My top 10 posted at indieWIRE

I was asked to participate in indieWIRE's yearly critics' poll of the year's best films and performances this year. I've always looked forward to the poll at year's end, first when it was hosted by the Village Voice in the pre New Times Media takeover days and then at indiewire, where it has lived on since 2006, so I was thrilled to be invited to weigh in. Still, it was with a bit of trepidation that I threw my favorites into the fray, perhaps more so than I felt when I cast ballots for Hammer to Nail's and the National Board of Review's ten best list and awards voting earlier this month. Perhaps this was because each Critics' picks for the indieWIRE lists are published individually, for all to see, and before I've had the opportunity to screen some films I'm really looking forward to. I confess that I missed some of the seasons' most lauded films during their initially foray of press and guild screenings, including several that have already opened like Milk and Slumdog Millionaire. With that in mind, take a peek at my indieWIRE ballot, which will be presented in an expanded form and elaborated upon right here in the days after Christmas...