It is always a nightmare to have to hone down another rewarding year of film viewing to a few titles that especially left a mark – the few means having to exclude the many that have astounded, riveted, bewitched, enthralled, thrilled, moved, tickled me pink. However, here goes, in alphabetical order: 20,000 Days on Earth, Boyhood, Locke, The Great Museum, The Lady from Shanghai, Snowpiercer, Under the Skin, We Come As Friends. My most recent programming task was to attend the Cannes Film Festival, which offered a particularly rich crop this year. Among that stunning line up, I feel a great affection for Force Majeure, Leviathan, The Wonders, Timbuktu, Winter Sleep and White God. But I shouldn’t forget the ferociously funny Wild Tales – and while in a humourous vein, there’s also Housebound (and Club Sándwich). And now that we’re also in the horror genre, there’s The Babadook. A few? Too difficult! And I haven’t mentioned two extraordinary moments of cinema capturing history unfold: Demonstration and Maïdan...
As for films I’ve yet to see, amongst many other titles, I’m looking forward to catching up with our selection of New Zealand films, Consuming Spirits, Hard to be a God, Manakamana, The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden, Particle Fever, Pulp: a Film about Life, Death & Supermarkets... And that’s just for starters.
