Kenneth Turan’s Top Ten

He lists them alphabetically – but we have to assume that The Artist is his number one choice:

“The Artist.” A black-and-white silent movie that creates the most modern kind of witty and entertaining fun.
“City of Life and Death.” A Chinese film about World War II’s Rape of Nanking that is strong enough to change your life, if you can bear to watch it at all.

“Like Crazy.” Director Drake Doremus and his cast bring compelling intimacy and heart-stopping delicacy to the push and pull of love, longing and regret

“Midnight in Paris.” When Woody Allen is funny, attention must be paid.

“Of Gods and Men” and “Poetry.” A pair of films, one French, the other Korean, show how compellingly dramatic moral dilemmas can be.

“A Separation.” An Iranian film unlike any Iranian film you’ve seen before. In theaters Dec. 30 and worth the wait.

Sundance gets real: More memorable documentaries come from this festival than anywhere else. This year’s group included “Buck,” “If a Tree Falls,” “The Interrupters,” “Project Nim,” “The Redemption of General Butt Naked,” “Senna” and “We Were Here.” Mention should also be made of non-Sundance docs “Circo” and “Nostalgia for the Light.”

“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” A version of the allusive John le Carré novel that couldn’t be more deliciously, thrillingly, brilliantly complex.

“Win Win.” Written and directed by Tom McCarthy with an impeccable feel for off-center human comedy at its funniest and most heartfelt.

Saddest situation: The huge number of excellent foreign-language films that played in Los Angeles with hardly anyone seeing them. The list includes “Double Hour,” “Carancho,” “Conquest,” “Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life,” “The Human Resources Manager,” “Le Havre,” “Kawasaki’s Rose,” “Point Blank,” “The Princess of Montpensier,” “Queen to Play” and “The Women on the Sixth Floor.” Where were you when these films needed your help? Can you do better next year? The city’s movie community is holding its breath. We need your help.