07 October 2023

Skandiewrap, or More Than You Wanted to Know

Ordinarily, I write a fairly lengthy post-mortem in this space, but this post is so ridiculously late that I'm already just about ready to call for Skandies 2023 nominations. Put everything together in my personal file right after voting ended, as usual, but then I broke my right (i.e. my "good") wrist and couldn't handle a mouse without significant discomfort for the next few months. Which was a problem, since this task involves a whole lotta copy/paste action, moving back and forth. And by the time my wrist had sufficiently healed, I'd completely forgot that I hadn't transferred the data. (Thanks to Ryan Swen for the reminder.) So in the interest of expediency, I'm gonna forego the preamble and skip straight to the number-crunching. You presumably already know whether or not that's of any interest to you; no shame, certainly, if it isn't. And if by some chance you've stumbled onto this blog without knowing what the Skandies even is: It's an annual poll of cinephiles (mostly not professional critics, though some are) that I've been conducting since 1995, and complete results for the past 28 years can be found here

NOTE: The layout below is not optimized for mobile. Some of it (the Directors' Gallery at the bottom in particular) will be gobbledygook unless you're on a laptop/desktop.



HIGHEST AVERAGE RATING (1996–2022)
(includes only films receiving a minimum of ten votes)

01. 3.65 The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
02. 3.61 Being John Malkovich (1999)
03. 3.61 A Separation (2011)
04. 3.58 Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)
05. 3.57 In the Company of Men (1997)
06. 3.56 Secrets & Lies (1996)
07. 3.53 La Promesse (1997)
08. 3.52 Yi Yi (A One and a Two…) (2000)
09. 3.50 From the Journals of Jean Seberg (1996)
10. 3.49 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)


It's nearly impossible for new films to make this list, due to a significant uptick in voter stinginess with high ratings since the '90s. Here's how it looks for the last decade-plus (since 2010):

01. 3.61 A Separation (2011)
02. 3.49 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
03. 3.48 Margaret (2011)
      3.48 Memoria (2021)
05. 3.46 Nocturama (2017)
      3.46 Phantom Thread (2017)
07. 3.45 The Tree of Life (2011)
08. 3.44 Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (2019)
09. 3.43 Certified Copy (2011)
10. 3.41 Holy Motors (2012)


No new additions this year. TÁR, the highest-rated film, averaged 3.38, and nothing else was even close. 



LOWEST AVERAGE RATING (1996–2022)
(includes only films receiving a minimum of five votes)

01. 0.20 Date Movie (2006)
01. 0.20 America (2014)
03. 0.50 Collateral Beauty (2016)
04. 0.58 Miss March (2009)
05. 0.60 Dragonfly (2002)
05. 0.60 The Last Face (2017)
07. 0.61 The Roommate (2011)
08. 0.67 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)
09. 0.67 The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence) (2015)
10. 0.70 Beastly (2011)
10. 0.70 Left Behind (2014)


Nothing new here, either. Voters are avoiding the truly terrible films as they get older, and the most hated of 2022, among those that received at least five votes, was The Adam Project, with a comparatively robust 1.40 average. (Woody Allen came tantalizingly close to making the year's worst movie by this measure, as Rifkin's Festival landed second-to-last.)



MOST DIVISIVE FILMS (2022)
(std. deviation >= 0.75; minimum two votes 3.5 or higher, two votes 1.5 or lower)

  • You Won't Be Alone (1.07)
  • Close (0.91)
  • Everything Everywhere All at Once (0.85)
  • Vortex (0.76)

  • I suspect this is the first time that a Best Picture winner (at the Oscars) has appeared in this category. [after checking] Nope, I forgot about Crash (0.95). Though I'm surprised that anyone in the August Voting Body loved that film. (Two people did.)



    BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
    (lowest-ranked film seen by at least 75% of voters)

    1996: Twister (1.80)
    1997: The Lost World: Jurassic Park (2.33)
    1998: He Got Game (2.59)
    1999: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (2.18)
    2000: Nurse Betty (2.31)
    2001: Vanilla Sky (2.20)
    2002: Storytelling (2.03)
    2003: The Matrix Reloaded (2.29)
    2004: The Village (2.30)
    2005: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2.49)
    2006: Little Miss Sunshine (2.52)
    2007: Ocean's Thirteen (2.52)
    2008: Milk (2.83)
    2009: The Hangover (2.35)
    2010: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2.71)
    2011: Midnight in Paris (2.47)
    2012: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2.37)
    2013: American Hustle (2.50)
    2014: Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2.44)
    2015: While We're Young (2.67)
    2016: Knight of Cups (2.52)
    2017: The Shape of Water (2.48)
    2018: A Star Is Born (2.68)
    2019: Joker (2.44)
    2020: Mank (2.30)
    2021: Titane (2.54)
    2022: Babylon (2.10)

    I was not part of the 75%, in this case. The first 10 minutes scared me off for life, barring Patreon-requested necessity. We haven't seen an average that low hereabouts since Storytelling way back in 2002. Everyone saw it, most hated it. 



    PASSIONATE MINORITY AWARD
    (lowest average among top 20 films in Picture voting)

    1996: Dead Man (2.94)
    1997: Crash (2.52)
    1998: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (2.68)
    1999: The End of the Affair (2.96)
    2000: Requiem for a Dream (2.73)
    2001: Amélie (2.71)
    2002: 8 Women (2.79)
    2003: The Good Thief (2.81)
    2004: I ♥ Huckabees (2.84)
    2005: Oldboy (2.68)
    2006: Manderlay (2.69)
    2007: Once (2.79)
    2008: Funny Games (2.83)
    2009: A Serious Man (2.83)
    2010: The Exploding Girl (2.75)
    2011: Shame (2.63)
    2012: Damsels in Distress (2.76)
    2013: Spring Breakers (2.72)
    2014: Goodbye to Language (2.64)
    2015: The Assassin (2.73)
    2016: Knight of Cups (2.52)
    2017: Downsizing (2.50)
    2018: You Were Never Really Here (2.86)
    2019: Midsommar (2.80)
    2020: I Was at Home, but... (2.69)
    2021: The Killing of Two Lovers (2.75)
    2022: Athena (2.73)

    Some people are very impressed by extremely complicated "one-ers."  



    DAMNED WITH FAINT PRAISE
    (highest-ranked film by average rating not to place in Picture voting [10+ voters] )

    1996: Get on the Bus (3.29)
    1997: Forgotten Silver (3.36)
    1998: The Kingdom II (3.14)
    1999: My Name Is Joe (3.18)
    2000: Erin Brockovich (3.14)
    2001: No Man’s Land (3.19)
    2002: Roger Dodger (3.14)
    2003: The Weather Underground (3.18)
    2004: Bright Leaves (3.16)
    2005: Howl's Moving Castle (3.15)
    2006: The Devil and Daniel Johnston (3.18)
    2007: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (3.25)
    2008: The Duchess of Langeais (3.20)
    2009: Night and Day (3.07)
    2010: Another Year (3.21)
    2011: Senna (3.07)
    2012: The Imposter (3.10)
    2013: Drug War (3.17)
    2014: National Gallery (3.25)
    2015: The Look of Silence (3.28)
    2016: I Am Not Your Negro (3.18)
    2017: Ex Libris (3.06)
    2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (3.10)
    2019: Apollo 11 (3.13)
    2020: City Hall (3.03)
    2021: Quo Vadis, Aida? (3.17)
    2022: Onoda (3.10)

    Also of note: high averages for the relatively little-seen Mr. Bachmann and His Class (3.21), The Monopoly of Violence (3.20), The Quiet Girl (3.20), and Three Minutes—A Lengthening (3.20). 

    For whatever reason, this is the spot where I've been noting Atli Sigurjónsson's annual predictions, which he sends me privately before the daily countdown kicks off. As usual, just looking at voters' top 10 lists and Letterboxd and/or Crix Pix ratings got him reasonably close, though he significantly overestimated enthusiasm for The Fabelmans and especially Benediction, underestimated enthusiasm for Crimes of the Future. Here they are, with the film's actual placement noted parenthetically. 

    1. TÁR (1) 2. The Banshees of Inisherin (2) 3. Decision to Leave (3) 4. RRR (5) 5. EO (4) 6. The Fabelmans (12) 7. Top Gun: Maverick (9) 8. Aftersun (6) 9. Benediction (20) 10. In Front of Your Face (8) 11. The Girl and the Spider (10) 12. Everything Everywhere All at Once (did not place, #25) 13. Armageddon Time (did not place, #30) 14. Athena (16) 15. Onoda (did not place, #21) 16. Crimes of the Future (7) 17. Mr. Bachman and His Class (15) 18. Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (11)
    19. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (did not place, #22) 20. The Tsugua Diaries (18)
    He missed Emily the Criminal (#13, most of its points came from a voter living in Japan who until recently had no public record of his opinions), Nope (#14), No Bears (#17), and The Northman (tie for #18). 



    DAMN THE REVIEWS, FULL SPEED AHEAD
    (lowest average among films seen by at least 10 voters)

    1996: Twister (1.80)
    1997: Batman & Robin (1.28)
    1998: The Avengers | Stepmom [tie] (1.50)
    1999: Jawbreaker (1.14)
    2000: Pay It Forward (1.41)
    2001: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (1.26)
    2002: Scooby-Doo (1.08)
    2003: Bad Boys II (1.60)
    2004: Exorcist: The Beginning (1.21)
    2005: Undead (1.29)
    2006: The Hills Have Eyes (1.65)
    2007: Smokin' Aces (1.64)
    2008: Jumper (1.54)
    2009: Gigantic (1.00)
    2010: The Last Airbender (1.05)
    2011: Vanishing on 7th Street (1.55)
    2012: This Means War (1.50)
    2013: Gangster Squad (1.29)
    2014: That Awkward Moment (1.45)
    2015: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (1.79)
    2016: Zoolander 2 (1.60)
    2017: The Assignment (1.77)
    2018: Vice (1.67)
    2019: Serenity (1.05)
    2020: Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (1.95)
    2021: House of Gucci (2.00)
    2022: Moonfall (1.86)

    People just cannot resist some Roland Emmerich stupidity. 



    SELECTION COMMITTEE ON CRACK
    (lowest average for a film that screened at the New York Film Festival)
    (post-expansion: Main Slate only, plus "Special Event" world premieres)

    1996: Flirt (2.20)
    1997: Kiss or Kill (1.79)
    1998: Voyage to the Beginning of the World (1.80)
    1999: Dogma (1.89)
    2000: Before Night Falls (2.31)
    2001: La Ciénaga (1.95)
    2002: In Praise of Love (1.95)
    2003: Chi-Hwa-Seon: Painted Fire (2.19)
    2004: Free Radicals (2.08)
    2005: Palindromes (2.15)
    2006: Rolling Family (1.83)
    2007: The Go Master (1.93)
    2008: Married Life (2.25)
    2009: The Windmill Movie (2.13)
    2010: Hereafter (2.05)
    2011: We Are What We Are (1.64)
    2012: Hyde Park on Hudson (1.69)
    2013: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1.92)
    2014: Child of God (2.00)
    2015: The Princess of France (2.42)
    2016: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2.10)
    2017: My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea (1.96)
    2018: Wildlife (2.29)
    2019: A Faithful Man (2.08)
    2020: The Wild Goose Lake (2.18)
    2021: Tragic Jungle (1.90)
    2022: The Inspection (2.10)

    The Inspection closed NYFF, which tends to be cause for concern as a rule (at any festival). Other recent closers include Wonder Wheel, Miles Ahead, Motherless Brooklyn, and French Exit (which is actually terrific, fuck you almost everyone).  



    ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY)
    (suggested by Alex Fung; lowest average for a film that received a 4-star rating

    1996: The Stupids (2.30) | Bryan “Frankenseuss” Theiss (ret.)
    1997: Kissed (2.46) | Alex Fung
    1998: Psycho (2.11) | Erik Gregersen (ret.)
    1999: Twin Falls Idaho (2.28) | Milton Lawson (ret.)
    2000: Beautiful People (2.29) | Keith Collins (ret.)
    2001: The Road Home (1.88) | Erik Gregersen (ret.)
    2002: In Praise of Love (1.95) | Jeremy Heilman
    2003: Gigli (1.92) | Jeremy Heilman
    2004: The Passion of the Christ (2.18) | Victor J. Morton
    2005: The Brothers Grimm (2.29) | Bilge Ebiri
    2006: The Fountain (2.21) | Peter Reiher (ret.)
    2007: Southland Tales (1.88) | Dave Cowen; Jeremy Heilman
    2008: Jellyfish (2.36) | Daniel Waters
    2009: 12 (2.29) | Bilge Ebiri
    2010: Somewhere (2.41) | Nictate (ret.)
    2011: A Serbian Film (1.81) | Daniel Waters
    2012: Alps (2.43) | Don Marks
    2013: Maniac (2.50) | Jeremy Heilman
    2014: Vic + Flo Saw a Bear (2.43) | Victor J. Morton
    2015: The Tribe (2.43) | Daniel Waters
    2016: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2.10) | Jeremy Heilman
    2017: Song to Song (2.24) | Jeremy Heilman
    2018: The 15:17 to Paris (2.07) | Jeremy Heilman
    2019: Jojo Rabbit (2.25) | Jeff McCloud
    2020: The Devil All the Time (2.21) | Jeremy Heilman; Zach Ralston
    2021: Spencer (2.31) | Jeremy Heilman; Victor J. Morton
    2022: Stars at Noon (2.42) | Jeremy Heilman

    Good ol' Jeremy. Almost every year. 



    AUTEUR! AUTEUR!

    Highest-ranked director whose movie didn't place in Picture.

     

    1996: Peter Jackson, The Frighteners (#7)

    1997: Wong Kar-wai, Happy Together (#17)

    1998: Alex Proyas, Dark City (#17)

    1999: Steven Soderbergh, The Limey (#11)

    2000: David Gordon Green, George Washington (#7)

    2001: Michael Mann, Ali (#8)

    2002: Michael Haneke, The Piano Teacher (#14)

    2003: Robert Altman, The Company (#7)

    2004: Martin Scorsese, The Aviator (#8)

    2005: Peter Jackson, King Kong (#10) 

    2006: Michael Mann, Miami Vice (#9)

    2007: Paul Greengrass, The Bourne Ultimatum (#9)

    2008: Lance Hammer, Ballast (#14)

    2009: Lucrecia Martel, The Headless Woman (#8)

    2010: Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (#14)

    2011: Raúl Ruiz, Mysteries of Lisbon (#13)

    2012: Hong Sang-soo, The Day He Arrives (#17)

    2013: Johnnie To, Drug War (#17)

    2014: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (#19)

    2015: Aleksei German, Hard to Be a God (#10)

    2016: Kelly Reichardt, Certain Women (#10)

    2017: Yorgos Lanthimos, The Killing of a Sacred Deer (#14)

    2018: Lucrecia Martel, Zama (#9)

    2019: Nemes László, Sunset (#10)

    2020: Andrew Patterson, The Vast of Night (#4)

    2021: Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part One (#9)

    2022: Noah Baumbach, White Noise (#10)


    I still don't understand how White Noise placed top 10 in both Director and Screenplay yet got two lonely votes (one of them my own) in Picture. Could be wrong but I think a lot of folks are gonna feel embarrassed by their ho-hum reaction down the road.

    ____________________________________________________________________________________

    AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

    Highest-ranked screenwriter whose movie didn't place in Picture.


    1996: Belinda & Philip Haas, Angels & Insects (#4 in Adapted)

    1997: David Mamet and Hilary Henkin, Wag the Dog (#5)

    1998: Whit Stillman, The Last Days of Disco (#8)

    1999: M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense (#18)

    2000: John Cusack et al., High Fidelity (#6)

    2001: Karen Walton, Ginger Snaps (#6)

    2002: Dylan Kidd, Roger Dodger (#2)

    2003: Billy Ray, Shattered Glass (#4)

    2004: David Mamet, Spartan (#11)

    2005: Skander Halim, Pretty Persuasion (#4)

    2006: Frank Cottrell Boyce, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (#6)

    2007: Noah Baumbach, Margot at the Wedding (#4)

    2008: Martin McDonagh, In Bruges (#5)

    2009: Scott Z. Burns, The Informant! (#8)

    2010: Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain and Chris Morris, Four Lions (#5)

    2011: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants (#12)

    2012: Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods (#7)

    2013: Cormac McCarthy, The Counselor (#7)

    2014: James Ward Byrkit, Coherence (#6)

    2015: Andrew Haigh, 45 Years (#8)

    2016: Shane Black & Anthony Bagarozzi, The Nice Guys (#4)

    2017: Noah Baumbach, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (#3)

    2018: Mark Perez, Game Night (#8)

    2019: Mike Leigh, Peterloo (#14)

    2020: Mike Makowsky, Bad Education (#5)

    2021: Nicole Holofcener & Ben Affleck & Matt Damon, The Last Duel (#13)

    2022: Rian Johnson, Glass Onion (#4)


    Knives Out landed at #10, but the sequel was lauded almost exclusively for its screenplay and actors. 


    ____________________________________________________________________________________

    AWESOME! AWESOME!

    Highest-ranked scene from a film that failed to place in Picture. (Starts a year later because I didn't create Best Scene until '97, after I combined Original and Adapted Screenplay into just Screenplay.) 


    1997: The car scene, Scream 2 (#6)

    1998: Protein-rich hair gel, There's Something About Mary (#7)

    1999: Monologus interruptus, Deep Blue Sea (#7)

    2000: Smack my Crispin up, Charlie's Angels (#4)

    2001: Jimmy shanks a nonplussed Chopper, Chopper (#3)

    2002: Evaluating Elizabeth, Lovely & Amazing (#3)

    2003: Rainstorm pas de deux, The Company (#4)

    2004: "Cousins?" (Molina/Coogan), Coffee and Cigarettes (#3)

    2005: First encounter of the close kind, War of the Worlds (#2)

    2006: Nude wrestling, Borat (#3)

    2007: Han River attack, The Host (#1)

    2008: Deranged penguin, Encounters at the End of the World (#10)

    2009: Honeymoon on the tracks, You, the Living (#4)

    2010: Backseat murder attempt, Let Me In (#5)

    2011: Scaling Burj Khalifa, Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol (#4)

    2012: Landing the plane, Flight (#4)

    2013: Opening, Post tenebras lux (#2)

    2014: Wedding dance, In Bloom (#9)

    2015: Donnie vs. Leo (single shot), Creed (#2)

    2016: "Would that it were so simple," Hail, Caesar! (#2)

    2017: "Bellbottoms," Baby Driver (#4)

    2018: Extracting the bullet, Game Night (#1)

    2019: Umbrella attack, Shadow (#5)

    2020: Meeting with HR, The Assistant (#2)

    2021: “Night Colonies,” The Year of the Everlasting Storm (#5)

    2022: "Hello, college!", Babylon (#8)


    We may not have collectively liked Babylon much, but some folks did thoroughly enjoy its deliberately terrible filmmaking.


    ____________________________________________________________________________________

    MAJOR FESTIVAL PRIZE WINNERS: OUR VERDICT

    Cannes Palme d'Or

    1995: Underground (#15, 1997)
    1996: Secrets & Lies (#2, 1996)
    1997: Taste of Cherry (#15, 1998)
    1997: The Eel (did not place)
    1998: Eternity and a Day (did not place)
    1999: Rosetta (did not place)
    2000: Dancer in the Dark (#10, 2000)
    2001: The Son's Room (did not place)
    2002: The Pianist (did not place)
    2003: Elephant (did not place)
    2004: Fahrenheit 9/11 (did not place)
    2005: L'Enfant (The Child) (#6, 2006)
    2006: The Wind That Shakes the Barley (did not place)
    2007: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (#1, 2008)
    2008: The Class (did not place)
    2009: The White Ribbon (did not place)
    2010: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (#9, 2011)
    2011: The Tree of Life (#1, 2011)
    2012: Amour (#6, 2012)
    2013: Blue Is the Warmest Color (#8, 2013)
    2014: Winter Sleep (#15, 2014)
    2015: Dheepan (did not place)
    2016: I, Daniel Blake (did not place)
    2017: The Square (did not place)
    2018: Shoplifters (#19, 2018)
    2019: Parasite (#2, 2019)
    2020: festival cancelled
    2021: Titane (did not place)
    2022: Triangle of Sadness (did not place)

    Venice Golden Lion

    1995: Cyclo (#14, 1996)
    1996: Michael Collins (did not place)
    1997: Fireworks (Hana-Bi) (#5, 1998)
    1998: The Way We Laughed (N/A, not theatrically released during window of eligibility)
    1999: Not One Less (did not place)
    2000: The Circle (did not place)
    2001: Monsoon Wedding (did not place)
    2002: The Magdalene Sisters (did not place)
    2003: The Return (did not place)
    2004: Vera Drake (#6, 2004)
    2005: Brokeback Mountain (#3, 2005)
    2006: Still Life (#18, 2008)
    2007: Lust, Caution (did not place)
    2008: The Wrestler (#13, 2008)
    2009: Lebanon (did not place)
    2010: Somewhere (did not place)
    2011: Faust (did not place)
    2012: Pieta (did not place)
    2013: Sacro GRA (N/A, not theatrically released during window of eligibility)
    2014: A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (did not place)
    2015: From Afar (did not place)
    2016: The Woman Who Left (did not place)
    2017: The Shape of Water (did not place)
    2018: Roma (#4, 2018)
    2019: Joker (did not place)
    2020: Nomadland (#18, 2020)
    2021: Happening (did not place)
    2022: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (did not place)

    Sundance Grand Jury (Dramatic)

    1995: The Brothers McMullen (did not place)
    1996: Welcome to the Dollhouse (did not place)
    1997: Sunday (did not place)
    1998: Slam (did not place)
    1999: Three Seasons (did not place)
    2000: Girlfight (did not place)
    2000: You Can Count on Me (#3, 2000)
    2001: The Believer (did not place)
    2002: Personal Velocity (did not place)
    2003: American Splendor (#20, 2003)
    2004: Primer (#10, 2004)
    2005: Forty Shades of Blue (did not place)
    2006: Quinceañera (did not place)
    2007: Padre Nuestro (did not place)
    2008: Frozen River (did not place)
    2009: Precious (Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire) (did not place)
    2010: Winter's Bone (#2, 2010)
    2011: Like Crazy (did not place)
    2012: Beasts of the Southern Wild (did not place)
    2013: Fruitvale Station (did not place)
    2014: Whiplash (#20, 2014)
    2015: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (did not place)
    2016: The Birth of a Nation (did not place)
    2017: I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (unreleased, placed 5th in the Undies)
    2018: The Miseducation of Cameron Post (did not place)
    2019: Clemency (did not place)
    2020: Minari (did not place)
    2021: CODA (did not place)
    2022: Nanny (did not place)

    ____________________________________________________________________________________

    AVERAGE RATINGS FOR OSCAR WINNERS

     

    I've never posted this list before, because until recently the Oscars happened after the Skandies. But since we're currently up to date, here it is (in descending order, with this year's addition in bold). Again, take ratings for films from the '90s with a grain of salt—no way would The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love get anything close to 3.20+ today. 


    No Country for Old Men: 3.45

    The Departed: 3.42

    Parasite: 3.37

    The English Patient: 3.27

    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: 3.26

    Titanic: 3.23

    Shakespeare in Love: 3.21

    The Hurt Locker: 3.18

    Moonlight: 3.14

    Million Dollar Baby: 3.06

    Gladiator: 3.04

    12 Years a Slave: 3.04

    American Beauty: 2.97

    Argo: 2.86

    Spotlight: 2.85

    The Artist: 2.82

    Chicago: 2.78

    A Beautiful Mind: 2.73

    Nomadland: 2.72

    The King's Speech: 2.63

    The Shape of Water: 2.48

    Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): 2.44

    Everything Everywhere All at Once: 2.43

    Slumdog Millionaire: 2.42

    CODA: 2.28

    Crash: 2.11

    Green Book: 2.07


    ____________________________________________________________________________________

    Most Appearances in Top 20 (Actors)
    (ties for number of appearances broken by average placement)

    01. Tilda Swinton (18)

    1. Julia
    4s. Michael Clayton
    4s. Snowpiercer
    5. The Deep End
    5. We Need to Talk About Kevin
    7. Only Lovers Left Alive
    8. Memoria
    9s. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
    11. I Am Love
    12s. Burn After Reading
    12s. Suspiria
    13. The Eternal Daughter
    13s. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    14. A Bigger Splash
    16s. The Dead Don't Die
    18. Female Perversions
    19s. Thumbsucker
    19s. Trainwreck

    02. Philip Seymour Hoffman (15)

    1s. The Master
    3s. Charlie Wilson's War
    5. Capote
    6. Synecdoche, New York
    6s. The Talented Mr. Ripley
    6s. Almost Famous
    10s. Magnolia
    10s. 25th Hour
    11. Doubt
    12. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
    12s. State and Main
    15s. Happiness
    15. Owning Mahowny
    18. A Most Wanted Man
    19s. Mission: Impossible III

    03. Isabelle Huppert (15)

    1. Elle
    2. The Piano Teacher
    2s. 8 Women
    4. Gabrielle
    8. Abuse of Weakness
    8. The School of Flesh
    8. Things to Come
    12. White Material
    13s. I ♥ Huckabees
    13s. Amour
    15. La Cérémonie
    17. Time of the Wolf
    17. In Another Country
    19s. Claire's Camera
    19. Home

    04. Joaquin Phoenix (11)

    1. Two Lovers

    3. The Master

    3. Inherent Vice

    3. You Were Never Really Here

    5. Her

    9s. Gladiator

    10. Walk the Line

    10. The Immigrant

    11. I’m Still Here

    13. C’mon C’mon

    15. Joker


    05. Nicole Kidman (11)

    2. Eyes Wide Shut
    2. Dogville
    2. Margot at the Wedding
    6. Moulin Rouge!
    9. The Others
    9. The Hours
    11. Birth
    12s. The Northman
    15s. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
    16. Rabbit Hole
    18. Birthday Girl

    Nicole Kidman, with her nod for The Northman, replaces Julianne Moore at #5. (Both have placed 11 times, like Phoenix, but his average placement is better than Kidman's, whose average placement is better than Moore's.) 

    ____________________________________________________________________________________

    Most Films Landed in Top 20 (Directors)
    (again, ties broken by average placement)

    01. Joel [& Ethan] Coen (10)

    1. Inside Llewyn Davis
    2. No Country for Old Men
    4. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
    5. The Man Who Wasn't There
    6. Fargo
    7. A Serious Man
    10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
    11. Burn After Reading
    12. The Big Lebowski
    12. True Grit

    Did not place: Intolerable Cruelty; The Ladykillers; Paris je t'aime [segment]; Hail, Caesar!The Tragedy of Macbeth
    Ineligible: Everything prior to FargoTo Each His Own Cinema [segment]

    02. Richard Linklater (9)

    3. Before Sunset
    3. Boyhood
    4. Before Midnight
    7. Everybody Wants Some!!
    9. The School of Rock
    11. Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
    12. A Scanner Darkly
    15. Waking Life
    18. Bernie

    Did not place: subUrbia; The Newton BoysTapeBad News BearsFast Food NationMe and Orson WellesLast Flag FlyingWhere'd You Go, Bernadette
    Ineligible: Everything prior to subUrbiaInning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach

    03. Paul Thomas Anderson (8)

    1. There Will Be Blood
    2. Phantom Thread
    3. Licorice Pizza
    4. The Master
    7. Inherent Vice
    7. Magnolia
    8. Boogie Nights
    8. Punch-Drunk Love

    Did not place: Hard Eight
    Ineligible: Junun

    04. Martin Scorsese (8)

    1. The Departed
    2. The Wolf of Wall Street
    4. Silence
    5. I Heard You Paint Houses
    7. Kundun
    9. Gangs of New York
    14. Shutter Island
    19. Hugo

    Did not place: Bringing Out the DeadThe AviatorShine a LightPublic SpeakingLiving in the Material WorldConjuring the Rolling Thunder Re-vue
    Ineligible: Everything prior to KundunMy Voyage to ItalyThe Concert for New York City [segment]; Lady by the Sea: The Statue of LibertyA Letter to EliaThe 50 Year Argument

    05. Lars von Trier (8)

    1. Breaking the Waves
    1. Dogville
    7. Melancholia
    10. Dancer in the Dark
    13. The House That Jack Built
    17. Nymph()maniac Vol. I
    19. The Five Obstructions
    20. Manderlay

    Did not place: The KingdomThe IdiotsThe Kingdom IIThe Boss of It AllAntichristNymph()maniac Vol. II; The Kingdom Exodus
    Ineligible: Everything prior to Breaking the WavesD-dag

    Linklater jumps from #4 to #2 and becomes the first solo director to place nine films in Best Picture. 

    ____________________________________________________________________________________


    Where Are They Now?

    New-ish category! Actors who've had at least two appearances in the top 20, but haven't made the cut in the past ten years. We used to like them. What happened? (Actors who die will be removed a year following their last eligible performance.)

    Note: The two-nod minimum, which is meant to keep this list manageable (as there are many, many actors who've shown up only once, most of them in no way notable), also eliminates some big names that one might expect to be here: Dustin Hoffman, Meg Ryan, Winona Ryder, etc.

    Each actor's most recent Skandie appearance is in [brackets]. New additions are in bold. Removed because they finally placed again this year: Brendan Gleeson, Pascal Greggory and Marcia Gay Harden. Not added because she passed away: Edith Scob.

    • Joan Allen [2005: The Upside of Anger]
    • Mathieu Amalric [2008: A Christmas Tale]
    • Daniel Auteuil [2005: Caché (Hidden)]
    • Alec Baldwin [2006: The Departed]
    • Eric Bana [2005: Munich]
    • Javier Bardem [2012: Skyfall]
    • Sacha Baron Cohen [2006: Borat Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby]
    • Kathy Bates [2002: About Schmidt]
    • Paul Bettany [2011: Margin Call]
    • Thora Birch [2001: Ghost World]
    • Jack Black [2012: Bernie]
    • Helena Bonham Carter [2007: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]
    • Jim Broadbent [2010: Another Year]
    • Jim Carrey [2010: I Love You, Phillip Morris]
    • Michael Cera [2007: Superbad Juno]
    • Maggie Cheung [2006: Clean]
    • Julie Christie [2007: Away From Her]
    • Patricia Clarkson [2005: The Dying Gaul]
    • George Clooney [2011: The Descendants]
    • Jennifer Connelly [2003: House of Sand and Fog]
    • Paddy Considine [2005: My Summer of Love]
    • Steve Coogan [2011: The Trip]
    • Chris Cooper [2007: Breach]
    • Kevin Costner [2005: The Upside of Anger]
    • Brian Cox [2002: 25th Hour]
    • James Cromwell [1997: L.A. Confidential]
    • Joan Cusack [2003: The School of Rock]
    • John Cusack [2000: High Fidelity]
    • Claire Danes [2005: Shopgirl]
    • Jean-Pierre Darroussin [2004: Red Lights]
    • Hope Davis [2003: The Secret Lives of Dentists American Splendor]
    • Judy Davis [1998: Celebrity]
    • Judi Dench [2012: Skyfall]
    • Catherine Deneuve [2008: A Christmas Tale]
    • Johnny Depp [2003: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Once Upon a Time in Mexico]
    • Zooey Deschanel [2006: Failure to Launch]
    • Emmanuelle Devos [2008: A Christmas Tale]
    • Rosemarie DeWitt [2012: Your Sister's Sister]
    • Cameron Diaz [2001: Vanilla Sky]
    • Illeana Douglas [1996: Grace of My Heart]
    • Robert Downey, Jr. [2008: Iron Man Tropic Thunder]
    • Minnie Driver [1997: Grosse Pointe Blank Good Will Hunting]
    • Robert Duvall [2003: Open Range]
    • Aaron Eckhart [2008: The Dark Knight]
    • Jesse Eisenberg [2010: The Social Network]
    • Anna Faris [2008: The House Bunny]
    • Vera Farmiga [2009: Up in the Air]
    • Colin Firth [2010: The King's Speech]
    • Bridget Fonda [1998: A Simple Plan]
    • Jodie Foster [2002: Panic Room]
    • Jamie Foxx [2012: Django Unchained]
    • Morgan Freeman [2004: Million Dollar Baby]
    • Gael García Bernal [2012: The Loneliest Planet]
    • Jennifer Garner [2007: Juno]
    • Joseph Gordon-Levitt [2009: (500) Days of Summer]
    • Olivier Gourmet [2003: The Son]
    • Bruce Greenwood [2011: Meek's Cutoff]
    • Maggie Gyllenhaal [2006: Sherrybaby Stranger Than Fiction]
    • Jackie Earle Haley [2009: Watchmen]
    • Ed Harris [2005: A History of Violence]
    • Leila Hatami [2011: A Separation]
    • Bryce Dallas Howard [2010: Hereafter]
    • Danny Huston [2004: Birth]
    • Vlad Ivanov [2009: Police, Adjective]
    • Tommy Lee Jones [2012: Lincoln]
    • Milla Jovovich [2010: Stone]
    • Catherine Keener [2007: Into the Wild]
    • Rinko Kikuchi [2009: The Brothers Bloom]
    • Val Kilmer [2005: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang]
    • Greg Kinnear [2002: Auto Focus]
    • Keira Knightley [2011: A Dangerous Method]
    • Frank Langella [2008: Frost/Nixon]
    • Denis Lavant [2012: Holy Motors]
    • Valérie Lemercier [2007: Avenue Montaigne]
    • Melissa Leo [2010: The Fighter]
    • Tony Leung [2005: 2046]
    • Laura Linney [2007: The Savages]
    • Alison Lohman [2009: Drag Me to Hell]
    • Sergi López [2006: Pan's Labyrinth]
    • Kelly Macdonald [2007: No Country for Old Men]
    • Anthony Mackie [2009: The Hurt Locker]
    • Tobey Maguire [2002: Spider-Man]
    • John Malkovich [2008: Burn After Reading]
    • Leslie Mann [2012: This Is 40]
    • Rose McGowan [2007: Grindhouse]
    • Ewan McGregor [2010: I Love You, Phillip Morris]
    • Ian McKellen [2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]
    • Helen Mirren [2006: The Queen]
    • Alfred Molina [2004: Coffee and Cigarettes]
    • David Morse [2003: The Slaughter Rule]
    • Samantha Morton [2008: Synecdoche, New York]
    • Peter Mullan [2001: The Claim]
    • Liam Neeson [2012: The Grey]
    • Thandie Newton [2002: The Truth About Charlie]
    • Jack Nicholson [2002: About Schmidt]
    • Nick Nolte [2011: Warrior]
    • Gary Oldman [2011: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]
    • Timothy Olyphant [2009: A Perfect Getaway]
    • Haley Joel Osment [2001: AI]
    • Patton Oswalt [2011: Young Adult]
    • Clive Owen [2009: Duplicity]
    • Elliot Page [2011: Super]
    • Gwyneth Paltrow [2009: Two Lovers]
    • Joe Pantoliano [2001: Memento]
    • Guy Pearce [2012: Lockout]
    • Sean Penn [2012: This Must Be the Place]
    • Barry Pepper [2010: True Grit]
    • Rebecca Pidgeon [2000: State and Main]
    • Sarah Polley [1999: Go]
    • Jérémie Renier [2009: Lorna's Silence]
    • Christina Ricci [2007: Black Snake Moan]
    • Julia Roberts [2009: Duplicity]
    • Mickey Rourke [2008: The Wrestler]
    • Geoffrey Rush [2010: The King's Speech]
    • Ludivine Sagnier [2008: A Girl Cut in Two]
    • Jason Schwartzman [2009: Fantastic Mr. Fox]
    • Campbell Scott [2003: The Secret Lives of Dentists]
    • Kristin Scott Thomas [2008: I've Loved You So Long]
    • Andy Serkis [2011: Rise of the Planet of the Apes]
    • Chloë Sevigny [2000: American Psycho]
    • Tony Shalhoub [2001: The Man Who Wasn't There]
    • Michael Sheen [2008: Frost/Nixon]
    • Ruth Sheen [2010: Another Year]
    • Shu Qi [2006: Three Times]
    • Kevin Spacey [2011: Margin Call]
    • Imelda Staunton [2007: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]
    • David Strathairn [2008: My Blueberry Nights]
    • Meryl Streep [2011: The Iron Lady]
    • Hilary Swank [2004: Million Dollar Baby]
    • Sylvie Testud [2010: Lourdes]
    • Billy Bob Thornton [2003: Bad Santa]
    • Stanley Tucci [2009: Julie & Julia]
    • Maribel Verdú [2006: Pan's Labyrinth]
    • Mark Wahlberg [2010: The Fighter]
    • Christopher Walken [2012: Seven Psychopaths]
    • Emily Watson [2002: Punch-Drunk Love]
    • Naomi Watts [2008: Funny Games]
    • Sigourney Weaver [1999: A Map of the World]
    • Forest Whitaker [2006: The Last King of Scotland]
    • Tom Wilkinson [2007: Michael Clayton]
    • Owen Wilson [2011: Midnight in Paris]
    • Ray Winstone [2006: The Proposition The Departed]
    • Evan Rachel Wood [2006: Down in the Valley]
    • Steve Zahn [2007: Rescue Dawn]
    • Renée Zellweger [2003: Cold Mountain Down With Love]



    And finally. Back when I started the survey, I remember looking forward to the time, a decade or so later (i.e. now), when there'd be tons of accumulated data to wade through. In particular, I was excited about the prospect of being able to compare how various films from major directors had been received over the years. Granted, that process isn't exactly definitive—the AVB has mutated over the years and even the diehards tend to be stingier with their star ratings than they were back in the mid-'90s. But perhaps my favorite task after receiving the averages is updating my Directors' Gallery, plugging this year's films into various post-'94 oeuvres. Here are the entries that saw additions this year—every filmmaker who's ever placed in the Director top 20. 2021 films are in bold. Numbers in parentheses indicate how the film placed in Best Picture that year, if applicable; if the film title is in parentheses that means it received fewer than 10 votes and hence the result is a bit less meaningful. N/A (not applicable) means it was eligible but didn't even get five votes and so didn't make the main list.

    Woody Allen

     

    Everyone Says I Love You                  3.09

    Vicky Cristina Barcelona (19)             2.98

    Match Point (13)                          2.93

    Blue Jasmine (19)                         2.82

    Sweet and Lowdown                         2.63

    Deconstructing Harry                      2.61

    Café Society                              2.60

    Cassandra's Dream                         2.60

    Midnight in Paris                         2.47

    Magic in the Moonlight                    2.47

    Irrational Man                            2.46

    A Rainy Day in New York                   2.40

    Small Time Crooks                         2.37

    The Curse of the Jade Scorpion            2.33

    To Rome With Love                         2.29

    Scoop                                     2.28

    (Wonder Wheel)                            2.25

    Whatever Works                            2.24

    Anything Else                             2.13

    Hollywood Ending                          2.13

    Celebrity                                 2.04

    Melinda and Melinda                       2.00

    You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger        1.93

    (Rifkin’s Festival)                       1.50


    Darren Aronofsky

     

    mother! (6)                               3.05

    The Wrestler (13)                         3.02

    Black Swan (3)                            2.97

    Requiem for a Dream (15)                  2.73

    π                                         2.65

    Noah                                      2.47

    The Fountain                              2.21

    The Whale                                 1.97


    Jacques Audiard

     

    A Prophet (15)                            3.09

    The Sisters Brothers                      3.08

    (A Self Made Hero)                        3.06

    The Beat That My Heart Skipped            2.88

    Paris, 13th District                      2.86

    Rust and Bone                             2.82

    Dheepan                                   2.69

    Read My Lips                              2.55


    Clio Barnard

     

    The Arbor (13)                            3.27

    The Selfish Giant                         2.90

    (Ali & Ava)                               2.58

    Dark River                                N/A


    Noah Baumbach

     

    Frances Ha (3)                            3.32

    Marriage Story (4)                        3.25

    The Squid and the Whale (6)               3.21

    The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) 3.04

    De Palma                                  3.00

    Mistress America (19)                     2.94

    Margot at the Wedding                     2.92

    Greenberg                                 2.84

    White Noise                               2.77

    Mr. Jealousy                              2.72

    While We're Young                         2.67


    Marco Bellocchio

     

    Vincere (16)                              2.94

    The Traitor                               2.71

    Good Morning, Night                       2.65

    Dormant Beauty                            2.55

    Marx Can Wait                             N/A

    The Wedding Director                      N/A


    Kenneth Branagh


    Hamlet (9)                                3.29

    (A Midwinter’s Tale)                      2.83

    (Cinderella)                              2.75

    (All Is True)                             2.42

    Thor                                      2.39

    Belfast                                   2.27

    (Murder on the Orient Express)            2.11

    Love’s Labours Lost                       2.10

    Death on the Nile                         2.05

    Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit                 2.05

    (Sleuth)                                  1.40


    Andrew Bujalski


    Support the Girls (2)                     3.24

    Computer Chess (13)                       3.10

    Mutual Appreciation (15)                  2.93

    Results                                   2.78

    Funny Ha Ha                               2.76

    Beeswax                                   2.75

    There There                               2.67


    James Cameron

     

    Titanic (6)                               3.23

    Avatar: The Way of Water                  2.89

    Avatar                                    2.65

    (Ghosts of the Abyss)                     2.30

    Aliens of the Deep                        N/A


    Damien Chazelle

     

    La La Land (6)                            3.11

    Whiplash (20)                             2.94

    First Man                                 2.80

    (Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench)        2.20

    Babylon                                   2.10


    David Cronenberg

     

    A History of Violence (7)                 3.11

    Crimes of the Future (7)                  2.77

    Cosmopolis (15)                           2.76

    eXistenZ                                  2.74

    Eastern Promises                          2.73

    Crash (18)                                2.52

    A Dangerous Method                        2.48

    Maps to the Stars                         2.48

    Spider                                    2.34


    Terence Davies (R.I.P.)

     

    The House of Mirth (7)                    3.29

    The Deep Blue Sea (3)                     3.25

    Benediction (20)                          3.00

    A Quiet Passion (10)                      2.98

    (The Neon Bible)                          2.83

    Sunset Song                               2.50

    Of Time and the City                      2.40


    Guillermo del Toro

     

    Pan's Labyrinth (8)                       2.95

    Crimson Peak                              2.76

    The Devil’s Backbone                      2.66

    Blade II                                  2.63

    Nightmare Alley                           2.61

    Hellboy II: The Golden Army               2.53

    The Shape of Water                        2.48

    Pinocchio                                 2.39

    Hellboy                                   2.33

    Pacific Rim                               2.18

    Mimic                                     2.06


    Claire Denis


    Beau travail (6)                          3.15

    Friday Night (14)                         3.09

    35 Shots of Rum (10)                      3.02

    White Material (19)                       2.93

    (Nénette et Boni)                         2.92

    High Life                                 2.91

    Trouble Every Day (13)                    2.88

    Bastards                                  2.84

    Both Sides of the Blade                   2.67

    Let the Sunshine In                       2.63

    Stars at Noon                             2.42

    The Intruder                              2.23


    Arnaud Desplechin

     

    My Golden Days (16)                       3.11

    Kings & Queen (15)                        3.03

    A Christmas Tale (10)                     3.00

    Esther Kahn                               2.98

    Deception                                 2.64

    Ismael's Ghosts                           2.64

    (Oh Mercy)                                2.63

    (My Sex Life)                             2.60

    Jimmy P.                                  2.47


    Andrew Dominik

     

    The Assassination of Jesse James (7)      2.95

    (This Much I Know to Be True)             2.92

    Chopper                                   2.90

    Killing Them Softly                       2.73

    Blonde                                    2.16


    Robert Eggers

     

    The Witch: A New-England Folktale (12)    3.10

    The Northman (18)                         2.88

    The Lighthouse                            2.62


    Todd Field

     

    TÁR (1)                                   3.38

    In the Bedroom                            2.90

    Little Children                           2.46


    Miguel Gomes

     

    Tabu (13)                                 3.13

    Arabian Nights: Volume Two                2.92

    The Tsugua Diaries (18)                   2.79

    (Our Beloved Month of August)             2.64

    Arabian Nights: Volume One                2.57

    Arabian Nights: Volume Three              2.54


    Alejandro González Iñárritu

     

    Amores Perros (17)                        2.82

    21 Grams                                  2.49

    The Revenant                              2.45

    Birdman                                   2.44

    Biutiful                                  2.00

    Babel                                     1.95

    (Bardo)                                   1.67  


    David Gordon Green

     

    George Washington                         3.05

    All the Real Girls (15)                   2.93

    Stronger                                  2.88

    Pineapple Express                         2.71

    Joe                                       2.69

    (Manglehorn)                              2.58

    Undertow                                  2.56

    Snow Angels                               2.56

    Prince Avalanche                          2.50

    Halloween                                 2.43

    Halloween Ends                            2.28

    (Our Brand Is Crisis)                     2.19

    (The Sitter)                              2.00

    Your Highness                             1.89

    (Halloween Kills)                         1.75


    Luca Guadagnino

     

    Call Me by Your Name (3)                  3.31

    A Bigger Splash                           2.74

    I Am Love                                 2.71

    Bones and All                             2.57

    Suspiria                                  2.57

    Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams            N/A


    Werner Herzog

     

    Grizzly Man (1)                           3.40

    (Little Dieter Needs to Fly)              3.10

    Encounters at the End of the World        3.09

    The Bad Lieutenant--PoC:NO                2.91

    My Best Fiend                             2.85

    (The White Diamond)                       2.83

    (The Fire Within)                         2.75

    Cave of Forgotten Dreams                  2.73

    Rescue Dawn                               2.73

    Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds     2.70

    (Into the Inferno)                        2.67

    Lo and Behold                             2.66

    Into the Abyss                            2.64

    Family Romance, LLC                       2.61

    (Wheel of Time)                           2.57

    My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done         2.53

    (Meeting Gorbachev)                       2.50

    (The Wild Blue Yonder)                    2.25

    Invincible                                N/A

    Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin  N/A

    Queen of the Desert                       N/A


    Joanna Hogg

     

    The Souvenir Part II (11)                 2.94

    Exhibition                                2.92

    The Souvenir (17)                         2.90

    The Eternal Daughter                      2.64


    Hong Sang-soo

     

    Right Now, Wrong Then (11)                3.24

    In Front of Your Face (8)                 3.11

    Woman on the Beach (13)                   3.10

    Night and Day                             3.07

    The Day He Arrives                        3.05

    On the Beach at Night Alone (16)          3.03

    Oki's Movie                               2.88

    Grass                                     2.85

    The Woman Who Ran                         2.85

    Hotel by the River                        2.83

    In Another Country                        2.82

    The Day After                             2.80

    Woman Is the Future of Man                2.79

    Claire's Camera                           2.66

    The Novelist's Film                       2.63

    Introduction                              2.60


    Jean-Pierre Jeunet

     

    (The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet)    2.80

    Micmacs                                   2.75

    Amélie (13)                               2.71

    A Very Long Engagement                    2.55

    Alien Resurrection                        2.39

    BigBug                                    N/A


    Rian Johnson

     

    Knives Out (9)                            3.06

    Brick (7)                                 2.99

    Glass Onion                               2.95

    Looper (14)                               2.95

    The Brothers Bloom                        2.83

    Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi   2.83


    Hirokazu Kore-eda

     

    After Life (13)                           3.26

    Still Walking (19)                        3.11

    Nobody Knows (18)                         3.07

    Shoplifters (19)                          3.06

    After the Storm                           3.00

    (I Wish)                                  3.00

    Our Little Sister                         2.92

    Like Father, Like Son                     2.79

    The Third Murder                          2.45

    The Truth                                 2.45

    (Maborosi)                                2.40

    Broker                                    2.27


    Joseph Kosinski

     

    Top Gun: Maverick (9)                     3.04

    (Only the Brave)                          3.00

    Oblivion                                  2.50

    Tron: Legacy                              2.23

    (Spiderhead)                              2.17


    Neil LaBute

     

    In the Company of Men (2)                 3.57

    Possession                                2.78

    Your Friends & Neighbors                  2.62

    (Some Velvet Morning)                     2.50

    Lakeview Terrace                          2.43

    Nurse Betty                               2.31

    The Shape of Things                       2.27

    The Wicker Man                            1.79

    Death at a Funeral                        N/A

    Dirty Weekend                             N/A

    House of Darkness                         N/A

    Out of the Blue                           N/A



    Baz Luhrmann

     

    W. Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet           2.95

    Moulin Rouge (9)                          2.84

    Elvis                                     2.55

    The Great Gatsby                          2.33

    Australia                                 2.17


    Pietro Marcello


    Martin Eden (8)                           2.84

    (Futura)                                  2.50

    For Lucio                                 N/A

    Lost and Beautiful                        N/A


    Martin McDonagh

     

    The Banshees of Inisherin (2)             3.26

    Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MO       2.87

    In Bruges                                 2.85

    Seven Psychopaths                         2.72


    Sam Mendes


    American Beauty (16)                      2.97

    Skyfall                                   2.93

    Road to Perdition                         2.82

    1917                                      2.69

    Revolutionary Road                        2.65

    Jarhead                                   2.44

    Spectre                                   2.29

    Away We Go                                2.19

    (Empire of Light)                         1.72


    George Miller

     

    Mad Max: Fury Road (1)                    3.49

    Babe: Pig in the City (9)                 3.13

    Three Thousand Years of Longing           2.79

    Happy Feet                                2.42

    (Happy Feet Two)                          2.20


    Radu Muntean


    Tuesday, After Christmas (11)             3.18

    Întregalde                                2.93


    (The two features he made between those above didn't get a U.S. release.)


    Gaspar Noé

     

    Irreversible (1)                          3.12

    I Stand Alone                             2.94

    (Lvx Æterna)                              2.94

    Climax (13)                               2.81

    Enter the Void (11)                       2.78

    Vortex                                    2.65

    Love                                      2.41


    Ruben Östlund

     

    Force Majeure (6)                         3.18

    The Square                                2.58

    Triangle of Sadness                       2.46


    Jafar Panahi

     

    Offside (11)                              3.25

    Crimson Gold (11)                         3.20

    (The Mirror)                              3.20

    The White Balloon                         3.14

    No Bears (17)                             3.03

    This Is Not a Film                        3.00

    Jafar Panahi's Taxi                       2.84

    The Circle                                2.70

    3 Faces                                   2.67

    Closed Curtain                            2.63

    (The Year of the Everlasting Storm)       2.43


    Park Chan-wook

     

    The Handmaiden (10)                       3.26

    Decision to Leave (3)                     3.15

    Oldboy (17)                               2.68

    Stoker                                    2.66

    Thirst                                    2.58

    Sympathy for Lady Vengeance               2.52

    Three…Extremes                            2.47


    Jordan Peele

     

    Get Out (7)                               3.14

    Us                                        2.88

    Nope (14)                                 2.82


    Sam Raimi


    A Simple Plan (10)                        3.19

    Spider-Man (17)                           3.09

    Drag Me to Hell                           3.05

    Spider-Man 2 (15)                         3.04

    Doctor Strange & Multiverse of Madness    2.67

    Oz the Great and Powerful                 2.58

    Spider-Man 3                              2.46

    For Love of the Game                      2.23


    Raoul Ruiz

     

    Time Regained (14)                        3.00

    Mysteries of Lisbon                       2.95

    (The Wandering Soap Opera)                2.67

    (Night Across the Street)                 2.33

    (Klimt)                                   2.20

    Shattered Image                           2.20

    (Genealogies of a Crime)                  2.17

    The Tango of the Widower…                 N/A

    Three Lives and Only One Death            N/A


    David O. Russell

     

    Three Kings (9)                           3.18

    Flirting with Disaster                    3.12

     Huckabees (14)                       2.84

    The Fighter                               2.76

    Silver Linings Playbook                   2.63

    Joy                                       2.54

    American Hustle                           2.50

    Amsterdam                                 2.29

    Accidental Love                           2.11


    Henry Selick

     

    Coraline (18)                             3.09

    (Wendell & Wild)                          2.70

    James and the Giant Peach                 2.66

    Monkeybone                                1.97


    Jerzy Skolimowski

     

    EO (4)                                    3.12

    (11 Minutes)                              1.67


    (Believe it or not, neither Essential Killing nor Four Nights With Anna got a NYC release.)


    Steven Soderbergh


    Out of Sight (1)                          3.37

    Traffic (5)                               3.24

    Erin Brockovich                           3.14

    The Limey                                 2.99

    Contagion                                 2.96

    (Gray’s Anatomy)                          2.94

    Ocean’s Eleven                            2.93

    The Informant!                            2.92

    KIMI                                      2.91

    Solaris                                   2.86

    Haywire                                   2.85

    Let Them All Talk                         2.83

    No Sudden Move                            2.79

    Logan Lucky                               2.77

    High Flying Bird                          2.76

    And Everything Is Going Fine              2.75

    The Girlfriend Experience                 2.72

    Magic Mike                                2.70

    Schizopolis                               2.70

    Bubble                                    2.66

    The Good German                           2.66

    Full Frontal                              2.63

    Side Effects                              2.59

    Ocean's Twelve                            2.52

    Ocean's Thirteen                          2.52

    Unsane                                    2.40

    Che                                       2.35

    Eros                                      2.16

    The Laundromat                            1.83


    Steven Spielberg


    Saving Private Ryan (8)                   3.27

    West Side Story (14)                      3.00

    The Fabelmans (12)                        2.93

    Minority Report                           2.92

    AI (7)                                    2.91

    Munich (14)                               2.88

    Lincoln (19)                              2.86

    Bridge of Spies                           2.85

    Amistad                                   2.83

    War of the Worlds                         2.82

    Catch Me if You Can                       2.79

    War Horse                                 2.79

    The Adventures of Tintin                  2.78

    The Post                                  2.57

    The BFG                                   2.44

    Ready Player One                          2.43

    Indiana Jones…Kingdom of Crystal Skull    2.39

    The Lost World: Jurassic Park             2.33

    The Terminal                              2.10


    Peter Strickland

     

    The Duke of Burgundy (3)                  3.22

    In Fabric                                 3.05

    Berberian Sound Studio                    2.72

    Flux Gourmet                              2.67


    Valentyn Vasyanovych

     

    Reflection                                2.85

    (Atlantis)                                2.83


    Lars von Trier

     

    Breaking the Waves (1)                    3.43

    Dogville (1)                              3.22

    The Kingdom II                            3.14

    Melancholia (7)                           3.06

    The Five Obstructions (19)               3.03

    The House That Jack Built (13)            3.00

    Nymph()maniac Vol. I (17)                 3.00

    The Boss of It All                        2.85

    Dancer in the Dark (10)                   2.74

    Manderlay (20)                            2.69

    The Kingdom Exodus                        2.61

    Nymph()maniac Vol. II                     2.61

    The Idiots                                2.59

    Antichrist                                2.53


    Joe Wright

     

    Pride & Prejudice                         3.02

    Atonement (20)                            3.00

    Cyrano                                    2.89

    Hanna                                     2.57

    Anna Karenina                             2.56

    Darkest Hour                              2.29

    (The Soloist)                             2.14

    (The Woman in the Window)                 1.88

    Pan                                       N/A


    Robert Zemeckis

     

    Cast Away (12)                            3.06

    Allied                                    2.91

    Contact                                   2.83

    The Walk                                  2.68

    The Polar Express                         2.65

    (Disney's A Christmas Carol)              2.61

    Flight                                    2.55

    Beowulf                                   2.47

    What Lies Beneath                         2.00

    (Welcome to Marwen)                       1.80

    (The Witches)                             1.60

    Pinocchio                                 N/A


    Zhang Yimou

     

    Hero (5)                                  3.15

    Shadow                                    3.11

    Not One Less                              3.03

    House of Flying Daggers (20)              3.00

    (One Second)                              2.92

    Cliff Walkers                             2.75

    Curse of the Golden Flower                2.65

    (Coming Home)                             2.56

    Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles       2.50

    The Great Wall                            2.46

    (Happy Times)                             2.44

    (The Flowers of War)                      2.42

    (A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop)        2.19

    The Road Home                             1.88


    Ramon Zürcher


    The Strange Little Cat (11)               3.05

    The Girl and the Spider (10)              2.97