Well, hello, 2012 — and a new issue of the multilingual film journal La Furia Umana. At its center are two substantial packages, one featuring Brazilian filmmaker Júlio Bressane (image above), the other, more or less introduced by Jonathan Rosenbaum, on Joe Dante. Interviews, essays by and about, the works. Also, from David Phelps, "Visions of the Blind. Raúl Ruiz: A Users Guide and Pedagogy." Ken Jacobs on Dziga Vertov. The Celluloid Liberation Front on "Science-Fictional Realism in the Virtual Age." Claudio Mazzatenta on Nicholas Ray's We Can't Go Home Again (1973). Steve Mayhew on John Ford and Harry Carey's Universal years (1917 - 1921). And Noel Lawrence: "The complicated friendship of Terry Southern of JX Williams goes way back, back to the salt-and-pepper pompadour, the black briefcase, and beyond…"
Lists. "The most startling cut I saw in a movie last year occurred not in a high-tech action or horror film, but quietly and unassumingly in Jean-Marie Straub's 15-minute revision of the Orpheus myth, titled L'Inconsolable." In the new issue of Artforum, Tony Pipolo looks back on the Straubs that screened in New York in 2011.
At Ferdy on Films, Roderick Heath argues at considerable length that "this has been the best year for cinema since at least 2007, and possibly since 1999."
14 lists from new filmkritik. Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Once Upon a Time in Anatolia tops Michael J Anderson's ten of 2011. For Josef Braun, it's Patricio Guzmán's Nostalgia for the Light. Michael Hawley's favorite narrative is Xavier Dolan's Heartbeats, his favorite doc, Tatiana Huezo's The Tiniest Place. If Michael Lieberman's list is in order, his top three are works by Ryan Trecartin, Bertrand Bonello and Ken Jacobs. And take a look at what's happening to the "Great Films of 2011" at This Must Be the Place.
Listening (100'49"). Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo discuss the "Films of 2011."
Viewing. David Poland has collected "More Than 100 Hours of Conversation about Movies with the People Who Make Them."
Network Awesome is celebrating its first anniversary with an eight-day program of the best of its programming beginning today.
2011 Awards and Lists Index. For news and tips throughout the day every day, follow @thedailyMUBI on Twitter and/or the RSS feed.