Lists and awards, 12/14.

Let's start this round with Catherine Grant's "A-Z of Favourite Scholarly Film and Moving Image Blogs."

"Daily Plastic wasn't around last year," writes Robert Davis, "but with any luck this will become our tradition: we're going to dig into a number of year-end lists that we find interesting, one by one, day by day, and we'll examine not what they've left out (which will be covered implicitly by our own year-end lists) but by what they've included. It's '2008 in Negative,' not negative as an attitude but negative as a bas-relief." First up: Roger Ebert.

"The producers of the Academy Awards are counting on a mutant wolverine who is People magazine's reigning Sexiest Man Alive to inject some desperately needed razzle-dazzle into their annual telecast," reports Brooks Barnes in the New York Times. "Hugh Jackman, the Australian actor known to film audiences for playing a furry comic-book hero in the X-Men movies, will be host of the 81st incarnation of the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Friday. ABC will broadcast the awards show on Feb 22." And in the Los Angeles Times, Mary McNamara suggests "Ten ways to make the Oscar telecast good TV."

"Continuing this year's awards season coverage in indieWIRE, editor-in-chief Eugene Hernandez and assistant editor Peter Knegt chatted via instant message about the ever-evolving race. Topics for this installment include discussions of the recent bombardment of awards announcements, from the Golden Globe Award nominations to the Los Angeles Film Critics' Association and New York Film Critics' Circle's picks to the European Film Awards."

New York's David Edelstein offers his takes on nine Oscar contenders.

Videohound lists the "Ten Best Movies of 2009 - That's Right, 2009." Via the SXSW News Reel. Related: Cinematical posts pix from a handful of Warner Bros' 2009 releases.

The Guardian's poll of 20 of its writers is now complete. Their #1: No Country for Old Men. It opened in the UK early this year, but 2008 really has been that kind of year. Their #3: There Will Be Blood. #7: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. #8: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. And the Guardian gathers all its list on one handy page.

The Observer's Philip French puts Appaloosa at the top of his ten, while Jason Solomons hands out the "Trailer Trash" awards ("Blokes of the year," etc).

Adam of Northwest Film Forum posts a top ten.

Larry Aydlette lists his "Favorite Things of 2008."

"Van Heflin never became a big star because he was too honest an actor." Dan Callahan picks "5 for the Day" at the House Next Door.

Tim Lucas lists his 20 favorite actresses. Adam Ross has 25; MS Smith sticks with 20. Marilyn Ferdinand goes alphabetical and comments on each of her 20 - just like Arbogast. David Cairns's approach: "Twenty actresses whom I would always be glad to see in a film, although I have no real desire to 'do' them."

"Welcome back to the Year in Ideas issue." The New York Times Magazine: "For the eighth year in a row, we have compiled an alphabetical digest of ideas, from A to Z (almost), that helped make the previous 12 months, for better or worse, what they were."

"Universal, definitive, objective and final: The best 10 records of 2008." Says Momus. Who, by the way, is looking back at his early work and giving away music. "The Angels are Voyeurs," for example: "I think people might have been surprised to hear this song, after looking at the sleeve (and the label) and expecting something more dark, more rock. This is a crisp, light, tight cabaret song sung in an articulate whisper. It doesn't really sound like anything else in late 80s British pop. The conceit of the song is a sexualized take on Rilke's idea of the 'watcher angel,' which had just been used as a central motif in Wim Wenders's film Wings of Desire. These angels are not so benign, though: they maintain a sadistic distance, and they're as excited by the possibility of our self-annihilation as they're aroused by 'our cleverness, our nakedness.'"

A collection at the AV Club: "Celebrity guests on the year's best albums," a followup to the staff's own choices.

Donald Richie picks three titles for the Japan Times' collection of "Best of Asia" books in 2008.

Online browsing tip #1. The best of Book By Its Cover, 2008.

Online browsing tip #2. "Vanity Fair's Year in Pictures," parts 1 and 2.

Online listening tip from Nathaniel R: "Joe of Low Resolution, Nick of Nick's Flick Picks, Katey of Cinema Blend and myself gab about last week's mad rush of precursor awards and nominations."

Online viewing tip. Cartoon Brew begins counting down the "Twelve Animated Days of Christmas."

Online viewing tips. Linking to clips, the London Times lists the "20 Best Christmas Movies."

Posted by dwhudson at December 14, 2008 7:49 AM