CINEMA SCOPE magazine (Canada)

Cinema Scope makes some people break out in hives, from Mark Peranson's famously cranky editorials to the extensive articles on avant-garde figures who remain obscure even in avant-garde circles (not to mention the Canadian way they date their issues so that "Winter 20XX" comes before "Spring 20XX"). Yet the magazine is unique in the English-speaking world, an unabashedly highbrow publication which nonetheless - unlike the dry-as-dust Cineaste and Film Quarterly - doesn't ignore style, humour and bolshie Attitude.

It also (since 2005) does annual Top Tens, serving as a handy snapshot of a Certain Tendency of world cinema. Long may it continue - both the mag and yes, even the Tendency...

ADDENDUM: Cinema Scope sadly ended publication in early 2024 with Issue 97 ("Winter 2024"). Worst of all, they somehow neglected to do a list for 2023 before shutting down.

2005

1. THE CHILD (Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)
2. THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU (Cristi Puiu)
3. HIDDEN (Michael Haneke)
4. LAND OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
5. REGULAR LOVERS (Philippe Garrel)
6. THE SUN (Alexander Sokurov)
7. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg)
8. THREE TIMES (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
9. THE NEW WORLD (Terrence Malick)
10. HOMECOMING (Joe Dante)

2006

1. SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
2. BLACK BOOK (Paul Verhoeven)
3. COLOSSAL YOUTH (Pedro Costa)
4. A SCANNER DARKLY (Richard Linklater)
5. BORAT (Larry Charles)
6. OPERA JAWA (Garin Nugroho)
7. CHILDREN OF MEN (Alfonso Cuaron)
8. THE HOST (Bong Joon-ho)
9. INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)
10. OLD JOY (Kelly Reichardt)

2007

1. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)
2. ZODIAC (David Fincher)
3. SECRET SUNSHINE (Lee Chang-dong)
4. IN THE CITY OF SYLVIA (Jose Luis Guerin)
5. PARANOID PARK (Gus Van Sant)
6. PROFIT MOTIVE AND THE WHISPERING WIND (John Gianvito)
7. MY WINNIPEG (Guy Maddin)
8. GO GO TALES (Abel Ferrara)
9. LA FRANCE (Serge Bozon)
10. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS & 2 DAYS (Cristian Mungiu)

2008

1. LIVERPOOL (Lisandro Alonso)
2. BIRDSONG (Albert Serra)
3. WENDY AND LUCY (Kelly Reichardt)
4. 24 CITY (Jia Zhangke)
5. RR (James Benning)
6. OUR BELOVED MONTH OF AUGUST (Miguel Gomes)
7. BALLAST (Lance Hammer)
8. ITINERAIRE DE JEAN BRICARD (Jean-Marie Straub & Daniele Huillet)
9. STILL WALKING (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
10. THE HEADLESS WOMAN (Lucretia Martel)

2009

1. POLICE, ADJECTIVE (Corneliu Porumboiu)
2. EVERYONE ELSE (Maren Ade)
3. TO DIE LIKE A MAN (Joao Pedro Rodrigues)
4. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino)
5. SWEETGRASS (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Ilisa Barbash)
6. FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson)
7. TRASH HUMPERS (Harmony Korine)
8. ALAMAR (Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio)
9. VINCERE (Marco Bellocchio)
10. MOTHER (Bong Joon-ho)

Best of the 00s

1. PLATFORM (Jia Zhangke, 2000)
2. IN VANDA'S ROOM (Pedro Costa, 2001)
3. LA LIBERTAD (Lisandro Alonso, 2001)
4. LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF (Thom Andersen, 2003)
5. 13 LAKES (James Benning, 2004)
6. EVOLUTION OF A FILIPINO FAMILY (Lav Diaz, 2004)
7. YI YI (Edward Yang, 2000)
8. BLACK BOOK (Paul Verhoeven, 2006)
9. MEMORIES OF MURDER (Bong Joon-ho, 2003)
10. MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch, 2001)

2010

1. UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
2. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF NICOLAE CEAUSESCU (Andrei Ujica)
3. MYSTERIES OF LISBON (Raul Ruiz)
4. FILM SOCIALISME (Jean-Luc Godard)
5. WINTER VACATION (Li Hongqi)
6. THE STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA (Manoel de Oliveira)
7. I WISH I KNEW (Jia Zhangke)
8. MEEK'S CUTOFF (Kelly Reichardt)
9. ATTENBERG (Athina Rachel Tsangari)
10. THE GHOST WRITER (Roman Polanski)

(+ 10 Special Mentions: AURORA, CARLOS, CERTIFIED COPY, COLD WEATHER, CURLING, OF GODS AND MEN, LE QUATTRO VOLTE, EL SICARIO: ROOM 164, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, UNSTOPPABLE)

2011

1. THIS IS NOT A FILM (Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb)
2. THE TURIN HORSE (Bela Tarr)
3. HOUSE OF TOLERANCE (Bertrand Bonello)
4. DREILEBEN (Christian Petzold, Dominik Graf & Christoph Hochhausler)
5. ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
6. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terrence Malick)
7. KILL LIST (Ben Wheatley)
8. IT'S THE EARTH NOT THE MOON (Goncalo Tocha)
9. SLEEPING SICKNESS (Ulrich Kohler)
10. THE KID WITH A BIKE (Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne)

(+ Special Mentions: 4:44 LAST DAY ON EARTH, THE COLOR WHEEL, DRIVE, OUTSIDE SATAN, TAKE SHELTER, MARGARET, POLICEMAN, TARGET, TWO YEARS AT SEA)

2012

1. LEVIATHAN (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Verena Paravel)
2. TABU (Miguel Gomes)
3. HOLY MOTORS (Leos Carax)
4. THE MASTER (Paul Thomas Anderson)
5. DJANGO UNCHAINED (Quentin Tarantino)
6. VIOLA (Matias Pineiro)
7. THE LAST TIME I SAW MACAO (Joao Pedro Rodrigues & Joao Rui Guerra da Mata)
8. DIFFERENTLY, MOLUSSIA (Nicolas Rey)
9. NEIGHBOURING SOUNDS (Kleber Mendonca Filho)
10. MOONRISE KINGDOM (Wes Anderson)

(+ Honourable Mentions: BARBARA, BESTIAIRE, COSMOPOLIS, IN ANOTHER COUNTRY, ROOM 237)

2013

1. STRANGER BY THE LAKE (Alain Guiraudie)
2. NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY (Lav Diaz)
3. A TOUCH OF SIN (Jia Zhangke)
4. WHAT NOW? REMIND ME (Joaquim Pinto)
5. THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT (Ramon Zurcher)
6. STRAY DOGS (Tsai Ming-Liang)
7. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (Joel & Ethan Coen)
8. STORY OF MY DEATH (Albert Serra)
9. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (Martin Scorsese)
10. COMPUTER CHESS (Andrew Bujalski)

(+ Honourable Mentions: MANAKAMANA, THE MISSING PICTURE, LES TROIS DESASTRES, JEALOUSY, REDEMPTION)

2014

1. HORSE MONEY (Pedro Costa)
2. GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE (Jean-Luc Godard)
3. L'IL QUINQUIN (Bruno Dumont)
4. JAUJA (Lisandro Alonso)
5. PHOENIX (Christian Petzold)
6. INHERENT VICE (Paul Thomas Anderson)
7. THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER (Nadav Lapid)
8. MAIDAN (Sergei Loznitsa)
9. JOURNEY TO THE WEST (Tsai Ming-Liang)
10. FROM WHAT IS BEFORE (Lav Diaz)

(+ Honourable Mentions: AMOUR FOU, BOYHOOD, EPISODE OF THE SEA, FORCE MAJEURE, TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT)

2015

1. CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
2. ARABIAN NIGHTS (Miguel Gomes)
3. THE ASSASSIN (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
4. THE FORBIDDEN ROOM (Guy Maddin & Evan Johnson)
5. RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN (Hong Sang-soo)
6. VISIT, OR MEMORIES AND CONFESSIONS (Manoel de Oliveira)
7. LOST AND BEAUTIFUL (Pietro Marcello)
8. NO HOME MOVIE (Chantal Akerman)
9. THE TREASURE (Corneliu Porumboiu)
10. KAILI BLUES (Bi Gan)

(+ Honourable Mentions: 88:88, BRING ME THE HEAD OF TIM HORTON, CAROL, CHEVALIER, IN THE SHADOW OF WOMEN)

2016

1. TONI ERDMANN (Maren Ade)
2. SIERANEVADA (Cristi Puiu)
3. NOCTURAMA (Bertrand Bonello)
4. ELLE (Paul Verhoeven)
5. THE DEATH OF LOUIS XIV (Albert Serra)
6. CERTAIN WOMEN (Kelly Reichardt)
7. THE DREAMED PATH (Angela Schanelec)
8. THE HUMAN SURGE (Eduardo Williams)
9. AQUARIUS (Kleber Mendonca Filho)
10. SILENCE (Martin Scorsese)

(+ Honourable Mentions: ALL THE CITIES OF THE NORTH, CAMERAPERSON, HERMIA AND HELENA, MOONLIGHT, THE ORNITHOLOGIST)

2017

1. TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (David Lynch)
2. WESTERN (Valeska Grisebach)
3. ZAMA (Lucrecia Martel)
4. ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE (Hong Sang-soo)
5. PHANTOM THREAD (Paul Thomas Anderson)
6. GOOD TIME (Josh & Benny Safdie)
7. STREETSCAPES [DIALOGUE] (Heinz Emigholz)
8. JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC (Bruno Dumont)
9. FIRST REFORMED (Paul Schrader)
10. PROTOTYPE (Blake Williams)

(+ Honourable Mentions: EX LIBRIS: THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, THE DAY AFTER, GOOD LUCK, ARABY)

2018

1. AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL (Hu Bo)
2. THE IMAGE BOOK (Jean-Luc Godard)
3. LA FLOR (Mariano Llinas)
4. TRANSIT (Christian Petzold)
5. WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN THE WORLD'S ON FIRE? (Roberto Minervini)
6. LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Bi Gan)
7. HAPPY AS LAZZARO (Alice Rohrwacher)
8. BURNING (Lee Chang-dong)
9. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (Orson Welles)
10. HIGH LIFE (Claire Denis)

(+ Honourable Mentions: ASAKO I & II, ASH IS PUREST WHITE, THE GRAND BIZARRE, IN MY ROOM, L. COHEN)

2019

1. I WAS AT HOME, BUT... (Angela Schanelec)
2. VITALINA VARELA (Pedro Costa)
3. MARTIN EDEN (Pietro Marcello)
4. UNCUT GEMS (Josh & Benny Safdie)
5. LIBERTE (Albert Serra)
6. HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME (Thomas Heise)
7. PARASITE (Bong Joon-ho)
8. ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD (Quentin Tarantino)
9. SYNONYMS (Nadav Lapid)
10. THE IRISHMAN (Martin Scorsese)

(+ Honourable Mentions: JUST DON'T THINK I'LL SCREAM, PRESENT.PERFECT., STATE FUNERAL, THE TRAITOR, ZOMBI CHILD)

Best of the 10s

1. TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (David Lynch, 2017)
2. UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2010)
3. ZAMA (Lucrecia Martel, 2017)
4. LEVIATHAN (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Verena Paravel, 2012)
5. TONI ERDMANN (Maren Ade, 2016)
6. HOUSE OF TOLERANCE (Bertrand Bonello, 2011)
7. GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE (Jean-Luc Godard, 2014)
8. HORSE MONEY (Pedro Costa, 2014)
9. TABU (Miguel Gomes, 2012)
10. PHOENIX (Christian Petzold, 2014)

(+ Special Mentions: THE ASSASSIN (Hou Hsiao-hsien), CERTIFIED COPY (Abbas Kiarostami), HOLY MOTORS (Leos Carax), STRANGER BY THE LAKE (Alain Guiraudie), SIERANEVADA (Cristi Puiu))

2020

1. DAYS (Tsai Ming-Liang)
2. THE WORKS AND DAYS (OF TAYOKO SHIOJIRI IN THE SHIOTANI BASIN) (C.W. Winter & Anders Edstrom)
3. THE YEAR OF THE DISCOVERY (Luis Lopez Carrasco)
4. THE LAST CITY (Heinz Emigholz)
5. LOVERS ROCK (Steve McQueen)
6. THE WOMAN WHO RAN (Hong Sang-soo)
7. MALMKROG (Cristi Puiu)
8. DAU.DEGENERATION (Ilya Khrzhanovsky)
9. CITY HALL (Frederick Wiseman)
10. FAUNA (Nicolas Pereda)

2021

1. WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY? (Alexandre Koberidze)
2. MEMORIA (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
3. DRIVE MY CAR (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
4. FRANCE (Bruno Dumont)
5. IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE (Hong Sang-soo)
6. WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
7. ANNETTE (Leos Carax)
8. BENEDETTA (Paul Verhoeven)
9. THE TSUGUA DIARIES (Maureen Fazandeiro & Miguel Gomes)
10. THE SOUVENIR, PART II (Joanna Hogg)

(+ Honourable Mentions: THE CARD COUNTER, THE GIRL AND THE SPIDER, A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING, PETITE MAMAN, THE POWER OF THE DOG)

2022

1. PACIFICTION (Albert Serra)
2. DE HUMANI CORPORIS FABRICA (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Véréna Paravel)
3. CRIMES OF THE FUTURE (David Cronenberg)
4. UNREST (Cyril Schaublin)
5. THE NOVELIST'S FILM (Hong Sang-soo)
6. SAINT OMER (Alice Diop)
7. SHOWING UP (Kelly Reichardt)
8. EO (Jerzy Skolimowski)
9. QUEENS OF THE QING DYNASTY (Ashley McKenzie)
10. THE PLAINS (David Easteal)

(+ Honourable Mentions: AFTERSUN, ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED, MUTZENBACHER, TAR, WALK UP)