2012 in the Movies: most fun at the movies

William Friedkin's KILLER JOE

1.  This year I attended over ten screenings that were followed by Q & As with the filmmaker.  My favorite was the rip-snorting Killer Joe, followed by an hour with one of the great raconteurs, director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist).

2.  Sitting with other film geeks at the San Francisco International Film Festival, only to be surprised and delighted by the hilarious Norwegian comic thriller Headhunters.

3.  Watching the three-hour director’s cut of Margaret with The Wife and our friend Paula.

4.  Watching Bill W. (about the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous) in an audience that contained over 200 AA members,

5.  Enjoying the  classic Italian comedy Big Deal on Madonna Street for the first time.

6.  Discovering the political satire The Dark Horse and the workplace drama Employees Entrance from the early 1930s, both starring  Warren William, the King of Pre-Code.

7.  Revisiting classics like M, the 1979 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Exorcist and finding that they all hold up well today.

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