Blurb Whore Overachiever of the Year

Top Ten List O' the Day: Peter Travers.
I don't know how many of you watch Rachel Maddow on MSNBC but during Herman Cain's brief presidential campaign she began to treat it, hilariously, as a piece of performance art i.e. This just can't be real! I feel much the same way about Rolling Stone's Blurb Whore Legend Peter Travers. I don't mean to fixate on him as much as I do -- every year I marvel for the same reasons --  but I grew up reading and loving his reviews and only later, as I began to read more film criticism did he come to embody the Film Critic as Film Publicist problem. The man can definitely turn a phrase which is why if he wasn't making the presumably big bucks he makes at Rolling Stone, he'd surely be a highly paid ad man.

But this top ten article made me laugh so much. It's performance art. It has to be. He begins with Drive and literally the first words are...

Screw Oscar..."

After which comes a top ten list that includes not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, not eight but  literally all the contenders you'll see on anybody's Oscar prediction top ten Best Picture charts barring the unscreened 'Extremely Loud'. Which is to say that The Artist, The Descendants, Moneyball, Midnight in Paris, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The Tree of Life... are all accounted for. To make sure he's covered all the Oscar bases there's a three way tie at #10 between War Horse, The Help and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2. Seriously. 

I bow down to one of the greatest pieces of year-end list-making performance art that film criticism has ever seen. Peter Travers, you are genius.

November. It's a Wrap

I regret to inform you that there is only one month remaining in 2011. It's been quite a year but we weep that it's nearly over. How can this be? In case you've recently rejoined us -- fair weather friend! -- here's a dozen must-read highlights from the month that just was.

• How Long Has it Been Since You've Seen Close Encounters? It holds up.
• "Consider"... Harry Potter live blogging an FYC ad.
• The Covers, The Dreamers and Me JA reminisces about childhood love for The Muppets.
• Do Movies About Movies Win Oscars? Bad news for Hugo, The Artist and My Week With Marilyn.

• Nicole Kidman's Perpetual Elephant Love Medley a new biopic for one of our favorites. 
• Will "Monty" Consider Bridesmaids a feline Oscar pundit. 
• Theodora Van Runkle (RIP) a costuming giant passes.  
• Happy 50th Meg Ryan a look back at a supernova career
• Mirror Mirror vs. Snow White and the Hunstman a double whammy of fairy tales for our Yes No Maybe So series.

Most Discussed: Roles for Which Meryl Streep was Not Nominated Though her nomination record is insane such roles do exist and Q&A: Favorite Kubrick Films and Grace Kelly casting. 
Most Popular: "Once More With Feeling" a 10th anniversary celebration of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode.

Coming in December: YEAR IN REVIEW MANIA in... 3...2...1

20:11 Season of the Hornet's "No Stings" Dilemma

Year in Review Fun... Much more to come! 

Herewith the 20th minute and 11th second of the movies of 2011 in chronological order of US release date. It's like flipping channels for snapshots of the film year! For those who like a mnemonic challenge, I've written the film titles in invisible ink below each screencap (you can highlight to see them). Would any of these tiny glimpses make you want to stop channel surfing and watch?

january | february | march | april

Part 1: JANUARY

Our ranks have been decimated. You must deliver her."

THE SEASON OF THE WITCH

Holy....! Kato, are you a pervert?

THE GREEN HORNET

We are trying to relax! Everything is going to be fine."

THE DILEMMA

["Did i have sex with anyone...?" and other awkward January moments more after the jump.]

Click to read more ...

October. It's a Wrap

With October gone -- our favorite month! *sniffle* -- gone, all that's left is holidays (are you prepared?) and Oscars (yes!) . If you were so foolish to miss even a single day here at The Film Experience (where were you?!) here are 11 highlights from the month that was!

Rosemary and Martha bonded over their cult-troubled past. Next thing you know...

I Stood Where Carey Mulligan Sang - Hitting an early movie party... awards season on its way
Happy Birthday Scorpios - put on that Drive jacket and imagine. What a difference casting makes, huh? 
Q&A Silents & Sequels - Definitely the most popular new column we've started in awhile. More to come soon soon from last week's questions
Shame on the Ratings System - The problem is not the NC-17...

Interiority vs. Exteriority - Hide or Show? Elizabeth (Martha Marcy May Marlene) vs. Keira (A Dangerous Method) for Oscar and Critical Acclaim  
Women in Hollywood - Red Carpet Convo with Guy 
Oscar Horrors - Team Film Experience had a ton of fun with this 17 episode series, looking at those rare Oscar nom'ed achievements from the horror film genre.
NYFF - Michael, Kurt and I hit the annual event and wrote up a ton of new movies including My Week With Marilyn, The Descendants, The Artist, and more...

Most Eyeballs: Top Ten Actress Centerfolds [NSFW] from Marilyn to Drew in "honor" of Lindsay Lohan's upcoming Playboy pictorial. What? It's not always a bad career move AND on a less prurient note, Golden Globe Predictions Musical/Comedy anyone?

Most Discussed: Double Oscar Wins - Denzel's Training Day (2001) and other double dippers

COMING IN NOVEMBER: 
Melancholia and The Five Obstructions, Superheroics, Costume Design Special, David Cronenberg interview, Thanksgiving blessings, Alfonso Cuaron, The Artist, Animated Oscar contenders, Meg Ryan, Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, Transgendered Characters, My Week With Marilyn and more.

September. It's a Wrap

September brought you the most festival coverage we've ever had here at The Film Experience with plentiful reports from Venice, Toronto and (just starting) New York. Did you like? It was all a blur to me in this busy busy month. Here are some highlights in case you missed them...

Mulholland Dr, Persona, Three Women -Robert looks at the long blurry line between those Lynch, Bergman and Altman classics
Ludivine Sagnier - an interview with the  busy actress on world cinema, actressy star lineage, and more
I Dream of Celebrity - I wish I had these every night!
True Blood Season 4 Wrap - awards love and constructive criticism for that witchiest season of HBO's hit.
How Vintage! Poolside with Natalie Wood and other 60s stars in Roddy McDowall's home movies
Top 100 Best Actress Characters - 50 years of the Oscar characters you love most
Prime Time Pilots -Nathaniel takes a rare look at new television series 
Vera & Dagmara - chatting about careers, crushes, clothes and collaboration with the two gorgeous stars of Higher Ground.

Topic O' Month Drive was good for plentiful discussion, inspirational art, and Gosling & Hendricks ogling.
Most Eyeballs The Dark Shadow Family. Pfeiffer, Depp, Moretz get gothic.
Hot Conversation Emmy Live Blog. That long glittery TV night got y'all chatting. Ready for awards season I take it?

Coming in October
Marrying Kiki in Melancholia, Boxing with Hugh in Real Steel, Politicking with Ryan in The Ides of March, Brainwashed Elizabeth in Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Women of David Cronenberg. Plus: a Horror Film mini-series, West Side Story memories and more...  

What are you looking forward to / hoping to see in October?