reelMandel Maven's Reel Life: Flick Pix
Mandel Maven's Nest Reel Life: Flick Pix
Nora Lee Mandel is a member of New York Film Critics Online and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Her reviews are counted in the Rotten Tomatoes TomatoMeter:
Complete Index to Nora Lee Mandel's Movie Reviews
Since August 2006, edited versions of most of my reviews of documentaries/indie/foreign films are at Film-Forward and, since 2012, festival overviews at FilmFestivalTraveler. Shorter versions of my older reviews are at IMDb's comments, where non-English-language films are listed by their native titles.
My Best Films of 2014
My Best Films of 2013
My Best Films of 2012
My Best Films of 2011
My Best Films of 2010
My Best Films of 2009
My Best Films of 2008
My Best Films of 2007
My Best Films of 2006
My Best Films of 2005
My Best Films of 2004
My Best Films of 2003
My Best Films of 2002
My Best Films of 2001
Reviews by Nora Lee Mandel in my idiosyncratic categories of how I think of of flicks:
CHICK FLICKS
IMPACT OF 9/11 ON NYC THROUGH MOVIES
IMAGES OF DENTISTS AND PREVENTIVE TOOTH CARE IN MOVIES
JEWISH WOMEN IN (and missing from) THE FLICKS
MASTERPIECE THEATER: MOVIES AS MEDICINE
For the MIDDLE-AGED AT HEART: HURRAH FOR GROWN-UPS!
For the MUSIC (and/or the dancing)
NEW YORK NEW YORK: IT'S A HELLUVA TOWN
NOIR NIGHT OUT
OGLING TEENS AND '20SOMETHINGS
POPCORN EATERS
ROMEO AND JULIET (and friends) ACROSS THE ETHNIC DIVIDE
SCI-FI and FANTASY from A DISTAFF POV
And then there's RUSSELL CROWE (with commentary on the actor)
Friends don't let friends watch bad movies! -- John Ridley
It is not enough to like a film. You must like it for the right reasons. -- Pierre Rissient
A movie is shown in a movie theater, and I like to sit there and see it. That’s how it’s supposed to be. -- Roger Ebert, Newsweek, 5/15/2011
MY BEST FILMS of 2014 (In the order I saw them, many reviews yet to be written, particularly of festivals-viewed, non-theatrically distributed films):
Ida (previewed at 2014 New York Jewish Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.) (kudos to Agata Kulesza and the cinematography)
The Lunchbox (Dabba)
Child’s Pose (Pozitia copilului) (kudos to Luminita Gheorghiu)
Jimmy P: Psychotherapy Of A Plains Indian (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Runners-Up: Movies I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Ana Arabia (previewed at 2014 New York Jewish Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum)
Friends From France (Les interdits) (previewed at 2014 New York Jewish Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
Generation War (Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
When I Saw You (Lamma Shoftak)
Vic + Flo Saw A Bear (Vic + Flo Ont Vu Un Ours)
Grand Central (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
The Japanese Dog (Câinele Japonez) (kudos to the cinematography) (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
Of Horses and Men (kudos to the cinematography) (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
Quod Erat Demonstrandum (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
To Kill a Man (Matar a un hombre) (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
Afronauts (short previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
Honey (Miele) (for background see PBS’s Frontline report The Suicide Plan)
BEST NEO-NOIRS
Felony (kudos to writer/star Joel Edgerton, Jai Courtney, and Tom Wilkinson) (previewed at 2013 Film Comments Selects of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Rob the Mob (kudos to Michael Pitt and Nina Arianda, and the editing)
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (kudos to the cinematography) (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
The Double (kudos to the cinematography, production design and Jesse Eisenberg) (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA) in tandem with Enemy (previewed at 2014 Film Comments Selects of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
BEST ACTIONERS/THRILLERS
Big Bad Wolves (previewed at 2013 Tribeca Film Festival)
Omar (Director Talk interview is a useful supplement.)
The Babadook (kudos to cinematography and book design) (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
Runners-Up: ACTIONERS/THRILLERS I enjoyed despite uncredible plots
Journey To The West: Conquering the Demons
BEST ROMANCES
Under the Rainbow (Au bout du conte) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Runners-Up: ROMANCES I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Girl on a Bicycle
2 Autumns, 3 Winters (2 automnes 3 hivers) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
If You Don't, I Will (Arrête Ou Je Continue) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Only Lovers Left Alive (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to the music, production design, and cinematography by Yorick LeSaux)
BEST COMING OF AGERS
Maidentrip (kudos to the scenery too)
Runners-Up: COMING OF AGERS I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Jamesy Boy (kudos to Spencer Lofranco and Michael Trotter)
Me and You (Io e te) (previewed at 2014 Film Comments Selects of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Young And Beautiful (Jeune & jolie) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Sheep (Mouton) (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
BEST FEMALE POV
Gloria (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to Paulina García)
Towheads (briefly reviewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA) (My additional notes.)
On My Way (Elle s'en va) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Runners-Up: BEST FEMALE POV I Recommend Despite my Gripes
Age of Panic (La bataille de Solférino) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Suzanne (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Stop the Pounding Heart (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
BEST USE OF THE WAY BACK MACHINE
A Field in England (Then watch the making-of Master Class)
Cesar Chavez (except for the non-Chicano score) In Secret
Runners-Up: BEST USE OF THE WAY BACK MACHINE I Recommend Despite my gripes
Summer In February
The Marchers (La Marche) (except for the non-ethnic score) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
The French Minister (Quai D’orsay) (except for the non-ethnic score) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to Niels Arestrup)
Xingu (previewed at 2012 Tribeca Film Festival)
BEST REELABILITIES: Presentation of Disabilities in Film (giving credit for appropriating the term without attending/seeing these at the NY Disabilities Film Festival)
Run and Jump (previewed at 2013 Tribeca Film Festival)
Runners-Up: BEST REELABILITIES Movies I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Demi-Sɶur
BEST MOVIE MUSICALS (and music/dance bio-pics and documentaries):
Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America (briefly reviewed at 2013 Doc NYC Round-up Part 1: Bio Docs)
Runners-Up: MOVIE MUSICALS (and music/dance bio-pics and documentaries) I Recommend Despite My Gripes:
Mistaken for Strangers (briefly reviewed in 2013 Documentaries at Tribeca Film Festival)
BEST ANIMATION (and use of animation)
The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Mood Indigo (L'écume des jours (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga (kudos to the scenery) (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
Runners-Up: BEST ANIMATION (and use of animation) I Recommend Despite My Gripes:
The Congress (previewed at 2014 New York Jewish Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum)
BEST DOCUMENTARIES:
Big Men (briefly reviewed in 2013 Documentaries at Tribeca Film Festival)
The Last Of The Unjust (Le Dernier Des Injustes) (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (Director Talk interview is a useful supplement.)
Fatal Assistance (Assistance mortelle) (briefly reviewed at 2013 Economics & the 24th Human Rights Watch Film Festival at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
DOCS that are Close Runners-Up
12 O’Clock Boys (more subtitles please!)
The New Black (briefly reviewed at 2013 Faith & Filmmaking at Human Rights Watch Film Fest at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Karama Has No Walls (seen with Oscar Nominated Shorts)
School Of Babel (La Cour de Babel) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Kids for Cash
DOCS – Best Reenactments
Charlie Victor Romeo
An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (Epizoda u zivotu beraca zeljeza) (seen at MoMA’s 2014 Documentary Fortnight)
Educational DOCS you can learn from despite gaps and/or flaws):
flaws):
Before the Revolution (previewed at 2014 New York Jewish Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum)
The Great Flood (briefly reviewed at 2012 Silent Films/Live Music) (My additional notes.)
Teenage (briefly reviewed in 2013 Documentaries at Tribeca Film Festival and in Youth in Rebellion at Tribeca 2013)
Jodorowsky's Dune
Particle Fever (kudos for focusing on two women physicists)
We Come as Friends (kudos to the scenery) (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
BIO DOCS you can learn from despite gaps and/or glosses:
Aasinki: The Story Of Arctic Cowboys (briefly reviewed in Shout Out for Quiet Documentaries at Tribeca ‘13 at Tribeca Film Festival) (kudos to the scenery)
Cave Digger (seen with Oscar Nominated Shorts)
BIG JOY: The Adventures of James Broughton (briefly reviewed in LGBT Cinema at Tribeca ‘13 at Tribeca Film Festival)
Most Depressing
Documentary Division:
Til Madness Do Us Part (Feng ai) (seen at MoMA’s 2014 Documentary Fortnight)
BEST for the SCENERY:
Visitors (kudos to the Philip Glass score)
Love Is The Perfect Crime (L'amour est un crime parfait) (previewed at 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Spell to Ward Off the Darkness (previewed at 2014 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
BEST REVIVALS IN NEW PRINTS
Il Sorpasso
And thanks for theatrical showings for my first-time viewings on big screens of: Light of Compassion (Nasake no hikari) in The Aesthetics of Shadow, Part 1: Japan at MoMA (with live piano accompaniment); Jump (Salto), Mother Joan Of The Angels (Matka Joanna od Aniołów), The Saragossa Manuscript (Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie) (previewed in Masterpieces of Polish Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center); Borom Sarret/Black Girl (La noire de...) in An Auteurist History of Film at MoMA; Statues Also (Die Les Statues meurent aussi) in MoMA’s 2014 Documentary Fortnight; Christian Petzold’s Wolfsburg andGhosts in the 2014 Film Comments Selects of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
MY BEST FILMS of 2013 (In the order I saw them, many reviews yet to be written, particularly of festivals-viewed, non-theatrically distributed films):
About 111 Girls (Darbare 111 Dokhtar) (seen in 2013 Global Lens series at MoMA)
Modest Reception (Paziraie Sadeh) (seen in 2013 Global Lens series at MoMA)
Dormant Beauty (Bella addormentata) (previewed at 2013 Film Comments Selects of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Caesar Must Die (Cesare deve morire) (previewed at 2012 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to score by Giuliano Taviani and CarmeloTravi)
Lore
No (previewed at 2012 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Jiseul (kudos to the cinematography and score) (previewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
The Place Beyond The Pines (kudos to Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and writer/director Derek Cianfrance)
Renoir (previewed at 2013 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center) (My additional notes.)
Mold (Küf) (briefly reviewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
The Shine Of The Day (Der Glanz des Tages) (briefly reviewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA) (My additional notes.)
Harmony Lessons (Uroki Garmonii) (briefly reviewed in Youth in Rebellion at Tribeca 2013 at Tribeca Film Festival)
Computer Chess
Fruitvale Station (kudos to writer/director Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan)
The Selfish Giant (kudos to writer/director Clio Barnard, Conner Chapman, Shaun Thomas and Sean Gilder)
Runners-Up: Movies I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Aliyah (also briefly reviewed at 2013 New York Jewish Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
The Cutoff Man (Menatek Ha-maim) (briefly in Reviewed: New York Jewish Film Festival 2013 of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum)
Outside Satan (Hors Satan)(previewed at Anthology Film Archives
Southwest (Sudoeste) (seen in 2013 Global Lens series at MoMA)
The Pirogue
Three Worlds (Trois Mondes) (previewed at 2013 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Blue Caprice (kudos to the score) (previewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
Starbuck (seen at MoMA's 2012 Canadian Front) -- like a fiction version of the documentary Donor Unknown (briefly reviewed at 2011 Tribeca Film Festival) (remade in Hollywood as Delivery Man)
It Was The Son (È stato il figlio) (previewed at 2013 Open Roads: New Italian Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to the cinematography)
In The Fog (V tumane)
The Hunt (Jagten) (kudos to Mads Mikkelsen)
You Will Be My Son (Tu Seras Mon Fils)
Nebraska (kudos to Bruce Dern and June Squibb, Bob Nelson’s script, Phedon Papamichael’s cinematography and Mark Orton’s score) (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
A Touch Of Sin (Tian Zhu Ding) (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (despite the kowtowing to Beijing PC-ness)
In The Name Of. . . (W imie...) (kudos to Andrzej Chyra)
Aftermath (Pokłosie) (kudos to Maciej Stuhr and Ireneusz Czop) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish woman.)
Three Exercises of Interpretation: The Cat is On the Chair, The Mouse is Under the Table, and The Monkey is On the Branch (Trois exercices d’interprétation): (previewed in Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Under The Same Sun (previewed at 2013 Other Israel Film Festival) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women)
Inheritance (previewed at 2013 Other Israel Film Festival) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish woman)
Arabani (previewed at 2013 Other Israel Film Festival) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish woman)
The Past (Le passé) (briefly reviewed in best of year- scroll down) (kudos to Bérénice Bejo and Pauline Burlet)
Saving Mr. Banks
Mud
American Hustle
The Hours (RIP Paul Walker)
Runners-Up: BEST USE OF THE WAY BACK MACHINE I Recommend Despite my Gripes
Lee Daniels' The Butler
Burning Bush (Hořicí Keř) (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (in the Czech Republic it was a TV mini-series)
The Immigrant (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (So, nu: my commentary on the missing Jewish women.) (kudos to Marion Cotillard, cinematographer Darius Khondji, and production design, especially at Ellis Island)
12 Years A Slave (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
The Fifth Estate (not so way-back division)
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (kudos to Idris Elba and Naomie Harris)
BEST ACTIONERS/THRILLERS
The Baytown Outlaws (kudos to Clayne Crawford and Travis Fimmel)
Gangster Squad (kudos to art, scenic, costume, and sound design)
Motorway (Che sau) (kudos to the music) (previewed at 2013 Film Comments Selects of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
The Berlin File (Be-reul-lin)
A Hijacking (Kapringen) (briefly reviewed in best of year- scroll down) (previewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA) (see it with The Project, briefly reviewed in 2013 Documentaries at Tribeca Film Festival) (I preferred over Captain Phillips)
Stampede (a short film from Croatia by Cyril Amon Schäubli as tense as Bourne in a train station) (previewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
Eddie the Sleepwalking Cannibal (previewed at 2012 Tribeca Film Festival)
Northwest (Nordvest) (briefly reviewed in Youth in Rebellion at Tribeca 2013 at Tribeca Film Festival) (previewed at 2013 Tribeca Film Festival)
Shadow Dancer (kudos to Andrea Riseborough) (My additional notes.)
Drug War (Du zhan)
The Grandmaster (Yi dai zong shi) (U.S. version) (kudos to the martial arts choreography and cinematography)
Prisoners
Lone Survivor (kudos to director Peter Berg)
Gravity (3D)
Welcome to the Punch (kudos to the production style)
Runners-Up: ACTIONERS/THRILLERS I enjoyed despite uncredible plots
The East
The Prey (La proie)
The Attack (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
Closed Circuit
BEST NEO-NOIRS
Death For Sale (kudos to the cinematography) (previewed in 2013 New York African Film Festival at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Nairobi Half Life (previewed in 2013 New York African Film Festival at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
A Single Shot (kudos to Sam Rockwell and score by Atli Örvarsson)
Runners-Up: BEST NEO-NOIRS I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Mobius (previewed at 2013 Tribeca Film Festival)
Mystery (previewed at 2013 New York Asian Film Festival at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Child of God (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
BEST SCI FI/FANTASY
The Wall (Die Wand) (kudos to Martina Gedeck and the scenery)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (kudos to the action and hints of romance)
Runners-Up: BEST SCI FI/FANTASY I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Blancanieves (kudos to cinematography and music) (previewed at 2012 Spanish Cinema Now at Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to the black-and-white cinematography)
Byzantium (previewed at 2013 Tribeca Film Festival)
World War Z
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
BEST COMING OF AGERS
The Interval (L’Intervallo) (previewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA) (kudos to Francesca Riso)
Blackbird (seen at MoMA's 2013 Canadian Front) (kudos to Connor Jessup and writer/director Jason Buxton)
Before My Heart Falls (Avant Que Mon Coeur Bascule) (seen at MoMA's 2013 Canadian Front)
The Rocket (previewed at 2013 Tribeca Film Festival)
What Richard Did (kudos to Jack Reynor) (briefly reviewed in Youth in Rebellion at Tribeca 2013 at Tribeca Film Festival)
The Spectacular Now (despite more upbeat ending than the book)
Club Sándwich (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Runners-Up: COMING OF AGERS I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Gimme The Loot (briefly reviewed at 2012 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA)
Molly Maxwell (seen at MoMA's 2013 Canadian Front)
The We and The I (My additional notes.)
La Playa DC (Seen at The African Diaspora International Film Festival
BEST ROMANCES
Warm Bodies (Sci-Fi Division) (kudos to Nicholas Hoult)
Refrain (Rengaine) (briefly reviewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish woman)
Before Midnight (40somethings Division) (kudos to Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy)
Much Ado About Nothing (a la Joss Whedon and friends)
Fill the Void (Lemale et ha'halal) (previewed at 2012 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to Hadas Yaron and Yiftach Klein) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women)
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (kudos to Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck)
Omar (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Real (Riaru: Kanzen Naru Kubinagaryû No Hi) (Sci-Fi Division) (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Blue Is The Warmest Color (La Vie d’Adèle -Chapitre 1 and 2) (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to Adèle Exarchopoulos)
Her (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to writer/director Spike Jonze, Joaquin Phoenix, voice of Scarlett Johansson, score by Arcade Fire, KK Barrett’s production design)
The Pin (kudos to actors Milda Gecaite and Grisha Pasternak, writer/director Naomi Jaye and score/sound design) (previewed at The Anne Frank Center USA) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
Runners-Up: ROMANCES I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Nights With Theodore (Les Nuits avec Theodore) (previewed at 2013 Film Comments Selects of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Laurence Anyways (seen at MoMA's 2013 Canadian Front) (kudos to Melvil Poupaud and Suzanne Clément)
Upstream Color (Sci-Fi Division) (kudos to Shane Carruth)
Every Blessed Day (Tutti i santi giorni) (previewed at 2013 Open Roads: New Italian Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Floating Skyscrapers (Plynace wiezowce) (briefly reviewed in LGBT Cinema at Tribeca ‘13 at Tribeca Film Festival)
Alì Blue Eyes (Alì ha gli occhi azzurri) (briefly reviewed in Youth in Rebellion at Tribeca 2013 at Tribeca Film Festival)
Don Jon
Out In The Dark (Alata) (Dhalam) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
Charlie Countryman
Runners-Up Guilty Pleasure Douglas Sirk Tribute Division: ROMANCES I Recommend Despite My Gripes
Labor Day (kudos to Kate Winslett and I’ve been a fan of Josh Brolin as sexy since Young Riders)
Twice Born (Venuto al mondo)
BEST BROMANCES
The Kings of Summer
Prince Avalanche
The Motel Life (kudos to Jason Falkner’s guitar)
Runners-Up: BEST BROMANCES I Recommend Despite my Gripes
Kill Your Darlings (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women)
Out of the Furnace
BEST FEMALE POV
War Witch (Rebelle) (previewed at 2012 Tribeca Film Festival)
The Girl (previewed at 2012 Tribeca Film Festival)
Future Weather (previewed at 2012 Tribeca Film Festival)
A Lady in Paris (Une Estonienne À Paris) (previewed at 2013 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Augustine (previewed at 2013 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Thérèse Desqueyroux (previewed at 2013 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Eden (My additional notes.)
S#x/Six Acts (Shesh peamim) (briefly reviewed in Youth in Rebellion at Tribeca 2013 at Tribeca Film Festival) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women)
Jîn (briefly reviewed in Youth in Rebellion at Tribeca 2013 at Tribeca Film Festival)
Ginger & Rosa
Hannah Arendt (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
The Bling Ring
Tall As The Baobab Tree (Grand comme le Baobab) (briefly reviewed at 2013 Islam & Women’s Rights at Human Rights Watch Film Fest at Film Society of Lincoln Center) 
In A World. . . (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women)
Our Children (À Perdre La Raison) (previewed at 2012 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to Émilie Dequenne)
Afternoon Delight (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women)
The Patience Stone (Syngué Sabour) (Background at Director Talk’s interview) (kudos to Golshifteh Farahani)
Adore (Two Women) (kudos to Robin Penn and Naomi Watts)
Wadjda
Camille Claudel 1915 (kudos to Juliette Binoche)
Sunlight Jr. (kudos to Naomi Watts and writer/director Laurie Collyer)
Everyday (thanks to William Wolf’s Movie Preview Class) (kudos to Shirley Henderson)
Runners-Up: BEST FEMALE POV I Recommend Despite my Gripes
Exhibition (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Abuse Of Weakness (Abus De Faiblesse) (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
My Name Is Hmmm… (Je M’appelle Hmmm…) (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Enough Said
Go For Sisters (kudos to LisaGay Hamilton, Yolonda Ross and Edward James Olmos)
BEST SATIRES
The Color Of The Chameleon (Tsvetat na hameleona) (briefly reviewed at 2013 New Directors/New Films of Film Society of Lincoln Center/MoMA) (My additional notes.)
Fresh Meat (briefly reviewed in Youth in Rebellion at Tribeca 2013 at Tribeca Film Festival)
Helter Skelter (Herutâ sukerutâ) (previewed at 2013 New York Asian Film Festival at Film Society of Lincoln Center/Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film of Japan Society)
The World’s End (kudos to Simon Pegg)
What’s in A Name (Le Prénom)
Runners-up: Best COMIC RELIEF from Depressing DOCS Despite Nonsense:
The Parade (Parada) (Best Gay Serbian Comedy with a Serious Point Division) (seen in 2013 Global Lens series at MoMA) (briefly reviewed at 2013 Faith & Filmmaking at Human Rights Watch Film Fest at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
The Battle Of Pussy Willow Creek (My additional notes.)
In the House (Dans la maison) (previewed at 2013 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
BEST MOVIE MUSICALS (and music/dance bio-pics and documentaries):
Cabaret Berlin: The Wild Scene (briefly in Reviewed: New York Jewish Film Festival 2013 of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum)
Max Raabe in Israel (briefly in Reviewed: New York Jewish Film Festival 2013 of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
The Fantastic World of Juan Orol (El Fantástico mundo de Juan Orol) (seen in 2013 Global Lens series at MoMA)
China Concerto (seen at MoMA’s 2013 Documentary Fortnight)
The Sapphires (My additional notes.)
When The Song Dies (short) (briefly reviewed in Shout Out for Quiet Documentaries at Tribeca ‘13 at Tribeca Film Festival)
A Band Called Death (My additional note.)
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (kudos to Farhan Akhtar and music by Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, and Loy Mendonsa) (My additional notes.)
Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer (Pokazatelnyy protsess: Istoriya Pussy Riot) (briefly reviewed at 2013 Faith & Filmmaking at Human Rights Watch Film Fest at Film Society of Lincoln Center)
Inside Llewyn Davis (previewed at 2013 New York Film Festival of Film Society of Lincoln Center) (kudos to Oscar Isaac and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
The Punk Singer (briefly reviewed at 2013 Doc NYC Round-up Part 1: Bio Docs)
Revenge of the Mekons (briefly reviewed at 2013 Doc NYC Round-up Part 1: Bio Docs)
Runners-Up: MOVIE MUSICALS (and music/dance bio-pics and documentaries) I Recommend Despite My Gripes:
The Ballad of the Weeping Spring (Balada le'aviv ha'bohe) (briefly in Reviewed: New York Jewish Film Festival 2013 of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum)
Let’s Dance! (briefly in Reviewed: New York Jewish Film Festival 2013 of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women.)
Hava Nagila (The Movie) (also briefly in Reviewed: New York Jewish Film Festival 2013 of Film Society of Lincoln Center/The Jewish Museum) (My additional notes.)
Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey (My additional notes.) (previewed at 2012 Tribeca Film Festival) (My additional notes.)
Flex Is Kings (categorizing as dance-like) (briefly reviewed in 2013 Documentaries at Tribeca Film Festival)
The Broken Circle Breakdown (previewed at 2013 Tribeca Film Festival)
The History Of Future Folk
20 Feet From Stardom (My additional notes.)
Dancing in Jaffa (briefly reviewed in 2013 Documentaries at Tribeca Film Festival and at Part 2 Truth & Friction of the 2013 Other Israel Film Festival) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women)
Enzo Avitabile Music Life (seen at 2012 Doc NYC Festival)
CBGB (just for the inaccurate fun of it) (So, nu: my commentary on the Jewish women)