People like to put down movie critics for being cranky sourpusses, but the truth is most of us want to like the movies we see. “TRON: Legacy,” “Salt,” “Due Date“… I wanted those to be awesome. They weren’t.

Luckily for me, there were just over 10 movies that were awesome, which means I have enough for a list, yay! And here they are, along some movies that were most decidedly not awesome. Happy new year, everyone. Now let’s all close our eyes and pretend we don’t see the 3D. Maybe, that way, it will go away.

1. Black Swan
The beauty of Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller about a fragile ballet dancer is that there is rarely a point where you know whether you’ve swallowed the blue pill or the red pill. The mirror work alone demands repeat viewings, if you’re brave enough.

2. The Social Network
Where Jesse Eisenberg officially stops being ‘that guy who acts like Michael Cera’ and puts on a showstopping performance as the brilliant but socially inept Mark Zuckerberg. Rooney Mara, meanwhile, is on screen for about six minutes, but makes every second count. And she’s right about the Internet – everything’s written in ink.

3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The most wildly entertaining movie I saw all year. From the dialogue to the editing to the on-screen sound effects, I had a stupid grin plastered to my face from start to finish. Even better to see Chris Evans and Brandon Routh poke fun at their superhero images. And I want to swim in Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s eyes.

4. Inception
There is a backlash growing against Christopher Nolan. I do not understand why. His movies are well-plotted, well-acted, smart and gorgeous. What’s not to love? Yes, “Inception” was chatty, but pardon the pun, it dared to dream, and I love movies that go for it. And so did a lot of other people, as its $290 million box office take will attest.

5. Toy Story 3
There isn’t a movie out this year that touches the last 10 minutes of “Toy Story 3” in terms of emotional impact. Terrifying one minute, heartbreaking the next, and armed with a bittersweet yet pitch-perfect ending. I still can’t make it through the ending, or even the beginning, without crying.

6. 127 Hours
When I originally heard about this movie, my first thought was, “It’s a real-life ‘Saw’ scenario. Who the hell wants to see that?” But Danny Boyle showed me by giving an unthinkable premise a surprising amount of humor and pathos, and James Franco stepped up big-time as the reckless adventurer Aron Ralston.

7. The King’s Speech
Don’t let the cast of characters fool you – this is no stuffy English period piece. And take it to the bank: Best Actor is Colin Firth’s Oscar to lose. Don’t be surprised if his co-star Geoffrey Rush walks away with one, too. Both are exceptional.

8. Exit Through the Gift Shop
It’s unclear whether a lick of it is true, but unlike the self-indulgent fake doc “I’m Still Here,” street artist Banksy spins his possible lies into something entertaining, a wild tale about how all revolutions ultimately get exploited, sometimes by their biggest supporters.

9. Kick-Ass
God help the Academy if Chloe Moretz isn’t nominated for Supporting Actress. She not only stole this movie, but her character Hit Girl was the #1 Halloween costume of the year.

10. The Secret in Their Eyes
Last year’s Oscar winner for Foreign Film, and deservedly so. Think “The Remains of the Day” in a ’70s Argentinean police district, with a jaw-dropping finale and a scene that would make Dirk Diggler blush.

Honorable Mentions

Easy A
When my daughter grows up, I hope she’s as awesome as Olive Pendergast.

Micmacs
Jean-Pierre Jeunet uses the power of a talented sound department to pull a monster con on the audience, but you won’t mind. Moral of the story: be nice to the little people. You just never know.

How to Train Your Dragon
Terrible title, very good movie. And good for DreamWorks for going against type and casting the roles based on who was the best voice for the part, as opposed to the who was most famous person available.

The Fighter
You know what, forget what I said about Geoffrey Rush possibly getting an Oscar. Christian Bale’s getting it instead.

Marwencol
The victim of a brutal attack – which leaves him with virtually no memory of his life before – seeks solace in building an imaginary town where his alter ego is a WWII hero and women love him. Uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time.

For the most part, listing these movies is like shooting fish in a barrel. But I’m not the type to list a bunch of more ambitious movies that underperformed just to make examples out of them. “Prince of Persia” may not have been good, but these movies were worse.

1. The Back-Up Plan
So bad it actually made me angry.

2. When in Rome
As a card-carrying member of the Kristen Bell fan club (well, not really, but I did like “Veronica Mars” a lot), watching her non-“Sarah Marshall” movies is just painful. She’s way too funny and smart to be doing swill like this…isn’t she?

3. I’m Still Here
Ha ha, very funny. You made the whole thing up. Fuck you, nobody’s impressed.

4. The Bounty Hunter
I think it’s finally safe for Angelina Jolie to send Jennifer Aniston that two-word text message she’s been sitting on since 2004: “I win.”

5. The Last Airbender
It’s easy to kick M. Night Shyamalan right now, but we still hold out hope that he’ll turn it around. Still, sweet Jesus, was this movie bad. When someone begins a speech to a room of people with “As you know…,” it’s time to pull the plug. And the 3D was the biggest scam of the year.

6. Remember Me
Spoiler alert: they used 9/11 as a twist. It might have meant something if I hadn’t been rooting for Edward Cullen’s character to die from the very beginning.

7. Leap Year
Sigh. I love Amy Adams, but ten bucks says she did this movie so she could hang out in Ireland for a few months. And to be fair, we would have done the movie too if we were in her position. As long as she knows it comes with a price.

8. Clash of the Titans
More bad 3D, with bad CGI to match.

9. The Virginity Hit
At the very least, this movie should serve as a warning to kids everywhere to be wary of doing anything that could go viral. Thank God YouTube didn’t exist when I was in high school. It’s hard enough going through it, but the thought of someone’s most embarrassing moments out there for the world to see for time immemorial is just cruel.

10. Grown-Ups
Much like “Leap Year,” if Columbia paid me millions to take a summer vacation with my best friends, I’d do the movie too, critical drubbing be damned. And now I’m critically drubbing it. Lame, lame, lame.

Didn’t see (thank God)…

The Human Centipede
Little Fockers
Gulliver’s Travels
Vampires Suck
Sex and the City 2
Eat Pray Love

How the hell did this make a billion dollars?

Alice in Wonderland
I love Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, but this movie is a mess. Off with their heads, indeed.

Better luck next year

CBS Studios
They released three movies this year, and none of them rated more than two stars, despite featuring some pretty big names (Harrison Ford, Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Jennifer Lopez). Whoops.

Rabbit Hole
It’s about a couple dealing with the loss of their four-year-old son in a car accident. For the love of God, who would pay money to see that? Are there really that many unhappy people that it’s become a demographic? And do the filmmakers get satisfaction making art for unhappy people? Misery loves company, I suppose, but you can count me out.

Movie Quote of the Year

“You are probably going to be a very successful computer person. But you’re going to go through life thinking that girls don’t like you because you’re a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an asshole.” – The Social Network

Runner-Up:
“Jews invented spark plugs to control global traffic.” – Four Lions

‘Snakes on a Plane’ Movie Title of the Year

Hot Tub Time Machine
Come on, was there any question?

1. “The Social Network”

It might sound a bit contrived to say that a movie can define an entire generation, but in the case of “The Social Network,” I honestly believe it. There have been plenty of films made about corporate empires built on ruined friendships, broken promises and massive egos, but never has one hit so close to home as the story of Mark Zuckerberg and the rise of Facebook. It’s not just a product of our time, but something that directly affects the everyday lives of people all around the world. Interesting stuff no matter how you spin it, but David Fincher takes what could have been a boring courtroom drama and turns it into a wildly entertaining character study filled with some of the zippiest and cleverest dialogue that Aaron Sorkin has ever written. There’s not a weak link in the cast – from major players like Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer, to Rooney Mara’s brief (but important) appearance as one of Zuckerberg’s pre-Facebook girlfriends – but it’s Jesse Eisenberg’s star-making performance as the socially inept whiz-kid that makes “The Social Network” the year’s most enthralling film.

2. “Inception”

It’s hard not to be envious of a filmmaker like Christopher Nolan, because the guy is only 40 years old, hasn’t made a single bad movie yet, and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Though it might have seemed virtually impossible to outdo “The Dark Knight,” Nolan’s seventh feature is better in just about every way – from its incredibly complex and original mind trip of a story, to the stunning visual effects and outstanding ensemble cast. “Inception” is the kind of film that only gets better with each new viewing, and though everyone may have their own theory about the ending (you could ask just about anyone whether or not it fell and they would immediately know what you were talking about), the real delight is watching the journey that leads us there. There are so many memorable moments that it’s hard to keep track, but the last 40 minutes are particularly spellbinding as Nolan manages to juggle four different dream states without tripping once. Can we just give the man his Oscar already?

3. “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”

Edgar Wright wasn’t exactly a household name prior to directing “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” but that will hopefully all change with this wildly ambitious action-comedy that pretty much rewrites the rules on comic book movies. It’s been said that mimicry is the highest form of flattery, and if that’s the case, then Bryan Lee O’Malley must be blushing, because the film adaptation of his six-volume comic series is not only incredibly faithful to the story, but its quirky humor and breakneck pacing as well. The ensemble cast is terrific (from a pitch-perfect Michael Cera in the title role, to bubbly newcomer Ellen Wong), the fight sequences are playfully unique, and you’d need a Rolodex just to keep track of all the clever pop culture references that are crammed into the script. It’s like dying and going to geek heaven.

4. “127 Hours”

Aron Ralston’s incredible story of survival may not exactly sound like the feel-good movie of the year, but despite all the attention that was placed on the dreaded amputation scene, there’s a really positive message coursing throughout the film. It’s not necessarily something you’ll notice the first time you watch it, either. In fact, while I was engrossed by Ralston’s perseverance during my first viewing (his know-it-all selfishness may have gotten him into the mess, but it’s also what got him out of it), it wasn’t until I saw it a second time that I truly appreciated how much the film is bursting with life. There aren’t too many actors that could have played Ralston without coming off as smug, but James Franco brings an Everyman quality to the role that wins you over immediately. And if he’s the heart and soul of the movie, then Danny Boyle is the brain, interweaving memories/daydreams/hallucinations of Ralston’s family and lost love as he tries to free himself from the boulder. This could have been a really dull film, but under Boyle’s direction, it’s an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind experience.

5. “The King’s Speech”

Even if historical dramas aren’t normally your cup of tea, “The King’s Speech” is worth seeing for the acting clinic that the cast puts on alone. Colin Firth commands the screen as the soon-to-be king who can hardly speak for himself, much less an entire nation, while Geoffrey Rush is the perfect complement as the whimsical speech therapist that helps him find his voice. It’s a story that a lot of directors could have easily ruined by spending too much time on politics and family drama, but Tom Hooper smartly focuses on the unlikely friendship between the two men instead, letting the natural comedy of their relationship dictate the tone of the film. Hooper may not be a particularly stylish director (although he definitely shows skill in the way that he frames his shots), but he never fails to get great performances from his actors, and sometimes, that’s all you need.

6. “Micmacs”

There’s no better place to watch a movie like “Micmacs” than in the historical Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas with 1500 fellow cinephiles, so it’s no surprise that Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s comedy caper ended up being my favorite film at South by Southwest this past year. Though it doesn’t have the mainstream appeal of “Amelie,” “Micmacs” features just about everything you could want from one of Jeunet’s contemporary fairy tales, save for an appearance by the ineffably cute Audrey Tautou. But Dany Boon doesn’t disappoint in the lead role – a modern day Buster Keaton who can entertain with even the simplest pantomime – and Jeunet regulars like Dominique Pinon and Yolande Moreau highlight an excellent supporting cast. An “Ocean’s Eleven”-style revenge film that’s jam-packed with Jenuet’s quirky sensibilities, “Micmacs” is guaranteed to put a big, fat smile on your face. And if it doesn’t, then you probably don’t have a soul.

7. “Kick-Ass”

Just when it looked like the superhero genre was starting to get a little complacent, Matthew Vaughn gave it a swift kick in the pants with one of the funniest, most violent, and all-around entertaining films of the year. “Kick-Ass” may be fairly unconventional in terms of what audiences have come to expect from comic book movies, but it’s exactly what the genre needed. Though Vaughn’s version is more of a satire than the comic that serves as the blueprint to the film, it still maintains the same overall tone. Which is to say, there’s lots of gratuitous violence and cursing – a majority of which is doled out by the pint-sized Chloe Moretz in her most memorable role to date. Controversial? Perhaps, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. From the high-energy action sequences to the colorful cast, “Kick-Ass” is like “Spider-Man” by way of Tarantino. A movie geek fantasy made real.

8. “Exit Through the Gift Shop”

Documentaries are a tricky business, because it’s automatically assumed that everything you’re being told is 100% truth, even if a lot of times you’re only getting one side of the story. Since its premiere at Sundance, there’s been a lot of discussion about whether the events in “Exit Through the Gift Shop” are real or just an elaborate hoax devised by its director, renowned graffiti artist Banksy. It feels genuine for the most part, as it’s been cobbled together from years of footage, but a lot of people can’t bring themselves to believe any of it because of Banksy’s reputation for his art pranks. So is it real or not? The easy answer is that it doesn’t matter, because it’s entertaining either way. Whereas the truth about “I’m Still Here” may have ruined the illusion, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is only more captivating because of it. That is, if it’s even an illusion at all. Perhaps Banksy’s biggest prank yet was in making us believe that it could be fake.

9. “Four Lions”

Depending on your sense of humor, “Four Lions” is either laugh-out-loud funny or extremely offensive. I believe the two go hand in hand, because it’s exactly the provocative nature of Christopher Morris’ directorial debut that makes it so gut-wrenchingly hilarious. You wouldn’t think that a movie about terrorists could even be funny, but Morris finds the humor in the situation in a way that has more to say about the current political climate than any self-important war movie. To call it a dark comedy is a bit of an understatement (one of the terrorists’ sons is so comfortable with the concept of jihad that his bedtime stories feature “The Lion King” characters as suicide bombers), but there are shades of tragicomedy as well, because despite their intentions, the terrorists are all likeable in a strange way. You’ll certainly feel guilty about it afterwards, but that’s kind of the point.

10. “The Ghost Writer”

It’s a shame that Roman Polanski’s latest film will probably be overlooked at this year’s Oscars, because it’s not only one of the best movies of his career, but at the time of its release, there was also speculation that it might be his last. A Hitchcockian thriller that features the type of ripped-from-the-headlines story that Polanski is partial to, “The Ghost Writer” is riveting from start to finish – a modern day detective story told with 1970s panache. All of the actors are at the top of their game. Ewan McGregor delivers yet another solid performance as the nameless ghostwriter, Olivia Williams is wonderfully low-key as the femme fatale, and Tom Wilkinson and Eli Wallach impress in cameo roles. It’s surprising that the film didn’t make a bigger splash than it did, because “The Ghost Writer” is the kind of movie that Hollywood needs a lot more of. Smart, stylish and entertaining.

“Toy Story 3”
“Catfish”
“The Kids Are All Right”
“The Fighter”
“Winter’s Bone”

1. “The Human Centipede”

Tom Six’s medical horror film is one of the worst movies that I’ve seen in a long time – and not because of its subject matter. In fact, while the actual explanation, creation and existence of the titular human centipede is pretty darn gross, it’s never as revolting as its reputation would suggest. The idea is a lot sicker than the execution, and that’s where “The Human Centipede” fails, because there’s not a whole lot to admire beyond the initial concept. The acting is horrible, the dialogue is even worse, and there’s not a single entertaining moment throughout. The big payoff, so to speak, happens at the midway mark, at which point the movie limps to its clichéd finale because it has nothing else to offer. Sometimes infamy is well deserved, but in the case of “The Human Centipede,” it’s a damn disgrace.

2. “Vampires Suck”

Every year, the latest spoof film from the hack duo of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer always winds up pretty high on my worst-of list, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see “Vampires Suck” sitting in the number two spot. But to put into context just how bad these movies really are, consider this: “Vampires Suck” is their best film to date. Not only is it much more focused than past efforts – using the first two “Twilight” movies as its backbone, almost to the point of copyright infringement – but it might even make you giggle a few times thanks to the lead actors’ ridiculously spot-on impressions of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Don’t get me wrong, the movie is an absolute mess, but that’s because Friedberg and Seltzer still haven’t learned that the easy joke isn’t always the funniest.

3. “The Back-Up Plan”

If there’s anything to learn from watching a movie like “The Back-Up Plan,” it’s how not to make a romantic comedy. There’s so much to hate about this film that I don’t even know where to start, but the thing that probably bugged me the most is the all-too-perfect lead characters. Not only are they both extremely attractive, but they run small, philanthropic businesses (an animal rescue store and an organic cheese shop, respectively) and yet still manage to make enough money to support a lavish lifestyle in New York City, as if that somehow makes them more relatable to the average moviegoer. But Jennifer Lopez and Alex O’Loughlin can hardly muster a spark of chemistry between the two of them, and that alone is enough to sink any rom-com from the start. Throw in some terrible stereotypes about pregnant women, an annoying single mothers support group, and an adorable, handicapped Boston terrier for the obligatory reaction shots, and you can begin to understand why so many critics detested this movie.

4. “Marmaduke”

I’m still not entirely convinced that “Marmaduke” wasn’t just some crazy bet between a pair of studio execs to prove that any film with talking animals can make a killing at the box office, but I do find some comfort in the fact that it was a colossal failure. It’s hard to believe that there was even a demand for a “Marmaduke” movie to begin with, because Brad Anderson’s long-running comic strip is remarkably dull. The film is insulting even to children – from the constant narration to dreadful puns like Cowabarka and Chupadogra – and it’s disappointing to see such a wealth of talent wasted on voicing talking dogs. At least they were smart enough to hide behind a microphone, because it’s absolutely embarrassing to watch William H. Macy act like a fool for an easy paycheck. Shame on you.

5. “When in Rome” / “You Again”

No one likes a tie, but Kristen Bell has had such a bad year that it only seemed polite to combine this pair of cinematic train wrecks into a single write-up. In fact, sitting through these films is certainly comparable to experiencing a real-life pile-up, as you don’t know whether to look away or keep watching out of a morbid curiosity that they might get worse. And more often than not, they do. Entire books have been written on the basics of screenwriting, and yet none of the writers responsible for these movies appear to have read a single word, instead creating weak premises built on conflicts that could easily be addressed if the characters stopped acting like children. You’d think that romantic comedies would be right up Kristen Bell’s alley – she’s cute, funny and instantly likeable – but if she ever hopes to make it as a leading lady, she’ll have to do better than this.

“I’m Still Here”
“Alice in Wonderland”
“Clash of the Titans”
“Remember Me”
“A Nightmare on Elm Street”

As with Tim Burton, Jeunet’s roots are in animation. Together with his early collaborator, cartoonist Marc Caro, he made two films that pretty much destroyed the idea of France as a land where all movies were gritty examinations of the lives of depressed intellectuals (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Dystopic but decidedly non-realistic, “Delicatessen” and, to a much greater extent, 1995’s “The City of Lost Children” broke through internationally, with the latter becoming a popular midnight selection and attracting a geek audience that might have ordinarily rejected subtitled films. That was followed by his first solo production and also his first and, so far, only American film. 1997’s “Alien: Resurrection” was a domestic commercial disappointment that generated mixed reviews and more than a little fan hate in the U.S. — even its screenwriter, fan-master Joss Whedon, has entirely disowned it — but it was nevertheless an international success which is still warmly embraced by its jovial director. After that, Jeunet broke through even bigger with the worldwide success of “Amelie” in 2001, easily one of the most widely seen French films in the United States of the last couple of decades — so much so that it was simply referenced as “the French movie” in last year’s “Up in the Air.”

Now, Jeunet is back with his first film since his worldwide box office and critical hit, 2005’s “A Very Long Engagement,” with his own take on Chaplinesque/Keatonesque comedy with just a dash of Rube Goldberg not-quite-sci-fi. “Micmacs” stars comic Dany Boon (“My Best Friend”) as the hapless Bazil, whose father was killed by a landmine and whose health and livelihood was ruined by a bullet — each produced by a ruthless arms manufacturer. Homeless, he is befriended by a ragtag assortment of seven eccentrics with various unique skills. Bazil enlists their aid in avenging himself against the two firms.

The film has done reasonably well in its initial New York opening, and will be expanding to more theaters this Friday. It’s generally also been a hit with critics, very definitely including PH’s own Jason Zingale.

Jeunet is not one of those filmmakers he seems to mind meeting the press. Though he arrived late — how French of him! — he was both apologetic and in infectious high spirits, joking and introducing an old friend who was there to smooth over rough spots in translations. (Jeunet had little trouble giving long answers in English, but he seemed to occasionally need help in understanding the more involved questions.)

The first question was about the source of the story of “Micmacs,” and Jeunet was off and running.

“First you have to know something. Before, I worked two years on ‘Life of Pi.’ It’s a beautiful project for 20th Century Fox and now Ang Lee is supposed to make the film. I spoke with the producer this morning and it’s on the way. But it was so expensive because it was a story about a kid after a shipwreck in a lifeboat fighting against a tiger. You have the three worst elements for a film: the sea, a wild animal, and a kid. It was too expensive, that was the only reason I didn’t make this film after two years. I wrote the script… I spent six months to make the storyboard. Huge work.”

“So,” Jeunet continued, “I was starving to shoot — to make something very quickly. I had some different ideas in my computer and, in fact, I mixed three different feelings. One of them was a preoccupation with weapons sellers because I had a fascination for these strange people able to invent things to [create] suffering.”

“Also, I wanted a story of revenge. I love ‘Once Upon a Time in the West.’ And the third thing was to make something with a band of original, weird people like the seven dwarfs from ‘Snow White.’ One of them is shy, one of them is always pissed-off… so I mix from different feelings. I was concerned about mixing serious issues like weapons with a slapstick cartoon, and I thought, ‘Okay, ‘The Great Dictator‘ was a comedy, too.'”

That was followed by a question about mixing politics, to whatever extent “Micmacs” is political, with Jeunet’s not-of-this-earth style.

“I don’t want to say ‘politics’ because it’s such a cliche to say ‘it’s bad to sell weapons.’ But we made real research. We made a beautiful interview with a weapons manufacturer in Belgium who made some arrows to go through the tanks. He’d get the temperature to go so high in one second everybody burns inside the tanks.”

“We met very interesting people. They have the passion for technology, I would like to have these people in my crew. Very nice people. But when you say, ‘But, then you kill people,’ they say ‘Yes, but we work on the right side.’ I remember this sentence, it’s in the film, ‘We work for the Minister of Defense, not the Minister of Attack,” said Jeunet, noting that, despite the arms merchants’ claims, their weapons are often resold on the open market to all kinds of evil characters.

Then there was the more or less inevitable question about Jeunet’s highly distinctive visual approach, particularly his use of rich colors and wide lenses.

“I like directors with a strong style….When you see a film from Tim Burton, you recognize immediately it’s Tim Burton. Same thing for Terry Gilliam or…David Lynch. A long time ago it was Fellini. I don’t want to compare myself to these great directors, but I love to shoot with a short lens, to use warm colors — I love to do that. That’s it.”

“This time, I wanted to make something faster with a lighter camera, but everybody told me, ‘no, it’s too early for the digital, we [need to] spend some time to fix the defects.’ Next time, I want to make it all in 3-D or with a lighter camera.”

Then, a question about whether a certain amount of innocence, combined with ingenuity and imagination, can be a way to defend oneself from the violence and evil of the world.

“Absolutely, I believe, about imagination. Between the ages of 17 and 21 I was a worker at the telephone company and imagination saved my life. In fact, the character of Dany Boon is a little bit of a metaphor of my work because, to accomplish his revenge, he needs a crew of specific characters like I need a crew to accomplish my films.”

Working at something of a disadvantage since I hadn’t yet seen “Micmacs,” I asked Jeunet about his obvious love for onscreen mechanical devices, which always puts me in mind of Orson Welles’ famous remark that having a film studio to work in was “the biggest electric train set a boy ever had.”

Jeunet was of a similar mind, comparing filmmaking to French-manufactured Meccano construction sets. “Inside the box you have the costumes, the dialogue, the music — and I want to use everything inside the box to build the most beautiful toy I can and don’t lose anything inside the box. This is my conception.”

“Another one is I am like a chef. I prepare a good meal and I want to share. ‘You think it’s good, no?’ and sometimes they say, ‘no, it’s not good, and I am disappointed.”

But Jeunet is different from other directors in that he’s obviously fond of actually putting odd, sometimes Rube Goldberg-like, mechanical constructions up on the screen.

“Yes. For this one, I hired a guy, because I discovered this guy who’s a naive artist. He was in a museum in Paris with a beautiful animated sculpture. It was so beautiful we didn’t build them ourselves, but I hired the guy to lend [them.]”

Then the conversation turned to the great silent comedy filmmakers and their influence on “Micmacs.”

“Especially for the ‘Cannon Men’ scene, I thought about Buster Keaton. And when Dany Boon makes you think about [Charlie] Chaplin, it wasn’t on purpose. During the shooting I saw him and said, ‘Ooh, you make me think of Chaplin.’ He said ‘You think so?’ And after, I think, he continued to think, and it was on purpose after that.”

And exactly how was the very talented actor-stand-up-performer Dany Boon, a huge star in France, cast?

“I followed him since 15 years ago. Just after I hired him, he got a huge success with ‘Welcome to the Land of Shtis’ [which Boon co-wrote and directed]. But when I say huge I mean it was almost like ‘Titanic’ — 21 million admissions. ‘Amelie’ was a huge success, it was nine million admissions. Can you believe it? I’m very jealous,” Jeunet said, getting some laughs at the table.

“He’s a very good actor. Every take is perfect. You never had a bad take. And he’s a nice guy, very simple, very funny.”

And what is Jeunet’s style of working with actors in general?

“They have to be precise. That’s the reason I love Audrey Tautou or Dany Boon. You have to have the head here or here, not to move a little bit. Because when you use a short lens, if they are too close to the lens they could be like a monster. I am very precise. On the other hand, if they want to surprise me, if they want to propose to me something different, I am very open. I make a storyboard but ‘okay, new idea, no problem.’ But I love technician-actors.”

Then there was a question (which I was hoping to ask myself) about the use of the music of Hollywood classic-era composer Max Steiner, which follows on a scene early in the film where Dany Boon’s character is watching a classic detective movie directed by Howard Hawks.

“At the beginning it was ‘The Big Sleep.’ We used maybe six or seven pieces of different [film scores] from Max Steiner. In fact, I wanted to just use the ‘The Big Sleep’ to make the gag with the end starting the film. It was on my notes. Of course, we had the music and the music worked so well, later we thought maybe we could use Max Steiner music for the whole film, the action scenes.

“It worked so well sometimes it was like a miracle. I remember one scene, during 40 seconds — not a cut. Every sync point worked perfect. I imagined Max Steiner in Paradise… [rubs his hands, laughing maniacally as if the angelic Steiner was gleefully observing “Micmacs” post-production]. No, it was a great moment. By luck we found some good recordings from the seventies. It was in stereo. Good quality, not amazing quality, but good quality.”

Then there was a question following up on Jeunet’s earlier comparison of being a director to being a chef. Does Jeunet try mainly to please himself or does he think specifically about the audience’s reaction while working on the film?

“You work for yourself. If you are a chef, you are the first taster. ‘Hmm. I love that! Do you want to share?’ But you have to love [it] before…’ You are the first spectator of your film. If you think about the other people, you’re dead. It’s very selfish to make a film.”

Next was a question about the strongly Gaelic flavor of Jeunet’s films, at least from an American point of view. Has it been a help in differentiating his films and competing in the world market with U.S. productions?

“I don’t know. I love Paris. I try to show a different Paris each time. I don’t know if it’s French. Of course, if I use music with accordions, it sounds French. But, in France, you have to know, I am not French. They think I am international because my films are sold everywhere, and I don’t feel especially French.”

That led to a discussion about how sometimes a country’s most internationally successful living filmmaker is less beloved at home. Jeunet mentioned how Spain’s Pedro Almodovar has quit his nation’s film academy after his films were ignored at awards time. I didn’t get the chance to bring it up, but a similar phenomenon happened with the elder Akira Kurosawa in Japan, who endured a great deal of criticism during the seventies and eighties from younger filmmakers and writers. No one is a prophet in their own home, as the saying goes.

Of course, that’s not all, there’s the tendency of all nations’ press to build people up and then rip them apart.

“At first, I can’t complain. But now it’s getting difficult because I had three huge success. ‘ Alien’ [as alluded to before, “Alien: Resurrection” was a hit in France], ‘Amelie’ and ‘A Very Long Engagement.’ Now,” Jeunet intoned, his voice getting comically melodramatic, “it’s time to pay!,” he said, getting a big laugh from the table.

Next there was a question about whether future projects might be more commercial than past films. The director alluded to an intimate “small French book” which he thought might not be commercial, but that there was also a presumably more broadly appealing, and apparently really excellent, American book. “Oh my God, it’s a masterpiece. But I don’t want to tell anything because I’m going to meet next week with the author in New York.”

Jeunet likes the book, whatever it is, so much he was having a hard time containing himself. “Ah, it’s such a good book. Oh my God, it’s a fucking masterpiece but I heard he [presumably, the author] would like to direct the film himself. Big mistake!” Jeunet said with his French talent for exaggeration, getting another laugh from the table. He also said that the story is actually set in Russia “during the war” and that it would neither be a French or American film in terms of feeling, though American actors would star because using Russian actors would probably “scare people.”

Another question: Does Jeunet think his imagination is “dark”?

“I can [be dark] if I want. I try to make something more brighter. It’s more interesting and more difficult to make something positive than negative. To be negative is very easy.”

What does he think of the current vogue for more film science fiction and works of “extreme imagination.”

“I love science fiction and I don’t like the fantastic. For example, if you have a magical ring and you can explode the world, for me — it’s not interesting. I don’t like ‘Lord of the Rings’ or even ‘Star Wars.’ For me, I don’t understand this kind of story. But [I love] ‘Alien,’ because the rules of the game are very precise. It could happen… I have an idea about robots in the future…”

Then came some questions that really didn’t go very far. Having not seen the film, I wondered if, in addition to the hero’s helpers being an allusion to the seven dwarfs, if they were perhaps somewhat influenced by the highly specialized abilities of the teams that helped pulp heroes like Doc Savage pull off their daring-do. I also couldn’t help thinking of the Doc Savage-inspired science fiction satire, “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension,” a movie that might have been improved if Jeunet had been able to direct it in 1984. Since he didn’t seem to know anything about either, I have to take that as a “no” even if his two-word answer was “Yeah, maybe.”

Moving on to another questioner, how did Jeunet feel about the relative size of his audience, overall?

“You can have a dinner with one [person] or with ten people and it’s the same pleasure. If you can get the money back for the film, it’s not a problem. If I would have wanted to have a huge audience, I would make American movies, not French movies, because there is a limit, of course, with the French language.

“…I prefer to shoot in my own language, to play with my language, to play in Paris. And, I have the freedom, complete freedom in France. It’s amazing. If American directors could imagine how I am free they would have asked to have…” And then Jeunet had to ask his aid for the words he was seeking. They were “political asylum.” Another big laugh.

And that led to the question, which Jeunet said he was waiting for, about the general impression that he wasn’t allowed very much freedom by the American producers of the controversial “Alien: Resurrection.”

“No, it was a great experience. I read so many times ‘it was a nightmare for Jean-Pierre Jeunet.'” That impression apparently extended to “Up in the Air” co-writer/director Jason Reitman who, according to Jeunet, mentioned in an interview the director’s alleged ordeal in connection with his film’s offhand reference to “Amelie” and her traveling garden gnome.

“No, it wasn’t a nightmare. I’m sorry. It was tough. It was difficult because you have to convince people to have your way in editing. You have to speak with a lot of people, but it wasn’t a nightmare. It was just tough. And, in France, it’s not tough. You have the freedom by law.”

Then Jeunet did something very refreshing in response to questions, which is to admit to some creative weaknesses. First, in a passing reference to “City of Lost Children,” he confessed that he and Marc Caro had come up with the kind of setting and mood they wanted to create before coming up with the story and that was, perhaps, the wrong order. The story, he said, should come first.

Another question asked about what he thought of the love story in “Micmacs” between Dany Boon’s character and a contortionist played by Julie Ferrier.

“I think it’s not enough. Some people told me, ‘It’s not enough. We need some stronger emotion.’ And they’re right, I think.”

That led to an anecdote about an American studio he greatly admires. “I had the great privilege to make a master class at Pixar in San Francisco with 1,000 people. It was amazing. They are so good to alternate… they say ‘one laugh for one tear.’ Auggh.”

That led to a bit more discussion of Julie Ferrier, a character comedian in her own right who Jeunet thinks is a kind of genius and instructed us all to look her up on YouTube. (I did. Being reasonably fluent in French would probably be a help.) And though she is quite flexible thanks to her background as a dancer, she’s not quite a contortionist. A body double was needed as well.

“We found a Russian girl, and she does an erotic show in Germany, and its very interesting,” Jeunet said, showing some good comic timing and getting a big laugh and generating questions whether her performances could be found on YouTube as well. He added. “My Japanese director of photography [Tetsuo Nagata], he was very moved.” More laughter.

And, apparently wanting to leave the journos laughing, the end of the interview was declared.

In fact, the film is already doing rather well, as it opened early to get a jump on the long Memorial Day weekend, making $3 million on Wednesday night/Thursday morning midnight shows for the R-rated comedy from Warner Brothers. Both jolly Carl DiOrio and Anne Thompson’s b.o. guy, Anthony D’Alessandro, are bullish. Jolly Carl is talking about $60 million. I have no clue except that every “Sex and the City” fan will want to see it — once, anyway.

Nevertheless, as someone who managed to avoid the original show almost completely, it is a bit of shock to see this kind of vituperation directed against a property that was once a well-reviewed award-winner. I wasn’t too surprised when the first film got mixed reviews, since the show did have more than it’s share of detractors, but the 14% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics as a whole, and devastating 7% from 26 “top critics” so far is a bit of a movie cold shower. The bad reviews even inspired a bottom 10 list at Salon. Matt Zoeller Seitz, like our own Jason Zingale, notes the film’s lengthy sequence in Abu Dabi — which he terms “product placement for a country” (even though it was shot elsewhere) and titles his review: “Ladies and Gentleman, THIS is Why They hate us.” That’s about as positive as his review gets. He’s almost loving compared to the brilliant review by Lindy West:

SATC2 takes everything that I hold dear as a woman and as a human—working hard, contributing to society, not being an entitled cunt like it’s my job—and rapes it to death with a stiletto that costs more than my car. It is 146 minutes long, which means that I entered the theater in the bloom of youth and emerged with a family of field mice living in my long, white mustache.

That one of the nicer parts. I suggest, no, I implore that you read every word.

The consensus is there’s absolutely no there there or, as per Matt Seitz, what’s there is actually so materialistic and shallow, it’s actually somewhat depraved and viciously out of touch with the fact that millions of us struggling right now, even in the richest country on earth. Seitz mentions that, in a way, the “Sex and the City” franchise is like “Star Wars” for adult women. I suspect that even some of the show’s most dedicated fans may get that same sick feeling I did when the end credits rolled on “The Phantom Menace” that fateful winter’s day in 1999. It’s not fun to see something you love become something you sort of tolerate and, eventually, kind of loathe. My hunch is that at least some “Sex and the City” lovers, feeling cheap and used, may find new outlets for their passion.

The other major release this week is Disney’s PG-13 fantasy-adventure flick, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” starrring Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Atherton. It’s not wowing critics, but it isn’t generating cat-calls either, which is actually kind of neat trick given it’s yet another film drawn from a video game and has generated a bit of arguably justified dissing from South-Asian groups since, in case you weren’t sure, Gyllenhaal and Atherton are not Persian names.

True, there aren’t huge numbers of bankable American actors from anywhere remotely close to modern day Iran, but then how is that ever supposed to happen if the studios refuse to cast ethnic people, other than a few African-American and Latino superstars, in leading roles? It’s a definite chicken/egg problem requiring a bit of bravery from Hollywood to solve and “bravery” and “Hollywood” are not words that  often go together. On the other hand, it’s worth mentioning that third-billed Ben Kingsley is actually half-Indian and half Jewish which, genetically speaking, may be fairly close to being a Persian.

On the other hand, producer Jerry Bruckheimer did make an interesting choice in hiring English director Mike Newell, best known for such character/dialogue driven pieces as “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Donnie Brasco.” I have this wild and crazy idea that things like character and dialogue matter in action films. Maybe Bruckheimer has gone nuts, too. Nah.

In any case, “Prince of Persia” is not, we’re told, tracking terribly well. (Perhaps, I suggest again, video games aren’t the greatest source material for movies.) It’s expected to come in third, after “Shrek Forever After,” which will need some strong legs of its own to recover from its below-par opening last week.

As for limited releases, two notable films from France are opening in just a few theaters this weekend. The 50th anniversary restoration of Jean-Luc Godard’s genuinely groundbreaking, ultra-influential “Breathless” opens at four theaters on the coasts. Also, Jason Zingale loved “Micmacs” by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, while I’m less enthralled with it despite Jeunet’s visuals and soulful star Danny Boon’s knack for physical comedy.The slapstick comedy with a serious message, a la Chaplin, opens in a few theaters in New York, I believe, this weekend and will be opening in several more U.S. cities the following weekend. There will be more here on “Micmacs” and the filmmaker behind such acclaimed hits as “Amelie” and “The City of Lost Children” before long, unless I get hit by a bus or something.

For anyone that followed my SXSW Blog throughout the course of the film festival, you already know that my experience was a rather positive one. In fact, of the 17 films screened during my time in Austin, there were only two that I didn’t particularly like. You’d think that would make selecting my personal favorites even more difficult, but my Top Three easily blows the rest of the competition out of the water. Here are some highlights from my reviews of those films:

1. “Micmacs”

[Jean-Pierre] Jeunet’s latest film, “Micmacs,” may just be his best yet – a whimsical crime caper that boasts his trademark visual style, a classic Max Steiner score, and an ensemble cast filled with familiar faces. Though it likely won’t have the crossover appeal of “Amelie,” “Micmacs” is one of the most enjoyable moviegoing experiences of the year… It’s all done so effortlessly, and with [Dany] Boon and his co-stars so charming throughout, that you’d have to be in a pretty sour mood not to walk out of “Micmacs” with a giant grin on your face.

2. “Kick-Ass”

Director Matthew Vaughn clearly understands the world that [Mark] Millar and [John] Romita Jr. have created, and that familiarity resonates throughout, from the high-energy action scenes to the colorful performances from its cast… The end result is an entertaining blend of action and comedy that, despite falling short of its ridiculously high expectations, delivers everything that was awesome about the comic and more.

3. “Four Lions”

A pitch-black satire in the same vein as “Dr. Strangelove,” [Christopher] Morris has created a film so relevant to our current political climate that many will feel guilty just for watching it, let alone laughing at all the gut-wrenching humor along the way… “Four Lions” is one of the funniest, most provocative comedies of the last decade – and one that has more to say than any of the numerous self-important war movies that Hollywood has been cranking out for years.

Of course, one of the things that makes SXSW such a great place to watch movies is the venues. The theater experience in Austin is hands down one of the best in the country – from the historic Paramount Theater to the Alamo Drafthouse. While the Paramount is typically a more star-studded affair, complete with a red carpet and the opportunity to see a movie with its director and stars sitting just a few feet away from you, the Drafthouse (both the Ritz located on 6th Street and the South Lamar, which is a short drive from downtown) is a little more intimate. Star-crazed attendees will find little in the way of celebrity sightings, but the chance of seeing a hidden gem like Best Documentary winner, “Marwencol,” more than makes up for it. Plus, midnight showings of genre films like “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil” are usually more enjoyable when you’re watching it with a bunch of fellow cinephiles.

For all the great movies that SXSW has to offer, you won’t see nearly as many as you’d like if you don’t plan your schedule beforehand. There are several factors working against you, but your biggest enemy is lines. Every screening has one, and though the 1200-seat capacity of the Paramount pretty much guarantees you’ll get in with a badge as long as you arrive early, as some unlucky attendees discovered with hot tickets like “Kick-Ass” and “MacGruber,” that wasn’t always the case. Couple that with a tightly scheduled program, an ongoing issue with movies never starting on time, and the sheer fact that the Alamo South Lamar takes about 10 minutes to get to (sorry free shuttle service, but you weren’t much help), and SXSW can sound like more trouble than it’s worth.

Still, even when things aren’t going quite as planned, everything always seems to work out. Take for instance the Sunday night world premiere of “Elektra Luxx,” a film that took 15 days to shoot, cost almost nothing to make, and yet had the star power of actresses like Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman, and Emmanuelle Chriqui to sell out the Paramount. But when the projector suddenly died midway through the movie, instead of melting down like most directors probably would, the cool and composed Sebastian Gutierrez hopped on stage to turn a bad situation into one that, at the very least, will be remembered for years to come. It certainly helped to have a guy like Gutierrez controlling the chaos, because while attendees sat around patiently to see if the projector would be fixed in time to continue the film (it wasn’t, and the screening was rescheduled for the following night), the writer/director entertained the audience by telling anecdotes about making the movie and taking questions.

Not everybody was as classy as Gutierrez. Jonah Hill was overheard heckling his own movie at the “Cyrus” screening (pretty unprofessional if you ask me), while “The Weird World of Blowfly” co-star Tom Bowker made a giant ass of himself when he hijacked the press lounge (you know, the place where writers go to work in a quiet environment) and proceeded to shout his way through a 15-minute tirade that covered everything from his movie to world politics. I’ve since joked upon my return that I didn’t encounter a single crazy person until the music portion of the festival began, but Bowker was definitely his own brand of crazy. Then again, maybe he was just trying to keep Austin weird.

If the ocean of bewildered faces in the press lounge was any indication, his little coup didn’t work, but it was certainly one of many memorable moments in my virgin voyage to SXSW. And between all the great movies I saw, the old friends I reconnected with (thanks again, Film School Rejects), the new friends I met along the way (insert shout out to the Gordon and the Whale crew here), and the $5 Milkshakes I drank to quiet my grumbling stomach, it’s one that I can’t wait to experience all over again.