Interlude: TwitCrix Poll

Update: A few more people posted lists. I've updated it to reflect those.


Yesterday on Twitter, a number of the film critics I follow/follow me got around to posting their favorite films of 2012 so far. Curious to see what was the favorite, I aggregated the 25 30 lists I found. I ranked them the usual way (#1 picks got 5 points, #2 got 4 points, and so on—if the lists were unranked I each pick one point). This of course isn't the end all list, but for those wondering what to fill your Netflix queues with for the rest of the year, all these films are great, or at least worth checking out. 

1. Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, USA) - 73 points/23 mentions

2. Once Upon A Time in Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey) - 29 points/7 mentions

3. The Deep Blue Sea (Terrence Davies, UK) - 26 points/11 mentions

4. Haywire (Steven Soderbergh, USA) - 26 points/10 mentions

5. The Kid With A Bike (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Belgium) - 24 points/8 mentions

6. The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr, Hungary) - 20 points/8 mentions

7. Damsels in Distress (Whit Stillman, USA) - 16 points/5 mentions

8. This Is Not A Film (Jafar Panahi, Iran) - 14 points/5 mentions

9. Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard, USA) - 13 points/5 mentions

10. The Color Wheel (Alex Perry Ross, USA) - 13 points/3 mentions

11. Miss Bala (Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico) - 10 points/3 mentions

Damsels in Distress: Tap Therapy

Damsels in Distress

Written and Directed By: Whit Stillman

Starring: Greta Gerwig, Analeigh Tipton, Carrie MacLemore, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Adam Brody, Ryan Metcalf, Jeremaine Crawford, Zach Woods, Hugo Becker, and Aubrey Plaza

Director of Photography: Doug Emmett, Editor: Andrew Hafitz, Production Designer: Elizabeth J. Jones, Original Music: Mark Suozzo

            The bright colors and giddy atmosphere of Damsels in Distress seems to be a perfect remedy for the frat boy dorms that plague the campus of Seven Oaks University. Although Damsels is the latest film from Whit Stillman, it’s hard not to think he was simply shooting this adorable comedy across campus while Animal House filmed on frat row. They seem to come from the same universe, and Damsels feels dated in that way, but it’s perfectly appropriate for this sun-soaked narrative of the bizarre and totally delightful.

            Stillman, for those who know him, has been absent on screen since 1998’s The Last Days of Disco, another period piece of a period not so far away. Damsels isn’t a period piece, but with its syncopated dialogue, 1950s soundtrack, and song and dance numbers (oh yes, there is tap) Stillman creates a film that is very much in its own universe. Or at least everything is seen through the rosy eyes of the narrative’s protagonists (“The Damsels” as the opening credits refers to them). The film begins with Greta Gerwig, making her move from micro-budget mumblecore darling to full-fledged actress, as Violet, the queen bee leader of a gaggle of girls at the prestigious university. Violet, along with Heather (Carrie MacLemore, a one-liner machine) and Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke, confident through every line), hope to make the world a better place by running a Suicide Prevention Center, though everyone refers to it as the Suicide Center.