1972

best film:  The Godfather is the best film of 1972 and is universally canonized for a very good reason. It is one of the best 5 narratives in the history of cinema and that narrative,

Undertow – 2004 Gordon Green

I certainly hope David Gordon Green returns to this more experimental version of himself—he’s still only in his early 40’s and has 5 archiveable films but going back and reading roger eberts 4 star review

1971

best film:  Kubrick’s a clockwork orange is far and away the greatest cinematic achievement of 1971 which gives Kubrick back to back films with the best films of the year (2001 in 1968). This rarely

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead – 2007 Lumet

The great auteur Sidney Lumet proves that at age 83 he still has it. The film is a completely enthralling morality play that is strategically edited and filled with great performances It has much in

1970

best film:  the conformist is a visual showcase of set pieces, lighting, and overall mise-en-scene from architectural landscapes to costume design. It has noir roots and is Bertolucci’s best film. Although I’ve had it there

1969

best film:  the wild bunch stands above the other films in 1969. The narrative alone is enough to make it a top 5 of the year film but the aesthetic choices Peckinpah makes, particularly in

1968

best film:  Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the handful of films that can legitimately lay claim to being called the greatest film of all-time. The visual achievement here has no peer

1967

best film:  The Graduate is the sole 1967 film in my all-time top 100. It’s a sizeable film stylistically with some of the editing sequences (the montage of the Hoffman/Bancroft affair set to simon and

Black Swan – 2010 Aronofsky

The opening scene, a dream sequence, has an absolutely astounding use of cinematography. It’s very distinctive as well- aggressive camerawork despite it being a tracking shot and ballet. The wound in Portman’s back are reminiscent

Wild River – 1960 Kazan

It’s in color and cinemascope but is still very much a Kazan film- driven by characters, their discourse and paced with strong performances Solid color photography- location shooting in Tennessee Opening doc footage in black

1966

best film:  Persona is Bergman’s most radical film and a breakthrough visually for the great auteur. I have it as his top film. It may be Sven Nykvist’s best work and the complex narrative, which

1965

best film:  pierrot le fou is clearly godard’s most innovative work to date. It’s self-conscious, self-mocking and a brilliant deconstruction of the medium. It’s more than that though because, unlike later godard, it’s wildly visually

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