10.  Ruby Sparks  (written by Zoe Kazan, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, starring Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Chris Messina, Annette Bening, and Antonio Banderas).  Ironic and quirky.  A man creates his “soulmate” with his writing, but this film is clearly written from her point of view.  Still, this movie is both fun and thought provoking. 9.  Sound of My Voice  (written by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, ... Read More »

10.  Holy Motors (written and directed by Leos Carax, and starring Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Kylie Minogue, and Eva Mendes).  At the outset, I feel obliged to say that this top 10 list tends to reward ambition more than it probably should.  In this respect, Holy Motors generally defies comparison to any other film released this year.  Director Carax follows “working actor” Lavant through a single day consisting of ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10)?  8   Director William Friedkin will probably best be known for his exemplary career trajectory as an alumnus of the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s – starting with the Oscar-winning The French Connection (1971), continuing with with the shocking The Exorcist (1973), and ending with the self-indulgent flop/masterpiece Sorcerer (1977).  Much like director Sidney Lumet’s black swan song, Before the ... Read More »