1. Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow’s nailbiting procedural of CIA analyst “Maya,” the woman (Jessica Chastain) who orchestrated the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden.
2. Argo, Ben Affleck’s tense thriller about Tony Mendez (Affleck), the CIA “exfiltrator” who spirited six U.S. State Department employees out of Iran during the hostage crisis in 1980.
3. Lincoln, Steven Spielberg’s bristling character study of the ground-level campaign conducted by the 16th president (Daniel Day-Lewis) to secure the passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
4. Amour, Michael Haneke’s unsparing account of dignified octogenarians (Emmanuelle Riva, Jean-Louis Trintignant) facing the indignities of aging.
5. Middle of Nowhere, Ava DuVernay’s involving nocturne tracks a health-care worker (Emayatzy Corinealdi) who breaks out of her emotional lockdown during her husband’s incarceration.
6. The Sessions, Ben Lewin’s tender look at how a sex surrogate (Helen Hunt) helps a severely disabled poet (John Hawkes) achieve emotional intimacy.
7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky’s moving adaptation of his novel about high-school outsiders (Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, Emma Watson) who support each other through trying times.
8. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, Allison Klayman’s sympathetic portrait of the Chinese dissident artist, his work and his political tangles in his homeland.
9. Sister, Ursula Meier’s startling drama of an underclass family, seasonal employees at a posh Swiss ski resort.
10. Flight, Robert Zemeckis’ unflinching study of an airline pilot (Denzel Washington) capable of mastering mechanical malfunctions but not always his personal demons.

Like the movies themselves, movie criticism has migrated from analog to digital. Some thoughts. Read more>>

Jennifer Westfeldt’​s “Friends with Kids” is the most fun you can have without sex. The writer/actress makes her directorial debut with this edgy comedy about a couple with a new design for living. Read more>>

Give Lindsay Lohan an A for effort, a B for execution and extra credit points for bravery…and wonder why the tabloids are hog-tying her in double-binds and
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Most Americans think of Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio, the title character of the popular TV show Laverne and Shirley. I think of her as the first female director to make movies (Big, A League of Their Own) that grossed over $100 million. Read more

Is there a movie trendlet of classic stories where the sidekick is promoted to central figure? Read more>>

After the love for yesterday’s post about directors dissing directors, here’s moviemorlocks.com on classic actors slamming their co-stars, with Marlon Brando and Bette Davis on the receiving end of the most derision. Read the rest of this entry »

Gloria Steinem in her own words….and also yours: In 140 characters, write what you want the future of feminism to look like. Read more>>

Fanboys and critics are cruel about the work of directors, but evidently not so cruel as other directors are if Flavorwire’s collection of the 30 nastiest director-on-director insults is any indication. Even the supremely unflappable Clint Eastwood flips one to Spike Lee. Read more>>

Without Polly Platt, there probably wouldn’t have been The Last Picture Show, Terms of Endearment, or Say Anything. Read more>>