Top Five Films of January, 2013


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Un carnet de bal (1937, Julien Duvivier)
I saw some unusually strong films this month and this film is truly a masterpiece.  Duvivier features a woman looking back on all the men she has loved and all her regrets and turns it into something very beautiful. 

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The Silver Linings Playbook (2012, David O. Russell)
 After seeing all nine nominees for Best Picture, I think that this one is the strongest.  It won't necessarily win, but it would be great if it did! 

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56 Up (2012, Michael Apted, Paul Almond)
Michael Apted's documentary project following kids from the age of 7 up until the age of 56 is truly remarkable.  At one point, it seemed that some of the participants continued just for self-promotion; however this installment was just as excellent as the rest. Apted shows clips from the other documentaries, so the viewer is not lost following several people over several years. 

A British Picture (1989, Ken Russell)
Ken Russell is a remarkable filmmaker and he tells the story of his full career through the eyes of a young boy. This documentary can be found on YouTube.

Searching for Sugar Man (2012, Malik Bendjelloul)
Another amazing documentary. I heard so many good things about it from so many different people; this is the kind of film that spreads like wildfire by word of mouth. The story was unbelievable and it has a huge chance of winning this year at the Oscars for Best Documentary.

 Honorable Mentions:
Blackadder Christmas Carol (short)
Amantes (1991, Vicente Aranda)

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