(Gonna keep updating that list over the years, just for my own benefit. Doubt anyone else is still reading this.)
Close call with the Mamet comedy, but my top pick has always made the cut, usually among the five "nominees." Almost every year, though, consensus goes with something else, so the wide embrace of Holy Motors, which handily won four of our eight categories, makes my heart glad. Not that it's a big surprise, mind you—I wish folks who weren't at Cannes could have experienced the almost maniacal reaction to its world premiere, complete with whoops and wolf whistles from the typically staid press corps. Not to mention that it had already won two of the three big critics' polls (Film Comment and indieWire), spent the last few months atop the Movie Nerd top 10, etc. This was one of those years when the presumptive winner was, if not a lock, at least a very heavy favorite. Though I for one hadn't anticipated a 126-point blowout for Best Picture.
Our other winners, likewise, were hardly curveballs. Weisz took home the same prize from the New York Film Critics Circle; Lavant and Hoffman won Performance and Supporting Performance in the indieWire poll; Adams won Supporting Actress in the Voice poll. As noted in the comments below, the acclaim for Ms. Adams bewilders me—it's certainly a change of pace for her, but she isn't given a whole lot to do apart from look steely and simulate an angry handjob (one of many scenes in The Master that felt showy-for-showy's-sake to me)—but I can't say I expected much more than the six votes received by my own favorite in that category, Sarah Gadon, who perfectly captures the knowing artificiality Cronenberg's more abstract films require. In any case, some years we're more in sync with the critical consensus, and this was one of those years. At least we put Anne Hathaway in the top five for playing Catwoman rather than Fantine.
Our other winners, likewise, were hardly curveballs. Weisz took home the same prize from the New York Film Critics Circle; Lavant and Hoffman won Performance and Supporting Performance in the indieWire poll; Adams won Supporting Actress in the Voice poll. As noted in the comments below, the acclaim for Ms. Adams bewilders me—it's certainly a change of pace for her, but she isn't given a whole lot to do apart from look steely and simulate an angry handjob (one of many scenes in The Master that felt showy-for-showy's-sake to me)—but I can't say I expected much more than the six votes received by my own favorite in that category, Sarah Gadon, who perfectly captures the knowing artificiality Cronenberg's more abstract films require. In any case, some years we're more in sync with the critical consensus, and this was one of those years. At least we put Anne Hathaway in the top five for playing Catwoman rather than Fantine.
By the same token, there were fewer cases this year in which we turned up our collective nose at films lauded elsewhere. Of greatest note by far was the complete shutout of This Is Not a Film, which was widely liked (3.00 average) but received only a handful of votes. Perhaps the title worked against it somehow. Beasts of the Southern Wild was highly divisive (though not divisive enough to land on the Love It/Hate It list below), with few supporters among the August Voting Body, and there wasn't a great deal of love for Silver Linings Playbook, apart from Lawrence's performance. And that's about it, really, in terms of significant snubs—not counting AMPAS favorites, to which as usual we mostly said Argo fuck yourselves.
Okay, now for the number-crunching. (Many of you will want to check out at this point.) What follows are the stats I used to send out to voters (via snail mail!) back in the '90s, which I still maintain for my own obsessive amusement.
HIGHEST AVERAGE RATING (1996–2012)
(includes only films receiving a minimum of ten votes)01. 3.65 The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
02. 3.61 Being John Malkovich (1999)
02. 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. 3.48 Irma Vep (1997)
10. 3.48 Lone Star (1996)
10. 3.48 Margaret (2011)
No new additions this year. But then, until last year, there had been no new additions in a decade.
LOWEST AVERAGE RATING (1996–2012)
(includes only films receiving a minimum of five votes)01. 0.20 Date Movie (2006)
02. 0.58 Miss March (2009)
03. 0.60 Dragonfly (2002)
04. 0.61 The Roommate (2011)
05. 0.67 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)
06. 0.70 Beastly (2011)
07. 0.75 The Mod Squad (1999)
08. 0.79 I Melt With You (2011)
09. 0.80 Just One Time (2000)
09. 0.80 13 Ghosts (2001)
09. 0.80 What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
No new additions here either, mostly because the films that might have cracked the list—2016: Obama's America, That's What She Said, A Thousand Words, Piranha 3DD—received only four votes.
MOST DIVISIVE FILMS (2012)
(std. deviation >= 0.75; minimum 2 votes 3.5 or higher, 2 votes 1.5 or lower)
The Comedy (1.11)
Beyond the Black Rainbow (0.92)
Lincoln (0.85)
Killer Joe (0.80)
Cloud Atlas (0.77)
Damsels in Distress (0.76)
Michael (0.75)Pretty much the films you'd expect, apart maybe from Lincoln (which got a deviation-skewing goose egg from Dan Sallitt).
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
(lowest-ranked film seen by at least 75% of respondents)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)
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)
(Though Damsels finished literally one place below Cosmopolis, which has the same average when rounded off like this.)
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)
Fuck you buds.
DAMN THE REVIEWS, FULL SPEED AHEAD
(lowest average among films seen by at least 10 respondents)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)
SELECTION COMMITTEE ON CRACK
(lowest average for a film that screened at the New York Film Festival)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)
I'd really like to see the committee try to justify the inclusion of Hyde Park on artistic grounds.
ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY)
(suggested by Alex Fung; lowest average for a film that received a 4-star rating1996: 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
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
2011: A Serbian Film (1.81) | Daniel Waters
2012: Alps (2.43) | Don Marks
MAJOR FESTIVAL PRIZE WINNERS: OUR VERDICTCannes 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)
Venice Golden Lion
1995: Cyclo (#14, 1996)
1996: Michael Collins (did not place)
1997: Fireworks (Hana-Bi) (#5, 1998)
1998: The Way We Laughed (did not place)
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 (TBD)
2012: Pièta (TBD)
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)
Most Appearances in Top 20 (Actors)
(ties for number of appearances broken by average placement)[Same five as last year but Huppert moves into 2nd place.]
01. Philip Seymour Hoffman (14)
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
19s. Mission: Impossible III
02. Isabelle Huppert (11)
2. The Piano Teacher
2s. 8 Women
4. Gabrielle
8. The School of Flesh
12. White Material
13s. I ♥ Huckabees
13s. Amour
15. La Cérémonie
17. Time of the Wolf
17. In Another Country
19. Home
03. Tilda Swinton (10)
1. Julia
4s. Michael Clayton
5. The Deep End
5. We Need to Talk About Kevin
9s. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
11. I Am Love
12s. Burn After Reading
13s. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
18. Female Perversions
19s. Thumbsucker
04. Nicole Kidman (9)
2. Eyes Wide Shut
2. Dogville
2. Margot at the Wedding
6. Moulin Rouge
9. The Others
9. The Hours
11. Birth
16. Rabbit Hole
18. Birthday Girl
05. Kate Winslet (9)
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
8. Titanic
9. Jude
10s. Quills
10. Revolutionary Road
12. Little Children
13. Holy Smoke
16s. Hamlet
17. Hideous Kinky
Most Films Landed in Top 20 (Directors)
(again, ties broken by average placement)[The two Andersons replace Christopher Nolan and Claire Denis.]
01. Joel [& Ethan] Coen (8)
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
11. Burn After Reading
12. The Big Lebowski
12. True Grit
02. Lars von Trier (6)
1. Breaking the Waves
1. Dogville
7. Melancholia
10. Dancer in the Dark
19. The Five Obstructions
20. Manderlay
03. Quentin Tarantino (5)
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Kill Bill Vol. 1
4. Kill Bill Vol. 2
4. Grindhouse
9. Django Unchained
04. Paul Thomas Anderson (5)
1. There Will Be Blood
4. The Master
7. Magnolia
8. Boogie Nights
8. Punch-Drunk Love
04. Wes Anderson (5)
2. Rushmore
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2. Moonrise Kingdom
8. The Royal Tenenbaums
17. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
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. 2012 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.Ben Affleck
Gone Baby Gone (6): 3.24
Argo: 2.86
The Town: 2.63
Woody Allen
Everyone Says I Love You: 3.09
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (19): 2.98
Match Point (13): 2.93
Sweet and Lowdown: 2.63
Deconstructing Harry: 2.61
Cassandra's Dream: 2.60
Midnight in Paris: 2.47
Small Time Crooks: 2.37
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion: 2.33
To Rome With Love: 2.29
Scoop: 2.28
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
Paul Thomas Anderson
There Will Be Blood (1): 3.46
Boogie Nights (8): 3.18
Magnolia (7): 3.17
The Master (4): 3.17
Punch-Drunk Love (8): 2.93
Hard Eight: 2.87
Wes Anderson
Rushmore (2): 3.45
Moonrise Kingdom (2): 3.32
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2): 3.21
The Royal Tenenbaums (8): 3.03
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (17): 2.89
Bottle Rocket: 2.63
The Darjeeling Limited: 2.40
Jacques Audiard
A Prophet (15) : 3.09
(A Self Made Hero): 3.06
The Beat That My Heart Skipped: 2.88
Rust and Bone: 2.82
Read My Lips: 2.55
Joe Berlinger
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (7): 3.58
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster: 3.06
(Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory): 2.71
(Crude): 2.58
(Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2): 1.13
Under African Skies: N/A
Kathryn Bigelow
The Hurt Locker (8): 3.18
Zero Dark Thirty (11): 3.07
K-19: The Widowmaker: 2.62
The Weight of Water: 2.05
Leos Carax
Holy Motors (1): 3.41
Pola X: 2.63
Tokyo!: 2.37
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (12): 3.10
Distant: 2.93
Climates: 2.84
Three Monkeys: 2.58
David Cronenberg
A History of Violence (7): 3.11
Cosmopolis (15): 2.76
eXistenZ: 2.74
Eastern Promises: 2.73
Crash (18): 2.52
A Dangerous Method: 2.48
Spider: 2.34
Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
La Promesse (13): 3.53
L'Enfant (The Child) (6): 3.26
The Kid With a Bike (7): 3.18
The Son (6): 3.16
Lorna's Silence (11): 3.09
Rosetta: 2.89
Terence Davies
The House of Mirth (7): 3.29
The Deep Blue Sea (3): 3.25
(The Neon Bible): 2.83
Of Time and the City: 2.40
Jonathan Demme
Rachel Getting Married (4): 3.28
Neil Young: Heart of Gold: 2.94
(Neil Young Journeys): 2.93
(Storefront Hitchcock): 2.92
The Manchurian Candidate: 2.70
(Man From Plains): 2.67
Beloved: 2.64
Neil Young Trunk Show: 2.50
The Truth About Charlie: 2.48
(The Agronomist): 2.39
I'm Carolyn Parker: N/A
Andrew Dominik
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (7): 2.95
Chopper: 2.90
Killing Them Softly: 2.73
Philippe Garrel
Regular Lovers (9): 3.07
Frontier of Dawn: 2.91
A Burning Hot Summer: 2.58
Tony Gilroy
Duplicity (5): 3.15
Michael Clayton: 3.00
The Bourne Legacy: 2.64
Miguel Gomes
Tabu (13): 3.13
(Our Beloved Month of August): 2.64
Michael Haneke
Amour (6): 3.29
Caché (Hidden) (5): 3.21
Code Unknown (16): 3.15
Funny Games [1997] (16): 2.96
The Piano Teacher: 2.83
Funny Games [2008] (20): 2.83
Time of the Wolf: 2.79
The White Ribbon: 2.72
Curtis Hanson
L.A. Confidential (3): 3.37
Wonder Boys: 2.91
8 Mile: 2.69
In Her Shoes: 2.55
Lucky You: 1.75
Chasing Mavericks: N/A
Hong Sang-soo
Woman on the Beach (13): 3.10
Night and Day: 3.07
The Day He Arrives: 3.05
Oki's Movie: 2.88
In Another Country: 2.82
Woman Is the Future of Man: 2.79
Peter Jackson
Forgotten Silver: 3.36
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (7): 3.33
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (5): 3.26
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (11): 2.96
The Frighteners: 2.93
King Kong: 2.83
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: 2.24
The Lovely Bones: 1.80
Jiang Wen
Devils on the Doorstep (16): 3.31
Let the Bullets Fly: 2.60
Rian Johnson
Brick (7): 2.99
Looper (14): 2.95
The Brothers Bloom: 2.83
Hirokazu Kore-eda
After Life (13): 3.26
Still Walking (19): 3.11
Nobody Knows (18): 3.07
(I Wish): 3.00
(Maborosi): 2.40
Ang Lee
Brokeback Mountain (3): 3.40
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2): 3.32
The Ice Storm (11): 3.13
Life of Pi: 2.79
Ride with the Devil: 2.73
Lust, Caution: 2.71
Taking Woodstock: 2.38
Hulk: 2.34
Spike Lee
25th Hour (1): 3.42
Get on the Bus: 3.29
(4 Little Girls): 3.14
Inside Man (16): 2.99
(Passing Strange): 2.94
The Original Kings of Comedy: 2.73
(Bad 25): 2.60
He Got Game: 2.59
Summer of Sam: 2.57
Red Hook Summer: 2.42
(Girl 6): 2.28
Bamboozled: 2.13
Miracle at St. Anna: 2.00
She Hate Me: 1.32
Jim Brown: All American : N/A
Richard Linklater
Before Sunset (3): 3.43
The School of Rock (9): 3.16
A Scanner Darkly (12): 2.97
Waking Life (15): 2.86
Bernie (18): 2.85
Tape: 2.77
The Newton Boys: 2.75
Me and Orson Welles: 2.70
subUrbia: 2.63
Bad News Bears: 2.50
Fast Food Nation: 2.28
Julia Loktev
The Loneliest Planet (8): 3.34
Day Night Day Night: 3.02
Moment of Impact: N/A
Guy Maddin
My Winnipeg (8): 3.22
Cowards Bend the Knee: 3.11
The Saddest Music in the World: 3.01
Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary: 2.93
Brand Upon the Brain!: 2.90
Keyhole: 2.56
Fernando Meirelles
City of God: 2.98
The Constant Gardener: 2.52
Blindness: 1.79
360: 1.60
Sam Mendes
American Beauty (16): 2.97
Skyfall: 2.93
Road to Perdition: 2.82
Revolutionary Road: 2.65
Jarhead: 2.44
Away We Go: 2.19
Takashi Miike
Audition (6): 3.22
13 Assassins: 3.03
Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai: 2.80
Dead or Alive: 2.79
Ichi the Killer: 2.74
The Happiness of the Katakuris: 2.73
Gozu: 2.61
The City of Lost Souls: 2.56
Three…Extremes: 2.47
Sukiyaki Western Django: 2.32
The Great Yokai War: 2.25
(One Missed Call): 2.20
(DOA: Final): 2.17
Christopher Nolan
The Prestige (2): 3.40
Memento (3): 3.31
The Dark Knight (5): 3.17
Insomnia: 2.92
Inception (13): 2.84
Batman Begins (19): 2.81
The Dark Knight Rises: 2.63
(Following): 2.28
Jafar Panahi
Offside (11): 3.25
Crimson Gold (11): 3.20
(The Mirror): 3.20
The White Balloon: 3.14
This Is Not a Film: 3.00
The Circle: 2.70
Gary Ross
Pleasantville (19): 2.81
Seabiscuit: 2.48
The Hunger Games: 2.31
David O. Russell
Three Kings (9): 3.18
Flirting with Disaster: 3.12
I ♥ Huckabees (14): 2.84
The Fighter: 2.76
Silver Linings Playbook: 2.63
Ridley Scott
Gladiator (20): 3.04
Black Hawk Down (20): 2.78
Matchstick Men: 2.78
American Gangster : 2.50
Body of Lies: 2.50
G.I. Jane: 2.42
Kingdom of Heaven: 2.33
Prometheus: 2.26
(White Squall): 2.22
Hannibal: 1.94
(A Good Year): 1.93
Robin Hood: 1.91
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
Solaris: 2.86
Haywire: 2.85
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
Ocean’s Twelve: 2.52
Ocean's Thirteen: 2.52
Che: 2.35
Eros: 2.15
Todd Solondz
Welcome to the Dollhouse: 3.14
Happiness (4): 2.92
Life During Wartime: 2.63
Dark Horse: 2.50
Palindromes: 2.15
Storytelling: 2.03
Steven Spielberg
Saving Private Ryan (8): 3.27
Minority Report: 2.92
AI (7): 2.91
Munich (14): 2.88
Lincoln (19): 2.86
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
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: 2.39
The Lost World: Jurassic Park: 2.33
The Terminal: 2.10
Andrew Stanton
WALL•E (2): 3.26
Finding Nemo (13): 3.06
John Carter: 2.28
Quentin Tarantino
Inglourious Basterds (1): 3.46
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2): 3.21
Kill Bill Vol. 2 (4): 3.16
Django Unchained (9): 3.09
Grindhouse (4): 2.93
Jackie Brown: 2.90
Béla Tarr
The Turin Horse (5): 3.05
Werckmeister Harmonies (19): 2.90
The Man From London: 2.35
Tran Anh Hung
The Vertical Ray of the Sun: 2.67
Norwegian Wood: 2.25
Cyclo (14): N/A
Tom Tykwer
Run Lola Run: 2.94
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (17): 2.75
Heaven: 2.74
Cloud Atlas: 2.45
The International: 2.43
The Princess and the Warrior: 2.31
Paris je t'aime: 2.24
(3): 2.08
Gus Van Sant
Paranoid Park (6): 3.15
Gerry (4): 2.93
Good Will Hunting: 2.84
Milk: 2.83
Last Days: 2.79
Elephant: 2.40
Paris je t'aime: 2.24
Promised Land: 2.15
Psycho: 2.11
Finding Forrester: 2.10
(Restless): 1.94
The Wachowski Siblings
Bound (16): 3.29
The Matrix: 2.96
Speed Racer: 2.57
Cloud Atlas: 2.45
The Matrix Reloaded: 2.29
The Matrix Revolutions: 2.21
Joe Wright
Pride & Prejudice: 3.02
Atonement (20): 3.00
Hanna: 2.57
Anna Karenina: 2.56
(The Soloist): 2.14
Robert Zemeckis
Cast Away (12): 3.06
Contact: 2.83
The Polar Express: 2.65
(Disney's A Christmas Carol): 2.61
Flight: 2.55
Beowulf: 2.47
What Lies Beneath: 2.00
HIGHEST AVERAGE RATING (1996–2012)
(includes only films receiving a minimum of ten votes)01. 3.65 The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
02. 3.61 Being John Malkovich (1999)
02. 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. 3.48 Irma Vep (1997)
10. 3.48 Lone Star (1996)
10. 3.48 Margaret (2011)
No new additions this year. But then, until last year, there had been no new additions in a decade.
LOWEST AVERAGE RATING (1996–2012)
(includes only films receiving a minimum of five votes)01. 0.20 Date Movie (2006)
02. 0.58 Miss March (2009)
03. 0.60 Dragonfly (2002)
04. 0.61 The Roommate (2011)
05. 0.67 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)
06. 0.70 Beastly (2011)
07. 0.75 The Mod Squad (1999)
08. 0.79 I Melt With You (2011)
09. 0.80 Just One Time (2000)
09. 0.80 13 Ghosts (2001)
09. 0.80 What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)
No new additions here either, mostly because the films that might have cracked the list—2016: Obama's America, That's What She Said, A Thousand Words, Piranha 3DD—received only four votes.
MOST DIVISIVE FILMS (2012)
(std. deviation >= 0.75; minimum 2 votes 3.5 or higher, 2 votes 1.5 or lower)
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
(lowest-ranked film seen by at least 75% of respondents)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)
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)
(Though Damsels finished literally one place below Cosmopolis, which has the same average when rounded off like this.)
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)
Fuck you buds.
DAMN THE REVIEWS, FULL SPEED AHEAD
(lowest average among films seen by at least 10 respondents)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)
SELECTION COMMITTEE ON CRACK
(lowest average for a film that screened at the New York Film Festival)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)
I'd really like to see the committee try to justify the inclusion of Hyde Park on artistic grounds.
ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY)
(suggested by Alex Fung; lowest average for a film that received a 4-star rating1996: 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
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
2011: A Serbian Film (1.81) | Daniel Waters
2012: Alps (2.43) | Don Marks
MAJOR FESTIVAL PRIZE WINNERS: OUR VERDICTCannes 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)
Venice Golden Lion
1995: Cyclo (#14, 1996)
1996: Michael Collins (did not place)
1997: Fireworks (Hana-Bi) (#5, 1998)
1998: The Way We Laughed (did not place)
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 (TBD)
2012: Pièta (TBD)
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)
Most Appearances in Top 20 (Actors)
(ties for number of appearances broken by average placement)[Same five as last year but Huppert moves into 2nd place.]
01. Philip Seymour Hoffman (14)
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
19s. Mission: Impossible III
02. Isabelle Huppert (11)
2. The Piano Teacher
2s. 8 Women
4. Gabrielle
8. The School of Flesh
12. White Material
13s. I ♥ Huckabees
13s. Amour
15. La Cérémonie
17. Time of the Wolf
17. In Another Country
19. Home
03. Tilda Swinton (10)
1. Julia
4s. Michael Clayton
5. The Deep End
5. We Need to Talk About Kevin
9s. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
11. I Am Love
12s. Burn After Reading
13s. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
18. Female Perversions
19s. Thumbsucker
04. Nicole Kidman (9)
2. Eyes Wide Shut
2. Dogville
2. Margot at the Wedding
6. Moulin Rouge
9. The Others
9. The Hours
11. Birth
16. Rabbit Hole
18. Birthday Girl
05. Kate Winslet (9)
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
8. Titanic
9. Jude
10s. Quills
10. Revolutionary Road
12. Little Children
13. Holy Smoke
16s. Hamlet
17. Hideous Kinky
Most Films Landed in Top 20 (Directors)
(again, ties broken by average placement)[The two Andersons replace Christopher Nolan and Claire Denis.]
01. Joel [& Ethan] Coen (8)
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
11. Burn After Reading
12. The Big Lebowski
12. True Grit
02. Lars von Trier (6)
1. Breaking the Waves
1. Dogville
7. Melancholia
10. Dancer in the Dark
19. The Five Obstructions
20. Manderlay
03. Quentin Tarantino (5)
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Kill Bill Vol. 1
4. Kill Bill Vol. 2
4. Grindhouse
9. Django Unchained
04. Paul Thomas Anderson (5)
1. There Will Be Blood
4. The Master
7. Magnolia
8. Boogie Nights
8. Punch-Drunk Love
04. Wes Anderson (5)
2. Rushmore
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2. Moonrise Kingdom
8. The Royal Tenenbaums
17. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
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. 2012 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.Ben Affleck
Gone Baby Gone (6): 3.24
Argo: 2.86
The Town: 2.63
Woody Allen
Everyone Says I Love You: 3.09
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (19): 2.98
Match Point (13): 2.93
Sweet and Lowdown: 2.63
Deconstructing Harry: 2.61
Cassandra's Dream: 2.60
Midnight in Paris: 2.47
Small Time Crooks: 2.37
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion: 2.33
To Rome With Love: 2.29
Scoop: 2.28
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
Paul Thomas Anderson
There Will Be Blood (1): 3.46
Boogie Nights (8): 3.18
Magnolia (7): 3.17
The Master (4): 3.17
Punch-Drunk Love (8): 2.93
Hard Eight: 2.87
Wes Anderson
Rushmore (2): 3.45
Moonrise Kingdom (2): 3.32
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2): 3.21
The Royal Tenenbaums (8): 3.03
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (17): 2.89
Bottle Rocket: 2.63
The Darjeeling Limited: 2.40
Jacques Audiard
A Prophet (15) : 3.09
(A Self Made Hero): 3.06
The Beat That My Heart Skipped: 2.88
Rust and Bone: 2.82
Read My Lips: 2.55
Joe Berlinger
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (7): 3.58
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster: 3.06
(Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory): 2.71
(Crude): 2.58
(Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2): 1.13
Under African Skies: N/A
Kathryn Bigelow
The Hurt Locker (8): 3.18
Zero Dark Thirty (11): 3.07
K-19: The Widowmaker: 2.62
The Weight of Water: 2.05
Leos Carax
Holy Motors (1): 3.41
Pola X: 2.63
Tokyo!: 2.37
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (12): 3.10
Distant: 2.93
Climates: 2.84
Three Monkeys: 2.58
David Cronenberg
A History of Violence (7): 3.11
Cosmopolis (15): 2.76
eXistenZ: 2.74
Eastern Promises: 2.73
Crash (18): 2.52
A Dangerous Method: 2.48
Spider: 2.34
Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
La Promesse (13): 3.53
L'Enfant (The Child) (6): 3.26
The Kid With a Bike (7): 3.18
The Son (6): 3.16
Lorna's Silence (11): 3.09
Rosetta: 2.89
Terence Davies
The House of Mirth (7): 3.29
The Deep Blue Sea (3): 3.25
(The Neon Bible): 2.83
Of Time and the City: 2.40
Jonathan Demme
Rachel Getting Married (4): 3.28
Neil Young: Heart of Gold: 2.94
(Neil Young Journeys): 2.93
(Storefront Hitchcock): 2.92
The Manchurian Candidate: 2.70
(Man From Plains): 2.67
Beloved: 2.64
Neil Young Trunk Show: 2.50
The Truth About Charlie: 2.48
(The Agronomist): 2.39
I'm Carolyn Parker: N/A
Andrew Dominik
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (7): 2.95
Chopper: 2.90
Killing Them Softly: 2.73
Philippe Garrel
Regular Lovers (9): 3.07
Frontier of Dawn: 2.91
A Burning Hot Summer: 2.58
Tony Gilroy
Duplicity (5): 3.15
Michael Clayton: 3.00
The Bourne Legacy: 2.64
Miguel Gomes
Tabu (13): 3.13
(Our Beloved Month of August): 2.64
Michael Haneke
Amour (6): 3.29
Caché (Hidden) (5): 3.21
Code Unknown (16): 3.15
Funny Games [1997] (16): 2.96
The Piano Teacher: 2.83
Funny Games [2008] (20): 2.83
Time of the Wolf: 2.79
The White Ribbon: 2.72
Curtis Hanson
L.A. Confidential (3): 3.37
Wonder Boys: 2.91
8 Mile: 2.69
In Her Shoes: 2.55
Lucky You: 1.75
Chasing Mavericks: N/A
Hong Sang-soo
Woman on the Beach (13): 3.10
Night and Day: 3.07
The Day He Arrives: 3.05
Oki's Movie: 2.88
In Another Country: 2.82
Woman Is the Future of Man: 2.79
Peter Jackson
Forgotten Silver: 3.36
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (7): 3.33
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (5): 3.26
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (11): 2.96
The Frighteners: 2.93
King Kong: 2.83
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: 2.24
The Lovely Bones: 1.80
Jiang Wen
Devils on the Doorstep (16): 3.31
Let the Bullets Fly: 2.60
Rian Johnson
Brick (7): 2.99
Looper (14): 2.95
The Brothers Bloom: 2.83
Hirokazu Kore-eda
After Life (13): 3.26
Still Walking (19): 3.11
Nobody Knows (18): 3.07
(I Wish): 3.00
(Maborosi): 2.40
Ang Lee
Brokeback Mountain (3): 3.40
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2): 3.32
The Ice Storm (11): 3.13
Life of Pi: 2.79
Ride with the Devil: 2.73
Lust, Caution: 2.71
Taking Woodstock: 2.38
Hulk: 2.34
Spike Lee
25th Hour (1): 3.42
Get on the Bus: 3.29
(4 Little Girls): 3.14
Inside Man (16): 2.99
(Passing Strange): 2.94
The Original Kings of Comedy: 2.73
(Bad 25): 2.60
He Got Game: 2.59
Summer of Sam: 2.57
Red Hook Summer: 2.42
(Girl 6): 2.28
Bamboozled: 2.13
Miracle at St. Anna: 2.00
She Hate Me: 1.32
Jim Brown: All American : N/A
Richard Linklater
Before Sunset (3): 3.43
The School of Rock (9): 3.16
A Scanner Darkly (12): 2.97
Waking Life (15): 2.86
Bernie (18): 2.85
Tape: 2.77
The Newton Boys: 2.75
Me and Orson Welles: 2.70
subUrbia: 2.63
Bad News Bears: 2.50
Fast Food Nation: 2.28
Julia Loktev
The Loneliest Planet (8): 3.34
Day Night Day Night: 3.02
Moment of Impact: N/A
Guy Maddin
My Winnipeg (8): 3.22
Cowards Bend the Knee: 3.11
The Saddest Music in the World: 3.01
Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary: 2.93
Brand Upon the Brain!: 2.90
Keyhole: 2.56
Fernando Meirelles
City of God: 2.98
The Constant Gardener: 2.52
Blindness: 1.79
360: 1.60
Sam Mendes
American Beauty (16): 2.97
Skyfall: 2.93
Road to Perdition: 2.82
Revolutionary Road: 2.65
Jarhead: 2.44
Away We Go: 2.19
Takashi Miike
Audition (6): 3.22
13 Assassins: 3.03
Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai: 2.80
Dead or Alive: 2.79
Ichi the Killer: 2.74
The Happiness of the Katakuris: 2.73
Gozu: 2.61
The City of Lost Souls: 2.56
Three…Extremes: 2.47
Sukiyaki Western Django: 2.32
The Great Yokai War: 2.25
(One Missed Call): 2.20
(DOA: Final): 2.17
Christopher Nolan
The Prestige (2): 3.40
Memento (3): 3.31
The Dark Knight (5): 3.17
Insomnia: 2.92
Inception (13): 2.84
Batman Begins (19): 2.81
The Dark Knight Rises: 2.63
(Following): 2.28
Jafar Panahi
Offside (11): 3.25
Crimson Gold (11): 3.20
(The Mirror): 3.20
The White Balloon: 3.14
This Is Not a Film: 3.00
The Circle: 2.70
Gary Ross
Pleasantville (19): 2.81
Seabiscuit: 2.48
The Hunger Games: 2.31
David O. Russell
Three Kings (9): 3.18
Flirting with Disaster: 3.12
I ♥ Huckabees (14): 2.84
The Fighter: 2.76
Silver Linings Playbook: 2.63
Ridley Scott
Gladiator (20): 3.04
Black Hawk Down (20): 2.78
Matchstick Men: 2.78
American Gangster : 2.50
Body of Lies: 2.50
G.I. Jane: 2.42
Kingdom of Heaven: 2.33
Prometheus: 2.26
(White Squall): 2.22
Hannibal: 1.94
(A Good Year): 1.93
Robin Hood: 1.91
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
Solaris: 2.86
Haywire: 2.85
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
Ocean’s Twelve: 2.52
Ocean's Thirteen: 2.52
Che: 2.35
Eros: 2.15
Todd Solondz
Welcome to the Dollhouse: 3.14
Happiness (4): 2.92
Life During Wartime: 2.63
Dark Horse: 2.50
Palindromes: 2.15
Storytelling: 2.03
Steven Spielberg
Saving Private Ryan (8): 3.27
Minority Report: 2.92
AI (7): 2.91
Munich (14): 2.88
Lincoln (19): 2.86
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
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: 2.39
The Lost World: Jurassic Park: 2.33
The Terminal: 2.10
Andrew Stanton
WALL•E (2): 3.26
Finding Nemo (13): 3.06
John Carter: 2.28
Quentin Tarantino
Inglourious Basterds (1): 3.46
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2): 3.21
Kill Bill Vol. 2 (4): 3.16
Django Unchained (9): 3.09
Grindhouse (4): 2.93
Jackie Brown: 2.90
Béla Tarr
The Turin Horse (5): 3.05
Werckmeister Harmonies (19): 2.90
The Man From London: 2.35
Tran Anh Hung
The Vertical Ray of the Sun: 2.67
Norwegian Wood: 2.25
Cyclo (14): N/A
Tom Tykwer
Run Lola Run: 2.94
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (17): 2.75
Heaven: 2.74
Cloud Atlas: 2.45
The International: 2.43
The Princess and the Warrior: 2.31
Paris je t'aime: 2.24
(3): 2.08
Gus Van Sant
Paranoid Park (6): 3.15
Gerry (4): 2.93
Good Will Hunting: 2.84
Milk: 2.83
Last Days: 2.79
Elephant: 2.40
Paris je t'aime: 2.24
Promised Land: 2.15
Psycho: 2.11
Finding Forrester: 2.10
(Restless): 1.94
The Wachowski Siblings
Bound (16): 3.29
The Matrix: 2.96
Speed Racer: 2.57
Cloud Atlas: 2.45
The Matrix Reloaded: 2.29
The Matrix Revolutions: 2.21
Joe Wright
Pride & Prejudice: 3.02
Atonement (20): 3.00
Hanna: 2.57
Anna Karenina: 2.56
(The Soloist): 2.14
Robert Zemeckis
Cast Away (12): 3.06
Contact: 2.83
The Polar Express: 2.65
(Disney's A Christmas Carol): 2.61
Flight: 2.55
Beowulf: 2.47
What Lies Beneath: 2.00
