweeney Todd
Link to the List

Anne Thompson
Variety

1 No Country for Old Men
2 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
3 There Will Be Blood
4 Lust, Caution
5 Atonement
6 The Bourne Ultimatum
7 Sweeney Todd
8 The Savages
9 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10 Juno
Link to the List

Shelli Sonstein
Q1943 AM

1 Into the Wild
2 No Country for Old Men
3 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
4 Away From Her
5 28 Weeks Later
6 Charlie Wilson’s War
7 The Bucket List
8 Redacted
9 Introducing the Dwights
10 The Bubble
Link to the List

Lexi Feinberg
Big Picture Big Sound

1 Juno
2 Away From Her
3 Sweeney Todd
4 Knocked Up
5 Atonement
6 Into the Wild
7 My Kid Could Paint That
8 Starter For 10
9 No Country for Old Men
10 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Link to the List

Mark Slutsky
Montreal Mirror

1 There Will Be Blood
1 No Country for Old Men
1 Zodiac
4 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
5 Knocked Up/Superbad
6 The Bourne Ultimatum
7 Control
8 Paprika
9 Election
10 Zidane
Link to the List

Matthew Hays
Montreal Mirror

1 Eastern Promises
2 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
3 Away From Her
4 No Country for Old Men
5 God Grew Tired Of us
6 Rendition
7 Sicko
8 Zoo
9 Up the Yangtze Yung
10 The Lives of Others
Link to the List

Malcolm Fraser
Montreal Mirror

1 Killer of Sheep
2 Eastern Promises
3 Margot at the Wedding
4 The Host
5 No End in Sight
6 Paprika
7 No Country for Old Men
8 Superbad
9 After the Wedding
10 Grindhouse

Lexi Feinberg | Malcolm Fraser | Matthew Hays | Jennifer Merin | Carrie Rickey | Mark Slutsky | Shelli Sonstein | Anne Thompson | Kim Voynar | Susan Wloszczyna

Page 10

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

A.O. Scott
New York Times

1 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
2 Ratatouille
3 There Will Be Blood/Sweeney Todd
4 I’m Not There/Joe Strummer
5 No End in Sight/Terror’s Advocate
6 12:08 East of Bucharest / Live In Maid
7 Into the Wild/Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8 The Lives of Others/Michael Clayton
9 The Savages/Away From Her
10 Knocked Up/Superbad/Juno
Link to the List

Stephen Holden
New York Times

1 There Will Be Blood
2 The Lives of Others
3 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Persepolis
5 Starting Out in the Evening
6 No Country for Old Men
7 Sweeney Todd
8 Atonement
9 Across the Universe
10 Juno
Link to the List

Matt Dentler
SxSW Festival Producer

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 There Will Be Blood
3 Killer of Sheep
4 No Country for Old Men
5 The King of Kong
6 Persepolis
7 In the Shadow of the Moon
Link to the List

Christopher Kelly
Star Telegram

1 The Bourne Ultimatum
2 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
3 Ratatouille
4 Once
5 Michael Clayton
6 This is England
7 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8 Alpha Dog
9 My Kid Could Paint That
10 No Country for Old Men
Link to the List

Saul Austerlitz
Boston Globe

1 The Lives of Others
2 Ratatouille
3 Eastern Promises
4 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
5 No End in Sight
6 Michael Clayton
7 Offside
8 I’m Not There
9 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
10 Southland Tales
Link to the List

Bob Longino
Atlantic Journal Constitution

1 No Country for Old Men
2 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3 Atonement
4 There Will Be Blood
5 The Bourne Ultimatum
6 Knocked Up
7 Assassination of Jesse James
8 Lars and the Real Girl
9 Gone Baby Gone
10 Ratatouille
Link to the List

Ben Lyons
E Online

1 There Will Be Blood
2 Zodiac
3 No Country for Old Men
4 Persepolis
5 The Host
6 Exiled
7 The King of Kong
8 The Darjeeling Limited
9 Black Snake Moan
10 Hot Fuzz
Link to the List

Manohla Dargis
New York Times

1 There Will Be Blood/Zodiac
2 Into Great Silence/I’m Not There
3 Killer of Sheep/Bourne Ultimatum
4 Eastern Promises/Michael Clayton
5 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days/I Don’t Want To Sleep Alone
6 Lady Chatterley/Colossal Youth
7 Monika/Superbad/Southland Tales
8 No End in Sight/Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
9 This is England/The Savages/Year of the Dog
10 Paprika/The Host/The Kingdom
Link to the List

Richard Roeper
Chicago Sun Times

1 American Gangster/The Brave One
2 Breach/Charlie Wilson’s War
3 Eastern Promises/Gone BabyGone
4 Grindhouse/The Hoax
5 Into the Wild/Juno
6 Knocked Up/The Lookout
7 Michael Clayton/A Mighty Heart
8 No Country for Old Men/Once
9 Paris Je T’aime/Superbad
10 Sweeney Todd/Zodiac
Link to the List

Jason Anderson
Eye Weekly

1 Lady Chatterley
2 Syndromes and a Century
3 There Will Be Blood
4 Zodiac
5 Paprika
6 Offside
7 Black Book
8 Forever
9 Ten Canoes
10 I’m Not There

Jason Anderson | Saul Austerlitz | Manohla Dargis | Matt Dentler | Stephen Holden | Christopher Kelly | Bob Longino | Ben Lyons | Richard Roeper | AO Scott

Page 9

Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Link to the List

Chuck Stephens
Film Comment

1 No Country For Old Men
2 Colossal Youth
3 Grindhouse
4 The Host
5 I Don’t Want Sleep Alone
6 Los Muertos
7 Syndromes and a Century
8 There Will Be Blood
9 Zodiac
10 Tears of the Black Tiger
Link to the List

Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

1 Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2 Across the Universe
3 The Bourne Ultimatum
4 Red Road
5 Eastern Promises
6 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
7 Zodiac
8 12:08 East of Bucharest
9 Ratatouille
10 Assassination of Jesse James
Link to the List

Owen Glieberman
Entertainment Weekly

1 I’m Not There
2 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
3 Michael Clayton
4 Superbad
5 The Lives of Others
6 Grindhouse
7 Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
8 Once
9 No End in Sight
10 Zodiac
Link to the List

Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

1 There Will Be Blood
2 No Country for Old Men
3 I’m Not There
4 Persepolis
5 No End in Sight
6 Zodiac
7 Lady Chatterley
8 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
9 Assassination of Jesse James
10 Knocked Up
Link to the List

Andy Klein
LA Citybeat

1 Exiled
2 The Host
3 Hot Fuzz
4 Killer of Sheep
5 No Country for Old Men
6 The Orphanage
7 Private Fears in Public Places
8 Ratatouille
9 The Simpsons Movie
10 Sweeney Todd
Link to the List

Mark Keizer
LA Citybeat

1 The Savages
2 Once
3 There Will Be Blood
4 No Country for Old Men
5 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
6 Lake of Fire
7 I’m Not there
8 Blame it on Fidel
9 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
10 3:10 to Yuma
Link to the List

Wade Major
LA Citybeat

1 La Vie en Rose
2 Assassination of Jesse James
3 After the Wedding
4 A Mighty Heart
5 Jindabyne
6 Once
7 Exiled
8 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
9 No Country for Old Men
10 Zodiac
Link to the List

Amy Nicolson
LA Citybeat

1 Alpha Dog
2 Confessions of a Super Hero
3 The Hunting Party
4 I’m Not There
5 Juno
6 The King of Kong
7 Live Free or Die Hard
8 My Kid Could Paint That
9 No Country for Old Men
10 2 Days in Paris

Owen Glieberman | Peter Keough | Andy Klein | Mark Keizer | Wade Major | Amy Nicolson | Lisa Schwarzbaum | Chuck Stephens