Lists and awards, 12/23.

"It was a time of wonders, an autumn of miracles, one of the best years in recent movie history," writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times. "One great film after another opened, and movie lovers found there were two or three, sometimes more, must-see films opening on a weekend. I gave up rationing my four-star ratings and went with the flow." His #1: Juno.

While we're in Chicago, how about an online viewing tip? Jim Emerson presents his "10 best list: the movie (WGA strike/Antonioni edition)... Ten movies, two or three shots apiece (more or less), 76 seconds, no dialog, no annotations."

Twitch's Todd Brown presents "a baker's dozen of my favorite films, one I loathed, and a stack I'm looking forward to in 2008."

"From where I sat, 2007 was a breakthrough year for movies, no matter that the very best of them - Charles Burnett's American independent classic Killer of Sheep - came out a full 30 years after it was made," writes Rob Nelson in the MinnPost.

The Independent asks the likes of Stephen Frears, Edgar Wright, Ken Loach, Gurinder Chadha and others for their favorite films of 2007.

Jürgen Fauth laces his top ten (#1: There Will Be Blood) with quick descriptions of a favorite scene in each.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford tops Jeffrey M Anderson's list: "I think I can honestly say that I've thought about this film every day since I've seen it." Jeffrey's also got a list of the year's worst films.

Movie City News tracks another couple of rounds of critics circle award-winners: San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Florida and Detroit.

A round of top tens in the Oregonian: Shawn Levy (whose #1 is The Lives of Others), Marc Mohan (Children of Men) and Mike Russell (There Will Be Blood). And Mike's "director's cut" of his list at CulturePulp's a lot of fun.

In the New York Times, Dave Kehr presents "not a Top 10 list per se, because by what cosmic criteria could you rank Murnau over Griffith, or Charles Burnett over Kenneth Anger? Here are my choices for the most notable DVDs of 2007, in alphabetical rather than hierarchical order."

In the Los Angeles Time, Jen Chaney offers a list of DVDs that "provide an alternative to the typical It's a Wonderful Life - A Christmas Story - Miracle on 34th Street trifecta. Every one of these choices fits in tonally with the holiday season and includes at least one crucial scene set at Christmastime."

Yair Raveh's decided that Control edges ahead of There Will Be Blood for the #1 spot on his top ten - but only just.

At the AV Club: Nathan Rabin's "Favorite Movie Year" is 1994.

Observer readers write up the highlights of their year.

Chuck Tryon: "21 Media Moments in 2007."

From Matt Dentler, "The Top 45 Albums Worth Your Dime in 2007."

Online viewing and listening tips. "Hooray. It's time, once again, for my definitive guide to the best music of the year." Fraser Lewry's got your clips.

Online viewing tips. Alternet lists its "Top Ten Hottest Videos of 2007."

Posted by dwhudson at December 23, 2007 3:41 PM